Water Deal!

My son will most probably be quite ill with me for sharing this with the world later on in life, but it's just a good thing I have to share with my close and personal Internet friends.

How many of you have issues getting your child to drink water? Oh, this has been such a hard battle for us around the house. My poor baby has intestinal issues due to his medication. ADHD medication can make a person very constipated and miserable. Daily, we have to slip a little of the generic miralax in his juice to hopefully help him "keep things moving". No joke, he's only been using the bathroom in that capacity once a week. On Saturday mornings. Like clockwork. I've had to go pick him up from school because of this issue and his stomach was hurting so badly he would sit on the potty and wail like a wounded bear. Are you feeling sorry for him yet? I know it breaks my heart on a regular basis because, DANG, that's just miserable, man.

The last visit to the dentist to get his teeth cleaned showed his teeth could be doing better. Gah, I hate when they put you on the spot and ask you how much water your child drinks. I do what any parent does, I hem and haw and try to avoid answering. But, they know. They know I'm not forcing water down his throat by any means possible. It makes me so ashamed.

Summer vacation started last week around Friday. Monday, as the first full week started, he started asking for soda to drink. I don't mind him drinking a little diet coke here and there, but there was no way I was going to let that be the ONLY liquid he put in his system all day long. The Man had purchased some 32 oz. water bottles a few months ago. Paige takes one daily to school to try and make her water quota. That smart sister got out the other one and told him they were going to have a contest to see who could drink a full one first. I sat back and let her work her magic. Of course, The Boy rose to the challenge because he's seriously competitive (he gets that from both his parents). A little may have spilled in the bathroom sink, but he truly drank most of the bottle. I was amazed and was very vocal about how awesome he was for drinking all that water.

That one day was awesome, but how was I going to get this to work the rest of the summer???

Tuesday morning found my boy up in the bathroom. That water worked it's magic on his system and, as the saying goes, "he got his oil changed". He was all skippy-do after that. Feeling good and sipping water. He started asking for some Diet Dr. Pepper he saw in the fridge and I told him when he finished his water, he could have some. Game on. By mid afternoon, that water was gone (I suspect a few ounces may have spilled down the bathroom sink again, but he seriously drank most of the water.)

Yesterday was hilarious. All that water coursing through his system was doing a great job and he was so gassy. If he wasn't burping? It was out the other end. I was ecstatic because this meant he was getting what his body needs and maybe, just maybe, if he kept this up? We could skip that powder in his breakfast juice.

Every few minutes, we would hear him say, "Excuse me!" as yet more gas escaped his body. Finally, he came up to me and was just tickled to pieces, all little boy giggly and he exclaimed, "I'M SO GASSY AND BURPY TODAY!!" I laughed and agreed and we both got tickled together.

This morning, I got up and fixed his breakfast with his cup of powder free apple juice. I went ahead and fixed his water bottle to put beside his plate. Without a word, he ate his breakfast, took his medication, and grabbed that spill-proof water bottle (whew! no spills!) to head on about his day. He keeps it within reach and will sip on it as he does his thing. He believes that if he can drink that water, he can get a little bit of soda in the afternoon/evening time to enjoy. And believe me, he thoroughly enjoys that soda like it's fine champagne.

I hope and pray I can keep this up and it becomes a habit with him. Since he has fallen in love with golf (another post soon), I have stressed that he will definitely need to keep that water bottle close when he and Dad go golfing since it's so hot here. He agrees whole heartedly because he was "sweatin' t'death" last Saturday morning when they went to play around.

Now I have to convince the tween that water is a good idea for her, too. It'll help with that acne stuff trying to come through on her forehead. I personally am not a fan of the water, but am a HUGE fan of the Crystal Lite and drink loads of that each day.

You do all realize that my son will probably keep drinking the water if he realizes it's the reason he's so gassy. Because little boys and a gassy body are best friends. Nothing cooler than the gas...or funnier.

One of those moments

I had a moment around last week or so. I don't know how it happened, but I forgot to give my son his medication before he went to school. This has happened a couple of times and each time, it proves to me that he needs these two little pills each and every morning. He is so blessed to have such a wonderful teacher. Where she finds all her patience baffles me because she surely has her hands full with her class of first graders.

I received a call from her around noon one day. "Her Boy" was being a pistol in class. He refused to do any of his work and was just being an all around PITA (pain in the ...uh...butt. She didn't say this, I did.). She asked him if he took his medicine and he "thought so but wasn't sure". I immediately went to his daily medication holder and there sat that days medication. Crap. I told her to have him ready and I would come get him. See, he simply can't handle the pressure of the classroom without those stupid pills. I told her from day one that if he wasn't medicated, her life would end up being miserable and I'm not going to have her focusing 150% on him when she has other students she has to teach also.

I went to the school to pick him up and I just love that kid. He has a twinkle in his eye and is just full of spit and vinegar. We ran a couple of errands while I was out and everything seemed to be okay. We got home and I had picked him up some lunch (this would be his second lunch). He had to finish his work from class that day that he refused to do during class time. I told him he was not going to do anything until that sheet (front AND back) was done.

Me and Jesus got alot closer, Internets.

It was quite a few problems, both math and language, that had to be done on that sheet of paper. It took us two and a half hours to finish that paper. I am totally serious. I was flustered, hot, worn out, and sad by the time we finally finished every single problem. There was a few places that required coloring with crayons. That didn't happen.

After we finished, I let The Boy do a fun thing or two. It wasn't his fault he didn't take his medication. He wasn't being "bad" in class...just hard to handle. I emailed his teacher to let her know that the sheet was done and how long it took to finish it. I also told her that I could not apologize enough to both her and myself over him being unmedicated. I finished with a promise to tape his medicine to my forehead at night so we would remember each morning.

This makes me so dang sad. I've been so positive over him having to take medication and how wonderful it's been for him. And it has. Truly. I don't want my son to come back and read my writings and think of how sad his Mama is over his having ADHD with high impulsivity. Because, for the most part, I'm not.

Then I have those moments. Those moments where I wish I could take it from him...for him. Those moments when I'm sad because I wonder if he will have to take medication the rest of his life just to function in society and find peace of mind. I have moments where I see him medicated and unmedicated and I see two different little people in front of me. Unmedicated boy is wide open and rough and tumble. His eyes seem to sparkle just a little brighter and his sense of humor will have you rolling. Unmedicated boy also is hyper to the point where there are times I fear his little heart will come right out of his chest. Unmedicated boy can't focus and gets frustrated easily and loses control. Then there's medicated little boy. He's a little more serious and not as quick to laugh. Medicated boy shows amazing intelligence that keeps us speechless. Medicated boy sleeps at night. (That night he missed his medication? He might have slept an hour or two...at most. It was miserable all around.) Medicated boy can stop and control his actions.

I want to tell him I'm sorry lots of times. I want to beg him to forgive me and his Dad for passing this genetic trick to him. But....if I do that? Then I'm apologizing for him and who and what he is. That is so unacceptable. Because, along with his sisters, he keeps my heart beating on a regular basis. I don't want to change what makes him the amazing person that he is and is becoming.

I may have one of those moments here and there, but ultimately, I get past them. His issues aren't what I would have wished for my child, or any child for that matter. God had a reason for giving this precious little boy to me and our family. I am so grateful that He did. So, I had a moment. That's how long it lasted...a moment.

What do You Think?

Since moving to our new town, it's been a high priority to find The Boy a doctor so we can keep the medication train going. We found one out in town that I think may just work out. *By "out in town", it just means he won't be seen on a military base.* She is a Mom herself with six year old twins so that helps the Mom in me feel better. She took a long time to listen to The Boy's history, asking questions along the way. Instead of the quick allotted 15 minutes, she was very generous with her time and wanted to know all she could about this boy and his medical history. That scored some brownie points in my mind.

As the conversation progressed, she furrowed her brows and asked The Question.

"Are you going to medicate him during the summer while out of school?"

Blink.

Blink.

My reply? "If he were an asthmatic or diabetic, I wouldn't quit medicating him since he's out of school. He will definitely be medicated during the summer as it helps him maintain control of his hyperactivity and impulsivity."

I was honest with her...we can't live with him if he's not medicated. You might think badly of us, but I'll tell you like I tell everyone else. You don't know him. You don't know how fast he can get out of control. He doesn't like losing control. He likes being able to focus. With medication, he can sit on the floor and play with his cars and action figures without having to get up and run around.

I don't know if she was going to suggest taking him off of medication or not...but she kept her thoughts to herself, nodded and wrote a prescription.

We now have a referral for a child psychiatrist that he will see in August after school starts back. Some times I wonder if it will always be this way. Will my child need a psychiatrist his entire life? Will he ever be able to get off this medication? I don't mind him going to the psychiatrist at all. I don't mind the medication now that I know how much it helps him. I just hope and pray and pray and pray that one day he won't have to have these things to function. I guess time will tell.

Oh, did I also mention we're waiting on a speech therapy referral, too? This kid talks so fast because his brain goes ninety miles an hour. He's so intelligent, but you can't understand a word he says when he gets wound up. Therefore, here we go with speech therapy again to help him slow down and communicate.

The Boy is such a light in our lives. He and Paige call each other "Best Friend" when they call one another around the house. Makenna has this magic way about her with him when it comes to taking his medication in the mornings. I don't know what kind of voodoo she uses, but she can always get him to take those two magic pills without fuss...when minutes before he's fighting us to the ground. I have a path worn in my carpet from times where he and Prissy chase each other around the entire house. Prissy always loses traction when she hits the hardwood in the hallway and she skids a foot or two before catching her feet to keep chasing. This usually tickles The Boy to where he can't run so she catches him in the end.

So what if he has to take a few pills the rest of his life? So what if he has to see a psychiatrist once in a while to make sure all is well in his world? It is what it is and I'll do my best to make sure I do my part to make it happen.

I thought I would share a couple of pictures of my handsome boy from 5K. Moving an ADHD kid who is a tad OCD in the middle of the school year is a bad ordeal for a Mama. God had His hands all over the situation when he put my baby in Mrs. P's class. That teacher was a Godsend and she worked and communicated with us religiously with helping him adjust to his new class, teacher, and school. He never complained about going to school (I think because Mrs. P. is a looker and he appreciates a pretty gal!) and we were amazed at how fast he was learning. Now, my baby reads and to keep him entertained in church, I give him math problems to do. I kid you not. He loves doing addition and subtraction..maybe I'll introduce multiplication this summer? I made sure to tell Mrs. P (and Mrs. S., the aide) how much we appreciated all they've done. In fact, they might have gotten tired of my continued thanks by the end.

Now, we head to first grade and a whole new level. I am sitting here now with hands paused over the keyboard as I look up at him playing with his trucks, cars, and action figures...in his own little world of make believe. Two weeks from now I'll be writing about his graduation from high school (at least it'll feel like that!), and sad at how fast time flew by.

Isn't it just crazy how much love you can feel for a child? Each of my three and a few adopted ones I've gathered along the way just keep my heart full to bursting and I am just a better person because of that.

*I do have some really cute group pictures of his class, but I can't share. I don't have permission to put someone else's baby on the Internet. I'm sure you understand!*

The Man took a day off from work to go with The Boy on the field trip to the zoo. I don't do field trips if I can help it. I mean, I will, but it's not my favorite thing to do. We felt one of us needed to go since we didn't know if all that stimulation would make him go in to froot loop mode. He did wonderfully and had an awesome time spending the day with his Dad. I'm so glad my husband can do stuff like this and make some great memories!

My little town boy doing country stuff! He really liked this and had to tell me all about it.

Two very awesome teachers. I do have their permission to put their picture up on the blog. Mrs. S. is to the left and Mrs. P. is to the right. She received the Teacher of the Year award this year (well earned!) and one of the parents gave her a tiara to wear the day of the 5K program. (You all know I just adore a tiara so I thought it perfectly fitting.) I am in prayer now that my son will be blessed to have another teacher in his learning pathway like these two.

Just a Couple of Thing to Catch Up on

You might just have to forgive me on this one, Internets. I may have already mentioned a few of the things I'm going to talk about, but now I got the pictures to go along and I want to make sure I put it all down because this is really all about the kids. Making sure I record stuff for them and all because I hate scrapbooking. We cool? Thanks for your understanding. Oh, and this might be a tad long because DANG I was too busy to blog for a little while there.

You all may recall that we arrived at the New Edge around 2:30 a.m. on New Years Eve. We were so exhausted from packing up that day, checking out of base housing, eating a good supper, and the five hour drive to our new home. Because I am a seasoned traveller with kids, I always make sure there's a snack or two within reach. This time was no different. Normally, The Boy would have been passed out that late, but adrenaline is a funny thing. We were halfway to our new home on the backside of nowhere when apparently he informed Makenna that he had a loose tooth. What??? She then informed me and I was like, "NO FLIPPING WAY! HE'S WAY TOO YOUNG." I had Makenna stick her finger in his mouth to see if he was telling the truth. He was! There I sat, driving in shock, that my BABY had a loose tooth. A short time later, he asked for a cookie and I had one of the girls give him one. Next thing I knew??? Makenna was losing her mind. When my son went to bite on the cookie, it irritated that loose tooth, so what did he do? Reach in his mouth and yank it out. (That makes me weak just thinking about it.) He had a little bit of blood going on, which is what freaked Makenna out. We grabbed a few napkins and I told him to bite down on them. Calmest one in the bunch? The Boy. I decided not to call my husband who was driving in front of me. When we got to our new home, I had that kid show his Dad a "surprise". The two of us were left standing in the cold in shock while the kids ran ahead to claim their new rooms. I don't think I will ever forget when my baby lost his first tooth.

Before we left lower Georgia, we were running around all crazy-like when Makenna screamed. My poor girl had tried to put something in the car and slam the door before it fell out (we had the vehicles that packed). In the process, she slammed her finger in the door. I think by that time my brain was on overload and I just couldn't process anything else. I really couldn't. We did the best we could at the moment. The next morning, I examined it while the movers unpacked. It looked really bad. I started to worry. We couldn't stop the packers, I didn't know my way around, and The Man had to be there because this was all under his military identity. We promised that as soon as the movers were finished, we'd get it checked out. As soon as the movers drove off, we headed to the E.R. with just a few hours left in 2009. The place was deserted and we were relieved that prompt attention was given. I was feeling so guilty and like the worst parent ever. After an X-ray, we met her E.R. doctor. Wow. We were blessed right then and there. This guy was very obviously physically handicapped. He was short, very odd shaped, and had no thumbs. I kid you not. He was so jovial and all in to Makenna and what was going on. When he walked out to look at the x-ray, we were just in awe over this individual. I love my child. Did she see physical ailments? Nope, she just saw a cool doctor that she liked talking to. When we mentioned he had no thumbs, she hadn't even noticed. I saw her watching him when he came to clean a cut on her knuckle and he had to put on gloves. He never hesitated and kept up a great line of conversation. Thankfully, it appeared to be a bad sprain with some serious bruising. She had her fingers taped together with orders for no P.E. for a few weeks. (Her favorite diagnosis she's gotten a lot in the past year!) She told me later that if she was ever influenced to be whatever she can be? This doctor proved to her that you can't let anything stop you. Not even a handicap. He really inspired her and I want to say blessed her way of thinking. We were also home in plenty of time to bring in the New Year as a family.

I vaguely recalled that I may have mentioned in a previous post how we toasted our new home. The Man and I were doing a W*lmart run when we saw some sparkling fruit drink. We picked up with intentions of toasting our new home...eventually. The kids were all excited over that bottle and we were begged off an on for over a week to get the party started. Finally, one night after supper, we got down my nice wine glasses (that I got years ago and they're mostly dust collectors) and The Man did the honors of pouring it up. We toasted and did cheers a few times because it's just cool to clink your glasses together. My son especially enjoyed that part. Therefore, we clinked glasses with me cringing inside because I didn't want to lose one of my set. I leaning towards making this a new tradition for big deals in our home. Break out the sparkling fruit juice/drink in the pseudo wine bottle and make lots of toasts with loads of glass clinking!

These are a few things I really wanted to make sure I recorded. As you can tell, it's nonstop action around here. I am still taking pictures of the house when I do a little something. I think I may have enough for a post this week! I'll be looking for opinions and suggestions so be prepared, my friends.

Ready to enjoy some picture goodness? Thought so!

This is the picture I took before the movers got here to unload. I then sent it to every one I possibly could. Now he's lost two teeth and has great fun sticking his tongue through that bottom gap. I think kids with missing teeth are the cutest and I am thoroughly enjoying my last baby with a gap'd up mouth!

Those fingers looked really bad in person. We really made sure to follow doctor's orders and so did Makenna...especially the no P.E. part!

Look at that, would you? He may not have drank the fruit juice, but, by golly, a clinking good time was had by all!

Good Deal

We went on a mission this past Saturday. I woke up and debated on doing some needed housework here at The Edge or packing us up to go hit some outlet stores for some needed items.

Outlet stores won hands down.


The main reason for going was to get The Man and his son some new shoes. They are both huge fans of those ever so attractive croc-o-dile clogs. I bought The Man some on a whim over a year ago and really didn't know if he would even wear them. Those shoes are now worn completely out. We bought The Boy some cheap off brand version to see how he would handle it. He loved them. We upgraded to the brand for school and he's worn them til they can not be passed down. The straps are gone and the soles are worn almost all the way down.


My boys are funny about some things and shoes are one of them. I have seen my overly sensitive child fall on the floor and literally melt into a puddle over being made to wear a pair of shoes he deems horrible. I know a lot of kids do this, my kid isn't breaking new ground. He despised wearing cleats for T-ball but, God bless his heart, he bucked it up and wore them for the game. Some times there are battles worth fighting and some times it's really not a bad idea to get the kid a comfy shoe to wear on a regular basis.


We hit that Croc-o-dile outlet with high hopes and expectations. We were not disappointed. Upon finding out that they offer a military discount, we were glad to give them our meager business. What a crowded store this was, with both people and all types of shoes. It was pretty overwhelming to be honest.


Paige was able to find a really cute pair of dress shoes she could wear to work. It's been really hard on her feet and ankles not being able to wear tennis shoes and being on her feet the full work day. The shoes she found are silver (score for neutral color!) and are almost like ballet flat sling backs. She has deemed them the best shoes ever and I'm glad we were able to find something dressy and workable for her.


What did that boy of mine find? Every single solitary pair of green shoes in the joint. We all know how much he adores the color green. He's not particular to any shade of green, it's all just magical and perfect for him. He gravitated to a pair of neon/lime green shoes that had potential to blind a person from fifty feet away and was insistent he needed that pair.


Did I mention the tape measure? Before we left the house, he got his Dad's tape measure out of the tool box. He measured his foot and he measured his old pair of shoes. He did the math in his head and decided how long a new pair would have to be. He put that big tape measure up in his pocket (cargo shorts) and was fully prepared to shoe shop.


In the midst of that busy store, people milling all around, my son would whip that tape measure out and measure a shoe before trying it on. God, how I love him and how his amazing mind works. Paige was on the embarrassed side because her little brother had a tape measure in public. I told her it just showed how incredible his mind is at being able to figure out measurement and apply it to every day life. I had not one problem with my child carrying that tape measure to measure and compare. I looked at it as an awesome learning experience. Shoot, you only live once.


In the end, we bought The Boy two pair of shoes. One pair for now, and one pair to start school with. The school pair are a good sturdy brown, guaranteed to match just about anything I put on that kid.


(Did I mention that I finished school clothes shopping for him while there? Every kid's store had amazing sales going on. I bought shirts from .99- 3.99. I bought shorts for 1.99-3.99. I am thrilled to pieces he is ready for kindergarten!)


What about the shoes he gets to wear now, you ask? Oh, what an amazing magical pair of shoes we have, Internets.

The Boy now owns his very own pair of kelly green croc-o-dile shoes that Mama happened to find in the clearance bin for $9.99.

Yes, sir, having your child come kiss you goodnight wearing nothing but a pair of Power Ranger underwear and green shoes? Priceless.

Lost and Found

The Man and I aged a good five years yesterday.

It was coming on evening time around The Edge. The Man told Makenna to go get The Boy and tell him to come sit with Dad so he could wind it on down and get ready for bed. She went to the other side to get her brother and came back and said he wasn't over there.

Really?

I really wasn't paying attention at this time. The Man got up and looked in The Boy's bedroom and he wasn't there either. He went to the other side and still couldn't find him.

Hmmm.

I decided to get up and see if I could help find him because he wasn't answering our calls.

Paige got into the search and still no boy.

We looked under beds and in closets. Lumpy blankets were pulled up and there was no sign of the boy.

We moved the search to the outside. We really didn't know how he would have gotten outside. A month or so ago, he went A.W.O.L. out of Makenna's bedroom window, but was found quickly and hasn't done that since. Or had he? Makenna's window was unopened and still locked.

Our son has been known to be some kind of Houdini, so we still searched outside.

Did I mention it had been storming here? Water was sitting on the ground in puddles as it hadn't had time to soak in yet.

A few months ago, The Boy had stated he was going to Miss Carla's house one day before we stopped him. He has an internal GPS built in and could seriously find his way if he didn't get hit by a car.

The Man got in the Tahoe and went to drive around. Paige started walking outside our court looking.

Makenna took bicycle duty around our court, riding around the back of homes on the edge of the woods.

I took the house and started literally tearing things apart looking.

I had visions of us calling base security and all kinds of chaos starting. I knew they would put someone at the main gate immediately.

I was mad. WHERE was this kid????

I stomped through my home (do you realize the damage you can do to feet on concrete floors?). I said...in a very loud tone...."BOYS FULL ENTIRE NAME...IF YOU DON'T COME HERE RIGHT THIS MINUTE, I WILL CUT YOUR BUTT!!!"

A little voice said, "Hey, Mama."

I went to the end of the couch on the kid's side. We have a television stand we're using as an end table at the moment. He had crawled underneath it and put a pillow in front. It was a small space and very easily overlooked.

I grabbed his arm and high stepped him to the other side so I could call his Dad and sister.

I. Was. Livid.

I made him sit there until we were all back together. He knew trouble was in the air.

After a quick supper, this kid was sent to bed. He was not spanked because both The Man and I were that upset.

I was so scared. We all were. I know kids do stuff like this all the time. That doesn't make it any less scary. I had visions of my son wandering outside, falling into one of these full puddles of water and drowning. ~shudder~ I'm all nauseous thinking about it.

He was found. The power of a Mama's voice found him. That, and his full name in a loud voice. I guess he knew I meant business.

I hope and pray he doesn't do anything like this again. My nerves surely can't take it.

Once it was all said and done? I sat in my chair and told The Man......."Lord. I am going to be at home with this kid all summer. I won't make it if he pulls stunts like this on a daily basis."

I'm sure you all understand now when I say I just adore drama free days.

Injured

We made it five whole years. Five years without a trip to the E.R. for an injury.

Last night changed our stats.

I've been sick the past few days. Not sure what I'm fighting here. One minute I think it's bronchitis, the next a bad cold. Yesterday, I was laying in the bed covered and shivering when I heard a loud CRACK and The Man was hollering for Makenna to go get me. I started slowly getting my sick self up but had to kick it in a higher gear when I heard a teeny tiny thread of panic in his voice.




My son had split his eyebrow open.




Apparently, he and Makenna were building a fort/house out of the couch cushions when he tripped/fell and hit the corner of the television stand.


The Man and I threw on clothes and headed to our local E.R.


The gash had stopped bleeding by the time we got there, but it was U.G.L.Y.


It didn't take too long to get in back. The Boy cooperated fully and without a squeak of complaint. I was right surprised as this was the time he is normally coming down off of his medication. He was polite and answered all the nurse's questions with "Yes Ma'am" or "No Ma'am". Dad sat close to him and I sat in a chair at the end of the bed shivering to pieces. The nurse was kind enough to bring me a heated blanket. I am pretty sure I told her I loved her.


The Doctor who took care of my son gets an A+ in my book. He didn't talk to down to The Boy at all. He was straight forward, matter of fact, and HONEST. The Boy was told every single thing that was going to happen. The numbing shot was explained fully and so was the sewing part. When it came time to do all of this? My baby was a CHAMP. He cried just a tiny bit (over the numbing shot in the injury itself) but didn't fight or scream. The Doctor explained every single little thing he was doing and my son laid right there and let him do what needed to be done. I stayed at the end of the bed with my mouth covered to prevent germs from getting into the newly cleaned cut. I had a moment of concern for The Man when the sewing started. He started squinting really hard. I told him if he fell? To fall forward on the bed and not sideways out of the chair...that I would beat him if he fell out.


FIVE stitches later, all was said and done. For those of you wondering? Glue was not an option due to the place of the injury. We asked. They were afraid that using the glue would cause a "lip" of skin and it needed to be closed completely so whatever scar was left would be minimal.


The Doctor remarked that The Boy was probably one of his best patients EVER. I can believe it. The nurse rewarded him with a bunch of stickers that thrilled his soul to no end. We finished up the paperwork and headed out with instructions to come back in five days for the removal of the stitches. No problem.


I was dropped off at home so my boys could go get some ice cream. The Boy earned that ice cream with being so good and cooperative. The Man earned his because he didn't hit the floor with all the needles and sewing.


As sick as I was, I was still on top of the picture taking.




WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURE (OF A SORT) AHEAD. TURN BACK IF THIS STUFF MAKES YOU WOOZY.

I do believe this warranted a trip to the local E.R., don't you? This was taken in the waiting room. Note how cleanly it split his eyebrow in half!

Kicked back and waiting for the Doctor and Nurse to get the suture kit and come take care of business. He looks rather relaxed, don't you think?

Sewn up and good to go! No swollen eyes from crying and Mama and Dad were feeling relief!

It was a right decent trip to the E.R. (relatively speaking). We were there about 2 hours before being sent on our way. I can't tell you how proud I am of my son for how he acted under pressure. I know he was scared to death, but he listened and cooperated like he was grown. I firmly believe in being honest with kids about what is going to happen in situations like this. If it's going to hurt? I tell them. To me personally? NOT being told and being caught by surprise is far worse. I have been told by my brother (who has my 7 year old nephew) that this won't be our last visit. I kind of believe that considering who we're talking about here.

We are home from church today as I am still far beneath the weather and The Boy needs to keep it low key for at least one day. I didn't want to share my germs at church and his wound is still fresh enough to be a little scary looking to other kids.

The excitement never ends here at The Edge!

A new Fan

I'll be honest. I'm not a fan of sports. There is not one athletic bone in my body nowhere. I enjoy watching tennis occasionally. I don't like baseball on television, but I enjoy it live and in person.

Now? I love it.

This is why.

Guarding first base like nobody's business. Keeping an eye on that ball while still keeping it casual.

Playing catcher for today's game. I sat in the dugout and he kept looking at me and giving me a thumb's up. Made me want to stop the game just a minute so I could go lick him and squeeze him one good time.

Standing in the on deck circle waiting his turn. Dad's in the background helping the batter ahead of him. I took this through the fence sitting in the dugout.

I was not prepared for my baby to love the game like he does. I should have known this was going to happen since The Man has great love for sports. I swore up and down I was going to go watch games and that was it. I have no idea how I ended up being one of the dugout Moms who help keep things smooth and batting helmets snapped on and tears dried when something upsets a little heart.

The Man took his son to get his very first pair of cleats the other day. Just the two of them. They were successful and I assume all was well. On the way to the baseball field this evening we were informed that The Boy does not like his new shoes because his toes can not move and he likes for his toes to move in his shoes (that was basically a quote from him). Dad convinced him to wear his shoes to practice and to games. As soon as the game was over? Those cleats were off and the Cr*cs were back on. It's important for toes to move, you know.

Carla and I are helping Neighbor Debbie get her new house in order before they move this weekend (*sob*). This morning we removed 3 or 4 layers of wallpaper from the kitchen and dining room area. Holy smokes. Shoot me if I ever even THINK about wallpaper, would you? That was just crazy. We had a ball listening to the radio and chatting. I took a few pictures so Neighbor Debbie can share on her blog. I think you'll be right impressed with us. Now, it might be a week or so before she gets around to posting them, but it'll be worth it, I promise. Tomorrow morning we head back over to start painting. That HG and TV won't have a thing on us when we're done!

I have such a busy week going on. Someone has a birthday this week! The cake has been ordered and Aunt Lu is bringing her crew in for the weekend. I told The Man today I need just a few more hours in my day. I just don't have enough time to get it all done!

A "Thank you,but I'll pass" situation

I debated on blogging about this and then figured with all the seriousness going on around The Edge....this might lighten things up a bit.

There are things in life you never want to do. You know the type of things that you can die having never done and be perfectly okay about it?

We had one of those moments yesterday.

You never EVER want to give The Boy a suppository.

Poor soul has been having him some pooping issues this week. I'm thinking I don't need to put cheese on the grocery list this go round and see if that helps out a little bit.

I called The Man at work yesterday and asked him to swing by the drugstore and grab some suppositories as our son needed some help. I told him this on the phone as I watched my child almost burst a blood vessel on the potty. I had visions of a 4 year old having a stroke from all the straining he was doing.

Paige got me a hospital glove (we...uh...have a few laying around here....) and we proceeded to tell The Boy what was going to happen.

I am so glad my son does not know profane words.

Well, talking it over first wasn't working. I'm all about action. Get it over and done with. Apologize later.

Lawd.

Let's just say that it took four tries, 3 gloves, and a lot of sweat.

The Man had sweat on his brow and a scratch down his arm. I was wearing elastic waist work out pants and they were pulled halfway to my knees. We were both breathing hard and trying to talk over the enraged screams of one highly pissed 4 year old.

Did I mention I'm glad my son does not know any profane words?

I looked at The Man and said, "Yeah, this is one part of parenting they don't tell you about."

You bring home that sweet baby as a new parent and you see sweetness and goodness and bottles. Uh huh. If only we could see into the future and see the WWF smackdown with a constipated pre-schooler.

We did have success. (Did you doubt us?)

I made the comment later: "Yeah, good thing we got that baby in therapy....this just tacked on another year or two."

I will also not fear for my child's safety should he ever end up in jail. I have never in my life seen a set of butt cheeks so tight.

We may have a lot of things going on right now overall at The Edge, but reality and life still happens. It's keeps things in perspective.

Too slow

I have seriously got to post more. I get too backlogged when I put off my thoughts and happenings around The Edge for more than 3 days.

I'll do a Boy post today to get him all caught up and do the other tomorrow. Chelle fusses at me when I do a long post-she says she has to put it to the side until she can find more than five minutes to focus. Therefore, I'll break 'em down a little bit more so she can speed read and call it good!

Guess who started T-Ball last week!?! You guessed it! That Man and that Boy are two ball playing guys now. The Man is coaching a bunch of energetic 4 and 5 year olds like a pro. When the director asked what team he wanted, The Man replied, "I don't care as long as it's GREEN!" Each Tuesday and Thursday evening from 5-6 p.m., they head out the door with ball caps on and bug spray applied. My baby is so very serious about it all and I just want to scoop him up and kiss him to death when he gets home and tells me all the cool and wonderful things they did. I haven't been to the practices yet because of other stuff going on, but you can bet your fanny I'll be there for the games calling my baby's name!

This was after the very first practice. My baby ate himself a HUGE meal, brushed his teeth and called it a night. I'm thinking I might like this baseball deal...

This guy here is ready for some serious ball playing, People! (Note: We at The Edge do not support the number referenced on the ball cap. This is hand me down that is well loved. We don't mind the driver-we're just not supporters of his. Thank you.)

The Man is teaching the all important "Go Team!" huddle that is required of all teams in order to promote the opportunity to holler without getting in trouble and touch and spread loads of germs!

Nothing better than a Coach who leads by example. He led the line running the bases. I bet it looked like the Pied Piper!

The Boy worked really hard to earn his reward last week. He had to have all his stickers every single day in order to get what he has been wanting for a very long time. Has, in fact, begged for repeatedly. Want know what he scored for all his trouble?

That's right! Bowling! My child adores this game to the highest degree. We made it a family afternoon and off we went to the base bowling alley. It was right crowded when we first got there and we had to wait about 30 minutes for a lane. That just built the anticipation up even more for The Boy. While sitting there, I heard a kid yell. It was a kid from the baseball team. He was thrilled to see his Coach and had to give him a hug. God bless my husband for returning affection and giving him a couple of minutes of undivided attention. That kid was so happy he was telling everyone his Coach was there!

I was sitting there when I saw someone walking towards me. I really didn't know who it was but smiled and spoke when she did (this happens to me quite frequently). When she reached our table, I realized it was the kids' doctor!!! Oh, wow. What a difference civilian clothes make! Instead of the khaki uniform and hair in a bun, we saw long hair and jeans! She just wanted to speak and see if everyone was doing okay. We chatted about 10 minutes about any and all. I thought it was great of her to come speak and show the side that is not the military member. She's a great asset to our clinic for sure. (Especially when the doctors for adults truly are not great-okay, gotta stop-that's a whole other LONG post.) Score for the Doc!

The one time he can wait his turn. This kid understands the game. He knows what "splits" are. What a "turkey" is. It's just crazy! He used bumpers on his turn and managed to score over 100 both games! He's a natural for sure.

Sorry the picture is blurry. Cell phones don't do action shots all that well. Eight pound ball? No problem! As long as it's green, People. Priorities, you know. No help required either. Do you see how many pins are left standing? Yeah, only one.

Makenna was loving the game, too. She had help from the bumpers, but that's okay. She managed to do decently and there's nothing like seeing her dance when she made a strike or spare. You know Paige was staring at her and muttering in that teenage voice: "Sit DOWN and stop that!!"

Yep, life was good if you were The Boy and you got what you worked hard to earn. (Note: We at The Edge DO support the number referenced on The Man's hat. Thank you.)

Time to go start the week now. Got a thing or two of interest that's happening this week I'm going to share. Take it easy and be good to yourself!

Monday Talk

The Boy didn't get his banana split. He made it through the whole entire day until the very last activity (large group). I guess something came over him and he just decided he didn't need to listen to his teacher. In fact, when she told him to do something, he flat out told her "no". Oh. My. Goodness. That did not go over well with Mama. You don't TELL a teacher no or show disrespect. Needless to say, he did NOT get the banana split. He still has the ability to earn it today if he works hard. I had to take him to school this morning and we discussed it before getting there. He assured me he was going to try very hard. I told him yesterday on the way to church that if he hurried and earned the split, then he could work towards earning a trip to the waterfront park to play on the playground there. He adores that playground so we may be on to something.

Moving on to some Monday Talk.....

*The following thoughts and opinions are not reflected by all who reside at The Edge. They are the thoughts and opinions of the author of this blog.

Paige and I have gone rounds over this subject. There has been no winner of the heated debate thus far.

What is up with the boy hairstyles today?

Seriously. What is up with the hair hanging down in the eyes. Shaggy unkempt hair. Yuck.

Thing that kills me is they are deliberately pulling the hair forward to cover their eyes!!! I don't get it. Hasn't anyone told them that hair on the face will cause acne from all the oil?

Why does this bother me?

I'll tell you why.

It wouldn't be so bad if THEY DIDN'T CONSTANTLY JERK THEIR HEADS TO EITHER GET IT OUT OF THEIR EYES OR TO MAKE THE HAIR FALL FORWARD.

That drives me insanely crazy.

I am to the point that I can not help but make comments in public.

Example:

While waiting in line at a fast food place, the kid in front of me was standing with his mother. He appeared to be around 14 or 15. He constantly jerked his head because his shaggy mess was either irritating him or he wanted to feel the brush of hair across his cheek. I turned to the person I was with and said, "Poor thing. I hope his parents put him on seizure medication soon for all the jerking he's doing or CUT HIS HAIR so he'll quit doing that." He turned to look at me and I bestowed upon him a sweet smile and wide innocent eyes.

Yesterday, in church, the youth praise team sang a song. I'm thinking it was a good song, too. I can't really tell because the drummer had THAT HAIR and he kept jerking his head the whole time he was playing. I have no idea how he was able to keep time and not screw up the beat while doing that every ten seconds. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. He jerked his head to move his hair. Every.Ten.Seconds. I counted. I had to.

Paige has a friend with this hair-do. I have asked him flat out if he realizes he looks like he's having seizures with the constant head jerking. I hurt his feelings, but I believe the head jerking has become such a habit, they don't even realize how stupid they look.

Don't get me wrong. I like long-ish hair on some men. Nothing suits me better than a little pony tail pulled back with a strip of leather. Back in my day, living at the beach would show different lengths of hair and it was all good. Most kept it one length and not this 10,000 different lengths. Nor did they pull it towards their faces unless it fell there by accident while on the dance floor. If that happened, they would use both hands to pull it back while keeping the beat. Yeah, longer hair is good if you know how to work it.

I don't let my son grow his hair out. He gets a hair cut around every 3 weeks and it is CUT. I know part of that is because The Man is in the military and at this time, he can't tolerate long hair on guys. It's simply not allowed. My brother never went through that phase, either. He's always had a very short cut, along with my Dad.

For those of you out there who are letting your son express themselves? It's all good. I don't spazz or go loopy over it. I just sit there and go quietly insane (for the most part) over the head jerking. I hope and pray my son will never want to express himself in that manner. I don't want to even think about the fights...uh, discussions...that might ensue over his gorgeous head of hair.

Paige meets me toe to toe over this and calls me old fashioned and out of touch. Excuse me? I do believe her generation is wearing the SAME THING we wore back in the late 80's. Pu-leeze. This is how the "cool" people wear their hair. Not in my house, they don't. I looked her in the eye and said, "You seriously think these hairstyles look good?" I never really got a straight answer. She is defending her generation loyally and I am out in the cold fashion-less world of stupidity. Whatever.

So, tell me what you think. If you support this shaggy hair style the boys are sporting, it won't offend me. I'd love to hear your side.

The week is shaping up to be the usual kind of busy. I'm not complaining. Busy means that stuff is getting done. You go on and have a good Monday. I'm heading to the kitchen to get another cup of coffee!

How it goes

The Boy didn't make it yesterday. I had a feeling the rainy day might mess up his good record. Miss K stepped out the room long enough to take a bathroom break and my son decided he was not happy with her stand-in. He had an issue and lost his sticker for that activity. He knew. When I picked him up, he knew that banana split was out of his reach for that day. I told him he would have to work extra hard today and see if he could get all those stickers. Hopefully, he'll be able to pull it off today.

Today is Show & Tell and Pajama Day at his school! Man, that's some living right there, isn't it? Power Ranger walkie talkies were chosen as worthy to be shown to friends. He awoke before I did and informed The Man with eyes bright and excited, "DAD! IT'S JAPAMA DAY!" Now, how could I not blog that? By the time he left for school, he was pronouncing the word right, but it was so cute when he first said it. Laundry got away from me this week. I was so relieved when The Man found the super dooper awesome Bat Man japamas in the clean clothes. Score, Mom!

Our class was successful this week. One young new wife made all those hours I've contributed to this session so worthwhile. During one break, I was speaking with someone when I saw her almost skipping up to me. She told me that she had really decided not to come to class and NOT TWO MINUTES before I called to verify her attendance, she had told her husband she doubted she would come. Then I called. (dum dum dum) She said after talking with me and how I laughed and chatted, she decided to "try it" one night. She grinned then and said, "I LOVE this class! I'm so glad I came! Thank you so much for being so nice on the phone!" She was so happy and enthusiastic. She even went so far as to sign up to volunteer where ever we needed her with future sessions. I almost cried. I jumped up from my seat and hugged her tiny self and told her, "No, THANK you for coming! You just made my night!" That's what it's all about. She has knowledge under her belt. She has power now. Now, she has the resources to help herself instead of depending on her husband to find her answers when he either: 1. doesn't know where to ask himself, 2. doesn't have time to find it because of work, 3. doesn't understand how important it is for his wife to know something, or 4. isn't home to help her in a time of need. It all came down to someone being nice on the phone. That's not hard at all to do. I enjoyed speaking with each of them when I called to verify attendance. I tried to make sure I spoke with each lady individually and look them in the face during the session. I made my presentations personal with my own experiences, which is so very important. I totally scored some new friends on Fac*book!

I might also be famous for a minute (if only in my own mind!)! The base newspaper reporter stopped by to take some pictures and get an interview or two about the session. I was chosen as the Mentor interview this time. Funny thing is, I know the reporter somewhat and we ended up chatting about other stuff around the base without doing a bona fide interview. I invited him to eat supper with us and as we were walking towards the kitchen, he stopped and said he needed a quote! Out came the recorder and Miss Hope spun a few words and all was done. We like to show him our appreciation for his time and in turn he always gives Compass a good spin, complete with pictures, in the paper. I can't wait to see how this article turns out!

Today is my day off. Seriously and literally. I intend on making no special efforts except maybe a load or two of laundry and if you don't watch out? I'll never progress further than some jogging pants and a t-shirt. I am mentally and physically exhausted. My feet are killing me and brain cramps abound. It's all worth it in the end. My house cleaning must be addressed. Tomorrow. Tomorrow sounds good. I think I'll be Scarlet O'Hara today and worry about it all tomorrow.

Stay warm, Internets, if you're up North. If you need a break, head South. We're pretty smooth this way!

Mini Update

So far so good on The Boy's higher dose of medication. He's still able to be four and quite capable of throwing fits when Makenna won't share her Nint*ndo DS. He's not lethargic and so much fun to have a conversation with.

If you can today? Say a little prayer for him. Miss Rose suggested last week that we give him goals to work for. He had just been having some behaviour issues at school again (hence the higher dosage). It was decided that if he could get good reports for five days, he would be able to go to the Sonic with Dad where they would then enjoy a banana split while sitting in the back of the truck watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (I promise this is one his FAVORITE movies). In order for this to happen, he has to have ALL stickers on his behaviour chart for five days.

Yesterday was day FOUR of having all stickers.

Today is rainy so they won't get to go outside. Today is also gym and they may not get to go because they would have to walk a little ways in the rain to get there. This does not bode well for my baby. He needs that little bit of physical exertion to help him on through.

He REALLY wants that banana split, Internets.


As for my week? Tonight is the last night of Compass! YaY! I have no presentations tonight and I look forward to sitting back and enjoying the last three speakers. I think I did okay when I spoke and I hope I was able to help someone with the information I gave.

Now, I get to get my day started as The Man and I have counseling at noon. I selfishly look forward to this because it's almost like date time for us. We get to go out to lunch, just the two of us, afterwards. It's nice to chat and talk and only have to focus on each other.

I'll be sure to let you know how The Boy fares on this rainy day.

Try Again

I haven't talked about The Boy lately. My baby isn't having a real easy time in this ADHD world he walks in.

When a mother gives birth to a baby, the most important first thing is that cry. You listen so hard for that cry and your first thought is, "Alive! My baby is alive!" I wasn't able to immediately hold Makenna (Paige's birth was an emergency c-section and I was knocked out) because of meconium. She was checked out by NICU staff within seconds of arriving. I honestly don't remember if I held The Boy as soon as he was born. Is that bad? My main concern was that my husband didn't hit the floor. I kid you not.

After all the hoopla calms down and you are finally able to focus and truly check out that sweet baby, you open that blanket and take in every millimeter of skin. You count toes and make sure there are fingernails and toenails on the tip and you marvel that there is. You check between the toes because you have to see that perfect wrinkly skin in such an inconspicuous place. There is nothing on that baby you don't know before you're are done. Your heart swells to a bursting point and you know deep within your soul that you will do whatever it takes to take care of that baby for as long as you're allowed.

I am no different even though my baby is 4 (almost 5!). I have found myself, instead of relaxing a small degree, even ever more diligent about every millimeter of his being. Now, I watch his eyes to see inside his head because mental is just as important as physical. I know now that the mental is the most important thing at the moment. The Man and I have started "checkin' his pounds" (that's what he calls it) on a regular basis so that the mental doesn't interfere too much with the physical part of him. I find myself watching him as he plays. I pay attention to the movement of his hands. Are they jerky? Does he look shaky? I pay attention to his furrowed brows. Are they furrowed because he can't focus? When he has meltdowns. Are they because he's over stimulated or just being four?

Being his mother has honed my parenting skills until they are sharp. Not quite razor sharp...but on top of the game.

I am not afraid to tell his psychiatrist when I don't feel something is right. I meet him toe to toe.

The last two weeks, I've noticed that, for lack of a better term, the medication seems to have started slipping. The best way I can explain it is that, to me, it's like his strong-willed little body has said, "OH NO YOU WON'T!" and is fighting the medication. Where my child was enjoying a full day of results (8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.), the length grew shorter and shorter until he having issues again at school.

~sigh~

I went into Super Diligent mode. I watched his every move even closer. I missed that little boy who could sit at the supper table and interact. Now, he was unable to sit there and enjoy his meal. Up. Down. Jiggle. Wiggle. Jump up and run a second. Supper became torture again no matter what we did.

Fortunately, he had an appointment with his Doctor yesterday. I had Miss K, his teacher, write a note with her observations from the classroom. I was prepared to see this man.

Have I told you The Boy hates Dr. M (psychiatrist)? Yeah, with a purple passion. We don't know why, but he despises going there. To the point he had a meltdown in the waiting room when we were called back and The Man had to pick him up and physically tote him back. Good times.

I explained the past month and a half to the doctor and then added that I think we needed to up his dosage. See, this medication, when it works? Is wonderful. I don't want to switch because my baby can function with this medication and still be four.

He agreed and today we start a higher dosage.

I know. I know. The ADHD road is a hard one. I've been told over and over again that it is. A part of me can't help but wish it were easier for my child. My baby.

I will continue to be the best advocate I can be for my children. It is my honor and I can't think of anything else I'd rather do.

So, if we have to? We will try again. As many times as it takes.

Game Playing is Hazardous

I am busier than a one legged man in a butt-kicking contest this morning, but I wanted to leave you with a little something.

This is what happens when you play Mario Olympics on the Wii with the numchucks (is that how you spell it? Cuz spellcheck went crazy on it).

My baby gave himself a black eye. But, he won the race.

That's how it goes

We all know my daughter has herself a gentleman caller. All is going well there as far as I know. He seems to be treating her well, and I'm not going to argue with that.

A few days ago, she told me she wanted to go "chill" at his house this weekend. I thought about that thing. Mulled it over really well. I finally talked with her. Simply talked. There was no hollering and carrying on and I have to admit, I was prepared for it. I told her that we really don't know this boy that well. Until we get to know him and his parents a little better, then we prefer for him to come to our house to visit. I know I was earnest and sincere and needed her to see where I was coming from as a Mother. I also told her that the two of them needed to sit with us for a little bit. Let us have a conversation with Christian. I looked her in the eye and said, "How can I entrust you in his care at his home if I don't even know him?"

I got not one argument. The lawyer in her didn't come out for battle. She said, "Yes, ma'am." and that was that. Christian came to our home last night to hang out with Paige. They both sat with us for about an hour and he wasn't overly chatty, but he carried on a conversation and had no problem with it. Nice.

I walked outside later on in the evening and was checking out our outside decorations. Christian's mom drove up to get him and we started chatting. She's so nice and when I explained why I wasn't letting Paige go to her house, she was completely understanding. I'm sure I'll be letting Paige go eventually, because Miss S. has good rules for her kid. She's already raised two sons who are serving in the military, and I can find no fault with that. It was nice to get to know another Mom. I consider it a bonus that it's Christian's mom.

The kids have Winter Ball next weekend. Tomorrow is shoe shopping! Cinderella needs some shoes to go with her beautiful gown she's wearing. Miss S. and I made arrangements that she would take the kids to the ball so she can get pictures and see them. We're going to pick them up and take them home afterwards to keep things fair and give her a break. You know I'll have some pictures for your viewing enjoyment.

A little update on The Boy. This medication is reacting wonderfully with him! It truly has been a good experience. His ability to focus has increased a hundredfold. He has his impulses solidly(=normally) under control. Now, don't get me wrong here. He still has the occasional meltdown and gets very excited. I personally feel like he acting like he's four. Which is fine with me. The only glitch (and isn't there always one?) is that he's lost some weight. It was a lot at first- almost five pounds. That's not good at all. Five pounds is a HUGE amount for someone who only weighed 48 lbs. to begin with. The Man and I have started making sure he eats more. I've bought some high calorie healthy snacks (cheese, peanut butter, puddings) that he has access to. He's not a great eater during the day, but night time is his time. The Man is even going so far as to put a cup of milk in the fridge at night with a cheese stick on top of it. That's because The Boy has woken up at 3:00 a.m. to come tell Dad he's hungry. A little snack does a body good. Especially one that has some serious medication going on.

This morning we weighed The Boy (because we're keeping that close of an eye on his weight) and he was up by 2 lbs! YaY, Baby! About 30 minutes later he pooted and I told The Man he might better go weigh him again because I believe he was holding 2 lbs. of air pressure in his butt. We decided not to because he ate a go-gurt, a peanut butter/jelly sandwich, string cheese, 3 mini muffins, and a cup of milk for breakfast. He probably won't eat good again until this evening, but I'm thinking it'll be because he's out of room! (We encourage eating before taking medication)

He's doing so well, Internets. He's earning stickers left and right at school on his personal behaviour chart. Miss Rose said she can tell he's doing much better with his communication and next week she's going to see if he'll go in with her on his own without me. There's still lots of work to be done so he can better learn how to use his words and not his hands, but we're getting there. He's had four years to let ADHD take control of his body and mind, and getting control back won't happen over night. It's going to be a life long process. I'm just so tickled we seem to be on the right track at the moment.

Example of a being a four year old: At school yesterday he made a bad choice. At nap time he put his blanket on his head and was walking around. Of course, he fell and bumped his noggin.

This Monday, we have a parent-teacher conference with The Boy's teacher. This is a standard meeting to discuss progress since the beginning of the year. We get one now and another one at the end of the year. I'm excited to see what Miss K has to say.

Today promises to be a busy one if I let it. I hope you all have a good weekend and I'll catch you tomorrow or Monday.

I believe this is good news

We have been regulars at Dr. M's office lately. To the point, we no longer have to sign in. The receptionist knows who we are and waves us on.

Last week, the doctor started The Boy on a new medication. I know I've told you this is the hardest part of managing his ADHD. You have to do a trial and error sort of deal and it just kills me to give my child these medications. You don't know how they're going to react and what kind of side effects will happen. This is my Baby. A four year old. In helping him, I have wondered if I will hurt him. Make sense?

Just to set the record straight. I am not in this alone. The Man is right beside me and we make all the decisions for medications together. It's not a "he" or "she" deal. This is just my blog and I tend to use "I" and "me" for the most part.

The new drug of choice is called Vyvanse. I think this might work. The Focalin he was on gave him massive meltdowns. The end of the day was horrible for all involved and that made me so sad and frustrated. I know people who have had amazing success with Focalin and I really REALLY wanted The Boy to have that success so we wouldn't have to try another drug. It just wasn't meant to be. The same parents who loved Focalin also made sure to tell me that they went through many different medications before finding "the one".

Vyvanse might be the one. At least it is at the moment. I know there's a chance it may work for a few months, then just quit. What is up with that??? Then again, it may work for him indefinitely. What is up with this condition??? It has so much control over a brain and how you function. I have researched and researched and come to the conclusion that doctors may never really know all the answers with this condition.

God has just been gracious enough to show doctors what can help control it.

This is has been a great week for my baby in school and at home. Focalin made his speech funny. He would jerk his words when he talked while on it. He would come to tell you something and it would be like he was talking in quicksand. Oh, how I hated that side effect. Now? He's talking slower but plainer. It doesn't appear that it's such a chore for him to formulate his thoughts.

And it lasts. Oh, it lasts much longer. Supper time finds him eating like he should. A 1 mg. Melatonin tablet later and he's ready to settle down for bed.

Is this how it's supposed to be?

He's had a couple of incidents at school. BUT...and I say that loudly here...it's been when a kid has bugged him to death. Both times, he's "used his words" to tell them to stop and they kept right on. So, he popped them one. I personally think that's normal behaviour for a 4 year old. In fact, I'm pretty durn proud he used his words. Miss K., his teacher, has been quick to inform me that he did what he was supposed to with asking them to stop, but she has to write up the report because he did hit a friend. I told her I knew he was wrong in doing that, but HE'S USING HIS WORDS!!!! We are both so proud of him and it's going to get better. With age and maturity, he's going to learn how to walk away. Maybe Miss Rose can work on that next session.

Also, he's had one meltdown in the past week. It was when the Wii remote wasn't working right. I can't say I blame him on that one. My guy loves him some Wii. Therefore, when the remote messed up during a game, he got upset. Can you blame him? He's acting like a 4 year old. That I know and can appreciate.

The impulsivity has been taken down to a decent level. He's able to drag himself to a stop when we holler not to run in the street. Have you any idea how much my heart needed that. I mean the organ inside my body that is beating and keeping me alive. The stress of those situations and how scared that boy has made me? Yeah, my heart is very thankful he's better able to listen and comprehend and make his body stop.

Because the results have been satisfactory in Dr. M.'s eyes, he has requested to see The Boy again in two months. Wow. I don't know if we'll know how to function not having that appointment every week. This makes me nervous, but Dr. M. has faith this will all work out. He's been very diligent in The Boy's care and if there are any concerns or questions, I am to call his office. I think I might can live with that. He told us yesterday that knowing there have been better school days, a better quality of life at home, and add in the fact my kid was scarfing down some popcorn....he's feeling good about this particular medication. (Uh...this is where I request prayers that the good ol' Doc is right)

Miss K. has been the one to witness the best part of the medication. Now, it's our turn. The Boy is out of school until Monday. I get to witness first hand if this is the best choice for my child. I'm right excited about it, to be honest. This kid started walking at 8 months 4 days. He's been in motion ever since. I've been right behind him.

Maybe now I'll get to walk WITH him.