07 December 2007

Snow angel & evaluations

More snow! We are not in the double digits in December and this is our third snow. Oh baby, we are not in Indy any more. As the SAHP (stay at home person), it is my job to clean snow and as we live on a corner, it is a long day cleaning every time it snows. Now I understand why there are no gyms close by – we are supposed to bike ride in the summer and shovel in the winter! As I need desperately to lose weight and as I want to stay on very good terms with all of the neighbors, I shovel.

On the positive side of snow, someone cleaned off my sidewalk this morning before we were up. From the clean lines, I can tell it is a snow blower but I have no idea of who it is. Neither of my immediate neighbors have one. Who is my snow angel? Someone who has been watching me struggle with snow all week? I must discover who they are.

I am also baking with the hope of sending out Christmas packages next week. This is something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and to some extent I have managed it in little doses from year to year, but this year, because I am home, I have set my sights very high. There is also a bit of incentive in the fact that with just one of us working, there is not much disposable income.
So, I am baking for all of my loved ones and with some luck sending out cards as well.

I admit to really liking this life – taking care of a house, doing a few small projects, shoveling (?), but I am anxious to get to the next phase as well. I expect the next phase will include a job, but so far no bites. Very hard to be patient. From what I heard, the hearing on my appeal to the Board of Examiners took place earlier this week. I wish they would have called with the thumbs up or down, but NO. I am hoping for a letter in the mail very soon. The very soon part my just be my own hoping. If they don’t waive me into the bar, I will appeal to the Supreme Court (WI) but it would be so much easier if they just let me in now. In any event, if the Board does not allow me to waive into the bar, my work options will change – an original action to the court will take months at best. If they let me in, however, I can then start applying again for real lawyer jobs. This doesn’t get me working but it will point in some direction.

There aren’t any pictures of Julia in the snow because Julia doesn’t really like the snow. She plays in it at school during recesses, but at home she would much rather be inside. I am not forcing her to be outside because the donning of boots and snow pants and hats and mittens is a real chore for her. Small changes are my goals.

We had a speech evaluation – of sorts, because Julia is not a really cooperative test taker. One of the things she is really not good about is answering questions. I heard from Christy that Joan tried to evaluate Julia’s speech just yesterday. I knew the school test was coming just didn’t know exactly when it was going to be. From what Christy said, Joan had the same problem that Carol, the speech therapist, had. When asked a question, Julia will now answer something, but it is not exactly what was asked. When asked, "where is the boy in the picture?" Julia will say, "Boy has blue pants." We have a few speech therapy sessions that are covered by insurance, so we are doing them for this year and next in the next two months. Carol will work specifically on questions (part of the mission is to give us things to work on with her at home) and on the words. "and" and "but" which Julia has not started using yet. I know that 4 sessions is really nothing but a drop in the bucket, but with some guidance, I will be able to do more with her at home. This is so useful to me because in so many instances, I am stymied now as to what to do to help Julia. The expert help is important right now.

Whenever I talk to a therapist, they ask me some question that makes me feel like I am not doing all that I can for Julia. I know, no one can make you feel inadequate unless you let them, and I must be letting them on a regular basis. With Annie, the OT, it was about Julia dressing herself; with Carol, the speech therapist, it was about kids coming over the house. No, I usually dress Julia for bonding and attachment and to SAVE TIME in the morning. I recognize that the last reason is not really productive over the long haul and so, I am laying out clothes for her and making her do it herself on the weekends and some on the weekdays. As to having kids over, we have not pursued that because Julia didn’t seem to enjoy playing with other kids. And we really have not known anyone. Now, she does have at least two kids that like to play with her at school, and I will try to get them over. But for the moment asked, I felt like a bad mother.

So for now, out to shovel and in for making the chocolate biscotti!

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