The lack of updates is due to illness, I apologize. We have not had therapy since Monday, so I don't have much to update about therapy.
Mr N's eating is getting a little better, but has lost two pounds. I'm trying not to freak out (inwardly I've let the freaking out begin) and just hope we can get him eating more and better each day. Today he actually drank out of a sippy cup, it was milk and we are limiting how much he gets, but at least he is drinking out of cup.
We got a phone call back about his T3 levels and they want him retested before taking any action. So as soon as we are all recovered we will get him in for that. Some of his other tests results have come back, but I have no idea what they mean, so hopefully we will be getting a call back explaining those better. His EEG is scheduled for next Friday, so that should be "fun".
The most interesting thing about Mr N not drinking any milk is that he seems different. He seems more verbal, more inquisitive, asking more questions and he seems like he has more energy. He's even skipped his nap several days. Maybe more iron is helping, maybe he really needs to be dairy free, maybe I'm just crazy. Well I'm certainly crazy, but I'm sure Mr N has changed dramatically in the last week. We were watching Leap Frog: Number Ahoy the other day and he was counting right along with the movie. Up until that day when he attempted counting it was always "doo, doo, doo, doo, doooo". But when counting along with the movie he had inflection with each number and much closer to the actual sound especially 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 10. They were no where near clear enough for an occasional listener to understand them, but watching and listening to him count along I'm pretty sure anyone would understand what he was saying. It was such a beautiful, touching thing. I cried happy tears.
We recently received the information we need to start the progress for transferring Mr N's services from Early Start to the school district. I'm nervous about that whole situation, it's unknown and scary. I was also irritated that in the 2 pages of documents they sent us, they spelled his name three different ways, none of which were correct. I know he's just another kid to them, but he is uber precious to me and don't see how it's so hard to spell a kid's name correctly. Especially when it's not an uncommon name or uncommon spelling.
Again my apologies on the lack of updates, I hope we get over this bug very quickly.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Frustration and Ramen Noodles
While I'm excited that Mr N finally ate something besides Fruit Loops, but Ramen Noodles do not have any nutritional value. I guess we need to make more drastic changes, by only having food that is nutritious and beneficial. Here I thought that giving up milk would be the most difficult part of getting him to eat healthy, but that has been the easy part, now just to get him to eat something with protein, vitamins and iron in it.
We received more test results today, they tested his thyroid, all his levels are normal except for his T3, which is incredibly high. We are still waiting for a call back regarding that. I called to schedule his EEG, but am waiting on a call back to get the scheduled, too.
Mr N was not super cooperative during therapy today. He wouldn't do his puzzles, or color matching, didn't want to paint or play with Play Doh. He did finally engage with Katy and played in the circus tent and played follow the leader with strollers. He refused to put on clothes today, I tried repeatedly but he got upset each time I tried to put his shirt on. I did manage to get his jeans on him after a diaper change, but that only lasted 2 minutes when he realized what I had done, he quickly announced "I don't want it" and removed them. I'm hoping his mood today is based on the weather, not on his poor diet.
Maybe not getting Fruit Loops is in our best interest, he finished off the box this morning. Since then he has eaten Ramen Noodles and is now eating pumpkin muffins. Maybe it's time to make some pumpkin bread and sneak some extra healthy stuff into it (bacon).
We received more test results today, they tested his thyroid, all his levels are normal except for his T3, which is incredibly high. We are still waiting for a call back regarding that. I called to schedule his EEG, but am waiting on a call back to get the scheduled, too.
Mr N was not super cooperative during therapy today. He wouldn't do his puzzles, or color matching, didn't want to paint or play with Play Doh. He did finally engage with Katy and played in the circus tent and played follow the leader with strollers. He refused to put on clothes today, I tried repeatedly but he got upset each time I tried to put his shirt on. I did manage to get his jeans on him after a diaper change, but that only lasted 2 minutes when he realized what I had done, he quickly announced "I don't want it" and removed them. I'm hoping his mood today is based on the weather, not on his poor diet.
Maybe not getting Fruit Loops is in our best interest, he finished off the box this morning. Since then he has eaten Ramen Noodles and is now eating pumpkin muffins. Maybe it's time to make some pumpkin bread and sneak some extra healthy stuff into it (bacon).
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Diet
Mr N has done absolutely remarkable giving up milk. He hasn't even been asking for it, he's been asking for food or juice boxes when he needs something. We are absolutely astounded at the lack of meltdowns and tantrums, which we fully expected to be enduring several times a day.
While Mr N has been doing great going without milk, I'm more concerned than ever about his health and eating habits. His main source of nutrition is now coming from fruit loops. Not a significant source of much of anything, I was less concerned when he only drank milk. The first day he ate 3 hotdogs, while I don't think those are healthy, it was at least "meat".
Despite his poor diet, his energy level seems to be normal. I won't lie, I'm super worried about my little man. Can he really live on Fruit Loops? Why couldn't he chose bacon as his go to food? It has protein. Why is this whole parenting thing so incredibly challenging? How do these tiny people demand so much control over our emotions?
In spite of my worries and fears, I do have some good news. E has decided that she loves chocolate milk and has been drinking the chocolate carnation instant breakfast. I can't even begin to describe how happy that makes me. My tiny peanut is getting a protein, iron, other essential vitamins boost every time she has a cup of chocolate milk. Ironically, she absolutely refused to even try chocolate milk when I made it with Hershey's chocolate syrup.
After our very long, stressful week, we opted to take a long hike yesterday to clear our minds and enjoy some gorgeous nature. We had seen an article that the trail beyond Mirror Lake was re-opening Thursday after being closed since a rock slide in 2009. We decided we should embark on the 5 mile hike and see some sights. Like most hikes we take, it was absolutely amazing. Part of the hike took us below the face of Half Dome, then as we took the loop, we could again see the face of Half Dome. We've been to Yosemite dozens of times, we are still astounded by the magnitude of Half Dome and El Capitan. Such impressive sights. There was a tiny bit of water still coming down the river.
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It was a gorgeous day, with wonderful weather, to spend with our perfect little family.
While Mr N has been doing great going without milk, I'm more concerned than ever about his health and eating habits. His main source of nutrition is now coming from fruit loops. Not a significant source of much of anything, I was less concerned when he only drank milk. The first day he ate 3 hotdogs, while I don't think those are healthy, it was at least "meat".
Despite his poor diet, his energy level seems to be normal. I won't lie, I'm super worried about my little man. Can he really live on Fruit Loops? Why couldn't he chose bacon as his go to food? It has protein. Why is this whole parenting thing so incredibly challenging? How do these tiny people demand so much control over our emotions?
In spite of my worries and fears, I do have some good news. E has decided that she loves chocolate milk and has been drinking the chocolate carnation instant breakfast. I can't even begin to describe how happy that makes me. My tiny peanut is getting a protein, iron, other essential vitamins boost every time she has a cup of chocolate milk. Ironically, she absolutely refused to even try chocolate milk when I made it with Hershey's chocolate syrup.
After our very long, stressful week, we opted to take a long hike yesterday to clear our minds and enjoy some gorgeous nature. We had seen an article that the trail beyond Mirror Lake was re-opening Thursday after being closed since a rock slide in 2009. We decided we should embark on the 5 mile hike and see some sights. Like most hikes we take, it was absolutely amazing. Part of the hike took us below the face of Half Dome, then as we took the loop, we could again see the face of Half Dome. We've been to Yosemite dozens of times, we are still astounded by the magnitude of Half Dome and El Capitan. Such impressive sights. There was a tiny bit of water still coming down the river.
.JPG)
It was a gorgeous day, with wonderful weather, to spend with our perfect little family.
Friday, October 19, 2012
Milk Free Day 1
Mr N has not had any milk since yesterday afternoon. He ate two hot dogs for dinner last night, apparently they are more appealing than my homemade spaghetti sauce. But he ate and that is the important part, he also had 3 juice boxes before bedtime. He hasn't really been asking for milk, so I think he realizes that it's no longer an option. Once he is eating more and not relying on milk as his main source of calories we will begin giving him milk after meals.
He hasn't drank any of the carnation instant breakfast or the pediasure, but E sure likes the chocolate carnation in her milk. It won't hurt her to have more calories, iron and protein.
Mr N did not have a great night, he really wanted his bottle before bed. He and I were up very late, he woke up at 5 this morning and I just offered him his juice box and he drank it then went back to sleep. I'm really hoping we both get a nap this afternoon, since I'm afraid tonight may be equally as restless.
Therapy went well today, it took a little prodding to get him to do his color matching, but he did it. Yesterday he did some good play doh work. He is becoming more and more comfortable with Katy, letting her hold him, asking her for help, letting her support him as he climbs hills, etc. It's great to see him progressing.
When E does her school work and has to circle an object she always draws a little gate on the circle. Adorable.
My brain is only semi-functioning due to the lack of sleep, I'm sure there is more to tell, but that is all I can think of for right now.
He hasn't drank any of the carnation instant breakfast or the pediasure, but E sure likes the chocolate carnation in her milk. It won't hurt her to have more calories, iron and protein.
Mr N did not have a great night, he really wanted his bottle before bed. He and I were up very late, he woke up at 5 this morning and I just offered him his juice box and he drank it then went back to sleep. I'm really hoping we both get a nap this afternoon, since I'm afraid tonight may be equally as restless.
Therapy went well today, it took a little prodding to get him to do his color matching, but he did it. Yesterday he did some good play doh work. He is becoming more and more comfortable with Katy, letting her hold him, asking her for help, letting her support him as he climbs hills, etc. It's great to see him progressing.
When E does her school work and has to circle an object she always draws a little gate on the circle. Adorable.
My brain is only semi-functioning due to the lack of sleep, I'm sure there is more to tell, but that is all I can think of for right now.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Another Appointment
Yesterday the lab results started rolling in, most of them came back normal. The only one that didn't come back normal is his blood count, Mr N's hemoglobin is 6.5 (normal is 11-14.5) so when they phoned with the result they advised us to follow up with his regular pediatrician. I promptly sent a note to his regular pediatrician, only to have one of her colleagues reply stating that she is out of the office this week and that Mr N needs to be seen before next week.
His appointment was this afternoon so we ended therapy early to head to town. We picked up Daddy from work to take with us to help out. We arrived at the doctor's office and Mr N calmly went inside, played in the waiting room for a while and then he was done. Daddy took him outside until his name was called, then we hurried back to the exam room. I had warned them that the appointment wouldn't go well, just so they'd be prepared.
Once we entered the exam room Mr N screamed and cried for a while until I finally got him settled down, then the nurse insisted that we take him out of the room to measure his height. We should have just politely refused, but we complied and that ended his cooperation for the appointment. After being measured for height and weight we settled in and waited for the doctor while Mr N screamed and fought to get out the door.
The doctor did an exam checking Mr N's nail beds, looking at his eyes, ears, mouth and nose. He also pushed on his tummy and looked at his legs. My job was to restrain Mr N. After dropping Daddy back off at work we headed to the store to get iron rich foods. Did you know that Raspberry filled Shredded Wheat has 90% of the daily recommended amount of iron? I'm really hoping Mr N likes them, they have to taste better than Total.
I fully expected Mr N to be hospitalized for some sort of Iron infusion and possibly a feeding tube. Instead, the doctor advised us to increase his iron intake and reduce his milk intake. The reason Mr N is severely anemic is due to drinking too much milk which fills him up and then he doesn't eat. His diet needs an extreme change and since he won't drink anything but milk in his bottle I figure it's as good of time as any to toss the bottles.
The next few days will be extremely difficult, full of tears and tantrums but my little man must improve before he suffers from more severe health issues.
It has been an extremely emotional, stressful week with appointments and tests. Through it all Mr N has not held a grudge against me, and still gives me plenty of hugs and cuddles which I appreciate immensely. I could not do this alone, I'm so incredibly grateful once again for my rock, Daddy. He is strong when I am weak, he comforts and assures me that Mr N will be fine. I also have been receiving encouraging words of support from my dear friends, whom I adore. Thank you so much guys, you have no idea how much strength your words give me.
His appointment was this afternoon so we ended therapy early to head to town. We picked up Daddy from work to take with us to help out. We arrived at the doctor's office and Mr N calmly went inside, played in the waiting room for a while and then he was done. Daddy took him outside until his name was called, then we hurried back to the exam room. I had warned them that the appointment wouldn't go well, just so they'd be prepared.
Once we entered the exam room Mr N screamed and cried for a while until I finally got him settled down, then the nurse insisted that we take him out of the room to measure his height. We should have just politely refused, but we complied and that ended his cooperation for the appointment. After being measured for height and weight we settled in and waited for the doctor while Mr N screamed and fought to get out the door.
The doctor did an exam checking Mr N's nail beds, looking at his eyes, ears, mouth and nose. He also pushed on his tummy and looked at his legs. My job was to restrain Mr N. After dropping Daddy back off at work we headed to the store to get iron rich foods. Did you know that Raspberry filled Shredded Wheat has 90% of the daily recommended amount of iron? I'm really hoping Mr N likes them, they have to taste better than Total.
I fully expected Mr N to be hospitalized for some sort of Iron infusion and possibly a feeding tube. Instead, the doctor advised us to increase his iron intake and reduce his milk intake. The reason Mr N is severely anemic is due to drinking too much milk which fills him up and then he doesn't eat. His diet needs an extreme change and since he won't drink anything but milk in his bottle I figure it's as good of time as any to toss the bottles.
The next few days will be extremely difficult, full of tears and tantrums but my little man must improve before he suffers from more severe health issues.
It has been an extremely emotional, stressful week with appointments and tests. Through it all Mr N has not held a grudge against me, and still gives me plenty of hugs and cuddles which I appreciate immensely. I could not do this alone, I'm so incredibly grateful once again for my rock, Daddy. He is strong when I am weak, he comforts and assures me that Mr N will be fine. I also have been receiving encouraging words of support from my dear friends, whom I adore. Thank you so much guys, you have no idea how much strength your words give me.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Neurologist
Yesterday was a big day for all of us, we departed home at 11:00 am so that we'd have time to stop by Daddy's optometrist and order new frames for him. After the eye doctor we stopped for lunch and since none of us wanted the same thing, we stopped at three different places before heading on to the neurologist's office.
The neurologist has an amazing facility to put the kids at ease and feel more relaxed. Walking in the main doors you are greeted by beautiful butterflies hanging from the ceiling, soft muted colors on the walls and small private waiting rooms for each section. Each waiting room had a beautiful child friendly mural or brightly colored pictures. Our waiting room had a fish tank with all of the Finding Nemo characters, as did another waiting room that we scoped out.
When we first arrived Mr N was napping, which we felt was a good thing. It gave us the opportunity to talk with the doctor a bit without having to keep Mr N quiet. We arrived well ahead of the appointment and since the doctor was ahead of schedule we only had 10 minute wait before being seen. We discussed his history, family medical history, and concerns we had. Then we talked about what tests would be run, what kinds of things needed to be checked for and hopefully ruled out.
Mr N woke up in an extremely unhappy mood, I had rather hoped that he wasn't still deathly afraid of doctor's offices, but I was very wrong. He woke up screaming and just wanted out of the room, she tried to look in his eyes but he was squirmy and screamy. Finally Daddy took Mr N out of the office so that I could talk to the doctor about the next steps, that lasted almost thirty seconds before they were back because Mr N wanted Mommy.
We walked around the waiting rooms, looked at pictures, fish tanks, butterflies, etc but Mr N was still quite upset and not settling down. We went outside a few times but that wasn't helping either. After several rounds weaving through waiting rooms, going outside and then back again; Mr N decided he was ready to get down to walk. He ventured outside and found a nice quiet area next to an emergency only exit where we stayed until Daddy came out from talking to the doctor.
Daddy did not come bearing happy news, Mr N needed blood drawn and we could either do it then and there or at our "local" lab (which is an hour and twenty minutes from home). We decided since Mr N was already cranky and having a bad day we should just make it worse and be done. Surprisingly, Mr N headed back in without any issues, patiently waited in the waiting room at the lab and even walked into the lab on his own. He willingly climbed up into my lap, unaware of his fate. Mommy's job was to hold Mr N and his left arm still while the lab guy held his right arm and drew blood. Mr N did amazingly well, he screamed and wiggled and was quite angry, but it was still about 10 times better than I expected. I was surprised at how quickly his vein was found and poked. They drew eight vials of blood, to which E said "wow, why did baby have so much blood in him?"
I was pleasantly surprised that Mr N still wanted me after being the bad guy holding him down, but he was a Mommy's boy all day yesterday. I didn't mind, my poor achy heart was much less forgiving than his. Mommy could barely hold it together as Daddy was explaining what the doctor had told him while the kids and I were outside. They want to do a 24 hour EEG, which we will schedule after the results from the blood panel come back, and they sent home urine sample cups. We received a call this morning that he has severe anemia, the other results that are in are normal so far, and there are still some tests pending.
We departed the neurologist's office and headed for Ikea, it was our first time there. I am now confident that everyone who loves Disneyland has never been to Ikea. It was incredibly awesome. Our purpose in going was to purchase a swing for Mr N that he can use in the house. I aired up the cushion this morning and got it prepped to hang from the ceiling, we just need Daddy to install it. I let Mr N climb inside while I held it to see how he liked it, he seemed to really enjoy it, so I'm hoping he'll get a lot of use out of it. I had told E on Monday that if she was good all day on Tuesday that we would get her a toy, knowing it would be a long day I wanted her to have some motivation for behaving while being drug all over creation. She chose a circus tent. I tried desperately to find something smaller but to no avail. Somehow she had Daddy in her corner so I was outnumbered.
I love IKEA, I just want to make sure that isn't overlooked. We picked out a table for the kitchen, picked up a shower curtain rod for the downstairs bathroom, got some construction paper for the kiddos and some kitchen timers, because what little kid doesn't love a kitchen timer? I love IKEA, we need one. I want to live there.
Moving on....since we were already in Sacramento we decided to hit up a sporting goods store to make Daddy's day. We headed across town to Big 5 sporting goods, but they didn't have what he wanted to look at so we headed for home while watching for somewhere to eat for dinner. After much discussion E decided she would like Taco Bell and that we should go inside to eat because she does not have a table in the car. She made a pretty good argument so we watched for a Taco Bell. In the meantime, Daddy was very sad that he didn't enjoy his time at Big 5, so I asked him if he'd like to go to Bass Pro Shop even though it was a bit out of the way. We changed our course and headed for BPS and finally found a Taco Bell en route.
Mr N absolutely loved Bass Pro, the bears were a big hit as were the elevators. I left E with Daddy while Mr N and I wandered around looking at animals, climbing up and down the stairs, and riding the elevator. I'm pretty sure Mr N wants a 4 wheeler, and I see no reason why an almost 3 year old shouldn't have one. After trying out 3 different 4-wheelers he settled on the smallest since he could reach the handles and there was still room on the back for Mommy (he insisted that I try them all out with him). I attempted several times to steer him towards the footwear section so I could look for some hiking shoes, but that was not on his agenda and successfully avoided the area. When Daddy was done looking at his toys he took both kids while I finally tried on shoes. Much to my surprise I found some that didn't make me want to cut off my feet. I will be wearing them around the house all week to ensure they don't hurt.
We finally got home around 11:00 pm and headed for bed, but not before setting up E's circus tent. She thought she might want to sleep in it, but in the end opted for the bed. Mr N, on the other hand, crawled into bed fully clothed and went to sleep.
We were all a bit tuckered this morning so I let the kids sleep in while I cleaned up and prepared for Katy to arrive. E woke up about 10 minutes before she arrived and Mr N woke up about 20 minutes after she got here. E immediately crawled into her circus tent and has played in it most of the morning.
Mr N just peed in his urine sample cup, this is going to be easier than I expected. He keeps opening the freezer to look at it, he's pretty proud of himself.
Yesterday was such an emotionally taxing day, it is so difficult to prepare myself for what is to come. It is so hard to watch my baby get poked and prodded, it's heart breaking to imagine how stressful it all is for him. He is so brave to endure it all, I'm so proud of him. This morning E even said "baby was so brave yesterday", we are all proud of him. He has a little bruise from where they drew his blood, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him. He did see it and seemed upset, but it might just be the reminder of what happened. He just touched the bruise and used his cranky tone to express his unhappiness.
The neurologist has an amazing facility to put the kids at ease and feel more relaxed. Walking in the main doors you are greeted by beautiful butterflies hanging from the ceiling, soft muted colors on the walls and small private waiting rooms for each section. Each waiting room had a beautiful child friendly mural or brightly colored pictures. Our waiting room had a fish tank with all of the Finding Nemo characters, as did another waiting room that we scoped out.
When we first arrived Mr N was napping, which we felt was a good thing. It gave us the opportunity to talk with the doctor a bit without having to keep Mr N quiet. We arrived well ahead of the appointment and since the doctor was ahead of schedule we only had 10 minute wait before being seen. We discussed his history, family medical history, and concerns we had. Then we talked about what tests would be run, what kinds of things needed to be checked for and hopefully ruled out.
Mr N woke up in an extremely unhappy mood, I had rather hoped that he wasn't still deathly afraid of doctor's offices, but I was very wrong. He woke up screaming and just wanted out of the room, she tried to look in his eyes but he was squirmy and screamy. Finally Daddy took Mr N out of the office so that I could talk to the doctor about the next steps, that lasted almost thirty seconds before they were back because Mr N wanted Mommy.
We walked around the waiting rooms, looked at pictures, fish tanks, butterflies, etc but Mr N was still quite upset and not settling down. We went outside a few times but that wasn't helping either. After several rounds weaving through waiting rooms, going outside and then back again; Mr N decided he was ready to get down to walk. He ventured outside and found a nice quiet area next to an emergency only exit where we stayed until Daddy came out from talking to the doctor.
Daddy did not come bearing happy news, Mr N needed blood drawn and we could either do it then and there or at our "local" lab (which is an hour and twenty minutes from home). We decided since Mr N was already cranky and having a bad day we should just make it worse and be done. Surprisingly, Mr N headed back in without any issues, patiently waited in the waiting room at the lab and even walked into the lab on his own. He willingly climbed up into my lap, unaware of his fate. Mommy's job was to hold Mr N and his left arm still while the lab guy held his right arm and drew blood. Mr N did amazingly well, he screamed and wiggled and was quite angry, but it was still about 10 times better than I expected. I was surprised at how quickly his vein was found and poked. They drew eight vials of blood, to which E said "wow, why did baby have so much blood in him?"
I was pleasantly surprised that Mr N still wanted me after being the bad guy holding him down, but he was a Mommy's boy all day yesterday. I didn't mind, my poor achy heart was much less forgiving than his. Mommy could barely hold it together as Daddy was explaining what the doctor had told him while the kids and I were outside. They want to do a 24 hour EEG, which we will schedule after the results from the blood panel come back, and they sent home urine sample cups. We received a call this morning that he has severe anemia, the other results that are in are normal so far, and there are still some tests pending.
We departed the neurologist's office and headed for Ikea, it was our first time there. I am now confident that everyone who loves Disneyland has never been to Ikea. It was incredibly awesome. Our purpose in going was to purchase a swing for Mr N that he can use in the house. I aired up the cushion this morning and got it prepped to hang from the ceiling, we just need Daddy to install it. I let Mr N climb inside while I held it to see how he liked it, he seemed to really enjoy it, so I'm hoping he'll get a lot of use out of it. I had told E on Monday that if she was good all day on Tuesday that we would get her a toy, knowing it would be a long day I wanted her to have some motivation for behaving while being drug all over creation. She chose a circus tent. I tried desperately to find something smaller but to no avail. Somehow she had Daddy in her corner so I was outnumbered.
I love IKEA, I just want to make sure that isn't overlooked. We picked out a table for the kitchen, picked up a shower curtain rod for the downstairs bathroom, got some construction paper for the kiddos and some kitchen timers, because what little kid doesn't love a kitchen timer? I love IKEA, we need one. I want to live there.
Moving on....since we were already in Sacramento we decided to hit up a sporting goods store to make Daddy's day. We headed across town to Big 5 sporting goods, but they didn't have what he wanted to look at so we headed for home while watching for somewhere to eat for dinner. After much discussion E decided she would like Taco Bell and that we should go inside to eat because she does not have a table in the car. She made a pretty good argument so we watched for a Taco Bell. In the meantime, Daddy was very sad that he didn't enjoy his time at Big 5, so I asked him if he'd like to go to Bass Pro Shop even though it was a bit out of the way. We changed our course and headed for BPS and finally found a Taco Bell en route.
Mr N absolutely loved Bass Pro, the bears were a big hit as were the elevators. I left E with Daddy while Mr N and I wandered around looking at animals, climbing up and down the stairs, and riding the elevator. I'm pretty sure Mr N wants a 4 wheeler, and I see no reason why an almost 3 year old shouldn't have one. After trying out 3 different 4-wheelers he settled on the smallest since he could reach the handles and there was still room on the back for Mommy (he insisted that I try them all out with him). I attempted several times to steer him towards the footwear section so I could look for some hiking shoes, but that was not on his agenda and successfully avoided the area. When Daddy was done looking at his toys he took both kids while I finally tried on shoes. Much to my surprise I found some that didn't make me want to cut off my feet. I will be wearing them around the house all week to ensure they don't hurt.
We finally got home around 11:00 pm and headed for bed, but not before setting up E's circus tent. She thought she might want to sleep in it, but in the end opted for the bed. Mr N, on the other hand, crawled into bed fully clothed and went to sleep.
We were all a bit tuckered this morning so I let the kids sleep in while I cleaned up and prepared for Katy to arrive. E woke up about 10 minutes before she arrived and Mr N woke up about 20 minutes after she got here. E immediately crawled into her circus tent and has played in it most of the morning.
Mr N just peed in his urine sample cup, this is going to be easier than I expected. He keeps opening the freezer to look at it, he's pretty proud of himself.
Yesterday was such an emotionally taxing day, it is so difficult to prepare myself for what is to come. It is so hard to watch my baby get poked and prodded, it's heart breaking to imagine how stressful it all is for him. He is so brave to endure it all, I'm so proud of him. This morning E even said "baby was so brave yesterday", we are all proud of him. He has a little bruise from where they drew his blood, but it doesn't seem to be bothering him. He did see it and seemed upset, but it might just be the reminder of what happened. He just touched the bruise and used his cranky tone to express his unhappiness.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Autism Conference Part 3 - Temple Grandin
Temple Grandin is an inspiration, she's so passionate about her work and full of information. It was truly an honor to meet her and hear her speak. She also autographed my book.
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The very first thing she said is to do something, the worst thing you can do is to do nothing. get them into therapy and stressed the importance of early intervention. Here is where I truly can not get over how incredibly amazing of a mother Temple had. When she was diagnosed with Autism, the doctor recommended her be institutionalized, as it was the typical treatment. But not her mom, she hired a nanny and a speech therapist. Temple didn't talk until she was 4 years old. The nanny spent time playing with her and teaching her turn taking and Temple again stressed the importance of that activity.
Pushing our children to do things, to work harder, and do their work is important, but pushing too hard and causing sensory overload will result in no progress. This made me feel vindicated in my decision to cease the therapy that was causing Mr N to meltdown and subsequently shut down. The entire conference gave me many moments of confidence and reassurance.
Temple explained why many children cover or block their ears, sense they have intense senses many times sounds hurt their ears and inflicts much pain. It is better to have them initiate the sounds. Beth (the OT who spoke prior to Temple) likened it to brushing hair, it doesn't hurt when you brush your own hair because you know what is too much.
Slowing down and stressing the hard consonants is how Temple's speech therapist taught her to speak and enunciate. I am eager to do this with Mr N, this will be extremely beneficial in teaching him to talk correctly.
Temple was absolutely hilarious, the drawings that were shown in her movie "Temple Grandin" were included in her presentation, every time she showed them she would get giddy and excited. She is still so incredibly proud of her work, so passionate about her work.
Temple is a visual learner, she sees everything in pictures. She says her mind is like google images, only very specific. She discovered in her 40s that people thought in generalized pictures. For example, when she thinks about steeples, she has categories of steeples, the first category is the one from her hometown, next are the ones in the town she lives now, then the final category is famous steeples.
She discussed the importance of teaching social skills in the community, how to shake hands, make eye contact, order food, good table manners. Everyone needs these skills, being on the spectrum is not an excuse. Things that should not be tolerated are bad manners, being rude, swearing, sloppy dress and poor personal hygiene. She said it is okay to be eccentric, but being dirty or rude is not. There is no reason to try to de-geek the geek. Again, she is funny.
Temple spent the summer at her aunt's house starting when she was 12 or 13 which is where she discovered her love for animals and prompted her career path. Her mom got her jobs, volunteered her, or got her internships at various places every summer even through college so that she would have real life experience. She talked about what a shame it is that we have kids graduating from college who have never worked.
Another thing she brought up was the importance of children learning to play with each other where the rules and duties are negotiated by the children. Building a sand castle or playing with lincoln logs and working together to build things. She discouraged letting children just play video games all the time (actually she criticized it pretty harshly). She also made no apologies for her lack of political correctness and called it "BS".
Encouraging children at a young age to pursue the things they love will help them. Let them start working in middle school, even if it's volunteer work. She also gave specific job suggestions for people with autism based on how they think. Jobs for visual thinkers, jobs for verbal thinkers, jobs for math and music thinkers, etc.
Every night before bed Temple does 100 crunches, it helps her sleep better. If she doesn't do them it messes her up for a long time. She expressed the importance of getting daily exercise. Getting exercise makes it easier to sleep, getting sleep helps you function. She also suggesting cutting out 10 tons of sugar from your child's diet. She feels better if she gets animal protein for breakfast, sausage, egg and an apple is her typical breakfast.
I purchased two of Temple's books and plan to purchase another one when I'm finished with these. I am also hoping to watch her movie again in the very near future, even though I will cry.
Temple is absolutely one of the most amazing speakers I've ever seen in my life. She commands the audience attention, I don't think one person blinked the entire time she spoke. I really had to laugh when she talked about video gamers (it's not a social activity), she said there are 100 applicants for every 1 job in the video gaming industry. She encouraged getting a major in computer science and engineering (if those are suitable careers) and that there are 2 jobs for every 1 applicant in those fields. I must admit that I see plenty of job postings for engineers, so she must be on to something.
I will probably add things to my usual blogs as I recall them. If you are on the spectrum, have a child on the spectrum, or work with a child on the spectrum, I highly recommend you take the opportunity to see Temple speak if you ever get the chance. She is incredible.
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The very first thing she said is to do something, the worst thing you can do is to do nothing. get them into therapy and stressed the importance of early intervention. Here is where I truly can not get over how incredibly amazing of a mother Temple had. When she was diagnosed with Autism, the doctor recommended her be institutionalized, as it was the typical treatment. But not her mom, she hired a nanny and a speech therapist. Temple didn't talk until she was 4 years old. The nanny spent time playing with her and teaching her turn taking and Temple again stressed the importance of that activity.
Pushing our children to do things, to work harder, and do their work is important, but pushing too hard and causing sensory overload will result in no progress. This made me feel vindicated in my decision to cease the therapy that was causing Mr N to meltdown and subsequently shut down. The entire conference gave me many moments of confidence and reassurance.
Temple explained why many children cover or block their ears, sense they have intense senses many times sounds hurt their ears and inflicts much pain. It is better to have them initiate the sounds. Beth (the OT who spoke prior to Temple) likened it to brushing hair, it doesn't hurt when you brush your own hair because you know what is too much.
Slowing down and stressing the hard consonants is how Temple's speech therapist taught her to speak and enunciate. I am eager to do this with Mr N, this will be extremely beneficial in teaching him to talk correctly.
Temple was absolutely hilarious, the drawings that were shown in her movie "Temple Grandin" were included in her presentation, every time she showed them she would get giddy and excited. She is still so incredibly proud of her work, so passionate about her work.
Temple is a visual learner, she sees everything in pictures. She says her mind is like google images, only very specific. She discovered in her 40s that people thought in generalized pictures. For example, when she thinks about steeples, she has categories of steeples, the first category is the one from her hometown, next are the ones in the town she lives now, then the final category is famous steeples.
She discussed the importance of teaching social skills in the community, how to shake hands, make eye contact, order food, good table manners. Everyone needs these skills, being on the spectrum is not an excuse. Things that should not be tolerated are bad manners, being rude, swearing, sloppy dress and poor personal hygiene. She said it is okay to be eccentric, but being dirty or rude is not. There is no reason to try to de-geek the geek. Again, she is funny.
Temple spent the summer at her aunt's house starting when she was 12 or 13 which is where she discovered her love for animals and prompted her career path. Her mom got her jobs, volunteered her, or got her internships at various places every summer even through college so that she would have real life experience. She talked about what a shame it is that we have kids graduating from college who have never worked.
Another thing she brought up was the importance of children learning to play with each other where the rules and duties are negotiated by the children. Building a sand castle or playing with lincoln logs and working together to build things. She discouraged letting children just play video games all the time (actually she criticized it pretty harshly). She also made no apologies for her lack of political correctness and called it "BS".
Encouraging children at a young age to pursue the things they love will help them. Let them start working in middle school, even if it's volunteer work. She also gave specific job suggestions for people with autism based on how they think. Jobs for visual thinkers, jobs for verbal thinkers, jobs for math and music thinkers, etc.
Every night before bed Temple does 100 crunches, it helps her sleep better. If she doesn't do them it messes her up for a long time. She expressed the importance of getting daily exercise. Getting exercise makes it easier to sleep, getting sleep helps you function. She also suggesting cutting out 10 tons of sugar from your child's diet. She feels better if she gets animal protein for breakfast, sausage, egg and an apple is her typical breakfast.
I purchased two of Temple's books and plan to purchase another one when I'm finished with these. I am also hoping to watch her movie again in the very near future, even though I will cry.
Temple is absolutely one of the most amazing speakers I've ever seen in my life. She commands the audience attention, I don't think one person blinked the entire time she spoke. I really had to laugh when she talked about video gamers (it's not a social activity), she said there are 100 applicants for every 1 job in the video gaming industry. She encouraged getting a major in computer science and engineering (if those are suitable careers) and that there are 2 jobs for every 1 applicant in those fields. I must admit that I see plenty of job postings for engineers, so she must be on to something.
I will probably add things to my usual blogs as I recall them. If you are on the spectrum, have a child on the spectrum, or work with a child on the spectrum, I highly recommend you take the opportunity to see Temple speak if you ever get the chance. She is incredible.
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