Venting..

Here I am trying to pull some weight

off my shoulders.

I am horribly behind on all things.

I am still caught up on laundry though..

I have taken back to running our household

numbers,

and

am not quite up to my picky particular

potential.

It took us both to iron it out last night

and

it took almost 2 hours.

I just like to keep a good eye

on spending

and

keep the papers organized.

We stayed under on our Christmas budget

which is awesome.

For me it is to start saving in the new room month
(I type random words sometimes..)

and

zero out the budget.

That way we “magically” grow our standard savings.

Too much info?

Get over it.

I am not mentioning numbers

just the basics on what I do.

That said, I found some errors today.

Just tried to double pay 2 bills.

Since apparently I did not know

I already paid them.

I know this can happen to anyone

but I haven't done it before..

I did one time buy twice as many diapers as

needed..but..

I had two in diapers

and

a screaming 12 hour a day baby

and

a screaming 4-6 hours a day not-quite-2 year old

and

a 3 year old who would beg to go to his room

to get away from the noise.

That said, I don't have that

and

still managed to whoops on things

and

paid extra on one. (No biggie there..but not planned)

So this really gets to me.

AND even though I

updated our 2014 calendar

(which I USUALLY do early December every year)

I just finished it today

and

wrote down all the school schedules.

Apparently, I can't read because

Bitty has school today

and

I was positive I did not read it on his

school calendar this morning.

**Edit**Yes, I was looking at the calendar for 
the school system he was in before we moved. **

I am pretty detailed oriented

so to have quite a few faux pas

today is not good.

Stuff happens, but it bugs me today.

Probably bugs me because in 2 weeks

I will have my next MRI and neuro-oncologist visit.

I was supposed to in December but

they called to reschedule due to my

Doc's schedule for traveling changing.

December was a bit nutty.

Some issues with one of our Pups

which means we have to decide what to do

and

that includes revamping the budget to

compensate for his new needs.

Bitty hit a nice fever the day after Christmas

and

hasn't recovered fully yet.

He keeps giving us his little curves of crazy.

Even one of the most “strict” peds,

(the one who told me at 2 when I listed some oddities I noticed

said, “It's not like he's Autistic or anything.”..)

Agreed, something isn't quite right but we can only list

what the illness is not.

Our tiles under our fridge

are pulled up

and

now the “man in charge”

from the plumbing company

has to come look at it

even thought we spent 2 weeks with a dehumidifier

and 1 of those 2 weeks also had a supremely noisy fan

to help dry it out.

We also met with their general contractor too.

His taking so long slows the process down

but he should be here tonight

even though he canceled on us earlier this week.

So here's hoping that ball continues to roll...

And things happen and schedules have hiccups..

We also had an animal stuck in our attic for a few hours on

Tuesday afternoon into evening.

THANKFULLY, it found it's way out

and

we have a vague idea of it's way in

and

blocked it.

So far so good..

So right now I would love to go hide

just because of all these nagging things

BUT,
I can't, so I won't

and

have a giant list of to do's

and

really would just prefer to

play with the Boys..

So onward to find the balance of both..

I really keep thinking it's a Monday..

SO glad it is not!!

There are plenty of sparkles of good..

they may be little but

they are here!

Time to go scrub some dirt, play with the Boys

and

focus on all of our sparkles..

with a little less weight now off my back.

Just a portion of our week..

D has fallen asleep dropping Logey off at school.

Since he is napping

I am deciding to attempt to type a little

before I we have to go get our Biggun' from school.

Here we are 4 days before our Baby is 3.

The Rogers' chaos continues.

We had a lull and here we are now

back into it.

When we moved in we got a new fridge.

There was not one here

and

in order to sell our

other house they wanted the fridge.

So, Lowe's dropped it off

and

wouldn't connect the

ice maker due to new codes

and

our line was plastic.

New codes are using a flexible metal line.

So, since days run long

Andrew on Sunday night (our 1^st night of all 5 of us sleeping here)

hooked it up

and

went into the crawl space to turn on the water line.

Yup..the parts

(Insert long lapse here..potty issues with D..no nap done, hope to type more later)

Starting at two days later..

The parts from not being moved for months

had dry rotted or rusted or something

needless to say a huge gush of water

and

Andrew in the dark now covered in mud

had to run up to the street and turn off the

main line of water to our house.

He went to the store twice to try to get new parts.

It failed.

So now we had no running water

except for our outdoor spickets

which are attached to the well

the house originally had.

I sent Andrew out with a stock pot to fill

and

heated it on the stove so he could wash the mud off

and

we went to bed.

A plumber came first thing to fix it

and

we decided to to have the water/ice maker

connection

installed behind the fridge

like it is in newly built houses.

That way if a problem occurs we can turn it off

NOT from the crawl space.

Well, since then I have heard

on and off trickling sounds

but see no water

and

when Andrew gets home it is quiet

so we forget to look.

We have learned that some new fridges

have a non removable drip pan

and

possibly it was something

dripping into that.

Well, I am having by giant bouts

of exhaustion.

I fell asleep at 7p

on this past Sunday.

Andrew heard the drips!!

He checked it out!

So GLAD he did.

He called the plumber because the

line they installed was leaking.

They came out first thing

and

when he spoke to them they said,

“OH, you guys must have got one of the bad lines.”

Yes, the plumber repaired it

and

then contacted a water damage company

they work with.

Yes, WATER DAMAGE.

After 2 month

we have wall studs that are 100% saturated (per the tech's hand held meter)

our tile is saturated, drywall is also.

So our fridge is in the middle of the kitchen.

A humidifier is in the area sealed off.

AND

there is one under the house sealed off.

The hope is to dry it all out.

They sprayed a fungicide on the stud that

was black and white discolored.

The issue is the old owners sprayed

foam insulation

underneath the house.

They may not be able to get the sub flooring to dry out

and

if that happens

(after at least 5 days of dehumidification)

we will have to replace our kitchen floor.

It is tile it will have to be 100% new floor and possible sub-flooring.

Yup our kitchen out of sorts and cluttered. If you look closely at the kitchen light
you will see the drain line taped on the ceiling so we don't trip on it
AND it is draining into our kitchen sink.  (don't worry it is a push drain it can go against gravity)

Yes, just a bump in the road. An inconvenient and annoying one.

The dehumidifier noise gets to you after a while.

They will be out today to recheck it all.

Add to our Cooper dog issues, he just had his vet recheck this week.

Things don't look good.

That in itself is a post of it own

on my view/reasons for it.

Our chaos rolls and “time marches on”

so we keep on..

Like I have said before, not gracefully,

we try and we fail

we are human.

We just get back up and try again and again and again...

Where have we been?

Going crazy?

Very possibly. 

I am eating some chocolate and pretzels and sipping on a beer. 

Yup. 

It has been a while since I posted.  

We as normal have had a lot going on!

We sold our home we built!

After 8 years, we moved across town (nearer to Aidan and Daniel's schools.)

We now have a bigger yard

and

about the same size square footage. (a tad smaller..like 50 sq feet)

We closed on the new home on October 11.  

And the closing of our "old" home was on the 15th. 

We thought a few days overlap would ease the move. 

Hah!

We can dream right?

Here we are still in a mess. 

Supremely disorganized and tired. 

Logan had to go to  a new school since we moved into a 

new county. 

He is doing pretty good. 

The house we bought was empty since April. 

There were a lot of repairs that need to be done

and 

will still need to be done. 

Since it was vacant it was a bit yucky!

Lots of cleaning to do. 

Still not to my liking and soon enough will feel like our dirt. 

That said, it feels like home. 

The other house took almost 8 years to feel like home. 

Funny, huh.

I wake in the morning and don't expect to see our giant

vaulted green bedroom.

I am still not alarmed of the room I see 

just go.  Oh! Funny I did not expect to see the 

bedroom I slept in for 8 years. 

I have never really "moved."

Back in '83 my Parents moved to NC.

They are still in that house. 

My "moves" I remember are going to ECU

and 

marrying Andrew!

Andrew however, has a lot more moves that than under his belt. 

Some he may not remember much. 

His Dad was in the Air Force. 

Well, funny, to say, Andrew

was born in Germany.

Yup. 

From Germany, to Virginia, to South Carolina

to North Carolina. 

Yup, he has moved around some.  

We had some great help

and 

our very Thankful for all who helped us.  

In the midst of all of this. 

Logan got an earlier than scheduled call in with his

Geneticist. 

No answers, it turned into he got some weird genes from me. 

Then his Doctor turned to me and it was like

an appointment for me. 

My job is to inform all of my Doctors about this genetic mutation.

It is related to a rare disease called, "Acute Intermittent Porphyria."

My family doctor informed me I need to see a hematologist. 

So, yup. 

Never dull and all has to happen at once!

I don't remember if I ever updated on here.  

I saw my Neuro-oncolgoist in September and am 

able to stretch it to 3 month between visits versus

2 months. 

I will take that. 

As November turned, I was thinking, 

It has been forever since I have seen them!

It does seem like it because I would be prepping myself for

the visit that would be coming. 

SO yes, it feels like forever. 

It turns out to be on the anniversary of my 

MRI last December that scheduled the biopsy. 

That said, I feel like crap in general

and 

am feeling worse about this. 

It seems like a dream. 

At almost 8 months out I really almost think 

it was a bad dream. 

I was perky and positive then. 

I am having a harder time now. 

It is sinking in. 

I try not to let it get the best of me

but 

it is just  a constant reminder. 

It bugs me that it bothers me. 

I want to go run. 

But I am not because I feel like crap. 

But maybe if I run I will feel better?

But if I feel worse, I will have set myself back.

Anyways, I have lost my focus. 

I must make dinner. 

We moved. 

There is a lot going on. 

What's new?!

Our chaos and we keep on truckin'

just hoping to get back to 

my positive me. 

This non-positive me needs to go away and take a 

long walk off a short pier.  

I don't have time for her!

Our New Home. Top L-R: Toy room, backyard, kitchen.
Mid L-R: Dining room, stair case, office
Bottom L-R: Foyer, living room and Front

As you can see, stuff not done, no picture on walls yet.
It will come.

Office needs unpacked and organized and all the paper clutter should diminish.  :)

Parent Advocate?!

Just the other week

Logey had his

every few months check in

with his Developmental Pediatrician.

We got a good one.

We are supremely thankful for that.

As recommended when Logan was receiving

services from our local Infant Toddler Program.

The advice is to take his

IEP (Individualize Education Plan),

notes from his therapists,

information from

other doctors

and

anything else that

may be helpful.

Thankfully, this Pediatrician

has never wanted to

put Bitty on any medications.

He did recommend a

supplement

but no actual medication.

Logan has never given this

professional his attention

until this appointment.

He waited until the end

of the session to approach him

and

lift his shirt

for the Doctor to listen to his heart.

Then he “played” a little with

the Doctor.

He made the Doctor's day.

The appointments

are of him looking over all the

information we bring in

and

talking to me listening to

our concerns

and

telling him what is

going on with Bitty from our view.

I mentioned he has regressed some

but

with great reason behind it.

That there are some big changes

that have happened

and

I know that is why he has regressed.

I had to explain what our changes were

and

so I get to see big bug eyes

and

jaws drop.

The nurse also did that too.

I just smile and keep on.

Our Bitty impresses this man.

We'll take that!

Our Bitty impresses us too.

I know we are biased but

it sure makes us feel good

when others see it too.

He also commented on how

good Aidan is with Bitty.

I said, they have connected on a few

levels and

Aidan tries to understand

what Bitty does.

That said, I mentioned how some

people have questioned if Aidan is on

the Spectrum also.

The Pediatrician laughed and said,

“No, he is not!!

He made eye contact when I

walked in, he kept it while talking”

and went on listing how that is not true.

I smiled and said, “I know.”

Just nice to hear especially

with the critics out there

saying that everyone

wants a “label”
or

people are over diagnosing

Autism.

Due to all the critic voices

when we knew Logan

needed more evaluations.

We went three ways.

People always claim

to get a second opinion.

All 3 of our opinions

confirmed the exact same.

Anyways, after our talk.

He said Bitty doesn't have

to come back

unless he regresses

for unknown reasons.

This Pediatrician

doesn't have to monitor

medications

for him

and

he also says he knows

Logan sees a big list of Doctors

so we can knock one off the list!

I can make an appointment

just to use him as a sounding board.

I use all the therapists as

sounding boards too.

I like to hear multiple professionals

and

the teachers all on the same page.

That is nothing I ever anticipated

and

have been extremely thankful

for this experience.

He also smiled, when I said the

Teachers said Andrew and I should be

Parent Advocates.

He said, “You just made me laugh. I was thinking

the exact same thing! “

I said to him what we said to the Teachers,

“We don't know what we are doing!

How can we help someone else??”

The Pediatrician said,

“It also helps Parents just to know

they are not alone.”

So, here is step one.

I have a ton of things to talk about but

will do it over time

and

only over whelm

any readers little by little.

:)

[A]lways [U]nique [T]otally [I]ntelligent [S]ometimes [M]ysterious

Two weeks from today our oldest

will begin Kindergarten.

EEK!

Less than 3 weeks and our Bitty will begin

another year of preschool.

I haven't even gotten around

to getting our DD enrolled

in preschool.

I need to do that,

if he is to go where we choose they

will have space for him.

Our Bitty goes to his Developmental Pediatrician

this week.

We just check in with him a couple times

a year to address in possible concerns

and to monitor his

progress

from all aspects.

You know, he see's an Occupational Therapist,

Speech Pathologist , Geneticist

and when school starts

he seen another OT and SLP.

We also had our amazing speech pathologist

recommend another specialist, an RDI

Therapist.

She thinks he would benefit greatly from

one.

We haven't even begun to look into it all.

I did a bit of research on what that professional's

goals/purpose of sessions are.

It sounds like a good option.

But with Bitty the change must be slow

and

expect regression

and

mass amounts of frustration.

Like hours, seriously, hours a day of it.

Our Bitty has made leaps and bounds.

This month marks 2 years since his

first diagnosis of Autism.

I had known for a while something

wasn't right.

That black cloud feeling following me everywhere

I went.

He also slipped away so slowly (regression)

we did not “notice”

or

perhaps it was denial.

Who knows.

It doesn't matter.

What matters was actually

acting on what needed to be done to

help him thrive

and

be a happier child.

And

that has been

and

will continue to be done.

As is for all Children,

he just needs some extra

help to do so.

Yes, I want to post all about him.

As we are impressed and happy with all our

Boys do.

I just like to mention Bitty.

Reasons, it's been two years of

extreme hard work, over 2 years of

“torture” (fits lasting 4-6 hours a day on bad days),

odd stares, extra “tips” from strangers,

and

there is so much more but my brain will not

bring the thoughts to where I can type them.

Oh yes, of COURSE because

coming in October is the Fundraiser for the Autism Society

of NC.

We missed it the first year, but did it last year

and

will continue to do it every year as long as we live.

This image they posted also reminded me to

write a post about our Bitty.

We do it because it means a lot to us.

It is something we “understand.”

We do it for our Bitty

who even more than our

“typical”(whatever that means) Children

he gives us other ways to

look at the world.

From the Autism Society of NC

Bookstore we bought some books

for the siblings.

Explaining sometimes

what the siblings go through

due to their brother/sister

being on the spectrum.

Both books

also state how

the “typical”
sibling will copy the Spectrum

child as a way of trying to understand

them.

Sometimes that makes a connection between the siblings.
Re-reading the books was nice for me
as I was frustrated at times
that they are copying Bitty's habits.
It was very nice to have the reminder of what that means.
It gave me more patience with the added chaos.

Our Precious Bitty who we would

beg and plead to interact with us

we would almost “chase” him

trying.

Meaning anytime when we would try

he would walk away

and

so we would follow him and try again.

This would be from us Parent's,

Grandparents, Cousins..

you name it,we all did it.

Even going out of our way to have a toy he liked.

Now, he will show us toys.

Or tell us something.

He will stay “close” to us.

He was 4 in April.

He is developmentally 2

with some “perks”

like letters and numbers.

I will find random words he has spelled all over

our home.

He will organize numbers appropriately

from single digits to numbers in the thousands.

He is still in diapers.

Yes, over 4 years of changing diapers for him.

He finally has gained some fine motor skills.

He has just over the summer

began to have a good chance of turning door knob

and actually

opening a door!
(this is good and bad at times..)

He also has gained the strength to unlock and lock the deadbolt

and also the

door knob lock!

Our Bitty is still capable at memorizing books

of all kinds, movie scripts

and

from Baby Einstein videos

learned more sign language from the DVD

than all of the therapists

combined have tried.

If you look into research it will tell you they learn better

from robots than people.

You also hear about people “losing' the

diagnosis.
The research showsthey
 “lose” it because

after the years of therapy

and

hard work

they can mask their difficulties and cope

well enough.

So, no true “losing” of it,
 they are still

who they have always been

just learned to
 “fit into society” better.

Summer for Bitty has been rough, minimal “structure”

as in no way to “know” what the day has in store

We began bringing him back to Church.

He has done well enough.

He will do some fits but I can quickly calm him with

joint compressions.

He also once he gets done he goes limp

and

will find some lights to stare at.

We have had multiple people after Mass

comment on our Children.

THANKFULLY, all nicely.

But these people go out of the way to tell us it.

One day one women assumed Logan was 2

 (as most people think Daniel and him are twins)

I smiled and said, “No, he's 4, he just has some 

special needs which is why he is throwing the fit.”

She says,

 “Well, he doesn't look like he has special needs.”

Wow! I was taken back.

This I have heard a bit.

He doesn't have a “Look” about him

well, if you watch him you will see some..

lets say “quirks”

but, yes

he has special needs

and

doesn't have an

“obvious look".

I can only assume that

she thinks his face should

look “different”

but alas,

you never know who has what.

Just because someone doesn't “look” one way

and

just because you may think

they “look” a certain way,

doesn't mean you are right. 

There will be some hopefully

helpful posts

or 

give some understanding

of 

what it is like to

have Autism in your daily life. 

This will all be leading up to 

the Autism 5K in October. 

It is just around the corner

with how fast time seems to go!

My goal is to get a few more Autism based posts in.
Let's hope I can meet it!