My poor girls are sick. Leigh caught a cold (apparently) last week, Friday I think it was. She started with a runny nose and goopy eyes, both the yellow-green that signals infection. After a few nights she started to get congested and cough. And then, Sunday afternoon, Abby's left eye started to goop and swole up, almost instantaneously. I had wondered if Leigh's eyes gooping meant pink eye, but her eyes weren't even the tiniest bit pink. But Abby's was. And it swole up HUGE, so she could barely see out of it.
So I decided to take her in to emerg since if I waited to call the doctor on Monday we probably wouldn't get in for a couple days so it would be worth the wait in the hospital if we could get help right away. I decided not to take Leigh because she is even more active than Abby, at least Abby can sit still if I occupy her, and she was mostly on the mend it seemed. And there was actually only two other paitents in emerg, and the one guy (and his group of friends) were on their way out soon after we got there.
We got checked in fairly fast, and we were waiting on bed B (just in case you were wondering) to be seen by the doctor. I could see the doctor, sitting at the nurse's station. It was a doctor that I don't really care for, but beggars can't be choosers right? I was kicking myself, because we got there just before 7, and that's when the doctors switch shifts, and the doctor who was on the shift that just got off was my maternity doctor. I loved him when I had him. I was sad that we missed him. But anyways, that is nothing. I could see this other doctor, and he was sitting at the station, chatting with a nurse who was going off duty, about travel.
They discussed ferry fees for when you go across to Vancouver Island; they discussed the fact that this certain doctor hadn't been to a city an hour away from here. They discussed the pros and cons of being a ship's doctor on a cruise line. They talked about buying houses. They talked about American hospitals. All while I sat on the bed watching them.
And that wasn't all. Oh no. Throughout this very interesting conversation (not really) they would sprinkle some choice swear words. Not just a little d**n, but big ones like the F-word or even s**t. Yes, while I was sitting on a hospital bed in emergency with my 3 1/2 year old daughter, a doctor and a nurse talked about travelling and used unprofessional language, pretty much right in front of me.
I am used to having to wait for doctor's in emerg when they are finishing up paperwork from a previous paitent. But was this really necessary? Is this just because we're in a small town? Where I used to live it wasn't like this that I can recall, and it's not a huge city either. It was bigger than here though. Maybe it's a "I-don't-care-because-it's-such-a-small-community-they-have-to-have-me-so-whatever?" Okay, I'm rambling and losing focus.
Anyways, I think that I might look into writing a comment card or something. Maybe talk to someone in the office at the hospital. I can get over the waiting for the doctor. Maybe he is a multi-takser and was secretly filling out paperwork when I wasn't looking. But using such language in front of my girl. That is just wrong in such a professional setting.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Best Laid Plans
Abby had an appointment with a speech pathologist on Monday. I was very nervous about it in the preceding weeks. It has become more obvious over the last six months that she has some serious speech delays, and I was prepared to hear all sorts of reasons for this.
The meeting went well, mostly. The gist is that Abby is severley delayed in her speech, around 1 1/2 - 2 years. She mixes up some sounds and leaves off syllables on words. She does a lot of jibber-jabber talk, and the pathologist thought that she was actually saying words but just in some funny way. She doesn't have autism, so it's not because of that. We are going back this coming Monday for more tests.
It wasn't that hard to hear all this. Yes, a little hard, since the denial side of me would have liked to hear that she's just a little slower than others and will be fine and catch up on her own. But the truth is always refreshing, even if it's hard. And now we can get her some help. If we register her in a registered daycare or preschool she will qualify for a worker to be with her whenever she goes, and they would work with her on the program the pathologist designed for her.
I am glad for this, but the whole discussion about daycare/preschool was what upset me in the meeting. The pathologist asked how we would feel about putting her in daycare and I mentioned that the reason I hadn't put her in anything was because we were planning on homeschooling so I didn't see the point of getting her used to being in 'school' when that isn't what was going to happen in her school years.
Well, all of a sudden, it's like the speech lady flicked a switch in her brain and turned into a Nazi interagator. She seriously spouted off questions, one after another, asking which program we were going to use, how we were going to meet the governments criteria, etc. I felt like a tiny beetle that was getting pinned to the wall. She wasn't impressed when I mentioned that I was planning on piecing together my own curriculum, probably based on a classical education. She went on about how it was so important to have the Dogwood Diploma (our diploma here) and that without it so many doors were closed. And if Abby wasn't in a government-funded program, she didn't get any funding for a worker.
That ruined the rest of the time for me. I left there feeling torn. I thought that all my ideas of how I would homeschool were just dumb. I was stupid for even thinking that I could try. I felt stuck in the decision that I had to use the government's curriculum just so Abby could get help. It didn't fit with my ideals.
I am so thankful for all the Godly people around me though. They were praying for us before, during, and after the appointment, and I know it was those prayers that worked to give me a peace from God. It is okay that things are not going like I pictured them. And actually, my plans aren't changing all that much.
Abby will go to preschool this coming September and then next year I will use the governement Kindergarten curriculum to homeschool her. And then I will reevaluate at the end of Kindergarten. If she is doing well enough, I will switch to what I have planned. So that is my new plan. I want to make sure that I am doing what is best for the girls, not just what I think is the best.
The meeting went well, mostly. The gist is that Abby is severley delayed in her speech, around 1 1/2 - 2 years. She mixes up some sounds and leaves off syllables on words. She does a lot of jibber-jabber talk, and the pathologist thought that she was actually saying words but just in some funny way. She doesn't have autism, so it's not because of that. We are going back this coming Monday for more tests.
It wasn't that hard to hear all this. Yes, a little hard, since the denial side of me would have liked to hear that she's just a little slower than others and will be fine and catch up on her own. But the truth is always refreshing, even if it's hard. And now we can get her some help. If we register her in a registered daycare or preschool she will qualify for a worker to be with her whenever she goes, and they would work with her on the program the pathologist designed for her.
I am glad for this, but the whole discussion about daycare/preschool was what upset me in the meeting. The pathologist asked how we would feel about putting her in daycare and I mentioned that the reason I hadn't put her in anything was because we were planning on homeschooling so I didn't see the point of getting her used to being in 'school' when that isn't what was going to happen in her school years.
Well, all of a sudden, it's like the speech lady flicked a switch in her brain and turned into a Nazi interagator. She seriously spouted off questions, one after another, asking which program we were going to use, how we were going to meet the governments criteria, etc. I felt like a tiny beetle that was getting pinned to the wall. She wasn't impressed when I mentioned that I was planning on piecing together my own curriculum, probably based on a classical education. She went on about how it was so important to have the Dogwood Diploma (our diploma here) and that without it so many doors were closed. And if Abby wasn't in a government-funded program, she didn't get any funding for a worker.
That ruined the rest of the time for me. I left there feeling torn. I thought that all my ideas of how I would homeschool were just dumb. I was stupid for even thinking that I could try. I felt stuck in the decision that I had to use the government's curriculum just so Abby could get help. It didn't fit with my ideals.
I am so thankful for all the Godly people around me though. They were praying for us before, during, and after the appointment, and I know it was those prayers that worked to give me a peace from God. It is okay that things are not going like I pictured them. And actually, my plans aren't changing all that much.
Abby will go to preschool this coming September and then next year I will use the governement Kindergarten curriculum to homeschool her. And then I will reevaluate at the end of Kindergarten. If she is doing well enough, I will switch to what I have planned. So that is my new plan. I want to make sure that I am doing what is best for the girls, not just what I think is the best.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
A TV-less Existence
Well, that title is only half true. My children are now mostly TV-less, but my hubs and I are not.
We had our TV in the living room because that was really the only place for it. In my ideal world, we would have a house with a family room where the TV would go. Anyways, with it being in the living room it was very easy to put on a show for the girls to occupy them. Some days we watched more than others, some days we watched hardly at all. But we recently got Netflix on our Wii and Abby figured out how to start shows. Once they were going, it was very easy to keep them going, just a press of the button.
Well it got very bad. They just wanted to watch show after show after show. If I wouldn't let her, she would throw a huge fit. And by huge, I do mean huge. And she wouldn't forget either. I could put her in time outs for hours (well, not literally) but she would still come out and see the TV and start all over again.
I found it hard to stand firm and not let them watch any. I was giving in way more than I wanted to. So I decided that drastic measures were needed. I thought about completely getting rid of the TV. It is really just a waste of time anyways. But I knew that my husband wouldn't like that. Sometimes we talk about living simply, living with just the basics. We talk about the evils of TV and such, but he isn't quite ready to get rid of it just yet. And if I'm truthfiul I do like to watch it too. Just not quite to the same extent.
When I was a child we didn't really have cable tv, and didn't watch much of it. We went through spurts of having cable. Whereas in his family, it was like a normal thing for them to watch TV all afternoon and evening. I don't want to live that life.
But that's a bunny trail. So since I couldn't just dump the TV in the trash I had to move it out of my girls' sight. So now it is in our bedroom. I could write a whole big rant on how I have always hated the idea of TVs in the bedroom and all the evils of it. But there was simply no other place for it. We crowded our dressers together and made room for the entertainment centre. And no matter how much I hate the TV in our room, it is SOOOOOO worth it for the difference in my girls.
I was prepared for big fits about the TV not being in the living room. I was ready for them to look everywhere to find it and finally sit screaming in front of the wall where the TV used to be. But shockingly, all that Abby said was "TV gone?" And that was it.
Now they are playing again. It feels so good. Yes, sometimes I wish it was still there (especially the immediate day after since I got very sick), it used to be easy to occupy them when I needed a minute to myself. But it also makes me have to be there more for them. Which is something I always wish I would do more, and now I have to so it's good for me too.
We had our TV in the living room because that was really the only place for it. In my ideal world, we would have a house with a family room where the TV would go. Anyways, with it being in the living room it was very easy to put on a show for the girls to occupy them. Some days we watched more than others, some days we watched hardly at all. But we recently got Netflix on our Wii and Abby figured out how to start shows. Once they were going, it was very easy to keep them going, just a press of the button.
Well it got very bad. They just wanted to watch show after show after show. If I wouldn't let her, she would throw a huge fit. And by huge, I do mean huge. And she wouldn't forget either. I could put her in time outs for hours (well, not literally) but she would still come out and see the TV and start all over again.
I found it hard to stand firm and not let them watch any. I was giving in way more than I wanted to. So I decided that drastic measures were needed. I thought about completely getting rid of the TV. It is really just a waste of time anyways. But I knew that my husband wouldn't like that. Sometimes we talk about living simply, living with just the basics. We talk about the evils of TV and such, but he isn't quite ready to get rid of it just yet. And if I'm truthfiul I do like to watch it too. Just not quite to the same extent.
When I was a child we didn't really have cable tv, and didn't watch much of it. We went through spurts of having cable. Whereas in his family, it was like a normal thing for them to watch TV all afternoon and evening. I don't want to live that life.
But that's a bunny trail. So since I couldn't just dump the TV in the trash I had to move it out of my girls' sight. So now it is in our bedroom. I could write a whole big rant on how I have always hated the idea of TVs in the bedroom and all the evils of it. But there was simply no other place for it. We crowded our dressers together and made room for the entertainment centre. And no matter how much I hate the TV in our room, it is SOOOOOO worth it for the difference in my girls.
I was prepared for big fits about the TV not being in the living room. I was ready for them to look everywhere to find it and finally sit screaming in front of the wall where the TV used to be. But shockingly, all that Abby said was "TV gone?" And that was it.
Now they are playing again. It feels so good. Yes, sometimes I wish it was still there (especially the immediate day after since I got very sick), it used to be easy to occupy them when I needed a minute to myself. But it also makes me have to be there more for them. Which is something I always wish I would do more, and now I have to so it's good for me too.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
How's the Weather? and Other Mindless Chit-Chat
I was planning on posting this last weekend. I had even thought out a few ideas in my head, just waiting to be written here. But then my family got the flu. We are just now recovering. So those posts (obviously) didn't get written, and I don't even remember what I was going to write about.
When I had time to notice the weather outside this week, I am caught between my desire and reality. It was really warm last week, but this week it has been cold. Okay, so cold is relative. It has been around -10 to -16. Ish. Not cold compared to the weather we used to have when we lived up North, but cold for here. I think that it is slightly deceitful of the sun to shine on the cold days.
The snow we had has melted off a lot last week. My yard has barely any snow in it, though there are lots of yards around town that still have snow. But all the melting makes me feel like it's close to Spring. Yet it is still just the beginning of February. So I am in for disappointment I think.
But less snow means that it is easier to get outside for me and the girls. I have plans of going for walks on the warmer days. We'll see if that materializes. I ahve been trying to take them outside more, since I have slacked on that all winter. And we went outside a couple times before the cold. They love to be outside. Man, I wish I could be a kid again sometimes.
So this is my pointless post for today. I am still feeling kind of tired, so I can't attempt anything other than this.
When I had time to notice the weather outside this week, I am caught between my desire and reality. It was really warm last week, but this week it has been cold. Okay, so cold is relative. It has been around -10 to -16. Ish. Not cold compared to the weather we used to have when we lived up North, but cold for here. I think that it is slightly deceitful of the sun to shine on the cold days.
The snow we had has melted off a lot last week. My yard has barely any snow in it, though there are lots of yards around town that still have snow. But all the melting makes me feel like it's close to Spring. Yet it is still just the beginning of February. So I am in for disappointment I think.
But less snow means that it is easier to get outside for me and the girls. I have plans of going for walks on the warmer days. We'll see if that materializes. I ahve been trying to take them outside more, since I have slacked on that all winter. And we went outside a couple times before the cold. They love to be outside. Man, I wish I could be a kid again sometimes.
So this is my pointless post for today. I am still feeling kind of tired, so I can't attempt anything other than this.
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