My sweet Mason turns 5 today. We have a wonderful day planned for him. Before it can start, though, the 5 of us will head downtown to visit Emma’s ortho doc for her pre-op appointment. I’m anxious to learn more about what the surgery and the recovery will entail. Of course I’ll post an update, along with exactly what they’re going to be doing to make her hips more stable.
But…after that the fun begins! I think we’ll hit up 5 and Diner for lunch complete with shakes. Then we’ll go to take the kids to Cars 2. Are we the only family that hasn’t seen it? I refused to go opening weekend. Too crazy.
Tonight, per his request, we’ll have a pizza picnic. That’s when we move the ottoman out of the way, throw down a blanket, and eat pizza on the floor while watching a movie or kids show. Right now my kids LOVE Wipeout. Pure silly family fun.
Do you have any special traditions you do for birthdays in your home?
We’re on day 11 of Emma’s new medication. And it’s working beautifully! I think we could go up a bit more in dosage, but I will give it a few more days then call her doctor to see what she says. She’s on a very low dose, which is how I like it, of course. But to see the appropriate benefits, I need to make sure she’s on a dosage that’s congruent with her body weight. Speaking of which, HOLY COW! The girl is eating like a champ! This is good for a few reasons. 1) Sometimes it was like pulling teeth to get her to sit with us and eat at the dinner table. We always give her two options: she can eat at the dinner table with the family, or she can eat on the “spot” (which is our time out). She knows she’s not in time out, but sometimes she needs to take a break from the stimulation. Now I’m usually giving her seconds. And she’s trying new foods, namely new veggies. Yay! 2) She can become hypoglycemic quickly, so with this new appetite, we don’t really have to worry about that. Of course, along with this new “hunger” comes some concerns. I do need to watch what she eats. I try very hard to make sure there are plenty of healthy snacks lying around. I don’t stock much junk food anyway, because I’m the one that will eat it. But now it’s even more important to have a healthy kitchen. The kids just finished lunch and Emma had 2 turkey dogs, 2 helpings of cantaloupe, 2 glasses of milk, and then she declared she was still hungry and wanted a snack. I had some carrot sticks cut up and she started munching on those! This is after a breakfast of 2 scrambled eggs and peanut butter on a bagel thin. And a mid-morning snack of apple slices. Holy cow! I’d be stuffed after all that food. What do you think, though…did she eat healthfully today (so far)?
Her sleep habits have become much better, too. She’s going to bed at a reasonable hour and sleeping in until a reasonable hour. She’s getting about 11-12 hours of sleep. I can’t complain!
And while she’s still having temper tantrums, the severity has decreased, as well as the length. We can calm her much more quickly and usually divert her attention. I couldn’t be happier with her progress!
Thanks for all of your tips and well wishes…I think we found a “keeper”!!
We decided very last minute to head up north for the weekend and beat the heat in the valley. It has gotten to be about 105 at home. Too hot!! The highs in Flagstaff are in the 80′s. Perfect! See you Monday!
But actually, yesterday got away from me. That’s why I didn’t post. I completely forgot about this ol’ blog. Also, I don’t want to jinx myself. Brett and I hesitate to speak any words about it, for fear we’ll scare the changes away. I’m talking about Emma. And her new med. It seems to be working!!! She is calmer. She’s not (as) defiant. Her aggression has severely decreased. She’s chatty, social, and more independent. She hasn’t been an insomniac since starting the med. In fact, quite opposite, both days this weekend she slept in until 10:30. The doctor did warn us that she would be more tired. I think it’s the body metabolizing a new medication. It happens frequently with her because she is on so many meds. Oh, and her appetite has shot up. I was warned of this too. I have made sure to keep healthy food options available. With this increased independence comes the need to “get things herself”. Those things need to be healthy!! Not that I stock up on junk food here (lest I be the one eating it!). I think we’re past the exhaustion stage for now. She was up at 5:30 this morning. But she read quietly downstairs until about 6:00, which is a first. Usually she’s bouncing all around. And breakfast consisted of cheesy eggs (2 scrambled eggs with cheese melted inside) and peanut butter on a bagel thin. She’s going to start eating me out of house and home!
So, with this exciting new development, we carefully move forward with life. We’re cautiously optimistic. This weekend we’ll attempt more social activities to see how she handles them. I am also awaiting an email from the district director of SpEd to set up a meeting. Hopefully for next week, or at least before I leave for Paris. I will keep you posted!
p.s. her seizures have also dramatically decreased!!
I’ve been taking dinners to friends the last month or so. I love doing that. They get a (hopefully) yummy dinner and I get to help out a friend. This summer, my go-to dessert has been Homemade Orange Sorbet. I will share with you the recipe, but I’m sorry I don’t have a picture to share that I took myself. However, I found this delightful picture on Google Images (love that place!). It even has mint leaves that I would normally add from our abundant mint plant out front!
Jessica’s Orange Sorbet (adapted from this cookbook)
4 cups fresh orange juice
½ cup simple syrup (to be clear: I made my simply syrup with ¼ cup turbinado sugar, ½ cup water. Oranges are naturally so sweet…no need to add a bunch of sugar)
Combine, chill, and toss into your ice cream maker. I have the Cuisenart and it works perfectly. Yummy sorbet is ready in about 40 minutes.
FYI, it takes a lot of oranges to make 4 cups of juice. I buy the navel oranges from Costco. I have plenty for the sorbet, and enough for my kids to munch on.
In other news, I’m leaning towards liking Emma’s new meds. They’re making her quite drowsy, though, and I’m hoping it’s just a part of her system getting used to a new med. I’m hoping it will pass. Not that I mind her sleeping in until 10:00 on weekends, but on school days it makes it a bit tougher. Especially when she’s over the whole “summer camp” thing as it is. Yes, it’s true. She’s no longer a fan of the “summer camp”. Fortunately for her (and us), there’s only 2 more weeks left.
What summer recipes are you into right now? Happy Sorbet Eating!
I hope everyone had a good weekend and Father’s Day as well! I think Brett got to do exactly what he wanted: a little of everything! Relaxing, putzing in our yard, a trip to Home Depot AND Starbucks, and grilling. I’m a little bummed because I got both he and my dad gifts for the grill from Sur La Table. Both turned out to be broken. I’ve never had this happen before, so I’m hoping it’s just a fluke. But it’s not very fun to open up a broken gift! And now I have to go back to the store to exchange. The hardest part of that? Just exchanging and not buying. Seriously, that’s a dangerous store for us. And I’m on the hunt for some cute straws. I know, random. But we were at a friend’s house last week and she had Mason jars for glasses. Fun and inexpensive idea, and so cute with fun straws!
We’re on the countdown for Paris, too. There are some things that need to get done before we head out. First and foremost, get my a$$ in gear and lose a little extra padding. I have some ideas. And I just need to put them in motion. One thing I’m doing with a friend is the Belly Fat Cure. It’s sounds like a fad, I know. But the philosophy rings true. Limit the carbs you take in, and those carbs you do consume, make them whole grain and as unprocessed as possible. Totally easier said than done for this carbo-holic! But it’s definitely attainable. And I need to get my blood pumping again. My weekly training session is awesome, but it’s not enough (of course). So, that’s what’s on the table. Oh, and a haircut. And a trip to H&M for leggings. Need. Perfect for an over-seas flight, don’t you think? And lastly a trip to the Bose store. A guy on my last flight let me try out his noise canceling headphones. Oh. My. Love. These will be perfect on the long flight so hopefully I look like this:
Lastest on the school situation. It’s been kind of nice to not stress about meetings. Tuesday the director of the district will visit the private school that we hope to place Emma in. So I’m curious how that meeting goes. We already know the director of the private school will do what she can to help Emma’s case. Yay. Positive thoughts, please, for Tuesday. If you would.
Tomorrow I’ll give an update on Emma’s new medication. The jury is still out.
Okay, Igotta snap out of this. I feel grumpy. I hate that. It is so not me. On a positive note, we went to see Emma’s psychiatrist today. Seriously, I’ve been looking forward to that appointment for weeks. Weeks. She thinks that Emma’s problem may not be ADD. That it could be a factor, but she thinks Emma has a mood disorder. She was careful not to label the mood disorder, which I appreciate and agree with. Anyway, if someone has a mood disorder, a stimulant (like zoloft and concerta, the meds she’s on) can have the opposite effect. So we’re going to stop those medications, even the ADD one, and try Respiradol. I’m really hoping that helps. I’ve heard good things about this medication from two people. So this weekend we will go without any psychiatric meds (eek!) and on Monday start with the Risperadol. Fortunately it only takes 2-3 days to start working. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!
On a completely different note, I was watching Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods on Travel Channel. I love that show. I can say with some confidence that I would try almost anything. Of course I have limits, but I like to be adventurous, too. But Andrew? He will try anything. I think the craziest things I’ve tried are Rocky Mountain Oysters (bull testicles), rattle snake, and frogs legs. I’m sure I tried different stuff in Russia, but I was 14 and I don’t remember. When I go to Paris in a few weeks, I want to try escargot.
Please humor me and tell me: What is the weirdest thing you’ve tried? Or what is a weird thing you’d like to try? I want to know!
Everyone has experienced that, right? It’s just called “life”. Well, let me tell you, it’s pouring over here. And not only is it pouring, it’s pouring sh!t. I feel like I’m being pelted by sh!t. Sorry for the graphic nature, but this is how I’m feeling right now. And it’s my blog. I’m tired of this school situation. I’m still really bugged by my evaluation. And regarding that, if I don’t get answers soon, I feel like I have no choice but to move forward legally. I got an email today from the director at the district. She removed the part in the Parent Input plan that had to do with my employment. Because it didn’t have anything to do with Emma’s placement. Um, can she really remove parts of my PARENT input document? I wanted it in there because it does pertain to Emma, and more-so it pertains to their lack of attention to our situation. And I wanted it in there because an IEP is a legal document. This will be documented legally. I’m bugged because I feel like I have a huge fight ahead of us. I’m bugged because of <stupid> jury duty. I hate jury duty. And because of that I feel like I get pulled every 18 months. Without fail. Lottery my ass. I could go into many more reasons why I’m perturbed (great word, no?) but I won’t.
I just feel like I’m being taken advantage of right now. And I also feel like I’m swimming upstream. While other (bigger) fish swim downstream obstructing my path. Visual enough?
Brett and me swimming upstream.
Anyway, I’m ready for a little normalcy. A little boredom. Just for a week, maybe? Where I have no drama. And, more importantly, I don’t perseverate on said drama. Brett says I think about it too much. I stress over it. I totally agree with him. But how do you not?
My good friend got me this notepad:
Not that I’m a lush, but it’s fitting the bill right now. And I need a pedicure.
It’s 5:00a.m. and I have been awake about two hours. I’ve got a crick in my neck and need to see my chiropractor. But i thought since I couldn’t sleep, I’d be productive: i.e. putting away laundry, researching for my upcoming trip to Paris (yay!!), and working on today’s blog post since today is a very busy day. Doesn’t it always work this way: night before super-busy day I don’t sleep well. Let’s just say I’ll be partaking in some 5 Hour Energy come mid-afternoon!
I haven’t talked much about Mason since blowing off the dust on this blog! But he’s the same (very) active 4 year old as before! He’s pretty cute…when he’s not challenging us. His interests right now: keys, cars, key fobs, goldfish crackers, gum, keys, our dogs, summer camp, keys, exploring different sodas, California…did I mention the keys? One might say it’s a slight obsession. That “one” might be every”one” who knows him. I chalk it up to his dad working in the car industry. But it all started with a ride in his Uncle Brett’s mercedes (Uncle Brett is (my) Brett’s best friend).
One big thing I love about this kid (beside his dimples that are so deep they collect lint, and the fact he still loves to cuddle with his mom and shower her with kisses) is that he is so good with Emma. Don’t get me wrong. They have their battles. What siblings don’t? But in general, he’s very sweet and very patient with her. And very willing to help out. Sometimes too willing.
Mason was born 2 months after Emma’s diagnosis. What a trying time! To deal with a child who now has serious medical needs and now a newborn. We were so lucky that he was the easiest baby ever. There is no exaggeration to that statement at all! What’s interesting about our little family, or at least interesting to me, is that Emma is one one side of the spectrum as globally delayed. Mason, on the other hand, is very bright. As in bright enough to be in a gifted program later on. Because why wouldn’t I have two kids who are polar opposites like that? <wink>
One thing that I am struggling with right now is the fact that we don’t have him in any “extra-curricular” activities. No sports. No swim lessons (which is a huge shame). We simply don’t have time right now. How do I fit all of our schedules, including Emma’s schedule which includes multiple doctors appointments, therapies, and gymnastics, and then include an activity for him? I need another me. Or a husband who is independently wealthy and doesn’t have to work so he can coach Mason’s soccer team. I’m sure it will get easier to squeeze in something for Mason…as soon as this whole “school” thang gets sorted out. Until then, we enjoy our time hanging out at home, or doing different activities that include sister. He will get his time to pursue what he wants. Fortunately he can be good at being patient!
*pictures from our recent trip to Indianapolis for a family reunion. It was a Mason and Mommy trip! Any suggestions for this mom who’s feeling a wee bit guilty?
