The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

Well, school is back in session, so I should be able to post here more often than I was able to do during the summer. We started back yesterday. Actually, I started back on Monday, but yesterday was the first day the kids all returned. So far, so good I guess!

The other school that I am in charge of as the nurse has had a change in nurses. So, I will be trying to teach that nurse what she has to do, how she has to do it and when it has to be done according to the state contract. Not sure how it will work out since she is the daughter of the secretary over there. Could be for a fun time!

The Boy started his Freshman year yesterday. He is looking forward to some of the classes and not so much the others. One new thing he is enrolled in the year is called "Transitions". This is brand new to the school and the teacher is one of his LD teachers. She told me that the kids enrolled would be learning things they would be needing to know to live on their own in the future. She has already gotten them set up to do some laundry and run a copy center for the high school. She has said that one thing she would really like for them to be able to do is to cook a meal for the school board one evening. I think this will really help The Boy's confidence/self esteem and it will hopefully help me to feel more comfortable in leaving him home alone for more than just a tiny bit at a time. I guess we will both be learning something this year!

The Boy is worried about English (which is normal since he has written expression difficulties) and Math. Not sure why he is so worried about math since they are allowed to use a scientific calculator and he is a whiz when it comes to that. (Me, on the other hand....have no clue what to do with a scientific calculator!) He is looking forward to Biology I. At least I think he is. I think what has us both the most worried is that he has some new teachers that he has never had to deal with before and we aren't sure what to expect. Once he settles into the routine of his classes, I think he will be just fine.

Ziggy was taken back to the vet again. I'm about to get tired of that! He has his third UTI since the middle of June. They gave him another shot of antibiotics and we are trying a special food they say will help. I don't know what to do if tis doesn't help. He is about to cost me as much in medical as The Boy this year!

It is time to go home, but I wanted to leave this post since it has been a while. Plus it helps me to just write sometimes. If others are still out there reading, then that is good too!

Look who is here!

So, as you can see, (if you are still checking here) I am able to post something today. I had to come to town for some things and decided to stop in at the library.

What has been happening? Well, several things actually.

The Boy made it home (finally). We both survived it, but I am thinking just barely! He has been a bit different since he got home. By that I mean that he has picked up an attitude that I have been trying to correct. He has been back-talking and has been acting like he is smarter than the rest of us. That of course does not fly at my house! I don't think he even realizes he is doing it until he is called on it. He has also decided that he can't go to bed unless I am also going to bed. I don't know what that is about! He wants to go with me or with my Crazy Man instead of being by himself. Took him being home about three weeks before he even asked to spend time with my parents and brother. THAT is saying something is not quite right!

So far, Ziggy seems to be doing fine from his recurrence of a UTI. (Now saying that, I will probably go home to find him in distress again!) He lost about a pound while The Boy was gone, but we are trying to get him to gain it back. He really missed his boy! Since coming home, I can pretty much tell where I will find Ziggy....right next to The Boy!

I am looking for a different job, but that is really nothing new I guess. I figure I should always be on the lookout for something new and interesting to see if I can learn other stuff. I guess to see what opportunities present themselves to me. Right now, I am in charge of two different school districts as the nurse. There was another nurse working at the second school a couple days a week, but I was just informed by her late last week that she has decided not to come back this coming school year. (So if there is anyone out there that is an RN who would like to make a tiny bit of extra money by working at a school for two half days a week, let me know!) That is all in a mess at the moment. And, of course, school starts soon.

Matter of fact, I have to report to school on August 10, with the first day of student attendance on August 12. Not sure that either me or The Boy is ready!

My uncle brought my cousin up to visit this past week. He turned 3 on July 18. (The cousin, not the uncle!) We also welcomed his baby brother into the family on July 20. No pictures yet, but when I get any and if the parents agree, I will try to post a couple. My grandma was thrilled since my uncle and cousin stayed with her while they were here. That little boy is a really good kid and just as rotten as we can make him! I am sure his parents loved getting him back! No, really, he is a good kid and we love him to bits.

Anyway, I gotta go. Supposed to be meeting my Crazy Man at the insurance office as soon as he gets back into town, which should be soon. I will post as soon as I am able to do so again.

Short and Sweet

I am still alive, but it feels like just barely. Things around here have become extremely complicated since my last posting. I can't/won't go into details, but suffice it to say that I have not been sleeping much.

Other than that, The Boy is still in Vermont. Still not ready to admit he is ready to come home, but not really doing much either. I am still missing him beyond words, but he should be home in the next week and a half.

Ziggy is doing much better too. His last dose of medicine is this evening. Guess I will set him up an appointment to be rechecked at the vets sometime next week.

School is out for me for this week anyway. I have to go back next week for some training. Not looking forward to that either. Oh well.

Well, short post, but I don't have much time. I have to get home. My Crazy Man should be there soon, and I am going to have to fix something for supper, so I need to get that started.

Again, I will post as soon as I am able to do so while I am out of school.

Ramblings

Summer is here! It has been in the 90s since last week. I hear all sorts of people complaining, but I would rather it be hot than cold. I don't mind the hot. Granted, it is a bit warm when you can just sit outside, in the shade, and sweat... The heat index has been anywhere from 105 to 110 everyday, so there have been heat advisories in effect from light to dark. This morning, it was 85 degrees on my way to work at 7:30.

My Crazy Man and I mowed the yard on Friday and Saturday. Yes, two days! I told you I live in the sticks, remember?! Anyway, we were on riders, so it wasn't too bad. We borrowed my dad's so it wouldn't take us as long working together. I hadn't been able to mow for a couple of weeks because it rained everyday. We mowed from 7:30 pm until 9:30 pm on Saturday night. (When we came in, the thermometer read 90.) Then we got up and mowed from 7:30 am until 9:30 am on Sunday morning. It was hot then too!

We own about 9.25 acres, and my Crazy Man says that we only mow about 2 of it. Sure feels like I mow more than that! It usually takes me and The Boy about 4 hours after school to mow. Of course that is because we do it once a week usually, so the grass isn't as tall as what it was this weekend.

7 down, 7 to go!

Ziggy is getting better. We are on day 7 of his meds. I've only gotten about 10 scratches total. Just over one a day isn't too bad I don't guess. I know he is feeling better though because he has started to fight more. He also runs when he sees the towel come out. Silly cat! He actually lets me wrap him up and doesn't struggle at all (when I catch him). He clamps his teeth together and when I finally get them apart is when he starts to fight. Only 7 days to go!

17 down, 3 to go!

Only 3 days left of summer school. Yay! I am really over this whole summer school thing. I have so many other things that I would rather be doing. Like reading a book, or sleeping late in the morning, or staying up late at night! Matter of fact, I would rather be doing most anything than working at a job that I am not being paid to be working.

9 down, way too many left to go!

The Boy has been gone 9 days now. I miss him terribly. I didn't get to talk to him last night. Either he had turned off the cell phone, or there was no signal. I left him a couple of messages, but he never called me back. I hate this. I really do. I am fighting tears again this morning over it.

Everyone asks me if he is doing ok. I don't know. The last two days that I talked to him, he sounded sad. He told me that he "basically just played my game." He took a gaming system with him and he said that was "pretty much" all he had been doing. We talked to him on Father's Day and my Crazy Man asked him if he had gone anywhere or done anything and the response was "no." I know he likes to play that game, but come on. He could be at home doing the same thing, in his own room, on his own bed, with his own cat and his own mom.

I hate this. I want him home. Now.

No Great Title Comes to Mind

Ziggy made it home last night. He was really happy to be home. As a matter of fact, Sinatra and I were happy too! He had to be able to see me or he cried though. Guess he thought I was running away from him again or something.

Went and picked up his medicine at Wal-Mart after I picked him up. That was fun! You would think that they would have it filled and waiting on me since it was 5pm and it had been called in before 9am. Nope. They said they couldn't fill it until I gave them an address, phone number and birthdate. I wanted to ask why they didn't get that from the person calling it in since I would hope that they do that when a prescription is called in for a child. But, they didn't. So, I had to wander around Wal-Mart for half an hour until they got it ready. And, no, Ziggy does not like taking his medicine! As of this morning, I have gotten three doses in him though!

I talked to The Boy last night. He has made it Vermont. Said they were at one of the great uncle's houses. They are close to Lake Champlain from my understanding. I asked him if he had already been swimming. He told me "that water is really cold". He said that it was "probably 50 degrees." So, I don't know how soon he thinks is going to want to swim! If it were as hot there as it was here yesterday, it probably would have felt pretty good. He did tell me that he plans to take the paddle boat out today. I asked him who was going to be going with him and he said that he thought he would probably be by himself. I reminded him that he had to have an adult watching him in case he had problems.

I know it is a really good thing letting him go on this trip. I am still worried about it though. He has never been away from me for a month at a time. He goes to his father's house for two weeks out of the summer, but he is close enough that I can get to him quickly if need be. This time, he is so far away, that if he needed me in a hurry, it would take about 24 hours to reach him.

I guess the main reason I am worried is because he has to have boundaries set and I know that a lot of the time when he is with that side of his family, there aren't many of those. His father and his family tell me that it is my fault that The Boy is the way he is. They say that if it weren't for me "doctor shopping" until I found someone who would give him the diagnosis that I wanted him to have, then there would be no problem. All of this, even though at one point, they were the ones who were complaining about the way he acted and wanted to know "what is wrong with him."

As you may notice, I don't really get along with that side of The Boy's family. It all really started when his father and I decided to get married. I came in with a ring and he made the announcement. His sister (his only sibling and older by 11 months) told us that my ring should have been bigger and not to plan on getting married before her. She said that she was engaged first and therefore would be getting married first. And her parents agreed. Whatever. Didn't make me no never mind. We did end up getting married before her though, due to circumstances beyond my control.

When I found out that I was pregnant with The Boy, his father had decided the week before to get out of the army reserves and go active duty. When we told his mother that we had two announcements, she said ok, tell me. The Boy's father said to her, "well, first I will be going active duty soon and we are expecting a baby in October." His mother looked at me, then looked back at him and asked, "where will you be stationed when you go active duty?" I left the room crying. She never did say anything about the pregnancy. A week later, we told his sister and her husband at supper. She threw down her utensils and said "she can't be pregnant because I want to have the first grandchild." Her mother said, "you do have the first grandchild, hers will be my second." She was referring to my brother in law's child from a previous relationship.

After that, it never got better. I was accused of a lot of things that were not true. The worst though, has been that I am the one who caused my son to be the way he is.

Actually, now that I think about and type it out like that, maybe that is the nicest thing they have ever said about me! After all, The Boy is kind, considerate, polite, smart, getting funnier by the day, handsome and loving. Yep, I'm sure it was the nicest thing they ever said.

Weird Wednesday

It is not even 9am and it already qualifies as a Weird Wednesday.

The vet called this morning and said that Ziggy finally decided to give them a urine sample. Which means that he will get to come home today. I know that I didn't like the fact that he had to stay again last night at the vet's office, and I am sure that he didn't like that fact either. But, he did go and yes he does have "a nasty UTI" according to the vet.

I asked what his prescription would be written as and how much it would cost if I were to get it from her. She told me it would be written as 100mg twice a day for 14 days and would cost me about $20. She then told me that if I were to get it at the Wal-Mart pharmacy, there would be way too much and she didn't know how I would be able to get the liquid amount. I told her that I would call her back.

I called Wal-Mart and was told that he wasn't quite sure how to do that. Now come on. I know I am a nurse and not a high paid pharmacist, but even I know that docs call in all the time for young children with this same type of request. How hard is it to mix up the 250mg per 5ml and have me give him about 2ml at a time?? They do this all the time for infants! Just because I am giving it to a cat doesn't change the way it is dosed!

Anyway, the guy finally figured it out. Of course he had to tell me "you are going to have a bunch left over." Big deal! When he is only going to charge me $4, I don't think I am going to cry over having to dump a portion of it. And, not only that, I may need extra since I am not envisioning this to be a very easy task!

I don't know. Maybe this isn't as weird as I think it is. Then again, maybe it is weirder (is that a word?) than I think.

I talked to The Boy last night. He seems to be doing fine. They still have not arrived in Vermont. When I talked to him, he was eating a snack (which is not surprising) and that he had had steak for supper. I don't think he is quite ready to come home yet. He cracks me up though. He told me that it is a little strange to use the bathroom when you are rolling down the road! I made a joke which he didn't get (not surprising!) and he then proceeded to tell me how the toilet works in an RV. That was not surprising either!

As for me, I am working on being fine with him gone. Some hours it is easier than others. It is easiest while I am at work, since he isn't with me normally those hours anyway. The hardest is when I get home from work and it is just me and the animals. I don't like going to bed at night when I can't see that he is fine. I know I hear his voice, but hearing and seeing are two entirely different things. I am sure that I will notice just how gone he really is when I go to the grocery store! I guess there are good and bad points to his not being at home, huh?

Yes, this is a boring post, but my life is not always glitz and glamour! Actually, it is rarely glitz and glamour! But, again, if others out there want to follow along, then they are more than welcome!

Ziggy

Yesterday, I called the vet about Ziggy and his crouching issues. We agreed that he probably had a UTI. Fine. "Bring him in about 3:30." Fine. "Oh yeah....do you think you could also bring in a urine sample?"

Now, the first irrational thought that went through my mind was "his or mine?" That, luckily, did not come out of my mouth! Before I could even say anything, the girl on the phone was like, "probably not, huh?" I just laughed and said, "yeah, probably not."

After work, I quickly made my way home, brought in a carrier and let him explore it enough that he walked inside on his own. Now, don't think this will ever happen again! He didn't realize just what he was walking into! Poor Ziggy...he hates to ride anywhere, whether it is in a crate or in The Boy's arms. By golly, he is an inside cat and walking out the door does not make for a purring kitty.

After a 30 minute crying (not me, Ziggy) ride, we arrived safely at the vet's office. She takes us back and says that yes,she believes he has a UTI. Says she needs a urine sample, but because he won't pee on cue, he is going to have to spend the night. Or as long as it takes to get that sample. Great. Just what neither of us wants.

I had to sign a consent form for collection of a urine sample. As a nurse, this strikes me as kind of funny. They aren't going to do anything to him other than give him water to drink and sit back and wait for him to empty his bladder. And they need a consent form for that. If I had to have a consent form for everything I do to a child at school, I would have more paperwork than what I do have.

I ask what she plans to give him for the infection. She said that after she gets the sample and then makes positive that is what it is, she will probably want to have him take an antibiotic, like Amoxicillin for two weeks.

Two weeks?! Is she crazy?! Have you ever tried to give a cat medicine with a syringe? It is almost as bad as trying to give a cat a bath. And, I don't have The Boy's help. Good grief!

Then, being the hick that I am, I asked her if she could call that prescription into the Wal-Mart pharmacy! Yep...I did. She looked at me like I was a total loon, but she said "yeah, I think that is on their $4 list."

So, I left the cat, got in my car and after a 30 minute crying (me this time) ride, I arrived safely home. Called my Crazy Man and he laughed at me. Wow....feel the love? Me too.

Now I have to wait to see when I can go pick him up. Sinatra and I both hope that Ziggy will be home tonight.

I talked to The Boy last night before going to bed. He said they were closer to where they were going, but that it would still be probably Wednesday before arriving. I didn't tell him about Ziggy. I don't want him to freak out since there is nothing he can do. I will tell him after the antibiotics are all gone and everything is back to normal.

Guess now all I can do is wait. And imagine the look on the pharmacist's face when the vet calls in a prescription for Ziggy! Wish I could be there when my husband (who happens to be a not so fond lover of cats) stops by Wal-Mart and asks for his 'son' Ziggy's meds!

Life in a Country Song

My kid is gone, his cat is sick, the truck is wrecked and it is raining. I think that could be a country song!

Yes, all the above is true. You know about the truck being wrecked. The Boy left yesterday morning with his father's parents. They are headed to Vermont where that side of the family is from. He will be gone until July 10 unless he requests to come home. If that happens, then his father is supposed to go pick him up. Yeah, you heard right...his father isn't even with him.

This whole thing came about a couple months ago when grammy called to ask if The Boy could go with them. They planned on leaving on June 14 and would bring him home when they left VT on August 2. I didn't say what I wanted to say and instead just said "let me think about it and talk it over with my husband."

We talked to his counselor two different times and I made my point known. Which, of course, was "not happening." Now, don't think that I am such a jerk that I didn't want him to go. It isn't that. I know he needs to go spend time with that side of the family. His father is supposed to get him for two weeks out of the summer. I can't say a thing about what he does during those two weeks, even if I don't like him going. But, I can say something when they want to take him for the entire summer!

Anyway, I was told by his father that I was being selfish and that I needed to compromise and let him go. He told me that "it is all about you." He told me that he was not going to Vermont, but that The Boy "needed" to.

I don't like it, but I allowed him to go. I feel like I did compromise in letting him go for 4 weeks instead of the two I am required to let him go. I don't like the idea for several reasons, but I let him go. But, according to his father, I didn't compromise enough because he didn't get to be gone the entire time. AND not only should he have been gone the whole time, but his father should have gotten his two weeks from June 1 thru June 14. Yeah....right.

Anyway, I am not doing well with this. I cried (oh wait...I did not cry) when I dropped him off with his grandparents yesterday morning at 9 am.

Then, last night when I got home, Ziggy was acting weird. He actually was acting strange on Saturday, but it was worse last night. He was exploring like normal, but every few minutes, he would crouch like he was going to use the bathroom. I caught him once and took him to the litter box. But, he didn't go. He got out, went exploring again, and crouched again. This time, when he moved, there was a drop of liquid, but it was bloody. I think he may have a urinary tract infection. This is something I do not need right now. I am hoping that is all it is and nothing bad happens to him while The Boy is gone. Talk about devastated. I am going to call the vet in a little bit and see if I can get him in this afternoon.

On a good note, I did get The Boy's final grades this morning. He has an "A" or "A-" in everything. I am really proud of him! He works really hard to get those grades. Living with autism is a roller coaster sometimes and I will probably write that post in a day or two.

Until then, I am going back to my country song. And try not to cry.