Funeral Today

In about an hour I will be going to the viewing for a very dear friend's dad. I spent a lot of time at her house growing up, so he is very dear to me. Even though I know that "to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord," it is still hard. Hard to know how he suffered, hard to say goodbye, but especially hard to watch such a close friend grieve over the passing of her father. I know she has come to the end of one tough road, just to begin on another hard one. God, be with her on her journey....

Homeschooling and work boxes

Ok, so I did some googling about work boxes and loved the idea of getting more organized! We need that! However, I don't have the room for all of the boxes for 3 kids! So, this is what I came up with. Each child has 5 manilla file folders labeled with their name and each day of the week. Each day they get out that day's file folder ( I have them all stored in a little wire rack that might really be a shoe rack or something) and read their assignment sheet that I have placed in each day's folder. Any worksheets or papers needed for that day's work is in the folder, and anything too big for the folder goes on the rack under the folders. They check off the work for the day and put the completed folder in a seperate file folder holder. I put the folders and assignment sheets together on the weekend so I don't spend time each day printing and copying assignments. I have a seperate file folder and assignment sheet for myself for any unit studies that we are doing, and anything we do as a group (such as bible time and craft time, sign lang., field trips, cooking, etc.) So far, this week, we have gotten more done that ever before and the kids loved having time to do a really cute fall craft! We took acorns and made miniature pumpkins out of them! So cute! I am loving this system so far! Hopefully, it continues to be a success!

September Already?

Well, I've got 8 weeks and 5 days until my due date! It's just around the corner! Time is really flying by! Seriously, I am really not sure my belly can get any bigger. I think this little guy isn't going to be so little! The kids are really excited. Rachel says that Nathan is in there saying "get me out of here!" :) How cute. She's going to love being a big sis.

There's been a lot going on around here lately. One of my best friends is going thru a really bad time right now. Her dad is in the last stages of kidney cancer..which is now in his lungs, bones and brain as well. She has turned her life upside down to take care of him daily. She has always been like a big sis to me and this just makes me admire her even more. I am so proud of her!

Noah and Rachel are finished with OT for the year. This gives us a big break in our schedule, which I really need right now! However, we are really starting to see the effects already and it has only been 2 weeks without OT. Just more hyperness and squirminess, which sort of counteracts the benefits of a less hectic schedule! Ugh! We will start back up after the first of the year.

I took my kids and my nephew to the zoo last week. We had a ball! I can only make it about 2 hours though...and that is really pushing it for me! My kids are absolutely in love with this little guy, Avery. He is 2 1/2 years old and has the most beautiful, big blue eyes! He is already reading full sentences! Yes, he really can read! Noone had to teach him. He just figured it out on his own. He was more interested in his box of raisins than looking at the animals:), however he did tell his dad later that he looked at the dolphins at the zoo!

I'll try not to wait so long between posts next time!
:)

More on SPD

Hi all. My pregnancy is doing great. I go for another ultrasound (my sixth) on Wednesday as well as my glucose test (yuck!). The doc is monitoring me closely.

I thought I would post an update on our life with SPD. We have been doing occupational therapy for almost a year now and we have seen a lot of progress. Noah's need to be in motion constantly has improved a lot which has made life more peaceful around here! :) His pain tolerance seems to have come down to a normal level..which seems like a bad thing, but it really is necessary to feel pain normally. A few months ago he had a stomach virus which just laid him out on the floor in pain. At first it scared me to see him holding his belly and yelling "it hurts", but then I realized that he had the same virus we had all been through, but was actually feeling it completely for the first time. Poor kid. He adjusted quickly, though. His issues with food have gotten worse, but hey, you can't have it all, huh? :( Right now he is working hard on his auditory issues. I have become more understanding of his issues, so instead of getting angry when he "doesn't listen" I have taken to repeating myself 3 or 4 times before I start getting frustrated. He doesn't like it at all! He told my mom I was a nag! LOL! 9 years old and already a typical man! A few days ago I had asked him to change his clothes. After reminding him like 14 times he finally was able to finish getting dressed. Part of his issues were auditory (at first), and then it was just that everytime he went to do it he would get distracted by something and forget. Finally, after he was dressed I asked him, "Noah, now do you see why I repeat myself so often?" and he said "yes." Maybe he won't think I am a nag now:) Homeschooling is wonderful for him! He was really stressed out at public school, coping with all of it. He knows how smart he is and it was really frustrating for him get problems wrong when he just knew he had done them right. He wasn't hearing directions completely, wasn't seeing the words/numbers correctly and couldn't use his hands the way he needed to to write, cut, etc... We can take all of that into account with homeschooling and make adjustments. We still have a lot of issues that we haven't hit yet, like vision, taste, fine motor work at therapy...but we will in time. We have truly come a long way. Occupational therapy with the right therapist has been a life saver...for all of us. I wish more people knew about and understood SPD, though. It would make life easier for us. I think that someday they will find out what causes this, and what fixes it!! My personal opinion (so far) is that it is a build up of toxins that this generation is loaded up with. The food we eat, the medicines (and vaccines) we take, the chemicals that are in EVERYTHING around us...from paint to bottled water! When we have a whole generation of kids who can't process sensory input properly to the point that it interferes with their life skills, then maybe it is time to look at what is going on. My patience with people who don't understand SPD has grown immensely...but if the doctors would get off their rears and speak up for these kids it sure would help a lot. I think docs don't want to admit that the mom's have figured out a problem without the doc's help. Oh well, I hope it will get better. I swear, though, if one more person says I am only dealing with a behavior issue, then I might just have to offend somebody:) With all the improvements we have seen in therapy we don't get too many comments like that anymore. It's been nice. I am not just a mom that wants to pawn off my parental resposibilty and blame everything on made up medical issues, and I think it is judgmental and arrogant to accuse someone of that. There are things I see, being the mom, that no one else sees. I have learned that there are some people out there that just need to learn a few more of life's lessons before they "get it." Well, I didn't expect to vent about that tonight, since I haven't dealt with it in so long. I have watched other kids struggle lately in other areas, and I think it is weighing on me a little bit. I see the attitude a lot out there that says "that kid just needs discipline," so tonight I challenge you to check yourself the next time you think a thought like that. You can NEVER know the whole story behind what is going on. If a child is acting innappropriately, then it could be a lack of discipline, but it could be more than that. I love what the singer/comedian Mark Lowry said about his childhood. He had "ADHD" and his teachers were always so mean to him. This one year he had a young, beautiful teacher that all the kids liked, but he would always go home with fingernail prints in his arms from her grabbing his arm when she was fed up with him. There was an old teacher at the school, though, that would come and get him and take him for walks and tell him that God loves hyperactive kids. She told him that God would use him one day in a great way, even with all of that energy! We should be showing God's love to all kids, even the difficult ones, and especially to their parents (who could probably use the support).

Rachel's OT is going well, too. She has gained a lot of stregth and balance. Her speech is amazing! She is learning so quickly with homeschooling. Her auditory issues are getting worse, and the OT has recommended brushing and listening therapy for her. Unfortunately, we haven't started on that yet, but we will soon. I have noticed that her issues with smells have gotten worse, too. She told my poor mom that she smelled the other day! :) LOL! She did it to her daddy too! She's not trying to hurt anybody's feelings, though. She just covers her nose and asks "what is that smell?" She does it in a way that isn't so much rude, as it is funny. She has a look on her face that says "why would anyone want to smell that way?" She can't figure it out! Yes, we will be having a talk about how it hurts people's feelings to tell them they smell! The funniest part is that she does this with good smells and bad ones! I think with my mom it was just her shampoo, and with my husband it was because he was eating something she didn't recognize the smell of. LOL! A lot of her other issues are resolving as well!

Tomorrow morning the kids have dentist appointments. This is always interesting with 2 SPD kids. No kid likes the dentist, but it is a whole different experience for them! Hopefully it goes well!

That all for tonight!

Meet Nathan!

Hey everybody! Today I had an appt. with a high risk OB. I had an ultrasound done while there to determine the diagnosis for a problem with Nathan's amniotic sac. The high risk OB is pretty confident that it is not an amniotic band...which is very dangerous...but it is something called synechia. This is harmless to the baby, and although the internet will tell you there is a risk for preterm labor, he does not think this will be so in my case. I will not be considered high risk, and this pregnancy will be treated as a normal pregnancy with the exception of another ultrasound around 28 weeks. I am 21 weeks now, and so far, Nathan is doing wonderfully! What a big relief. This picture of Nathan at the ultrasound today really struck me! He is doing what I felt like doing when I got the news that he will be ok. It looks like he is bowing down, praying! Thanks to all who prayed for us! Thanks, most of all, to God! There is a song from the 80's or 90's we used to sing in church..."God is gonna finish just what he started, even though the waters got to be parted, lift up your head, don't be broken hearted, God is gonna finish what He started in you...He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it..." This past week, this song has been in my heart for Nathan. God is faithful!

Update: What the docs saw on the ultrasound was a succenturiate lobe placenta. There was an extra smaller lobe to the placenta. It is dangerous because if it's not known to be there it can be left behind and cause infection. I had a c-section, though, and all went well.

It's a Boy!

Well, we had our much anticipated ultrasound on Tuesday. I am 20 weeks pregnant and our little one was more than happy to show off his gender...he even was pointing to it for us so we would pay attention! Everything looked healthy...heart, stomach, kidneys, mouth...everything in place and doing as it should. At one point he was crossing his ankles. So cute! I will try to get a picture of that one posted, but I do not have a working scanner so I will have to do some extra work to get that done. The technician noticed some areas of concern around the inner lining of the amniotic sac. I think they are called "amniotic bands" and if the doctor is correct, and this is what they are, then it is highly dangerous for our little guy. I will be seeing a high risk OB next Thursday to confirm a diagnosis and make a plan for treatment. My regular OB mentioned that they will closely monitor the baby and possibly take him at 34 weeks (that would be the goal)...if they can keep him safe until then and not need to take him earlier. During the ultrasound, the technician said, "wow, look at that, he is pointing straight up in the air." I know that he was pointing up to God to show us all that God is in control. Of course, we appreciate any and all prayers that you all could offer up on his behalf. We have pretty much decided his name is Nathan. The kids are excited to have a little brother. I will definitely be posting late next week with the findings of the high risk doc! Tonight I am going thru all the boy baby clothes that Tiff passed along and it is really making me antsy to meet my little boy. All in God's timing...that's for sure! Thanks for your prayers!

Busy weekend

Hey all. It's been a madhouse around here. Tom has been fixing the shower (yay!) and so far it is going well! Hopefully it will be done today. My new nephew, Eli, is doing well, but I NEED to see him soon! Tuesday is the BIG day! I will have my ultrasound at 2:45 to check the health of our new little one and hopefully we will be able to find out the sex of the baby! The whole family is trying to be patient until then, but they are dying to know! I, on the other hand, am very nervous about the whole thing. I won't be happy until they tell me everything looks perfectly normal and the baby looks healthy. Whether it is a boy or a girl is just icing on the cake for me!

We have jumped back into listening therapy full steam ahead. I couldn't keep up with it during my first trimester...I was way too sick. We have a star chart that Noah fills in everyday and he gets a prize at the end for doing his therapy. It is working wonderfully so far! I am hoping to notice some big changes soon!

Well, that's all for now. I will leave you with a picture of my youngest, Rachel, right after she gave herself a haircut a few weeks ago!