The Goings On at the Tibbs' House

  Tonight, I will try and catch up and tell you what the last week has been like.  BUSY!  Oh, well, you all already know that.  So, beside being busy, what else is there.

  Tomorrow morning, we must drive Taylor to school in order to then leave immediately to an appointment that Reagan has for ENT across town (45 minute drive), where they will do a quick scope with a camera down her nose to get a clear view of her vocal cords.  We are interested in looking at the left vocal cord to see if it is paralyzed?  (Which this is most likely not the case.)  Or it is weak.  Is Reagan over compensating for said weakness or paralysis or is she sustaining normal activities with no awareness?  In the swallow study that she recently had, she aspirated, with no coughing.  That means that liquid penetrated her lungs, and she had no reaction.  This is alarming, considering at anytime, she can inhale and get an infection.  I can do all I can, but Reagan, unbeknownst to me can get sick even despite all of my efforts to help her.  Anyway, speech therapy will continue but help Reagan with muscle work in her throat and mouth.  She has a low tone throughout her body and so it even translates to a low tone in muscles in and around all of the necessary muscles required for speech.  I will have to learn how to massage and push her palate, tongue, and cheeks to obtain movement that she isn't getting enough of.  We have to practice deep breathing, blowing, coughing, ect.  I will try and get pictures of her doing various activities to update you.

  Taylor, is busy with school these days, but even though he is busy he still is a ball of energy when he comes home.  He has begged me for a good while now, everyday, about it being his last day of school. He reports that he makes kids laugh and that he is a good student and loves math and learning his literature, and that mostly all the kids in his class are nice.  There are a few, that are over and over being very disruptive and they threaten the order of the class.  He doesn't like that they are disruptive and he wants me to homeschool him as a result.  I have told him that he won't see his friends to which he doesn't seem to mind.  He said that we can just have play dates with our little neighbor friend that we have started walking to and from school with everyday.  He enjoys horseback riding and AWANA program at church and so there is enough for him to be busy.  I told him that I would be hard on him and that I wouldn't have 23 other students to concentrate on so I would have a lot of expectations.  He says he understands and would be ready for it.  I have asked if he would keep trying and pray for and encourage those disruptive kids to be good and try to be their friends.  Still, he gets upset about it and I have to talk to the teacher at parent teacher conference about it.  He mentioned that he wanted to be home schooled to the teacher too.  He also struggles with wanting to be all grown up.  He doesn't want to take naps, but on the days that we don't have him nap, he gets headaches so bad and usually skips dinner.  I have to ask him to just take a quick rest to revive himself.  He is so sensitive so we have many delays and so we are working on time management and consequences due to choices we make whether they be good or bad.  We are working very hard at reading and math and writing and he LOVES taking the dry erase board everywhere we go.  He is a budding artist too.  Mostly, the dry erase board serves so many purposes that I love it as much as he does.  We play games in the car on it, all that he has invented, of course.  He loves to draw on it and he loves to do math on it.  I must say that I am thrilled that it isn't electronic!!!  AND that it is quiet!  We do other things with him to encourage learning and we are just as excited to participate with him.  We play UNO, which he would love to play everyday all day if we let him.  Reagan likes to sit in my lap when we play so maybe she is silently learning too.  I am looking into doing an art program at a local Art Museum with him and we hope to get him involved with exploring at some of the other museums of science and history.  We just were sharing with him the idea about going to see the Mummy exhibit at one of the museums and his interest perked since he thought they were fake.  I explained that while the idea that they traipse around and chase you with swinging wraps, is false, they are real and historical.  People just like to glamorize things that appeal to our senses and make us afraid.  It is thrilling.  He thought about it and was interested in this whole new thing.  Wow!  Anyway, I must get some video of him for you to see.  He is turning out to be a cute genius!

  Trent, well, he is growing fast!  He is walking all over the place and ready to run!  His walking is reminiscent of Frankenstein, though.  He is so funny!  He still screams A LOT!  This last week he has been sick with diarrhea for going on 6 days.  It got so bad, that his diaper area was raw and he would shriek in pain.  Poor guy!  It has been miserable for him!  We took him to the ER on Saturday morning but they said, (and I am shocked by this) that they are only concerned with diarrhea if it has continued for 2 weeks.  What???  They also said that he wouldn't need an IV because he was able to produce tears.  WHAT??  He is in utter misery!!!  So, I have done the best I can and so has Case to buy everything on the BRAT diet and use no wipes at all and change frequently and bathe, bathe, bathe.  We are going through pedialite, and bananas and baths are several a day.  I have had to change his linens so much and sadly have ignored the other laundry.  I hope to get him well soon!  We still have to go in for his one year old vaccinations and he probably caught something from daycare.

  On another note, daycare.  Well, we are going to withdraw both children from where they are currently.  Trent and his sickness has been the final straw.  Reagan has experienced issue since the beginning, and now Trent.  I have begun looking into other options for care since I will start school soon.  I hope to find the right place for them both.  Reagan used to love her school in Georgia!  Trent, well, he is okay sometimes, but I want to find something where they both have a great reaction to.  I hope to find something soon.

  Case, still will be doing things with Kellogg's and tomorrow, he will be signing autographs on base at a commissary.  I know that most of you never saw his cereal box and now we believe that you probably wont.  Sorry!  We don't have any answers to that one.

  Lastly, me, I am starting school with just an online course for now and then next semester I will go full time.  My intention is to go to a private university and receive help through the Yellow Ribbon Program.  I must meet with the advisor with said private university soon.  I can't wait to get in and finish!

That is all for now.  Sorry, no pictures are included.  Sorry, I have been so wordy!  Oh well.  I hope that you forgive me for not being available for phone calls either.  I will be more diligent about regular postings.  Bye, bye.