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So proud of H2B!

Male Translation

So this one's a different post -- it's still work-related, but it's not about my kiddos. It's actually about some adults I work with.

This year with the 320s has started off quite smoothly since That Crazy Lady is gone, there is a new teacher, and 2.5 new aides (the .5 was here from September through December of last year). Lately, the teacher's been giving me a hard time about the .5 aide who tries the same line on my every single time he sees me (even though he's married with a kid and knows my status, too). Today, I realized his predictability reached a whole new level.

This morning, I e-mailed the 320 teacher to ask if I could use their second classroom to see my regular Special Ed kiddos. I also gave the heads up that during 7th period, I was going to pull in a girl with ASD who has an aide...and I bet the .5 Aide was gonna go back to the teacher and be like, "yo, did you see her??"

So my session began and as the girl and her aide were walking in, the teacher hustled the staff, including .5 aide, out of the room and closed the adjoining door. Not a few minutes later, the .5 aide came in from the outside door. I was already in full swing but stopped my student, stood up, and said, "Mr. [.5 aide], can you close the door so I can turn on the A/C?" He did, got his drink of water, and then left. In my mind, I was like, c'mon, did he really have to get a drink of water right now and distract us, knowing that we were in session?

After my session, I went to debrief with the teacher.

320 Teacher: Oh, I didn't put 2 & 2 together! I thought the aide was your student's mom and you were about to hold a meeting.
Me: no, no, that was the aide...
320T: Yah, [.5 Aide] caught a glimpse of her and told me that she's not the mother, but she's an aide here, too. I said,"well, did you introduce yourself to her?"
320T: He said he met her.
Me: Wait, what? No he didn't.
320T: Yes he did.
Me: When? Just now when I was working??
320T: He said YOU introduced them.
Me ROFL: You know what I said? I said, "Mr. [.5 Aide], can you close the door?" You call that an introduction?!

Classic case of a male interpreting a simple statement to feed that macho ego of his. That was pure comedy!

~~~~

Okay, I can't resist telling a quick story about one of my 320 kids. This one has a tendency to script, vocalize to stim, and cuss people out (i.e., echolalia). He's also been getting a bit grabby with me, like he'll grab my arm with a good grip even though he's a little guy.

So I was at the teacher's desk looking over attendance logs when I felt a hand on my rump! I quickly turned around and saw 320J looking up at me and saying in a loud and clear voice, "Hiiiii!!!!"

If he hadn't gotten my attention inappropriately, I would've been giving him the hugest social praise party; the kid spontaneously initiated an appropriate greeting with clear, purposeful intent! He walked all the way from wherever and "touched" me to get my attention (vs. hitting, kicking, screaming). Too bad it just wasn't with the right kind of touch...

Dinner Double Date

Today really felt like it would be a long day. I slept around 11 last night and then woke up at 4 AM, unable to sleep (again). Ugh. Getting 7.5 - 8 hours of sleep is so difficult. BF had worked all night so he was awake when I woke up. We both lamented about how tired we were, but the difference is that I had the time to sleep and I couldn't.

I started the day early so that by the time the first bell rang, I was desperate for more coffee and stopped by the 320 classroom. Thankfully, they brewed a delicious pot of coffee so I had an additional half a cup. Thursdays are almost back to back sessions with SDC-Basic Skill and severe autism students. The bumming part is that I'm once again room-less two days out of the week, when my co-worker is here to help w/ the caseload. It's a fair trade-off. I'll be seeing my Tues/Fri kiddos in the 320 class.

After work, I went to two markets to pick up groceries for our fabulous dinner double date. Last week, BF suggested that we have Bro and FBIL over for dinner so I said, "How about for the premier of "My Name is Earl'"? We all thought that was a wonderful idea (as we've all recently gotten hooked on the show). They arrived at 7, when BF had just finished grilling zucchinis, mushrooms, and rib-eye steaks garnished with onions and mushrooms. He also made a special Jack Daniel's steak sauce to go with it. I made his Lola's recipe of home-made "potato chips" and mixed a Parisian salad. To top it off, we had Stellas. MmMM...I have been wanting a Stella for a while. (I bought a case from Costco yesterday and as I stocked the fridge, I told BF, "I can't wait to have a Stella tomorrow!" I probably had maybe 3/4 of a bottle though.) For dessert, we had churros and ice-cream! LOL (Costco Churros have become BF and my latest favorite dessert.)

We chatted, laughed, and ate a delicious dinner and enjoyed the season premiere episodes of My Name is Earl. I love it when they come over for dinner; I don't know why we don't do it more often!

Scheduling Autism

I'm trying this new thing this year where I'm not sending call slips or calling for my students that I trust to not ditch nor get lost. So far, it has worked out quite successfully.

This year, 1/3 of my caseload consists of students with autism/ASD that are mainstreamed into general education and/or special education.

How can I tell the ones that have autism? They make my job so easy.

1. They come exactly at the time I told them to, and I only had to tell them once.
2. They remind me the day before that they will see me the next day during their specified period.
   
3. They remember exactly what activity I told them last week that we will do this week.
   
4. They are so honest ("Is your binder organized?" "No." "Did you pay attention in class?" "No.").
5. They learn my name -- and say it correctly -- after one session/trial.
6. The General Ed ones have amazing language skills, vocabulary, and memory. They can follow 2-3 step directions complicated by sequential ordering even though I only presented the direction once without prompts nor cues.
   
7. They put in so much effort and try so hard.

The not so easy part of working with them? Well, this next situation is what I hope to be just an anomaly. I ended the day with one little new kid with autism...and when I called the teacher to send him, the teacher said, "We need to talk about him." As he was on his way to my room, she said, "We have a serious situation here. He has been grabbing and kind of rubbing his winkie in class" -- and I swear the moment she said that, he came in grabbing/rubbing/readjusting his crotch. I could have died!

What creeped me out even more is that he came up right behind me while I was still on the phone in my "personal space" (i.e., desk area). No student has violated my personal space this year until now. I told him that he needed to step away and have a seat but he didn't move! I had to physically prompt him to sit down...as he eyed my pens and stuff (he wanted to "borrow" a pencil...which evidently meant he wanted to steal it, according to the teacher).

As I worked with him and another student, I almost very immaturely cracked up at least twice when I looked at him during his turns. I cease to amaze myself with how ridiculously immature I am as an adult!

Tuesday Boys Harping on My Ride

Today was the first time CV saw me and didn't have a chance to ask me for a ride b/c I beat him to the punch. The Tuesday Boys came to my room and DA, who was holding the Call Slip, walked towards me and said, "I'm not coming to speech any more!" and dramatically ripped the Call Slip in half. I, in my 5'3" glory rose up from my chair and said, "Oh yeah?!?!" Of course we started cracking up. They get a kick out of me rising up to their silly challenges. DA then went to get a drink of water (b/c I have a water fountain by my sink!). CV stood there and I asked, "Hey, you need a ride today?" He totally wasn't expecting it so he couldn't even respond, but of course I quickly said, "just kidding!!" (Hello! I want to keep my job!)

The boys actually did really well today! Both in terms of behavior and language therapy. I was seriously thrilled but trying to contain myself. The majority of my kids LOVE playing Jenga so this week, I incorporated it into language activities (e.g., have them answer something before moving a block). I loved that these boys really did play like they meant it. They put in the effort to respond correctly AND they didn't purposely knock the tower over.

At the end, when it did topple over, they helped me rebuild the tower before they left. As the boys chatted back and forth, CV randomly said, "Miss L-- and her car with the busted wheel."

I was totally LOL!! I was laughing b/c for one, BF and FBIL harp on me ALL the time about my "ghetto wheel" that I really need to get fixed. I've been driving on my full-size spare for months now, ever since the original tire went through two flats (the second one being harmed beyond repair). Secondly, I was laughing b/c this kid noticed and had to make a crack about it!

CV: Miss L-- and her car with the busted wheel.
DA: What?
Me LOL: I haven't had the time to fix it!
DA: Does she have a nice car??
CV: Yeah, it's pretty nice except for that busted wheel. She's got nice rims on all her tires except for that one.
(Me still LOL.)

I really had no good comeback. Whatta punk! (But you know I love working with them.)

A True Professional

For the first time ever, I purchased a book not because it is a class requirement, but because I want to further develop myself as a professional. That statement in itself is soOooO nerdy, let alone the reason why I bought it!

What am I turning into!

I just ordered "The Verbal Behavior Approach: How to Teach Children with Autism and Related Disorders" by Mary Barbera and Tracy Rasmussen. (True, I'm working on a group project on verbal behavior, but that's whatever. The info I need is right in my textbook.)

On the other hand, I put my two textbooks for my last BCBA class on half.com for sale already. "Already" as in I didn't even get past the first two chapters of both books. In "consulting" with my group members, I became convinced that I didn't have to read the books (since we're not being tested both in class and on the board exam).

I wish I was a real book-worm. Somehow, that gene skipped me.

Sleepless in L.A.

I keep having nights of bad rest, and it's really cramping my style. Like this past week, I woke up at 4:30 A.M. one day after going to bed at midnight, and then I woke up at 5:30 this morning. The thing that sucks is that I won't feel sleepy until half an hour before my alarm is supposed to go off. (I totally have the image of Andy in "40-year-old Virgin, when he's wide awake all the way to the time his alarm goes off and he says, "this is going to be a bad day."). Hopefully, it's just the first-month-back-at-work adjustment that is the cause. It most likely is b/c once I wake up and can't fall asleep, my mind immediately starts racing and trying to problem-solve how to work with my kids.

A lot of times, I think about my most challenging kid. He has severe autism and is showing new behavioral problems, which many speculate is due to him not having taken to an effective communication system. With him being nonverbal, the pressure is really on me to make some miracles happen. At the end of the summer, the parents requested an emergency-IEP. After the meeting, I got an e-mail that said parents want to up his services from 2x/week individual...to 5x/week individual! I half-joked that either they think I'm not working hard enough or they think I'm a miracle-worker. The more I think about it, the more I think it's the latter only b/c it's been a while since an SLP was willing to work with him. Last year, I took him off of consultative basis to work with him directly b/c 1) I was the gung-ho SLP who just graduated and 2) deep down I believe that as SLPs, we don't give up on nonverbal kiddos, especially if it's b/c we as the specialists in communication disorders lack the knowledge. Sadly, I'm getting the impression that this is the case with some/most SLPs who have been in this field for many years.

On the other hand, that makes me put a lot of pressure on myself to perform some miracle. Well, I've worked a whole year with him and no miracles have happened.

What I often forget, and my BCBA supervisor compassionately reminds me, is that this teenager has gone through 10+ years of speech therapy...and I cannot expect myself to be the one to perform miracles (and from an ABA-perspective, it would be quite difficult since this child has had 10+ years of reinforcement history communicating in less functional ways). The "typical problem-solving" male that my supervisor is simply told me, "Don't think that you've failed if you haven't gotten him to functionally communicate. You've set your expectations of yourself so high that if you 'fail,' you have only failed yourself. This child has had so many years of therapy and if he is still like this, you are just one more person who didn't meet the challenge. Now if you do meet the challenge, then you'll be a hero. But remember, you didn't fail if you couldn't."

I know this year will be different since I have new staffmembers who are readily available to assist. I just hope that I approach this challenge with the right mind set, knowledge, and experience.

And I hope that I get a good night's rest.

Back to School Night

This was the second time that I attended Back to School Night, and I was optimistic that it would be a better turn out than last year. Little did I know that the parents would be on a tight schedule; i.e., they would follow their child's schedule from 1st - 8th period but on a condensed version. So much for fitting in speech then! However, I didn't find this out until the introductory meeting with the parents.

All of the teachers were sitting on the bleachers so I joined them there. As the meeting began, the principal called up each "team" of teachers (the teachers and students are broken up into universities for team spirit competitions). I actually don't belong to a team so I started to realize that I probably wouldn't get called up and introduced by name like all of the teachers and staff members. I saw my buddies, the custodians, standing a few feet away from me, and I was sure they'd get acknowledged since the principal was introducing everyone. But the introductions ended right after the campus security, and she dismissed the staff to their classrooms while she spoke to the parents for a few more minutes.

When the parents were dismissed, my buddies the custodians turned to me in shock, "Hey! How come she didn't introduce you?"

Me: Oh, it's okay. I really didn't expect her to...
[thinking a bunch of reasons, with the #1 being that the principal has a love-hate relationship w/ me being a County-employee and not a District-employee]
My buddies: What do you mean! She should have!
Me: Oh stop, it's not a big deal. She probably didn't know I was here and with me being a County-employee, it gets confusing sometimes.
My buddies: Well, she still should have. You are so important! You are one of the most important people on this campus!
Me: Thank you --
[I'm sure I laughed b/c I always laugh when I don't know what else to say or do and when I'm flattered and/or embarrassed]
Me: As long as you guys recognize it, that's what matters to me!

Actually, their response really did mean a lot to me -- more than they realize. Ever since I started working (last year), I quickly realized that I will constantly be confronted by educators, administrators, and other professionals who don't really know what SLPs do. As a result, they don't really believe in our work either (memories of That Crazy Lady flash before me).

I know that my buddies really meant it when they stood up for me. Last year, I used to stay late at work, so I often had brief chats as whenever they stopped by my room. One of them got to know and understand what I do...and in turn, I got to know him even more and respect him for everything he does (in addition to maintaining my room). Later on, my second buddy started working at the school and took over my room. He, too, would stop and chat when he could. He once told me how much he respects SLPs. I was a bit skeptical at first, but then he shared that one of his sons used to receive therapy for his language disorder back in school. My buddy said that if it weren't for his son's SLP, his son wouldn't be doing what he's doing today. And he told me of the amazingly (super-smart) projects his son works on now (like aerospace engineering stuff post-Masters degree). And they attribute his son's success and confidence to his teachers and even moreso his SLP (of course I gave him and his wife props for being awesome parents).

If it were up to me, I would have given props to our custodians. They, too, are some of the most important people on campus...and it's a shame that not many people know how fascinating, thoughtful, and sincere these guys are.

Emotions Gone Wild

Today was an emotional day.

At one point during the day, I wondered what BSILF, her hubby, and their new baby boy were doing at 4:15 AM b/c maybe I had sympathy pains. I was pretty tired when I went to bed late last night, but I still woke up around 4:15 and was unable to fall asleep again. I knew it was going to be a long day because I also had to attend Back To School Night beginning at 6 P.M.

My morning started Twilight-Zone slow since I only had half a cup of coffee (I was juked! The PTSA was providing breakfast and I was so certain there would be coffee). I had just finished a group of kids and was waiting for the next group, when I got a voicemail from BSILF. I was literally fighting tears listening to her message.

~ ~ ~

On Saturday, their beautiful baby boy was born. Little did many of us know the struggles this little trooper encountered from the moment he entered the world. I started getting worried when I hadn't heard from BSILF over the rest of the weekend (after one e-mail and one text asking if I could call her). BF kept telling me that everything was okay and to stop bothering the new parents who just needed private time with their new son. My fears were confirmed when I got a text from BSILF on Saturday night saying, "Call us tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers." What prayers?? I didn't know I had received prayer requests from them...which sent me immediately into heightened religious panic mode.

On Sunday, BSILF called to catch me up to speed. Their little boy was fighting to maintain a healthy status and fortunately, he fought enough to avoid Neonatal ICU admittance. However, after a few more days of silence, my worries started up again. Then I got today's voicemail that made me so sad and worried.

I am not used to hearing BSILF so fragile. The only times I've ever seen/heard her cry were tears of joy, when she announced that her and her hubby were expecting a baby. When we're together, we are like kids laughing nonstop until we're out of breath. I listened to her breaking voice telling me that she was discharged two days early...so that she and her husband could accompany their little boy to the NICU at CHOC. She asked that I send an e-mail out to her friends and family. I was on the verge of crying but had to stop myself because my kids was going to walk in at any second.

After the session, I quickly got on the computer and composed an e-mail on BSILF's behalf. It was both an honor and a challenge because I knew it would be one of extreme emotions. I began by announcing Baby Boy's name, Luke Trooper. Baby Luke's middle name grows more and more significant with every passing hour, as his body struggles to maintain the healthy state. All I kept thinking about when I wrote the e-mail was BSILF telling me over and over again in every message, how absolutely beautiful and perfect their little boy is. I have no doubts.

I tried my best to write an e-mail that conveyed BSILF and hubby's sentiments. I knew that they wouldn't want any of us to worry (even though we will regardless!) and thanked everyone for their thoughts and prayers. As the e-mail responses started pouring in, I fought tears again. With every e-mail that I read, I just kept thinking about how amazing Mark and Kristi are. The outpour of love and concern was overwhelming. It's oddly comforting that through them, I have become connected with so many people that I may never meet in person. However, we all share that common ground of knowing and loving these two wonderful people...now a family of three.

My heart goes out to these new parents. Every time Kristi leaves me a voicemail, I am overwhelmed by her love for her husband, baby son, and life; she exudes this love with her words and her tone of voice. It's like she's fallen in love for the first time again, but this time, it's not just falling in love with her husband but also with their most beautiful gift to each other, Baby Luke.

Keep fighting, Luke Trooper. We have loved you even before you were born...and we love you even more now. You are beautiful beyond words. We know you will get through this.

Tuesday Boys Series Continued

I knew today would be an adventurous day just looking at who I had lined up. Today, my co-worker was with me so that was a tiny bit of a challenge as she is still getting acquainted with procedures and routines. She is so sweet and thoughtful, though; she never wants to bother me (but will still ask good questions which actually don't bother me; I'm more than happy to help, especially since I am quite the question-asker when I'm learning a new job).

Early in the morning, I stopped by the severe autism classroom to see if my schedule jived with theirs for speech therapy pull-out sessions. The A.P. was there, one who I can't say I have that much respect for. When I went to the first day of the 3-day orientation, that's when I first got a taste of how unprofessional this high-up professional can be. She poked fun at the stereotypic movements that individuals with severe autism are often seen doing. Today, I walked in while she was going over logistical stuff with RB, the teacher. I overheard her make a couple cracks at how these kids with severe autism are comparable to her trained dog. I walked out. Unfortunately, when I went back, she was still there and she had just gotten to the daily schedules and asked where my services fit in. She saw that RB had already put on there that the kids had snack time with me twice a week, and I explained how I'd pull some out and see others as part of the Language Arts station. She made another joke about how I'm just training those kids like her dog and how her dog wouldn't know the difference if she fed him cat snacks and likewise, our kids wouldn't know if I fed them cat snacks either.

I have certainly never been one to think quick and respond to inappropriate remarks, especially when the ones making those remarks are my superiors (fortunately, she is not my administrator). I was in utter shock, disappointment, and anger. Even now, all I can do is shake my head at how insensitive people can be, especially to such innocent children. It's infuriating and degrading to think that some people who call themselves professionals compare the students to animals and view me simply and wrongfully as an "animal trainer." Am I exaggerating? I don't think so b/c I went through this last year with That Crazy Lady.

{{{still shaking my head at the thought of all this!}}}

Shortly after, I went back to the 320 classroom to work with some of the kids. I pulled two of them for individual sessions into my room and then worked with all of them during their snack time. The funniest thing is that now, not only does J320 call me "Mi- Mee-ang," but ALL of them call me that! I tried to teach/correct one of the most verbal ones on Friday, but then my name went from "Miss Mee-ang" to "Miss La-la-lee-MEE-ang." I was like, omg, now look what I've done now! So I've humbly accepted that my name will be Mee-ang with the 320s. (I haven't cut my RSPED kiddos any slack, though!)

I went back to my room and saw my Asperger's kiddo who I am hoping to put on consultative services sometime this year. He still has articulation disorders of gliding and vocalization, but when I probed today, he was putting more effort than he ever did last year. I was very pleased with him. He appears to be adjusting well to his new teachers and grade, too.

After a few more sessions, I finally saw DA and CV, the infamous Tuesday boys. I am kind of glad that I saw them at the end of my day b/c they were a handful! I watched them through my window, as they got the call slip during P.E. (I love my new room location for this reason!) and then I swung my door open and watched them round the fence and come to me. They immediately started griping about not wanting to come nor stay long. Their excuse today was that today was the first day they would be in the gym (where it was assumed to be cooler). Crazy DA started taking off his shirt, and I said in the most serious, no-nonsense tone, "PUT YOUR SHIRT BACK ON." Granted, he had an undershirt, but he hooked the hem of his shirt behind his neck to "not get sweat on it" but I was NOT down with anybody walking by and thinking this kid was trying funny business with me or vice-versa! My co-worker was behind the room division, listening to me tell DA twice, "put your shirt back on" and I'm sure she was silently freaking out for me! I told them that they had to stay for 5 more minutes and give me 10 complete sentences each about their summer and they did extremely well (0 errors with 0 prompts!). After DA finished, he told CV to slow down so that he'd take up the rest of the 5 minutes. When CV finished, DA asked me why my co-worker got the "bigger room" (the larger half of the room). I really didn't know how to respond so I said, "I don't know."

DA: Can I ask her?
Me: Sure, go ahead, but you have to ask her in the right way, starting with her name, Mrs. R--
DA: Mrs. R--, why you have the bigger room?
[Mrs. R didn't hear him so he asked again. This time, Mrs. R walked over so DA asked again.]
DA: Why you got the bigger room?
Mrs. R--: Do I have the bigger room? I didn't even notice. I don't really know why.
DA looked straight at me and said, "Is it b/c [Mrs. R--] is smarter than you?"
Me: Just for that, you have to stay 15 extra minutes!

Of course I was just playing. Yeah right I wanted to let an 8th grader clown me for an extra 15 minutes! (I also felt bad that I unintentionally implied that I am smarter than Mrs. R--...although I'm not sure if she caught onto that or not...Hopefully not.) Not trusting these boys, I decided to escort them to the gym. On our way, we passed by Mrs. R and her two students.

DA: Yo A__, what are we doing in the gym?
Mind you, this student is drenched in sweat.
DA: do we still gotta run?
A: Yes.
DA and CV turned to each other with this look of disbelief, as if running was forbidden inside the gym and their teacher had betrayed them. They both turned back to me and begged, "WAIT! Can we go back to the Speech Room? We were just kidding about leaving early! C'mon! Take us back!"

Yeah right! I escorted them all the way to the gym and didn't turn around until they both set foot in that joint!

After that, I ran off to two meetings, stopped by the gym, my youngest aunty's house, and then finally home. It's been a long day, but I still have a long week to go! Tomorrow's Back To School Night, training on Thursday, and then my first IEP for the year, which happens to be a high-profile one. I am so looking forward to the weekend already!

The Old Kiddos and the Older Ones

This marks my first week of "regular" scheduled sessions...although it's already promising to be irregular since I have an all-day training on Thursday and an IEP for one of my higher-profile cases on Friday. Back-To-School Night is on Wednesday, too. This year, I will try to stay longer than an hour...

I saw a few of my kiddos from last year and they acted as if 3 months hadn't even passed. I caught DA on his way out to the track and told him I was about to ask his teacher to send him to speech. He begged that I call him up tomorrow instead. I asked him why and I practically saw the proverbial light bulb turn on above his head as he said without skipping a beat, "Because today is the first day that I'm dressed in my P.E. clothes so I don't want to miss P.E." I was like, What the heck does that mean? I let him go since I needed to work on some IEPs anyways.

My last kiddo for the day was a new one who was quite the chatterbox. I mistakenly thought he was this other kiddo that I've seen on campus now, flapping his hands in a way that's characteristic of autism. So I kept watching his movements and taking down mental notes on his "odd" behaviors. He did remind me of my other kiddos with ASD -- kind of rigid in routines and rules, very talkative but lacking topic maintenance, and very knowledgeable about specific topics. Looking back in his file, this kiddo's primary dx is just specific language impairment. After he left, I e-mailed his main teacher and asked that she let me know of any concerns she may have. She wrote back that he really enjoyed his time with me and that we even talked about earthquakes (which we did). LOL I went back to the Teacher's Lounge and that's when I saw the other kiddo and realized that he was not the same as my student...

...not that I want to add onto my caseload but re: mystery flapping kid -- hasn't ANYONE noticed and been concerned?? I am very tempted to go up to him and ask what his name is. Maybe he is on my caseload but he is one of my new Wednesday kiddos that I haven't seen yet. He is one that is to be continued...

After school, I was driving down the street when I saw DA's accomplice, CV, who was standing on the opposite side of the street and waiting for me to pass by. As I drove past, he yelled, "HEY! LEMME HAVE A RIDE!!"

Yeah right!! LOL Of course not even 10 seconds later, I drove past DA with his fellow hoodlums and I start shaking my head again. Those boys. Should I move them back to Tuesdays so my Tuesday Boys Series can continue?

I went on my merry way to Costco, leaving the work day behind. I was shopping for dinner, when I emerged out of an aisle and almost ran into one of my favorite kiddos from last year! This kid was such a clown and a smarty-pants. I asked how he was liking high school and then wished him well. I bum-rushed off b/c in my cart was a ginormous bottle of vodka that I had picked up for my brother. (For reals! It's for my bro!)

The days haven't been super-stressful but nonetheless, I've been extremely tired. Tomorrow is sure to be another day full of even more funny stories since I see my kiddos with autism.

IT'S A BOY!!!

Congratulations to Kristin and Mark!!!

BSILF and her husband welcomed a BEAUTIFUL baby boy into this world early this morning!

Kristi went into the hospital yesterday and left me a message to say it might happen around 1 AM or 1 PM (how in the world did I miss the call!). I went to sleep around midnight and happened to wake up around 6:45 AM (I must be on that Circadian "clock"). I got up to feed my turtle (and I admit, was jotting down therapy ideas for the kids that I worry/stress out the most over) when I thought -- wait, better check my phone for any messages.

Sure enough, I got TWO texts from Kristin! At 5:28, she (or possibly Mark?) texted me,

"It's a BOY! He is perfect and healthy!
Five pounds nine ounces, 19 inches. We are so happy!"

As am I! I can't wait to tell BF! Last night, we chatted on and off about how fabulous and exciting this time is. Well, we have been doing this for the past few months but this time especially is the most exciting.

They sent a multimedia message at 6:55 AM with his first picture. Tears of joy streamed down my face just looking at the beautiful boy sleeping like an angel (with his cute little baby blue beanie). Since BF is still asleep, I shared the momentously joyous moment with my turtle (as she finishes her breakfast).

Words can't express how ecstatic I am for them. Eight months of impatiently waiting for God's perfect gift has finally arrived. :)

Welcome Baby Boy! I'm an aunty! I have a NEPHEW!!! :D :D :D

(I am still waiting to find out his name! Eight months of guessing girls' names and 2 weeks of guessing non-gender-specific names and I'm still off!)

P.S. My non-gender-specific turtle onesie will be perfect for him! :) WoOO-hOoO!
P.P.S. As I finish this post, BF just woke up and I shared the wonderful news with him!

We love you, Mark, Kristin, & Baby Boy! Congratulations!
xoxoXoXOxOXoxo

Natural Highlights

Apparently, I have some natural highlights in my hair. I haven't had my hair professionally colored since 2003 so my black hair now is au naturale, which apparently is not a common site in L.A. (I've had several people ask me over the years if my hair is dyed black. When I tell them it's my natural color, they don't believe me!)

Today, my troublemaker SDC-BSC girl came in swinging her braids of black and electric blue hair and sat down to my left for speech. We were having "structured conversation" -- asking and answering questions with each other (i.e., having a normal conversation) when she blurted out, "Did you get white streaks put in your hair?"

WHAT?? :(

"No, it's called white hair caused from stress."

I was soOOOo bummed! BF has been pointing out more and more (with a horrified tone in his voice) at how many white hairs I have. For the past two years, I've effectively covered them up, but over the past year, the area has almost doubled.

I recently joked with BF that I should get bold white highlights like Rogue in X-Men (movie). Sadly, maybe I really should consider it!

Sidenote: Bro says that Mom had premature gray hair. If that's the case, then I guess it makes sense. It's not stress, it's just genetics?

Picture Day

Today was picture day at my school (work site)! As unphotogenic as I am, I was determined to get a good shot in this year. Last year, the yearbook staff had to track me down on several occasions to try to get a shot. The shot they finally got was totally unplanned. I was in the middle of therapy so my two students scooted to the side as the yearbook staffmember took my picture.

I told BF last night that today was my picture day so he helped me pick out a pink shirt (since white doesn't photograph well for a yearbook, according to Mr. Print Man). He was even sweet enough to iron it for me...b/c I totally suck at ironing (and hate it, as much as I like the way a crisp shirt looks). The SDC-BSC teacher and I got our glamor shots in during 3rd period. The craziest thing is that the students that we cut in front of had been waiting since first period! As we were leaving, we heard some students say, "Hey, those teachers cut to the front of the line!" That was hilariously awesome.

BF and I also surprised each other for dinner. I had gotten Subway for him on my way home, but before I told him, he asked if I wanted to go to Souplantation! That is one of my favorite places to eat! Since he had Subway to look forward to, we agreed on dinner plans. He would drive us to the shopping center and station me at Souplantation while he shopped in the sporting store. That was perfect b/c I hate going with him b/c he takes forever! On the other hand, he hates going with me to Souplantation b/c 1) he doesn't like the place and 2) I eat even longer at buffets (average of 1.5 hours). So I happily ate a lot and at my own slow speed while he happily shopped at his own slow speed. We met up at the perfect time. :)

Yummers! That was a nice, surprise mid-week treat during this exhausting, stressful full first week of little kid school.

Pit Stop

I saw a few of my kiddos today, but I took it easy by calling the easier ones. I saw my favorite conversationalist (the one that speaks with the slushiest "s" that I am so determined to correct by the end of this year!). He told me about his summer and about his 3 poodles...It wasn't until after I left that I remembered him offering me a "teacher's discount" if I wanted to buy one of his poodles. As a great conversationalist, he asked what I did this summer. I said, "I'm old...so I did nothing and doing nothing is very relaxing for me!"

Later on, I was coming back from the teacher's lounge when I saw J320 and his aide coming around the corner. (Now that I'm only a few doors down, I get to see my kiddos more frequently outside of therapy.) His aide stopped at the first door and prompted him, "J--! J--! Where are you going? Come back!" There is one thing about J320 that the aide quickly learned; the boy will go wherever he desires. So I walked towards him, expecting him to walk right past me, but instead, he walked right up to me! I was surprised that he still recognized me with my dark sunglasses on. I held my hand out and prompted, "let's go to class; walk all done." He didn't say anything but simply took my pinky, and we walked right back to his classroom. As soon as we stepped inside, he let go and walked off as if nothing had happened.

The aide was standing at the door the entire time and saw that and was both confused and amazed. LOL

That was the best part of my day. It was such a heartwarming experience for me. No words said, just a simple gesture.

My Pre-Niece-in-Law's Baby Shower

Approximately 7 months ago, BSILF personally announced to BF and me that she and her hubby will have a baby this month. Ever since we received the news, I have been living vicariously through BSILF and all her detailed accounts and e-mails regarding Baby Girl's pre-developmental milestones.

Today, we threw Baby Girl R. a pre-birthday party! I had the honor of participating in the planning of the baby shower with BSILF's relatives. Everything went so perfectly. I arrived at noon to help set-up...and to get acquainted with the biggest surprises of the baby shower. When I first met w/ BSILF's relatives to plan, her Cousin-in-Law shared with me that BSILF's mom and mother-in-law would be flying all the way over from New York as a surprise! I was beyond excited for everyone!

When I arrived to Cousin-in-Law's house, I was re-introduced to Mother and Mother-in-Law. I was also introduced to MIL's sister, whom I hugged and briefly commented, "So you're the mystery guest!" (Since I was in charge of the RSVPs, I knew that there was one more relative coming from NY as a surprise but I didn't know who.) We chatted a bit and helped set up for about an hour. CIL's daughter and I decorated the patio tables by tying pink ribbons and pinning them to the brown table cloths (it was really a great color combination). About 40 minutes before start-time, the three ladies went into the bedroom to hide. Knowing BSILF, we anticipated her either arriving early or on time at the latest. Although there were a few logistical kinks (i.e., Costco messed the cake up so CIL's husband ended up having to go pick it up), everyone was back in time before BSILF arrived.

(Picture taken before pretty pink ribbons were attached.)

CHK brought BSILF and as soon as she was comfortably settled down in the plush sofa, CIL said, "We have a surprised, but we don't want you to get too excited [lest BSILF go into labor]. I'll go get it."

BSILF's reaction was Hallmark classic. Since I was the designated videocamera-woman, I got to see it all. First, her mother walked out and BSILF was absolutely stunned! She didn't even realize that MIL was right behind so I got continuous footage of a second genuinely pleasant surprised reaction. And then one more for Aunty-in-Law! It was really so wonderful to witness all of it.

As more guests arrived, we began with cheese & crackers and M & Ms for appetizers and then quickly rolled into our delicious lunch of chicken, salmon, mac & cheese, and Caesar salad. We all sat outside and enjoyed each other's company. As lunch winded down, we started our first game of guessing flavors of baby food in unlabelled jars. There were 12 of them...and I only got 2! (Who knew there was butternut squash? I sure didn't.)
We moved inside to have delicious carrot cake, and then we played a game of "Who knows Mommy Best?" BSILF really put the pressure on me since I often declare to her that she is one of my best friends. Sadly, I proved not to be!

The few things I knew about BSILF:

• Full name
• baby's due date
• night person (vs. day)
• half-credit for favorite dessert (I would have bet all my money that it's anything with pumpkin, but I wrote pumpkin pie...but it was really brownies with pumpkin pie being a very close runner-up)
• Birth location
  

A few things that I didn't know about BSILF:

• First band/singer infatuation -- I had absolutely no clue so I blindly (and jokingly) guessed Queen. She did NOT like that answer. LOL (I am still laughing about the way she responded to my answer!)
• Favorite toy as a child -- no clue either so I put bubbles. She quickly reprimanded, "Apparently you think that I am one of your speech students!" LOLOL (Turned out to be Matchbox cars.)
• Married for 14 years -- I put 15 years b/c I quickly did the math but failed to take into consideration that her wedding date was earlier than her birthday for that year. I always knew that Math wasn't my forget, but that also tested my overall problem-solving skills.
  

So, sadly, I only scored 5 out of 12! (I was so bummed that I had to bring her husband down with me when he later took the test. Including both mothers, he scored the highest out of everyone with a 9 out of 12! But I had to be a brat and point out that his score was only a 75% which equates to a "C" for average.)

Our last activity was to decorate a onesie. Honestly, I had been thinking about this and trying to plot out a cool design ever since we planned this activity back in March! (Only b/c I am soooo uncreative and unartistic but didn't want to make something ugly for our cutie-pie baby girl.) Still, I arrived with no design in mind. BSILF quietly said, "why don't you draw a turtle?" (or something like, "I was sure you'd draw a turtle.") I almost drew a turtle's shell on the back...so that when Baby Girl wore it, she would look like a turtle (this inspiration came from BF. I often tell him that I want a tattoo of a turtle or sea turtle and he teases that I should get my back tatted w/ a turtle's shell. Scary and ugly!). Since I didn't like that idea for myself, I didn't think that would look so cute on Baby Girl. So I ended up just drawing a turtle.

Clumsy me smeared one of the "scute" outlines so I ended up filling up the entire shell at the suggestion of my supportive GFs. :) I was quite proud of it since I am soOOOOOoOOOOoooo not artistic. (Dude, my middle school kids often laugh at my drawings.)

(When I showed artistic BF the pictures above and below, he totally clowned on me,

"Did one of your elementary school students draw that?" -- knowing that I don't work with such young ones!)
Shortly after, BSILF opened up all the adorable gifts for baby girl. OMG, Baby Girl is going to be dressed to the nines in the most adorable outfits!
In retrospect, BF and I unintentionally got gifts from their registry to the theme of "cleanliness." We got this cool bath tub with a self-cleaning system and thermometer, a catch-all-mess floor mat, and booties to keep Baby Girl's feet clean. ;)

After the last guest left, I felt the need to leave, but BSILF said, "no, stay! Just b/c everyone left doesn't mean you have to leave!" So I stayed and got extra BSILF time in. :)

I ended up leaving around 8:30 PM! I was exhausted, but so happy to have spent the day with friends and "family"! :)

I am EAGERLY counting down the days until Baby Girl arrives!!!

Zero Week

Was it in college that the first week of class for the school year was called "Zero Week"?

Anywho, I just completed my first week back on the job! It's good to be back for 1) the paycheck and 2) the familiarity. I can still remember last year -- new job, new setting, new people, new students, new everything. Fortunately for me, the procedures haven't changed much so I was able to work pretty efficiently on the beginning of the year stuff. I even got some enthusiastic welcome-backs from the SPED teachers, psych, and autism specialist. I guess I didn't mar too many professional relationships last year. Phew!

It's only the 3rd day of school for the kiddos, but I already have some "friends" that are trying to claim my room as their new hang-out. It's pretty funny to me. Since I moved into a new mofo'n awesome room, I am now literally next door to the SDC-Basic Skills Class (as the teacher explains, her class is "lower than RSP but higher than Severely Handicap." That was much better than my explanation of "they're the lowest short of the SH population."). This year, the teacher said that she will no longer allow her students to hang out in her room during lunch -- only b/c she has them ALL day except for one period (P.E.), so to allow them to stay during lunch was too much. Well, now that they're kicked out for lunch, they've filtered into my room!

Yesterday, I made the "mistake" of letting this one kid, Big D, come in. I like this kid and know him although he isn't on my caseload. He is this kid that completely towers over me and looks intimidating but probably couldn't even hurt a flower. Last year, he used to ask me all the time when I went to pick up his classmates, "Can I go with you?" "How come you don't call me?" (For whatever reason, the SDC-BSC always think going to speech is fun.) I am constantly amazed at how well-mannered, courteous, and polite Big D is. I wish all of my kids were as polite as him. With that being said, I didn't have the heart to kick him out since he was sweating up a storm and didn't want to stand outside in the 90 degree heat -- all of which I can totally relate to -- so I let him hang out in my room for like 15 minutes. I asked if he had met any of the new 6th graders in his class and he said, "Yeah! I was the first and only one to go up to them. I introduced myself and even shook their hands!" I was so impressed even moreso b/c I had asked my girls and the most social one said, "NO! I don't want to. They annoy me anyways." I said to Big D, "That's so nice of you! You're a great role model." He hung out until the bell rang. I thought he didn't hear it so I continued chatting with him to see what would happen. I asked him another question so he answered and then said, "Well, um, I think I better go b/c the bell just rang and I don't want to be late." For whatever reason, I thought that was really funny but also a very polite and responsible way of excusing himself...vs. some of my other kids who act like robots on a timer. Once they hear the bell ring, they stop mid-sentence and run out the door.

Well, today, 3 of my SDC-BSC girls came by to say hello and ask when I would start seeing them. I told them next week and the biggest female trouble-maker on my caseload asked, "are you going to keep us all day?" Imagining having her all day flashed in my mind for a brief second and I practically yelled out, "Oh, [hayal] no!" Instead of letting them hang out, I told them, "Okay, well, see you next week!" Fortunately, their pragmatics are typically developing so they got the hint and left. I walked out to use the Ladies' Room.

When I got back, my new CFY lady who is helping me on Tuesdays and Fridays told me that Big D stopped by.

Big D: Hi.
CF: Hi. Can I help you?
Big D: Yes.
[Awkward silence.]
CF:...okay?
Big D: I was here yesterday and [yours truly] let me stay for my lunch. Can I stay again?
CF: Um, I was not aware of this so I'm sorry but I don't think you can stay.
Big D: Okay. Bye.

When I got back and CF told me, I was like, Oh no! The pattern is developing! I better break it now! I didn't have to turn any other kids away today, but I may do the passive-aggressive thing of locking my door and hiding behind the partition for my lunch breaks.

Other than that relatively sedated experience, nothing too crazy has happened this week. I saw my kiddos with severe autism yesterday, which always gives me a good healthy laugh b/c I have a lot of fun with them during snack time.

Next week is when I hit the floor running and start seeing my kids as regularly as possible. I'm sure I'll have some great stories then...

My goals this year are to:

1. hold my end of the year IEPs earlier.
2. participate more in school activities.
3. get all of my kids to say my name right!
   

First Day Back at Work

In having a relaxing last day of vacation, I didn't feel anxious nor stressed about work when I went to sleep last night. I forced myself to go to bed around 11 PM so I could wake up with 7.5 hours of sleep...instead, I woke up around 1 AM when BF came in to see if I was asleep and give me a few smoochies. After that, I couldn't fall asleep even though I felt exhausted. I tried what webMD suggests -- if you can't fall asleep within half an hour, get up and do something. So I got up and read my newest textbook, thinking it would definitely put me to sleep. I did this cycle about three times and finally fell asleep around 4:30 AM...just to wake up at 6:30 for work.

I get so annoyed when I don't get a good night of sleep and I have no reason not to! Fortunately, today was a teacher's prep day so I wasn't supposed to see any kids.

I got to work around 8:20 (later than planned) and when I pulled into the rear parking lot, a school bus pulled up. I thought, "That's weird; there's no school today," but I shrugged it off since the bus looked empty.

I got to the main office to pick up a key to my new and 10x improved office (wooO-hOoOOO!!!) when the secretary asked loudly, "is Cheryl there??" I was like, uh-oh...turns out the bus driver was wondering where the SDC PAU teacher was. I knew that he wasn't positive about coming in today. I picked up my key and promptly made my way back to the parking lot (opposite end of campus).

When I got there, I could hear two ladies/bus drivers frantically scuffling on the first bus. I climbed onto the bus and saw my ol' pal P320. The two ladies were freaking out, trying to back away from him but simultaneously blocking him from exiting off the bus (they are legally not allowed to let students off the bus without a credentialed teacher or aide). All the while, they were yelling at me, "Watch out! He's scratching and biting!" I was like, "What? [P320] doesn't bite...did he really bite you?" Turns out P320 didn't bite but was putting up a very good fight to get off the bus. It took the 3 of us to settle him back down. It was seriously a struggle that made all 4 of us break out in a sweat. The ladies finally got the seat belt and restraints back on, and I quickly called his mom to explain that there's a misunderstanding; school begins tomorrow.

I dreaded making the call b/c this mom is spread so thin, and I could hear the panic in her voice. I told her I couldn't stay long b/c I was already late for a District meeting, but she desperately asked me to stay with her son until she got there. She hung up and I sat down next to him. Oddly, he was totally his calm self that I'm used to. It was a complete 180 from what we were just experiencing minutes before. I'm not sure what it was -- did he understand when I told him, "there's no school today...Mommy's picking you up now...you're going home"? I've never seen him get aggressive or violent, but recently, this has been a huge concern for many upsetting reasons. (Later, when I was re-telling my brother my morning excitement, he called me the "autism whisperer." =P I'd like to think that I was the stimulus for calming him down b/c I've had a lot of success in the past, but who knows. Like I always tell BF, "I'll ask them my questions when I see them in Heaven.")

His mom called right back and said she was on her way, but I told her to please don't rush; everything is okay, just drive safe. For the next 25 minutes that I sat next to the kiddo, he was soOOoOo calm. None of the aggressive behaviors that he was just exhibiting when the two bus drivers were trying to get him to just sit down. Mom came and picked him up and he climbed into the back seat and buckled his seat belt with ease (I watched out of curiosity b/c I always imagined that they had a special seat belt contraption in their car, but there wasn't any.)

Thankfully, that was as exciting as my day got. Afterwards, I went back to my room and started unpacking. I hung up my "Speech Room" sign that BF designed for me last year. I saw some of the teachers returning from the district meeting so I caught up with them in front of the auditorium and then attended a short campus meeting. Truthfully, I couldn't wait to get back to my AIR CONDITIONED room!!

I had the A/C blasting at 70 degrees the entire time while I unpacked and marveled at how wonderful my new room and set-up is. I don't have a phone yet and still no working clock, but I've gotten used to not having a clock. I like that I am the time-keeper when I have kids in session; "What time is it? Not time for you to leave yet!" Most importantly, I still have a desktop PC, printer, a window, sink, and A/C-heater!

I stayed until about 3:30 and then went to run some errands before the first day of my last BCBA course. I was soOoOOoo sleepy so I had another cup of coffee to stay awake. Thankfully, class ended half an hour early.

I came home to my wonderful BF who had just woken up from a late nap. He didn't sleep all night and by the sound of his laughter, I guessed he was watching our newest favorite show, "My Name is Earl." And he was. :) Even though I had spoken to him a few times today, I had still missed him. It's nice to be home, but I really need to get some sleep as I will see my PAU kiddos tomorrow.

I can imagine my regular speech kiddos passing by my old room -- which is literally back to being a storage room, filled with those gray, cold folding chairs -- and thinking that they no longer have to go to speech since there's no more Speech Room and no "Miss Ling" in sight! Little do they know how wrong they are. Haha!

P.S. My goal this year is to get all of my kiddos to say my name right.

Happy Labor (Free) Day!

Today marks the end of my labor-free month-long summer vacation. I got a full-night's rest (quite a rarity just b/c I've always had trouble sleeping) and then quickly got ready for my bro and FBIL to pick me up.

Around 11 AM, we got to Santa Monica and parked at the mall. We walked over to the Coffee Bean to get a much anticipated caffeine fix before heading out to the boardwalk. Along our walk, we passed by the Venice Freakshow, which exhibited a two-headed RES turtle outside that served to entice people in. I was much more fascinated with the two-headed RES than wanting to see a 5-legged dog or 2-headed chicken so we ventured on towards Venice Beach.

We didn't walk all the way to Venice since the sun broke out and we started to feel the heat and the big crowds. I had smothered myself in SPF 50 sunblock but I could still feel the sun's rays slowly browning me. On our way back, we stopped by Sidewalk Cafe to partake in some refreshing alcoholic beverages. My bro and FBIL had a beer while I had a delicious Wider's peach cider. Let me rephrase that -- I had HALF of one (6 oz. of a 5% alcoholic beverage). Afterwards, we walked about another 10 minutes and got back to the car. By the time I got home, it was about 2 PM.

I haven't done the beach walk with my bro and FBIL in a while so this was quite a nice, fun, and relaxing way to end my summer vacation. The weather was perfect and there were lots of sights (and people) to see. I've just been chilling and enjoying the rest of the afternoon doing nothing strenuous or stressful. I even indulged in a half a big bag of peanut M&Ms.

Tomorrow marks the first day of my second year of work as an SLP! The kiddos don't start until Wednesday so I'll have a day to prepare and hopefully get situated in the new office/room that I was told I would be moved to! :)