Flowers, Friends, and Fur

The movie for tonight is "A Bug's Life".  This is because once again Little Man had an ant incident earlier today.  We spent quite a few minutes trying to 'pet' the ants and tell him how good they are and that they were just trying to find food.  That was a no go, so I've decided to go the cute and cuddly Disney route.  Only time will tell if the ant fear goes away.  As entertaining as it is to watch him dance around screaming "Ant, someone take care of it" I fear it will be a long summer if we don't get rid of this fear.

I find myself without patience tonight.  Part of it has to be lack of sleep and the fact no one has been outside to play in this weirdo wet weather.  I did spend 2 hours with a behaviorist talking about Sissy and filling out GARS and GARD to try and decide if she's on the Autism Spectrum.  It's such a wide spectrum and adding in her SPD and anxiety no one can decide if she's on the spectrum or has Asperger's.  I could care less about labels as long as we get her the therapy and plans she needs so she can catch up.  One thing the behaviorist told me today was he felt sure by the time she is 20 she'll be 'normal' and that's my main desire.  I want her to be happy and have the life she wants. 

Little Man is helping by jumping on absolutely everything in the house:  beds, couch, chair, kitchen table, dog crate.  You name it he's jumped on it tonight.  He is sweet and stops to give kisses every few minutes.  I am hoping for nice weather this weekend (and maybe the trampoline fairy to drop off this trampoline in my backyard).  I think the Easter Bunny needs to get this for the kiddos.  So Easter Bunny if you happen to be reading my blog....

The canine family member is recovering slowly from her much needed dental yesterday.  She might only be 2 years old, but she could have competed with a 10 yr old on the tarter-YUCK!  I think boxer's must take longer to recover or she's sensitive because she's been very unsteady still today.  At least her teeth are white and her breath is fresh!

 The hubby is going to a motorcycle show on Sunday so we'll be home alone.  I think we'll do some art projects and maybe make a fruit cobbler-YUM!

Have a Happy Weekend

My daughter is currently 5 years old. She was diagnosed with Sensory Perception Disorder around a year ago. The last 12 months have honestly been the most trying and difficult of my life. As I look back at them I wonder how I didn’t run screaming into a padded room. I am very thankful to the wonderful Occupational Therapist, Psychologist, Physical Therapist, and Psychiatrist that we've seen over the past year. Without them that padded room might have been my reality.

Two years ago I had never heard of SPD. Sissy started having trouble (delays and behavior) in her 2nd year of preschool. Her teachers wanted me to talk to another mom with an older child who had some of the same issues as her. That mom was a life saver for me. She gave me so much knowledge and information, without her I wouldn't have known what path to take and what questions to ask my pediatrician. Sadly, there is a child in Little Man's class that has the same issues. I hope I have been able to help her mom at least a fraction of the help I received.

I have to say I love my pediatrician. Sissy had lots of severe food allergies and she was wonderful helping manage her diet and getting an allergist to see an infant. However, like so many people when I told her of Sissy's issue she immediately jumped to Autism. There is so much we don't understand about Autism and Sissy may be on the Spectrum, but none of her doctors can say for sure. I asked for a referral to a Psychiatrist and found a wonderful practice whose first instinct was to treat Sissy and not what disorder they thought she had. For over 7 months we treated her holistically. She did improve greatly, but reached a plateau last July. We changed things and still Sissy's dad and I noticed her behavior getting worse and her motor skills revert. Last October we cautiously decided to try a drug that is used to help people with SPD. Sissy is on 1/2 the dose recommended for her size and is doing much better!

Prior to see her Psychologist and Psychiatrist she would not wear shoes. Sissy only wore satin type clothes and spent most of her time at home in underpants only. She would only eat 3 things: pasta, bread, and chips. She lost weight, was listless, had no energy, and was a horrid sleeper. Since October she has started eating almost everything we offer her, the textures are different and color doesn't matter. She still prefers salty foods over sweet, but has developed a taste for birthday cake! Sissy has gone from sleeping 5-6 hours a day to 11 hours plus a nap at school! I love to hear her laugh because it was a rare sound for a long while.

Raising a special needs child will never be an easy thing. I’ve determined God (whatever God you believe in) hand picks us as parents for these children that need more care, patience, and love. Not a day goes by that I don’t Thank God for blessing me with Sissy.

Yes, I know I 'started' this blog year or more ago and this is my first post.  What do you do?

Little Man's birthday is coming up!  I can't believe he's almost 3.  I feel like he's almost 5, his current favorite phrase is "Stupid head" and he uses way too much.  Time out isn't helping with this one :/

"Fixing" his bike with my kitchen utensils!

I never would have thought the extreme differences in boys and girls would start at such a young age.  I know he's growing up and acts much more mature than his age, but I can't stop myself from laughing at him sometimes.  My big, brave guy who karate chops the bad guys is scared to pieces of....wait for it....are you ready....ants.  Yep, tiny, little, regular ants.  There was an ant at the front door when I left to go get his big sister from school.  Daddy 'took care of the ant' (I swear I'm in a weird alternative reality mob) "Sopranos" style.  Four hours later Little Man is still talking about the ant and refusing to go near the front door!  Well, at least (I hope) I don't have to worry about him eating bugs.  Dirt yes, bugs no.  Till next time!

We are on week 3 of five day a week school for Big Sister and she is improving daily.  It's amazing how much better she's doing.