If there's anyone out there who still checks this, that is. Since it's been nearly a year since I've posted here, I wouldn't be shocked if no one ever saw this.
Since February of second grade, BabyGirl's life has changed bit by bit. Now the Sensory Diet is behind us. Occasionally she still covers up with her weighted blanket, but the fidgets box is gone, as is the indoor mini-trampoline. I can't remember the last time I had to brush her. She is willingly wearing long pants & long sleeve shirts now. She asked for "mostly clothes" for Christmas last year. A necklace & bracelet have become permanent attachments as have her glasses. Leggings have become a staple of her wardrobe & she wouldn't touch them 12 months ago.
If you'd have told me 2 years ago I'd be able to send her to her room to dress on her own & most mornings, she'd come out fully ready to go, I'd have laughed in your face.
Not that we don't still have issues. Every now & then she has a fit about what she's going to wear, but that's usually because I don't have the one outfit she's got her heart set on clean. She can fly off the handle at the drop of a hat & only has one volume setting (it's 11 in case you're wondering), but she can also calm herself much quicker than she could this time last year.
Life isn't going to be easy for her. She's still going to have struggles, but I think she's much better equipped to deal with them now. We're learning what does & doesn't work for her when it comes to keeping her attention focused for school. Her third grade teacher (Mrs.B) is much happier with her progress than her second grade teacher (Mrs.S) was. I think that has a lot to do with Mrs.S cracking down & expecting so much of her. I'm very thankful that we've had involved & caring teachers every year so far. She's making all A's & B's this year & is developing a new interest in reading.
I hope things keep swinging up!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Essays by BabyGirl herself.
Essay #1. If I had 100 Dollars, I would.... I would byu a TV and a neckless and I would byu a brasless (that's bracelet) and I would get my ears perst.
Essay #2. I Have A Dream. My dream for our world would be everyone would have a house and have stuf that they have everything the need because they could die. They can get sick or they can get hurt.
Essay #3. I wish no one would litter. I want the world to be safest. It will be the hardest job. I hope the pariry (prairie) will get bigger. I want the cleanest water. I want the biggest pool of water and....
Mrs. S says she's smart. Very smart. But she's also very worried about her attention issues. She just cannot seem to focus & get her work done in time. She's so easily distracted by any thing going on around her. But I know she also uses the excuse "the other kids are distracting me" to make up for just gazing off in to space frequently.
She's learning what she needs to learn, she's just not finishing her work. I'm at a loss as to what to do.
In much better news, she's doing great with her clothing. She's even willingly worn layers & socks to play out in the snow (a major battle last year). Her wardrobe is expanding by her own choice. In fact, I don't remember the last time she wore the stand by khakis to school. And bed sheets have ceased to be an issue at all. She even sleeps under a blanket & a comforter now, something she would never have tollerated last winter.
Her Uncle Bubba is getting married in September. He & Aunt Bec have asked her to be the flower girl. She's over the moon about the prospect. When Bec first asked, I was a bit nervous thinking BabyGirl might never agree to wear the dress picked out for her. But with the improvements she's made lately, I'm not nearly as concerned. Shoes may still be an issue, but I'm trying to plan ahead. I want to get her some white patent leather flip-flops for church this year. If I can find them, I'll tuck away an extra pair to keep nice & clean for the wedding.
Essay #2. I Have A Dream. My dream for our world would be everyone would have a house and have stuf that they have everything the need because they could die. They can get sick or they can get hurt.
Essay #3. I wish no one would litter. I want the world to be safest. It will be the hardest job. I hope the pariry (prairie) will get bigger. I want the cleanest water. I want the biggest pool of water and....
Mrs. S says she's smart. Very smart. But she's also very worried about her attention issues. She just cannot seem to focus & get her work done in time. She's so easily distracted by any thing going on around her. But I know she also uses the excuse "the other kids are distracting me" to make up for just gazing off in to space frequently.
She's learning what she needs to learn, she's just not finishing her work. I'm at a loss as to what to do.
In much better news, she's doing great with her clothing. She's even willingly worn layers & socks to play out in the snow (a major battle last year). Her wardrobe is expanding by her own choice. In fact, I don't remember the last time she wore the stand by khakis to school. And bed sheets have ceased to be an issue at all. She even sleeps under a blanket & a comforter now, something she would never have tollerated last winter.
Her Uncle Bubba is getting married in September. He & Aunt Bec have asked her to be the flower girl. She's over the moon about the prospect. When Bec first asked, I was a bit nervous thinking BabyGirl might never agree to wear the dress picked out for her. But with the improvements she's made lately, I'm not nearly as concerned. Shoes may still be an issue, but I'm trying to plan ahead. I want to get her some white patent leather flip-flops for church this year. If I can find them, I'll tuck away an extra pair to keep nice & clean for the wedding.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Looking down from the mountain top
Our life seems to move in peaks & valleys. The last post, written about 5 weeks ago, was at the bottom of a rather deep valley. At the moment we seem to be reaching a summit of sorts.
In the past 2 weeks or so, BabyGirl has begun digging out clothing I worried would never see the light of day. Perfectly good clothes that lingered at the bottom of her drawers or the back of her closet never to be worn.
Last week she began wearing clothing she's never had one for more than 30 seconds at a time. Most weeks I wash laundry two or three times during the week to be sure she has pants she'll willingly wear. Last week she wore a different outfit everyday. She wore pants I've tried to get her to wear a hundred times before. She did it all on her own. She would come out of her room randomly wearing something she'd dug out & put together on her own.
Last night she let me fix her hair complete with hair clips, something she's never tolerated in the past. She even asked if we could start fixing her hair for school in the mornings! I'm not holding my breath, but it sure feels good to see such improvement.
At the same time, there may be a new valley approaching. B.B., BabyGirl's four year old little brother, has begun complaining of his clothing. He melts down quickly when he doesn't like something he has on. So far, a quick & firm call back to the here & now stops him in his tracks, but I fear he's heading down a path similar to his sister's. I'm praying it's not the case & watching him carefully, but I'm also thankful to know what to watch for.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Weary.
I feel as though we've taken a giant step backwards. BabyGirl refuses to do her OT. She wants nothing to do with her sensory diet. And now dressing is becoming a battle ground again. It's not the daily battle it was last year, but this morning was one of the worst mornings we've had in nearly a year.
She sat on her bed crying & repeating, "I don't know what to wear. I just don't know what." After almost 15 minutes spent trying to help her decide & talking over choices I left the room in frustration. I told her I had to fix #1 Son's coat & she had until I was done to make a decision or I'd be dressing her myself.
When I came back in, nothing had changed. I proceeded to attempt to dress her & things went to hades quickly. In the end, Husband & I had to physically restrain & dress her. Then he had to carry her kicking & screaming to the truck.
I know many people would wonder why we even take her to school on days like this. There are actually two answers to that question. #1. By the time she's in the school building (many days before the truck even gets to school), she has calmed down & even if still angry, goes willingly into class. And #2. If we kept her home every time this happened (if we chose not to dress her & carry her fighting out the door), she'd still be in first grade having missed nearly the entire first semester. I really don't want the truant officer calling and asking why my child is never at school.
This morning I am shaken, upset, frustrated, angry, and worried all over again.
She sat on her bed crying & repeating, "I don't know what to wear. I just don't know what." After almost 15 minutes spent trying to help her decide & talking over choices I left the room in frustration. I told her I had to fix #1 Son's coat & she had until I was done to make a decision or I'd be dressing her myself.
When I came back in, nothing had changed. I proceeded to attempt to dress her & things went to hades quickly. In the end, Husband & I had to physically restrain & dress her. Then he had to carry her kicking & screaming to the truck.
I know many people would wonder why we even take her to school on days like this. There are actually two answers to that question. #1. By the time she's in the school building (many days before the truck even gets to school), she has calmed down & even if still angry, goes willingly into class. And #2. If we kept her home every time this happened (if we chose not to dress her & carry her fighting out the door), she'd still be in first grade having missed nearly the entire first semester. I really don't want the truant officer calling and asking why my child is never at school.
This morning I am shaken, upset, frustrated, angry, and worried all over again.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Learning Curve
You'd think after dealing with this SPD business since early spring, I'd have a handle on it. Nope. Not really.
Today I was making beds when it occurred to me that we just move from one disaster to the next. Early in the summer BabyGirl couldn't stand the feel of her sheets. Before that it was underpants. A few weeks ago the shoe thing started. When school started it was long pants. She phases from one thing to the next. I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever be nothing. Will she ever live without some sort of sensory issue? Will there always be a new issue to deal with?
For the longest time I didn't have a chance to be glad that she was over the last issue because a new one immediately reared it's ugly head. Right now she's sleeping with no problems (it takes a while for her to unwind & stay in bed, but no screaming over her sheets). She gets dressed (most mornings) without a melt down. She wears clothing around the house all the time(at least a night shirt or sundress...until bed time when she has to strip back down). She's been wearing shoes pretty well (Sunday was HORRIBLE, but I think that may have been a passing thing). And I just realized last week that she'll now sit in the kitchen chairs (they're cloth covered & she hated them). So now I'm worried. What's coming up next?
Don't get me wrong. Things are not easy by any chance. She still likes to rotate the same 3 outfits day in and day out, but she has 9 pairs of underpants she'll wear. She's only worn one dress to church for the past 3 months & will only wear it with flip flops, but she does get dressed. The child still has a temper that would scare most people half out of their whits. She can go from delightful to psychotic in 3 seconds flat, but given time to cool off (sometimes an hour or more), she'll come out of her room like nothing ever happened.
She flat out refuses to do her OT now. The brushing she loved, she can't tolerate now. If I suggest joint compression, she freaks. But she will do things she doesn't remember Miss Emily suggesting as long as I don't mention therapy or sensory diet.
She would love to go back & see Miss Emily (and I'd love to take her) but our insurance still has not paid on the first go around of testing & OT she had. I have no idea if it will pay or not and I can't risk racking up thousands of dollars for OT that we can do at home if she'll only cooperate.
*On a side note, why does 45 minutes with an OT cost almost $300?!*
When people ask me how she's doing, I have to answer day by day. Some days she's great. Some days, not so much. And then there are days when I have to answer minute by minute. Those days are tough.
But this is life with my BabyGirl. I won't say I wouldn't have it any other way. What parent would wish this on their child? But I will say she's worth every minute, every struggle, every fight, every victory.
Today I was making beds when it occurred to me that we just move from one disaster to the next. Early in the summer BabyGirl couldn't stand the feel of her sheets. Before that it was underpants. A few weeks ago the shoe thing started. When school started it was long pants. She phases from one thing to the next. I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever be nothing. Will she ever live without some sort of sensory issue? Will there always be a new issue to deal with?
For the longest time I didn't have a chance to be glad that she was over the last issue because a new one immediately reared it's ugly head. Right now she's sleeping with no problems (it takes a while for her to unwind & stay in bed, but no screaming over her sheets). She gets dressed (most mornings) without a melt down. She wears clothing around the house all the time(at least a night shirt or sundress...until bed time when she has to strip back down). She's been wearing shoes pretty well (Sunday was HORRIBLE, but I think that may have been a passing thing). And I just realized last week that she'll now sit in the kitchen chairs (they're cloth covered & she hated them). So now I'm worried. What's coming up next?
Don't get me wrong. Things are not easy by any chance. She still likes to rotate the same 3 outfits day in and day out, but she has 9 pairs of underpants she'll wear. She's only worn one dress to church for the past 3 months & will only wear it with flip flops, but she does get dressed. The child still has a temper that would scare most people half out of their whits. She can go from delightful to psychotic in 3 seconds flat, but given time to cool off (sometimes an hour or more), she'll come out of her room like nothing ever happened.
She flat out refuses to do her OT now. The brushing she loved, she can't tolerate now. If I suggest joint compression, she freaks. But she will do things she doesn't remember Miss Emily suggesting as long as I don't mention therapy or sensory diet.
She would love to go back & see Miss Emily (and I'd love to take her) but our insurance still has not paid on the first go around of testing & OT she had. I have no idea if it will pay or not and I can't risk racking up thousands of dollars for OT that we can do at home if she'll only cooperate.
*On a side note, why does 45 minutes with an OT cost almost $300?!*
When people ask me how she's doing, I have to answer day by day. Some days she's great. Some days, not so much. And then there are days when I have to answer minute by minute. Those days are tough.
But this is life with my BabyGirl. I won't say I wouldn't have it any other way. What parent would wish this on their child? But I will say she's worth every minute, every struggle, every fight, every victory.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Crocs Rock!!
Thank you to Crocs for delivering me from the living hell that is shoe shopping with BabyGirl. The child will not wear socks. I worry about frostbite on her toes. Seriously. The warm fluffy liner in these shoes eases my mind greatly.
A few weeks ago we went shoe shopping after the mother of all melt downs involving her, Husband, and myself. She finally settled on a pair of black leather Mary Janes a full size too big (she can't stand shoes to be snug or to even fit properly) and way too flimsy. A few days ago she decided she doesn't like them (it's a daily battle sometimes). I would rather her wear something with a bit of substance so her feet don't freeze this winter.
While we were shopping for them, we found these.
She wasn't thrilled with them at the time, but said if we didn't find anything she liked better, they'd do. Yesterday I went back & picked them up (armed with my 10% off coupon Husband found in the phone book!).
She LOVES them. She's (get this) worn them around the house since last night! The child never wears shoes willingly & she's wearing these!! Say what you will about the lack of style of Crocs (I think they're cute & almost bought myself a new pair), but I love them & will be forever grateful.
A few weeks ago we went shoe shopping after the mother of all melt downs involving her, Husband, and myself. She finally settled on a pair of black leather Mary Janes a full size too big (she can't stand shoes to be snug or to even fit properly) and way too flimsy. A few days ago she decided she doesn't like them (it's a daily battle sometimes). I would rather her wear something with a bit of substance so her feet don't freeze this winter.
While we were shopping for them, we found these.
She wasn't thrilled with them at the time, but said if we didn't find anything she liked better, they'd do. Yesterday I went back & picked them up (armed with my 10% off coupon Husband found in the phone book!).She LOVES them. She's (get this) worn them around the house since last night! The child never wears shoes willingly & she's wearing these!! Say what you will about the lack of style of Crocs (I think they're cute & almost bought myself a new pair), but I love them & will be forever grateful.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
I know, I know
It's been a VERY long time since I posted here. I'd thought about deleting this blog, but I'm not sure it's served it's purpose just yet.
After all, BabyGirl still has SPD. This is still a struggle in our lives. It's just not the daily battle it once was. We're not dragging a screaming child out the door every morning. We're not wrestling her into clothing that she'll just strip off as soon as she gets in the van. I'm not in tears when she leaves for school each day.
But we still have issues.
First of all I would like to announce that my daughter wears clothing every day now! This is a HUGE step in our house. She's not been allowed to run naked since her birthday in June. She may only have on a sundress & nothing else or an old t-shirt or tank top of mine & nothing else, but she does stay dressed. She still sleeps in the buff, but that I can deal with.
Secondly, she wears underpants willingly when we leave the house! This is also a HUGE step for her. She's found a kind she really likes so I bough 9 pairs & she's happy with them.
Thirdly, she will wear her hair up on occasion. In the midst of her SPD melt downs she couldn't handle the feel of her pony tail touching her neck or back. Now it doesn't seem to bother her. She likes to wear it up. She's also growing out her bangs (which is driving me nuts, but she's doing OK with it).
BUT...(you knew all wasn't well, didn't you?) she's having issues paying attention & following directions at school. A note came home from Mrs.S on Friday & I went in to talk to her today. BabyGirl is home with strep throat so I wanted to pick up her work. Mrs.S and I discussed BabyGirl's problems transitioning from one task to the next. She ends up floating around in outer space some times & has a tough time focusing on the tasks at hand.
I've talked to her. Mrs.S has talked to her. Now I have to find a way to ground & center her so she doesn't fall behind. When she does her home work, I have to sit with her & keep her focused. Mrs.S can't do that. She has 27 kids to teach.
So, that's my task for the moment. Focusing a butterfly. Oh dear.
After all, BabyGirl still has SPD. This is still a struggle in our lives. It's just not the daily battle it once was. We're not dragging a screaming child out the door every morning. We're not wrestling her into clothing that she'll just strip off as soon as she gets in the van. I'm not in tears when she leaves for school each day.
But we still have issues.
First of all I would like to announce that my daughter wears clothing every day now! This is a HUGE step in our house. She's not been allowed to run naked since her birthday in June. She may only have on a sundress & nothing else or an old t-shirt or tank top of mine & nothing else, but she does stay dressed. She still sleeps in the buff, but that I can deal with.
Secondly, she wears underpants willingly when we leave the house! This is also a HUGE step for her. She's found a kind she really likes so I bough 9 pairs & she's happy with them.
Thirdly, she will wear her hair up on occasion. In the midst of her SPD melt downs she couldn't handle the feel of her pony tail touching her neck or back. Now it doesn't seem to bother her. She likes to wear it up. She's also growing out her bangs (which is driving me nuts, but she's doing OK with it).
BUT...(you knew all wasn't well, didn't you?) she's having issues paying attention & following directions at school. A note came home from Mrs.S on Friday & I went in to talk to her today. BabyGirl is home with strep throat so I wanted to pick up her work. Mrs.S and I discussed BabyGirl's problems transitioning from one task to the next. She ends up floating around in outer space some times & has a tough time focusing on the tasks at hand.
I've talked to her. Mrs.S has talked to her. Now I have to find a way to ground & center her so she doesn't fall behind. When she does her home work, I have to sit with her & keep her focused. Mrs.S can't do that. She has 27 kids to teach.
So, that's my task for the moment. Focusing a butterfly. Oh dear.
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