15 months

Well, it will be 16 months next week but.....
Today was his 15 month check up. He weighs 22 lbs, and is 32 1/2 inches long. He was absolutely awful the entire trip. He repeatedly threw himself on the floor, had a fit, screamed his fool head off and slapped the doctor, and all she did to him was say hi to him. She has labeled him as speech delayed, and sending him for a hearing evaluation. I think he can hear just fine, he understands most of what we say, he follows directions (most of the time, when he isn't having a temper tantrum, that no doubt stem from his communication frustration) he just doesn't want to talk. He has rejected all attempts at any baby sign language despite MONTHS of effort on my part. He seems to be quite content pointing, grunting and getting ticked off when we don't know what he wants. I should probably be more worried than I am, but I am not particularly worried over his lack of words.... yet.

Honestly I am more stressed over refusing a flu shot for him. I can't help but wonder if I should have said yes.... I keep thinking of all the kids that died from the flu last year, on the other hand he has it rough enough without filling him up with even more chemicals that in all likeness are unnecessary. I am ashamed to say I almost wish I was still as ignorant about vaccines as I was when Saige was born, it rates in the top three most stressful decisions I have ever had to make. It's like rolling the dice with my kids lives and it is beyond scary, it doesn't end with a decision because then I have to stress on whether or not I made the right choice. Before I knew better it was easy, lol.

The rest of will be getting flu shots and we will pray for the best. Rob because he can not afford to miss work, not financially, but because his employer makes up rules as they go along, he currently has 8 sick days and is NOT allowed to use them, he got a write up for the last time he was sick despite the doctor note. You would think that they wouldn't want you around the milk when you are sick but apparently they don't care. Actually I should say two write ups in the same day for sick days used separately months before hand. Like I said, they make up the rules as they go along. I wont even get into how stressed I was when they tried to refuse him FMLA leave when Rylan was born.

Me, because I can not afford to get the flu, unfortunately having the most underpaid overworked job around also means no sick days allowed. I barely survived last week and I know the flu is worse. Although I KNOW that the shot itself is going to make me sick, it always does, it sure beats having the flu. Saige because she has had it before with no ill effects and being in school she is more at risk than any of us.

Halloween is tomorrow!!!!!!! We can't wait. It's my favorite holiday, I love seeing all the kids in their costumes, and I wont lie, I love the candy too.

I am being harassed by the NRA

According to my list of received calls on Vonage, the NRA has called me or Rob 18 times in the last 30 days. I have repeatedly asked to be taken off their list. I am not interested in who they think I should vote for and I am most certainly not interested in giving them a lousy penny. I am on the do not call list. Is the NRA calling and reading me a script not included in the do not call list? Is it that hard to make a note next to our number that we have told them 18 times politely and not so politely that we do not want to hear from them? Is it that hard to remove a number from the list? Do they think I am going to change my mind? Truthfully if I didn't disagree with who they think I should vote for in the first place, I would be tempted to head the other direction out of sheer annoyance. There is nothing more annoying than some idiot calling you at 9 pm, unable to properly pronounce Skinner (it's a toughy, I know) to inaudibly read a sheet of paper telling me about the horrors of certain politicians. It is kind of fun to let them go through the list and say 'hey I voted for all of them'.... or even better I told one guy that Hillary Clinton was my aunt (obviously a lie) but so worth it, he stammered said umm a couple times and hung up on me! lol. It was the one and only time I did not get a chance to tell them I did NOT want them to call again.

In all fairness I do not give money to any lobbying organization or politician. But, seriously the NRA? I can safely say they are at the very, very bottom of my influence pool and organizations I would give money to if I had it to give. Tomorrow I have to figure out how to stop this and file a complaint... if I can. One more week and hopefully it will be over but now I am just bitter that they keep calling over and over, and screwing with them got old after the 10th or 11th time.

On a cute note, Saige does not want me to go boat on Tues, because the water is too cold if I were to fall in. I took her last time, but apparently it didn't register. I was going to go while she was in school but I think we will get up extra early so I can take her with me.

Art

I think one of the best things about school so far has been the fun stuff Saige brings home. Plus drawing pictures kept her occupied while I was sick and I love her 'art' work. It was decided long before that in our tiny house it would be quite the feat to hang on to all of them. I will take pictures of them ALL and save a select few. Here are a few, I am considering holding on to the third one despite the lack of space.

I gave her the dry erase markers for the white board, went to the bathroom and returned to this. I managed to get it off his face, getting it off the back of his head, not so easy. It is very obvious through his blond hair too. I can't complain too much, this ranks in the top three of naughty things she has ever done.

fall

No such luck

Saige was still sick this morning, she woke up at 5 calling for me. I went in and she asked me to sit with her, as soon as I sat on the bed she puked on me. We spent the afternoon running around, we went to the doctor who sent us for chest x-rays, a nebulizer and antibiotics. She was such a good girl, she put up no fight and was great for the x-rays. She thought is was pretty cool when she saw them on the computer screen. It looked kinda scary to me, but I am not a doctor and she didn't call so it must not be any worse than she thought. I'll call in the morning, they were closed by the time we made it home.

We were at the medical supply store for over an hour while they called the insurance company and sat on hold. An hour is a LONG time for a sick kid, any kid for that matter, but Saige was terrific. At that point her fever was gone and she was starting to feel a bit better. We waited at the pharmacy for over a half hour, they too had to call on the insurance. grr This totally ticks me off, we pay and outrageous amounts of money every week and yet we have to fight with them over EVERYTHING.

She didn't like the nebulizer (which is actually kind of cute, it's a cow and the case is a barn) at first but after she saw it didn't hurt she was fine and asking for more, lol. She is upset about missing so many days of school, she thinks they will for get her by Monday. It appears Rylan is starting to get sick again. I just can't win.

Now Saige is sick, poor honey. She didn't go to school today, I know she didn't feel good when she didn't put up a fight. She laid in the chair all day and kept telling me she was only a little bit sick, not doctor sick. She didn't complain of anything in particular just said her brain hurt when she drank through a straw, she had/has a slight fever. Hopefully this is the worst of it and she will be better tomorrow.

Unfortunately this leaves only Robby, and he will get it, I am sure. I am not sure I would not prefer to be sick myself twice. He is such a whiner when he is sick, I am already dreading it.

I think the worst part about being sick is I missed the best two weeks out of the year as far as NY scenery goes. The trees are past their prime now, I kept saying I should go out and take pictures of the yard but never found the energy. It's still pretty, but not as pretty as a week ago. It's amazing how cold 58 degrees feels after summer. A 58 degree day in March feels like heaven, we run around in teeshirts thrilled at the prospect of warm weather and days outside yet to come. Now it's just a reminder that it's coming to an end and it will get far far worse before it gets better again, and with the cold comes the fuel oil bill : (

unfair

Still sick : ( It got bad over the long weekend, I ended up going to the ER. They gave me antibiotics and pain killers. Today is the first I have felt even a slight bit better, I feel like maybe I have only been run over a few times. Vaguely somewhere in the back of my mind I seem to remember that at one point in time when I was sick I could call into work and just stay in bed, rest and work on getting better. Instead I get to get worse and worse because I don't get five minutes to sit and rest and I can't call in.