The Wrapping Elf Blogs

Before I sequester myself in the basement for an evening of wrapping (whilst keeping an ear out for Rainer who just might barf all over his bed at anytime (again) ('tis the season) (fa la la la la)), I thought I would come to the ol' blog and write something.

But what???

Seems I decided to stick around and then whoopsie! I realized I am still busy! As a result, the posting will happen when I can write, as it did before--I suppose--with hopefully at least a little uptick in regularity.

It's looking like Rainer is going to miss his first holiday recital. I am honestly kind of bummed!  It's tomorrow morning and what with his illness, I don't see how he's going to be able to go. I've been catching him singing the songs for it for weeks, too. Poor guy! It's funny when he sings them, too. He doesn't always get the words right. For instance fwhen he sings "Up on the housetop," instead of "Ho! Ho! Ho! Who wouldn't go?"he sings "Ho! Ho! Ho! Who's at the door?"

We made a sweatshirt with a foot- and handprint angel which he is supposed to wear tomorrow, but it's looking like he'll have to just wear it around the old homestead INstead.

Let's see, what else is going on in our lives?

The usual, of course, with the holidays. Time seems to continue ticking onward.

Georgia is doing well in school. Early on we were seeing some difficult behaviors (hitting, hair-pulling, running away), and while I would like to report that those behaviors have completely abated, they have seemed to lessen in frequency. She hasn't had many full weeks of school because she had pneumonia, but the teachers all seem positive about her progress.We'll meet again early in the new year to discuss the Behavior Intervention Plan.

Last week I volunteered at her school and I got to see her in action. When I used to volunteer last year at her old school, she had a hard time with my presence in the room, but this year she just seems excited to see me, which is nice. She seems to be popular with the other kids. They all follow her out to the playground and fight over who will get to sit with her on an air vent while she smiles and looks at them. According to the teachers this happens every day when they go out and Georgia laps up the attention! She will only dance with one boy in the morning for their wiggle time, and apparently he is the biggest and most rambunctous kid in the room. All the teachers were surprised that she wanted to dance with him, but they hold hands and spin in a circle and it doesn't surprise me at all that Georgia would like that!

I got a note from her aide that one of the other girls and Georgia sat together and had a little conversation and made silly faces together, and the following day when a child was upset and crying Georgia went to sit with him.

I don't remember if I have discussed it here, but I have often wondered about empathy. Georgia has never displayed a ton of it, but we're starting to see little glimpses of it here and there.

As for for me, well...I feel like I don't really know what to say. I'm going to think on it a little and maybe I'll share what I find out.

Oh! We did have a holiday party this weekend! This year is the first year we got a real tree in our house because the last two years we didn't trust that the kids wouldn't pull it down. When we put it up though, we realized no one was coming for the holidays and we were the only ones who would enjoy it. That's all well and good, but coupled with the fact that I'd been entertaining the notion of having a holiday party--like the ones my family used to have every Christmas Eve--in the back of my brain, I decided to send out an evite and whoever could make it could make it. I only gave a week's notice, but we had a good turn out! Around 15 adults and 12 or so kids. We had a lot of good food (we provided a lot of it, but we asked people to bring some, too), and plenty of drinks (including spiked eggnog, which I am not sure anyone ACTUALLY enjoys, although I am happy to hear arguments otherwise), and the playroom noise level reached decibels it hasn't yet seen since we've lived here.

The kids had a blast! We had a good time, too. But the kids having fun is what really made me happy. Rainer didn't have a voice by the end of the night, and what's more, Georgia, who last year would have likely hidden herself away in a room, hung out and talked to and played with everyone. Adults and kids alike. I think it helps that she's beginning to recognize people--most of them were from church, although we also invited a few neighbors. Her speech therapist from her old school who G has always loved and who happens to also be a neighbor came and I think Georgia was floored to see her in her own house. It made her really happy!

Miss D helped us at the kid's joint birthday party a month or so ago, too. She's great! And that reminds me...Georgia turned FIVE on Sunday! I have a few things to say about that. And did I ever even talk about their birthday party?? I honestly can't remember. I'll have to go back and look.

Well, would you look at that? Things to talk about!

Next time....

Until then, a silly holiday season photo of my three hearts.

Comments

[cate]

what is there to argue about? Spiked eggnog is awesome!

[starrlife]

School just opens up kids in ways that are amazing. My daughter just loves the routine of it but every year, the first few weeks she kind of fumbles around until she settles int o the groove. Sometimes those grooves work for you, sometimes against ya!