It’s May 2021!

[danvers]

How is everyone’s May starting off? Are school years winding down for your bigger kiddos? Anyone’s spring BFF allergies slowly doing them in like mine🙋‍♀️? I hope everyone’s numbers trend down, down, down so there can be some semblance of safe summer fun for everyone.

I’m ready for summer here - only 4 weeks of school left here! DD1 will finish kindergarten and be home with us for the summer. DD2 will still have daycare some days if we choose to send her (we have to pay regardless to save our spot for the fall).

Both girls are starting in tball but everyone needs their own bats and whatnot for social distancing reasons and this is all turning into a very expense sport unlike soccer or swimming. I also think baseball is about as boring as it gets for sports so my opinion of how this season will go may already be jaded.

[Taitai]

April normally seems like a super slow month for me, but for some reason this year it flew by. We’re getting more and more restrictions over here - restaurants are now take-out/delivery only, schools remain online, and many other things are closed. They also moved the mandatory hotel quarantine for international arrivals back up to 16 days/15 nights, so that totally sucks for us. We’re going to have to spend 16 days in a hotel room with our kids when we get back from our summer trip to the USA. And get this - there is NO HOUSEKEEPING during the entire 16 days. I am sure they will regularly drop off new linens and towels, but still - the floors will be gross. They’d better lend me a broom and dust pan at the very least, along with some sponges and all-purpose cleaner. Sigh.

Thankfully, we still have the pool, garden, playground, fitness center, and tennis court open on our compound, which is a godsend during times where our kids can’t go anywhere. No local vaccine availability in sight, and the numbers aren’t going down. It will be nice for H and I at least to get vaccinated in the states come mid-June. We’re super excited to see our vaccinated family members too! We have not seen anyone in person in America for 2 years. Really looking forward to that next month.

[CoachTsWife]

Where did April go? I can't believe it is already May. My husband has 4 more weeks of this brutal school year.

We had my husband's grandfather's 90th birthday party on Saturday and my niece hosted a birthday party for her husband on Sunday. Thankfully we are now fully vaccinated, as is most of my family, and both parties were mostly outdoors. Anyway, it was a busy weekend and we were not home enough for DS2's liking and it was a rough morning - he just wanted to be home today. I get it, and I felt bad for him.

Otherwise, typical Monday over here. My stove is on the fritz and not worth repairing, according to the local repair guy. So I need to shop for a new stove, now.

[Taitai]

CoachTsWife Like was for your H’s grandfather’s 90th and everyone being vaccinated and being able to get together for celebrations again. Sorry about the stove though, that sucks.

danvers How cute that your girls are getting into t-ball!! Do they have uniforms? Little ones in t-ball uniforms are the cutest!

[danvers]

CoachTsWife the birthday party sounds wonderful and I hope it goes off without a hitch

Taitai 16 days in a hotel room with 2 small boys sounds..... like an interesting adventure 😬 Being with your family after 2 years though would totally make me do 16 days in a room with the girls. Those hugs this summer will be so sweet for you all

[danvers]

H is finally finishing the outdoor playset after starting it a year ago. We still need to stain it but it is pretty cool. We’ve cobbled together a playset for some neighbors, a set from FB, and accessories we’ve found on Amazon. It’s right by a nice shade tree I plan on parking myself under this summer to read while the girls play.

Also, I listed an old Step2 climber the girls are too big for on FB marketplace not 10 minutes ago and 4 people have already asked about it. I’m sad to see their old toys go but the $$$ and new-found space is making up for it!

[CoachTsWife]

danvers I sold our Step2 climber/slide thing a while ago. It had almost always been inside and was in like-new condition. It sold FAST and I had people lined up in case the first person fell through. I should've asked more for it, lol. I agree that letting go of those things is hard, but the space is much needed!

[duskymonkey]

CoachTsWife that sounds wonderful that your family was able to get together and finally be around each other and wow! sounds like both sides of your family have long life genes! 
Ugh! sorry for your stove. Hopefully you already have one on order or delivered otherwise in the interim, slow cooker/IP, grill and if you must, you can get a portable induction cooktop for around $50 if you have the right pots for them. I actually have one which I use for hotpot / shabu shabu and fondue heh... it's nice cos I don't have to worry about flames or hot surface other than the pot itself with the kids. My GFs fridge quit a couple of weeks ago and I sent her this lol! 

[duskymonkey]

Taitai sorry things have gotten stricter where you are but it's necessary. I think they do the same thing for quarantine travelers to NZ with no housekeeping too! What is happening in India is horrifyingly awful. I am glad you've planned to visit here and will be able to get vaxed easily and sounds like pharmacies will be doing walk-ins. Now it's up to Americans to do the right thing and get vaxed if they are able to because there's will be a portion of the population just unable too. You also probably know by now that Pfizer announced they are looking at September to get vax EUA for 2-11. Just Incredible! Stay safe my friend!

[duskymonkey]

danvers your prediction is on point with allergies! I was so miserable last week and didn't realize I had a sinus infection. Ever only had 1 then I remembered how it was so last weekend I was able to get OTCs and thankfully I feel like a new person and didn't get a fever because tomorrow I get my 2nd SHOT!!! It was such a nightmare with my sinus pressure/headaches plus I was filling a 25 pg intake for DS and for a few days I was on hold for damn near 2 hours trying to get in touch with Chidlren's hospital until I got cut off. Now I remember why I haven't called back since last year because the same thing happened and I haven't received a call back since despite numerous times leaving and emailing the finance dept for a cost estimate. Anyways long story short, we decided to pursue an independent cognitive/neuro psych eval for DS and eat the cost because every time I called Children's no one can give me a ball park on when we can get in for an eval. Of course last week they called to schedule our eval in June after I had made lots of calls everywhere else the past 3 months to find someone to do an eval. Today I spent 2 hours on a video call with the Dr. going over the intake and more questions and I broke down in tears when she told me I shouldn't be too hard on myself because parenting a child with ASD is mentally and physically draining and DS has enough markers to be DX with it. I am almost relieved that my observations was validated by someone in the medical field today and that I am not this crazy neurotic mom. Next step is to get an official dx and deal with the school district for an IEP for him which I heard is going to be difficult and frustrating process. At least I don't have to deal with all that and virtual school at the same time. I am so done with it. 

[Taitai]

duskymonkey I just want to give you big hugs and let you know that you are an amazing, amazing mother. Your DS has so many strengths, and I can see similarities between him and my DS1. No matter what the ultimate diagnosis is, please know that he is going to thrive — because he is a wonderful kid, and he has such supportive and involved parents. It’s a lot to take in right now, but you are on the right path and doing the right thing to come up with an IEP and see what interventions/recommendations the experts have for him. Never feel badly for advocating for him and demanding that he receive the support and services that will benefit him - you got this, and we’re always here to chat and support you. PM me if you’d like to discuss more - ASD runs in my family, and my sister is a special education teacher who specializes in elementary-aged children with ASD and SPD. Hugs again - you’ve got this, and your DS will continue to be the super smart, curious, fun, and sweet boy that he has always been.

[danvers]

duskymonkey big ((hugs)) you are an awesome mom. I started in special education before moving to general education. You will be DS best advocate in school and getting it done while he’s in lower grades will help ensure success for him when he gets to middle and high school (but don’t think about that yet!!!!). If you ever want to run ideas by me or questions about what sounds reasonable or what the school is saying, just ask. Every state is a bit different and every school district handles things differently too but the basic tenets of the law should remain the same.

[duskymonkey]

Happy Mother's Day 017! I survived the 2nd shot of Vax!

[Taitai]

Happy Mother’s Day to all the O17 moms! We had a nice day over here - I had my last 2 wisdom teeth pulled on Saturday, so the kids brought me a mom’s day smoothie in bed on Sunday morning. Had some pool time, read some books together - nice and low key kind of day. Oh, and I got to nap for about an hour in the afternoon, which was AWEOME. Naps are great. Hope you all had a wonderful day with your kiddos!

[danvers]

Working on my Mother Of The Year resume over here:

Sent DD2 to daycare in semi-new shoes she’s worn a few times only. When I picked her up her she had quite a limp so I carried her to the car. On the drive home she began to cry about her feet hurting and how she couldn’t sleep at naptime and so on. Once home we took her shoes off and discovered a sock had been stuck between the top of her foot and the shoe. 🤦‍♀️ DD2 was quite the drama queen and milked it all evening but I do feel bad she limped her way miserably through the day (though daycare didn’t think to take her shoes off and check?!?!?!?)

Summer break is only 10 days away and couldn’t get here fast enough apparently!!!

[danvers]

May 9, 2021 19:18:29 GMT -6 Taitai said:

Happy Mother’s Day to all the O17 moms! We had a nice day over here - I had my last 2 wisdom teeth pulled on Saturday, so the kids brought me a mom’s day smoothie in bed on Sunday morning. Had some pool time, read some books together - nice and low key kind of day. Oh, and I got to nap for about an hour in the afternoon, which was AWEOME. Naps are great. Hope you all had a wonderful day with your kiddos!

I’m so glad you had a nice Mother’s Day — and hopefully quick healing from the wisdom teeth being pulled! Pool time and books and naps sound like a perfect day!

[duskymonkey]

danvers,Taitai, Thank you so much for your words and appreciate your support. Eventhough I had my suspicions for a long time, just talking about all the abnormal things altogether hit me like a ton of bricks and I did not realize how much anxiety I have when we are out and about. You hear about how children go missing or get into accidents and that is how DS is. It's almost as if he has zero common sense and doesn't understand his own safety like I can barely pull weeds in our yard because in a split second, he is no where to be found. Even when we are out walking, he would tend to dash out of sight ( happens almost all the time -  makes it very difficult to be out with the 2 kids on my own ) because something caught his interest and I have this huge fear of being around water with him. I didn't know that kids on the spectrum are drawn to water. DS loves water anything, even a puddle. Just last week, we went to deliver strawberry plants to a neighbor and he has a water feature with a pond and DS loves going there of course and he fell into the pond ( luckily the edge wasn't very deep but it drops to 5 feet in the middle ) the water was cold so I hoped he will learn but less than a minute after he managed to scramble back up, he went to the edge again and slipped. Meanwhile lil fella was very cautious and kept yelling at his brother to not go too close to the edge or he'll slip. Between the wandering and water keeps me on edge all the time. I also feel bad because there are so many other parents dealing with much more than we are and I cannot imagine how that must be. I worry a lot now and for his future.

[duskymonkey]

Taitai how are you healing? Your low key MD sounded great even though you were in pain. Happy to hear you have some amenities in your complex to keep the kids entertained.
danvers oh dear! it's so hard with the littles at this age. I though as I was reading that she had gotten blister which are painful. Glad to hear it wasn't blisters. The littles are a mystery for sure and what's up with daycare not noticing she was limping.
I wonder if ours are extra dramatics for being born on the same day. So lil fella got his first skinned knee a week ago and he whimpered just the tiniest bit when he fell but kept on running and playing with his bro and neighbor kid. As soon as we stepped into the house, the water works started and the drama llama showed up big time. It was actually about the size of a dime and it was bleeding of course but my gosh! my trying to get anywhere close to it to clean it up and neosporin and put a band aid on was epic. Then of course we ran out of Lightning McQueen band aids too. I mean this kid cries Ouchy the ENTIRE time I brush his teeth EVERYDAY. What gives lil dude!

[duskymonkey]

MD weekend was nice for us too and low key because I was expecting to be out of commission after my 2nd shot so I planned and prepped all the meals for the weekend. I only had swollen lymph nodes under my arm on my injection side and was only uncomfortable for about a day. I may have been a little fatigue but it's hard to tell these days as I told my friend, I am like perpetually tired all the damn time for the past year and have no time to sit. DS was so sweet and woke up super bright and early LOL! at 6am and attempted to make toast for me. He did tell me it was a surprise but lil fella heard him telling hubs and asking him to help him and promptly came over to tell me what that surprise was haha! Weather was sunny enough although a little brisk but we bundled the kids and went for a bike ride Sunday and foraged for wild asparagus. We didn't get a much as we have in the past year and we couldn't quite tell if other people caught on and picked ( usually tell tale signs but we didn't notice? ) or they were just coming up which actually seemed late because previous years we would get them sometime at the end of April. Anyways, we're gonna try going again this weekend. Also we got a few inches of snow a couple of days ago LOL!

[Taitai]

duskymonkey That asparagus looks so fresh and green and delicious! How cool that you can forage for it. I know that is something my kids would LOVE to do. In general, they really like picking/gathering food and eating it. We picked 3 star fruit today from the star fruit tree in our garden. The jackfruit trees in the garden have also been producing fruit, which the building management cuts down and then shares with all of us. We have sweet basil growing in some planters, along with mung beans, and DS2 loves to eat the sweet basil raw (we wash it first of course) along with the mung bean sprouts. Maybe the kids will be farmers some day - that would be cool.

Also, I wanted to let you know that your description of your DS1 just up and bolting (plus the attraction to water) is also a lot like my DS1. We are fortunate that we live on a gated compound with a high wall, but I still don’t feel comfortable letting him out of mine or another adult’s line of sight. He gets easily distracted and when he’s not paying attention, I could see him running into something or out into the driveway without looking and getting hurt. Good luck as you move forward with the process, know that your kiddo has many, many strengths! You are a caring and patient mom - he is in very good hands.

[Taitai]

Happy to report that healing is going well following my wisdom teeth extractions! I am just so glad that’s all done. After we get back from the USA this summer, I’m going to do invisalign, which I am super excited about. My teeth aren’t too crooked, but they are pretty crowded on the bottom, and I have a bit of a cross-bite. I’ve been told that it should be a pretty straightforward and quick process to get my teeth properly aligned, but I will have to wear a retainer long term. I can deal with that. 2021 will be the year of improving my teeth!

[curmudgeon]

Hi everyone! I am catching up on the thread and have missed interacting with the group. Work has been insane between losing my temp employee and onboarding his replacement, and then general life happening.

duskymonkey you are an amazing mother. Like taitai said, we are always here to listen and support you.
And your post about asparagus reminded me we should pay MIL a visit because the fields behind her house have tons of mulberries to pick. DS2 loves to eat them as soon as he picks them.

Taitai I’m interested to hear about your Invisalign! I have a slightly crowded lower tooth and was told Invisalign wouldn’t work. I’m thinking of getting a 2nd opinion. It doesn’t bother me enough to get traditional braces in my late 30s.

[curmudgeon]

I had big plans to organize the garage this evening and sort through all the boxes that have been untouched for 6 months since we moved. I made myself a drink to make the organizing more fun. I accidentally made it too strong and now I’m slightly past buzzed and organizing is not happening. It’s not even 7pm 🤦🏻‍♀️

[curmudgeon]

Also, H is getting a vasectomy and I’m really excited I will be able to stop BC. Woo!!

[Taitai]

curmudgeon Wohoo for you not having to be on BC anymore! My H got a vasectomy when DS2 was like 6 months old, and it all worked out really well! I’ve found that not being on birth control has generally made me feel a lot better. Lol about your organizing plans - those boxes won’t run away, and you’ve been so busy that I think you deserved a break!

In terms of Invisalign, that process can make substantial changes in teeth alignment (even in very severe cases), so I would be surprised that you wouldn’t be a candidate. I say go to a platinum Invisalign provider and see what they have to say. The best provider to go to is one that has the scanning technology, where they have this machine that takes a perfect 3D scan of the inside of your mouth. The machine then automatically figures out the perfect plan to straighten your teeth and make the molds over the weeks/months. It’s all automated and very accurate if the clinic has this machine. I think it’s called iTero scanner or something. Anyways, I’m excited to get started in August, after our summer trip to the USA. It’s really reasonably priced out here.

[August Blooms]

duskymonkey You are a great mom and your DS is lucky to have you. Good for you for pushing to get an appointment, hopefully you can get some supports in place and plans made quickly too. We are here to support you and listen.

Taitai Hopefully there are some modifications to the hotel quarantine by the time you return. I just spent 10 days at home in 2000 sq ft plus backyard isolating and it was enough to drive me crazy. I can’t imagine doing it in a hotel room.

[August Blooms]

Hey everyone, I’ve been MIA because I’ve had almost no time to myself. DD2 got exposed to covid at daycare and we had to isolate for 10 days. Luckily she tested negative and had started wearing a mask part of the day that week before. There was a second case in the class, I’m hoping that it was just a coincidence and there hasn’t been any more cases. Despite our families risk, and a few close calls, this is the only time we had a confirmed close contact and had to isolate. I DNW to do that again, my DH might as well have been at work because he was useless to me to help with the kids while I had to work. Luckily he got to go back to work after he and DD2 tested negative and she will be able to go back to daycare on Wednesday. I can’t wait!

Other than that all my immediate family has their first vaccine and I’m getting my second dose on Saturday. The first thing I did out of isolation on Saturday morning was go to the garden center to get my veggies, next weekend is the usual start of planting but the weather is so nice and warm I decided to risk it and get a head start.

[CoachTsWife]

I posted the other day but it appears to have been eaten by the internet. IDK.

duskymonkey at preschool DS1 made one of those "All about Mom" papers for Mother's Day. On it was a line about cooking: "My mom cooks the best asparagus" We laughed. Of all the things! But we do love asparagus. I don't think I've ever seen or eaten wild asparagus.  That sure looks good!

[curmudgeon]

It has been so rainy and gloomy all week. H and I usually go on an hour walk with the dog right before lunch, but we haven’t been able to. I miss my work break.

[Taitai]

August Blooms I’m so sorry that you had to deal with another Covid scare and do the self isolation thing. Ugh - it will be so nice once our kids can get vaccinated. Hopefully that will help to reduce the virus’ transmission. All of these variants popping up in India and other places have me worried though. I really think we’re going to be needing annual shots, which is a pain.

@coschtswife That’s really cute about your kid’s response on the cooking question! I don’t really cook (only bake), so I wonder what my kids would say…. 🤔

curmudgeon That is certainly a sad anniversary to think about each year. I wish gun violence wasn’t such a huge problem in the states, and I’m sorry that it has impacted your home town in such a horrible way. Hugs.