Update on Aiden's update

Picture is from the beginning of 2009. He looks so small.

Anyway.

Today we saw a child psychiatrist to try to change Aiden's meds some.

We are adding a non-stimulant to his list of meds. (Intutiv)

The doctor is hoping that it will "smooth" out the times when Aiden's stimulant has worn off.

It should also help with his sleep or lack thereof.

Hallelujah!!!!!

I also met with his new behavior therapist.

He will see him in addition to the licensed social worker he already sees for therapy.

Finally, after almost a year of trying to get services for Aiden things are starting to fall into place.

I hope. :)

Weekend plans

*I need to finalize all of Aiden's IEP paperwork (the top two are books that I use to help me, the second one is actually a legal book. My parents always told me I should be a lawyer.) The next one is the binder of Aiden's school work, I use it to show progress or no progress whichever is relevant. The bottom binder is Aiden's most recent medical reports, IEPs, etc. It doesn't even hold all of it as I have a folder overflowing with other documents that don't fit in this binder.

*I hope to head to the beach by the house to pick out some rocks for a project I want to do.

*I need Chris to build a shelf for me. And also sand down one, possibly two, of the cabinets.

*We need to clean out the garage.

*I need to pay bills if I don't get to it today.

*Figure out what I'm going to do with the boys home on Spring Break all next week. Yikes!

*The usual stuff. Aiden has tutoring, we have church, etc.

Have an awesome weekend everyone! 

(Can you believe I've posted 4 days in a row???? Go me.)

real time pics

A friend asked for some pics of the house.

Here are some real time ones. Taken just minutes ago with my phone.

The kitchen.

Sigh.

See the torn floor?

We had finally saved enough cash to replace it.

Had a contractor picked out.

Tile picked out.

And Izzy tore her right hind leg ACL.

Sigh.

$1200 for surgery.

Good bye floor.

Hello Robopuppy.

Hence the cone collar on the counter.

The corner cabinet and the 12 inch one next to it are my "too bad, so sad" prize.

Before there was a blind corner cabinet there. (I hate those)

So for $135 we replaced them both. (Chris is still working on the doors and a few other trim pieces and then I will paint.)

And the cabinet on the far left....we removed the doors. The counter makes that cabinet very awkward but the kitchen is so small it is a needed cabinet so we took off the doors. Now I need to paint in there too.

I promise before and after-ish pictures soon. Maybe next week? I seem to be on a roll posting.

Here's the "office" It's supposed to be the formal dining room and I would love to knock out some walls and have it be more open but for now it is a box with 2 narrow doorways.

The picture is of the desk that Chris made me for my birthday. It is actually pretty clean at the moment.

The other side of the office.

A $10 dresser that Chris and I rebuilt. Projects laid out on the floor awaiting some attention.

I owe you a before and after of the office too.  Maybe the kids will be super good next week while on Spring Break and I can post that too???

Probably not :)

Update on Zach

Here is the promised update on Zach. 

Like Aiden's update the pictures aren't in any particular order.

Zach on the Disney cruise at Christmas. He was sick for most of the cruise. (See his flushed face--despite this picture he spent most of his time in the cabin) Poor boy.

We convinced Zach to wear some birthday streamers too.

He's at such a hard age.

10.

He's a kid but still needs us.

Makes for some hard learning experiences.

Zach is all about karate right now. This is from the break-a-thon in January. He did an awesome job. I'm so proud of his dedication.

Playing chess on the thanksgiving cruise. (Yes we know we are super blessed to be able to enjoy such wonderful vacations with family.)

Zach is great at chess.

Not so great at the losing (which rarely happens.)

Not so great at the winning, either. (needs to learn not to be so braggy about it)

I won't play him anymore. But Chris does. Doesn't "let" him win anymore. Zach is too good for that.

At Disney. Some 3-D ride. Star Tours maybe.

In Cozumel. Getting eaten by Piranha Joe. So glad that he can still be silly with us.

We don't embarrass him.

Yet. :)

Random picture from May 11th 2005. We had just moved to Cinci. He was a few months shy of 4 years old.

Time flies so fast.

He may be growing up but the attitude is still the same. :)

Being silly with my phone.

Doing homework in Tampa on Thanksgiving break. He's such a responsible student.

And he loves school.

I'm so thankful. He hated 3rd and 4th grade so I'm glad things are turning around for him in middle school.

Pizza at a diner in Clearwater.

Best pizza ever.

The boys still talk about it.

Not sure we will go back since Whitney and family don't live there anymore.

Bummer.

This boy is always eating.

Always.

Never stops.

He's just an inch or so shy of being my height (5ft 4in)

(side note:see the kitchen in the background? Yeah. doesn't look like that anymore. We tore out a few of the cabinets and replaced them.)

Zach is part of the STORM (Special team of Role Models) team at Lund (his karate studio). Because of this he was able to perform at the local children's museum. See him? He's one of the tallest? He did running side kicks to break a couple of boards.

I didn't get pictures of that part.

This team has been awesome for him. He teaches once a week (with a paid instructor), they are teaching the kids the 7 habits of highly effective people, he will be helping the owner of the studio at a bullying class for the elementary class. (how to defend, not how to bully :), and many more exciting events. This team has helped him gain so much self-confidence. In a good not annoyingly boastful way.

He has found "his" sport.

Another pic of his break-a-thon break.

Told you they weren't in any order.

You can't see it in this picture but one of those black belts in the background has his name on it. The studio orders them and displays them so the kids can see what they are working for. Zach hopes to earn his by the end of summer.

They are making God's eyes at school.

Zach.

My first born.

My little peanut.

My Zach-a-boy.

I'm so very proud of the young man he is becoming. So very, very proud. 

He is sensitive, smart, caring, friendly, works hard, and he's a great student.

He makes my heart smile.

I know we have a bumpy road ahead of us now that puberty has entered the picture but I hope he comes through it with very few scars.

Update on Aiden

It's been a month? Wow! Time flies. 

Aiden has a lot of stuff going on and so I thought I'd give an update. This post has a ton of pictures but they aren't necessarily in date order but they are all cute :)

(Aiden chowing down on mac and cheese on our Thanksgiving cruise to celebrate by in-laws 40th anniversary)

I have no idea where to start with an update on Aiden so this might not make the most sense.

Today Chris and I have an appointment with his psychologist to discuss strategies to dealing with his outbursts. He can be aggressive, especially when told no.

Hitting.

Kicking.

Spitting.

I wish they weren't a daily occurrence.

(At Disney, they put streamers on our table to celebrate Aiden's birthday. He is wearing a PJ shirt-not a battle that is worth fighting)

Last week I filled out paperwork for Aiden to attend a Summer Treatment Program. It is a medical based program for kids with ADHD so although it will involve all sorts of fun activities for Aiden (swimming, sports, field trips) it will also include counseling, and daily work on organization, listening, following directions, etc. He attends for 8 weeks 8am-5pm M-F. The only excused absences are ones that we get a doctors note for. Good thing we weren't planning any vacations this year.

 
(At Disney-high fiving Phineas.)

Aiden's IEP meeting is coming up on April 11th.

Sigh.

I have sent our requests to his learning support teacher but won't know whether they are approved or not until the 11th.

I am preparing for a fight, gathering data from his tutors, past and present, looking up what we are entitled to based on the laws, reading other IEPs and recommendations from other moms who have been through it already.

Aiden is my full time job.

(Enjoying ice cream on the Disney Cruise with my parents at Christmas time.)

One of the things we are asking for is that cursive not be required for Aiden.

He still struggles with print.

He is dysgraphic. **Dysgraphia is a transcription disability, meaning that it is a writing disorder associated with impaired handwriting, orthographic coding (orthography, the storing process of written words and processing the letters in those words), and finger sequencing (the movement of muscles required to write).**

They are teaching 3 letters a day. Each day.

He loses his recess if he doesn't complete his cursive writing in class.

(In Cozumel, part of the T-giving cruise)

Speaking of taking recess away. Why do teachers do that to ADHD kids? I'm not saying that ADHD kids shouldn't be responsible for their behavior but at the beginning of the year I always give the teachers a list of "heavy work" that Aiden can do to help him calm down.

Instead of losing recess he could move books from one room to another, push the TV cart to another classroom, help load/unload something.

At least have him run laps instead of sitting there.

GRRRR.

(self-portrait with my phone, he loves to take pictures of himself)

I love this child. In all his uniqueness.

I wish I could make things easier for him.

For me.

For us.

(One afternoon after a particularly rough day at school, curled up next to me on the couch)

He is so trusting.

So forgiving.

For that I am thankful.

(Catching snowflakes after a field trip)

He has been waking up super early lately.

And being naughty.

Doctors are talking about a sleeping pill.

(Aiden is taking a break from karate-he would cry before class. He is starting to miss it though so perhaps next school year we will try again.)

Speaking of medications.

We go on Friday to meet with a psychiatrist to start Aiden on some new medications (stimulant and anti-depressant). His PCP won't change his meds and we've been waiting since we moved for this appointment.

Hoping for good things but I know it's a bunch of trial and error and a lot more paperwork. On the good side though this Doctor is supposed to be one of the best.

(Opening Christmas presents from Nana and Papa in Maine.)

His favorite "toy" right now is clay.

And anything he shouldn't be playing with.

Tools.

Liquid nails.

etc.

Oh and his bike. He loves his bike but he's allowed to play on that. :)

(Aiden with the stud finder while we were working on a bedroom project.)

He loves to help around the house and when he's supervised Chris doesn't mind including him. He drills, hammers, puts things together. He will make some woman very happy when he grows up. He's not afraid of work.

(We bought Aiden a pressure swing-the blue thing in the right corner. He also has a regular swing that he plays on)

I still think he should join Cirque du Soleil.

This was taken on March 7th.

His favorite shirt (Tom and Jerry)

His favorite pants (because they are silky)


Aiden needs a lot of support right now but I console my self with the thought that someday he will invent something really cool and thank his mom and dad for always supporting his "creative" side. But even if he doesn't I will still adore the person he is.

(Tomorrow I will post a Zach update--I will start writing it right now :)

alive,a valentine, and some chairs

Hello, yes I am still alive. I have wanted to write many times. Have written posts in my mind. But when I sit down to actually write nothing comes. I am going to try to better, but I've said that before.....

All I can do is try, right :)

Aiden's Valentine this year. I attached a mustache to each card for his classmates. They were a big hit.

In fifth grade they do not do valentines but they do have candy grams. I asked Zach who he was going to send one to and he said "myself" :) I was secretly glad he wasn't sending any to girls, I'm just not ready for that yet. I told him his limit was $5. I should have specified total because his 10 year old brain interpreted it as per day. Ugg. Once I caught on I put an end to that fantasy but it wasn't until he'd spent about $10 in candy, luckily some did go to other people.

Here's a blast from the past, two projects I worked on this past summer.

First a little background...when we got ready to move we sold a whole bunch of furniture mostly because we wanted to move to a smaller house. Well we moved to a house with more SF plus a finished basement. With so much work to do on the house we didn't/don't have the money for furniture so I decided to shop Goodwill for some chairs and redo them myself.

Specimen #1:

Here she is straight from Goodwill (as a side note, errand days from this summer the car resembled a clown car all full of groceries, furniture, things for the house, two boys and me. I'm sure it was quite funny for people who saw us out and about.)

I bought this particular chair because she looked like an easy one to start with and she was comfortable but the fabric had to go. When my parents came to visit in August my mom and I went shopping for fabric and cushions and got to work. It was a bit of trial and error as this was a first for both my mom and I.

I also decided to spray paint the frame. So here she is in all her naked glory with just a coat of primer on.

After taking off all of her fabric I used the pieces as a pattern for the new pieces. For some reason the fabric looks really blue in this picture. In real life it is more of a dark tealish green. 

More like this picture. Here is the seat all done. It was my first time with piping too so I was super proud of myself. It certainly helped that my mom was with me to give me pointers and encouragement. Aren't moms great?!

Here she is all done. For now she lives in my craft room so I can have a guest. Forgive the mess the room is going through another reorganization, it's fourth since we moved in, and hopefully the last as I really need to be able to actually craft in there :)

Specimen #2:

Here she is straight from Goodwill. This one presented more of a challenge but I loved/LOVE her legs. They have such a great curve to them.

Isn't she purdy?

Here she is almost bare. Wowsa! She was a project and a half.

Finished product. She's not perfect but I still love her legs, I spray painted them an Oil rubbed bronze color and love it. She lives in the family room at the computer table and the boys love her so she is more bedraggled (spell check seems to think this is a word even though I'm not sure so I'm just going with it.) then she was when I first finished her. (She is missing some nailhead trim and her arm pieces.) After putting them back on numerous times I finally called it quits. Some day when the boys are grown and gone I might have her professionally reupholstered like a lady of her stature deserves but until then we will enjoy her cushiony softness for our buns.

**When I was working on these chairs I thought I was taking a bunch of pictures and it wasn't until I was writing this that I realized how spotty the pictures really are so I'm sorry about that....

Five Love Languages

I have been in a Bible Study since the middle of September and our subject in Love.

Specifically Corinthians 13:4-7

 ⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. ⁶ It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.


We have discussed Patience, kindness, being proud, rudeness, and demanding our own way. It is different in that I am used to the study being based off of a book with a study guide and all that but the study I'm in now is written by a member with some brief study questions to answer beforehand.

I am really liking it and it comes at such an opportune time as I have been thinking a lot about my family's interactions with one another.

In addition to the study I've been thinking about a book Chris and I had to read during our premarital counseling, The Five Love Language by Dr. Gary Chapman, we also took a class based on the book when we were at Center Pointe. Basically it says that there are 5 different love languages (hence the title) and that we feel love and "speak" love in these different ways. Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

picture taken in May of 2001, I was pregnant with Zach

So I went to www.5lovelanguages.com and took the quiz, even though I know what mine is :) I asked Chris to take the test and had the boys take it too. I like the quiz in the book better but I sold my book a while ago...perhaps I shouldn't have.

Here are my scores:

Acts of Service 10

Quality Time 7

Words of Affirmation 6

Physical Touch 6

Receiving Gifts 1

I love it when I get help. Any help. I love help. Hence Acts of Service for me makes sense. For my birthday this year Chris made me a desk and the boys cleaned the house. Best birthday ever! The boys were a tad bit confused when there weren't any physical presents to give on my birthday morning but we talked about my love language and how I received exactly what I truly wanted. Hopefully they are getting it. I think one of the best things I can teach my boys is how to love. 

And how to clean a toilet, my daughters-in-law will thank me one day for that one.

Here are Chris' scores

Physical Touch 12

Words of Affirmation 7

Quality Time 6

Acts of Service 5

Receiving Gifts 0

Chris' is physical touch. He would much rather get a back rub than have his laundry folded. Even though this isn't my love language that doesn't mean that I shouldn't show him love in the language he speaks. I always think of the Golden Rule, Do onto others as you would have them do onto you. But in the case of love I think it's more like Love others the way they need to be loved not how you want to be loved.

Make sense?

Just for fun let's look at the boys....

 The family. Isn't Zach so sweet in his Christmas suit?

Zach's scores

Acts of Service 6

Words of Affirmation 5

Quality Time 5

Physical Touch 4

Receiving Gifts 0

A couple of things surprised me about his scores. I would have put Words of Affirmation at the top for him. He beams when he gets a compliment and words of correction or criticism can ruin his whole day. But acts of service makes sense too. That boy loves to have folded laundry.

 Aiden at about 4 months old

Aiden's scores:
Words of Affirmation 5
Quality Time 5
Physical Touch 4
Acts of Service 3
Receiving Gifts 3

I would have thought that Physical Touch would be at the top of Aiden's list but after thinking about it his list makes a lot of sense. He's still so young so of course he needs to be loved in all ways. Watching Mythbusters on the couch (Quality Time), while cuddling (Physical Touch), and telling him that he could do what they are doing (Words of Affirmation) makes up a perfect day in his mind.

Family picture taken last Christmas

Just a few last thoughts/observations....

I knew Chris and I don't "speak" in gifts but I was surprised it wasn't higher on the boys lists with all of their "Can I have that?" "I want that" Chris thinks that because giving lots of gifts isn't modeled in our house they don't put a high value on it, I guess that makes sense.

It seems I only need to fold my laundry and Zach's and can just put Aiden's and Chris' in a pile. Score!

We learned in class, and the book talks about, how the opposite of your love language is how you are hurt the most. Having people walk past messes in the house or see me working and chose to sit down instead of help, those actions make me feel unloved. And angry.

I'm hoping that by being aware of my family's love languages I can show them love in a language they understand and that by teaching them about it they can show love to those around them as well.

Menu Monday

Monday: Italian Chicken in the crockpot (recipe found on Pinterest from this blog The Driveway of Life) Zach is taking 2 hours of karate tonight. Last week he had 5 hours of class, 2 on Monday, 1 on Thursday, and 2 on Saturday!

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner. Boys requested Blueberry muffins. Chris requested French Toast. I'm throwing in some fruit just to make sure there are plenty of carbs at dinner....

Wednesday:Smoky Corn chowder (not sure where I got this recipe) and Grilled Cheese for the boys.

Thursday:Scampi It is a late karate night so Chris needs something easy to make for dinner.

Friday: Pizza. We are going to try Naan pizzas on the grill.

Saturday:Gyros/Tzatziki sauce/Greek Pasta Salad

Sunday:Fend for yourself/leftovers

Funny Aiden story, this Sunday he asked what was for dinner, I said fend for yourself and he threw himself down on the couch crying. I ran over to him thinking he had hurt himself or something. When I asked what was wrong he wailed "But I don't know how to fend for myself" :) I did reassure him that I would help him with his dinner and he was ok.

This week is another busy one for us (what week isn't?). I have Bible Study tomorrow, A psych appt for Aiden on Wednesday(he will be there with us so I need to write something up for his psychologist so we don't have to say a lot in front of him), Thursday I am having a friend over for some coffee/tea, Friday is an OT appt for Aiden-he won't be going to this one it's just paperwork so I can get him on the waiting list....All spare moments will be spent working on my niece's birthday gift. Oh, and Aiden's birthday invitations (EEK! I need to get those out!)

Hope to be back tomorrow! If not, have a good week!

Aiden

These pictures are in no particular order. There are a lot of them and ordering them would surely drive me over the edge this morning....

This past Sunday Aiden came into our bed super early with a fever. Poor boy. He recovered quickly and was feeling better after sleeping in until 11am. He's still trying to get over the cold that has hit everyone in our family except Zach. He's so peaceful when he's asleep.

Silly boy modeling a mustache from Papa.

I lost some lids behind the lazy susan......

Apparently Aiden can fit back there......

First Day of Second Grade. 

Doesn't the backpack look huge on him.....

Happy Boy. He had a rough start this year. 

We have already had two conferences with his teacher. 

One on the 3rd or 4th day of school because Aiden was coming home in tears. Chris went in and talked to the principal and the teacher. 

And one almost two weeks ago because I was getting the impression that she hadn't read his IEP. I wrote up a long packet for her including all of his "initials" (ADHD, SPD, and dyslexia), how they manifest themselves, what we do at home, what was done in Ohio school, and what we want to happen for him in second grade. It was all color coded and I included direct wording from his IEP about what she HAS to do for him. 

Chris and I are still debating asking for a different teacher but Aiden has settled in fine and he doesn't want to change teachers so we will probably not request a different teacher but you better believe that at the end of the year I will be in the principals office "clarifying" what kind of teacher Aiden needs to have.

Getting on the bus.

Part of me is always sad to see my boys ride away in the big yellow bus but the other part is doing a happy dance in the middle of the street.

Demonstrating his karate skills.

Aiden has been enjoying karate too. Not as much as Zach but he's still happy...most of the time.

Aiden is in a different program than Zach, still the same class but he is a Little Ninja so he doesn't have to test for his belts he just gets to move through them. When he's ready he'll test for his solid yellow belt and then be in the same program as Zach.

Another promotion for Aiden.

Look at those ribs..... 

Aiden lost 2 lbs in 6 weeks. Not good.

We have lowered his dose of medicine and we are hoping his weight goes back up.

We are also seeking out behavior therapy and an OT for him. The process is long and tedious. Right now it's killing me because I'm getting the run around and all I want is help for him. The medical/insurance system drives me absolutely insane.

We do feed him....see.

Aiden found an old kite in the garage. I love that he can run up and down the street trying to fly it without worrying about getting hit by a car.

New haircut. 

A couple days ago he took the scissors to his bangs. 

They are no more.

He built the ride Soarin' from Disney (see the lego feet at the bottom). 

No idea why he felt the need to put it on his head to model....

All in all Aiden is doing well but we are going through a bit of a rough patch with him. He is getting older and more defiant. In recent weeks we've had to deal with biting, kicking, destruction of property- his own and other peoples, "running away from home" (I knew where he was and watched him go, Chris and I split up and cornered him), spitting out his medicine, chasing people with a long metal pole, and general crazy defiant behavior. 

Hence the desire for behavior therapy. 

Sigh. 

Aiden is an amazing, creative, energetic, loving boy.

I just wish all those traits didn't also include mood swings, outbursts, no sleep, and defiance.