Blogging about life in Minnesota, raising our six kids with Down syndrome while battling Breast Cancer.

Be the kind of woman that when your feet hit the floor in the morning the devil says, "Oh shit! She's up!"

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Missing

I knew it would only be a matter of time. Just when she's getting used to them, POOF! They're gone. Have you guessed what I'm talking about? You got it! Angela's glasses! When we bought them the guy at the optical shop tried to talk me into wire frames, but we've been that route before and I told him, "No, they bend too easy, even the Flexons can only be bent back so many times. This time I'm going with plastic. At least when she throws them they won't bend!"

I suppose it was my fault really. After all, I told her she was going with Dean to watch him bowl while I took the dogs to play rehearsal, but later I told her plans had changed. Instead of watching Dean bowl, the two of them would be staying home. I should add to Angela's list of "21 things" that "Changing plans is a bad idea."

She was in the basement living room with Dean who was busy making phone calls for work. I tried coaxing her upstairs with things like, "I'm going to make dinner, I'd love some help!" (she loves to help with dinner.) But Angela wouldn't be had. Flat out telling her to come upstairs would turn into an 85 pound flop-n-drop and I just didn't feel like going there at the moment. Instead I brought the dogs upstairs with me so that her usual targets of misbehavior were out of the way while Dean tried to make phone calls.

A few minutes later I heard, "YOU GO UPSTAIRS NOW!!!!!" as she came stomping up. She stomped all the way to her bedroom and did a classic adolescent flop onto her bed. Within a couple minutes she was noisily chewing on her finger so I figured she was going to fall asleep. I knew having her stay home with Dean was going to be pushing both their limits, but I also knew that sitting at rehearsal with me for four hours would be tempting fate! Still...the thought crossed my mind. She LOVES to watch rehearsal and normally has no problem sitting and watching, but the mood she was in had me feeling little gun shy.

As I went through my mental debate, Angela came out of her room. "Mom? I go with you...please? I watch Horton put dust on the flower?" (this is a scene from the play and she has a crush on the teen boy playing Horton) I was ready to tell her yes, when I turned to see there were no violet specs on her face.

Me: "I suppose, but you have to put your glasses on first."

A: "I throwed 'em"

Me: "Well you better go find 'em. You won't be able to see Horton without them."

Angela disappeared, coming back a few minutes later, "I'm not finding my glasses."

Off we went together to search for the missing glasses. She'd had a friend over earlier in the day, and the room that had been spotless only hours before was now strewn with baby dolls, dress up clothes, and pieces to various occupational costumes like binoculars for search and rescue, stethospopes and therometers for the doctor, and of course the army guy costume.....sigh....no glasses that I could see. She said she was laying on her bed when she threw them, so I tried laying there to check out the possible trajectory of the flying glasses. I never found them, and she did indeed stay home with Dean. She was very sad about it, something that doesn't usually happen with her. Angela rarely cries real tears, so when she does I know she honestly feels bad.

On Friday night she did go to play practice with me. She spent the whole time rubbing her watering, straining eyes. Poor kid! Where are the GLASSES?

I have looked everywhere, I have cleaned out the room. I can't find them. If you're a praying person, please say a prayer that the missing glasses appear before my eyes! I'm thinking she had to have ditched them BEFORE she got to her room that day, but where? UGH! Our house has too much stuff in it, and they will easily blend into the dark corners. I sure hope I find them tonight so she doesn't have to go to school without them tomorrow!

3 comments:

Tom P. said...

Did the glasses turn up?

Leah Spring said...

Thanks for asking Tom. No...sadly no glasses yet. I've looked everywhere. I haven't had time to go into the shop to order new ones yet....sigh...I'm a horrible mother.

Anonymous said...

HEY- my Lia LOVES to throw things away that she does not want-like glasses or orthotics or dolls that plain freak her out. Or her favorite ugly dolls on a whim. Yeah, the uglies get thrown in hayfeeders or abandoned tack rooms, too. They are triplets that have no clothes(cloth bodies) marker all over and pieces missing-ie, a bitten off finger or two. ONe has the appearance of cataracts from silver polish dumped on her.
Items can be found in any garbage, even the dumpster outside that we share with the neighbor. She NEVER remembers where the unwanted items go- only the 3 babies.