Update!

Hi friends!

Well, it's been awhile. It's hard to believe that the school year is nearly over!  J has been having an easier time overall this year. He's in with the rest of his class, and gradually starting to make friends.  He's reading with relative ease, and picking up math really fast. We bought him an abacus to use when he's doing his homework, and he's figured out how to use it for both addition and subtraction. 

Two things of note have happened recently. The first is that the paperwork for reassessment has been sent in, and we are just waiting on a date. For those of you who don't know, J was first assessed for autism in 2012, but the basically just blamed it all on his vision issues and sent us on our way. Well, here we are two years later and some things have just not changed. 

The other noteworthy event is that J had an examination under anaesthetic to find out if he could finally have his lens implantation surgery. It turns out that he can't. He's developed glaucoma, and will be needing surgery for that.  His doctor says that there's no nerve damage, thank goodness for that!  He's on a daily drop and is tolerating them very well.  The surgery will be in the next year or so. 

There's more to add, but K is sick and I'm trying to tend to her, so I'll try to post later. 

Have a good day!

~Dee~

It's the Small Things

Hi friends!

I just wanted to share something that happened today. 

As you know, J has sensory issues. This has, in the past, made things such as showers, clipping nails, and haircuts very traumatic for him. He tolerates most things pretty well now, but haircuts are still rough. We've never been able to take him to a salon, because as soon as he hears the clippers he falls apart, with kicking, screaming, crying, the works.  Today was haircut day. We've just bought our own clippers. J calls it Mister Clipper and says to me "Mommy, I don't like Mister Clipper if he touches me."

I got the bright idea to let him play with them before we ever used them, and today went amazing. He watched cartoons on the playbook, ate peanut butter M&Ms, and didn't utter a peep of protest. What would normally have taken forty-five minutes took fifteen. 

People often say that we're all so busy looking for the next big thing, that we fail to appreciate the small things. Today was a definite reminder to me of how important the small things can really be. We're feeling pretty happy for J today, and as for myself, I'm feeling very happy, and grateful. Hopefully this means that there is one more thing in this world that J doesn't feel overwhelmed by. (Awkwardly constructed sentence right there. I need coffee :) )

Hope your day is wonderful. 

~Dee~

Back to School

Hi friends!

Well, the school year is back on full swing, and I figured it was time for an update. J's return to school has gone fairly smooth. He has the same EA that he had last year, but pretty much everything else has changed. We have a new teacher, principal, and resource teacher, and he's taken to them all really well.  The Teacher for the Visually Impaired has already been in touch, and with J reading now, we're looking at magnifying tools to help him see the mages more easily. A lot of his friends from last year are in his class, and he's already reestablished some of those friendships.  

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but J spends a good part of his time in a separate room with his EA, doing work that the teacher, Mrs. C, gives them. He's been given a lot of time in the classroom with the other kids, and it is going so much better than we could have hoped.  Carpet time is the hardest for him, so he only stays for a little while, but his EA is letting him lead, and the times have been getting longer quickly. 

We've been working with him on ways to keep himself calm, and productive, non violent ways to deal with his anger as it comes. His tendency is to scream or hit, and we're really working on ways to avoid that without bottling up his feelings.   It's a slow process, but there's been progress. 

There's not much else to add.  We walk home with my best friend, who just so happens to be the mother of J's best friend, and though they antagonize each other to no end, it's going better. He's really loving school and is super excited to go every day. He's usually trying to push Daddy out of the door by seven thirty!  

Anyway, that's all for now. Have a wonderful day!  

~Dee~

Sorry guys!

Hi friends!  

Once again I've been neglecting the blog, and I'm sorry for that. It's summertime, and J is out of school.  Life has been crazy busy what with beach dates, barbecues, and all that other fun summer stuff!  We've had a lot going on, and I'm working on a post explaining it all, but it isn't ready yet. Thanks for being patient, and sticking with us. Hope you're having a wonderful day!  

~Dee~

Hello Out There

Hello friends!

Well, it's been a LONG time.  Things have been really crazy around here with J's school and all.  He's still having a rough time.  We're trying an assortment of different ideas to help him learn to deal with his feelings of anger and being overwhelmed, and there has been some improvement, but it is definitely slow going. On the plus side, his team is amazing. His EA and I talk every day, And we're building a good rapport. The woman who covers for her when she has a break, (we'll call her T) is also fantastic.  We meet up every day before J is let out, and we talk about the day and discuss new strategies for the following day.  He has been having trouble seeing well enough to write, so they are letting him use a whiteboard to draw his letters on.  He can make them as big as he needs to, and that is helping. Also, he does not go straight to the class at the start of the day, nor does he leave the class and come right to me.  He "transitions" in another room for about five minutes, and that has helped a lot.  Overall he is really enjoying school. His speech is coming along so well, and we've noticed that he is becoming much more confident in himself.  He's become such a little leader for his sister.

We have gotten some amazing news, which is a big part of the reason I decided to make a new post.  Just saw his ophthalmologist last week. He usually is very difficult, but this time he wasn't.  Doctor P was very excited, as, because of J's compliance, he was able to get the most accurate refraction he's ever gotten from J.  He made a huge discovery.  A year and a half ago, J's glasses were at +16 for strength.  That's about normal for a child with 20/500 vision. Well, J's glasses are TOO STRONG!  His new prescription is a 10.25 in one eye, and a 12.50 in the other, which is a HUGE improvement.  No one expected this, but we are all so happy for J.  His new glasses will really help him.  Right now, the doctor says he probably has constantly blurry vision, and headaches.  I wish we had noticed sooner :(.

Well, that's all for now. As always, feel free to ask if you're curious about anything!

Enjoy your day,

~Dee

Eleven Years - Reflections

Eleven years ago, I was twenty years old, and due to wake up an hour later to go to work, but my uncle threw open my door and yelled "the World Trade Centre's been hit!"
I'm ashamed to say that I thought he was pulling my leg.
When I woke up an hour later, I went out to the living room where my uncle was glued to the TV.  I asked him what he was watching, then saw it...the footage from a plane crashing into the towers. At work, the mood was subdued, full of anger and heartbreak for our American neighbours. As time went on, more and more about this horrific tragedy was discovered.

Now, it's eleven years later.  Children who lost their parents that day have grown, young men and women who's lives were charged forever.  Parents who buried their children that day have survived, the best they can, and mourned their children as time has passed.  The man behind these attacks is dead.

I hope, and pray, that we have learned something, taken some great lesson from this horrible day, and that history will not repeat itself.  The lives on the many lost can be honored by our actions.  We have grown, survived, and someday we will create a better world from the lessons of the past.

9/11. We will never forget.

Update!

Hello friends!
It's been awhile, and I'm sorry for that.  As you know, J had his autism assessment.  NOT easy, let me tell you.  The doctor, who was amazing, had to push him, make him uncomfortable and on edge.  She would cut him short, switch tasks without notice, and offer things he wasn't keen on.  She had him good and mad, so that she could see his true reactions.  He reacted exactly as he normally would, which was LOUD and angry.  At the end of it all, she decided that he does not have autism.  She suspects either ADHD or a behaviour disorder, but was loathe to diagnose at this point.  She says that she'd like him to be in school for at least a year first.  After that, we'll have a meeting and re-assess.  For now, we are working in co-operative problem-solving; working with him to find solutions rather that him getting angry because something isn't working for him.  So far, it's been moderately successful. 

J did really well on the trip, which was two ferry rides and a lot of driving.  Daddy and I did worse, as we missed K so much.  She stayed home with a very good friend of mine.  After the appointment, we went to Ikea for lunch, and bought a gift for each of the kids.  K has been carting her doll around ever since.

J has turned five!  FIVE!  It's amazing, how fast the last five years have gone.  Seems like yesterday that I was laying on the table, blue sheet draped in front of me, Daddy crouched besdie me, staring at my beautiful baby boy for the first time.  If this is how fast the first five years have gone, I'm a little afraid for the future.  It seems that we hardly blink, and our babies become kids, then kids become teenagers, and adults.  I think that I understand a little better how our parents must have felt.

Well, that's all for now, folks.  We're laying a bit low around here, playing outside and helping J learn to ride his bike, and teaching K how to talk.  They really do grow up too fast.

Enjoy your day,

~Dee~