Crazy Crazy!

            Or in the words of my now 10 year old "Cray Cray". That seems to be my life lately.
I just began my second semester of nursing school. I felt like I barely skirted by the first semester! With dealing with the kids, and my normal "household" duties I felt like I was flying by the seat of my pants not knowing what I was doing, or where I was going. I did ok though. And boy have I enjoyed this month long break!

          Andrew turned 3 in November and started preschool on his birthday :( Because of my classes I couldn't take him to school (he starts at 1:20pm, and I had to be on campus at 12:30) and I couldn't get him off the bus when he got home (he got home at 4:15 pm and my class doesn't end till 4:30) So I've really, really, enjoyed being able to get him off to school and be there when the bus gets home to drop him off. His smile and "Bye mom!" when I drop him off and the excited wave and "Hi mom, I ride the bus home!" when he gets off the bus is SO precious and I've soaked up every day I've been able to do that. The speech apraxia with him is still severe, and I'm thinking of asking for some type of AAC device for him at school, but not sure they'll give him one until kindergarten.

          This semester I'm only taking my 2 nursing classes (plus clinical), and a math class. It's still 12 credits, but I took 15 credits last semester which I think was part of my problem. 2 nursing classes, clinicals, 2 biology classes, and a math class last semester and just my nursing classes and math class this semester. I've heard this semester is where it really gets hard though :/

         Avery has had a LOT of autism related problems this month I've been on break. It actually started before my break, but it got pretty bad over break. The school STILL refuses to give him ANY supports, and at it's worst I needed 4 people to get him out of my car and carry him into the school kicking and screaming. They wrapped him in a straight jacket type hold and carried him into the school while he screamed "I'm hurt, please stop, you're hurting me!" Boy was THAT hard on me! I pulled out of the parking lot in full fledged hyperventilation, crying, panic mode. He just turned 7 on the 18th and couldn't even tell me ONE friend he wanted to invite to his party :( I ended up giving him 6 invitations and telling him to just give them to kids in his class he wanted to come to the party.  He ended up having 4 kids come to the party.   He is STILL not using the toilet either. sigh I'm just such at a loss with him. Makes me feel like a horrible mother.

              Austin turned 10 on the 26th. He told me he didn't want to bring anything to school this year to celebrate (no cupcakes or anything)! Guess he's officially to old for that :( He's such a social butterfly. Always at a friends house or spending the night somewhere. He is on a travel baseball team this year and is just blossoming. Everyone tells me how we're going to have to beat the girls away with sticks when it comes to him.

              Aidan is giving us a rough ride right now. He'll be 12 on Feb. 15th and he's acting every bit of it! Failing every class in school right now. We've had a meeting with each of his teachers and he's been lying to them, saying his work is at home or that we threw it away, and lying to us saying he has no homework, and not giving us notes from teachers or tests that need signatures. He's in all gifted/enrichment classes and I just wish he'd use his brain for once and realize his parents have "been there, done that" and we aren't just bring "jerks" (like he likes to tell us). The last few days he's been forced to sit at the dining room table after school and do make up work/homework from the time he gets home until dinner, then after dinner till bedtime. When he came home yesterday I asked how his day was and he said "Better than it has been" and I said "see what happens when you actually have the work that is due in classes??? The teachers don't yell at you, and you don't have to come up with lies about why you don't have it!"

There's my update! Hope everyone is doing well!