Whew, the end of the week!

What a long long week it was. Nothing major, beyond the stress of Tuesday (see previous post). But busy, non-stop.

Let's see...the problem I alluded to on Tuesday regarding Micah attending the school next year turned out not to be a problem, so never mind. Just keep in mind the source when someone tells you something "alarming" before you panic.

Wednesday wasn't too bad. I worked on the yearbook while Sofia was in school, and mid-afternoon E watched her while I went to Sam's IEP meeting. My boy now qualifies not only for a Learning Disability, but also for an Emotional Disability. He shows signs of Depression, but we think it's actually just Anxiety, not full-blown depression. So in addition to seeing his private-practice therapist, come September he will also see the public school psychologist once a week, and she will work with the day school staff to address the school-related issues (so the private therapist can concentrate on the home front issues).

We had a terrific Lag B'Omer picnic in the evening at the day school's "new" site (we purchased property, but have not started building the school yet). It was raining at the beginning of the picnic, but then the sky cleared and everyone could play on the fields. David (yes, he was there!) and another dad were in charge of "baseball" (mostly just pitching to the kids), while my boys and a lot of the older kids played soccer or capture the flag. Sofia had a grand time trying to get away from me; fortunately, she loves not only her own Dada but our friend E, so she was well cared for.

Thursday after I dropped off the boys, Sofia and I went to Home Depot and I bought a new grill! Hooray! A Fiesta Blue Ember, with 3 burners and a side burner and an LED light and a bottle opener (ok, no wine cork, I guess it's not totally perfect). unfortunately, the already-assembled one would NOT fit into the minivan, so I had to bring home a box. I spent about and hour and a half this afternoon (while the babysitter was here) assembling the bottom, and when David can help me lift the uppper portion tomorrow, I'll finish it. Can't wait to cook!

Monday, Sofia had seen the Cardiologist - we have to schedule a sedated echo in July - and also had her blood tests for the Endocrinologist. Endocrin called Thursday with the results. The TSA level, which last time was 7 (under 6 is normal, above 10 they treat, in between they just watch), this time was 4.4! So we'll just continue to watch.

This morning, we saw Dr. Buie, our dear GastroInterologist. Sam started going to this delightful man at the wee age of 2 months, for about 5 years. Right before Sofia was born, I'd taken Sam for his checkup, and found out the doc had written a chapter in "Medical & Surgical Care for Children with Down Syndrome"! So once Sofia started showing similar gut problems like Sam, she started being a patient, too. Anyway, the reason we were back again today was that her celiac results had been elevated at her routine screening (same one that indicated thyroid issue).

I'm pleased to report that Dr. Buie doesn not think she has Celiac at this time. Whew. We will continue to monitor it, adding TTG and IGA levels to all her routine bloodworks, and continue our wonderfully varied diet. It was good to see this man, who takes the time to explain things carefully and clearly. He also had suggestions for Sam (fish oil supplement to help with anxiety) and David (Niacin Supplement to help with Cholesterol).

We stopped by Micah's allergist while we were in the building, to get refills on all his prescriptions (Mometasome, Bactroban, and Albuterol inhaler). Of course, as soon as we left Dr. Buie's office, Sofia started to develop a stomach bug - she pooped several times throughout the day (including at the allergist's office), and has an awful rash now.

But we had a nice day. It was too late to take her to school when we were done with the doctors, so we went shopping instead. I had to get my dad's birthday invitations printed (we are celebrating his 70th birthday in July!), and we walked around Shoppers World. She fell asleep in the stroller, so I got to try on some clothing, and actually bought a pair of shorts, 2 sun dresses, and a bathing suit!

This afternoon, E watched the kids a bit while I built the grill. David had taken the minivan down to CT today - he had a client in New London - and he went to my folks' for dinner and to pick up the couch. He's on his way home now (almost 10 pm), so it was just me and the kids all evening. We had a nice time. We watched 2 episodes of the BBC production of "Robin Hood." We're all really tired, so it was nice to sit still together. I hope the boys sleep late tomorrow. Micah was up at 4:30 today, and Sofia shortly after that. I have not gotten much sleep this week - they keep waking up early, and Sam's just a wreck from being tired (and he had some standardized tests at school this week, too).

Best Wishes to all for a happy, healthy, and heartwarming Memorial Day weekend.