A brief update.

OK. Not so brief!

Well...it's been so long since I've done one of these. I know I'm not remembering all the things I want to share!

First thing I'll talk about is Hunter entering the fourth grade!!

He started August 21st. He's no longer at the elementary school. He is in the building that use to run his summer autism program when he was in preschool. But they've moved on to one of the closed schools and the building became the Intermediate School. Fourth and fifth graders go there, about 250 kids in that building. 500 in the K-3 behind them. Both schools share the same buses, but the schools don't start the same to prevent over crowding on the bus. The elementary school starts at 9:20. Hunter's school starts at 7:30 which means the bus picks him up at 6:30. A wake up call at 5:45! Ugh, that's an early morning. Tim's alarm doesn't go off until 7:00, but with us walking around upstairs he's been getting up too.

Even with everything packed the night before and clothes layed out ready to wear, Hunter still barely makes it out the door in time. I still can't trust him to do it on his own. He gets easily distracted and he must use the toilet before he goes to prevent accidents during the day (#2, not #1).

He brought home a notice requesting that all fourth grade students bring a second pair of tennis shoes to school on Friday's. They have recess right before gym and wet and muddy shoes are not allowed on the gym floor. For families needing assistance with this, there is financial help available. Fortunately we aren't one of those families, but we are a family with a 10 year old who still cannot tie his own shoes. I showed Hunter that letter and told him he had four days to learn how to tie his shoes. I'm embarassed to admit he doesn't know how to do it, but it's frustrating for both of us. The letter must have changed his attitude about it because he listened and followed my examples without too many problems. He can do it now but he's very slow. He didn't have to use his new shoes this past Friday because it didn't rain.

This year he doesn't have to wait until 12:45 to have lunch, but, unlike last year, this year he has to go outside and walk across the bus parking lot to the elementary school for lunch. The intermediate building doesn't have a cafeteria. They also have to walk double the distance to the playground for recess.

His teacher is actually a sub, who will be around for an undetermined time, no one is able to say anything for sure. Three weeks before school started I sent an email to his teacher requesting a time to come to the school and meet her and have Hunter see his classroom and where he'd be sitting. I thought this was especially important since he was in a completely different classroom. I didn't hear back from the teacher and was told the way to contact her was only by email.

Finally I was told I could go to the school after 12:00 P.M. the day before the first day and the teacher would be there. A teacher was there, but not the teacher I thought it would be. This teacher knew Hunter. She had subbed for his classroom last year and filled in for the music teacher when she retired and hadn't been replaced in time for the next school year. She let Hunter choose his seat, although he's still close enough for her to keep his attention on task. She's also the first teacher to use the communication notebook on the first day!

So far it seems all is going well. He is working hard and when I quized him on the words of his first spelling test, he didn't get a single one wrong! His homework every night this week has been math. He did have trouble determining when an estimate and an exact number should be used, but that'll come.

Devin starts gymnastics on the 9th! I am so looking forward to it. The gym opened up this spring, but I didn't know about it until I saw a flyer. Their building is hidden by a longer building that houses three different businesses. You can't see it unless you're looking for it. There is one group that is younger than he is, for toddlers Bryce's age. Devin is called a Mini-Light. Tim isn't keen on his son being a gymnast, but for now it's a good way for Devin to run and tumble!

His imagination continues to wow me. He is Buzz Lightyear, he's Superman, he's Super DEVIN! I'm thinking of making him a Super Devin costume for Halloween. I was really bummed, Karyn, that the Superman PJ's you passed on to us didn't come with the cape! I see the two Velcro spots on the shoulders! Where's the cape?? :P He's always "cooking" me pancakes and cupcakes, offering me pop and chocolate milk (after he shakes it up real good). He loves to color and draw. He wants to play outside all the time. Our yard hasn't been covered in so many toys or seen nearly this much use since we moved into this house! If I'm not careful, he's running out the back door in his PJ's or even just a diaper. The sandbox is usually is first stop. I've rinsed him off so many times in one day I lost count.

Yes, he's still in diapers. He isn't showing any interest at all in using the potty. I'm thinking of just getting him some underwear and see what he does when he pees and it goes right down his leg.

He's been getting up sometimes right before Hunter catches the bus at 6:30. You'd think he'd be ready to take a nap come afternoon, but although he stays in his room for the two hours I ask of him, he hasn't been snoozing like Bryce is next door.

We have them on a schedule now, something that I should have been doing a long time ago! LOL All three of the boys are in their bedrooms by 8:30. Hunter doesn't have to turn off his light until 9:00, though. No more running, no more screaming, no more crashing into each other. Come 8:30 it's just Tim and I and it is soooo very nice. Getting up at 6 to make sure Hunter is up and ready to catch the bus at 6:30 leaves me ready for bed by 10 or 10:30 anyway, but Tim and I are both enjoying adult conversation in a quiet house without interuption.

Five out of seven nights Devin is sleeping from 8:30 until he gets himself up or I get him up at 7:30. Bryce not so much. For four days in a row he was sleeping through the night. But he gave us false hope, the brat! It's been a week or more noow he's been up once a night, but no more than that. Sometimes that once is about 11:30 and not really affecting my sleep and then he's down until I wake him with Dev at 7:30. Now and then he fusses quietly and drifts back to sleep without me seeing to him, but most of the time I respond because he gets worked up. The first time I ignored him he woke Devin up and I had TWO crying babies. So if B doesn't start to settle down on his own, I'll go up there and rub his back, but most of the time I end up nursing him back to sleep.

Bryce has quite a mouth full of teeth! He eats everything in sight, even old cereal or popcorn in the cushions. That really grosses Hunter out. He's not always being passed by Devin as they run after each other around the kitchen island. Bryce is running, too! He's a master of the stairs now, although if climbing with a toy he sometimes gets distracted. He fell down about six stairs and gave himself a bloody lip.

He's not saying just da-da anymore, but ma-ma is coming out of his mouth more and more! Sometimes after one hug, he'll give another and another and another until he waddles away after some distraction. He's climbing up on everything. I arrived at the table one day to find Bryce standing on it and Devin climbing up to join him. Devin was not happy with me at all for allowing Bryce even that slim amount of time on the table while giving him, Devin, none.

Tim and I are hanging in there. We're trying to get our date nights going again, but our sitters keep falling through! If we had some family living down here.... Maybe if we stopped going north every few months someone might decide that living in NE Ohio might not be so bad....

If I save this to write more another time, I might not get back to it for days. Maybe not for another week!

Hope everyone is well. Write me when you can. How about now??

Yo