Christmas is coming...

...ack! The Holiday break started today - like marks on a prison wall, we count off the days of finding suitable fun for the twins' while we still try and get some work done. Really, it's great to have them home, they are adorable and fun but at age 5, it's still very: "Mom, what's this?" "Mom, look at that!"

So, Day 1:
- redecorating the tree (Creed, in his very French Montessori way, likes to do his travail - that is: his "work" removing the ornaments and replacing them EVERY DAY!
- cleaning up with Zelda as she experiences every box and bag of food in the house and the crumbs that accompany them.
- listening to Bebel Gilberto, the Biscuit Brothers Christmas, and the Rolling Stones Sticky Fingers - ad infinitum...
- perhaps a trip to Hancock Fabrics and Office Depot?!!
- Aunt Shakti visits tonight so Evan and I can sneak off to an attorney friend's office holiday cocktail party.

Yesterday was spent at various Pre-K and Ecole Christmas parties, so here are some photos to be shared:

The absolute best recent photo of la petite Z - taken in the garden at her Pre-K program. I love her Elvis sneer and by the way, she's holding an eggplant.

The hysterical mug-shot Christmas ornament, starring Zelda in a Yard Dog t-shirt:


Z in her classroom wearing her oh-so-80's inspired Holiday outfit...


At Ecole, with the friends singing "Vive le Vent" - that would be Jingle Bells..




I call this photo "Cheeks": Creed and Tito enjoying their French holiday potluck...

The Zelda Chronicles...

...as promised, here's the 5th year Zelda update. As relayed earlier, Creed is exploding on all fronts - and the same goes for his sister. Zelda attends one of the best public elementary schools in town every day from 7h45 - 2pm. Yes, we drop her off in her PPCD classroom (that's Public Preschool for Children with Disabilities) every morning at an extremely un-godly hour. She happily jaunts down the hall with her long white cane as the other kids stare, some dare to say 'hello', and as the parents jump out of her way while apologizing profusely. The beauty of the situation is - that in this overly white, upper middle class environment where all the mothers are perfectly dressed in their exercise attire each morning and the dads wear rumpled khaki suits, Zelda knows no visual stereotypes. Diversity, (or lack of) at this point, may only be absorbed through what she hears. So, I guess her mom and dad need to stop being so judgemental and critical!

Anyway, her PPCD class is one of inclusion and it blends with the Pre-K class each day, therefore preparing her for the foray into public kindergarten next year. Andrea, her TVI, works with her on Braille, reading and writing, three times a week. Lonnie, her O & M, works with her to navigate the halls, the playground and general cane usage two times a week. She sees Miss B once a week with a group for Speech and then once a week privately and her language is improving by leaps and bounds. At 2pm everyday, she rides the bus to join Creed and her longtime friends at Ecole, where she continues to be immersed in French and hangs out in the garden for extended day play.

AND, the biggest milestone is now Zelda is peeing in the potty. Wow, wow, wow! We were trying to remain calm and less impatient but with the help of the PPCD team and her beloved teachers at Ecole, she now is potty trained. Except for the poop factor - that deserves a whole other entry. And, I need to write a book. Yes folks, information on how to potty train a blind, stubborn little girl - not much about it anywhere and believe me, I have searched!

Hmmm...let's see, other big news: Zelda will now play by herself and with others in a bouncy house - you know, those giant inflatable things kids have at their parties. Up until last week, she always whined and often screamed for Evan to go in with her but at a recent Ecole potluck, she climbed in herself, jumped, fell and giggled with the other kids. Whew!

She likes to do laundry and put things in the dishwasher...she is even starting to get dressed on her own which is more than I can say for her twin brother.

And, when asked what she wants to be for Halloween, she declared, "Halloweena!" We're working on that one and hoping that it's her first outward display of her imagination.

She sings and continues to identify music and for her 5th birthday at PPCD (where they request no sweets or food, but an activity), Zelda chose the Rolling Stones and had a dance party to 2 of their songs from "Exile on Main Street".

This week, we attended the walk from the Texas State Capitol to City Hall for National White Cane Day...she was by far the tiniest ( and cutest) kid there! GO ZELDA! And I must admit, it really is hard to remember these kids as babies - they are growing, learning and exploring by leaps and bounds. It just gets better every day...

franglais...

So, as most of you know, the twins attend a French Immersion Montessori Preschool that we lovingly refer to as Ecole. This is year #2 and they'll be there for one more year before kindergarten. There are 3 teachers and less then 20 kids - it's a great, loving and nurturing environment. It's also funny when I tell people that's where they go to school, because then they expect Creed and Zelda to just start spitting out French. One has to remember that although the teachers only speak to the kids in French, the students are American (or at least half) and communicate effortlessly in English.

Creed and Zelda understand pretty much everything that I or their beloved teachers say to them. They answer questions and easily follow directions. They automatically respond with "Merci" and greet with "Bonjour". If I say, "Fais voir ton visage" to Zelda, she lifts her head and smiles. If I ask, "Ou sont vos chaussures?", they'll scurry to put on their shoes.

But the aspect that I am loving the most are Creed's questions, requests and interpretations. His half French/half English. His reference to particular objects only with the French word. His Franglais...

The other day, upon spilling some popcorn in the kitchen, he ran up to me and asked: "Mommy, may I have the balai?" That would be the broom. And then "How about the pelle?" Dustpan. He shook Evan awake the other day, "Daddy, I want to see your travail!" Show me your work!
And finally this morning while gathering his supplies for Ecole, "Hey, where's a grand bag?" As opposed to a petit...

Et alors, ca marche, cette histoire....It's fun to watch the way their little brains process and interpret language. It's interesting to think that they're not translating as one does when learning a language when later in school. Hopefully we'll keep doing this with them...at least until they start to complain - in French, of course.

Ze plan, ze plan...

we have had an educational plan for Zelda this year and it has thus far, worked really well...As you know, both Creed and Zelda started at Ecole, their French immersion Montessori school last year. We love the school and they love our kids but this past September we decided to add a bit to Zelda's academics by putting her in PPCD (Public Preschool for Children with Disabilities) each morning for 3 hours. We drop Z off at Gullet Elementary and proceed directly with Creed to Ecole. Three hours later, la petite Z hops on her very own bus that takes her over to join Creed and her other amis at Ecole. So far, it has worked out swimmingly. Zelda receives the extra speech therapy and structural learning as she was at times experiencing frustrations with too many unseen choices in the academic part of the Montessori day. The PPCD program has 2 teachers for 6 students and she has a lot of directed activities as opposed to free time. When, she gets to Ecole, she has socialization, lunch, reading, nap and then hangs out with the other kids for extended day. She still has the French immersion and is doing quite well with it.

Now here's the problem...this 3 hr PPCD program is only for this year at Gullet. So, the hunt has begun for her next level PPCD program which unfortunately will go until 2pm and unfortunately at another school...then over to Ecole. The twins won't start kindergarten until fall 2011 as their birthday misses the cutoff in September. I am thus far feeling exhausted by the prospects of always trying to find the appropriate school for Zelda but at the same time knowing that once she's there, she will be a superstar. The other part of "Ze plan" is getting Creed into the same school and on the same bus when the time comes. For now, he's a happy camper at Ecole - understanding everything that's said to him in French but not really speaking it. La petite Z, on the other hand, out of the blue will say things like..."Il fait chaud" and "J'ai faim."

Ca continue...

Summer Schedule...

The twins return to "Ecole" a week from today...and all I can say is: "Betty Draper, I am not." I don't know if you watch Mad Men but Evan and I have become recently addicted. Taking place in the early '60's, when life was stylized, sex roles were well-defined yet daring, and suburbia was thriving. The Draper family is one to be avoided - at least in replication. Betty, the mom, a former model and stay-at-home wife, is a tangled conundrum of emotions. Anyway, I won't get lost in that now...it's best saved for a later look.

The summer seemed to start with the end of my treatment. Up until then, the twins had been in Ecole/Summer Camp. About a week after radiation ended, we hopped a plane for Chicago. I will add that Creed & Zelda have flown many times and this one was better than ever. Creed was chatty and engrossed with any movement and mechanical curiosity. Zelda, fiercely dedicated to her new iPod, could actually tell me when the plane was going up, coming down and turning, through sheer feeling.

We headed directly up to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and thanks to Bill and Kathryn - Evan's friends from college - we had a picture perfect visit at their lake house. They are the best hosts, the boat rides were glorious, the hikes were cool and the meals were relaxing. Almost felt like a vacation, despite the fact that we were all constantly chasing the almost 4 yr olds.
After basking in the cool temperatures (n.b. Austin is on Day 55 or 58 or more of 100+ degrees), we headed down into Chicago to spend some more time with Bill & Kathryn at their home. Days were spent at the Botanical Gardens, Creed & Evan played - or more likely observed - golf with Bill & his son, had a little beach time and took a day trip into almost Iowa to look at an old movie theatre that needs Evan's restoration expertise.
to be continued...

Out the door to Ecole...

Alarm goes off at 7h10am...we hopefully roll out of bed fairly quickly. Usually one twin has somehow ended up with us already throughout the night and the other sleepily finds their way in...Zelda wants O's and music, maybe toast and milk. Creed - well - he likes to change his mind at least 3 or 4 times, finally settling on some cereal, juice and playing with his trains. Lots of chitter/chatter and singing. Mommy picks out their clothes. Daddy dresses them while Mommy makes their lunches: a protein, a veggie, a fruit, a drink and lots of crunchies.

Clean their eyeglasses, wash their hands & faces, brush their hair...out the door with Daddy by 8h00am.

Lunch boxes - check
Jackets - check
Zelda's cane - check

We try not to forget anything. Do you think if Zelda decides she wants a service dog when she's a teenager that we'd ever forget it as we go out the door? Probably not.

Le Fabuleux Destin de Zelda Nicolette...

...cue the circus calliope-like music:

La petite Zelda is 3 1/2, adorable, feisty and fearless. She awakes each morning, sometimes in our bed and sometimes in her own. No matter, as she is always happily sporting a tangled mess of blond hair, closed eyes and a huge grin. She's always silly and chatty in the mornings - eager for Cheerios and a specific choice of music. She spends each day at Ecole, has 5 therapies a week: speech, pre-Braille and O & M. She can count in French up to 20, likes to take walks, and loves her music.

As of now, we don't know what Zelda can see...since she was born, the question has remained unanswered. She has had at least 8 eye surgeries (I've lost count) - all in California. She has had a lensectomy, a few vitrectomys and several retinal reattachments. Sometimes the drs say she may have light perception in her "good" eye, the right one which is smaller. They say there is most likely no sight in her left. She rarely opens her eyes but she does understand what to do when I ask her to do so. When she does open them, they are a piercing blue and each goes in a different direction off to the sides. I guess I figure that if she was seeing anything she would want to keep her eyes open all of the time. Luckily, Zelda has excellent "mapping" and traveling skills. She obviously knows our little bungalow inside and out but then there's the neighborhood: "I want to go outside", she says. And from there, she'll take her long white cane, head onto the porch, down the concrete steps (no helping please!) and off into the direction she has chosen. Down the driveway, down the hill to my shop, up the sidewalk, over to the gate and down the steps, off to Jo's for coffee...she'll tell you. She uses sound, echolocation, feels for curbs with her cane, often bends over to touch the terrain with her hands.

Yes, la petite Z is amazing and a joy but this is not to say that life is always peachy here on Nellie Street. Zelda can be pissy and determined and an absolute tyrant at times. She has learned to scream, throw things, refuse to speak or apologize, and manipulate others. If Creed leaves the tricycle in her path and she trips on it, she becomes the angriest 3 year old you'll ever encounter. There's no pacifying her. She's pissed. She has a way of charming you and driving you crazy at the same time. She'll repeat the word "Mommy" incessantly until I want to pull my non-hair out of my stubbly head. Somedays she'll only want to eat O's and drink tea...other days, she'll throw her lunch tray and get sent home from Ecole. Yet, she's silly and giggly and smart as a whip.

Zelda's new games include opening the refrigerator door and standing there with it ajar while she takes one bottle out at a time and places it on the kitchen counter. With each bottle she'll ask Daddy, "What's that?" "Maple Syrup" "What's that?" "Ketchup" "What's that?" "Soy sauce." Then, one at a time, she'll carefully return each bottle to the approproprite shelf, while naming the product. And repeat. Our energy bills are soaring. now it's time for me to start labeling the groceries in Braille. She also likes to go into the pantry and look for specific items: O's, cookies, Pirate Booty, veggie chips, etc. - note to self: also need to Braille those items. Zelda is way into loading her CD player with her music of choice - need to Braille those, too - and she tortures us while experimenting with the volume control.

People that meet her say that she's magical, others like her lips, or marvel at her agility. Mostly they're curious. It's funny though, as a parent, you want your kids to feel loved, feel happy and feel special - but not too special. Some of us just want them to know that they're just like any other little kid...

Now it's time to go and start brailling everything in the house...

CPCV...an acronym

So, a few weeks ago, Evan and I attended the twins' Parent-Teacher conferences at Ecole. Despite the fact that we see our children as wonderful and "normal" in their own little ways, we are always filled with the dreaded: "Are they going to kick us out?" However...this time it was the: "Are they going to ask us back next year?" As I've mentioned before, we love Ecole. It's 18-20 kids in the entire school, 3 teachers in a Montessori environment and they speak French all day long. Since my illness, the twins leave with Evan at 8am and when Ecole lets out at 2h45pm, they stay with their beloved Madame Z until 5pm.

Back to the photo above...Credence Paul C. V.'s latest escapade. Madame H, the wonderful French woman who created Ecole first talked about la petite Z. But I'll skip to Creed. Since he started to walk, Creed has been distracted by everything. He really is Curious George: smiling, adorable, kind, playful and well, not always graceful. Creed will crane his neck to look at a bus and walk into a telephone pole. He'll get so excited to see a squirrel and fall off a curb. Madame H started by saying she's worried for his safety and apparently, the accident happened. Creed was running in the play ground, wasn't looking and went flying over a wagon. He always wears his glasses and they hit forming a near perfect shiner. It happened exactly one week after she predicted it would happen. I chalk it up to his age, his immaturity and his ever present enthusiasm and curiosity. Madame H is concerned with his focus and attention span. He is quiet but likes to wander in class. He listens but you need to take his cheeks in your hands to get him to look at you. Could it be early signs of those acronyms that begin with "A"? They say it's too early to tell. For goodness sakes, he's a 3 1/2 yr old boy. He was born 3 months early at 2 lbs and has 2 shunts in his brain. Friends with little boys say to follow my mother's intuition. We have the name of a neuropsychologist. We'll see.

Oh, and P.S. They do want us back next year!

Oh, and P.P.S. Don't you just love this sleepy black-eyed photo?

Cash...Check...or Charge...

Cost of 1 visit with the oncologist: $463
Cost of 1 Oncotype test: $3820
Cost of 1 round of Chemo: $4500
Cost of 1 Neulasta shot: $7600
Cost of 1 lumpectomy surgery: $19000

Cost of seeing my twins smiling faces when they run in the door after a day at Ecole: priceless

* I don't know how people without health insurance in this country manage their care - it is criminal. The bills are exorbitant. We are lucky enough, despite being self-employed, to have good health care, with reasonable co-pays. We pay out the a** for it and the bills still rack up. We open them, read them and file them and wait for the phone calls to begin. If anyone out there still thinks that our health care system isn't broken, then they are sorely mistaken.

**Mom goes in for her surgery tomorrow. Her breast cancer is clinically Stage 1 at this point. She'll have a lumpectomy to remove the tumor, a sentinel node biopsy and a balloon inserted to prepare for a mammosite insertion. This little device will then able the radiation oncologists to pinpoint the area of her breast to be radiated. (I unfortunately, was not a candidate for this device and will undergo 6 weeks of radiation.) She will have have 5 days/2x day of radiation next week and then her treatment will be finished. She'll have been diagnosed, operated on, and gone through treatment within a total of 3 weeks. For that I am grateful as I don't know if she could withstand the 6 months that I am going through. Good luck, Mom!

3 things...

ECOLE UPDATE: People keep asking how they're doing...well, okay I guess! Creed is a champion. He's a good little Montessori "worker". Yesterday when I picked them up at 3pm, I asked him if he had fun at school...he said "No Mom, ECOLE!" So, I guess he's catching on...
As for the Z-bomb - it fluctuates. She seems to be emerging from the end of summer, post-surgery tough times. She's eating well and starting to sleep better (aside from last night) but she's still a major pissant. Yesterday's Ecole-report stated that Zelda "chose not to participate in the lesson". Yikes - apparently she threw herself on the ground and did a bit of crying and such. My poor little puce. The teachers say it usually takes new kids 6-8 weeks to adapt to their structure so we're only at week 3. I let you know more after our end of the month parent/teacher conferences. Otherwise, she's doing well but is extremely stubborn, strong-willed, and crafty. Scott & Andrea, her TVI's, see her there 2x/week for the pre-Braille lessons and such. Gene, her O&M teacher - that's Orientation and Mobility - sees her at outdoor time once a week. Soon she'll be getting her first long white cane! Woo-hoo!

TWINTUITION: I have been talking a lot more to Creed about how Zelda sees. He likes to hand her things and tell her what to do, etc. and I've managed to convince him to actually place the item in her hand instead of just thrusting it at her. The other day, he found an interesting old piece of raffia and ran up to her saying "See, Zelda, see!" while dangling it in front of her face. So now we're talking with him about Zelda seeing with her hands as opposed to looking with her eyes. When we travel by car, we always count cows and such, pointing out the sights to both kids - describing in detail for Zelda. I use the word "see" with her as much as I do with Creed - it's just different, I guess.

OBSERVATIONS FROM OTHER KIDS:
One day this summer, Zelda broke her glasses and she went to camp without them. When I picked her up that afternoon, a little girl informed me that "Today Zelda didn't have her glasses so she saw with her hands!"

And the other day upon picking Z up from Ecole, her classmate informed me that she thought it was cool that Zelda held her foot on the slide instead of holding her hand ???

Ecole...

So, today is their first official day of preschool. After a long search, visits, interviews and such, the twins started today at their French immersion Montessori school. We've known from the beginning that we always wanted to do Montessori so it was just a matter of finding the right fit and the right waiting list. This particular school is extremely petite - only 20 children with 3 guides who only speak to them in French. So, this summer I've been busy translating Z's books into French and then we send them off to the Brailler - she should be doing French-Braille in no time flat. As we left them this morning to run off to our photo shoot (more on that later), Creed walked in and said "Bonjour" and got to 'work' and Zelda was busy mapping out the classroom and stopped just long enough to say "Au revoir." I hope this works because we've signed on for the 3-year long haul until Kindergarten.

FYI:
"The Montessori environment contains specially designed, manipulative "materials for development" that invite children to engage in learning activities of their own individual choice. Under the guidance of a trained teacher, children in a Montessori classroom learn by making discoveries with the materials, cultivating concentration, motivation, self-discipline, and a love of learning."

I'll let you know tomorrow how the first day of Ecole went...