Every wonder what the first week of 1st grade looks like from the teachers perspective?

This really is what it feels like at times. Soooo, if a cat happens to cross your path next week remember to pray for me. Thanks

First day back...not bad at all.

Today was the first day back to school for teachers. I have been trying for a couple of weeks to get back into the early morning routine...seems silly, since I really had only three weeks off between summer school and today. All and all the day went fairly well. We got out of the door on time, although it did look like a tornado had cut right through my house. The girls went to Grandma's with no problems at all (Kate has been a little teary lately, so I was a little worried). My day at work was good, but I did way to much visiting... I love catching up after a busy summer.
What I was most proud of today, was our evening routine. The last 9 months have felt terribly disorganized, and I very much did not want that to become a way of life at our house. I been reading a lot of stuff written by the FlyLady , especially about not living in a state of CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). Anyway, she is big on routine. I don't think that I will every be as over the top regimented as she promotes, but I have certainly gleaned some worthwhile things. So, tonight we tried out our new routine, goes something like this...

• Arrive home, get dinner started.
• Bath girls while things are cooking.
• Sit down for dinner.
• Girls read on the couch for 10 minutes quietly, while mom picks up dinner dishes and throws in a load of laundry. I really set the timer for 7 minutes with the hopes of building up to 10. I was quite pleased when the timer went off and Meigan asked if they could PLEASE!!! read some more.
• Fifteen to twenty minutes of chores with mom... girl helped me fold laundry and clean up the playroom.
• Reading books.
• Brushing teeth.
• Off to bed... at 7:30 on the dot.

No TV... just family time. The girls had a good evening, and I feel less stressed. Now, if only I could get my girls to go to sleep without having to have me sit in their room. Although, I do make good use of this time sitting in the dark, it has become my time to check blogs and make posts.

Meigan is worried!

Tonight while reading books Meigan began playing with my hair. She so lovingly announced, "You have gray hair mom." Jamie, you missed a spot near my ear :) I didn't pay much attention to her comment until I heard her begin to whimper. I asked her what was the matter. She began to cry and said, "I don't want to be a mom." Meigan has had a small obsession with me becoming a grandma lately. She is making connections... she knows her grandma has gray hair, and she knows that she has to be a mommy in order for me to be a grandma. So of course, if mommy has gray hair she must be becoming a mommy soon. My poor baby!

All went well

Kate's implant was successfully activated Monday afternoon. The only real problem of the day was that our appointment was not really scheduled until Wednesday. The office staff was great, and knowing that we had driven in from out of town and stayed in a hotel worked very hard to accomadate us.
The actual activation was a lot different than I expected. Kate had very little response to sound, except for some tears here and there. Although you could tell by the look in her eyes that she was hearing something.
Since coming home, I have already been able to move her volume level up a few notches very comfortably. She has also pointed to her ear several times to indicate that she has heard something. She also seemed to have found her own voice last night. She had been doing a little crying, I was watching her and all of a sudden her eyes got a little puzzled look and then she began to play with the sound of her voice. She had a little grin on her face the whole time. It was fun to watch.
The only trouble she has had has been when the device is first turned on, or when it falls off and needs to be reattached. There have been some tears, but even that is getting less and less. In fact, this afternoon it fell off, and she reached right around and reattached it herself. She looked pretty proud of herself. I have been surprised at how quickly she has gotten used to all the things that are now attached to her... something on her ear, her head, and her shirt. She has not seemed bothered by any of this at all. She has also been very tired, even though we have tried to play it very low key. Her little brain has got to be on sensory overload.
I am so proud of my girl... she has been such a trooper through all of this. I am so excited to see what the coming month and years hold for her. It will not be easy, but this little girl has got lots of fight in her.

Monday is the Big Day

The big day is just around the corner. Kate's implant will be activated Monday morning. This is one of those thing that it feels like you wait forever for, and yet I can't believe that it is already hear. I am very excited, the nervous stomach started earlier today.
I am trying to keep my expectations in check. Every kid is different, and every kid responds differently. If the implant is successful I think that Kate will respond very positively. She does have some sound awareness, and gets quite excited when she hears something. She loves to babble away at us, so I think that she is going to love hearing us talk. Of course, this is just what I think...she may react completely differently.
One thing that I know for sure, the implant activation is no the end of the process... it is really the beginning. There is a lot of hard work ahead, for both myself and Kate. Kate is not only very bright, but very strong-willed. That strong-will has left me exhausted and exasperated at times, but in this case I think that strong-will is going to serve her well.
Please keep her in your prayers... and check back Monday evening or Tuesday morning.