Friday adventures
Way long post. Consider yourself warned.
1) Our regular bus driver is away this week (vacation? training someone? no clue - she did this last year, too), and the substitute we've had the past two days has been just ... urgh. Ten minutes late in both directions - and we're the closest stop to the school, mind. The kids are not penalized for being tardy when they're bused because that's not under their control, but still - it stinks that they're missing out on the first part of their morning routines. and getting home so late, too. Man, I hope Angela's back by Tues, or, at the very least, we have a different sub.
Will took today off (well, he did some work from home), so we went out for brunch at the diner across the street once the girls were gone. It's not a great place, but it was nice to have that time to ourselves. Wasn't really that hungry by the time lunch rolled around, but I still had to eat something because I was going to be gone all afternoon. Which brings us to...
2) I worked my first shift at the school library this afternoon. I didn't tell Two I was going to be there, and stopped MiniPlu from blabbing (er, moaning, as in "It's not fair that you get to see Mom at the library today and I didn't get to see her yesterday!"), so she was surprised and delighted to see me there. Plenty of the K kids are still getting a grip on proper behavior, but Two did just fine - aside from constantly wanting to chew on the name tag around her neck. :P My work in these early days is a little different from what my usual tasks are, as kids are only just starting to check out this week, so there's nothing to check in and reshelve yet. I worked on creating temporary cards for the kindergarteners and new students and printing barcodes for all those cards, and helping kids check out.
Last year the most number of successive classes in the library was 3; this year, to avoid having an extra librarian being brought in for a half day, some blocks have 4. Fri afternoon is one of those, but I didn't get to see the last one (PM K) because I had to leave early to get Two to the allergist. For the 3 classes I saw (1st, K and 4th), it was nice to already know a reasonable assortment of names on the first day, because I had seen some of the 1st-graders last year and I'd seen 2/3 of the 4th graders (I saw 2 3rd-grade classes). And, of course, having attended the kindergarten bbq and Two's first day of school, I remembered a handful of her classmates on sight, as well. Of the 4th-graders, some were genuinely happy to see me again, which was touching.
One boy - built like a short football linebacker, and who was perfectly cheerful last year - came in on the verge of tears, and said he missed his mom. This is totally not like him, so I gave him a hug and told him to hang in there - the day would soon be over and it was a long weekend. The librarian told me in an undertone that he's been distressed like this every day, from what she's gathered - not wanting to come into the building, and clearly upset/depressed about something. The teacher is new to our building, and no one seems to know what's really going on. A divorce? A death? Someone bullying him? I'm concerned, though, because he's a totally different kid from the helpful, sweet soul who talked eagerly last winter of leaving books - not cookies - for Santa. I hope the school counselor can get to him soon.
MiniPlu's class, like Two's, got to play outside at the adjoining park as their Friday good-behavior reward; they'd lined up outside the library while the teacher grabbed something from the office, so I got to go out and give her a quick hug, too. And the boy next to her (a 1st-gr friend) as well. :D Anyway, a good start to my year in the library.
3) Then it was off to the allergist. I had some drama earlier because the office never sent me the preliminary paperwork as they'd promised. It turns out the receptionist had the wrong city listed - how she heard City B when I clearly said City A is beyond me but ... there you go. So, as is the way in the medical and business world, when someone else screws up, you pay the price. I had to make a separate trip to the office after our brunch this morning to get the papers. Then I saw that Zyrtec (antihistamine) had to be stopped 5-7 days before testing. I did remember that some allergy meds had to be stopped 2 days ahead, and had dutifully stopped Two's meds 3 days ago. This med, however, has a 5-7 day requirement which, of course, nobody told me on the phone and, since I did not receive the papers, I had no way of knowing. I was afraid we were going to have to scrap the appointment, but they did a quick test on Two early on to make sure enough antihistamine was out of her body and it was - phew - so we could proceed as planned. Still - I was stomping mad when I returned from getting the forms this morning.
After the extensive intake work, and antihistamine test, they did the skin-prick test on Two's back for a variety of common outdoor irritants, plus foods, pet danders, etc. Two is now officially allergic to:
* trees (including pine trees - y'know, Christmas trees)
* weeds
* grass
* more than half the common molds
* dust mites
And with a sensitivity - although no demonstrated reaction to date *knock wood* - to cat dander.
No allergies to common food issues. But, oh my WORD. How is it that this kid hasn't fallen over with wheezing long before now? Even if her allergies have just started surfacing in the past year, the reaction she had to trees was ginormous - enough that the doctor and nurse had to scrutinize the giant raised blotch to make sure it hadn't triggered hives.
The treatment plan for now: adding another allergy med (Singulair) to her current Zyrtec regimen, for the next 2 weeks, then going back to the Zyrtec (unless she seems to really need the bonus med) until at least Halloween. Given her reaction to trees and mold, it doesn't seem likely that Two will be allowed to rake leaves and jump in the piles this fall, which just makes me so, so sad for her. :-( We have to get dust-mite covers for her mattress and pillow, wash her bedding in hot water once a week and be more vigilant about vacuuming her room (with all the clutter? oy) to cut down on the mites. And we should get on her case about using the neti pot more, too. But since she doesn't seem to be suffering TOO much ie from playing outside - at least, not yet - I don't want to interfere with her desired activities at this time. Just keep up the meds and keep an eye on her.
Poor boo.
Also, this appointment normally takes an hour. They ran a bit late, and then, with the extra antihistamine test, and having to measure and record so many blotches, and then talk to me about treatment and such, we were there 1:40. Two was a saint; she started to complain about how long it was taking to get out of there, but she only complained a tiny bit about being itchy - less than MiniPlu complained - and she only had the lone standard test spot to deal with. She got to watch nearly an hour of Hannah Montana and I read tons to her as well. (Throat is sore now. :P) Of course, Two had a tantrum just before dinner, over something stupid, but she held up when it counted. I was supposed to schedule a couple of follow-up appointments, but I just couldn't bear to make Two hang around any longer; I'll call back on Tues. Meanwhile MiniPlu essentially invited herself over to play with a kid from our bus stop - she and Will only got home just before we did.
4) Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Will still has a boss. And co-team-leader. His boss made a call to the VP of Finance and left a voice mail. She then terminated the call - or thought she did - and proceded to make some disparaging remarks about said VP of Finance to D (Will's co-team-leader). You can see where this is going - she hadn't properly ended the call, and the VP's voicemail picked up the whole conversation. We'll have to wait until next week to see if either of them still has a job - I have to say, it doesn't look good, given that people are often fired for much less. Will's boss has her flaws, but she's generally a nice lady and she genuinely loves the girls (and has no problem with employees bringing their kids in in summer); and D is really wonderful, and really REALLY needs to have a job - her husband lost his job and they were struggling to pay bills even before that. Actually, both women's husbands are out of work, but Boss Lady has a better financial cushion. It's just as well that Will wasn't at work today or he could just as easily have been included in that conversation as well. Yikes.
Did you actually make it through all that??
In closing, two cute little anecdotes:
Two: *complaining her foot had fallen asleep* My foot is buzzing! I hate it when it makes that sound.
And, in reporting on how MiniPlu spent her impromptu playdate this afternoon: MiniPlu: B and I had fun in his mohawk. (hammock)
Chinese school starts tomorrow. We'll see how tough this year's workload is. *wibble* Oh, and our school does plan to air Obama's speech on Tues, but has given parents the chance to opt out, and have their kids spend the time in the (empty) library, instead.
1) Our regular bus driver is away this week (vacation? training someone? no clue - she did this last year, too), and the substitute we've had the past two days has been just ... urgh. Ten minutes late in both directions - and we're the closest stop to the school, mind. The kids are not penalized for being tardy when they're bused because that's not under their control, but still - it stinks that they're missing out on the first part of their morning routines. and getting home so late, too. Man, I hope Angela's back by Tues, or, at the very least, we have a different sub.
Will took today off (well, he did some work from home), so we went out for brunch at the diner across the street once the girls were gone. It's not a great place, but it was nice to have that time to ourselves. Wasn't really that hungry by the time lunch rolled around, but I still had to eat something because I was going to be gone all afternoon. Which brings us to...
2) I worked my first shift at the school library this afternoon. I didn't tell Two I was going to be there, and stopped MiniPlu from blabbing (er, moaning, as in "It's not fair that you get to see Mom at the library today and I didn't get to see her yesterday!"), so she was surprised and delighted to see me there. Plenty of the K kids are still getting a grip on proper behavior, but Two did just fine - aside from constantly wanting to chew on the name tag around her neck. :P My work in these early days is a little different from what my usual tasks are, as kids are only just starting to check out this week, so there's nothing to check in and reshelve yet. I worked on creating temporary cards for the kindergarteners and new students and printing barcodes for all those cards, and helping kids check out.
Last year the most number of successive classes in the library was 3; this year, to avoid having an extra librarian being brought in for a half day, some blocks have 4. Fri afternoon is one of those, but I didn't get to see the last one (PM K) because I had to leave early to get Two to the allergist. For the 3 classes I saw (1st, K and 4th), it was nice to already know a reasonable assortment of names on the first day, because I had seen some of the 1st-graders last year and I'd seen 2/3 of the 4th graders (I saw 2 3rd-grade classes). And, of course, having attended the kindergarten bbq and Two's first day of school, I remembered a handful of her classmates on sight, as well. Of the 4th-graders, some were genuinely happy to see me again, which was touching.
One boy - built like a short football linebacker, and who was perfectly cheerful last year - came in on the verge of tears, and said he missed his mom. This is totally not like him, so I gave him a hug and told him to hang in there - the day would soon be over and it was a long weekend. The librarian told me in an undertone that he's been distressed like this every day, from what she's gathered - not wanting to come into the building, and clearly upset/depressed about something. The teacher is new to our building, and no one seems to know what's really going on. A divorce? A death? Someone bullying him? I'm concerned, though, because he's a totally different kid from the helpful, sweet soul who talked eagerly last winter of leaving books - not cookies - for Santa. I hope the school counselor can get to him soon.
MiniPlu's class, like Two's, got to play outside at the adjoining park as their Friday good-behavior reward; they'd lined up outside the library while the teacher grabbed something from the office, so I got to go out and give her a quick hug, too. And the boy next to her (a 1st-gr friend) as well. :D Anyway, a good start to my year in the library.
3) Then it was off to the allergist. I had some drama earlier because the office never sent me the preliminary paperwork as they'd promised. It turns out the receptionist had the wrong city listed - how she heard City B when I clearly said City A is beyond me but ... there you go. So, as is the way in the medical and business world, when someone else screws up, you pay the price. I had to make a separate trip to the office after our brunch this morning to get the papers. Then I saw that Zyrtec (antihistamine) had to be stopped 5-7 days before testing. I did remember that some allergy meds had to be stopped 2 days ahead, and had dutifully stopped Two's meds 3 days ago. This med, however, has a 5-7 day requirement which, of course, nobody told me on the phone and, since I did not receive the papers, I had no way of knowing. I was afraid we were going to have to scrap the appointment, but they did a quick test on Two early on to make sure enough antihistamine was out of her body and it was - phew - so we could proceed as planned. Still - I was stomping mad when I returned from getting the forms this morning.
After the extensive intake work, and antihistamine test, they did the skin-prick test on Two's back for a variety of common outdoor irritants, plus foods, pet danders, etc. Two is now officially allergic to:
* trees (including pine trees - y'know, Christmas trees)
* weeds
* grass
* more than half the common molds
* dust mites
And with a sensitivity - although no demonstrated reaction to date *knock wood* - to cat dander.
No allergies to common food issues. But, oh my WORD. How is it that this kid hasn't fallen over with wheezing long before now? Even if her allergies have just started surfacing in the past year, the reaction she had to trees was ginormous - enough that the doctor and nurse had to scrutinize the giant raised blotch to make sure it hadn't triggered hives.
The treatment plan for now: adding another allergy med (Singulair) to her current Zyrtec regimen, for the next 2 weeks, then going back to the Zyrtec (unless she seems to really need the bonus med) until at least Halloween. Given her reaction to trees and mold, it doesn't seem likely that Two will be allowed to rake leaves and jump in the piles this fall, which just makes me so, so sad for her. :-( We have to get dust-mite covers for her mattress and pillow, wash her bedding in hot water once a week and be more vigilant about vacuuming her room (with all the clutter? oy) to cut down on the mites. And we should get on her case about using the neti pot more, too. But since she doesn't seem to be suffering TOO much ie from playing outside - at least, not yet - I don't want to interfere with her desired activities at this time. Just keep up the meds and keep an eye on her.
Poor boo.
Also, this appointment normally takes an hour. They ran a bit late, and then, with the extra antihistamine test, and having to measure and record so many blotches, and then talk to me about treatment and such, we were there 1:40. Two was a saint; she started to complain about how long it was taking to get out of there, but she only complained a tiny bit about being itchy - less than MiniPlu complained - and she only had the lone standard test spot to deal with. She got to watch nearly an hour of Hannah Montana and I read tons to her as well. (Throat is sore now. :P) Of course, Two had a tantrum just before dinner, over something stupid, but she held up when it counted. I was supposed to schedule a couple of follow-up appointments, but I just couldn't bear to make Two hang around any longer; I'll call back on Tues. Meanwhile MiniPlu essentially invited herself over to play with a kid from our bus stop - she and Will only got home just before we did.
4) Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if Will still has a boss. And co-team-leader. His boss made a call to the VP of Finance and left a voice mail. She then terminated the call - or thought she did - and proceded to make some disparaging remarks about said VP of Finance to D (Will's co-team-leader). You can see where this is going - she hadn't properly ended the call, and the VP's voicemail picked up the whole conversation. We'll have to wait until next week to see if either of them still has a job - I have to say, it doesn't look good, given that people are often fired for much less. Will's boss has her flaws, but she's generally a nice lady and she genuinely loves the girls (and has no problem with employees bringing their kids in in summer); and D is really wonderful, and really REALLY needs to have a job - her husband lost his job and they were struggling to pay bills even before that. Actually, both women's husbands are out of work, but Boss Lady has a better financial cushion. It's just as well that Will wasn't at work today or he could just as easily have been included in that conversation as well. Yikes.
Did you actually make it through all that??
In closing, two cute little anecdotes:
Two: *complaining her foot had fallen asleep* My foot is buzzing! I hate it when it makes that sound.
And, in reporting on how MiniPlu spent her impromptu playdate this afternoon: MiniPlu: B and I had fun in his mohawk. (hammock)
Chinese school starts tomorrow. We'll see how tough this year's workload is. *wibble* Oh, and our school does plan to air Obama's speech on Tues, but has given parents the chance to opt out, and have their kids spend the time in the (empty) library, instead.