Sunday, July 13, 2014
Funky Nails
As you can probably tell, I really enjoy having some sort of arts and crafts project to focus on at any given time. This summer has been a little different. Right now I am really into nail art. Mainly because I actually have long nails for the first time in my entire life....for the last 34 years, I bit my nails compulsively. I have no idea why I decided to stop biting my nails, but it happened and I am having fun doing different things with them. I've even been playing around with painting the more intricate details with acrylic paints. Thank goodness I have three buckets of acrylic paints. Hahaha...seriously though...I love my acrylic paints for more than just nails. We use them all the time! Anyway, figured I'd throw up some pics of my nails.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Nature vs. Nuture
Among the many things that fascinate me, I love thinking about the debate of nature vs nurture. I think about this a lot with regards to raising a child. All of my friends and family, they all have different ideas, theories, traditions, etc in raising their families. Each in our own way are right and wrong. We are humans...we can always improve ourselves and we will always have faults. When you look at other parents, the wrong seems to be the stuff we always focus on. I won't lie, I do it too. I will 100% admit to being a flawed parent. I don't have a clue what I am doing and my ideas of parenting are challenged at least once a day, if not much more. Overall, I do my best. I have my moments where looking back (sometimes even while I'm doing it), I know I was wrong and there was a better way of handling a situation. But my goal, even if I fail often, is always to improve. And in improving my parenting, I want L to improve too. Some of L's issues are most definitely a nature issue. But a lot are nurture. He is a little sponge and absorbs everything, usually it is our faults that he picks up the quickest.
I was speaking with someone about L being autistic. The moment you hear the word "autism" you immediately think of a child who is severely autistic, a child who is quiet and isn't really interested in people. L is quite the opposite. This has proved to be difficult for us (which is absolutely crazy because this isn't a BAD thing) because he doesn't display the "typical" symptoms. After being around L for a while, you will see that he does have little issues that deal with the social aspect of autism. Mostly, he is over excited to make friends and be around people, he tends to be overwhelming, particularly to other children. He is also completely unaware of almost all emotions (except happiness, anger and just recently loved..aww!), which causes him to not entirely understand human interaction. I believe that one of the main reasons L is more sociable is because from day one, we raised him that way. A and I are both (mostly) people people....we love to talk (hahaha...definitely me more than A...). L has always been passed from person to person and never had a moment of stranger anxiety in his life. I always push L (gently) to do things outside of his comfort zone. I truly believe he has the potential to do whatever he wants to do. I believe in him. This makes all the difference. If I do nothing else right with this parenting gig, at the very least I can say I've always pushed L to be whatever he wants to be and to constantly try new things. I notice a lot of times, not necessarily meaning to, parents tell kids they are afraid of something or that they won't like this or that and their kids end up feeling that way. It's so easy to do this. Even with things as simple as food. I hate mushrooms but L loves them. I am not a huge seafood person, but L loves all seafood. I love that he tries new foods way better than I ever did. It's amazing how much you grow when you give your children the chance to grow as well.
I was speaking with someone about L being autistic. The moment you hear the word "autism" you immediately think of a child who is severely autistic, a child who is quiet and isn't really interested in people. L is quite the opposite. This has proved to be difficult for us (which is absolutely crazy because this isn't a BAD thing) because he doesn't display the "typical" symptoms. After being around L for a while, you will see that he does have little issues that deal with the social aspect of autism. Mostly, he is over excited to make friends and be around people, he tends to be overwhelming, particularly to other children. He is also completely unaware of almost all emotions (except happiness, anger and just recently loved..aww!), which causes him to not entirely understand human interaction. I believe that one of the main reasons L is more sociable is because from day one, we raised him that way. A and I are both (mostly) people people....we love to talk (hahaha...definitely me more than A...). L has always been passed from person to person and never had a moment of stranger anxiety in his life. I always push L (gently) to do things outside of his comfort zone. I truly believe he has the potential to do whatever he wants to do. I believe in him. This makes all the difference. If I do nothing else right with this parenting gig, at the very least I can say I've always pushed L to be whatever he wants to be and to constantly try new things. I notice a lot of times, not necessarily meaning to, parents tell kids they are afraid of something or that they won't like this or that and their kids end up feeling that way. It's so easy to do this. Even with things as simple as food. I hate mushrooms but L loves them. I am not a huge seafood person, but L loves all seafood. I love that he tries new foods way better than I ever did. It's amazing how much you grow when you give your children the chance to grow as well.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Heart Surgery UPDATED
For the few people who read my blog, I figured I better update you on how everything went with L's heart surgery. The night before, my hubby and I decided to rent a hotel room (where they have a pool) and make a fun night of it. L loved it. He had a blast. For months, we have been trying to schedule private swim lessons for L. Through various scheduling conflicts, we only got three of the six private lessons we paid for in, so I called and got a refund. I was a little worried I was doing that prematurely, but that night at the hotel, L shocked the heck out me and randomly started swimming on his own! When he was really little, maybe 1 1/2-2 yrs old, he was swimming very short distances underwater on his own. Then suddenly, as he got a little older, he became really scared of the water. He would only get in with a floaty on his back. I knew he had it in him to swim, but I was totally shocked when he all of a sudden just took off! He liked that there was a big area of the pool 3ft deep, so he could touch, but also be a little braver. It was very exciting...even more so on the eve of his surgery!
As much fun and as tired as we were, not a single one of us slept well that night and we had to be at the Cleveland Clinic at 7am. We were all really nervous. His surgery went very well. It took around 3 hours. I can't remember if I explained what A and I had decided to do, but L's surgeon told us he was the perfect candidate to try a "trial device" to close the hole. Basically, it is the upgraded version of what they are currently using and it is not FDA approved yet. Fifty people across the county are having this device put in and 12 of those 50 are at the Cleveland Clinic. In a very huge coincedience, the doctor told us that that morning she had read an article regarding this device and that 5% of people had some "ballooning" of the device. Go figure....of course, L's device ballooned. It was actually a really good thing the doctor had just read the article, otherwise I am fairly certain there would have been a lot more concern. All of the 5% of people that have experienced this, it has corrected itself. L had to have a few extra tests because of this ballooning.
L was so amazing. I am not kidding you. He surprised the heck out of me. At first, when he woke up from his anesthetics, he was a little freaked out and cried some. He really wanted to go home or back to the hotel. I had a little bit of a panic because he had to lay flat on his back and not move his right leg for 6 hours and 15 minutes after his surgery he was kicking and crying. Once he was moved into his room, he cried a teeny bit, but was SO good and sat still the whole time. My mom devised a plan to help him keep his leg flat. She laid the tons of turtles he brought with him on his leg and told him they weren't allowed to fall off. He thought that was kind of fun! He had lots of visitors, so that helped too. Of course, we were there, my mom and dad, A's parents, a few of my cousins dropped by, along with my aunts and uncle and grandparents. He loved having the attention of everyone....specifically all the cute, young nurses ;)
We all slept pretty decent in the hospital, or a lot better than I ever expected. I think we were just SO beat, we had to just crash. Sleeping in the hospital was a treat all of its own. There was a very uncomfortable "sofa" area and that's about it. I started off in L's bed and A on the sofa, but L's bed was one of those crazy beds that keeps blowing up every time and moving...totally weird. It was dead set on kicking me off the bed and kept blowing up right under my stomach making me roll. Meanwhile, A wasn't all that comfy on the sofa and wanted to move to the floor (yes, the HARD floor). When the nurse came to check in on us, she offered A the sofa in the next "room" area (we were in a room with four beds). After that, I think we slept alright. A was up early uncomfortable, but I slept OK (L slept like a log!) In the morning, we woke up to a bunch of tests that needed done before they would send us home. L had his echo first, then an EKG, then a chest X-ray (where he, by the way, picked up TWO toys...this kid left with a TON of swag!) When we were finished with X-rays, they immediately sent us BACK to echo because the doctors (ours wasn't in the hospital that day, she called us) wanted to make sure there wasn't a leak in the heart. They looked and looked and still weren't positive there wasn't a small leak. The ballooning had not gone down completely as well. They did (all FIVE of them) assure us that with time, everything would repair itself. They sent us home around noon with an extra follow up in a week (to check on the ballooning and leak) and one in a month! L has been doing well ever since!
UPDATE:
It has been almost two weeks since L's surgery and everything is going well. You would't even know he had heart surgery just two short weeks ago. He is back to his normal off the walls wild self! We did go back to the doctors a week from his surgery to have another chest X-ray and echo and the ballooning had gone down more, but wasn't completely gone. However, the hole was completely closed with no issues of leaking anymore. Yay! We are hoping the ballooning is completely gone and the device will lay completely flat by the time we go see the doctor in another two weeks!
As much fun and as tired as we were, not a single one of us slept well that night and we had to be at the Cleveland Clinic at 7am. We were all really nervous. His surgery went very well. It took around 3 hours. I can't remember if I explained what A and I had decided to do, but L's surgeon told us he was the perfect candidate to try a "trial device" to close the hole. Basically, it is the upgraded version of what they are currently using and it is not FDA approved yet. Fifty people across the county are having this device put in and 12 of those 50 are at the Cleveland Clinic. In a very huge coincedience, the doctor told us that that morning she had read an article regarding this device and that 5% of people had some "ballooning" of the device. Go figure....of course, L's device ballooned. It was actually a really good thing the doctor had just read the article, otherwise I am fairly certain there would have been a lot more concern. All of the 5% of people that have experienced this, it has corrected itself. L had to have a few extra tests because of this ballooning.
L was so amazing. I am not kidding you. He surprised the heck out of me. At first, when he woke up from his anesthetics, he was a little freaked out and cried some. He really wanted to go home or back to the hotel. I had a little bit of a panic because he had to lay flat on his back and not move his right leg for 6 hours and 15 minutes after his surgery he was kicking and crying. Once he was moved into his room, he cried a teeny bit, but was SO good and sat still the whole time. My mom devised a plan to help him keep his leg flat. She laid the tons of turtles he brought with him on his leg and told him they weren't allowed to fall off. He thought that was kind of fun! He had lots of visitors, so that helped too. Of course, we were there, my mom and dad, A's parents, a few of my cousins dropped by, along with my aunts and uncle and grandparents. He loved having the attention of everyone....specifically all the cute, young nurses ;)
We all slept pretty decent in the hospital, or a lot better than I ever expected. I think we were just SO beat, we had to just crash. Sleeping in the hospital was a treat all of its own. There was a very uncomfortable "sofa" area and that's about it. I started off in L's bed and A on the sofa, but L's bed was one of those crazy beds that keeps blowing up every time and moving...totally weird. It was dead set on kicking me off the bed and kept blowing up right under my stomach making me roll. Meanwhile, A wasn't all that comfy on the sofa and wanted to move to the floor (yes, the HARD floor). When the nurse came to check in on us, she offered A the sofa in the next "room" area (we were in a room with four beds). After that, I think we slept alright. A was up early uncomfortable, but I slept OK (L slept like a log!) In the morning, we woke up to a bunch of tests that needed done before they would send us home. L had his echo first, then an EKG, then a chest X-ray (where he, by the way, picked up TWO toys...this kid left with a TON of swag!) When we were finished with X-rays, they immediately sent us BACK to echo because the doctors (ours wasn't in the hospital that day, she called us) wanted to make sure there wasn't a leak in the heart. They looked and looked and still weren't positive there wasn't a small leak. The ballooning had not gone down completely as well. They did (all FIVE of them) assure us that with time, everything would repair itself. They sent us home around noon with an extra follow up in a week (to check on the ballooning and leak) and one in a month! L has been doing well ever since!
UPDATE:
It has been almost two weeks since L's surgery and everything is going well. You would't even know he had heart surgery just two short weeks ago. He is back to his normal off the walls wild self! We did go back to the doctors a week from his surgery to have another chest X-ray and echo and the ballooning had gone down more, but wasn't completely gone. However, the hole was completely closed with no issues of leaking anymore. Yay! We are hoping the ballooning is completely gone and the device will lay completely flat by the time we go see the doctor in another two weeks!
Here are a few pictures of the X-ray from L's week after surgery appointment. If you look closely you can see the round device in this picture. I was originally really shocked to see how big it is! When the doctor showed us the device, it seemed small, but I think I was imagining in my body, not L's teeny little body. I am so thankful to have this over with!
Here is an X-ray from the side....you can see the the coil of the device here really well. I find this stuff SO fascinating!
Here is a link that shows the trial device we chose to put in L's heart. Basically, it is an updated version of the current model. This is cool article/ picture of it.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Getting Ready for Surgery
I am not going to say I am not nervous about L's surgery on Wednesday. But, I am keeping busy by cleaning the house and preparing to be gone for two nights. I know this is silly, but I keep feeling like I need to pack the whole house with me. We decided it might be fun to go stay at a hotel in Cleveland the night before, we are going to go out to dinner and swim in the hotel pool. Plus, the surgery is likely to be first thing in the morning and it's way easier to drive 15 minutes rather than an hour and a half to get there at 6am. L will be staying one night in the hospital as well...from what I understand, we can stay with him all night too. So now we are getting into two changes of clothes, toiletries, pillows (I canNOT sleep without my own pillow), blankies, stuffed animals, stuff to keep L occupied in the hospital, books and electronics to keep us occupied during the surgery (and all the chargers that go along with that), etc... You get the picture. It's crazy. On top of that, we have to drop Ziva (dog) off at my in-laws and prepare my mom to take care of the cats and fish. To make matters even more chaotic, I feel like I need to clean my house and wash all of our bedding and all of L's stuffed animals. There's nothing worse than coming home to a messy house....and God forbid my little boy sleep with dirty stuffed animals after a surgery (I know...it's nuts and I know better but I am goofy and worry about infection...seriously...I am certifiable at this point! LOL!!)
I don't know if I have ever taken the time to explain the whole "bed situation" of L's. It's intense. He literally sleeps with tons of blankets...I can recall 10 not including sheets and comforter....and TONS of stuffed animals. I've lost count of exactly how many of them are turtles, but there are a bunch. When he was little, he used to make me put the blankets on him a certain way and he would name each blanket as I went (example: monkey blanket, train blanket, etc). Thankfully, we broke him of that habit (not an easy feat!), but he still loves all the blankets (to the point that I had to hide them all so he couldn't find them) and washing his bedding is literally a full day, if not longer, chore!!!
I think maybe all this house cleaning/ worrying about packing may just be my way of dealing with my nervous energy. My way of coping for now. I can live with that. It's definitely better than having some other bad habit!
It's weird....while I am definitely anxious about this whole ordeal, I think I'm actually a lot calmer than I would imagine (don't quote me on this come Wednesday!). Maybe because I've been through so much myself and the whole process of surgery isn't a big unknown for me. I really do trust this doctor. I like her a lot and she seems like she is 100% capable and it's very important to her to do everything right. As a parent, that's basically the most you could ask for, right? Alright....well, I think I just heard the ding of the dryer.....time to fold some clothes (ahem....more dang blankets!!! LOL!)
I don't know if I have ever taken the time to explain the whole "bed situation" of L's. It's intense. He literally sleeps with tons of blankets...I can recall 10 not including sheets and comforter....and TONS of stuffed animals. I've lost count of exactly how many of them are turtles, but there are a bunch. When he was little, he used to make me put the blankets on him a certain way and he would name each blanket as I went (example: monkey blanket, train blanket, etc). Thankfully, we broke him of that habit (not an easy feat!), but he still loves all the blankets (to the point that I had to hide them all so he couldn't find them) and washing his bedding is literally a full day, if not longer, chore!!!
I think maybe all this house cleaning/ worrying about packing may just be my way of dealing with my nervous energy. My way of coping for now. I can live with that. It's definitely better than having some other bad habit!
It's weird....while I am definitely anxious about this whole ordeal, I think I'm actually a lot calmer than I would imagine (don't quote me on this come Wednesday!). Maybe because I've been through so much myself and the whole process of surgery isn't a big unknown for me. I really do trust this doctor. I like her a lot and she seems like she is 100% capable and it's very important to her to do everything right. As a parent, that's basically the most you could ask for, right? Alright....well, I think I just heard the ding of the dryer.....time to fold some clothes (ahem....more dang blankets!!! LOL!)
Friday, May 23, 2014
Deep Breaths......
In through the nose, out through the mouth....in and out, in and out....
I'm feeling overwhelmed. I'm just trying to keep my head above water lately. Last week, one of
A's good friends and fellow trooper passed away suddenly. He was going to be turning 40 on May 16th, which happens to be A's birthday as well. A took this very hard. Actually, even I have been taking it kind of hard. I won't lie, I've done my fair share of crying to myself. It was so tragic. It's amazing how close to home it felt. I have the tendency of being very independent and sometimes forget how much I rely on A. Not just for help or his opinions, but for his company and love. I just can't imagine being suddenly left to do it ALL alone. My heart weeps for his family and friends, including my husband.
Last week, L's cardiologist called and moved back his surgery to June 11. I'm beginning to get nervous. In my head, I know that this is a simple surgery that is preformed over and over. But deep in my belly, I'm scared. Will I be able to be strong for L when I see him small and sweet laying in a hospital gown? I am trying to be as strong as I possibly can for this little guy, but inside I'm a bit of a hot mess!
This week, I had an appointment with a new hand surgeon. I can't remember what I've mentioned before (and am too lazy to go back and look) about my right thumb. My Ehlers Danlos is acting up in a big way again and my thumb has been consistently dislocating. Anymore, I am in so much pain, by the end of the day, it is three times swollen, painful and basically useless. I went to a Dr here in Wooster about 8 months ago to get a brace and ring splint to try. Two months ago, I was at the point where I can't barely squeeze a bottle, open a door, or push a shopping cart. I went back to the same Dr and he said I needed to have the joint replaced. However, when I went to schedule my surgery, he was a little nervous doing it with my ehlers danlos, so he suggested a second opinion. My second opinion appt was Wed. Basically, I have three choices: Replacement: this option involves using my own tendon to make my joint and using soft tissue comes with the potential that it could stretch out again. If this did happen further down the road, I would have no other options available to me because my bones would be gone. Fusion: they would remove the cartilage in my joint and put a pin in it, limiting my motion. This is not really the greatest option because I lose mobility, however, it is the most sure fire choice because it would insure it would stay repaired for the rest of my life. Or, the third option: Do nothing. Doing nothing may be a short term plan, but it certainly won't be a solid long term plan. I am going with the fusion. I'm terrified. Just thinking about losing some of the mobility in my right hand makes my stomach flip. Trying to be levelheaded, I admit the motion I will be losing probably won't be as bad as I think it will be. But I also figure I don't entirely realize how much I actually use that motion at the same time. Does that make sense? I'll probably be able to manage almost all things fine, but I'm sure I'll be surprised how much I used that motion as well.
I hate complaining on my blog. Sometimes, I just have to get all this stuff out and I know my poor friends and family have listened and dealt with all my crazy freak outs to their limit. I get it. Now it's the entire Internet's turn to enjoy my major panic attacks. Thankfully, almost all of the Internet doesn't read my blog...so they are spared! :)
I'm feeling overwhelmed. I'm just trying to keep my head above water lately. Last week, one of
A's good friends and fellow trooper passed away suddenly. He was going to be turning 40 on May 16th, which happens to be A's birthday as well. A took this very hard. Actually, even I have been taking it kind of hard. I won't lie, I've done my fair share of crying to myself. It was so tragic. It's amazing how close to home it felt. I have the tendency of being very independent and sometimes forget how much I rely on A. Not just for help or his opinions, but for his company and love. I just can't imagine being suddenly left to do it ALL alone. My heart weeps for his family and friends, including my husband.
Last week, L's cardiologist called and moved back his surgery to June 11. I'm beginning to get nervous. In my head, I know that this is a simple surgery that is preformed over and over. But deep in my belly, I'm scared. Will I be able to be strong for L when I see him small and sweet laying in a hospital gown? I am trying to be as strong as I possibly can for this little guy, but inside I'm a bit of a hot mess!
This week, I had an appointment with a new hand surgeon. I can't remember what I've mentioned before (and am too lazy to go back and look) about my right thumb. My Ehlers Danlos is acting up in a big way again and my thumb has been consistently dislocating. Anymore, I am in so much pain, by the end of the day, it is three times swollen, painful and basically useless. I went to a Dr here in Wooster about 8 months ago to get a brace and ring splint to try. Two months ago, I was at the point where I can't barely squeeze a bottle, open a door, or push a shopping cart. I went back to the same Dr and he said I needed to have the joint replaced. However, when I went to schedule my surgery, he was a little nervous doing it with my ehlers danlos, so he suggested a second opinion. My second opinion appt was Wed. Basically, I have three choices: Replacement: this option involves using my own tendon to make my joint and using soft tissue comes with the potential that it could stretch out again. If this did happen further down the road, I would have no other options available to me because my bones would be gone. Fusion: they would remove the cartilage in my joint and put a pin in it, limiting my motion. This is not really the greatest option because I lose mobility, however, it is the most sure fire choice because it would insure it would stay repaired for the rest of my life. Or, the third option: Do nothing. Doing nothing may be a short term plan, but it certainly won't be a solid long term plan. I am going with the fusion. I'm terrified. Just thinking about losing some of the mobility in my right hand makes my stomach flip. Trying to be levelheaded, I admit the motion I will be losing probably won't be as bad as I think it will be. But I also figure I don't entirely realize how much I actually use that motion at the same time. Does that make sense? I'll probably be able to manage almost all things fine, but I'm sure I'll be surprised how much I used that motion as well.
I hate complaining on my blog. Sometimes, I just have to get all this stuff out and I know my poor friends and family have listened and dealt with all my crazy freak outs to their limit. I get it. Now it's the entire Internet's turn to enjoy my major panic attacks. Thankfully, almost all of the Internet doesn't read my blog...so they are spared! :)
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
We are going with Autism
I think I've mostly shared our journey with L so far on my blog. Basically, we've struggled with behavioral issues, some developmental delays, and social problems with L since, well, as long as I can remember. I've had a nagging thought in the back of my mind that something beyond all of our control was happening with our little L. About a year and a half ago, we went ahead and did the ADOS testing for L. He tested just barely positive on the autism spectrum. The neuro-development doctor gave us a few suggestions and a follow up appointment in 6 months. One of the suggestions was a parenting program called Triple P (Positive Parenting Program). Being that we live an hour away from the doctor's office, the had a social worker call me and give me a list of two or three places in my town that offer similar programs. Well, I called all of these places countless times, left messages and talked to a ton of clueless people. Finally, I talked to our pediatrician and she suggested a therapist. So we spent 6+ months in family therapy. While some of it was helpful, I kind of felt like all we were doing was allowing L to interrupt all of our conversations with the therapist and we didn't get very far. Our six month appt. with the neurodevelopment doctor decided to give it another six months. We got busy with life and didn't continue therapy. Next six month appt, L had been in tri-county preschool for a few months with assistance and school was going fairly well. L was still showing characteristics of autism, but his imagination had finally started to develop some (he does do SOME imagination play, but it tends to still be very literal), so the doctor said he'll see us in 6 more months. Recently, things have gotten really difficult. I decided to go back to the therapist in desperation. Suddenly, I understood why doctors prefer to wait till kids are a little older to diagnose them. Now that L is more verbal and a little more mature, things have become clearer than before. He's been having tantrums that are more violent and even harder for him to settle down after. Eating has always been a big problem for L and it continues to cause us a lot of stress. We also started hearing some bad reports from his teachers at school. It seems like for L, he really WANTS desperately to have friends and get along with other kids, but he just doesn't understand how to connect. One of the bigger problems we've noticed is that he has a real difficulty with emotions. He seems to know what the social acceptable response is at times, but he doesn't really understand the meaning behind the response.
We went to L's latest neurodevelopment doctor appointment last week. We went over everything with the doctor. Let me say, Dr. Hull at Akron's Children's Hospital is really great. He takes as much time as you need with him, never rushes, and interacts very well with the kids...I've been very impressed by him. He felt that because L still has quite a bit of autistic characteristics and tested positive on the ADOS test, now would be a good time to put an official diagnosis of autism on the records. Dr Hull felt that letting L go to school without a diagnosis may put him at risk of being labelled a trouble maker when there was more going on than him just being trouble. Surprisingly, A didn't even disagree with that statement. I was completely shocked that A was completely on board. Since the last time we tried to participate in the Triple P program, Akron Children's now sends someone to Wooster once a week...which is so amazing! This makes things so much simpler on us. I was willing to drive to Akron and do the class, but being in Wooster and amazingly on A's day off is perfect. Now we both get to go and learn some new things!
So how do I feel about all of this? I'm still trying to come to terms with my feelings. I have been pushing for something....not sure exactly what, but something, ANYTHING. Be it autism, ADHD, or nothing. We just needed some direction. I am really relieved to have a plan in place. In the year and a half since we started this journey, all I've ever wanted is for us, as parents, to be able to help L become a successful, happy, healthy little boy. I am excited to start the Triple P program (the section for parents of autistic children is called Stepping Stones). I still feel a little sad that all of this is happening to L, but I am positive that he will be fine and that we are on the right path to finding some maybe a little peace.
We went to L's latest neurodevelopment doctor appointment last week. We went over everything with the doctor. Let me say, Dr. Hull at Akron's Children's Hospital is really great. He takes as much time as you need with him, never rushes, and interacts very well with the kids...I've been very impressed by him. He felt that because L still has quite a bit of autistic characteristics and tested positive on the ADOS test, now would be a good time to put an official diagnosis of autism on the records. Dr Hull felt that letting L go to school without a diagnosis may put him at risk of being labelled a trouble maker when there was more going on than him just being trouble. Surprisingly, A didn't even disagree with that statement. I was completely shocked that A was completely on board. Since the last time we tried to participate in the Triple P program, Akron Children's now sends someone to Wooster once a week...which is so amazing! This makes things so much simpler on us. I was willing to drive to Akron and do the class, but being in Wooster and amazingly on A's day off is perfect. Now we both get to go and learn some new things!
So how do I feel about all of this? I'm still trying to come to terms with my feelings. I have been pushing for something....not sure exactly what, but something, ANYTHING. Be it autism, ADHD, or nothing. We just needed some direction. I am really relieved to have a plan in place. In the year and a half since we started this journey, all I've ever wanted is for us, as parents, to be able to help L become a successful, happy, healthy little boy. I am excited to start the Triple P program (the section for parents of autistic children is called Stepping Stones). I still feel a little sad that all of this is happening to L, but I am positive that he will be fine and that we are on the right path to finding some maybe a little peace.
Friday, April 4, 2014
This and that...
Today was a fun day! My friend and co-worker, T, and I have this running game of winning tickets to concerts from the only radio station that comes in at our office. So far, I've gone to see Lady Gaga (we've won tickets twice...we are seeing her May 18th), U2 (A & I drove to Pittsburgh for that!), an acoustic, three song meet and greet with Fitz and the Tantrums. Today we (A, L, and I) saw a similar set up with American Authors. It was really fun. They are very personable, asking the crowd if anyone had any question. Their music is mostly upbeat and positive. A, L, and I went and saw Fitz as well. It was the first "concert" L had been to, so this was his second. He was a little more excited today and spent most of the time sitting on A's shoulders banging his head like a drum!
I have been sort of slacking about starting my seeds. I have everything set up and ready to go, I just need to get dirty! I think I will try and get it done tonight. I did set up my greenhouse shelf the other day. Since there is still a pretty decent chance we might get snow one more time, I set it up in my house. Hahaha...A was super jazzed about that...oops! I figure once the temperature gets a little warmer and more steady, I'll move it onto the porch. I also bought a few new succulents (bad Maggie!!!)...I got a really cool clearance pot full of succulents at Lowe's (it was originally $18...I got it for $5)! The only downside is that they have a thick layer of rocks all glued together on top and to remove the dead plant (the reason it was on the clearance shelf), I have to literally chisel the rocks off. I'm sure I'll figure it out!
Lately, it feels like my head has been spinning a bit. We have two important doctor's appointments for L this month, registering for Kindergarten, my normal doctor's appointments (potentially scheduling a surgery), Easter, swim lessons (A's parent's gave L private swim lessons to him for his birthday...such a great idea!!), and A has been having some health issues as well (he has been testing really high for liver enzymes lately)....we almost have our April and May calendar completely filled. Don't get me wrong though, we do have a lot of fun things happening, including Easter, swim lessons, a class at a local garden center making mini gardens, and a trip to the Zoo with L's preschool class. It's just amazing how fast time is flying!!!
Here are a few pictures:
I have been sort of slacking about starting my seeds. I have everything set up and ready to go, I just need to get dirty! I think I will try and get it done tonight. I did set up my greenhouse shelf the other day. Since there is still a pretty decent chance we might get snow one more time, I set it up in my house. Hahaha...A was super jazzed about that...oops! I figure once the temperature gets a little warmer and more steady, I'll move it onto the porch. I also bought a few new succulents (bad Maggie!!!)...I got a really cool clearance pot full of succulents at Lowe's (it was originally $18...I got it for $5)! The only downside is that they have a thick layer of rocks all glued together on top and to remove the dead plant (the reason it was on the clearance shelf), I have to literally chisel the rocks off. I'm sure I'll figure it out!
Lately, it feels like my head has been spinning a bit. We have two important doctor's appointments for L this month, registering for Kindergarten, my normal doctor's appointments (potentially scheduling a surgery), Easter, swim lessons (A's parent's gave L private swim lessons to him for his birthday...such a great idea!!), and A has been having some health issues as well (he has been testing really high for liver enzymes lately)....we almost have our April and May calendar completely filled. Don't get me wrong though, we do have a lot of fun things happening, including Easter, swim lessons, a class at a local garden center making mini gardens, and a trip to the Zoo with L's preschool class. It's just amazing how fast time is flying!!!
Here are a few pictures:
American Authors
Here's our picture with American Authors!
My clearance succulents
Everything is all set up and lined up ready to get planted!!!
Two of my succulents have flowers!!! YAY!!!
Some of my best growing babies
A few new succulents
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