The Cutest Little Lump

I had an awesome workout today. A really, really great leg workout. Killed it. Killed it so hard, I could barely walk. I was on a crazy workout high.

Nothing kills a workout high quite as quickly as seeing this:

That is my Littlest Love, Angelina, sound asleep at the top of the climbing structure in the KidZone at the White Marsh Merritt. The staff told me she had been asleep up there for quite some time - which is why I didn't hear her yelling my name during my workout. Her siblings stayed home, which is why she remained undisturbed. She played for a few minutes, climbed up to the top and put herself to sleep.

Fun part for me: after taking my frustrations out on my legs to the point where I could barely walk across the room, I had to climb up to the top to get her! I have never been so grateful to have a slide at my disposal! (Makes me wish I could install a slide in our house instead of steps.)

For the record - this was, indeed, the beginning of a three-day cold for my Angelina. Fever of 103!

Answered Prayers

This morning started like any other school day - I went to the gym, came home, made breakfast and lunch for the kids and then hurried to get us all out the door on time. I was shoving lunches and gloves into bags at the red lights on Bel Air Road when I noticed a note from RJ's teacher that was stapled to his bag. (Notes stapled to the canvas bag is the standard communication for the Bridges schools). 

After seeing the kids off to school, I finally took a moment to read the note. What I read brought a tear to my eye and made my heart race.

MY SON IS READING!!

He is two months into kindergarten, so I know what you are thinking: this isn't a big deal. Oh. But it is.

Just a year ago, we were told by those "in the know" that RJ wasn't meeting learning standards and should be "evaluated" for a spectrum disorder. So we went to the public school and demanded an IEP evaluation. We went to KKI and demanded a specialist evaluation. We spent November and December shuffling RJ downtown to meet with Dr. Megan, his "talking doctor" so that she could evaluate him in a variety of different ways and circumstances.

At the end of it all - Dr. Megan told us that we had a perfectly normal and stubborn 5-year-old boy with a beautiful and sweet personality. 

After months of fighting with the God-awful Elmwood Elementary, part of the atrocious Baltimore County School System, they told me that my standards were too high and perhaps I should be a little more realistic.

Ugh.

When The Dictator at The School That Shall Not Be Named changed things up and caused our mass exodus, I worried the most about RJ. Rosie had her teacher for a second year and Angelina had nothing to compare the "new school" to...but RJ...he was attached to his teachers and his friends...what would happen to him?

Well. Now I know what would happen to him. He would flourish. He jumped right in and flourished. He blew me away and even impressed himself in the process.

One of my best days as a parent. Ever. Just incredible.

Spectacular Spectacles

Several weeks ago, our Rosie girl started complaining about headaches. She seemed to come home with a headache every afternoon. She didn't want to read and seemed to be asking for Motrin on a regular basis. She had also been complaining about her teeth hurting - so I wasn't clear as to the cause of her headaches. I just knew that I needed to get to the bottom of them. While at her parent-teacher conferences, I learned that she was really starting to struggle with her reading and didn't seem to have any interest in reading or improving her skills. So I called Dr. Jensen.

Dr. Jensen is the Pediatric Ophthalmologist we saw when Rosie was a baby and complained about eye pain. We also saw her when Angelina's tear ducts were clogged and she needed surgery. This doctor is amazing, so I knew were in good hands. 

After a brief exam with the nurse, I knew my girl was going to need glasses. You could just tell that straight reading with both eyes was a real struggle for her. Sure enough - after being dilated and examined by Dr. Jensen, we had a cause for the headaches: my Rosie Girl is far-sighted in one eye.

I expected tears...or maybe disappointment. Nope. Not this time around. She was beyond thrilled. She had an answer to her problems! Our ride back to school revolved around planning for glasses and wanting to know how soon she could pick them out. 

After school yesterday, we made our way to the Avenue to pick out a pair. Without fail, Rosie picked out the most expensive glasses from each and every section! So was so cute and so excited that I couldn't say no! We walked out with no one but two pairs of designer glasses - one to keep at home and the other to keep at school. 

She is unbelievably excited to read now - both at school and at home. She only needs to wear them for school work or close-viewing activities. She doesn't need to wear them all of the time...so her running round-offs into the room can safely continue! Dr. Jensen expects that she will outgrow her need for glasses within the next few years, definitely before middle school but likely before she hits double digits!