Kids, dog and...... nathan. >:-[

Good morning ya'll! We (the kids) have the week off for Thanksgiving. I remember as a kid, we had 2 days off for Thanksgiving... not an entire week!

Macy is doing better! She is starting to understand pottying outside I think, and we are teaching her to ring a bell that we've attached to the door when she needs to go out. I can't tell you how happy I was the other day when I was sitting at the kitchen table eating lunch and I hear this jingle jingle jingle jingle jingle jingle jingle jingle jingle jingle jingle jingle. I almost peed my own pants! ;)

Last weekend she ate a needle and thread! Scared me to death! The vet told us to keep an eye on her for a few days for vomiting, loss of appetite, etc. Four or five days later she threw up a couple times, so I called the vet again and they said withhold food from her for a few hours and then slowly reintroduce and if she keeps throwing up to bring her in. Luckily she didn't throw up anymore. But I went searching through her vomit, and in the 1st one there were orange hairs from her ball, but the second one had a hard rubbery thing in it so i'm wondering if that made her stomach upset.

I signed her up for a socialization class at the humane society, but apparently they cancelled the class, and when we got there the guy at the front desk said there wasn't any class on that day, only on Saturday. I thought I must've written it down wrong, but then after checking my email confirmation, I had it right. So I emailed the lady and she said it got cancelled because of lack of interest, and she had tried to email me but the email was returned. Yeah, sure. So we still need to get her with other dogs, she gets SOOOOOO excited when she sees other dogs, and we want her to not be hostile toward other dogs when she's bigger.

We met with Jadon's teacher the other day. He's doing really well mostly. He can read like nothing else! They tested them at the beginning of the year, and he is supposed to be able to read 50 some words a minute right now, and by the end of the school year its supposed to be 80 some. Right now he reads 106 words a minute! And he is VERY good with putting emotion into his characters as he reads allowed.
Math and writing are not as good for him. Sometimes he just hurries through his work and so messes up his math. And writing has never been his strong point, he hurries through that too. I think that's pretty common in boys.
But overall, his teacher loves him. And she has noticed a change in him since he started his medication, he's more relaxed and easygoing at school.

Avery just had her yearly well-child checkup. She gained TEN POUNDS since last years appointment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew she'd grown a lot, but that's crazy!  Part of the problem is that since we've gotten Macy, I've been very distracted in watching the dog like a hawk that its sometimes easier to say OK to her when she asks if she can play video games or watch a show on TV. She seems to have forgotten this year how to play by herself, so when Jadon is gone, she's in my hair constantly... whining and sulking. So you can see how its easier for me to just say Fine! Play a video game!  Time to change my ways. Not only do I need the exercise, but so does Avery. And Macy. But its cooooooold out! And weeeeeeet! I hate the cold and wet!

Yesterday Nathan was over (the neighbor kid who is over here constantly) and he was driving me nuts. He's VERY VERY VERY loud, even after I tell him to be quiet. And he and Jadon get really wound up together.... moreso than when Jadon's with his other friends. Its annoying because I can't just send them outside anymore, our backyard is a sticky, muddy mess.
So yesterday I couldn't take it anymore and I said it was time for Nathan to go home, and I took the kids and the dog to the park in the freezing. The kids and dog were happy, I was happy to get out of the house, but I was freezing to death. Then on the way home, we acquired another kid- Avery's friend Avery. (I don't mind having Avery here.)

So Nathan. That situation is a cause of major stress here. He is teaching Jadon things that we are not fond of, like saying "frickin". He watches the Simpsons. He's obsessed with guns. (he wanted to play "gun tag" whatever that is!) And Jadon is very impressionable. So this has us irritated.
Nathan is over here CONSTANTLY. And I mean from the second the kids get off the school bus, before we even get back in the house, he is here. And I finally send him home when we are going to eat dinner. This goes on every night that we are home. He even comes over on holidays! His parents don't text or call or anything to see if its ok for him to come play for a bit. And after he's been here for several hours, they don't text to send him home, or see if its ok for him to be there still, o r to make sure he's still here. He was here on veterans day. Ok, fine, its not like we were doing anything, but we were leaving the house for a bit and he asked Jadon if he could come back over when we get home. I said "probably not, its a holiday."
The other day he came over and we were getting ready to leave. He said his parents weren't home and asked if he could stay at our house for a bit until they get home. WHAT?! He is 7 or 8 years old! (he supposedly had a birthday when Avery had her birthday.... not sure how true that is, he doesn't seem to know much.) He said his parents went to get his sister at school. I about lost my mind right there! I said "you shouldn't be home alone." He said, "well I can take care of myself." And I said "well I know you probably can, but you're still too young to be home by yourself." I have a feeling his parents were using me and told him to just go to our house while they were gone so I could babysit him. Either way, whether they just were using me to babysit or whether they left him home alone or not, I was very very irritated with them. I asked Nathan what school his sister went to. But he didn't know anything other than "its not very far." And then he backtracked and said he thinks his brother might be at the house.
One day when I was cooking dinner, I asked him what his family was having for dinner that night. "I don't know.... probably anything. We mostly hunt for our food."
And one day, he actually left at 5:30 on his own doing, he said his mother told him to be home at that time. I thought, holy crap! She finally grew a brain! But no, they were just going to some quad thing.

So just writing about this I can feel my blood pressure just boiling!!!!!! I'm not sure what to do anymore. But we are thinking about only allowing him to come over 1 day a week. We keep telling Jadon he needs to be a good example for Nathan, and not Nathan be a bad example for Jadon.

Sigh.

Adjusting

Macy has been with us now for over a little over a month already! Not sure how time went so fast. On one hand, it feels like we just got her, and on the other hand, it feels like we've had her for a long time!
She had her second vet visit today, she weighs a whopping 5lbs 10 oz now, which is up 2 lbs and 3 oz from her last visit a month ago. She's growing rapidly and her appetite shows it most of the time.

We are enjoying getting to know her more, and she seems to have really taken to our family, however she does run from Avery, but every morning or anytime anyone comes home from somewhere, she eagerly greets them.... even Avery.  Avery is a bit rough with her. Avery's used to big dogs, so I don't think she quite understands how to handle such a tiny dog, and doesn't realize how much more fragile Macy is compared to all the other dogs in her life.
Its no surprise though that Macy has taken a particular liking to me, since I spend the most time with her.
Her biggest issue is pottying. She doesn't seem to be "getting" the potty outside thing. This has been the most frustrating part so far because sometimes we miss her "signs" that she needs to go (apparently she can't be left out of sight.... at all... ever.....) and sometimes she has no signs at all and just stops and drops a bomb on the floor.  She has no particular "place" that she goes, its just anywhere. Every room in the house has been peed in. I'm researching carpet cleaners and told Derek that the only thing I want for Christmas this year is a carpet cleaner! We're definitely going to need it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jadon started taking anxiety medication around the time we got Macy. The particular medication he's on is supposed to take 6-8 weeks before any changes, but he's been a very different child almost since he started it! He's been much more happy, less outbursts of anger, more compliant when asked to do things. I'm not sure his anxiety has been helped much yet, but we haven't had much come up that would cause great anxiety in the last couple weeks. I went on a field trip with him last week, and he was worried I wasnt going to get to school in time (i had to stop and get gas before i got there) and they would leave without me. He was also worried about getting his lunch while there, and about the bus leaving without us on the way home. I can't imagine going through that, where everything in life is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Its so sad. So sad. I am eager to see how the medication will help in that way.
We also met with his new therapist this week. We like her so far, she's super knowledgeable, and I feel like she was not watching the clock through our whole appointment. With cognitive behavioral therapy, the whole family will be helping him, not just the therapist helping him. Our whole family will be involved. Studies show that cognitive behavioral therapy is equally as effective as medication, so I hope that with the medication, we can help him more immediately, and with the therapy we can help him in the future learn how to deal and cope with anxiety.
Jadon also started last week on melatonin to help him sleep better at night. He has the hardest time going to sleep. The melatonin is already helping him... nights when he's taken it, he has not taken more than 10 minutes to fall asleep each night. :)

Its already November, and i'm already tired of the rain, cold, short days. I keep telling myself that every day is one step closer to spring and summer and warmth and long days and SUN!