Like Mother Like Daughter

My daughter and I have a unique medical condition currently known as Mandibular Dysplasia. Our condition affects the growth of our lower jaw (or mandible), ears  and also makes our airway very small. Furthermore it affects our ability to eat, swallow, and breathe safely. Over the last thirty years there have been several different approaches to caring for Mandibular Dysplasia.  Medically, there have been changes in most every aspect of the care we have both received. The changes in hospitalizations,  the types of family support services available, as well as surgical procedures that have developed have paved the way for a better life for my daughter.  After having three normal healthy pregnancies there appeared to be no reason to subject my mother to genetic testing or the expense of a prenatal ultrasound. On May 4, 1977, I made an early and very unexpected entrance into the world at five weeks early. I spent eight months in Good Samaritan Hospital of Puyallup, WA before I was transferred for another 10 months to Children's Hospital of Seattle. At that time that I was allowed to go home for visits that lasted anywhere from a few hours to a few days.  On October 24, 1998, my daughter, Nina made her way into the world about four weeks early. Nina had a much easier beginning thanks to diagnostic testing being available and in depth genetics testing that I underwent. Prior to Nina's birth we were able to be prepare for any complications and plan accordingly for the care she needed because the tests gave us warnings that she too was afflicted by Mandibular Dysplasia. Nina spent only twenty-one days  in the hospital before finally coming home. I was finally released to come home long term at  two years of age. In 1977 the only people who could change a tracheotomy or feeding tube had to be doctors, so having very little training and no support services my parents took me home knowing they could return at any moment. My tracheotomy tube was hard plastic and had very little flexibility. My feeding tube extended at least twelve inches outside my stomach. If either tubes became dislodged I was immediately rushed back to the closest hospital to have them surgically replaced. At that time a public health nurse would come by twice a month for less than an hour to make sure I was being cared for; however, she was neither trained, nor was she experienced with a tracheotomy or feeding tube.  I slept in a mist tent which was a see through tent-like covering for my crib that added moisture with mist into the air I breathed. I was in the mist tent twenty-four hours a day. There was no such thing as respite care for my parents to have a break and it was very financially draining. If  families could not pay for nurses out of their own pocket then they survived without the help. While Nina was still in Children's of Seattle I received detailed training in tracheotomy and feeding tube care. I was taught how to place both tubes in addition to how to react in several emergency situations. If either of these tubes were to become dislodged I am trained to replace them quickly and painlessly.  Nina did not require to be in a mist tent but she did require the use of a mist collar that attached to her tracheotomy tube at night. In the daytime she was free to play and crawl around like other healthy babies. Nina's tracheotomy tube was made of flexible soft plastic and her feeding tube is a very small white tube that fits flush against her stomach. I also had the support of highly trained nurses who came to my home seven days a week for twelve hours each day once Nina came home.  Which allowed me to rest so I could be a better parent. Nina was not readmitted to the hospital for any emergencies or illnesses thanks in part to the help from the nurses and the training I received before bringing her home. When I reached the age of six, doctors decided it was time for my first major surgery to correct the problems in my lower jaw.  The only surgical option for my condition at that time was for the doctors to perform a bone graft, which is a procedure to remove a piece of bone from one part of the body and transplant it to another. The bone graft was taken from my skull and put into my jaw. After several complications from the surgery and physical therapy I went home a year later. I was left unable to speak for another six to eight weeks because the doctors had to wire my mouth shut. I was on a diet of Ensure and runny mashed potatoes the entire time. If my parents could not afford the Ensure or if there were no donations available my diet consisted of baby food and runny mashed potatoes. There was very little assistance to be found for my parents. Nina had her first surgery when she was only two years old. Fortunately for her, instead of doing a bone graft, she had a procedure called mandibular distraction. In her procedure Nina wore a halo-like device for a brief 12 weeks. The device was manufactured in a way that she would grow 1mm of new bone each day.  She was able to eat a soft diet of macaroni and cheese,  hot dogs, and all the cooked vegetables she could handle. Her speech did not suffer from this surgery, but if anything was improved.  She spent a mere five days in the hospital for the entire process. We received as much Ensure as she could drink by mail thanks to home delivery and insurance coverage. Nina also receives assistance for her and I with lodging, transportation, and  all of her meals are covered when we travel.  The changes in how Mandibular Dysplasia is approached and cared for has advanced  significantly through the years. The condition is still a very rare, affecting only four people in the world including Nina and me. I know that as the years come there will be even bigger changes in how doctors treat our condition. With ongoing support services for families and new research developing every day I am confident that Nina will have a brighter and healthier future than was available to me.

By Samantha DeBois.

Why the hell do I always rely on child support to pay my rent. Now that he sent me ONE fucking dollar I am $70 short on rent. No clue what to do. It's been a crappy month no clue how the hell I am gonna make through the month but I sure wish this happened in July when I have my financial aid. Then I wouldn't need his stupid money. I am just annoyed and frustrated beyond belief. Stupid bank error last month and I guess I never recovered like I thought I had. One step forward SIX steps back.

It is supposed to be a comparison/contrast paper. I chose to show the contrast between my experiences with the doctors and hers. Be honest. Harder to write than it looked.

Mother Like Daughter (OR) Her Mother's Daughter (unsure of title)

My daughter and I have a unique medical condition currently known as Mandibular Dysplasia. Over the last thirty years there have been several different approaches to caring for our condition. Medically, there have been changes in most every aspect of the care we have both received. The changes in hospitalizations, the types of family support, as well as surgical procedures available have paved the way for a better life for my daughter.

After having three normal healthy pregnancies there appeared to be no reason to subject my mother to genetic testing or the expense of a prenatal ultrasound. On May 4, 1977, I made an early and very unexpected entrance into the world. I spent another eight months in Good Samaritan Hospital before I was transferred for another 10 months to Children's Hospital of Seattle. It was only at that time that I was allowed to go home for visits that lasted anywhere from a few hours to a few days. On October 24, 1998, my daughter, Nina made her way into the world. Nina had a much easier beginning thanks to diagnostic testing being available and in depth genetics testing that I underwent. Prior to Nina's birth we were able to be prepare for any complications and plan accordingly for the care she needed. Nina spent only twenty-one days in the hospital before finally coming home.

I was finally released to come home long term at two years of age. In 1977 the only people who could change a tracheotomy or feeding tube had to be doctors, so having very little training my parents took me home knowing they could return at any moment. My tracheotomy tube was a hard plastic and had very little flexibility. My feeding tube extended at least twelve inches outside my stomach. If either tubes became dislodged I was immediately rushed back to the closest hospital to have them surgically replaced. At that time a public health nurse would come by twice a month for less than an hour to make sure I was being cared for; however, she was neither trained, or was she experienced with a tracheotomy or feeding tube. I slept in a mist tent twenty-four hours a day so that I could breathe without a risk of choking. There was no such thing as respite care for my parents to have a break and it was very financially draining. If you could not pay for nurses out of your own pocket then you did without the help.

When Nina came home I had received detailed training in tracheotomy and feeding tube care. I was taught how to place both tubes in addition to how to react in several emergency situations. Nina did not require to be in a mist tent all the time but did require the use of a mist collar that attached to her tracheotomy tube at night. In the daytime she was free to play and crawl around like other healthy babies. Nina's tracheotomy tube was made of a flexible soft plastic and her feeding tube is a very small white tube that fits flush against her stomach. If either of these tubes were to become dislodged I am trained to replace them quickly and painlessly. I also had the assistance of highly trained nurses who came to my home seven days a week for twelve hours a day. This allowed me to rest and take care of me so I could be a better parent. Nina was not readmitted to the hospital for any emergencies or illnesses thanks in part to the help from the nurses and the training I received before bringing her home.

When I reached the age six doctors decided it was time for my first major surgery to correct the problems in my lower jaw. The only surgical option for my condition at that time was for the doctors to perform a bone graft, which is a procedure to remove a piece of bone from one part of the body and transplant it to another. The bone graft was taken from my skull and put into my jaw. After several complications from the surgery and physical therapy I went home a year later. I was left unable to speak for another six to eight weeks because the doctors had to wire my mouth shut. I was on a diet of Ensure and runny mashed potatoes the entire time. If my parents could not afford the Ensure or if there were no donations available my diet consisted of baby food and runny mashed potatoes. There was very little assistance to be found for my parents.

Nina had her first surgery when she was only two years old. Lucky for her instead of doing a bone graft she had a procedure called mandibular distraction. In her procedure Nina wore a halo-like device for a brief 12 weeks. The device was manufactured in a way that she would grow 1mm of new bone each day. She was able to eat a soft diet of macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, and all the cooked vegetables she could handle. Her speech was unaffected, if not improved by this surgery. She spent a mere five days in the hospital for the entire process. We received as much Ensure as she could drink by mail thanks to home delivery and insurance coverage. Nina also receives assistance for her and I with lodging, transportation, and all of her meals are covered.

The changes in how Mandibular Dysplasia is approached and cared for has come a very long way through the years. It is still a very rare condition affecting only four people in the world exactly as it has Nina and I. I know that as the years come there will be even bigger changes in how doctors treat the condition. With ongoing support for families and new research developing every day I am confident that Nina will have a brighter and healthier future than was available to me.

"OPTICAL RECTUMITIS"-When the nerve of your ass gets tangled up with the nerve in your eye and you get a shitty outlook on life!

 This is the final draft that i am turning in. Thank you for your feedback War, I hope this sounds better. I agree that the word "moving" was to close together in the beginning.

A LEAP OF FAITH

The older red moving van was nearly full by the time I realized I was actually leaving. As I walked around what had been my home for that last several months, I could barely believe that I was relocating to Longview, but anything had to be an improvement over constantly worrying about our safety in Seattle. I had only visited Longview once before, but that was enough to encourage me to take a chance at a better life. I kept wondering if I was making the right decision, or if I was merely running away. My final decision to move was based mostly on faith that our life would get better living in Longview.

“The truck is full babe,” Chris called out, “We should probably get going.”

“OK,” I mumbled more to myself than him. “Let me make sure we aren't leaving anything important.”

We had no jobs or a place to live, yet we still felt compelled to move to Longview. Chris and his family lived in Longview, but it was like a foreign planet to me. The plan was to stay with Chris' parents until we got on our feet. My daughter was still to young for school and daycare was expensive, so we had to find employment that had flexibility. Jobs, as we soon discovered, were nowhere to be found. I discovered once we got here and really started looking that going to work was not going to be as easy as I had imagined. It was a huge risk to uproot my daughter and me to move in with my husband-to-be; however, I was determined to make things work.

Time seemed to inch by, and, three months later, Chris and I were both still looking for work. Sometimes, it felt like everything was keeping us from getting ahead. Furthermore, our old beaten Cadillac had thrown in the towel when the engine literally exploded with a thunderous boom. Loosing the car made finding work even harder. Meanwhile, living with his family was like walking on pins and needles all the time. If it wasn't one thing, it seemed like something else constantly kept us from moving forward. It finally reached a point to where we seriously wondered if we had made a terrible mistake moving to Longview. We began questioning every decision we made.

A few weeks later, Chris and I were about to give up all hope of ever getting our lives in order when the phone rang. It was as if someone knew that we had reached our breaking point. On the other line was a small company that hired caregivers to work in adult family homes around Longview. Within three hours, our luck went from being as dead as a doornail to us both being fully employed with a light at the end of the tunnel. The fact that we would have to walk to work and have opposite shifts didn't matter. We were finally crawling our way back into really living and not merely existing.

Although we were both working every possible shift we could get and saving every penny, it took another six months to save enough money and to find an apartment to rent that we could afford. We basically started out with nothing. What little furniture I had brought with me had grown legs and walked away at various stages while living with Chris' family, so we walked into a bare two bedroom apartment that had all white walls and looked more like a clinic setting than a home, but, with little more than a bed for my daughter and a few dishes, we moved in. It took us several months to finally pull together enough furniture to make our tiny little apartment feel somewhat like home. The walls screamed for decoration; the carpet was stained from wear; but we did the best we could. Chris and I still went through some trying times, but we gave everything we had and eventually things started to work out for us.

Moving to Longview was one of the biggest risks I have ever taken. It was scary as hell to be honest. I often questioned what the heck I was thinking, but it seemed most days to have worked itself out for the best. It was seldom smooth sailing, but worth every bump in the road. I have grown to love Longview and to consider it my home. Another thing I have noticed is, as it turns out, Longview is a pretty good place to raise a kid. My leap of faith really paid off.

  Ok folks I never show my writing at this *virginal* stage but it really needs details that I think honestly I am missing. It needs to be descriptive. It must include metaphors, similies and dialog. I want it to be good and I have it all in my head so I can't see what it is missing. The requirements are in blue below. My essay is in red and has no title. It should be able to move you as the reader and you should be able to get a mental imagery while reading.All I get is a head ache LOL.

The purpose for this essay will be to either give your audience an appreciation for something that is totally new to them or a fresh appreciation of something that is very familiar.

Instructions for Completing the Assignment:

1. Before writing the essay, you need to be clear on your purpose and audience for the essay. Be sure to engage in prewriting activities to help you identify clearly the intended audience, purpose, and working thesis before you begin drafting the essay. If you choose to write the narrative, be sure your essay clearly makes a statement about your topic.

2. Think out the organization of the essay before you begin to write your first draft. Become clear about whether your body paragraphs will be organized by time, space, or order of importance before you draft the essay.

3. Be sure to engage in active revision strategies once you draft the essay. After distancing yourself from the draft copy, seek to revise your content, organization and effective expression.

4. The premium grades for this paper will go to writers who demonstrate effective sentence variety throughout their essay. Be sure to include compound and complex sentence structures throughout the essay so it sounds pleasing to the ear when read aloud.

The well used red moving truck was nearly full by the time I realized I was actually moving. As I walked around what had been my home for that last several months I could barely believe that I was moving to Longview, but anything had to be safer than constantly worrying about our safety in Seattle. I had only visited Longview once but that was enough to encourage me to take a chance at a better life. I kept wondering if I was making the right decision or if I was merely running away.

“The truck is full babe,” Chris called out, “we should probably get going.”

“OK,” I mumbled more to myself than him. “Let me make sure we aren't leaving anything important.”

We had no jobs or a place to live but yet we still felt compelled to move to Longview. Chris and his family lived in Longview, but it was like a foreign planet to me. The plan was to stay with Chris' parents until we got on our feet. My daughter was still to small for school and daycare was expensive. Jobs were no where to be found, I discovered once we got here and really started looking. It was a huge risk to uproot my daughter and I and move in with my at the time boyfriend; however I was determined to make things work.

Three months later Chris and I were both still looking for jobs. Sometimes it felt like everything was keeping us from getting ahead. By this time our car had completely thrown in the towel. Living with his family was like walking on pins and needles all the time. If it wasn't one thing it seemed like something else constantly kept us from moving forward. It finally reached a point to where we had seriously wondered if we had made a terrible mistake moving to Longview. We began questioning every decision we made.

A few weeks later Chris and I were about to give up all hope of ever getting our lives in order when the phone rang. It was as if someone knew that we had reached our breaking point. On the other line was a small company that hired caregivers to work in adult family homes around Longview. Within three hours our luck went from being as dead as a doornail to us both being fully employed with a light at the end of the tunnel. The fact that we would have to walk to work and have opposite shifts didn't matter. We were finally crawling our way back into life.

Although we were both working every possible shift we could get and saving every penny it took another six months to save enough money and to find an apartment to rent that we could afford. We basically started out with nothing, what little furniture I had brought with me had grown legs and walked away at various stages.

We walked into a bare two bedroom apartment that had all white walls and looked more like a clinic setting than a home, but with little more than a bed for my daughter and a few dishes we moved in. It took us several months to finally pull together enough furniture to make our tiny little apartment feel somewhat like home. The walls screamed for decoration, the carpet was stained from wear but we did the best we could. Chris and I still went through some trying times but we gave everything we had and eventually it worked out for us.

Moving to Longview was one of the biggest and scariest risks I have ever taken to be honest. I often questioned what the heck I was thinking but it seems most days to have worked itself out for the best. I have learned to love Longview as well as consider it my home. Another thing I have noticed is as it turns out Longview is a pretty good place to raise a kid.

I have no clue how it happened but my account is overdrawn, not just a little either. I friggin stressed out and need to fix it NOW! This month was tight as it was and next month is gonna be worse than that if I can not fix it. No clue what happened. Whole week sucked last week but I didn't realize I had gotten that out of it. I have not F**Ked up like this is a REALLY long time.

I foresee a possible trip to the pawn shop in my future. I wish I could see my desktop computer really bad. It's worth at least a couple bucks. I am so mad at myself right now. Some days I get so annoyed that there just isn't any more money to be found. I am not mad at hubby but I know that I unintentionally take it out on him. I need to be mindful of that today. It's not like he wouldn't go to work if he could. July is SO far away. With hubby in school too we should be ok by then. It will mean playing catch up AGAIN but no big purchases. 

Also our furniture has officially crapped out. Our recliner literally broke to the point of no longer safe to sit in by the time I told hubby to toss it. That leaves a 4 person household to one love seat. I really need furniture. I have been watching yard sales (i am NOT picky in the least, just careful about smokers but frebreeze can help) but even those are out of my price range.

Life is really feeling against me today.

Stressed to the max!

Well well well. 

Pretty deep subject I know.

I went in for my last math test and yep I blew it big time. Not sure of my exact grade but I skipped several because I was running out of time. All tests are limited to 50 minutes. Therefore I skipped probably 4 or 5 of them out of 24. Needless to say I am less then confident in the ones I did get correct. I figured if I at least got a 25% it will drop me to a low C. I have spent my entire weekend studying nothing but the chapter I just failed especially since in this particular math everything I learned in that chapter builds on the rest of the book and next quarter. I do feel much better about it now. I utilized the adorable little disc that came with the book and well I think it "clicked". I also studied chapter 5 till my eyes felt as though they were gonna pop out. I feel quite confident in taking that test but I plan to study some more until Wednesday; that is when I plan to take that test. I am nearly completely caught up. I really needed to learn the material and that was my focus of the weekend.

I am also working on my third essay this week. It is due Friday. I am writing a descriptive essay, that includes similes and metaphors. I have an idea about what I want to write about but every time I think about it I keep getting pulled to when I worked at pizza hut years ago. (The topic choices are : a concert you have been to, a place you work or have worked, waiting for important news (and the aftermath), a prized possession, OR a risk I have taken in my life.) Well I have never been to a concert and can not think of a prized possession other than an adorable pup but really do not think I own him as much as he owns me lol. I started writing it already about a nursing home I worked at because I feel there are more details but I keep remembering the pizza hut job (which freaked me out by the way). Anyway the essay is due Friday and I will see the writing tutor on Wednesday for expert help.

Although I went to my appointment for the trach up-size, the doctor was unable to put in the new sized tube. He tried for over 20 minutes, so long in fact that he was almost unable to put in the old size. I would be lying if I said that I did not slightly panic at that point. Anyway I am now headed to the operating room. It is scheduled for June 16th. Hubby has a procedure on the 24th in the OR and Nina will round out the family fun on June 4th in Seattle. Some days being in this family can be stressful and miserable. Good thing misery loves company we will be able to support one another nicely. I am last so I can care for both my loves and not miss school in the process. 

Also I went to my regular doctor on Saturday because it was refill time, but also because every since Dr. T had messed with my trach my throat was sore. My chest also felt very heavy. It turns out as luck would have it I was brewing up a nice little respiratory infection. She figured it was already there but having the trach out so long and manipulating it as we did just sped it up a bit. I have been very sick which is why I figured I struggled so much last week in math. Now I am on antibiotics that forbid me from being in the sun. I forgot and so what did we do? Took Rudey-baga (his new nickname) for a nice long walk (with water in hand). I came back with a horrible headache. On our walk we passed a house with two beautiful Rots (Sp?) they were very eagerly barking at their window. I told hubby as we passed the first time that they looked as if they were gonna break their window, but hubby said he didn't think they could. On the way home they saw us (or Rudey more accurately) again and went nuts. We pass the house nearly daily and they are always locked up and in this heat I felt awful for them. It was like a bad movie all of a sudden the bigger dog hit the glass just right and it shattered. I thought it was going to jump out and pursue us but it fell silent. All I heard was a yelp. I got Nina and Rudey to safety and did not know what else to do so when I saw a fire truck at the end of the block I told them what had happened. They said they would have someone look into it. When I went by later they had boarded it up. I saw the dog land on the glass and heard later from one of their neighbors they did not think that she made it.  We did nothing to antagonize the dogs they just wanted out of that hot house and of course probably wanted to inform Mr. Rudey just who's yard he was peeing next to. We are always careful with him, we clean up after him and NEVER let him potty on someone else's lawn only on the other side of the sidewalk. I told hubby I wanted to go check on the dogs tomorrow but he told me not to. He is afraid that if I do (given the neighborhood) that they will try to blame us somehow or hurt me. I just felt so sad for those poor babies.

I just kept picturing how devastated I would be to walk in and find Rudey hurt or worse bleeding on my floor. Do you think hubby is right?  I hope she is ok and that she will never ever jump against glass again. I am fairly shy and probably won't go but I want to know they are ok.

Ok it's bedtime. Sorry this was so long. Longer then normal anyway. I feel like I could hibernate like a bear tonight. Wake me up when September comes lol...

Took my Sociology 101 midterm today and scored a C+. I also got my essay back today and got an A- the two grades together give me a solid (worked my ass off for) B. I am not even disappointed in myself because I know I did my best. I have a math test thursday and Friday there will be a new math test put into the testing center that I am taking on Monday. By the end of the weekend I will be completely and fully caught up in all classes. (not that I am far behind but feel like i am). I also have my trach appointment tomorrow afternoon. They are going to be attempting to upsize my trach in the office to avoid the OR. It is causing me some serious blue spells and it is because my trach has been to small for to long. I knew it was to small to begin with but what do I know. Will post as I can. Should be ok. I have another appointment on thursday after school and probably Friday also LOL.

We are learnig similies in English so i can wrap up my week with the following similie

I feel like I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off!

It's been a busy week around here. I finally got my Sociology 101 essay written. I had a couple friends read it and they both say it sounds really good. I hope they are not just being nice but I guess time will tell. I turn it in tomorrow. I am currently working on the English essay. I have it written but it i really long, so I need to shorten it considerably. I am also about to take another math test this coming Monday. I also have my sociology midterm next Tuesday. On Friday I have yet another math test. This weekend will be spent studying for both all exams and catching up on homework that seems to be piling up. I have already registered for summer quarter. I have a full schedule. I will be completing my math and English requirements this summer. I am also taking allied health; it is a health communications course. It lasts only one-half of the quarter but it is also an evening class two nights a week. These classes will put me at full time status again. I was warned to be ready for tons of homework. I thought to myself immediately that I already have tons so I should be OK.

Yesterday was my birthday. I turned the whopping 33 years old. My wonderful and sexy hubby took me to Red Lobster which is his least favorite place to eat. Because he loves me he endured the place for my birthday. When we got home we had cake and ice cream with Nina and Chelsea. (more on Chelsea later) We had a sitter for the first time in years and were able to enjoy a nice romantic dinner just the two of us. It was very nice. I also got a few new tops and a pair of slacks from my sister. I can wear my wedding rings again so that was a gift to myself, corny as it may sound.

Chelsea is an old friend's daughter. She has kind of adopted me as her surrogate mom. She has basically been pretty much crapped on at every turn by her real mother since her real mother remarried when she was twelve. When she turned about 16 Chelsea got sick of it and rebelled. As all children eventually do; however, her mother basically threw her out so she has been on her own pretty much since. Chelsea is now eighteen; she recently found out she is pregnant. She is staying with us at the moment. I suspect the boyfriend is using her for her money. Since she paid rent where they were staying and he picked a fight something like an hour later which left her with no place to go. She obviously did not get her rent back and is now staying here. All I ask of her is to pick up after herself, pay for her own food (she receives food assistance) and $50 per month toward utilities. If I drive her anywhere I am not already going I do ask for gas money but usually let her decide how much etc. She has a pretty good deal here and I know she appreciates the help. We are playing it by ear but for the most part she is a lot of help with Nina in the evenings. It is nice to know we can run to the store and not have to worry about what Nina will get into or do.

Nina has had a lot of problems this year. I wonder sometimes if it is because I went back to school. She knows I am much busier; therefore, she is causing more trouble. She has skipped her afternoon math class again. She has also not been coming straight home from school. It took me following her and having others follow her to find out where she had been going. Of course it was not a good area for her to be. She was leaving school early and then knowing we would not be expecting her go to a friend's house. One day she didn't come home until nearly 5PM. I was frantic with worry. The school is no help. Even though they were concerned with who she was all of a sudden hanging out with and where she was hanging out at they did not bother to give me a call. I had to find out from a 3rd party that they gossiped it to. Luckily the 3rd party is a friend that called them on it and told them they should of called me. Apparently school has no consequences because when she skipped class on Monday she just got up and walked out. I did not get so much as a phone call to ask why she left. She gave them the impression she had an appointment. Which in turn had my friend not caught her trying to walk "home" would of given her more then an hour to do who knows what. I asked the school if they were going to discipline her and was told they would. As far as I am concerned it is their job to do so since she lied to get out of class. Nothing happened not even a stern talking to. She is quickly learning that she can get away with murder there and honestly I have no clue how to fix it; furthermore, If it is worth fixing this late in the year. Next year is an entirely different topic they expect her to walk (in the dark for most of the year) more then a mile ONE WAY at 6am -she would have to leave home at 6:20am at the latest- in order to get to middle school. I have been fighting them for a bus but have had no luck. If I were not in school I would make her do online school. It may still be an option.

Hubby is returning to school. He is aiming for summer quarter but may not start until fall. Chelsea said if he goes summer she will watch Nina. She is a good sitter and like a big sister for Nina so we decided that we would trade babysitting in exchange for room and board (minus her food assistance). He is looking forward to a computer sciences certification.

Well that about catches you all up. I should get off here and finish some home work. Hope all is well and that war's trip is going smoothly and safely.

Talk soon!

Sam