1. The first thought through my head this morning was "Oh, God, I'm going to die!" because it was 3 in the morning and Alex still hadn't fallen asleep. He finally fell asleep on the couch about 3:30 am, at which point Miranda woke up because her pull-up had leaked and I don't think she went back to sleep until after 5 am. And both children were up and happy and hungry by 8 am. I don't know how to count how many hours of sleep I got or didn't get, but was really not enough. Now, Alex has bad nights like this now and again as a result of his medication, so I don't worry about him, but the result for Marshall and I, trying to doze while keeping tabs on where he is in the house, is usually pretty ugly. Now I'm glad I didn't promise to take the children to the beach today. That really would have killed me. We are meeting friends at the pool later, where I can lounge about and watch them swim. That seems possible, with caffeine.
2. 5 more days until we leave for San Diego and the pieces are falling into place. My main job this weekend is to pack, which, thanks to the bed bugs, is a little more complicated than usual. Every piece of fabric we take with us needs to make a full trip through the dryer on high before moving out to the garage (where we actually store the suitcases, which is good, because we don't have to worry about them being contaminated out there) and into a suitcase. I'm planning to take about 5 days worth of clothes for everyone, since we are staying at my aunt's house where there is a full washer and dryer. Of course, Miranda usually wears about 3 outfits a day with new pajamas every night, so she may have to cut back a little on her changes. I think we will be leaving all the princess dresses at home but bringing the tutus. Miranda gets to bring her blankets with her but I ordered a new one for Alex that is waiting for him in San Diego; he's my cocoon boy and usually sleeps all wrapped up in his brown blanket. The hard decisions are what to bring with us and what to buy there. I am making a grocery list for my parents (my mother travels today and my father on Monday) so that all our special foods can be there waiting for us and Alex won't have to survive on cheese stix and wheat thins (which would probably be his preference, but isn't the best idea) and trying to decide whether to add things like shampoo and lotion to it. Man, I hate packing for an army.
3. I have called Southwest's customer service (if you didn't know, Southwest Airlines is the friendliest, in the continental US, to special needs' families) and now know how to get a special boarding pass and inform the cabin crew of our special challenges. I'm trying to figure out what to do about the TSA. Is it worth calling their customer service or should I just wear a sign on my chest saying "These kids have autism; please give us a break?" I'm not sure which step would be more worthwhile. I was never able to sell Marshall on wearing special Autism t-shirts on the plane, but you can't blame the guy for wanting to at least try to pass for normal. Autism advertising is a mixed blessing. Some people will cut you a break and others will want to talk your ear off. The people who give you dirty looks and just want you to "control" your children won't be mollified by anything, so it's best to ignore them completely.
4. Almost done:
Since I only have a few more days to stitch, I'd better be almost done. Actually, I watched the entire Ellery Queen series this week while stitching, which was perfect. Engaging but not real distracting.
5. I took both children to the dentist, separately, on Wednesday and we all survived. Everyone got tranquilizers, of course, because I'm not stupid, but they are both fine and the only bad news was that our favorite, wonderful dental hygienist is retiring. She is amazing with the kids. Dang. It is a great office, though, so hopefully we'll be able to break in someone new.
6. Yesterday was one of those days when nothing would make Miranda happy for more than 5 minutes at a time and by the time afternoon came around, I didn't want to be around her anymore. I mean, there was one time when she was being so defiant I had to pull her into the house for a time out and she bit me. Not hard enough to leave a mark, but she hasn't done that in more than a year. It was shocking. I think we need a vacation.
7. My mother's book, Bathsheba's Lament, continues to earn praises and recognition from among a growing number of readers. There is a great review of it on the International Christian Fiction Writers' blog that you must read! There is another awesome review of Bathsheba's Lament on LeAnne Hardy's blog. Read it here. Remember, if you haven't already ordered a copy, you will find it available here, or, if you are a local fan, you can purchase my last remaining copy of the book.
If you've read the book and enjoyed it, won't you please consider writing a review on Amazon for her? Click here.
And here's Jen. If you don't read her regularly, you should click on it and skip to #7; it's hilarious! You should also read Simcha for another laugh.
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