Ta-da!

Can you believe it is raining again? Or that we are back in school already? Both are true.

Roger and I returned to school this week. For myself, I will say--unrested and not ready. Don't get me wrong I love my job, my students, my life, but things at home are so busy and on-task that I wonder how I will be able to accompish my goals.

One goal is to work on muddling through the crazy roller coaster emotions one goes through when dealing with a child who 'has issues.' And no, I don't mean the boys! Just kidding guys. Seriously, some days I feel like I have my head and heart wrapped around Kath's diagnosis and what our job is - to help her reach her full potentional. Then other days I don't want to move, I am energy-less and deflated, and I just want to cry. Please understand (anyone who is thinking I am a weirdo) that I KNOW how good we have it. The oxygen came back on for Katharina! The stroke didn't destroy more brain matter! She is a pip! What I go through has nothing to do with what is really going on in our lives. It seems to be just hormonal or mental. Who knows? But I started taking vitamins, forcing myself to exercise, and trying positive healing/thinking. It has helped that as things rachet up, we also have help from the sidelines to ease some of the craziness.

Kath has been doing tremendous things. She walked past the TV while Alex was watching, I think, Curious George and said, 'Ta-da!' after she heard it spoken. Then after she saw my reaction, she proceeded to say it all day. Then one night we were working on the yard (one of the rainless days) and I had just reached the deck and turned around in time to see Kath sliding down the slide. She had never climbed up by herself before (she had trouble getting her right leg in front of herself). Now she is pretty good at getting up and sliding down, although she sometimes thinks she can stand and serve a sermon at the top, but her balance is still that of a drunken sailor (no offense) so that doesn't end without me running faster than I did in high school.

She still does not really speak clearly. I can understand some of her words, but if you weren't around her like I am, you wouldn't understand her. She had two hippotherapy sessions this week and she also had healing touch and yoga today. She has such an immediate reaction to Britta when she begins, it would make a believer out of all of you. Even if Britta is behind her (and Kath cannot see well peripherally), Kath becomes aggitated and aware very quickly. But after that, once Britta is able to rake through her for a bit, she settles and actually relaxes. You can actually see it. I am so glad my friend Doris introduced me to this. It is amazing.

Alex is doing great although I was ready to flip out yesterday when I became obssessively worried and almost rushed her to the ER. I noticed that she was garbling her words and having a very difficult time talking. Since we don't know why Kath had her stroke, I began checking Alex for any sign of paralisis. Then I asked her to open her mouth and found she had a huge canker sore (again). This girl! She had tried to carry her sister the other day and they both toppled-Kath into Alex's lip. Alex 'caught' her--that's Alex's story. My story is that Alex broke Kath's fall . . . with her own face. Anyway, Alex is notorious for putting her (dirty) fingers into her mouth-so I think she infected her cut innerlip. Poor chick. Friday we dropped off the paperwork for her to be evaluated by a speech therapist, so she is already hard enough to understand and now she talks like she has marbles in her mouth. But I am trying to give her tea-bags and that actually seems to be helping. Did you ever hear of that? Putting a teabag on the canker sore?

Alex and I also began preschool homeschool this week and are having a blast. She also started dance class today. Boys are good and enjoying school. We are going to go visit Chris tomorrow. Roger is good too. A good man.

I am going to go snag some writing time (another goal), so, enjoy!