Hey

I thought I should try and get a post in before we hit the halfway mark in December.  Heh.  So here's Life, in a nutshell.

I was privileged to spend a little time in the capitol recently, listening to some very smart, thoughtful, kind people from both sides of the aisle speak about issues on the fore of everyone's mind these days regarding this state's Developmental Disability community and emergent issues therein.  I can now talk for hours without ceasing about budget composition, Medicaid personal care hours, and why the waiver waiting list has 18,000 people on it, each of whom needs actual help.  You may wish to avoid asking me about this, depending on how much time you have to listen to the minutiae.  Or you may wish to learn about the minutiae yourself.  Happy to help - if you can catch me.  (eyeroll)

We're moving.  I have a squid sitting in the garage over there at the new place.  A preserved squid.  And dissection tools and goggles and maybe even a fetal pig.  And sea star.  And some worm.  That last one?  I am totally not staying in the room for that one.  I really enjoyed dissection in high school and would have enjoyed the cadaver lab in massage school, had I not been pregnant (urf).  So yes, I am looking forward to this - all except the worm.

Rabbit trails.  So we're moving!  Lots of trips over there this week, hauling stuff out of Mom and Dad's house.  We'll be having the big push to move beds, bookcases, and clear out storage during a forecasted deluge.  Hooray.  (Picture Ben Stein, presenting with an extra flat affect.)  I have moved in the midst of two feet of snow and frozen gutters.  I'm sure this will be fine - lots of rags and towels to clean things up as people carry furniture into the house.  I think I'd rather move with ice and snow.

Q's IEP meeting is happening next week, so I've been prepping for that.  He's playing matching games with his teacher at 100% accuracy, so she's thinking it's probably time to move on to sight words.  Hooray!  We're working on adapting the iPad further for him, a better bed situation (crib too small, regular bed too low, not low enough, etc.)

A couple of single moms with kids who have developmental disabilities have had some rather urgent needs on the one side, and a need to be helpful on the other.  So cool.  It seems like good things are coming out of ashes there.  Both are in the midst of wait lists and medical appointments, looking for that diagnosis, whichever one it is, that will by virtue of existing unlock the door to services within their school districts and local therapy facilities.

Speaking of urgent needs, I do believe Q is out, finally.  I'm toddling off to bed.  A cranky SI joint made the first part of this week really just awful for me, but it's smoothing out a bit, as long as I walk in a straight line and don't lift too much (ha!), so that's my big concern for now: getting sleep and having less back pain.  I am, as one of my cousins said, "a responsible person" at church tomorrow (which will let up over the coming weeks), in addition to all the performances the bigger kids are juggling.  So off I go.

Stay warm and dry, and be someone's soft place to fall.  G'night and God bless you.