Pool Par-tay!

School Lunch Ideas?

Jack eats a lot of food -- however, this year he's been extremely rigid about the types of food he'll eat. I plan on packing a lunch for him daily. Here are the types of things he'll currently eat that are "packable" he'll eat spaghetti and veggie bacon and a other hot foods, but there's no way for them to heat things or cook things for Kindergarten.

Sliced bananas
Dried apples
Apple Sauce
Crackers (fish, teddy grahams)
Pudding
Yogurt
Peanut butter sandwiches (I checked and PB is allowed in the classroom).
Chocolate Pediasure

Taking these foods into consideration, what other variations are there? What do your kids eat at school?

Ready, Set, GO!

I remember my first day of Kindergarten. I remember my teacher, Mrs. C. I remember playing with my first friend Amy on the playground. We decided to be "best friends" that day. I remember I rode bus number 23. I chose a book bag with a blond cabbage patch kid on it...these are my earliest memories, and now Jack is about to travel that same road!

Monday Jack Riley starts Kindergarten. He has a lime green jungle print book bag, a blue lunch bag, and a blue camo thermos. He has new clothes, new shoes, even new socks...seems he's all ready to go! Thing is, I am not ready for him to go. I can't believe he's no longer a baby, no longer a toddler, not even a preschooler any more...he's offically a big kid now!

He'll be driven by me the first week -- then he'll take the bus. He goes all day. The bus will pick him up at 8:10 am, and drop him off at 3:45 pm. ALL DAY. I know he'll be in good hands -- but it will take a long time for me to get used to the fact that he'll be away so many hours during the day.

I will keep you posted! Wish our big kid good luck for Monday!!

Take a moment and laugh with me!

Type in the following and choose the first choice that appears on the list (that goes along with the question)...

Oh, please do yours too and add it as a comment. I am near tears with laughter and it feels GREAT!

1.Type in "[your name] needs" in Google search:
Angela needs to get away from her kids (OMG, how FUNNY!!!)

2.Type in "[your name] looks like" in Google search:
Angela looks like a dumb ass

3.Type in "[your name] likes" in Google search:
Angela likes to wear bandanas while playing

4.Type in "[your name] says" in Google search:
Angela says VOTE FOR ME

5.Type in "[your name] wants" in Google search:
Angela wants a man (oh no, don't tell Jason!! lmao)

6.Type in "[your name] does" in Google search:
Angela does improv with Oprah (lmao!!!!!)

7.Type in "[your name] hates" in Google search:
Angela hates bathing

8.Type in "[your name] can" in Google search:
Angela can socialize with adults and supervise children even as she prepares the meal (oh how FITTING!!!)

9.Type in "[your name] goes" in Google search:
Angela goes to the Emmys (WOOhoo!!)

10.Type in"[your name] is" in Google search:
Angela is up bright and early every morning doing live reports for the morning shows

Acid Reflux Drugs May Up Fractures

I wanted to share this because so many special needs are on meds for reflux...

WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Aug. 11, 2008 -- Using acid reflux drugs called proton pump inhibitors for at least seven years may be linked to increased risk of osteoporosis-related fractures.
That news comes from a Canadian study of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and osteoporosis-related fractures. PPIs are a class of drugs that include Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix

The study shows a link between long-term use of proton pump inhibitors and greater likelihood of osteoporosis-related fractures of the hip, wrist, or spine.
But that association took years to appear, and the study doesn't prove that PPIs were to blame for any fractures. Makers of PPIs tell WebMD they haven't seen any signs of increased osteoporosis-related fracture risk in people using their products.
More research is needed; meanwhile, patients and their doctors should revisit the risks and benefits of long-term PPI use, according to an editorial published with the study in the Canadian Medical Association's journal, CMAJ.

PPIs and Osteoporosis Fractures
The study included 63,000 adults aged 50 and older in Manitoba, Canada, including nearly 15,300 who sustained an osteoporosis-related fracture of the hip, spine, or wrist from 1996 to 2004.

The researchers -- who included the University of Manitoba's Laura Targownik, MD, MSHS -- checked participants' prescription records.
People who suffered an osteoporosis-related fracture were almost twice as likely to have used a PPI for at least seven years. Using PPIs for six or fewer years wasn't linked to fracture risk.
Hip fracture risk may have started earlier. People with hip fractures were 62% more likely to have used a PPI for at least five years. Briefer use of PPIs wasn't associated with hip fracture risk.

It's not clear how PPIs might increase fracture risk, but it may be that by inhibiting stomach acid, PPIs speed up bone mineral loss, Targownik's team speculates. But the study doesn't prove that.

The researchers considered many factors, including participants' other prescriptions, medical history, and income. Still, they can't rule out the possibility that they missed other influences.

Benefits of PPIs vs. Risks
Long-term PPI use and fracture risk have been linked in previous research.
That association "is certainly a strong basis for encouraging further investigation," write the editorialists, who included J. Brent Richards, MD, of Canada's McGill University.
What are patients to do in the meantime? Talk to their doctors, the editorialists suggest.
"Certainly, at one extreme, such as in patients with bleeding ulcers, the beneficial effects may far outweigh the risks associated with fractures," the editorial states. "At the other extreme, liberal prescription of proton pump inhibitors for nebulous disorders for extended periods of time is likely worth revisiting."

Drugmakers Respond
Targownik's study doesn't specify which PPIs the patients took. So WebMD contacted the makers of all prescription brand-name PPIs in the U.S. -- Aciphex, Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, and Protonix -- for their feedback on the study.

Drugmakers Respond continued...
The drug company AstraZeneca makes Nexium. "AstraZeneca does not agree with the conclusion of the CMAJ study," states AstraZeneca spokeswoman Corey Windett in an email to WebMD. She says Nexium's safety and efficacy have been "consistently demonstrated." Windett says AstraZeneca also notes the study's limits and agrees with the editorialists that further research is needed and that patients and doctors should "weigh the proven benefits of these medications against any potential risks." Patients should talk to their doctors if they have concerns about bone health while taking Nexium or any other PPI, says Windett.
Judee Shuler, senior director of corporate communications for Eisai Inc., which makes Aciphex, states that the Canadian results "warrant further study, as these fractures are important medical issues that can occur for a variety of reasons. Our clinical trial data have not shown an increased risk of osteoporosis-related fractures in patients taking [Aciphex] tablets, nor have our post-marketing data suggested such an association, but we will continue to monitor our adverse event database."

The other PPI drugmakers didn't respond before deadline.
WebMD also contacted the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), which declined to comment on the study.

Conversations with Jack Riley...

As I mentioned earlier, Jack's language and talking are really taking off. I wanted to take the time to post some of my recent conversations with Jack. Remember, this is a kid who had no words or gestures until after his 3rd birthday. Even then, it was "up" "ball" and "ba ba" for drink. This is the kid who was labeled "non-verbal" by the speech therapist as he entered preschool. This is my son, who now, uses what words he has to continuously amaze his momma.

It's a week night and I decide to take Jack to McDonald's for a treat...just us. I tell him we're going to the "fry store" to get a bag of fries...since he can't say McDonald's he starts singing the tune to "Old MacDonald....had a farm....eee, iiii, eee, iiii, oooooo"



"More, drink, please!" "Wa wa, ice, please!" The man likes a cold one every now and then.





"Vacuum, keen up" as he pretends to vacuum the floor in his room. "Mom, help." long pause... "Broom." I find the broom for him. "Veep" (sweep). "OOVE (move)!!" as he goes to town on cleaning he wants me out of the way..."All done."





"cook fries" I tell him okay, he says "vait (wait)" long pause. "Bell" (yes, we cook fries in the toaster oven and wait for the bell). Then, "HOT!!" as I am pulling them out of the oven.

It's not quite dinner time..."hunger" pause "eat?" I reply "Not yet, let's wait for Daddy!" He thinks for a minute..."Da da...herk (work)" pause...."Phome?" Then we call daddy at work and tell him Jack's hungry!!

There are more -- and of course more to come! I am just so proud of my soon-to-be KINDERGARTENER!!

More photos in the August 2008 Album

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Motherhood Multiplied

By Sharon Gardner
August 2008

It was one of those days all mothers can identify with. The kids were quarreling, shirking their chores, whining about being bored and being purposefully irritating. I had all I could take. It wasn't that I didn't love my 4-year-old son and the eight teenage girls the court had placed in foster care, but at this moment I didn't feel very loving.

I retreated to my closet before I exploded. I spotted my husband's old green Army cap and shirt and impulsively put them on. I wheeled back to the kitchen with the sternest, most commanding presence I could muster, defiantly wearing the insignia of his former unit — Hell on Wheels. It got their attention. They fell quiet as they finally realized they had hit the wall and the wall wasn't budging.

I did marvel that I was even hired for the job as housemother at Abilene Girls Home. I always wanted a large family, but my spinal cord injury at age 13 made that goal more challenging. I got married at age 20 in 1966 to my wonderful Charles and 14 months later was thrilled to give birth to a precious baby boy, Chuck. My dreams and prayers had been answered.

Still, reports of children needing foster parents tugged at me. Charles and I interviewed with Child Welfare, as it was called then, and within the week we had 11-year-old Ruthie. Her legs and feet were a mass of scars where her mother had poured boiling water on her. She never smiled, wouldn't interact and glared at us. This was going to be harder than I thought. Before we could break through her armor, the social worker moved her. I ached for children who were not only abused by their families but were now continually uprooted by the system. No wonder this child had developed a self-protective hardness.

A few days later we got Debbie, a 14-year-old who'd been abused by a series of stepfathers, as well as previous foster parents. After she got past her initial suspicion, she interacted — laughing and hugging a lot. But there was much pain beneath the surface, expressed by smoking, drugs, and other behavior. But we had already bonded with her and would hang in there with her for the long haul. Within a few months she settled in and we were a family — mom, dad, 3-year-old Chuck and 14-year-old Debbie.

That's when Debbie's social worker suggested Charles and I apply to be house parents at Abilene Girls Home, a residential facility for eight girls at a time. We were the youngest and most inexperienced of five couples interviewing for the position that night. I was the only one with a disability. The board seemed incredulous that we thought we could handle the job physically. Finally, I said, "Look, if you think I sit around with a blanket over my legs, I've got news for you."

"But how will you cook for this many girls?"

"Ma'am, it will not be a problem. I'll just quadruple my recipes. It's not that hard."

"But this is a two-story house. You can't get upstairs."

"Ma'am, there is only one bedroom upstairs. Girls who prove trustworthy will get to stay upstairs on the honor system as their reward."

I also made a point to say, "I can relate to the girls. I had my accident at age 13. I know how it feels being different, not having a normal social life. But I learned principles of surviving and excelling despite the struggle. I can teach them those principles."

We got the job. Charles, Chuck, Debbie and I moved into the Girls Home. I was just 26; Charles was 30. We'd received no training or preparation when we became idealistic parents to eight wounded, angry, rebellious teenage girls. Each girl had her own unique story and resultant behavior. We naively thought that we could love them so much they'd just forget their painful pasts and become happy obedient teenagers. We had no concept how deeply abuse penetrates into the psyche.

I remember many joyful times laughing at silly antics, playing practical jokes, experimenting with hairstyles and make-up, giggling over boys, making chocolate chip cookies and me popping wheelies as they gasped. There were endless hours teaching basic personal hygiene, social skills, how to do laundry, make beds, and clean bathrooms. There were poignant moments listening to their heart cries, hugging and praying with them. But there were also many frustrating, tension-filled days when their inner pain collided with teenage hormones and erupted like a volcano all over me. Those were the Hell on Wheels days.

Charles drove the girls to school every morning on his way to work. I stayed home to work through to-do lists, start dinner and try to have quality time with Chuck. In the evening Charles would care for Chuck while I concentrated on the girls. But schedules rarely went as planned. There was almost always a girl home sick, one truant from school, one needing to be driven to an appointment, several screaming at another — or at me. The chaos was never ending.

The daily routine was laborious even on good days. There were no microwaves, family-size frozen entrees, Sam's or Costco's in 1972. I drove to the store, unloaded my chair from the back seat, plopped my son into the grocery cart and pushed him — and a monstrous amount of groceries — to the check-out counter.

Back at the house, little Chuck and I unloaded it all. Then I began cooking enough to satisfy the 11 of us. The girls set the table and did kitchen, house and yard detail, but it often took a lot of cajoling, coercion and instruction. Then we started on the neverending homework - times eight.

Shopping was always an adventure — eight girls and me combing through racks of clothes and shoes in narrow aisles. The clothing allotment was microscopic, yet the girls longed to dress like their classmates. We had the classic battles over how short their skirts could be.

I tried to scrape enough money out of the food budget to take them out to eat once a month, a new experience for some of them. At one restaurant nine of us sat around an oversize table. "Mom, can Juanita and I get steak if we share one plate?"

"But Mom, this lasagna is only a dollar over our limit."

The waitress looked incredulously at our multicultural group. She queried Maria skeptically, "Is that really your mom?" Two or three girls piped, "Yes!" Obviously the waitress still couldn't acknowledge me as a capable human being. She took the girls' orders, then jerked her head towards me and asked, "What does she want?"

The Gardner's 1971 portrait shows Sharon and Charles Gardner with their son Chuck and their foster daughter Debbie.
On Mother's Day, I got four separate breakfasts in bed, each girl proudly wanting me to eat hers. I dutifully forced myself to eat them all so none would feel rejected.

There was no recreation allowance, but I did squeeze the budget enough to take the girls to the zoo for a special outing. We laughed at the monkeys, recoiled from the lions, marveled at the giraffes and headed for the exit 10 minutes before closing. Two girls went ahead through the turnstile, but I needed staff to unlock the gate for me. The ticket booth and office were locked and dark. The girls scurried around the zoo looking for an employee. They were all gone!

We analyzed the turnstile; there was no way to get me through. "Mom! We'll haul you over the fence." I looked at the 8-foot chain link fence. "Absolutely not!"

The girls giggled and teased me as we realized no staff would be coming. I could just see my photo with the headlines, "Helpless Handicapped Woman Locked in Zoo." I was mortified at the thought.

I sent two girls off to find a pay phone and call Charles. He made some irate calls and eventually the zookeeper arrived. I rushed home, too embarrassed to even demand free passes.

There were continual physical and emotional needs and not enough of me to go around. We got only eight hours a week off and one 48-hour weekend each month. It was not long enough to recover before we had to return. There was no support staff, no counselors, no drivers, no kitchen help — just Charles, who had another full-time job, and me.

Charles and Sharon Gardner recently were reunited with their foster daughter, Debbie.

One night our sleep was interrupted three times by calls from police. The same girl had been picked up on the streets each time. I begged the police to just keep her until morning. Charles was too tired to make another trip to the police station. "Can't, Ma'am. You must come get her." We longed to put a lock on the door, but the fire department wouldn't allow it.

Through the course of the year, 20 different girls lived with us. My learning curve stretched my brain, my heart, my body and my patience, taking a heavy toll on our marriage and our son. Finally we resigned but left believing that, at least for a while, the girls had a taste of a loving family, regular meals and parents willing to sacrifice for them.

After we left, the board doubled the time off, installed an alarm on the door, hired cooking and tutoring help. Even so, the home went through five sets of nondisabled house parents in the following year. And we had lasted a year!

I missed the girls, but it was healing to have a quiet house again. Thirteen months later we had our own delightful baby girl, Kimberly, my second natural childbirth experience.

Eight years later I thought my life was complete — one boy, one girl, supportive husband, a move to Austin, Texas, and a new job as assistant to Justin Dart, Jr., as he developed the dream of the ADA. Justin and Yoshiko asked if we'd take in a young Japanese woman experiencing some difficult issues. We enjoyed Yayoi thoroughly, and after 18 months she moved into her own apartment. Then Justin asked us to take another girl, Chiemi, who also needed a stable family environment.

Word spread back to Japan that a family in Texas was willing to take in Japanese girls with problems. We got a call from Junichi Yamamoto, owner of an English school in Ueda, asking to bring a 14-year-old girl to us. Her mother had abandoned her and her physician father would pay us to raise her. Yumi arrived two weeks later and moved in with Chiemi. She knew no English, but hand motions and smiles work in any language.

We enrolled Yumi in an English school near the University of Texas. I was now working as the chaplain at South Austin Hospital and couldn't drive her to school. I held my breath as she took the bus from the hospital into town and back. She made it!

Junichi's father called again. Could we take another one? We hired a builder to enclose our garage to make space for Koji, a 14-year-old boy. We sent him to English school along with Yumi and reinforced their English and cultural adjustment over dinner every evening.

After a few months we put Koji in a nearby boarding school where we could have him on weekends. Yamamoto called again. Could we take 15-year-old twin boys? I gulped when I picked them up from the airport. They were built like budding Sumo wrestlers. How could I cook that much?

Looking back, I marvel that I had the supernatural energy to pull it all off for so many years. Charles was occupied working long, high-stress hours as the hospital's materials manager. I was now director of pastoral care, director of volunteer services and co-chair of the medical ethics committee, dealing with death, critical issues and grief all day. Every night I cooked for us four Gardners and four foreign teenagers, making frequent late night trips to the grocery store to replenish the refrigerator, which seemed to swallow everything I put in it.

One Saturday I wheeled past the television with a basket of dirty laundry on my lap just as a financial advisor said, "The whole tax system is geared toward business deductions. Turn your hobby into a business. You'll make more money and always enjoy your work."

I yelled at the TV, "Hobby?! I don't have time for a hobby! I'm too busy taking care of these kids!" It was my epiphany. I was doing what I loved — being a mother to many and getting paid for it. I already had a business, but had been too busy to realize it! I named my company SonRise Home Placement Service.

Yamamoto kept sending more students. The English school in Austin said they could get high school students from many countries — Mexico, Taiwan, Venezuela, Bahrain, Kuwait, Columbia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and more — if I'd provide a family environment to reassure their parents. I started soliciting homes from trusted friends and referrals, sometimes finding a suitable home just days before the student arrived. I made dozens of trips to the airport, always surprised that parents overseas would entrust their children to a stranger they couldn't even communicate with — and pay for doing so. Once for over a year I was responsible for five 15-year-old boys and several teenage girls simultaneously. Scary!

The most challenging placement was a 15-year-old Nigerian girl with cerebral palsy. Her single mother had no money but was determined to get her child to America to save her from institutional life. On nothing but sheer faith, I agreed, then chastised myself for doing so. It would be impossible. One week later an older couple read my urgent prayer request, modified their small home for her wheelchair and raised her at no pay — for four years!

Eventually we had 20 international students live in our own home. Some stayed just a few weeks, others two to three years. Husband Charles helped in a thousand ways, lightened tense moments with goofiness and showed the girls what real respect and safe hugs are. Teenage Chuck often chauffeured, gofered and sometimes gave up his bed. Kimberly, only 10 when we started taking international students, was a natural nurturing assistant mother to kids years older than herself.

There were another 85 students that I placed in host homes, while supervising their education, meeting with their teachers, listening to their problems and funny stories, resolving conflicts with their host families, taking them to the doctor and out for hamburgers over the course of 15 years.

When it was all over, counting the original 20 girls in foster care, we'd directly or indirectly parented 125 high school or beginning college students from 21 countries, 40 of them in our home. I had indeed fulfilled my dream, then gratefully moved into the next great era — being a grandmother and loving it!

Pure joy on wheels.

From http://newmobility.com/

Update Time!

It just seems like the days/weeks are FLYING by!

Jack is doing okay -- no health issues, but his behavior has really taken a turn for the worse the last month or so...there are days when he melts down non stop. We recently increased his risperdal, but if this doesn't work we may try a new medication. It's a really exhausting, trying time right now.

Jack has come so far with his talking! He is now using 3 word sentences most of the time...there are still major gaps in his communication but it's like magic every time he learns a new phrase or puts something together all on his own. He's also learned to self correct his approximations, which has been amazing as well. For example, he used to say "broon" for balloon, now he says "BALLOOM" and I get teary every time he does this, because he's really doing it on his own with about one "corrected approximation" a week. Does my mommy heart really good to hear him talking so well. Tomorrow is his LAST DAY OF PRESCHOOL and he starts FULL DAY KINDERGARTEN on Aug. 25th. I cannot believe it.

Morgan is walking -- make that RUNNING everywhere. She's such a doll -- but has also recently found her voice, especially when she's not happy -- she's really good at signing (just out of habit we taught her more, mom, dad, all done, bye, play, night night, and a few others.) She also babbles non stop -- I tell you, she's gonna be a talker!

I have been reading everyone's blog posts -- I am really going to get back in to the swing of things here, I promise!! Lots of love to everyone!

Group photo on our last day of vacation! from left to right, Jan's daughter Steff,

Jan, Angie, Grandpa Bob, Morgan, Steff's friends Odie, Jason and Jack Riley...

A long break

I am so sorry -- I had no intention on taking such a long break from posting! WOW! I really have so much to write about, I hardly know where to begin. So, for now -- here are the beach pics :)

Vacation Time!

We're off to the beach for a WEEK! WOO HOO!!!!

Project Jason -- Daddy's Den!

Sorry I have been MIA as a blogger... but here's why:

Finally, got the video to work -- sorry, there are no "before" pictures, because I was too embarrassed about the mess we had let our downstairs become! It was what I referred to as the "dumping ground" for things that didn't have a home...

Over the past month I made decisions, keep, sell, donate and TRASH -- then when that was all over I started on the project (the same day Jason left for San Diego). I had my friend Sara help me paint, but other than that I was able to complete the project while the kids were sleeping.

The video only shows two of the 4 rooms I worked on...the laundry room and workshop/storage area were cleaned and organized as well!

The whole point of this project was to give Jason a place to "retire" to when he needs space. I focused on his favorite things, music, reading, drawing...and relaxing! I painted some old pieces of furniture to match (Oregano Green), and the only "major" purchase was the futon (it was really cheap), the floor pillows and baby gates.

He LOVES it and was totally shocked!! The kids love their space as well and before Jack even gets out of bed in the morning he asks to go play "house" lol!

Anyway, here it is, our "new" space!

Swimming Fun!

We had so much FUN this weekend swimming and cooking out with Papa and Jan :) This was Morgan's very first time swimming -- she was unsure at first but by the end she was leading us towards the waterfalls! Jack jumped right in and did NOT want to get out...he's always been my fishie kid!

Can't wait to do it again!

Seizure Tonight

Just when we seem to get on with life and "forget" about those ugly things, they come out of the blue...we just (after a year and a half) put Jack back in his own bed to sleep...

For some reason he wanted to sleep in our bed tonight so I laid down with him until he fell asleep. Jason noticed Jack was awake about a half hour later. I went in and got in bed with him and he was just staring -- not unusual when he's trying to get back to sleep...then it turned eerily familiar (with some new twists too) he started blinking rhythmically with his head slightly moving and kept pointing to my eyes and saying "eye" over and over again with a monotone voice. He didn't flinch when I put my hand near his eyes and then he lost color in his face and started with chewing mouth motions and wiggling tongue motions, rapid heart beat, and then I noticed his left hand was opening and closing...just when I was going to give him diastat (about the 10 minute mark) he "came to" and said "Night night mom" and "yuv you" and went back to sleep.

He's fine now, sleeping away in our bed and Jason just went back to be with him. Of course there will be a call in to his neuro tomorrow (we just had blood levels done Thursday -- which will be a big help in deciding what to do with his meds) and hope there are NO MORE seizures between now and then.

This is the part that I hate -- do I send him to school like a ticking seizure-bomb? Or was this a once and done thing? How do we decide these things? Where's the manual on this stuff?

I will keep you all posted...hope everyone had a great weekend! (ours was AWESOME up until an hour ago...swimming pictures to come!!!)

Send a Card to Alex

First, read my post below...

Then click here to send a card to Alex!

Unimaginable....

I am truly disgusted...

St. Lucie teacher has students vote on whether 5-year-old can stay in class

By Colleen Wixon (Contact)Originally published 01:50 p.m., May 23, 2008Updated 04:30 p.m., May 23, 2008


PORT ST. LUCIE — Melissa Barton said she is considering legal action after her son's kindergarten teacher led his classmates to vote him out of class.

After each classmate was allowed to say what they didn't like about Barton's 5-year-old son, Alex, his Morningside Elementary teacher said they were going to take a vote, Barton said.

By a 14 to 2 margin, the class voted him out of the class.

Barton said her son is in the process of being diagnosed with Asperger's, a type of high-functioning autism. Alex began the testing process in February for an official diagnosis under the suggestion of Morningside Principal Marsha Cully.

Alex has had disciplinary issues because of his disabilities, Barton said. The school and district has met with Barton and her son to create an individual education plan, she said. His teacher, Wendy Portillo, has attended these meetings, she said.

Barton said after the vote, Alex's teacher asked him how he felt.

"He said, 'I feel sad,'" she said.

Alex left the classroom and spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office, she said.

Barton said when she came to pick up her son at the school on Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office.

"He was shaken up," she said. Barton said the nurse told her to talk with the child's teacher, who told her what happened.

Alex hasn't been back to school since then, and Barton said he won't be returning. He starts screaming when she brings him with her to drop off his sibling at school.

Thursday night, his mother heard him saying "I'm not special."

Barton said Alex is reliving the incident.

They said he was "disgusting" and "annoying," Barton said.

"He was incredibly upset," Barton said. "The only friend he has ever made in his life was forced to do this."

The child's mother filed a complaint with the school resource officer, who investigated the matter, said Port St. Lucie spokeswoman Michelle Steele said. But the state attorney's office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed, Steele said. Port St. Lucie Police is no longer investigating, but is documenting the complaint, she said.

Steele said the teacher confirmed the incident did occur.

St. Lucie School's spokeswoman Janice Karst said the district is investigating the incident, but could not make any further comment.

Vern Melvin, Department of Children and Families circuit administrator, confirmed the agency is investigating an allegation of abuse at Morningside, but said he could not elaborate.

Wheelchair Woes, Part 2

Does anyone know how often insurance will cover a wheelchair? We have private insurance (Highmark) and Medical Assistance (Gateway). Jack received his first wheelchair in December of 2006 (although it was ordered nearly a year before then -- they go by the date delivered). We recently had it adjusted for growth -- and while he fits well now I am not sure how long until his next growth spurt.

Also, he isn't able to use the chair with both arms functionally. Since I knew NOTHING about wheelchairs before his first one, I trusted the seating clinic to know what to order. The chair simply does not work for independent mobility. We are in need of a one arm drive system (where the user can use two hand rims to maneuver on one side of the wheelchair). This will prevent the large circles he is doing now...which of course frustrates him!

This is becoming even more important as he enters Kindergarten. He will use his walker for short distances -- but he fatigues easily and will need his wheelchair even more this coming school year to get around the large elementary school.

His physiatrist would provide us with all letters of medical necessity as well as the prescription and we would use a local DME instead of the seating clinic this time.

There is only one pediatric wheelchair system that offers a one arm drive and luckily it's a brand that insurance companies have been known to cover (because it's less expensive than others, and pretty much a simple, unfancy chair).

I really wish I would have known then what I know now about wheelchairs. There's nothing worse than being stuck with something that doesn't work...

Any tips, advice, words of wisdom for getting insurance to cover the new chair would be appreciated!

I am considering paying out of pocket if we can't get insurance to cover it. Now, I just need to find $3500!!!!! Let me see if the money tree has grown yet, lol! In all seriousness that isn't very expensive when it comes to a wheelchair. Jack's current chair was nearly $8000. Insane, since it DOESN'T WORK for him.

Karate and The Story About Kevin...

Jack is Super -Excited...

So I googled Cerebral Palsy and Karate this morning and came upon this article. It made me wonder if Jack could take Karate lessons. I am trying to find some summer activities for Jack that are less clinical and therapy oriented and more community and fun based! So far I am looking into horseback riding, karate, and a gym/tumble class.

Sometimes I get fed up with hospitals, doctors, nurses and therapies...no offense to any of you -- we LOVE you, but I think this summer we're taking a BREAK and are going to live life just a little more on the outside than the inside of clinical settings. Besides -- Jack will start FULL DAY Kindergarten in the fall. I will be lost without my little man for most of the day...although Morgan and I are sure to find something to do...lol

So that's my plan and I am sticking to it. I emailed a local Karate Studio asking if they could accomodate a disabled child in their class. I truly hope so...if not, we'll find someone who can! I'll keep you posted!

A Few FOUR LETTER WORDS...

I am reposting this from Wheelchair Diffusion

A spam attack on online forums and help centers of the Epilepsy Foundation appear to have been designed to trigger seizures in persons with epilepsy.

“On Easter weekend, the Epilepsy Foundation—and those who use its online forums for help, support, suggestions and camaraderie—came under attack by people who posted rapidly flashing images to cause serious injury and harm. The type of epilepsy that causes people to experience seizures upon seeing flashing or flickering images is photosensitive epilepsy.”


Read the rest at: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/aboutus/pressroom/action_against_hackers.cfm

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This makes me sick...and very sad. This takes time and energy -- someone put thought into HARMING people with seizures. Unbelievable. May they get what they deserve...

Morgan!!!!!!!

MORGAN TOOK HER FIRST STEPS!!!!!!!!I can't believe it! She took her steps from Jason to me about 4 steps on her own -- then later about 13 or so steps across the room to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!

"Jack Riley - On the Move" Movie...

Okay, so I tried my hand at creating a movie with Windows Movie Maker. I must admit I've watched it over and over again...(I can't wait to make more -- and play with more of the features!!)

Enjoy!