- Kerri says a boy in her class has a crush on her. She says she knows this because he is always wanting to play with her. When Daddy questioned why wanting to play with her would constitute a crush, Kerri replied: "Come on Daddy, everyone knows boys don't want to play with girls in second grade." And then she rolled her eyes.
- Nana came to visit, and Kerri was annoyed with her. She kept telling Nana that "you are not the boss of me", and telling Nana "you are not my mother". However, this did not stop the two cousins from frolicking, giggling, and spending lots of time snuggling and playing together.
- Which reminds me, when Kerri first met Nana's boyfriend, she told him in front of everyone that "Nana has a lot of boyfriends". Thank goodness the boyfriend has a sense of humor. We are looking forward to seeing Nana and her boyfriend on Monday for Thanksgiving dinner.
- Speaking of the holiday, I will be cooking up a storm, and will probably make my usual menu. But if anyone wants to share any family favorite holiday recipes, please leave me a message!
- Brownies is going really well. Except we missed today's meeting because Kerri got a pretty serious nosebleed. But Daddy managed on selling all of the Girl Guide cookies, yay!
- After four months of a special high energy diet, Pookie has gained 2 pounds! We still have a few more to go, but at least he is finally heading in the right direction, since he has been underweight his entire life. As hard as it is for me to lose weight, Pookie seems to be having the opposite problem.
- The ex boyfriend is back in Kerri's life. Today they hung out in the yard and he invited himself over for tomorrow since school is out for the holiday weekend. Sigh.
- Halloween is right around the corner, and Kerri is debating whether she will be a pirate or a princess this year. Wonder if we could combine both?
- My kidneys still hurt - a lot. I am still on antibiotics. Enough said.
- Kerri has been officially diagnosed with a visual dyslexia. It makes sense, because she has been writing backwards and from bottom to top her entire life. Which also explains her difficulty in reading. Yet she is so smart, she has been using memory and guessing to get by. I am picking up the reports tomorrow and then going to our doctor for the referral for the next steps. We are also proceeding with the therapy for the dyslexia, the therapy for the CAPD, still in therapy for the phonological delay, and she is currently undergoing testing for OT for the coordination/balance/fine motor skills. Add the asthma and psoriasis (which have been acting up since the weather has cooled significantly) and I worry how Kerri is coping. And then I remember, this is her normal. Because we have treated it this way, she does not think there is anything abnormal or wrong. And there isn't. But sometimes I wish she did not have to deal with so much.
- Our wonderful speech language pathologist Melissa is saying goodbye . She is going to be working with the Children's Hospital and expanding her knowledge and expertise. We are so going to miss her, she has known Kerri since we moved here and Kerri loves her (as do I!). We hope to keep in touch, but in the meantime, we are changing therapists. It is always hard to lose a great doctor, therapist, hair stylist, dentist, etc. We wish Melissa the very best, but can't help but feel sad that after all these years we will no longer be under her expert care. I thank her for bringing Kerri this far, and for helping us. Melissa, you were born to do this and you are going to be fantastic at the Children's Hospital!
- Second grade is apparently a piece of cake. Kerri is in a split first and second grade class (Kerri is a second grader) and she is bored and not challenged. She says it is too easy, and a repeat of what she learned last year. Our focus in school this year is getting the school to accommodate Kerri's learning needs and getting Kerri whatever help she needs to learn. I will focus on challenging her at home, since I think a gifted program might be too much right now with all the disabilities we are learning about and trying to assist Kerri with. But once Kerri has her strategies in place and the school is using a multi sensory approach, there will be no stopping Kerri. Oh, and she changed her mind and now wants to be an architect when she grows up.
- Two years ago today I lost my Mom. It's still hard. I miss her so very much. And don't tell me it gets easier with time. But as hard as it is for me, it is harder for my Dad and for Kerri. So last night we lit our remembrance candle. But I don't need a candle to remember. I still think about her every day. I love you Mom. Feigele is proud to carry your name. And I think she has your wicked sense of humor too. You would be so proud of Kerri. We all miss you.
- Prayers are going out to my uncle in Argentina who was hospitalized. We wish you a speedy recovery!
- I need a vacation. Counting down the days!
Life with Kerri has been updated.