• School Days, School Days

    ByLauren Uncategorized
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    Originally published Sept 27, 2011

    First day of school yesterday.  Allie could not have been more excited.  Shelby loves school, and though she can’t tell me in words, I’m sure she feels the same way.  My mommy emotions are a little more complicated.  Some moms worry and cry on day one.  Some moms are ecstatic and have been counting down the days since summer STARTED.  I am a little anxious.  Shelby started Middle School.  A big middle school.  It is hard for me to believe we have reached this mile stone.  Teachers, kids, aides and a school nurse that I don’t know.  I haven’t had to experience anything like this for the last 3 years.  Shelby had the same special ed teacher for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade.  It was such a relief to drop her off with someone who already knew her and how to care for her.  I don’t have that luxury now.  We are entering a whole new world.  And Shelby is a complicated girl.  I have had 2 meetings with her teacher, but still keep thinking of things I haven’t explained to her.  What do her seizures look like?  What do they need to do if she has one?  What kind of help does she need to eat..toilet..walk…etc., etc., etc.  It seems like an awful lot of necessary information that I’m not sure I’ve communicated!  It’s so hard for me to turn her over to the care of someone new.  But I’m taking deep breaths…and trusting that our Heavenly Father is watching over her.  And I’m praying for her teachers and all who will be working with her.  And as the popular back-to-school poem says, “I trust you’ll treat her well”.


  • One of Those Days

    ByLauren Uncategorized
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    Originally published Oct 5, 2011

    The day started with me spilling an entire 16oz cup of coffee onto myself and my gym bag on the way to teach a class.  I later spilled coffee, again, on a clean white shirt while driving.  I spilled a soda in the car after lunch.  I dropped Shelby’s wheelchair on my foot.  I dropped a bottle of shampoo that exploded all over the floor.  I couldn’t find a babysitter and had to take Shelby (with cooling vest, sunglasses and a spraybottle/ fan combo to try to keep the seizures away) to sit in the 110 degree heat for Allie’s swim lesson.  Shelby tipped over a pool chair, smashing her arm between the concrete and the chair arm (not looking forward to what that’s going to look like tomorrow).  My back hurts.  My shoulder hurts (that’s nothing new).  And I’m grumpy (if you hadn’t already figured that out by now.  And today – I have no nice, neat bow to tie this up.  That’s just where I am.  Anyone else ever have days like this?  Trying to breath deeply and think positive thoughts.  Tomorrow is bound to be better!