Finally!!!

After waiting and waiting (since May), we FINALLY have an appointment scheduled for Ethan to see the allergist. I don't know if I have ever had to deal with so much crap to get an appointment before. Ethan's pulmonologist recommended this allergist and said that it was critical that we be seen because of Ethan's blood test results. Unfortunately, the referral had to be sent from our pediatrician for the appointment. And to make a really long story short, I am just mad about how both doctors' offices just blame each other for Ethan slipping through the cracks. I am not focusing on that right now, and I am just happy that Ethan is going to be seen. We will go on Wednesday afternoon.

Emily has an appointment on Friday at the Cerebral Palsy Clinic at Children's Rehab Services. I'm a little curious about how that appointment will go with the orthopedist, but I am really looking forward to being able to have a very enlightening conversation with the neurologist there. The last time we went to the CP clinic, I was very distraught about Emily's headaches and was getting nowhere from her old neurosurgeon. The neurologist at the CP clinic made a diagnosis in less than 3 minutes and said that Emily had migraines (simply because I suffer with them). He immediately gave her a prescription of Depakote to take for them and just sent us on our way. I had never given her the Depakote because I wasn't comfortable with how the appointment went. I searched further for answers and ended up with our new neurosurgeon who instantly told me that Emily had been suffering from a Chiari Malformation, which was confirmed by several MRI's. I am really looking forward to going in and informing that neurologist (who spent only 3 minutes with my child) how wrong he was in his diagnosis.

Regarding school, things have really improved for Ethan. Although he struggles with being able to pay attention, he is still doing well and most importantly, is LOVING school. Both of the kids are just doing so well. In fact, I had talked to Emily's teacher on the phone on Friday regarding the headaches that Emily is still getting, and in our conversation, the teacher informed me that they had been doing assessments on the kids last week. And she told me that Emily had tested out of first grade. She said that she could even probably give her the test for second grade and she would do really well on it. That kind of comment sure makes a mama proud!!! It was cute listening to Ethan and Emily comparing their tests (since they are in different classes now). It was very obvious by listening to their comparison that Ethan answered the same way as Emily on all of the questions on the test. Although I don't have confirmation from the teacher, I'm pretty sure that Ethan also did just as well as Emily on the assessments. And then to make me even prouder, Emily's teacher informed me tonight that Emily tested on a third grade reading level!!!!! :)

One thing that has been a big concern for me about the school is how Ethan came home on two different days last week and complained that he couldn't wash his hands all day because there wasn't any soap in the bathroom. The teacher does have GermX, though, and he used that, but that isn't the point. I even received an email from the school district explaining about the seriousness of the H1N1 virus and how the school is going to teach proper hygiene to all the students to help prevent the spread of the virus. Well, you can imagine how upset this made me considering they don't even make sure that there is soap in the bathrooms. We have stressed over and over to the kids about the importance of hand washing. With Ethan's respiratory history, we just can't take any chances with him catching such a horrible illness. I sent an email to the school nurse because I was concerned about the lack of soap. She suggested that I go straight to the principal because she has had several other complaints, too. So, that is just what I did. I sent an email to the principal on Friday regarding the unsanitary conditions and how critical it is for Ethan to have access to soap. I asked how the school expects to prevent the spread of ANY kind of illness if the kids don't have a way to wash their hands properly. I have yet to hear back from the principal regarding this, but Ethan did tell me that there was soap in the bathroom today.

Wow, it's been a crazy week, but it sure is nice to see the kids so excited about school. They are doing so great in their different classes, too. I'm excited to see what this year will bring!

Rough times at school!

I haven't posted since the kids' first day of school because things have been kind of stressful here. Ethan had a great first day and even said he loved school. Then on the second day, he seemed very distant to me when I tried to talk to him about his day and he wouldn't tell me anything. The only thing he would say was that he was "bored" all day in his class. I started getting concerned after that day and then got hit with a doozy on the third day of school. The minute I picked him up, he started telling me how bored he was in class. And then when I open his folder to check about his day, I saw this horrible thing staring at me. It was a big fat "N" in conduct. The teacher left a note that said he had a lot of trouble paying attention in class and was also caught playing in the hall. Despite the poor conduct grade, Ethan managed to do perfectly on all of his papers. In fact, he mastered the art of counting syllables while Emily was really struggling with that. Emily brought home the same paper, but she had missed a lot of hers. (I have since worked with Emily on this and she now understands it.) To say that I was a bit confused by seeing his wonderful school work and then seeing that horrible conduct grade, well "confused" would be an understatement.

I made it VERY clear to Ethan how unacceptable a conduct grade like that was. He lost his video game and tv watching privileges for the night. I also made him write an apology letter to his teacher. Later in the evening, after I had a chance to cool down a bit, Ethan and I had a very good talk about how I was very happy with his school work and that it made me proud to see it. And we also went over some techniques he might be able to use to keep himself from "being bored". I also sent a letter to his teacher because I wanted to know her take on this. We deal with a lot of issues at home regarding his lack of attention and so seeing this happen so soon in school made me very concerned.

I did get a reply back from her this evening and she filled me in on what she has done to reduce the number of distractions that Ethan has. We have also vowed to work together to help Ethan and make sure that he gets what he needs. He did end up having a great day at school today and I was so happy and relieved to see this. He earned his screen time back (video games and tv). And we even went outside this evening and let the kids drive their jeeps all around the front yard and driveway. This is a huge deal for the kids because they don't get to do it often. They usually just have the back yard to drive around in. Ethan was extremely happy about getting to take the Power Wheels out front.

And on top of dealing with these issues with Ethan, I could tell when I picked the kids up from school yesterday that Emily had a headache. I could see it in her eyes. She said that she got it before lunch and still had it even after lunch. I asked her if she told her teacher, but she said that she didn't because she didn't know if her teacher was aware of her headaches. This just made me sad. I assured her that her teacher knew about them and she could tell her when she had one. Emily ended up laying in her bed yesterday evening for a while because her head was still hurting her. I'm sure that it was mostly due to the weather system that we had going on. And then, however, she told me today that she ended up going to the nurse because she had another headache. She said that she got to lay down for a little bit and that helped some. I just hate that she is having them at all.

This week has definitely been an eventful one. Personally, I'm glad that the week is almost over. I'm ready to start brand new next week. :)

A Good Day

I am just now getting around to posting an update about the kids' first day of first grade yesterday. Despite Emily's rough morning at drop-off, she ended up having a great day. In fact, they BOTH ended up having a fantastic day. Last night Ethan told me, "I LOVE FIRST GRADE!" He said that it was more fun than he thought it would be. :)

I had emailed Emily's teacher during the day to check on her and to make sure that she was okay. The reply I got was a good one. She called Emily an "angel" and said that Emily is helping her out with a special needs child in the room. Emily also told me that she was asked if she wanted to read this poem in front of the class. I was VERY surprised that Emily did it, especially on the first day of school. I was very proud of her.

Ethan came home acting so grown up and was telling me about his day. When I asked him if he made any new friends, he said, "It's just the first day. We are just getting to know the people right now." Funny child! How silly of me to think that he would have made a friend on the first day. :) The interesting thing for me was to see the papers in his folder. Remember his paper aversion this summer??? Well, he has SUDDENLY gotten over it and had no problems with paper yesterday. In fact, there was one page that he colored that was amazing. Almost the entire paper was colored. And there were some papers that he did where he had to fill in the blanks about the first day of school. It was very cute and said things like his name, the date, where he goes to school, his teacher's name, who he sits next to, and one of their class rules. I was commenting on what a good job he did on his paper and he said, "I cheated on it." I asked him what he was talking about and he said, "I cheated. She let us cheat. She had the information written on the board and we just had to copy it down." That made me laugh. I thought it was funny that Ethan referred to that as "cheating" because he didn't have to come up with the answers on his own and he didn't have to spell the words on his own. He did announce to me what a great speller he is because he had to sound out one word yesterday. :) One thing that he is very excited about in his class is the conduct system. They earn "sticks" for doing good things and then get the sticks taken away if they do something wrong. After they earn 10 sticks then they get a golden stick and get to earn a special prize. Ethan loves this program and was telling me about how he is going to earn 10,000 sticks. Ha-ha! Let's just hope that he keeps up this great attitude.

Overall, it was a great first day of school. And they woke up very excited for today to begin. Emily made it very clear this morning that she does not want us to walk her in today. I told her that it is a good thing because we aren't allowed to walk her in anyway. :) I can't wait to hear about how their day is today.

First Day of School - 1st Grade

Today was the first day of school! We have 1st graders now!!!! The kids woke up on their own this morning and were ready for the day. Emily even made her bed before she came out of her room. The kids were both too nervous to eat breakfast, though, and I'm sure that they will be STARVING by lunch time. I just hope that Emily doesn't get a headache because of it. She will get one if she doesn't eat and drink on a regular schedule.

Rob and I walked them to their classes. Ethan was the one dropped off first. He went right into his room and found his desk. He was very happy about everything and barely even wanted to tell us goodbye. Emily, though, started to get overly emotional at the idea of the two of them being separated. She suddenly reached over and grabbed Ethan and started hugging him. I could tell that she was struggling to hold back tears at that point. We said our goodbyes to Ethan and headed out to Emily's room. It wasn't long before the tears started flowing from her. Her teacher even walked over and hugged her and tried to cheer her up. Emily tried to get herself under control and even stopped crying for a minute. Of course, once we said our goodbyes, the tears started flowing again.

I know Emily will end up having a good day and will do fine. It is just the first day jitters. I can't wait to hear all about their day and I will be sure to post an update later. This is a HUGE step for all of us to have the kids separated like this. I know it is what is best for them, though, and I'm sure they will both actually enjoy it once they get settled.

Game Day

Today was "game day" in the Ebbert household. It is Rob's drill weekend for the Army Reserves and so the kids and I had a fun day at home together. We watched two movies together (The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries Part 2), and we played Uno, Guess Who?, Hullabaloo, Monopoly, and Checkers. We even had a few minutes to spare to run over and check on Grandma and go to the store for ice cream. :)

I have determined that Ethan is a math genius. When playing Monopoly (and this wasn't the Jr. version, either. It was the real thing!), Ethan can do all the math in his head when it comes to the banking end of things. He knew exactly what the change would be when he was buying a property, could quickly add up any money that was owed to him, and instantly knew how much money he would make if somebody landed on multiple properties of his. It was quite amazing to see him in action and just so quick and matter of fact about it all. It made me proud!!! And I was really happy for him to be able to shine like that today since he often thinks that he is below Emily academically. He compares himself to her in reading and has determined that he is "stupid". It drives me crazy because he is so darn smart. I just wish he could see that, too. Today he did.

Since school will be starting on Monday, we have started doing chore charts again. Today was allowance day and they both had money deducted off for things that they didn't do this week. They have the potential of earning $5 a week, but Ethan earned $2.50 and Emily earned $3.50. The good thing is that they both now see what they could earn, and I noticed them both trying harder this evening.

There is something strange going on with Emily's shunt tubing. It is very visible where it runs along her chest and into her abdomen. We've always been able to feel it and slightly see it, but never like this before. She thinks it is pretty funny that it is sticking out so much. I'm not worried about it because she isn't having any kind of symptoms or problems, but I do wonder what is causing it. Now here is the funny conversation that took place about this tube. She was asking me a question about it and I told her that the tube runs from her brain down to her abdomen. She looked at me and said, "My abdomen???? I thought this was my thorax." I stood there in shock for a little bit and thought that it was amazing how much a six year old knows about anatomy. I explained to her that her thorax is actually the part of her body that is beneath her ribs, basically what we call her chest. And I told her that her abdomen is lower than that and is the part of her body that is below her ribs, it is her belly. She just chuckled a little bit and said that she thought the whole thing was her thorax, and now she knew better. I know they did a lot of talk last year in school about insects and the parts of the insects, and with what she and Ethan have had to go through medically, I think they are both very wise beyond their years.

The BIG countdown is on. School starts on Monday!!!! I have two VERY excited kids on my hands, especially Emily. I hope and pray that we have a very healthy year. :)

Meet the Teacher

Tonight was meet the teacher at school. Ethan and Emily have been counting down to this day forever. Even today they were counting down the hours. They are both so excited for school to start on Monday. They have GREAT teachers this year. Emily will be in Ms. Watson's class and Ethan is in Ms. L's class. Their classrooms are right across the hall from each other and they will get to see each throughout the day because the classes will mingle with each other on occasion. Emily even asked me if there was any way to make the days go by faster. :)

Ethan and Emily's 504 plans aren't totally in place yet, but they will be soon. Emily still has headaches at times, even after her surgeries this summer, and I wonder how this will affect her daily activities in class. I did let Ethan's teacher know about his sudden asthma attacks that he has. I told her that they usually start with coughing, and it is not uncommon for him to drop his oxygen level quickly. Aside from just protecting him if he misses too many days, and letting the teacher know how his asthma attacks start, I don't want Ethan to be limited on anything else in school. I still want him to have to participate in P.E. and any other activities that are going on. And it is the same thing for Emily except allowing her to lay down if she complains of a headache.

Now that I got the "business" side of things out of the way, I have a couple of funny comments from the kids. The other night Emily told me that "even though she knows he doesn't have it, Ethan acts like he has that disease where people are afraid to go outside" (agoraphobia). She told me that he acts like that because of the bees and wasps. Ha-ha!!! And tonight when I told Ethan to get something out of the laundry room, he said, "Uuuuuggggghhhhh! I can't!!!!! I have sensory issues with cat litter!!!!!" Oh my goodness! I would expect this kind of comment from Emily, but never from Ethan. It just totally cracked me up!!!

Discussions with six year olds...

We have spent the last week getting back into our routine at home. We have been getting ready for school. The first day of school is August 10. It's hard to believe that it is already here. Ethan and Emily are so excited to be going back to school. But they aren't half as excited as I am. Ha-ha!

We went to Waterville today to help celebrate Kaitlyn's 12th birthday. We all had a great time. Avery is spending the night with us tonight and as I type this, the three kids are running around the house and have way more energy than they should after getting worn out at the water park today.

On our way driving to Waterville this morning the kids started talking about the various car accidents we have been in. Emily said that every time she rides in the Expedition, all she can think about is the accident I was in when the lady ran a stop sign and we hit her. That is what started the conversation and then they started talking about the really big accident we were in when we were in a head-on collision on I-10 (Rob was driving). A car lost control from the other direction and flew through the median and crashed into us. That is when Emily said something about not wrecking the white car that I have (2006 Ford 500). Ethan's reply to that was, "well, that's because Mommy hasn't had that car long enough yet." Oh my goodness!!!! My mouth just dropped open at this statement. Rob started laughing so hard that I thought he was going to start crying. I had to set the record straight VERY quickly and inform Ethan that I have only been in that one accident and that his daddy has been in waaayyyyy more accidents than me. I can't believe that my kids were even discussing this. Ha-ha!

And then to add to the funny comments...We were in Walmart doing some shopping and we needed new light bulbs. As Rob and I were picking out the kind we need, Emily is standing in the isle and reading several of the boxes. She was looking at a box of those energy efficient bulbs that are out right now and the box said that those bulbs will last up to six years. Emily suddenly made a funny sound and then said, "I seriously doubt THAT would be the case." When I asked her what she was talking about she pointed to the box and showed me how it says that they last up to six years. And then she said it again, "I seriously doubt THAT would be the case." She just cracks me up sometimes with her comments. :)