Say Cheese!

Ahhh, school picture day.  I have officially paid $28 to see what kind of goofy expressions my kids will surprise me with.

The funniest part is when I asked Miles to show me his picture day smile, he did it exactly as he did in the photo and so I knew what was coming.  We were walking home from the bus giggling about his expression and he exclaimed with beaming pride, "I look like Grandma Cakes!" 

A photo of Grandma Cakes in comparison

Love my kiddos to the moon and back!
 

Chief transition in full and final swing

Ahron is just 11 days from finishing his transition to Chief Petty Officer.  It's been a whirlwind of activity for him.  From fundraisers, to training, to obstacle courses and more training, he's really been through the ringer.  But, I can tell he's grown and learned a lot of things in this process. 

He spent a week on the USS Turner Joy, a historic Navy ship moored here in Bremerton.  He was part of the first Legacy Academy there, which they will now implement yearly for new Chief Petty Officers.  In the past, a select group used to be invited to learn Navy heritage aboard the USS Constitution in Boston.  Now, there are a few historic ships around the United States participating in this, including the USS Missouri in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the USS Midway in San Diego, California. 

Elaine, Miles and I spent about 11 days in Yakima and had a great time.  It was nice to be out of Ahron's hair (so to speak) and with my parents and family.  We got to swim at Aunt Fran's, Aunt Heidi's and Aunt Chip's house.  We had a day/night at the arcade, a sleepover with cousins and did some school shopping  I was able to get away from the kids for two nights in a row and went out with my sister and two cousins.  The second night I attended Yakima's Case of the Blues festival which was really, really fun.  I wasn't planning on drinking but ended up sampling three different wines.

In the next two months we have so much to look forward to!  Elaine starts school on Wednesday and Miles starts the following Monday.  We decided to enroll him in school with her to get him on a more structured routine.  This was a decision we really considered carefully because he missed a whole academic year at the Madrona preschool by being in the 3's class.   

Ahron's Chief Pinning ceremony will be on September 14th.  The following weekend I have the Jason Mraz concert, and on Sunday we're having a party for Ahron at my mom and dad's house.   We are also planning a weekend trip to Great Wolf Lodge for all of us.  Then, October 5th will be our tenth anniversary, and we are planning a later trip to Hawaii for just the two of us.  So, so much to think about and prepare for.  I also got what I like to call a mini-job.  I'll be taking care of little ones while their mama's do Zumba.  Even though things will be a little bit crazy for the next few months, I feel at peace with our current decisions and I hope that peace carries me through to the next year

One final thought.  Labor Day weekend marks five years since Mark passed away.  I know that he would be really proud of Ahron and the way that he takes care of us.           

Sharing With You: Navy Chief's Induction

Someone already wrote an article about this, which saves me time from having to do it.
I thought this was a good perspective about what they go through.  I know Ahron is already hurting! 

Article About Chief Induction

The results are in and...

HE MADE IT! AHRON WAS SELECTED FOR CHIEF PETTY OFFICER!

Can I just say it, HALLELUJAH the wait is finally over.  Honestly, I am so relieved that he'll never have to take that stinking exam and go through the torturous eight-month process again. 

I am beyond thrilled and proud of my husband.  Yesterday was a surreal day for both of us.  Turns out we were both refreshing on his BUPERS page (his personal record) at the same time when the results posted at 10am. 

At that moment when I saw the "S" which stands for Select, I dropped the iPad and started jumping up and down and screaming with excitement.  Miles also started screaming, although I'm not sure he quite understood why this was such a great and glorious thing.  He was more thinking along the lines of, "Hey a reason to be loud and wild, fun mommy!" 

With shaking hands I dialed Ahron's work phone only to get a busy signal.  Little did I know he was calling me and got a busy signal too because we were trying to call each other at the same time. 

I hung up and his call came through.  It was an amazing feeling. 

This morning we were talking about how his seven week induction will fall in line with his twelve-year anniversary in the Navy.  Just around this time twelve years ago he entered boot camp, a fresh-faced kid from the suburbs of Saint Louis.  His life would never be the same.  Now twelve years later he gets to step up and become a senior enlisted military member. 

This whole selection made me think about my own Navy career.  I only served five years, but I am very proud of the time I did serve.  It makes me wonder where I would be now had I stayed in.  But, I'm grateful for getting out when I did.  As a mother, I would have been devastated if I couldn't watch my children grow up.  Becoming a mother was always my big life goal, not the Navy.  I'm glad I can stay connected to it through Ahron.   

Now the next seven weeks we aren't going to see him much as he begins his training.  That's all right though.  We'll manage.  Anything is better than deployment!  I hope his dad and his grandfather were smiling and proud.

One Million Things to Say

And yet I've held off on writing this post because I somehow couldn't find the words.  Or bring myself to write about this even though it's now become part of who we are as a family, and despite the final outcome, will forever change our family in ways we don't even know yet. 

I was really nervous to attend the developmental pediatrician appointment for Miles last month.  But I decided to go forward with it, in hopes that she could really take a good look at everything we've been through with his speech and encourage me that he had improved and was on the track to "normalcy." 

Instead, after one doctor's visit with someone we've never met, we left with a tentative autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.  There was no confirmation of "Yes, your child is autistic."  I guess those were the words I would have expected to hear?  Instead she handed me the "Washington State Guide Book to Autism" and went over some different therapies with me, and said, "See you in six months." 

I left the office with Miles, crying my eyes out, confused at what had just went down.  I thought we were just going in for the initial developmental pediatrician meeting.  My thoughts and feelings were all over the place for the next few days. 

Now, one month later, I am still unsure of our diagnosis.  But for now, we've enrolled in the Navy's Exceptional Family Member Program and we'll soon be seeking a referral for a second opinion. 

I don't want to be the mom in denial.  We are treating this as if we had received an accurate diagnosis.  It's so much better to have access to services and end up not needing them, than to need them and not have them. 

I don't know if anyone reads this blog, but if you do, please say a prayer for Miles and for all of us as we embark down this road.

Counting down

20-ish days until Chief's results!  Praying to God that this would be our year.  That might be a selfish prayer, but we need this so very bad!
Moving onward....

Chief Quotas

Things are happening quickly now.  They will promote 24 out of 130 or so.  Much better numbers than the past few years.  I am hopeful.  This would be a great blessing considering what we've gone through lately. 

Funny how God knows what is going to happen and we do not!  I wish I had a crystal ball to see what was going to happen. 

Now we wait.  Hopefully results will be out by August 1st. 

Father's Day Coupon printable

Here's a quick little printable I'm working on for Father's Day for Ahron.  He never checks my blog so I don't have to worry that he'll see but I wanted to share it with others in case anyone else wants to use it.  You or your children can fill in the coupons.  Enjoy! 

8 More Weeks

Until this year's E-7 results...let the countdown begin!

Seeing developmental delays through rose-colored glasses

Man, oh man, has it ever been a journey with Miles and his development. 

When my little guy was just a baby, he seemed to be a little bit behind on his milestones.  From smiling, to crawling to walking and talking, he was always just behind.  Not terribly, but just enough to worry me. 

When Miles turned two, I mentioned to his doctor that he still wasn't talking much.  Our doctor at the time gave me the number for a local speech therapy center.  From that point on, we were introduced into the world of IEP's(Individualized Education Plans) and special education programs.  Miles only spent five months at his toddler speech therapy before starting with the school district. 

After working for a full year with a school speech therapist and attending a local preschool, he was referred to the developmental preschool which he started in September 2011.  Now that he is five, he is starting at the elementary school with the Special Education class but I'm honestly not sure that is the right path for him.  I'm curious to meet with the teacher there and have a feeling she'll recommend him for the general Kinder class and remedial program or perhaps another year of preschool.

Also, he is going to be screened by the developmental pediatrician soon.  I'm not sure what this is all going to entail.  All along, I have heard that this person and this person couldn't diagnose him with anything because conditions like Autism and ADHD are medical issues and need to be diagnosed by a doctor.  I don't feel he falls into either of those categories and was told a long time ago by his first therapists that if anyone tried to diagnose him with autism, seek a second and third opinion.  I'm not sure this is anything other than developmental delays, primarily fine motor and speech, but I guess only time will tell. 

Now that Ahron is home every night, he's getting an idea of the many conferences, appointments and therapy reports that we have undergone since Miles started on this journey.  And it helps knowing that he's beginning to understand what it takes to parent a child who has developmental delays (however major/minor they might be).  I've often felt alone in this and I'm just glad to have my partner now along for the ride.     

It's really heart-wrenching as a mother to be told all the things that are wrong with your child, or all of things that he's not doing, because I see him as such a bright, funny little guy that makes my life full every day.  I'm extremely proud of how far he's come at this point.  And I just want the best for him and his future.