Jairus

This is Jairus.....he was born eight years ago today. When he was born he couldn't breathe properly because his tongue kept falling back in his throat and cutting off his airway. It's because he was born with something called Pierre Robin Sequence. In regular words, his chin did not fully develop out and he looked like he was born with a receded chin.....also a cleft palate, and since there wasn't room for the tongue to lay properly, then the palate didn't close in his gestational development.

The first 5 weeks he spent in the NICU....every day my daughter and I would go to the hospital,...I would stay til the middle of the afternoon and then I had to be home for my kids getting home from school...but Les would stay til 10 pm...then he was transferred to the ward for another 3 weeks. When he cam home he had a breathing tube, an NG tube and hooked up to an Oxygen Sat monitor.

It was a rocky start...especially for your first child or your first grandchild.

Today, Jairus is such a sweet boy...that hasn't changed from the time he was born. We're not quite sure why but he's had difficulty with his speech and communication. This past week he started school for the first time...up until now Leslie has been homeschooling but now he goes to school to hopefully benefit from having a full time Educational Assistant.

We had Birthday Cake here at our house for him yesterday and he was so excited at all his presents....Lauren gave him a pair of sunglasses and I wish I had a pic to show you...he thought he was soooooooo cool!

The best part though is ...for about a year now Jairus has been able to say nana....that's me.....I waited 7 long years to hear him say 'nana'....it was and is music to my ears!

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

New Teeth and Plagues!

Hello Company Girls!

Just had to post a pic of my youngest grandaughter ....she has teeth! Really changes their features doesn't it?

I've been in recovery mode this week after the VBS last week.....yes, I know some said they thought VBS was only in the summer....well, that's true...but...up here, where it can be quite frigid in March or mild....you never know...it's nice to have something for the kids to do on March break. Not everybody can afford to go someplace warm... All the kids that we have at home now...except the 22 year old that's getting her own place in another month....are teenagers so we've been thinking that this might be a good time to do this...by next March Break the oldest will be 19...and you know as they get older they do have their own plans.....

The monkey wrench in it all of course is the finances...especially when things are always cropping up like a water leak that we have to figure out if we have to take a wall apart to get at....and carpenter ants....I'm really thinking that we've been lining up for the plagues here....last December it was fruit flies that took over and now we have carpenter ants....we've called an exterminator, who will come on Saturday...to the tune of $300!!! Good grief! One of the blogs that I read said that these days her and her husband have paycheck left over at the end of each month that they can save....I wish I knew her secret!

March Break

Good Evening Company Girls!

My good heavens!..It's been a very long and tiring week....I was the director of a V.B.S. at our church this week plus I was also the craft director. So, that's means that a lot of my life in the last three months has had the cloud of V.B.S. hanging over it! Plus....after I had prepared crafts for about fifty.....the registration increased to 96 and so for the last week and a half I've been doing crafts....non stop crafts all day and all evening....I really don't want to see another craft for a very long time! Anyways, we did average in the seventies each day and the kids had a great time. I was a little concerned because a good 80% of the kids were 'unchurched' ....in fact, quite frankly I'm praying that they all, including their parents, return Sunday evening for our final program. The kids worked hard all week learning their music and doing their crafts......and if they don't come back I'll have about 350 crafts on my hands! eek!

Another thing that happened this week was that my son in the Army came home for March break....when you're in the army here you get a lot of holidays! So, in the middle of the week he went back to the base overnight and came home with a tattoo! I told him that I had worked really hard when he was growing up to keep that body mark free but he didn't listen to his mama and he got it anyways. Well, I did convince myself that he was a grown man and if he was going to do this then it was his decision....but I found it difficult, especially when he came home with a tattoo that I wasn't really happy with....fortunately, it is under his shirt and he rarely takes his shirt off....so......

I'm hoping to take it easy next week...although hubby has to have some medical test on Monday so we'll have to be at the hospital very early and I have to get into the dentist.....the stress of the March break program caused two of my molars to break........but I do have a massage scheduled for Thursday....and maybe I'll get back to my quilts! Ah!

Ben

This is Ben. Ben turned 18 years old yesterday! One of his sisters caught him in the act yesterday morning of standing in front of the bathroom mirror singing Happy Birthday to himself.......Ben started coming to our house when he was about two. His older brother and younger sister already lived with us. Ben lived with his birth father. We arranged with the agency that Ben could come for weekend visits so he could have some time with his siblings...his older brother missed him terribly. When Ben came he was like Kermit the frog...he needed someone to do everything for him...his legs and arms were very skinny and he couldn't do anything for himself. He couldn't talk.....he'd point at things. One March break, the one that he turned three, his father needed him looked after for the week because he was moving.....Ben stayed ...the new home wasn't fit for man nor beast...for months the father was supposed to be finding a suitable place and by August the 'agency' ...Children's Aid, said enough is enough and they officially apprehended him and Ben was here to stay. Unfortunately, having two birth parents that are learning disabled and a birth mom who drank while pregnant has taken its' toll because even though Ben turned 18 years old yesterday...he has the comprehension of a 6 year old.

The other week, our daughter, who is also delayed, (she's biologically Ben's half sister) accused Ben of giving her his cold. Ben became quite indignant...'No, no I didn't...I know I didn't..do you know how?...because I still have it...I still have my cold Megan'!

This week as well as last I've been up to my eyeballs in Vacation Bible School crafts and lists...lists of things I still have to make, lists of kids that are coming.......last weekend I was unsure of how many were coming....I was beginning to think that we wouldn't have very many, and I was doing ALL this work.....well, as of yesterday the count is at 75!!!!!! 31 of those 75 are 3,4,5 year olds....oh my goodness...up to our knees in anklebiters! So, since I had only prepared 12 for each group I had to go shopping again and buy more supplies! Today,....craft day...again....

My sister left for Florida this morning at 5 a.m......for two weeks.....I almost hid in their trunk. To think warm sand, sunshine, relaxing, not a care in the world.......or.......75 kids raising their voices , learning about Jesus.....well, let's just say....it's a hard call......the old body in me would take the beach....the emotional part of me knows that I'm right where I'm suppose to be.

A Little This and That!....

Good Morning, Company Girls!

Well, ALL the kids have just left for school!! Yea! Fridays, my youngest Megan, whom I try to homeschool, is required to attend the elementary school to remain on the school register and thus be able to be placed into a special class for high school. Would you believe me if I say that I am definitely counting the days? So, I usually call this as my 'day off''! I really do need it this week...although, unfortunately I probably wont be able to take the whole day....all this week, when I haven't been taking kids to appointments, I've been working on crafts......lots and lots of crafts.......not the ones that I would normally desire to do but when you're running a craft program for a Vacation Bible school during March Break at your church.....well, you're kind of forced into it. I've already averaged about 10 hours a day this week...so, that's about forty hours...and that doesn't count all the hours that I've spent shopping for the materials! God Bless the Dollar Stores! I would say I'm about 3/4's of the way done and I must have them all prepared for Sunday. I'm also the director of the VBS so I need next week to pull last minute stuff together......let's just say that I'm really looking forward to the week after March Break. I know, I know....you shouldn't wish your life away ....but....all I would really like is some time to do my quilting and a little reading !

Have you ever noticed that when nobody at the church wants a particular job that when you take on the job, that these people all of a sudden become the critics? There are a lot of people that maintain the thot that if you have breath left in your body that you need to be involved in some kind of ministry in the church...have you run across these type of people? The only problem with that is that when you get involved then you also become involved, unwillingly, with all the 'politic'ing in the church! I've decided that this truly sucks! (I know I'm dating myself!)
People...this is far too much stress....and if I want drama than I just have to look at my teens!

It's a good thing that I scheduled a massage for this morning...a month ago! .....and then...my teens don't know it yet...but...they'll be delivering fliers for the VBS this afternoon in the neighborhood around the church....I plan on bribing them with McDonalds!...food always works with teens!

Have a great weekend!