Kindergarten Bullying......."really?!?!"

I probably shouldn't write/act/talk about it as it all happened today and I'm pretty upset by it all. Who knows...maybe over reacting a little. However, it's my child and if I didn't, what type of parent would that make me. Honestly, I think my little boys are lucky that I have their back! :)

The morning started out good. Although I am still trying to catch up on that hour of sleep that seems to be kicking my butt every morning but whatever.... We were running 10 minutes behind. The boys were eating quickly and as they started to get dressed, Cody tells my mom and I that his head hurts. OK. So I gave him some tylenol and out the door we went. Got to school, dropped them off and he just looked a little out of it when he got out of the car. So, I got to work and decided to email his teacher to let her know. The day went on and I didn't hear from her or the school so I assumed the headache was gone and he had a fine day. It wasn't long before I was due to leave and go for my daily drive to pick them all up from school that the teacher wrote me back. Said he was fine all day .... but..... there was an incident on the playground today. As I read what was next my blood started to boil. Cody was on the playground and a boy "showed him his fist and then punched him in the stomach". Wow! Are you kidding me!

I left work to go pick them up and called my sister. I was angry but of course did not know the story. She suggested that maybe I don't speak of it first and see if they tell me. Good idea. I did just that. They got about 2 steps out of the school and Dylan spills it. So I talked to them a bit. Cody was on the playground playing with 2 friends "G" and "A". Girl "A" is not in his class. Then next comes over two boys. (one of them a few weeks ago pushed Cody).....the other boy "J" showed Cody his fist and then punched him in the stomach. All because Cody was playing with Girl "A". The teacher told me "J" apologized but Cody says not. Maybe the kid just apologized to the teacher/Cody - who knows and honestly I don't care!

I haven't spoken with his teacher but wrote her back. I will see her tomorrow at school. I am requesting the principal be notified and I am hoping something goes home to the parents. This boy isn't in either of Cody or Dylan's class. Is this a form of bullying....to me it is! You don't punch a kid because he is playing with somebody you don't want him too. And yes, I am very sensitive when it comes to Cody. I am only guessing I will be this way if it's the other 2 as well. I do know that Cody has enough fears and anxiety that I have to deal with - that are medically related. I am NOT adding school to the list....IN KINDERGARTEN! I have no tolerance for a bully. Yah, kids can be kids...I get that...but darn it - you don't let kids punch another kid. I don't let his brother's do it. And they are brother's - they fight! I've also asked what is the schools policy on bullies and what does the school do to prevent them. Yah, this kid just punched him, but in 3 more years when he's 9-10 years old...but is he doing. Perfecting the punch. So yah, for now...this child has hit the wrong kid. I'm not going to be quiet. I only hope that if my child did it to somebody else - the school and other parent would be just as upset.

A Busy Weekend

We had such a busy yet wonderful weekend. Woke up to the sun shinning and temps that reached into the 50's. It was still cool outside but that sun felt so great. So we all put on our "green" and headed out to the St. Patrick's Day parade. The streets were packed. By the time the parade finally reached us there was no longer standing room. Heck, people were standing in the road. The motorcycle cops kept driving up and down the street pushing people back. At times you wondered how the firetrucks made their way down. AND seriously...why on earth do people bring their dogs to a parade? Do dogs enjoy parades? Cause the dogs I saw acted as if they could just break away from their owners (who were doing everything in their power to control them) they would have a great snack eating another dog. So many people and you have to worry and look everytime a dog barks. It wasn't just a little "bark"...it was a mean "bark"....UGH! Anyway, we saw lots and lots of bagpipers. I absolutely love the sound of them. The boys got lots of candy! We saw lots of police departments (and everytime they saw a K9 until, they would mention that it looked like Tacko), lots and lots of firetrucks and so much more. We stayed for 2 1/2 hours and then left and it wasn't over but my parade go-ers were done! :)On Sunday, I left behind the boys for the day. They were busy playing their new Wii game. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics. If you have Wii, I recommend it. The boys love it! Karly had her first cheerleading competition. It was so fun to see her cheer through out the year. She picked it up quick and had such great enthusiasm about it. The girls had practiced a lot on their dance I couldn't wait. Not to mention it brought back a lot of memories from my cheering days. Actually, as I was sitting in the stands looking across the court at all the cheerleaders I realized that this was my first competition that I wasn't cheering. Only cheering that day were girls in Pee-Wee and in Grammar (which is 6-8th grade).....and I must say, these "grammar" squads did awesome and you would have never known they weren't in high school. The level of cheering out here is so much different than what I grew up doing/or around. The pee-wee girls didn't place..but rather it was for experience. The grammar girls competed and St. Anthony's grammar girls won first. So the pee-wee girls LOVED that! Karly did fantastic and made me so proud. She has done this stuff before being in dance but I think she enjoyed taking all the "cheer stuff" in too. She had attitude, she had her steps down, her pretty little smile.....she's not my daughter but she made this Auntie super proud! I can't wait to follow her through her cheering days. And I think my sister learned a lesson...never trust a man to do a women's job! :)

Ortho Visit - 8 months

It all started a couple of nights ago. I noticed that Cody's top wire had moved and that all the bonding was gone. The wire was in front of his top tooth. I asked if it bothered him and he said no so I decided to watch it as we were due for our checkup in a couple of weeks. Well yesterday after school he complained all day that it hurt. I looked at it last night and didn't think we could make it to our next appointment. I tried to push it back behind his tooth but could not get it to stay. He said it hurt and I noticed that is was poking his lip. I called our ortho office this morning and they got us right in.

I talked to Cody about it last night. After he finally settled down and let me explain things he said he understood why he had to go. He knows that when the wire gets moved it hurts and honestly who wants to have pain. So once I picked him up from school today *early* he was so upset he had to go. We came home to pick up our goodies and he just sat on Brett's lap and cried. All the way to Syracuse he would pipe up and say "mommy, if I let you move the wire, will you turn the car around". Finally we made it and he cried like I've never seen before when we reached the parking lot. The "mushy" mommy wanted to sit in the back of the car with him and cry too. Just cry to get it out..cry to say damn it this isn't fair...cry because I hate to see him cry or in pain ...cry because at times I HATE this road we are on. However, the "mommy in the armor suit" showed up and I let him cry for a few minutes but then I told him that I wasn't turning the car around and we weren't leaving the parking lot without going to see Dr. D. So he got on his coat and we went inside.

He really wanted to play but after we visited the bathroom and brushed his teeth, they were ready for us. This time he picked a stuffed animal from the arch and in the room he went to watch Nick. By the time Dr. D came in he was calm and he did FANTASTIC! I was so proud of him. Dr. D cleared away some old bonding and re-positioned the wire. He said that his upper tooth is sloped on the back and that I wasn't going to be able to just pop the wire behind the tooth. (That made me feel good that we didn't do the drive for something I could of done at home) He said his top two teeth are loose but no idea when they will be ready for the tooth fairy. As he was working he had Cody bite down and he said to the tech "appliance is doing it's job but isn't going to finish it".........OK.......I let that go and let him continue to work. When he was done - I pounced! :) I asked him what he meant and he said that the appliance we have in now is moving teeth and widening the front but won't complete the job. When Cody's top 6 year molars come in he will change the appliance to the type where we will turn a key every night and he will hook the head gear to it to bring his jaw forward. Right now though Cody is just getting his first bottom molar so not sure on when the change will happen.

I was really really hoping we wouldn't have to do the jaw part of this...or have to wear the head gear. I have no idea about that and will be doing my part to hook up with parents who have "been there/done that" as that is the best way to learn. (So if you are one of them reading this - we need to talk! :) ) I think about Cody's anxiety issues and can't imagine what the next step will be like for him. Just hoping that with time and age he will be able to understand more. Of course I won't talk to him about the next step until it's time and we have dates in mind but that doesn't mean I won't be thinking about it. I need to prepare myself first. It just hit me hard tonight. Maybe it's because we have "family" that I think truly believes that once Cody turned 1 and had his palate fixed that all of his issues went "bye,bye".....they truly suck at giving support. Thankfully it's a small part and can be over looked. So yah, I had a pity party tonight. All I can say is that yes, what we have happening in our life might not be the "worst case out there" and there is always somebody "worst"...but darn it - this is the worst for "our" family. This is what we know. This is what I know and I know I have to keep it together and keep it strong to get Cody through it all. So I will blog, I will cry to those that lend me an ear, I will hug my mom as she cries too, I will talk to my sister and get my strength back, I will sit with Brett's arms around me and know that we will get through this and Cody is going to do just fine!

Here is his bite 8 months into the palate expander.....

I am "way" behind....

Wow - it's been just over a month that I last blogged. You would think that nothing has happened in that time. Yet.....so much has happened. I think I got caught up in facebook and didn't post as much as I would of liked to on the blog. So I am searching my memory bank of what we did and the first thing that comes to mind is our birthday present to Dylan. We had gotten him tickets to see a real live Monster Jam show! We saw Grave Digger, El Toro Loco and a few other drivers. This time the show was on dirt and that made it even better. The smiles on the boys faces were priceless and something I'll always remember. Cody didn't come with us, he stayed with grandma. The noise is to much for him.

We've had some snow days finally. Last week we got about 2 feet of snow and it was fun. Brett was home from work, we had family fun out in the white stuff even if it was to shovel out our cars. However, I did reach a breaking point. I went out to shovel and had to start the minute I opened the door. The snow was heavy! I got to the steps finally and realized it was going to take me all day to do this. So I did what any logical person would do - found the nearest kid with a snowblower and paid him to come do the driveway and sidewalk. Yep, that was so much better! :) Sometimes it's just worth it to spend the money.

I am promising to myself to do a better job starting in March. I enjoy writing down what we are doing...it's fun to look back on. Life can be so crazy and weeks run into weeks. So to write it down and read it back later is so nice. Cody has another ortho visit in a couple weeks but I'm not thinking we are making that. His appliance appears to have moved, the wire is in front of his teeth and it's hurting him. So I need to make the call tomorrow and we will need to be seen next week if they can't do it this week. I've tried to bend it back but his teeth are so small, I can't get it to stay. Not to mention he is freaking out when I move it! Karly has her cheering competition this weekend. I can not wait to see their routine complete. Dylan and Tyler are doing great. We've had no more issues with Tyler's hand. Thank goodness! We are going to the St. Patty's day parade this weekend. I love the sound of the bagpipers! Even though we aren't Irish - with the last name of Luckey - how can you not get excited about this holiday! :)

It's been 7 months....

Even with cheek guards in - you can see the smile in his eyes! I love this little boy!!!! And this is our progress. Teeth are touching but sides still aren't in alignment with each other. As the doctor said "we are making progress but still have progress to make". We had a nice ride to Syracuse today. As we got off the exit I hear from the back seat "mommy, I don't feel good, I want to go home". He had me nervous but he didn't get sick. His nerves had kicked in. We got to the office and he wanted to play but we got called right back. He got the big TV all to himself. These offices do amaze me at what is available to the kid in the chair. Spongebob came on and we took our pictures. First them and then it's my turn. It doesn't look like much progress but those top teeth couldn't even touch his bottom - they do now. His palate tooth is moving. It's still in his palate but we have a wire hooked to it and we are moving it. His upper right tooth is still hanging on. Not causing issues for Cody so we leave it. There is no wire hooked to it. Dr. D said that it's really a "tooth fairy tooth" but right now he is gaining confidence in Cody so he is leaving it alone. He feels that when it does become loose there isn't really anything for him to grab onto and wiggle so he will most likely pull it...but for now...we leave it alone and address one thing at a time. The expander and Cody's anxiety. The other thing I love is right after Cody got in the chair and Dr. D started moving the wire and said something about tooth glue and Cody started to loose it. Dr. D reeled him in real quick. He got a little stern and told him he needed him to be his helper and that's all it took. So proud of Mr. Cody today. It is hard on me to sit in the chair and just hold his hand. After we were done we visited our normal - McDonald's.....We go back in 6 weeks.

Staying a mystery....

Some things are just meant to stay a mystery. I guess as a mom of 3 boys - I should get used to that. Brett took Tyler to the orthopedist yesterday for his follow up on his hand. Apparently the brace has been working. Tyler has had no more complaints of pain in the hand. They had told me that they would re-xray the hand at the follow up but Brett said they didn't. So we won't know if he actually might have had a hair line fracture...or if in fact he tore some cartilage.....but whatever he did - it appears to be all better! He is to wear the brace for another week and we are to notify them if he has any more complaints.

So - the hand hurting/injury is going to stay a mystery.......

And if anybody knows me........ I HATE THAT!!!! :) I can't help it! I like to know all the "W's"..what/when/where/why.....it's a fault of mine! :)

6yr. checkups

Tonight, Cody and Dylan had their check ups. It was very nice that Brett could go. He kept one in the waiting room while I only had to deal with one kid at a time. They feed off each other - so when in the room together - it can get crazy!

Dylan went first. He sat up and answered all her questions and she was very happy with him. He wasn't thrilled when he had to take off his clothes down to his underwear but he did it. He is very bashful. He got weighed....62 3/4 pounds. Yah, he's healthy! And he stands at 46 1/4" tall. I thought she would have more to say about his weight but she just said to watch the sugars in his drink. He is a very active boy - I think he's just been blessed with a slow metabolism like his parents. Everything else , BP, ears, heart, lungs, eye exam - all checked out great.

Next it was Cody's turn. He was over tired and therefor not cooperating as much as I know he could have. I'm watching the "tiredness", trying to figure out if he is in fact just tired or if his thyroid is having issues. I'll watch a little bit longer and then make the call. So I answered her questions about Cody. Honestly, she's a great pediatrician but for Cody's issues we have specialist and if I'm having a problem - I'll call them and we'll just update the ped. Cody weighed in at 53 1/4 pounds and stands at 45 1/4" tall. Everything for Cody checked out fine too!

Then we had to drop the bomb - they had to get shots! A booster to the Hepatitis shot and we decided to give the H1N1 shot. Dylan was fine with the news but Cody went into hysterics! Horrible! He has such a fear of needles that I feel so bad for him. So Dylan went first to show that it wasn't going to hurt. He did great. Cody freaked even more taking his shirt off and it took Brett and I to hold him so the doctor could give the shot. After the first arm we moved to the other arm and he says "no, not my favorite arm".....that's when Brett and I lost it. So not right to laugh at him but OMG that was too funny! Then poor Tyler who thought he was just coming along to play with the cool kitchen found out that he too needed a shot. I haven't told them yet that they all need to go back in a month for the second round! :(

This is one doctor visit out of the way. Tyler goes back to the orthopedist tomorrow for a re-check of his hand. Since the brace was put on and after the first 2 nights with the brace, he has slept fine and not complained of his hand hurting. I'll be curious to see if the x-rays will show anything tomorrow. On Monday, Cody heads back to Syracuse for an adjustment of his appliance.