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| Ashley at the science center |
I'm a strict James Dobson girl and believe that kids should be kids before the age of five and schools get a hold of them. It seems like it's pushed earlier and earlier to learn. I know some people like to start really young but I just don't. They are to play and just not have those kinds of pressures. However, because of daycare, what used to be first grade is now Kindergarten. They even told me since kids learn all their letters, numbers, and shapes in daycare, they immediately start learning how to read once they start Kindergarten. Whoa! Whatever happened to the Kindergarten I knew? We had playtime, naptime, fed the fish, reading time, snack time, and that's where we learned our letters and numbers. No wonder why Ivy struggled when she went into Kindergarten. She would just break down and have a hard time participating. She was already behind. What in the world? This makes me sad because now I have to start PreK with them at home and break my strict rule on not starting them early.
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| Ivy and Juliet |
What happened to Kindergarten? That is just so weird.
Last night I was excited to take my oldest son and go workout at the gym. While we were there he ran into his friend who also has Aspergers syndrome. They went swimming together while I was upstairs in the gym working out. The picture you see of my view while I'm on the elliptical. The mom and I started talking after my workout and we were sharing ideas about school and helping our sons. Chaz had turned my phone off to save the battery but I told him to turn it back on. Well, we forgot to turn it on for about 15 minutes and that's exactly when Charles was trying to call me and let me know Ivy got hurt. 
Before the gym I had put food in a crockpot. Since it was gonna take awhile I just pushed it back towards the wall in a corner and told the kids to stay away from it. Ivy wasn't in the room and didn't hear me. I never boiler water on the front burners and I always push anything that's hot toward the back wall on the counter. Well, she made herself a bowl while I was gone and before Charles could see her. She sat down to eat and baby Caleb crawled up on her lap and made it spill. That's how the burn happened. Charles pulled her pants off and saw the skin boiling and peeling away so he called 911. 
She was released last night but is to come back tonight to have it all looked at again. Thankfully it only turned out to be a second degree burn but they still won't completely know the damage until it heals. Burns keep damaging for awhile. They gave her a type of bandage over her leg that falls off once the wound heals and it'll take about 3 weeks. Poor Ivy. I'm going out to buy a baby gate so if anything is cooking I can keep any kids out of the kitchen. It's just too scary with little ones.
Yesterday I took Ivy back to the hospital to have her burn checked. Chaz really wanted to come and Ivy's friend also. I waited till evening so she could see the same doctors. They unwrapped the outer parts so they can see the dressings. Some of it had slipped off of her burn so they had to add more. It was painful for Ivy to have it all messed with and she was crying. 
They gave me extra bandages for changing. She absolutely cannot touch her burn or she could get an infection. The staff kept talking about Ivy's eyes and how beautiful they were. Then telling her how much they loved her hair. They were the sweetest people. I'm so lucky she was at this burn ward because it's the second best in the United States. Wow! It's so sad to see my little girl in such pain and have all these restrictions. On a good note, I asked if ballet was still okay and they said it was actually perfect. She needs to keep flexible so the wound heals well. If she doesn't stretch it, it can heal like hard leather. I'm so happy she can still do ballet because she's been waiting so long to start. We are gonna buy an extended baby gate for my kitchen area because we don't want to take anymore chances of something like this happening. It was really, really scary.
Yesterday I took Ivy to my mom's house because Ivy was just getting bumped too much by Caleb on her burn. It is so painful. My mom called me up and wanted her over so I figured it was perfect to keep Ivy's leg safe for a bit. Not only that, Ivy loooooves her Nana! My mom is a good cook too. Bonus!
This weekend is Ryan's birthday part at Xtreme Jump! It's a huge trampoline place. I feel really bad for Ivy though and don't think she can participate. :( She is a huge swimming fan and I'm not even gonna be able to let her swim for awhile. She has been resting a lot her her dog Bella. Bella goes for a cuddle anytime, anyplace. 
Ivy is getting better every day with her burn and she has a check up this week at the burn unit. I really have no idea what it's going to look like after the bandages are off. I do know it's gonna be tough for a bit. She tends to favor the leg for a bit but once she gets playing, it doesn't hurt as bad. The good news? Ivy and Ashley started ballet and the doctor said that's a really good thing for Ivy! She needs to stretch. I was wondering if he would tell her she needs to sit out. Much to Ivy's relief, she was able to not only participate, but it was good for her leg. If she doesn't stretch her leg, the skin could heal like hard leather. 
This year I am really pushing my kids to step it up in their academics. Pray for me that I don't have to have my patience stretched beyond what I can handle. :) Although, being stretched, is a good thing. Just like Ivy's wound. You can cater to it or you can push past the pain so in the long run you'll be more flexible. Gosh, that applies to so many areas in my life. Some people think that a mom of seven or a mom of 10 only have that many kids because they were always patient. Not true! When I had my first kid I thought that was the hardest thing on the planet. I went from wanting four kids to wondering if I could even handle one. Then I wondered what I would do when I found I was pregnant with my second child only three months later. That was really, really stretching me and it was so hard for me. I could either give up or I could just take one day at a time. Each little trial might of seemed little to others but for me it was a stretch. Stretching past my comfort zone and learning how to make it work for me each day.