In the last 24hrs we have gotten 11 inches of snow. It's supposed to be spring! We are all so sick of snow that even the kids had no interest in playing in it. Finally around 5pm when they were bored they decided to go out. I gave them colored water to spray on the snow and that made it a little more fun since they had not done that before. Thank goodness I had Jello though cause I couldn't find my food coloring. We went through all four boxes that I had. I was so happy that they had fun and finally got outside. It is such a great sensory time playing in the snow. Squeeks had quite a great time eating jello snow cones!
Tonight at 6pm my son asked me to make a new recipe for dinner (if you know my son, you know this is HUGE). Well, with such short notice I decided on pizza grilled cheese. Even though it was such a simple meal he turned it down after one bite as he does with all new meals. By the time I was done making them all he decided to try another bite of a different sandwich then exclaimed "This one is really good! Not like the other one!" He ate the entire thing!!! Maybe he is finally willing to start trying new foods again!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
I hate coming up with titles...Not my thing!
Tonight was the 2nd night that Squeeks didn't go to bed till around 11pm. I really hope that she isn't up at 5am again! I have no clue why she is staying up and sleeping so little. Our kids have always been 12hr a day sleepers. Today I refused to give her a nap in hopes that she will sleep all night long. I really need some sleep myself!! Us both being tired is a recipe for disaster. I can't do many more days like that.
Well, Squeeks has been wearing a weighted vest and we have been doing the brushing therapy for a few days now. Already we have noticed a decrease in things being licked or put into her mouth, including the binky. She even has fallen asleep without a binky! Can't believe we are seeing improvement already. The vest seems to help her stay a bit calmer as well. However it isn't practical to wear all the time, especially when we are out and about. She does seem to like it though and it does help. I think I am going to attempt to make one. We'll see how that goes!!
Other two kids are doing great. Bubba is starting 1st grade math and finishing up kindergarten Language Arts. He is signed up for T-Ball but they have yet to call and let me know when practice and stuff will start. Excited to see how he likes baseball. Yesterday he built his first model of a Star Wars X Plane/Spaceship. He did it almost completely by himself and loved every minute of it. It is so much fun to watch him grow and take more interest in boy type things. He has been stuck playing with his sister and other girls his whole life so it's great to watch him become his own person with different interests.
Mo is doing good. Her reading and writing are progressing very well now that they are doing school on the computer. I love how well their program works with her vision disorder!! Especially since I am so busy with Kayla right now this online schooling is a wonderful fit for us at this time. Mo's Physical Therapy is also going well. I think that after her next evaluation we will probably decrease her appointments. So glad that her shoe inserts are helping and that her injury is healing! We have been on a 3wk break from OT so that we could switch to a therapist we feel works better with Mo. This was Mo's request which surprised me because she really liked the other therapist but I am glad she stands up for what she knows she needs. So now both girls will be seeing the same therapist for OT (once Squeeks is approved for ongoing therapy). I am excited about that cause I feel this is the best therapist for us. She is so full of knowledge and helps me understand things very well. I hope that one day I can get the hubby to go to an appointment and see for himself what I have been trying to explain. I think that will help him a lot, but until we can make it work with his work & school schedule he will just have to take my word and try to help the girls from that. He has been doing good on many things but he still has a hard time even understanding what this disorder is all about.
Well, I feel like I am just logging information with no end in sight cause I am just so tired that I am watching my fingers move, but not really thinking. I hope this isn't all over the place and actually flows/makes sense! I need to get myself to bed!!! Goodnight!
Well, Squeeks has been wearing a weighted vest and we have been doing the brushing therapy for a few days now. Already we have noticed a decrease in things being licked or put into her mouth, including the binky. She even has fallen asleep without a binky! Can't believe we are seeing improvement already. The vest seems to help her stay a bit calmer as well. However it isn't practical to wear all the time, especially when we are out and about. She does seem to like it though and it does help. I think I am going to attempt to make one. We'll see how that goes!!
Other two kids are doing great. Bubba is starting 1st grade math and finishing up kindergarten Language Arts. He is signed up for T-Ball but they have yet to call and let me know when practice and stuff will start. Excited to see how he likes baseball. Yesterday he built his first model of a Star Wars X Plane/Spaceship. He did it almost completely by himself and loved every minute of it. It is so much fun to watch him grow and take more interest in boy type things. He has been stuck playing with his sister and other girls his whole life so it's great to watch him become his own person with different interests.
Mo is doing good. Her reading and writing are progressing very well now that they are doing school on the computer. I love how well their program works with her vision disorder!! Especially since I am so busy with Kayla right now this online schooling is a wonderful fit for us at this time. Mo's Physical Therapy is also going well. I think that after her next evaluation we will probably decrease her appointments. So glad that her shoe inserts are helping and that her injury is healing! We have been on a 3wk break from OT so that we could switch to a therapist we feel works better with Mo. This was Mo's request which surprised me because she really liked the other therapist but I am glad she stands up for what she knows she needs. So now both girls will be seeing the same therapist for OT (once Squeeks is approved for ongoing therapy). I am excited about that cause I feel this is the best therapist for us. She is so full of knowledge and helps me understand things very well. I hope that one day I can get the hubby to go to an appointment and see for himself what I have been trying to explain. I think that will help him a lot, but until we can make it work with his work & school schedule he will just have to take my word and try to help the girls from that. He has been doing good on many things but he still has a hard time even understanding what this disorder is all about.
Well, I feel like I am just logging information with no end in sight cause I am just so tired that I am watching my fingers move, but not really thinking. I hope this isn't all over the place and actually flows/makes sense! I need to get myself to bed!!! Goodnight!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
busy day!
Went in to get Kayla out of her room. Found
her snuggled in Mo's arms grinning ear to ear. Mo sleepily (possibly
sleep talking) said "She has a pen and wrote on your palm" Well, Kayla
did have a pen and was writing on her palms. She also had strewn Barbies
all over the room, taken off her pj's and put on a shirt of Mo's.
Sensory Processing Disorders
A few months ago Mo was diagnosed with a knee injury and a vision disorder. Due to the physical therapy for the knee, we found out about Occupational Therapy. While the therapist isn't able to help us with her particular vision/neurological disorder, she did immediately notice that Mo has a Sensory Processing Disorder. I don't remember if I have blogged about this or not, so I will shorten what happened. While we waited for insurance to approve the therapy, I read a book and handouts the therapist gave me. Just by implimenting some things that I read, Mo went from sleep walking 3-6x a night to once a week. She went from screaming 2-5x a night to not at all! So, fast forward a few months to now. She is still on the path to getting things under control. We still have some issues during the day but not nearly as many.
After learning about sensory disorders, I was positive that Squeeks has it as well. I tried just adding some sensory things into our home and into her daily life. While these things helped Mo, it did not seem to help Squeeks. I finally got to a point where I was overwhelmed with her and talked to the therapist. She said that we should not wait any longer and come in for an exam. At the exam I found out that things were much worse than I could have imagined. The therapist sent us home with a weighted vest and a brush. The weighted vest is to give Squeeks pressure which her body seeks, as well as the added weight to make her work harder which will tell her body that she should be more tired. The brush is for us to lightly brush her skin with which stimulates the nerves to tell them how to work properly, but it must also be followed up with joint compressions so that the nerves will calm back down after being stimulated.
While Mo is only going to OT every other week, Squeeks will need to be seen every week if we can work it into our/ the therapists schedule. We have so many things to work on with her. Her core stability is really weak. I had no idea! I also didn't realize that this could be part of why her mouth is always open and why she doesn't like to chew her food. We also will work on her constant oral fixation and need for something in her mouth and for licking things. She has issues with clothing and things as well. These things are why we are doing the "Brushing Technique". We also will be addressing the attention span, control over voice, sitting properly (no "W" sitting), and doing lots of heavy work. We have a long road ahead of us where she is concerned but I am so happy to be receiving help this time around! You see, Mo was a tiring toddler as well. I thought she just had a very strong willed and energetic personality. I had no clue that she had a disorder which caused her to act the way she was. While raising a 2nd toddler with SPD is still tiring, it is so comforting to now know that there is help and that there is a true reason for my child to act out and that it's not just cause she is misbehaving.
Not many people understand what I am going through. It's frustrating to not have many people to talk to about this who understand. My own husband doesn't even understand it yet. There are so many days where I just want to vent but yet I can't because no one understands. There are so many days that I want to scream for joy in the accomplishments that are huge for our family, even though they wouldn't be to another family.
Today for example, Squeeks was licking the toilet bowl brush and a step stool that she had splashed water all over from the toilet cleaning attempt. Even though I am sure it tasted nasty, I literally had to pull her off the stood and out of the bathroom. This behavior wasn't to be bad. In fact she thought she was being helpful to clean the toilet. It's not her fault that those brush bristles have a funny texture that she likes to feel with her mouth. And the step stool, well of course that wet cold water is a great sensation and the grating texture on the stood is quite nice too! This was a frustrating time in my day. I had integrated many sensory things into the day and yet it still wasn't enough, she went and sought out more. I felt awful that she was licking something that had been in the toilet. Imagine all the germs!!! AHH!!! But alas, there is nothing I could do but brush her teeth, try to explain it is gross and not to do it, and then remove her from the bathroom and attempt to get her onto some other activity.
This was just one tiny part of my day, and let me tell you, "events" like this happen at least a few times a day. It's tiring, and frustrating. But oh the smiles of a happy sensory child covered in shaving cream this morning was worth the rest of the exhausting day. It makes me happy to see her when her sensory needs are being met in a controlled environment. I love knowing that I CAN do this. I have done it before and I can do it again, and this time will be easier and more fun because I actually know what I am dealing with. Last time I did it blindly, following my gut for 7 years before I had a name to go with what I already knew to be true. Now instead of guessing as to how to treat these behaviors, I know what I should do.
After learning about sensory disorders, I was positive that Squeeks has it as well. I tried just adding some sensory things into our home and into her daily life. While these things helped Mo, it did not seem to help Squeeks. I finally got to a point where I was overwhelmed with her and talked to the therapist. She said that we should not wait any longer and come in for an exam. At the exam I found out that things were much worse than I could have imagined. The therapist sent us home with a weighted vest and a brush. The weighted vest is to give Squeeks pressure which her body seeks, as well as the added weight to make her work harder which will tell her body that she should be more tired. The brush is for us to lightly brush her skin with which stimulates the nerves to tell them how to work properly, but it must also be followed up with joint compressions so that the nerves will calm back down after being stimulated.
While Mo is only going to OT every other week, Squeeks will need to be seen every week if we can work it into our/ the therapists schedule. We have so many things to work on with her. Her core stability is really weak. I had no idea! I also didn't realize that this could be part of why her mouth is always open and why she doesn't like to chew her food. We also will work on her constant oral fixation and need for something in her mouth and for licking things. She has issues with clothing and things as well. These things are why we are doing the "Brushing Technique". We also will be addressing the attention span, control over voice, sitting properly (no "W" sitting), and doing lots of heavy work. We have a long road ahead of us where she is concerned but I am so happy to be receiving help this time around! You see, Mo was a tiring toddler as well. I thought she just had a very strong willed and energetic personality. I had no clue that she had a disorder which caused her to act the way she was. While raising a 2nd toddler with SPD is still tiring, it is so comforting to now know that there is help and that there is a true reason for my child to act out and that it's not just cause she is misbehaving.
Not many people understand what I am going through. It's frustrating to not have many people to talk to about this who understand. My own husband doesn't even understand it yet. There are so many days where I just want to vent but yet I can't because no one understands. There are so many days that I want to scream for joy in the accomplishments that are huge for our family, even though they wouldn't be to another family.
Today for example, Squeeks was licking the toilet bowl brush and a step stool that she had splashed water all over from the toilet cleaning attempt. Even though I am sure it tasted nasty, I literally had to pull her off the stood and out of the bathroom. This behavior wasn't to be bad. In fact she thought she was being helpful to clean the toilet. It's not her fault that those brush bristles have a funny texture that she likes to feel with her mouth. And the step stool, well of course that wet cold water is a great sensation and the grating texture on the stood is quite nice too! This was a frustrating time in my day. I had integrated many sensory things into the day and yet it still wasn't enough, she went and sought out more. I felt awful that she was licking something that had been in the toilet. Imagine all the germs!!! AHH!!! But alas, there is nothing I could do but brush her teeth, try to explain it is gross and not to do it, and then remove her from the bathroom and attempt to get her onto some other activity.
This was just one tiny part of my day, and let me tell you, "events" like this happen at least a few times a day. It's tiring, and frustrating. But oh the smiles of a happy sensory child covered in shaving cream this morning was worth the rest of the exhausting day. It makes me happy to see her when her sensory needs are being met in a controlled environment. I love knowing that I CAN do this. I have done it before and I can do it again, and this time will be easier and more fun because I actually know what I am dealing with. Last time I did it blindly, following my gut for 7 years before I had a name to go with what I already knew to be true. Now instead of guessing as to how to treat these behaviors, I know what I should do.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Moving Craziness
So today Mo asked me to check her hair tonight after her shower cause she thinks she has lice. Well, what she failed to mention was that over the last few days since mom has been so busy, she thought she would stop brushing her hair cause it is the only way to get that poofy wavy hair that most her friends have. So um, no case of lice here, just a major case of tangles that took me an HOUR to get out. Hair is now in pinwheels in hopes of poofy wavy hair tomorrow. Crazy kid!
So for that last 3wks we have been moving. This has been an extremely long process with little help. Today we turned in the keys to the old place. I was so happy to do so! The mobile home served as a good home for us for 4 years but I am so happy to be out of there. While it was home cause that's where we were together as a family, it never felt like a true home. We didn't have a good yard to send the kids out to play in and didn't have a garage (which for a mechanic is very tough). The walls were so thin that we couldn't hang shelves or anything else big. Now, the new house is an older style with thick walls, cast iron tub and a good layout. It is much smaller than the mobile home but so far I am loving it. The mobile home was so open and had so much floor space for the kids to mess up. There were so many counters in the kitchen that we would pile stuff on them. I would spend 4-5 hours a day cleaning just to have the house still be trashed. The new home has about half the kitchen space and the table is in that area as well since we no longer have a dining room. No counters to clutter up! The laundry is in a closet off the kitchen, so no laundry room to clutter up either. The pool table is now in half of the garage so no pool table to lay laundry on. Yeah! Maybe we can actually start playing pool! Kids bedrooms are a bit smaller than before which with the girls sharing they don't like that but it is much easier to clean. Our bedroom is MUCH smaller since the old master suite was over 400sqft. While we did have to cram in a lot of furniture, it did all fit and we still have enough room to comfortably walk around. Once again, much less of an area to clutter and have to clean. So far I am only spending 2-3hrs a day with my cleaning duties and that includes the laundry. A much more manageable cleaning schedule! Our backyard is huge. It is so nice to just be able to send the kids outside to play. It has been fairly muddy out since it is still wintry weather so they haven't been able to play too much but they are enjoying it on the days it is nice enough to play. I am slowly working on building a obstacle course around the outside of the yard. So far I have a rocking donkey, small trampoline and slide. I hope to add a balance beam, hopscotch (or another jumping game) and maybe a couple swings. We also are setting up a chalk board and a sensory table. Even with all these things in the yard, there is still room for riding bikes, a garden, fire pit, table & Chairs, and grill. I don't know for sure but I think this yard is at least 1/2 acre. Drastic change from the yard we had before. I am so excited for this summer and all the things we can do in the yard! One thing on the list to do is put up the tent and camp. The kids think that will be so fun to do.
So for that last 3wks we have been moving. This has been an extremely long process with little help. Today we turned in the keys to the old place. I was so happy to do so! The mobile home served as a good home for us for 4 years but I am so happy to be out of there. While it was home cause that's where we were together as a family, it never felt like a true home. We didn't have a good yard to send the kids out to play in and didn't have a garage (which for a mechanic is very tough). The walls were so thin that we couldn't hang shelves or anything else big. Now, the new house is an older style with thick walls, cast iron tub and a good layout. It is much smaller than the mobile home but so far I am loving it. The mobile home was so open and had so much floor space for the kids to mess up. There were so many counters in the kitchen that we would pile stuff on them. I would spend 4-5 hours a day cleaning just to have the house still be trashed. The new home has about half the kitchen space and the table is in that area as well since we no longer have a dining room. No counters to clutter up! The laundry is in a closet off the kitchen, so no laundry room to clutter up either. The pool table is now in half of the garage so no pool table to lay laundry on. Yeah! Maybe we can actually start playing pool! Kids bedrooms are a bit smaller than before which with the girls sharing they don't like that but it is much easier to clean. Our bedroom is MUCH smaller since the old master suite was over 400sqft. While we did have to cram in a lot of furniture, it did all fit and we still have enough room to comfortably walk around. Once again, much less of an area to clutter and have to clean. So far I am only spending 2-3hrs a day with my cleaning duties and that includes the laundry. A much more manageable cleaning schedule! Our backyard is huge. It is so nice to just be able to send the kids outside to play. It has been fairly muddy out since it is still wintry weather so they haven't been able to play too much but they are enjoying it on the days it is nice enough to play. I am slowly working on building a obstacle course around the outside of the yard. So far I have a rocking donkey, small trampoline and slide. I hope to add a balance beam, hopscotch (or another jumping game) and maybe a couple swings. We also are setting up a chalk board and a sensory table. Even with all these things in the yard, there is still room for riding bikes, a garden, fire pit, table & Chairs, and grill. I don't know for sure but I think this yard is at least 1/2 acre. Drastic change from the yard we had before. I am so excited for this summer and all the things we can do in the yard! One thing on the list to do is put up the tent and camp. The kids think that will be so fun to do.
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