typical has a whole new meaning.....

I have been horrible with blogging.  I seem to pick it up and set it down for a while. I have had so much happen to me and my family in the last well...even 6 months.

The word 'Typical' has taken an entirely different meaning to me.  My daughter was diagnosed with Autism last October. Initially, it was a punch in the gut.  I always knew that there was something not quite right with our girl but she was happy, and healthy.  My hubby and I just thought she was having a speech and language delay. She was getting better, but not. It really was hard to pin point anything. Her newest SLP told me her thoughts and suggested we get our daughter evaluated for ASD. We did and here we are today. Our daughter is not a typical child. That was tough to adjust to saying neurotypical (NT) versus our kiddo....a kid on the spectrum.

I mourned the loss of crazy sleepovers, parties, and just having a happy, well socialized kid. Even though her prognosis is good, there is still so much that is unknown.

Out typical day is now ABA therapy, speech therapy, OT, social groups and special Ed preschool. This poor child is so schooled out by the time it hits 3 o'clock.  She loves the structure of it all but sometimes she just needs her little escapes.....jumping, rocking, organizing things, and the rare instance that she has a meltdown or starts to flap her hands.



And then there is her little brother. My Pumpkin #2 is super cute, has hit all milestones, except in one area. He started cooing then stopped for months. Now he is cooing again but no babbling. Smiles, makes eye contact, engaging.....down the same road as his sister? Who knows. Only time will tell.  So far, with the exception of cooing, he is doing the exact same things as Pumpkin #1 but I am not worrying about it. If he ends up a NT kid great, if he ends up on the spectrum also, that will just fine too.

I don't know maybe there is no such thing as a typical life.....

My Paycheck :)

I know that SAHM's work! I have always thought that way. Now that I am doing it myself I must admit that I am working harder now than when I worked outside the home. Labor laws gave me lunch and breaks, LOL!

Here is the breakdown of my (average) day.

630 am wake up by toddler (630 on a good day)
645       get cup of coffee, get toddler to settle down and not wake rest of house
700       make breakfast
730       feed baby
800       clean up breakfast
815        argue with toddler to get dressed
900       let toddler watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse/laundry/chores
1000     park/playtime/art (depending on the day)
1100      make lunch
1130      clean up lunch
1145       feed baby
1200      argue with toddler to take nap/rest time/chores/laundry
200pm   snack and feed baby
230        outside/playroom/special movie
430        start dinner
500        eat dinner, feed baby
530        clean kitchen again
600        baths
700        get toddler to bed (arguing again)
715        feed baby get him to bed
730        still argue with toddler to get her to sleep/camp out in hallway
1000      toddler asleep (thank God!)
1030-1100 feed baby again
11-2am sleep
2am feed baby again
3-5am sleep (until 6 if lucky)

start all over again!

ok, out of a 24 hour day I am 'working'  17 hours a day! Minimum wage for WA state is $9.04/hr

Based on a normal 40/hr work week that is 119 hours a week total! 40 hours reg pay and 79 hours overtime. So if my math is correct that would be a paycheck of $1432.84 a week! Thus $5731.36/month!!!! WOW!!!!  Just food for thought!

WOW! How can I do it all?

I have to put this disclaimer on this, I am venting!

I remember when I worked outside the home a 5 minute delay out the door to work really messed up my day.

Now me and the kiddos have a semi-routine. It is flexible to a point but having daddy home for the morning (he had a late shift at work) it was nice to have him home but it really threw a wrench in things. It threw my cleaning schedule off and pumpkin1 doesn't seem to like to do our 'routine' when Daddy is home. We then had lunch and nap time like always. She decided not to nap, as usual.

As She woke up from her nap she apperently got into my makeup and got it all over her bed.  we cleaned it up, washed linens, and put the bed back together. I talked with her about getting into things, of course a 3 year old has no concept of things and forgets things 5 minutes later.

Fast forward to an almost burnt dinner. We then get ready for bed. Pumpkin2 is hungry so I feed him and Pumpkin1 is in bed. I check in on her and there are baby wipes and hair product all over her and the bed. We clean that up, talk again, back to bed. Not even 10 minutes later I catch her with cortizone cream that I keep in her brother's room for his skin. I am livid!!!!

So, at this point I have her on the couch with me. I'm sure she thinks it is a reward but honestly I am tired of cleaning up her mess and really where did my good little girl go?  Why does she not understand that she can get hurt if she gets into the wrong thing?

I am now on the verge of tears, and now have a crying baby and a little girl that is super smart that I have to toddler proof for her, and not to mention my house is a wreck.

I guess I have to get back to the grind stone.

blog, blog, blog.

I got this awesome idea from a friend. She blogs about her daughter all of her silliness, accomplishments and family going-ons. She then gets the blog printed into a book every year. I think that it would be easier than a traditional scrapbook and then I can 'write' all of the silly stories, some with pictures some without, and it can be a keepsake for the kids!

I am starting this today! I hope that I can keep up with it. I am going to keep that blog private -sorry family- I do wish that you ask how I am doing with it, more to keep me honest about it. Maybe grandparents will get a cool gift??? Who knows.

Well, nap time is almost ovr so I guess it is back to real life.

The Pacific North West....What???

I really have been bad about 'writing' for a year! Here is the cliff notes:

We moved to Jacksonville, Fl for about 10 months (we were only supposed to be there for 4-6 months). We loved it! We had an awesome house, awesome neighbors, and another baby!

We now fast forward to the drive across country with a 2 month old, an almost 3 year old that is potty training, a mommy still recovering from a c-section, and daddy all crammed into a '05 Honda Civic. Fun is one word for it. We did stop and sight see some and it really wasn't too horrible, the potty training toddler was a handful but hey, her toys, bed, life as she knows it is on a moving truck and she has a new baby brother!  We did drive some of Rt 66 and saw some things that Pumpkin#1 seen in CARS.

Grand Canyon!

This looks like the movies CARS

Mader?????

Another pit stop

Street Car!

We made it to Whidbey Island, WA and we LOVE it here! So we do get to stay here for a bit, right????? Yes, we do! We are here for 3 years and I can finally unpack all of those boxes and really make a house into a home and feel settled.

Since the birth of pumpkin#2 I am now a SAHM. That is really hard for me. Most days I kinda wished I still worked outside the home. I feel like I do more now than I ever had before. Like my husband, I am on call 24/7 except he can get away from  work and co-workers and I don't.

I also find myself feeling isolated still, I mean we have only been in our house for a month. It is almost completely unpacked and settled in. I have meet a couple of neighbors but so far no new friends. I do have friends that we have known throughout flight training that are here which is nice and easing the transition some.

I have even been to a few command functions, which, if you know me you know that I hate them with a passion. I can honestly say that I actually had a good time. Who knows, maybe I won't go kicking and screaming anymore.

I am now enjoying the summer here in the PNW. Ferry rides, watching orcas, bald eagles, seals, starfish, and other wild life in my back yard. Breath taking mountain views and living by the water. I hope to get involved more with the community, teach my children to immerse yourself in the place that you live to explore all that you can. As you know we can be living somewhere else at a moments notice. :)

Seattle

moving is such hell!

It has been quite a while since I last wrote. Here is the readers digest version of things:

packed up the house in Texas. drove from Texas to Florida, got into a car accident on I10, ugh! drove wrecked car to Florida (we had to get there). turned in car to get repaired, got rental, drove to Virginia. Visited family in Virginia, Visited family in New Hampshire, drove back to Virginia, got the phone call that our new apartment wasn't going to be ready for another month, What?!?!?!? Drove to Florida to pick up my car and then had to cancel my job interview.....my dad had a stroke! (later we found out it was a TIA-thank God). Drove back to Virginia for another week, Drove to Florida-out running Hurricane Irene. Living in a hotel in Florida.

Yeah that is a lot of driving and a lot of together time, maybe too much???  I love my family but I also love my own life. Im not used to not having a job or my own money. I am not used to being with my now 2 year old daughter ALL DAY!!!!

Sorry this isn't a very insightful post, this is really more than an explosion of thoughts out on virtual paper.

And just think, We can do this all over again.......Ah, the Navy life......HA!

Saying Goodbye

I have to be honest, flight training has sucked for our family.  Our time in Pensacola was trying to say the least. There were plenty of times I would ask myself, ‘Why am  I still in this….this SUCKS!’  My husband was frustrated, tired, exhausted, short tempered, and impatient.   There were flight instructors constantly saying,  ‘If you are married with a kid you are going to have a rough time’. That got very old!  We eventually made it thru Pensacola to come here. It was a welcomed change.  Texas, here we come!

It has been 7 months since we have moved here and all I can say is, ”Is it time to leave already?”  We have lived in South Texas and we have loved it! The Aquarium is where my daughter fell in love with dolphins and other sea life.  The Botanical Gardens, is where we explored butterflies and ladybugs. The River Walk in San Antonio we enjoyed time as a family and had great memories with friends.  We have had cook out and holidays with friends that we consider family.  I worked with co-workers that I consider friends.  Really, Texas has been great for us.

On June 24, 2011, my Husband got his Wings of Gold and I couldn’t be more proud!  We are now awaiting to get settled into our next life in Florida again and we will be there for a bit until our next stop. With the NAVY you never know……..

I am hoping that Florida will bring more of what Texas did.  More time with family, friends, and explorations of the unknown through a soon to be two year olds eyes.   A family that is finding their own niche in life.  A little bit of adventure for a lot of memories. We will see what the next chapter will bring.