Weather Woes

This is a rarity -- two posts in one day!

Hubby just came down and sat down next to me on the couch. He said, "I just checked the weather report. They're saying we're going to have 50 - 100 mph winds and ice pellets this evening or tonight." We already have about 8 inches of snow on the ground.

I replied, "So, are you saying you want to go camping?"

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Yesterday Hubby went out to get more fuel for our generator and make sure his 4wd truck is gassed up, and to check our chainsaw so we'll be somewhat prepared if one of the giant fir trees around our house decides to lose some limbs. After telling me the latest weather report, he announced that we should go out to lunch as it may be a while before it happens again.

I'm already feeling a bit stir crazy from spending so much time inside, so I really hope the weather report isn't accurate!

Oh, and Hutton needs to have a tooth filled, but the dentist canceled the appointment Thursday because of the snow. This is the tooth the the dentist told us two weeks ago needed to be filled as soon as possible, as it may require a root canal if we wait too long. I made an appointment the Tuesday after that Saturday pronouncement, and they filled the smaller cavity and put sealants on his other molars, but didn't get to the big cavity because they were overbooked. That was highly annoying, because they took a long time and didn't finish the job, and were making Hutton wait a long time. Fortunately, he was a trooper and did fine with all the waiting, as well as the dental work. Wow, they just called. Coincidence? Hutton is scheduled to have his big filling on Tuesday. Oh, and he had a resin filling put in, and the second filling will be resin as well. There's not a snowball's (Ha!) chance in hell I'd ever let them put amalgam (read: MERCURY) fillings in his mouth. Unfortunately for Hutton, he received Mommy's predilection for cavities, instead of Daddy's perfect, cavity-free teeth.

Happy Holidays!

This month has been a bad one for blogging, but a good one otherwise. I am enjoying a mellow morning on the couch watching, "A Very Brady Christmas" on tv. Yes, it's pretty lame, but I've got Sally the dog at my feet, the Christmas tree lit up, and several inches of snow on the ground outside looking pretty.

School was out for the past three days because of the snow, so we got an early start on our Christmas vacation, though unfortunately Hutton and Harrison's teachers will be receiving "New Year" cards and gifts, as I wasn't expecting school to be canceled on Wednesday, since it didn't even start snowing until Wednesday evening.

The snow is beautiful, as I said, and the boys have enjoyed it, though they only last an hour or so before they get too cold. Thursday they made snow angels and half a snowman (and a snowdog). Friday they went sledding with their Dad, though our sled is very lame -- just a sheet of plastic with handles, one of which broke -- and we need to get a couple of good sleds. I went out yesterday to look, but they were all sold out, and I didn't want to drive around too much, as the streets are still very snowy.

We're going to be in town for Christmas this year, for the first time in several years. A few days after Christmas, the boys and I will fly to Nashville to see my family, while Hubby stays here with the animals.

I'll try to post more in the coming days, as we have no school or other things to do, other than enjoy the snow and eat too much. Which reminds me, I have some gluten free cookie dough I made the other day, so that will be a good project for this afternoon.

HBOT

Kajoli had asked about how the HBOT was going in her last comment (thanks for reading, by the way, Kajoli!) so I wanted to touch base on that quickly before going to get Hutton at the bus stop.

We did two sessions daily for a little under a month in the mild chamber we rented, and returned the chamber the Friday before Thanksgiving. So, it's been two weeks since we stopped, and now we're in the "watch and see what happens" phase, which is always a bit hard, as there's not a black and white answer to "does this help or not?" I'm going to keep watching over the next month and hope we see more improvements, but we won't be renting the hyperbaric chamber again for a while, even if we do see wows, because we don't have the money right now! Isn't that the case with most people? Sigh.

So, the positives I have seen so far: Hutton has been talking in longer sentences. This is always a tricky one, though, because couldn't it just be something he'd do anyway? Who knows? A new thing he started on our trip -- writing labels for various rooms and doors. At my sister-in-law's house, Hutton was given a pad of paper and some crayons. He wrote an "EXIT" sign and taped it to the door! Next, he asked about the spelling of "outside" and put that up below the exit sign. He proceeded to make signs for every room (kitchen, living room, office, bathroom, bedrooms, etc.) and make signs with "EXIT" for all doors and "outside" for doors that led outside. That was a crazy new thing, but I think it's a positive. He was writing, and learning how to spell new words. He made some signs for various rooms and doors when he got home, as well.

Another thing I noticed, also on our trip, was that his drawing has improved. He drew a picture of the motel we stayed at overnight the first night in NC, and it had three floors, stairs, and windows and doors. It was clear what the drawing was of, and Hutton has not really been interested in drawing before.

Other than those two things, I haven't noticed anything dramatically new or different, but again, I'm hoping for more developments! On our trip, cousins who hadn't really seen Hutton before all commented that they couldn't really tell he has autism. That's always good to hear, even if they're just being polite!

Oh, and we discovered that Hutton likes to play basketball, which I hadn't seen before, since we don't have a basketball hoop at home. I don't know if he's played at school or recess. My mother-in-law will probably be doing something about our lack of basketball hoop for Christmas!

It's Been a While

I'm a poor blogger. Yeah, I'm sorry. You're not really reading this regularly anyway, right?

So, we went away for a week for Thanksgiving. We flew to Raleigh, NC, then drove to Charlotte the next morning to stay with my SIL and her family for a few days, then we all drove to Wilmington for Thanksgiving, and stayed with Hubby's great-aunt and uncle at their very nice house on the water for several days. I didn't need to cook for over a week, and my MIL was there to help with the boys. We all enjoyed ourselves, though Hutton was very sad to leave, as happens whenever we leave town -- he doesn't want to go home. Can't say I blame him!

We came home Tuesday afternoon and I got the Christmas decorations out Wednesday. Just in time, as Thursday I woke up feeling dizzy and light-headed. I muddled through for an hour before I called Hubby at work and he came home. By noon, I wasn't dizzy anymore, but had moved on to a headache and vomiting. I heard Hubby tell my mother on the phone that I had the flu, and thought, "Oh crap!" But, after going to bed early Thursday, I woke up feeling fine Friday. Phew!

Saturday, the boys and I went to the dentist in the morning. The last visit did not go well, as Harrison refused to even open his mouth, and then Hutton did the same. Fortunately, this time, both boys were great. Unfortunately, Hutton has two cavities that need to be filled Tuesday. I spent Saturday afternoon researching and agonizing, but I think some composite fillings will be the best bet. As I told Hubby, Hutton is a little young for gold teeth, and there's no way in hell I'm letting the dentist put "amalgam" AKA mercury in his mouth. I'll be watching the dentist like a hawk Tuesday, though to make sure.

Saturday afternoon, we went to the local tree farm and cut down a Christmas tree. It's hanging out across the room from me now, and looks quite festive, even though it doesn't have any pretty (read: glass) ornaments on it. It started with one fragile ornament -- the first ornament hung. Harrison very carefully placed a small snow globe ornament and was so proud to have put the first ornament up. Moments later, Hutton put on the second ornament, and knocked the first ornament off the tree in the process. Whoops. After that, I skipped further fragile ornaments and went for the more rugged ones that can withstand falls. The fragile ones will have to wait a bit longer!

Today, I went to a yearly Christmas tea a friend of mine co-hosts. The co-host of the party lives in a mansion, where the tea is held. After touring her gorgeous home and seeing the beautiful Christmas decorations, it is always slightly depressing to return to reality. Hey, at least the boys cleaned up the playroom while I was gone!

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I have more interesting stories to post (well, for me), and I will eventually write more about my sweet, sweet Fergus, but I'd rather take a bath right now! I'll try to be a better blogger. Maybe that will be a new year's resolution? Heh. Sure.