Sorry ya'll...the url is now fixed and is correct!
Alrighty all my lovely followers! The SPD Life has changed a bit and moved to a new URL so please update your buttons and links. The Parent Support Space is the new site. There are loads more links, topics, categories and so on. We even have a community forum now for all of you to discuss health, life, contest and well...anything you want. Everything from the common cold to pediatric cancer. We hope you'll check it out!
Here's the new url: http://www.parentsupportspace.com/
See you there! :)
Tuesday
Under Our Umbrella: Part One
The "Umbrella" song by music artist, Rhianna holds special meaning for me. The lyrical masterpiece about sharing the shelter of her love stirs haunting memories of a poignant time in my family's lives. It marks the beginning of our journey. It all started last summer, a few days before the school year began.
I won't go into detail about the events of the evening, but I will tell you that it was a life changing night, not just for me, but for my oldest son. He was eight at the time and had been diagnosed as ADHD two years before, although I had known that it was coming for a long, long time. There was just something different about him. He is just one of seven kids in our family, so I have many others to compare his behavior to. I know it has been said that a parent should never compare their children. In my son's case, however, comparison is what saved his life.
The whole month that led up to the night that changed everything, my son's mood stability was erratic and behavior plummeted. His bad moods got worse, his rage uncontrollable and his good moods were almost manic. He couldn't sit still to save his life, couldn't focus, couldn't react normally to anything I told him. He was becoming a monster to his siblings. Our days were suddenly tormented with his fits of rage and depression, hyperactivity, brutal attacks and I almost hated being his mother. I also hated myself for hating it. I didn't even know the child he had become. I was being told that it was ADHD, but in my heart, I knew something else was going on.
My name is Kadi and this is just the beginning of our Umbrella story...
Thursday
Birthdays With The ODD Child
Birthdays and Christmas are usually a cause for excitement and celebration. In our house, Zach really knows how to put a damper on these occasions. This year for his birthday, we got him Blendy Pens, Croc-A-Doodles - he can draw on his Crocs, wash it off and start over with these, and a Razor scooter. All things he has seen and asked for. All things we knew he would like based on his interests. Zach's been dying for a scooter to keep up with the other kids around here because he refuses to learn to ride a bike. He's scared. Here's Zach's reaction to his presents.
The verdict: According to him NOT a very happy birthday because we didn't get him yet more Star Wars stuff. Nevermind that he got almost all Star Wars stuff for Christmas, he bought 5 new action figures with the birthday money one set of grandparents sent, and his godmom usually sends him whatever the newest Star Wars transformers are.
The verdict: According to him NOT a very happy birthday because we didn't get him yet more Star Wars stuff. Nevermind that he got almost all Star Wars stuff for Christmas, he bought 5 new action figures with the birthday money one set of grandparents sent, and his godmom usually sends him whatever the newest Star Wars transformers are.
Tuesday
Great news!
I have some great news today! I am so excited to tell you all that this morning we took Little Miss in for her Autism Evaluation with Knights of Columbus and she came back with no signs of autism! They said it's just SPD and behavioral issues! YAY!!! They said that I'm doing everything I need to be doing to help her and that hopefully by the age of 3 she won't even need therapy anymore but we'll have to wait and see how she progresses.
This isn't something I've been overly concerned with lately because she has been making great progress, saying new words, communicating a little better and learning more signs, but we filled out all the paper work and made the appointment MONTHS ago so we went anyway. It's great to know that she is making such great improvements and that we have something to look forward to. So far today she has had a great day and is now sleeping peacefully for a late nap.
On the down side of things we do still have to take her to a GI Specialist. As I told you before she has chronic, constant diarrhea and has had it her whole life. The past 4 weeks (going on 5) she has hardly been eating or drinking much so this is a concern that she will get dehydrated and/or sick from not eating enough or start to loose weight. We are now going to start charting her food/drink intake, diapers and weight. The doctor says that since the enzyme deficiency is so rare that it is more likely that she has Celiac Disease and not an enzyme deficiency like her brother. We will have to take her in for evaluations, blood and stool work and possibly a intestinal biopsy. I will update more later as things progress.
As for now we are crossing our fingers that good news awaits us. Please keep Little Miss in your thoughts and prayers. :)
This isn't something I've been overly concerned with lately because she has been making great progress, saying new words, communicating a little better and learning more signs, but we filled out all the paper work and made the appointment MONTHS ago so we went anyway. It's great to know that she is making such great improvements and that we have something to look forward to. So far today she has had a great day and is now sleeping peacefully for a late nap.
On the down side of things we do still have to take her to a GI Specialist. As I told you before she has chronic, constant diarrhea and has had it her whole life. The past 4 weeks (going on 5) she has hardly been eating or drinking much so this is a concern that she will get dehydrated and/or sick from not eating enough or start to loose weight. We are now going to start charting her food/drink intake, diapers and weight. The doctor says that since the enzyme deficiency is so rare that it is more likely that she has Celiac Disease and not an enzyme deficiency like her brother. We will have to take her in for evaluations, blood and stool work and possibly a intestinal biopsy. I will update more later as things progress.
As for now we are crossing our fingers that good news awaits us. Please keep Little Miss in your thoughts and prayers. :)
Monday
Pacfic Pediatric Supply WINNERS!!!
Here are the winners for our net swing and peanut balls giveaway from Pacific Pediatric Supply.
For the Net Swing:
True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 184
Result: 28
Powered by RANDOM.ORG
♥Lisa♥ @ FinalScore:Boys3Girls2 said...
28
entry #4
True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 184
Result: 28
Powered by RANDOM.ORG
♥Lisa♥ @ FinalScore:Boys3Girls2 said...
28
entry #4
Peanut Ball #1:
True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 184
Result: 22
Powered by RANDOM.ORG
FrIeNdS said...
22
I am following your blog!AmberCrystalclearbc@aol.com
True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 184
Result: 22
Powered by RANDOM.ORG
FrIeNdS said...
22
I am following your blog!AmberCrystalclearbc@aol.com
Peanut Ball #2:
True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 184
Result: 161
Powered by RANDOM.ORG
lilyk said...
161
I learned that over the years, Pacific Pediatric Supply (PPS) has steadily grown into becoming a full-service therapy supplier, servicing clinics, schools, daycare centers, hospitals, and homes around the world. #4
Congratulations to the winners! You have only 48 hours to answer my confirmation email or the prize(s) will go into a live giveaway contest. Thanks to everyone that entered this contest and look forward to more coming soon.
Pacific Pediatric Supply GIVEAWAY!
This is a sticky post! To read the more recent posts please scroll down!
I am so excited to tell you all about our new review and giveaway! This is going to be great! The reasons why I'm so excited about it is because #1: they're great giveaways, #2: I know they will help out your kids and #3: they're awesome products that are so fun! So are you on the edge of your seat yet? This months giveaway is:
Net Swing and....(read more)
Summertime Chaos
I know I've been MIA from this blog for awhile. We were getting ready for my sister's wedding and school has let out for the summer.
Summer is especially challenging for us. Zach thrives on the strict routine that the school day provides him. At home, I'm just not programmed to be that strict. I suppose if I were a parent who over scheduled their child I could be, but that's just more work than I'm willing to put forth. Summer is my vacation too. I like that we don't have to run here there and everywhere by a certain time and day on a constant basis.
The last couple weeks have been especially challenging in our household. Zach's out of school and out of his routine for one. For another, the anticipation of his birthday this week is absolutely killing him. It's very much like the anticipation kids get at Christmas and then they start acting out because they're so excited they don't know what to do with all that energy. Then his Dad is leaving to go TDY for a month. Being a Daddy's boy, these separations are harder on Zach than the rest of us I think.
What do I do to curb the summertime chaos? I try to have a routine, but let's face it; sticking to my 2 year old's nap and bedtime schedules are hard enough. I'm just not a schedule person. I make sure Zach plays outside as much as possible. The more he runs around and plays physical games, the better he behaves when we need him to sit. Kicking around a soccer ball is a current favorite. I have to admit, it won't hurt my waistline to get out there with him either. During those weeks where it seems like we're in monsoon season, I pack up the kids after a couple days and we go somewhere that has an indoor play area. Their current favorite is a local coffee shop that also serves sandwiches. They have a train table that I have to pry my boys off of when it's time to leave. No matter that they have one here and a ton of trains and track.
When my husband is gone we run a lot of our errands after nap time. It kills that afternoon witching hour when the kids get all squirrely hanging out at home. It's one of the perks of not having a work schedule to go around. When we don't have errands to run, I'll take them to the park or pool. By the time we get home, it's time for dinner and then baths and bed. Of course I collapse on the couch after they're both in bed, but it's worth it to get through that hardest part of the day with them.
What do you do to get through what can be long and boring summer afternoons with your kids?
Summer is especially challenging for us. Zach thrives on the strict routine that the school day provides him. At home, I'm just not programmed to be that strict. I suppose if I were a parent who over scheduled their child I could be, but that's just more work than I'm willing to put forth. Summer is my vacation too. I like that we don't have to run here there and everywhere by a certain time and day on a constant basis.
The last couple weeks have been especially challenging in our household. Zach's out of school and out of his routine for one. For another, the anticipation of his birthday this week is absolutely killing him. It's very much like the anticipation kids get at Christmas and then they start acting out because they're so excited they don't know what to do with all that energy. Then his Dad is leaving to go TDY for a month. Being a Daddy's boy, these separations are harder on Zach than the rest of us I think.
What do I do to curb the summertime chaos? I try to have a routine, but let's face it; sticking to my 2 year old's nap and bedtime schedules are hard enough. I'm just not a schedule person. I make sure Zach plays outside as much as possible. The more he runs around and plays physical games, the better he behaves when we need him to sit. Kicking around a soccer ball is a current favorite. I have to admit, it won't hurt my waistline to get out there with him either. During those weeks where it seems like we're in monsoon season, I pack up the kids after a couple days and we go somewhere that has an indoor play area. Their current favorite is a local coffee shop that also serves sandwiches. They have a train table that I have to pry my boys off of when it's time to leave. No matter that they have one here and a ton of trains and track.
When my husband is gone we run a lot of our errands after nap time. It kills that afternoon witching hour when the kids get all squirrely hanging out at home. It's one of the perks of not having a work schedule to go around. When we don't have errands to run, I'll take them to the park or pool. By the time we get home, it's time for dinner and then baths and bed. Of course I collapse on the couch after they're both in bed, but it's worth it to get through that hardest part of the day with them.
What do you do to get through what can be long and boring summer afternoons with your kids?
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