Today Was Better Than Yesterday

There was only one direction it could go. I got sick about halfway through the day. Cancelled a lunch with my sons, lay down and didn't wake up until almost four. Kids were home, Rebecca was covered with homework, Rochelle was singing Happy Birthday to herself, and I was saying unprintable things to myself. Nothing fixed for dinner. Ray, God love him, bailed me out on that.

I sent others after cupcakes and ice cream, forgot the candles, sent them back after candles. Rebecca and I stayed with homework until she threw up. Literally. I stopped the homework. We'd been at it for almost 3 hours. She felt well enough then for a cupcake and a little ice cream. I confess I was just going through the motions with singing and clapping but she didn't know that. I even forgot a present for the birthday girl. She has an iou for a shopping trip tomorrow or Sunday and possibly lunch. We'd originally planned to take them out on Thursday but between Rebecca and me feeling rotten that didn't happen.

Usually we move birthdays to the closest weekend and I don't know why we didn't do it this time. Rochelle would have been fine. It gives us more time and everyone's more relaxed.

Today was better, somewhat. Rebecca woke up feeling sick again but was more upset about missing school than staying home. I sent her, figuring they'd call me to pick her up but she made the day and was fine tonight. I think it may have been fatigue and stress. Whatever I had left as quickly as it arrived. With me, it's usually chills and the only thing I can do is burrow. I can usually work through normal aches and pains. The chills do me in.

Oh, and I found out Rebecca may be in danger of repeating 5th grade. She's starting after hours tutorials on Monday. I hope it helps. She's a very young 5th grader so the repeat wouldn't put her that far behind but I don't know what it would do to her. We'll see what happens. Meantime, we work and work at home. She doesn't receive the extra support that my two special ed kids do because outwardly she's so bright and quick, rattles off pages from books, spells okay and has a super vocabulary but just isn't motivated and does not understand the meaning of the word focus. I don't like what they're teaching but for now there are some battles I can't win. Once again, it isn't the teachers, at least not at her school, it's teaching the tests, skipping around too much, and failing to teach basics before theory. I don't care what the experts say. I've watched experts come and go for years along with fads in education.

I rescheduled the lunch with the boys for today and was about halfway through eating when my phone rang. It was Elcie's school. Could I pick her up please? She wasn't well. They were fine with waiting while I finished eating but I was restless. After a few minutes, I gave up on lunch and Tim and I went over to the school and got her and the wheelchair. I was about to be peeved with her but then I looked at her face. She really did look ill. I dropped Tim off to meet up with Jim again, took Elcie home, went to the grocery store, and got back in time for a 2:30 annual IEP meeting for Rochelle.

That went well. They're always pleased with Rochelle, her progress is excellent in most areas and good in others. Sh'e almost at grade level with reading and spelling although she's still deliberate. Personally, I think that's okay. Speed isn't as important as comprehension.

She's forgiven them (almost) for dropping her down to 4th grade (mainstream) for her reading. I still think they were wrong and said so again today. Now the teacher seems to have forgotten what she said in early September about reading speed and was giving reasons that make more sense. Or maybe she remembered my reaction and shifted gears. She's a good, concerned, teacher and we don't have to agree on everything.

This past week, Rochelle's been complaining because she's missing 10 minutes of math facts to get to the 4th grade reading class on time. I agreed with her. This year, the math is more important. Last year, the reading was. Sometime I'll tell my own summer school math and reading horror story. Both her teachers and the Principal were there so I brought it up. Easy - stay for the math and then leave for 4th grade reading. Why can't everything be so simple. They even involved Rochelle in the final decision. It was a good meeting. They've begun working on a middle school for her out of our neighborhood. Maybe where Elcie is but preferably the newest school. Rebecca would probably go as well and we might transfer Elcie. We've got some time yet. There's no reason actually for Elcie to change; she'll be bused door to door whereever she is and she likes Rivera for the most part. Our middle school and, to a lesser extent Elcie's, have some tough kids and some gang problems. I don't want my timid, sweet, Rochelle eaten alive and neither does her teacher. Rebecca would kick them in the shins but Rochelle would spend the year crying. I know her and she has trouble understanding that not everyone is nice. She'd probably blame herself.

I made up for my uselessness yesterday by making a huge pot of turkey soup today with the carcass (visible in one of the freezer pictures as a large plastic grocery bag), carrots, onion, celery, and broken up vermicelli which seems to work much better than regular noodles.

Anyhow, this day is almost over. Elcie and Rebecca are asleep; Rochelle, the vampire, is quietly awake yet. It's Friday and she's horizontal so I don't mind.

I never did get birthday pictures taken. Darn it. She got lots of happy birthday wishes, small gifts from her teacher and two neighbors, and her cake, ice cream and candles. She's okay with that.

I counted 16 commenters wishing her a Happy Birthday. I let her read the post from yesterday and the comments as they came in. She was thrilled that all these people she doesn't know knew her well enough to send hugs and birthday wishes. Thanks to all of you; way too many to list but your names are over in the comments. She just brought me one of her gifts, a stuffed bunny with a candy cane behind one ear and a bracelet on a paw for me to kiss good night. That came from Destiny, the five year old daughter of my friend Dawn. I have permission so at some point I'll post a picture of Destiny. She's a circus, that girl.

Oh, did I mention that Jim and Melissa have their ultrasound results? It's a boy and due in May, not June. Jonathan Stephen Anthony Clark. Jim and Melissa both wanted to use family names so they compromised and used them all. Tim's middle name is Stephen. He's going to be one rotten kid with all the teenaged half-sibs and my girls (first cousins once removed?) fighting over him. Melissa's doing fine so far. Of course granny will be around as well. I'm granny, not great-granny to this one. Very strange.

Jim got a job with Barnes & Noble in Modesto, about 45 miles north, maybe a little further to the actual store. He and Melissa can't work in the same store although Tim and Melissa can - they're both department managers and Tim runs the cafe. Neither works for the other. He was already commuting at least that far on mostly country roads with the Guard so the driving won't bother him. Modesto is a straight shot north on Hwy 99. We've about midway between Modesto and Fresno, both larger cities. California stopped paying part of its National Guard contingent which left Jim effectively unemployed. Doesn't bother me a bit - he belongs here; not in Iraq. They can, I suppose, call him back up again, at least for weekends. I think his recent back injury would have kept him home in any event. They are still running tests and I think the Army will cover all that, at least for now. He was full time National Guard at the time it happened. Melissa and I are falling to our knees in thanks.

So tonight I'm tired, but not nearly as frazzled.