April 7, 2006

An update....

I Keep swearing to myself that I am going to get here every day to update, but crap I have had soooooo much going on this week it was impossible!!! So, this is gonna be LONG!!!

Well, it has been a long time since I have been able to brag on my Little Man, so here it goes.....At the beginning of the school year Kent asked about getting tested for the AIG (Advanced In Grade) Program, similar to AP classes for High School kids, but for Junior High kids. Well, we filled out the application for him, and they accepted his application for testing right away however, there were 8 kids ahead of him on the testing schedule, and only one school psychologist for the county, so it has taken this long for him to get tested, and he PASSED with flying colors!!!! Mom and Dad are SOOOOO PROUD!!!!! I met with the teachers to discus the results of the testing, and they said that Kent placed in the 93% for his age... meaning that he has the cognitive intelligence of a 25+ year old, and they all agreed to put him into the AIG program!!! So starting this next week, he will be in all advanced classes!! I have to tell you that I knew he could do it because he is so very intelligent, we just had to ride his behind for YEARS to get him to this stage!! He even Scored up into the 35 year old range on some of the stuff, so I will never hear the end of how he now THINKS he is smarter then we are!!! I am so happy for him because he was starting to doubt himself as the school year has worn on, but I pushed him to test telling him I KNEW he could do it!! I guess it is more special to me because the docs never thought he would advance intellectually beyond the 4th grade, because of the Cancer and issues around it, much less come as far as he has!! When I told him again today that I was sooo proud of him, he looked at me and said "You always knew I could do it didn't you?" I told him I NEVER had one doubt that he would pass!!" I have to admit that is the best thing that his BioParents gave him and his siblings... BRAINS!!! All three of then are sooo smart!! I just had to teach him how to use what they gave him in the right way!! I remember when he first came to live with us, and he used to have huge meltdowns over schoolwork, and even threw things at us and the homeschool teacher when she came ... but we stuck to our guns, and here we are!!! Gosh can ya tell I think he is just AWESOME????!!!

Clark had a terrible reaction to his new BP meds his VA doc put him on, so we were off to see our PCP on Tuesday AM. When we got there his BP was very high as was his pulse, they wanted to do an EKG on him, but he wouldn't let them. UGH MEN!!! So, she told him that she would put him back on one of the old meds that worked fairly well for him, allong with a new one to help alleviate the swelling that he always gets when he is on it, so we will have to see how that goes. I get so freaking worried about him and that heart of his, I loose sleep over it many nights.

The DSS situation is turning into a full time commitment from me!!! I did tons of research over the weekend, and found several places where they actually broke the VA Administrative Code, by first off not sending an application for renewal, among other things. Well, yesterday I finally got a call from the Assistant Director about the letter that I sent them on the 30th of March.... took them long enough huh??!! Well, I called her back, and she wasn't there, so I left a message, but she still hasn't returned my call yet. When she does call me though, I am going to INFORM her that I have sent further correspondence to the Director, and that I sent it Certified mail, so after he gets that letter, then I will schedule an appointment for us to have a sit down, face to face. I worte the letter to him letting him know that I found the Codes that they broke, and that I can in fact have a license from their DSS here, and that our state has to honor it. That was what I found in the Interstate Compact. It just makes me sick to think that I as a Lay Person/Foster Parent know more about their jobs then they do, and all I had to do was Google the info!!! It further sickens me that they obviously think that I am an idiot or a pushover, and just won't press the issue... oh but they don't know me very well do they??? Us RedNecks do have Internet access!! LOL They have woken a sleeping BEAR, and I am NOT going to sit here and let them run all over the top of me!!!

On the "Home" front, after 3 years of living here, and dealing with a lake for a front yard everytime it rained, we are finally getting our front yard graded!! See, we put our house on an old horse racetrack, and the berm is higher out at the road in front. The new neighbors were having theirs pulled down and gettting the yard graded, so I went and asked the guy if he would do ours, and he said sure for $75 an hour... UGH that hurt my feelings, but hey after he does it I can FINALLY PLANT the trees and flowers that I have been growing in containers for the last 2 years!! Not just the planting, but we are going to have a HUGE porch on the front, and that will be sooooo nice to finally have to!! Clark and I also went and bought a NEW John Deere lawn mower!! You know you're a RedNeck Woman when the fact that you get a new John Deere riding mower is one of the highlights of the week!!! LOL We had actually bought a new Craftsman mower 2 years ago, but it SUCKS... it doesn't cut the grass right, and it ends up taking me hours to mow because I have to go soooo slow, and lap the passes, just to keep from getting uncut furrows in the grass. We got a 7 year old John Deere last year from the neighbor for free ( I swear I think Clark has some Jew in him!!) LOL He got it for free for fixing her 15 year old Snapper mower last fall, he put an $80 part on it, got it running, and then he just fell in love with how well it runs and cuts. So, after much deliberation, we just broke down and got a new one!!

My mom has been talking about coming out here for 2 weeks over the summer so that Clark and I can take a "HoneyMoon" (we didn't have one 12 years ago when we got married) and I would love it if she did!! She loves Kent so much that you would never know he wasn't her BioGrandSon!! I think it will be great for him to spend some time alone with her, not to mention that I wand to see her, and that I would LOVE to get away just Clark and I for more then a few hours!! Everytime we try to go somewhere it becomes a chore trying to find someone to take care of all the Dogs, and so Clark usually ends up sending Kent and I off alone, and staying here with them. So, needless to say we haven't had a vacation, just the 2 of us since 1. Kent came to live with us, and 2. we got all the dogs. My mom is a dog groomer, so I know she can handle the Mutts, just not sure if she can handle the Kid!! LOL

Clarks mom and dad are supposed to be coming out for a few days to visit now that Kent is offically a member of the Family , and I think my dad and step mom were going to try to come out here also!! Full house!!

I have found and discussed with Clark, and ultimately decided to send Kent to a camp in NC for physically disabled kids near Greensboro this summer for a week!! He is NOT happy about it though, and frankly I don't care!! He needs to be with kids who have the same issues that he does, and I KNOW he will have a ball and make tons of new friends!! The website is amazing, and it looks like a great place for him!! The camp is actually sponsered by Kyle & Patti Petty (of the Nascar Petty's). There is also a weekend camp up in Front Royal, VA that offers a Cancer Kids weekend that I am trying to get him into. They pick the kids up from CHKD and take them up there, the best thing is that he can take a friend with him!! I am just waiting to hear back from the recruiter to see if he can attend since he is so far out from diagnosis. I am hoping that he will have a ball because I know that he is going to be 18 way to soon for me, and I want him to have all the fun experiences that he can pack into the next few years!! So needless to say we are going to have a very BUSY SUMMER if everything works out!!

Ok, so I need to run so that I can get going on Kent's scrapbook, call all the utility people, get Clark into Andrology ( So he can drop off his "Boys"), and finish the laundry. Ugh so much to do so little time!!!

No comments: