Insanity Has Taken Over!!

WARNING -- THIS IS A MOMMY AUTISM STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS POST!!!!!  THIS IS ME GOING OFF ON MY OBSESSIVE PLANNING ACTIVITIES!!!!!  DISCLAIMER DONE......IF YOU CHOOSE TO READ ON, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!!

Yes, things are totally insane right now!!!  We are less than 2 days of a HUGE road trip, and the incessant planning and checking and re-checking and shopping and packing and unpacking to be sure we have everything and re-packing and checklisting......they are all in full force!!!!!

It's currently Monday afternoon.  Bright and early Wednesday morning, we plan to be on the road.  We are taking a road trip.  We're going to Indiana first to visit with Dad's family.  I don't think many of them have ever met Ballerina and Music Man and just a few more have met Big Brother.  Since my Mother and Father-in-Laws grew up in the same small town in Indiana, many in their families have stayed reasonably close.  And we're hoping we can find a way to see as many as possible without fully overwhelming our kids.

Then, on Friday, we're heading to a suburb of Detroit, Michigan for my brother's wedding.  All 5 of us are in the wedding and the saga in getting Ballerina's dress is a story for another time (when there's time).  But it's straightened out now and she is perfectly happy with her dress and can't wait until Sunday when she gets to wear it for the big day.

But Dad and are are compulsive planners.  And every time we are serious about planning, things tend to go smoothly.  We make regular car trips to New York or Connecticut.  Sometimes we go to Pennsylvania for a long day or a short weekend.  But in general, we know we can pick up things that we forget along the way.  We are determined to not need that crutch this time around.  We are going to pack correctly and make sure that everyone has everything they need for the whole trip.

So, we have the checklist for packing.  And we have the checklist for loading the car.  And we have the grocery list to be sure we picked everything up we needed from the store.  And we made sure that the dog would be well cared for (including a vet visit today to make sure her immunizations were up to date).

Tomorrow Dad will be home and we will make sure everything is set (with the exception of the actual packing) so that, when the kids go to bed, we can just pull everything together and have them waiting by the door.  I can bring Domino to the "Doggy Hotel" as early as they open and Dad will be able to make several trips out to the car, loading everything in it's proper place so we can pull out what we need when we need it.  We can also set up the numerous movies, books, stuffed animals, homework assignments, etc. so we can do things as we're driving.  The snacks for the road have to be where we can easily get to them.  And, hopefully by 10pm, we'll reach our destination in Indiana.

But before that happens, I'm off to pick the kids up from school.  I have some PTA responsibilities that have to be met, Ballerina has her dance class tomorrow afternoon, Big Brother has scouts tomorrow night and I'm supposed to be at a PTA Meeting (which will probably NOT happen).  All clothes worn since Saturday will need to be washed so they can be packed, but we need to remember to leave something home so they can dress the following day.  Despite going to the grocery store today, there is likely going to be another trip tomorrow, Dad has to pick up his tuxedo (because, like I already mentioned, he's in the wedding), and we have to get iPods and iPhones properly loaded.  I also have to finish up my popcorn duties for the week for the local cub scout chapter.

Can you tell I'm going just a bit nuts right now?  INSANITY!!!!!!!!!!!

ARE WE CRAZY?????????? (the current story)

Birthdays. We all have them. And our kids have them. For parents, we love to celebrate these milestones. We see how much our children have grown. We see them continue to blossom into their potential. Even when we have problems with developmental delays and issues, we STILL get to watch and amaze in the wonder of their development.

Ballerina and Music Man are turning 5. A whole hand. Half a decade. And this is happening TOMORROW!!!!! When they were first born, they were each in an isolette. They both required breathing and feeding assistance in the forms of machines and tubes. But they were still two of the most beautiful creatures that Dad and I had ever seen.

Now they run around. They taunt each other, big brother, their parents and teachers, everyone. They laugh and play. Music Man can read. Ballerina loves to dress up in her fancy dresses and shoes. We have so much to celebrate. So, this year we will!!!

Yup.....we're having a birthday party. And we are having it at the kids' gym (The Little Gym of Germantown) on Sunday afternoon. We have invited all of their classmates at both schools (plus two other children in their schools that aren't in their classes but with whom they share other school activities). We also invited the two other girls in Ballerina's dance class. When we sum that up, that totals 20 children, including our 3, all but 1 fall somewhere on the spectrum. Thus far, we are still waiting on several RSVPs (which is really annoying because I have no way of contacting those families that I haven't exhausted already), but given the numbers we know for sure, we will have upwards of 18 kids ages 3 through 6 (actual current count 9 kids, all but Big Brother on the spectrum).

I am very happy that we are doing this party outside of our home. I am already going crazy trying to think everything through and plan for everyone to have a good time with minimal meltdowns. We will have 2 cakes, one for each twin. Ballerina's will be a Princess cake made using a standard mix (or 2). Music Man's cake will be a chocolate GF/CF cake in the shape and design of a piano keyboard. Both of these will be decorated by our resident cake expert, Dad (watch for my post about the party and I'll be sure to include pictures). Whenever I speak with parents about the party, I warn them about the "Air Track" (it's like a bounce house without the house). It's one of Ballerina's FAVORITE things and we can't be without it for the party, because it is HER birthday after all. But it's LOUD. So, we are warning parents so they can be prepared (and we're ready because Music Man isn't too fond of it either). We have also made it clear that for every child there, there must be an adult staying with that child. The staff at The Little Gym is NOT trained to deal with a special needs population. But we have lucked out with the person running the party. The person taking charge of our party will be the teacher who knows both of these kids the best. She also knows Big Brother. She doesn't do many parties anymore so we didn't think it would work out like that. But she managed to get ours and we couldn't be happier about that.

And, at her suggestion, we are bringing in our own music. And when we do that, what do you think that will be? Why, LAURIE BERKNER BAND of course!!!!! We purchased the CD of their latest DVD (Party Day) and between that and several other songs that we have downloaded from amazon and iTunes over the last couple of years, we have a very happy and upbeat mix. I will be burning this compilation onto CD and bringing it to them either this afternoon or tomorrow so that the teacher can listen and work it into the party.

We've done all we can. Now we just have to let it happen. We know that we can't avoid the meltdowns -- not in our kids and not in their friends. But we have tried to fix it so that there will be as few as possible. And the gym has really been helpful at giving us suggestions and helping us make all the necessary decisions. All we can do now is sit back, relax and enjoy the party.

Yeah, relax.....right!!!!!