John's Assignment - A Migration of the Flock!

Well, it's official! John has his assignment...
SOUTH LOS ANGELES
The Flock will be migrating south in November.

John did a ride along in Torrance (in what will be his office) on Saturday night and then drove home to get back to the Academy Sunday night. A whirlwind weekend for him. We were supposed to have been down there last week and over the weekend w/ John (my mom, the kids and I) to scout areas (neighborhoods, school districts, proximity to LA Children's and/or UCLA or Children's Hospital Orange County) but both of the little Swanns were sick and we couldn't travel.

Gracie narrowly missed a visit to the hospital last Sunday and Monday... her lungs sounded terrible and between the coughing and sneezing, I was constantly suctioning her trach, her mouth and her nose. Needless to say, she wasn't very fond of me for a couple of days... I was always "bugging" her. All the coughing wreaked havoc on her stomach and her gastritis flared up something terrible. She feels so much better now, thank goodness, and despite being very "junky" with her secretions, she is back to her little sassy self. I missed her!

Since Gracie was kind enough to "share" with her brother, Preston got the "ick," too, although his was mostly in his little nose - - which is now raw from Mommy wiping it all the time. Vitamin E oil works great to soothe, though, and he likes to have it rubbed on... thank goodness for small favors. He does NOT, however, like it when I use Gracie's suction to clean out his nose! It's SO worth the battle, though - - since he hasn't yet mastered the nose-blow, it's really a handy little tool to have! He also is cutting another molar and has a little fluid in one of his ears. The "great" thing was that he could tell me - he pointed to his ear and then signed & said "Ow." I immediately called the doctor and we went in to get his ear checked out... and got some pain relief drops.

I felt on the brink of getting completely nailed by the bug (as did my mom) but we managed to avoid getting the full blown flu like the kids. Now that everyone is on the mend, we are going to try and go down this week to find a place to live. I was originally thinking we wouldn't do this until after John graduates (due to the crazy timing) but with all of the logistics involved in moving (and moving Gracie, specifically), it would be easier to know where we will be landing.

So much to arrange for Miss G... medical supplies/equipment, private therapy services, school placement, home hospital instruction, a new IEP within 30 days of her placement in the district/county, a new Regional Center & caseworker, a new CCS caseworker, re-applying for CCS physical therapy, a new Medi-Cal caseworker, THIRTEEN NEW doctors and specialists... and the list goes on.

Since she just missed a week of school from being sick, I feel a bit guilty pulling her out again to go find a place to live. But when I look at that list, I realize that this is what's necessary... and if I don't make arrangements ahead of time, it will be Thanksgiving before she is placed anywhere in school... then it will be difficult to get things (especially an IEP) accomplished before the Christmas break and before you know it, it will be January. So... I am trying to get over the "pulling her out of school guilt!"

Wish us luck in our house hunt... we are picky... and since we will be keeping our house here and (hopefully) renting it out, we will be broke! NOT a good combination!!!

On the bright side (and it IS bright!!!):
We will be VERY close (perhaps even the very same neighborhood) as the Dodd family, our dear friends in CHARGE. Preston and Reuben are exactly one week apart and, I have a hunch, will be great pals! Gracie will LOVE the climate and be able to be outside more - - it won't be too cold or too hot (Goldilocks?!). I'm sure once Preston sees the beach, he will turn into a mini beach-bum! It will be an adventure... and we will make the most of it!

Odd Coincidence: John and I have always moved this time of year. We bought our first house together 10 years ago this month. We bought our current home 7 years ago this month - - the longest I've ever lived in a house. And now, we are moving again in the fall...