Summer of Chaos

The girls, now ages 7 & 8, have reached the age where spending their summer in day care is not their idea of a good time.  So........we came up with a plan about February that we would hire a student this summer to care for them out of our home, with the idea that they could stay very busy with activities.  The perfect summer, right?  Go to the library, and the park, and the swimming pool.  Do arts & crafts.  Play games.  Play in the yard.  In theory, it all sounded perfect.  But in theory, I seem to have forgotten that: 1)  I run a very busy appraisal business from our home, 2) children this age will all test an authority figure if there is another authority figure present, and 3) my youngest has a very challenging neuro-developmental disorder that includes manipulation at the highest levels.  UGH!

So each morning, our babysitter arrives.  She has honestly done FAR better than I would have if the roles were reversed.  FAR FAR FAR far better.   But still.......the noise level is through the roof and anytime she asks/tells them to do something that they don't want to do, they run to ME to see if they can get me to allow whatever it is they want.  I'm doing my darndest to reinforce the babysitter's authority when she's here, and send them back to her.  But in the meantime, I'm pulling my hair out.

So......whose idea was this???  :)

I'm running for school board. Yep......For REAL!!!

Last week, I filed to run for school board.  No joke.  On November 8th, my name will be on the ballot.  Right next to my opponent.  And people will either vote for me.  Or they will vote for him.  But either way, in the next 4 3/4 months, I'm going to have a LOT of opportunities to speak my opinions about local and not-so-local school issues. 

Its a little mind-boggling.  I mean......I'm familiar with the democratic process, right?  But still........when it comes right down to it, it was remarkably easy to throw myself in front of the bus.  In Washington State, there isn't even a fee to file.  It's free!  Just sign up and say you want to run!  WOW! 

As my opponent and I are the only candidates for the seat for which we are vying, we don't have to run in the primary in August.  (Hallelujah!)  So.......I'm getting focused on November 8th and developing a plan for how to reach potential voters.  I live in a GREAT school district and would love to be part of the team that continues moving forward.  I want to help our teachers' voices be heard a little louder (figuratively, not literally), I want to encourage more parents to step forward and speak their minds when they have an issue, and I want to make sure our students know that school is about THEM. 

I will have another blog up and running very shortly as a support to my campaign literature.  I will provide the link when that is ready to go, so you can all check in there and see where I'm headed with this.  In the meantime, I hope you all smile!  An SPD Mom is running for office!!!  WAHOO!!!  :)

Its a "head-scratcher".......

The school called and left a message on our answering machine today.  Apparently, Jennica burned her finger at school today.  On.  A.  Light.  Bulb.  ????????

Now........we've had some reactions here at home to this that strike me as somewhat odd, even though I am admittedly involved in these decisions. 

First, we laughed.  I mean seriously????  A light bulb???  We know our school district very well and if this was a serious injury, I have 100% trust that they would not have simply left a message on our answering machine.  I want to make that very clear, as I know not all parents are as fortunate in being able to trust the decision making skills of their school staff.  So......since it was obviously not serious, we felt free to laugh.  And did.  Let's face it.........burning your finger on a light bulb ranks right up there with sticking rocks in your ears.  Which we have been to the ER not once, but TWICE for removal with this child. 

Second, without even "arranging" to not mention it to Jen, we didn't mention it to Jen.  Neither of us.  We have reached a state with this child that unless she is crying or bleeding.......don't bring it up!  If it is serious enough, she'll let us know!!!! 

Now.........these are both odd reactions to me.  I feel like a TV evangelist is somewhere saying that I have seen so many car wrecks that I am now numb to them.  Only in this case, I have seen too many "Jen-wrecks" that unless we need to dial 9-1-1, I can laugh and move on.  I'm oddly humored and concerned at the same time with my reactions!!!!

Ahhh..........but it is what it is.  I shall ponder this.  And chuckle.  A light bulb???  Sheesh.

The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round...

Yes........I've been blogger-absent for a few months.  Okay.....more than a few.  It wasn't intended to be that way in the beginning, but after a little while, it DID become an intentional break.  And a good one. You see.....I've been on journey of inner reflection.

Last fall, right after my last blog post, I attended the SPD Symposium in Seattle.  While I didn't necessarily have an epiphany while there, I had some "ah-ha" moments.  Those moments started me down a path to asking who I am, and more importantly, what am I becoming?  Where do I want myself to be in 10 or 20 or 50 years?  Not career-wise, or financially.......but as an individual.

Through my daughter's SPD, I have become much more attuned to the inner being of all humans, and more importantly, to the inner workings of myself.  No........I haven't become a new-age nut.  But I'm more aware, through her, of how the outside world is capable of driving our emotions and reactions, and how we all need to be able to break that chain when the outside world is a negative force. 

So.....bottom line........I'm back.  For the most part, this is a news-y blog about my family and will continue to be.  But I'm growing up.  (About time, eh?)  I hope you also see a new maturity, a renewed sense of humor, and a Mom more at peace with the chaos that is my life at this stage.  Life is going to continue with or without me.  So I might as well ride the bus with a smile, right?

Welcome back, blog-readers.  :)

Evil Knievel

People don't tend to "get" my warnings about my daughter the first time.  Or the second time.  But if they spend enough time with her, they tend to eventually figure it out in a big way.  Jennica's specific type of SPD tends to center around "sensory-seeking."  This is crucial knowledge, and its absolutely imperative that everyone in her inner circle understand this.  To clarify further, her brain tends to under-react to sensory information.  When I first heard the word under-react used in this way, my mind said, so a child like that would be sluggish, right?  WRONG!  Its exactly the opposite.  A child that under-reacts to sensory information will seek MORE sensory input for the brain.  The end result.......a child that tends to seek higher, faster, farther, louder, etc. 

Jennica is the epitome of sensory-seeking.  As a toddler, she was a climber.  And a runner.  And a grabber of everything.  She wants the bath water warmer than it should be.  She wants to play in the rain with no coat on.  She wants to FEEL the world around her.  And for her to do that, she needs MORE.....in every way.

After the "high" of our Halloween successes last weekend, we crashed back to Earth this week.  I've noticed in the past that Jennica's level of sensory-seeking is somewhat driven by diet, and while her Halloween treats consisted of a lot of fruit chewies and the like, there is high-fructose corn syrup in those!  She is not technically allergic to it, so we have never eliminated it.  But we do try to limit it!  And now, I'm remembering why!

Monday was a monsoon.  She wanted to play on our covered front porch with the dog after school.  Fine.  But it wasn't long and I could hear the high-pitched squeals of out-of-bounds behavior outside.  She had slipped out into the yard and was busy belly-flopping in the rain in a 4-inch puddle in our yard.  A sane parent would have drug the child indoors, but my sanity left long ago. She wasn't in any danger, and I recognized sensory-seeking for what it was, and let her continue.  She finally came to the door, dripping wet, about 5 minutes later and was ready to get warm and dry.  We changed clothes, and headed for the barn.

At the stable, the sensory-seeking continued, but in that environment, its less fun and far more dangerous.  To keep it short and sweet, she hung from the hay loft by her fingernails (literally) and then slipped into the indoor arena with a loose horse.  Neither is acceptable, and we've had MANY conversations about the safety of these activities.  Or lack thereof.

So.....Tuesday after school, she got sent to Day Care on the school bus.  I need to be able to feed and care for horses without constantly worrying about her safety.  She also is very resistant towards the Day Care right now, and I made it clear that this was a direct result of her deliberate disobedience of long-standing areas that are off limits at the barn.  Period. 

On Wednesday, I was ready to try it again.  The weather was beautiful, and the girls were happily playing near the sawdust pile.  There were numerous other boarders around, and the attitude was friendly and happy as we all worked together to get the 15 horses fed and cared for.  And then suddenly Tiersten appeared in the barn with a panicked look on her face.  Something to do with Jennica and the creek and a log?  I told her to show me and I followed her quickly as she ran back outside.

Lo and behold, Jennica had left the main grounds at the barn and broken another cardinal rule:  Don't go to the creek!  She had shinnied down the bank (still slick from Monday's monsoon), crawled across a 30-foot span of fallen log, and was stuck on the other side of creek with no way to scale the slippery bank on the other side.  The log was too narrow for her to turn around on, and the water beneath her was rushing and at least four feet deep.  My heart immediately lodged in my throat.  To make matters even worse, Tacey, one of the 12-year-old girls at the barn was already barefoot and starting out across the log after her!  Now, not only has my child put herself in danger, but she's put someone else in danger, too!

Fortunately, Tacey was able to go across the log and get her and Jennica both back to safety.  I immediately locked Jennica in the car, who by this time is apologizing in tears--not out of fear, but because she knew she was in trouble.  I don't think fear ever entered her mind.  (Except maybe fear of her punishment.)  I quickly finished my chores and headed home. 

Today, she is back at the day care after school.  Until I figure out a way to keep her safe, she's going to have to go there for awhile.  I'm honestly frustrated.  What do you do with a child that has no real sense of fear?  She doesn't do things to be "naughty", and truly doesn't understand that she's putting herself at risk.  The height of logs across creeks and height of the hayloft bring a thrill to her that you and I might get from running across the playground.  Her brain needs so much MORE to register what comes naturally to the brain of a typical person.  But short of hanging a trapeze in a padded cell, I don't know how to find a SAFE way for her to get what she's seeking! 

In the meantime, my friends at the stable are taking me more seriously when I tell them to help me keep an eye on Jen and let me know if they see her doing ANYTHING unsafe.  My shoulders are still so tense today after the log/creek incident that I'm constantly pulling them out of my ears. 

Maybe I should look into downhill skiing for her?  Or motocross?  Or NASCAR?  With her nerves of steel, she might be very successful.  I wonder if there has ever been a study done on high-risk sports and the number of participants who show symptoms of SPD.  I bet there's a connection!  :)

Hell-oween success!

Since.....oh......about the time Jen was 2 years old, I've become a devout Halloween grinch.  From a parenting standpoint, Halloween has sucked.  It doesn't take a genius to figure out that stuffing an SPD kiddo into a costume and dragging them through Halloween (sensory hell) is going to amount to tantrums, meltdowns, and a whole lot of stress.  It was so bad in 2009 that Jennica was actually physically ill by Halloween night, running an anxiety-induced fever, and she and I stayed home and skipped the whole darn mess.  Even after I had spent a huge amount of time creating a really darling sensory-friendly costume on my very old and dusty sewing machine that hadn't seen the light of day since.....well.......biblical times?

So.....as late October has neared, I haven't exactly embraced it......er......with enthusiasm.  We enjoyed did the costume store......blah blah blah........and she picked out a pirate costume that she loved and I assumed she would never wear.  We explored did the pumpkin patch, after a monsoon the night before, and picked our pumpkins out of a barn filled with hay that the farm owner had assembled.  (Even rubber boots were not going to make that pumpkin field hike-able.)  And the anxiety climbed and I griped for the entire last two weeks about the coming of  "Hell-oween."

But apparently, the anxiety climbed only for me.  For today, knock on wood, was a rousing success. 

As I sit here tonight, typing in stunned silence, I feel a little silly at the extent of our preparations.  Mike and I both took the day off today.  Seriously.  So that we could both be there to support Jennica when all hell broke loose during her school party.  We showed up at the previously-scheduled, teacher-appointed time of 12:40, and Jennica came running over to give us a hug.  Someone had already helped her don her costume, and she looked cute and relaxed.  After our hugs, she went back to her desk. ???  And proceeded to sit at her desk, visit with her friends, and participate in all the party activities.  ???  And ignore us.  ???  And then came the all-school parade where the entire school full of elementary children parades through the building so everyone can view everyone else's costumes.  Surely, this would send her over the edge, right?  Wrong.  She had a blast.  And then, since I wasn't really needed, I went across the hallway and helped for awhile in Tiersten's classroom. 

Immediately after school, Mike headed to football practice, and the girls and I headed downtown with a friend and her children to trick-or-treat the downtown businesses.  This is a huge thing in our small town, and is a completely chaotic event.  When my friend chose to park at one end of the "loop" she planned to walk through town, I inwardly groaned.  While I saw the theory behind her plan, when Jennica undoubtedly collapsed at the far end of our walking loop, I was going to have a great distance to carry 50 pounds of screaming girl pirate.  But as Cassie had already unloaded her infant daughter (and I wanted to stay together with the hopes that she would keep Tiersten with her to finish trick-or-treating when Jen fell apart), I parked beside her and off we went on foot.  Much to my amazement, Jen was fantastic.  She stayed with us.  She didn't run ahead or lag behind.  She independently marched into the stores for treats, complimented other children on their costumes, laughed and smiled, never whined about being tired of walking, and enjoyed the whole dang-blasted wonderful experience.

And it wasn't over.  After trick-or-treating downtown for 90 minutes, the girls and I met Mike and the boys at home, and immediately headed back to town for dinner at the local Mexican restaurant.  Still in her pirate costume, she ate dinner and was pleasant.  Heh. 

And then we headed to the Halloween Carnival at our school.  By this point, I knew with certainty that we had pushed our luck too far.  She was tired.....(for Pete's sake, I was tired!) .....she was full of gluten-free candy.......and she had been fantastic until now.  The carnival was sure to be ugly.  It is always a sensory nightmare packed into a gymnasium the size of a cereal box. 

Almost two hours later, we left with Jennica still laughing.  She traded quarters for game tickets. She played the games.  She giggled with her sister and friends.  She had a blast. 

So.......I'm sitting here at midnight unable to sleep.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm ecstatic.  But overwhelmed.  Part of me wants to sob with relief.  Another part of me wants to laugh out loud.  And still another part of me wants to look for the other shoe about to drop.  I was approached by SO many parents and school staff today that have wonderful things to say about Jen's recent progress and the changes they are seeing.  I guess I need to let it all sink in.  It was only one day of success, but we pushed it hard.  Much harder than we have ever dared to push her before and still had it end happily. 

Its going to take a little while to have this all sink in.  Tomorrow is relatively quiet day.  And then Sunday, we will do a little trick-or-treating at family and friends' homes in the evening.  I guess we'll wait and see how that all goes?  But for the moment, I'm wondering if I'm going to have to end my reign as the Grinch of Hell-oween???

Stranger Danger

Lucky for us (and Jennica), our school staff finds my special needs daughter to be an endless source of amusement.  I'm sure there are staff members that don't think her antics are cute, but the staff members that we have contact with are wonderfully supportive of her differences, and claim to find both humor and inspiration with her different view of the world. 

Yesterday was the dreaded annual IEP meeting.  (Its only our second, and I really have no reason to dread them, but I do.)  I wasn't expecting any surprises, as we've been in constant contact with the school since the first day of the year.  So far, things have been going remarkably well!  I feel like I'm jinxing myself to actually put those words down in black-and-white, but pther than a few moderately heinous occurrences, the first month of first grade has been a rousing success.

Most of our contact with the school is through email, or by one-to-one contact with her teacher, para-educator, or principal.  I don't usually see them all in one place at one time.  So yesterday, as we sat down around the IEP table together, they informed me that they had been holding onto a "funny story" for a few weeks, as they wanted to see my face as they shared this.  My Mom brain immediately said, "Oh NO!  What did Jennica do now?"

The story goes like this:  About two weeks ago, Jennica had a para-educator substitute for two days.  She wasn't prepared for a substitute, and was less than delighted upon arriving at school and finding out that her routine, as she saw it, was disrupted.  Worse yet......her substitute was a 26-year-old MAN.  She's never had a male teacher (yet), and wasn't thrilled with the idea.  She was introduced to him politely, and instantly told him rudely, "I don't like you.  Go away!  I don't need you and I will be fine today without a helper." 

Her rudeness is something we've been working on, but when she sees it as being honest, its a difficult battle.  Miss Cummings, her first grade teacher, immediately pulled her aside and told her that she needed to apologize to Mr. Stark for being rude.

Jen promptly told her, in a whisper, "I can't talk to him anymore." 

When Miss Cummings asked why she couldn't talk to him, Jen told her, still in a whisper, "Because he's a stranger and I can't talk to strangers."

Miss Cummings, bless her heart, introduced them yet again and then told Jennica that they weren't strangers anymore.  Jen still refused to talk to him most of the day.  This.......for a girl who doesn't generally consider ANYONE to be a stranger.  How convenient of her to pull this out of her "bag of tricks" at this optimal moment.  Oy.

But, I will admit, its pretty funny!  :)

Why........NOT???

So........one might ask what does a person need that already has four kids (the youngest with SPD), 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 horse, a full-time appraisal business, a husband with a full-time career and a part-time football coaching job, and a home with large yard?  If you say "happy pills" I would tend to agree.  Or maybe sleep?  But a puppy???  Why.........NOT?

Go back and look at the list of animals we already have and you can tell that we are animal lovers.  Let me take it a step further and state that I believe strongly in the power of animals for children.  Before I was a parent myself, I was a 4-H Horse Program Superintendent for years.  And then the boys showed dogs in 4-H for many years, each earning a 4-H State Obedience Championship in different years with their Shetland Sheepdogs.  (Yes......we still have the shelties.  Note "2 dogs" above.  But they are geriatric and rather crabby, and Parker has a severe hypothyroid condition for which he has to take two pills per day for the rest of his life.  Sigh.)

Over the summer, with the rollercoaster experience that was soccer, I began contemplating the benefits of getting Jennica a puppy.  The opportunity to have some responsibility......the perpetual wagging tail regardless of how rough her day at school was........blah blah blah.  Once we started looking into breeds, the poodle crosses immediately came to the forefront due to their temperaments, and reputation for hypo-allergenic, non-shedding coats. 

Long story short.......over a little time, I became fixated on Goldendoodles.  And then, we decided to wait until next Spring/Summer.  Enough on our plates right now.....football......blah blah blah.  And then, we got a call from a breeder that we had been speaking with.  A female puppy that had been professionally temperament tested and, subsequently, specifically reserved for a 4-year-old autistic boy with 6 brothers and sisters was suddenly available!  For whatever reason, the little boy's family couldn't take her at the last minute.

And so.....we have a puppy.  She is not quite four months old and the girls named her Sophie.  Cute cute cute!  But what was my free-time is now my puppy training and poop-scooping time.  :)  Oh well.  When you're already this busy...........Why...NOT???  And Jen LOVES her!

Hallmarks of Fall

You know that mental list we all have of things about "home" that we love?  For me, one of my earliest memories of football was RHS home games in the pouring rain.  Last night........I watched my sons play in one of those games.  This photo of Dane in the rain really tugs at my heartstrings.  My little blonde boy is growing up.  Even all sweaty, wet, smelly......I love this kid.  (He also got his HSPE results this week, which are brutally important in the State of Washington and can effect whether or not you graduate.  I'm very proud of him for not only passing all four sections in the highest range, but earning the highest possible score in writing.  By passing all four sections the first time, he earns a 0.5 additional credit on his high school transcript, and gets to take a huge deep sigh of relief to have it behind him.  Way to go, Dane!  I'm going to miss him when he moves away to college in two years, but I'm so excited for the opportunities he has ahead of him!)

Back to the grind

Dane, #54 on the left, with three of his teammates.  Going out for the coin toss before our first game of the 2010 season.

My sisters tell me that they can gauge my "busy-ness" by how much I am blogging.  So I guess they have figured out that I've been BUSY!  Just usual Back-to-School stuff for the most part.....but what a mad scramble it is!  I intend to post some things soon about Jennica and how her first few weeks of first grade have gone, but this post is dedicated to my boys.  They are happily buried up to their eyeballs in football.  We've had two games so far...and the scoreboard has not reflected much success in our direction.  However, this group of young men has a large number of team members with extremely disrupted home lives.  They have rallied around their own in situations of severe verbal abuse from an inebriated parent and drug-use allegations--all before the season has really even begun.  And note in the pictures that I'm posting ...See the small black sticker with the white #31 on the rear-left side of their helmets?  That #31 honors a teammate that they lost to suicide in January.  So.......these "Boys of Fall" are an extraordinary bunch. 

Dane, running the "starting line-up"

As for my own boys and their roles?  My oldest son, Dane, is a junior this year.  He finished wrestling season in February at 152 pounds, and then made a commitment (to himself) to "build" for football.  All through track season and summer, he lifted weights a minimum of five days per week.  He weighed in for football season at 205 pounds.  No kidding!!  He honestly looks like he weighs maybe 180-190, but 205???  WOW!  He desperately wanted to play center, and worked hard to get his "snaps" consistent.  So.....I'm very proud of him for earning the spot of center on offense, and middle linebacker (AKA "Mike") on the defense.  In the first two games of the season, he has been out of the game a total sum of about four plays.  Go #54!!

My younger son, Grant, is a freshman this year.  He also has gained weight since February, and the 25 pounds he put on sits him at about 160.  Not bad for a freshman that used to be a "little guy."  He won't get a huge amount of varsity playing time this year, but he's played a bit in both of the first two games, and has managed to get a tackle in each game.  He's a very versatile player, and you never quite know what position he's going to show up in.  Go #52!!!

And then there is Mike.  My husband is an Assistant Coach for the team.  He throws his heart and soul into the job, and has a great relationship with some of the boys that don't have a solid male role model in their lives.  I'm very proud of what he does for the team! 

My husband, Mike, talking to some of the team.

Grant, #52, bringing down Willapa Valley's quarterback.

September So Soon???

I'm not sure where this summer went, but it certainly vanished in a FLASH!  School starts in just 8 days!  WOW!  School supplies and clothes are bought.....and we're good to go!  Or are we?

For those of us with special needs kiddos, I think the anxiety surrounding the beginning of the school year is tough.  And I'm not talking about tough for our kids, although that is certainly the concern that drives us.  But as a parent, my own anxiety goes through the roof.  Last year, our first few weeks of school didn't go so well.  I reached a point where every time the phone would ring, I would groan.  I poured my heart and soul into school preparation last year and it all went bust anyway, so its hard to think positively about how the first few weeks will go this year.

This year, I'm anticipating the bumps and bruises in the first few weeks.  Even with the best situation of preparation, a great teacher that is willing to accomodate, and a great 1:1 paraeducator that will be able to assist my daughter where its needed.......I'm not going to fool myself into thinking that its going to be smooth sailing.  Part of me feels that its a cop-out to think that things WILL go badly, but then again.....its reality.  And I'm trying not to think of it as "going badly", but maybe "going forward with adjustments"???  :) 

And I'm not going to allow it to get me down this year!  Hoo-yah!  Last year, it was a complete and total drain of energy to deal with school issues in September and October.  This year.....I'm not going to allow that to happen.  I'm going to approach things with the attitude that I WILL have to make adjustments and changes to the routine, and I WILL have to educate teachers/paraeducators, and I WILL have to work with my daughter to make sure that she is also working to her full potential each day. 

So......with Mike and the boys already buried in "daily doubles" high school football practices, they are engrossed in what they do best and enjoy most.  My goal this year is to enjoy the boys enjoying football, and not letting the energy-sucking even get started across the street in the elementary school. 

Maybe I need a theme song for the next few months to keep me motivated?  The theme song from "Rocky" sounds motivational, doesn't it? 

Let's do the twist!

Jennica is a "twister."  And I don't mean tornado.  She is a hair twister.

The hair-twisting started at age 3 or 4.  For awhile, we obsessed that it was a "stim."  I still wonder at times, but our occupational therapist and neurologist have both observed and stated that she is NOT stimming by twisting.  Okay??

At age four, she twisted so hard for a time that she ended up with a bald spot.  When Mike took a photo of the back of her head one night and showed her, she was appalled.  So she stopped twisting to the degree that she was yanking hair out.  But the twisting didn't stop.

And then last year, for a few months, the twisting ceased for no discernible reason.  But it came back. 

She twists with her left hand.  She twists with her right hand.  Sometimes, she twists with both hands at once until she has little "devil horns" sticking up on both sides of her head.  For a child that already struggles with handwriting skills, trying to write and twist at the same time definitely doesn't help. 

We're going through another phase right now where we're trying to discourage the twisting.  So far......no progress.  Sigh.

I guess from an objective standpoint, there are worse nervous/anxious habits than hair-twisting.  Any suggestions from parents out there on how to overcome this? 

Squeaky clean!!

On our recent trip to Eastern Oregon, we visited a Farmer's Market where a local man and several of his children were selling hand-made goat milk soap.  With Jennica's allergies, we're always searching for reasonably-priced natural soaps and body care products that don't contain gluten, or any other allergen that she's going to absorb through her skin.  (Did you know that most body care products contain gluten, not to mention a whole host of nasty chemicals?  And yes, gluten most definitely is absorbed through the skin!)

I was fascinated with the soaps that he was selling, and we immediately struck up a conversation.  He was displaying many scents (11 in all) and, of course, my touchy-feely daughter had to pick up and smell them all.  He was so gracious as we talked about Jennica's allergies, and he was so kind to let Jennica pick out a bar of soap to take with us!  He also gave me an informative flyer about the ingredients and a business card, and asked if I would please let him know if we saw any reactions.

Jennica picked out a scent called Applejack, which smells absolutely delicious.  She was anxious to try it and, while I tried to talk her into waiting until we got home, she was insistent and used it to shower with that very night in the hotel.  I had visions of completing our vacation with the little twerp covered in an itchy rash, and was pleasantly surprised when she didn't react.  At all!  Enticed by the wonderful scent, I tried it out, too.  And loved it!!  While I like to feel moist from soap, I don't like to feel "slimy."  This soap didn't leave a slimy feel at all, and left it feeling smoother, non-itchy, and refreshed.

Now....let's be honest......with four kids, I'm not a Mom that typically buys expensive soaps and shampoos--even for myself.  Its just not where I'm at in life right now.  But I gotta tell ya........this soap has done great things for my skin.  I had been fighting some itchiness before using this soap and was trying to combat it with lotions.  My itchiness is gone and I'm no longer going through lotion like crazy! 

I'm a tad ashamed to admit that this bar of soap ended up in my shower upon returning from vacation, and Jennica only used it a handful of times.  And unlike other home-made soaps that I have used in the past, this one didn't turn into a wad of slime after three uses!!  And, at $5.00 per bar, which includes the shipping from Eastern Oregon, the price is affordable!!

I have already contacted the seller of this delicious soap and I'm placing an order!  If you are a sensitive-skinned person, OR have an SPD or ASD kiddo on a gluten-free diet and are trying desperately to keep chemicals away from them, OR are just looking for a great product at a great price, (OR maybe you're all three, like me!) I hope you'll contact The Gotzman Family via email at pearls4him@eagletelephone.com. 

I hope my order comes quickly because Jennica really wants to know what happened to her soap and I used up the last sliver this morning.  And.....mmmmmmmm........I can smell it already......I think I might need another bar of that Applejack scent.  Who knew that apple-cinnamon smelling soap would smell so good? 

And for those of you that know me really well....No, I'm not getting a commission.  This soap really IS that good!  Try it....  :)

SPD Blog Carnival for Summer!

One of our summer goals with Jennica was to make sure that she had plenty of opportunities to experience "chaos" among other children.  She gained a lot of ground in the last school year in her ability to function in busy/noisy environments.  Now that we've made a little progress in this area, we sure didn't want her to "forget" over the summer.  Since our older daughter was playing soccer, it made good sense to sign Jennica up as well!  If you read my post from a few weeks back, you'll see that the first few practices did NOT go well.  But we stuck with it!  :)  We've got four more games to complete the season!   Way to go, Jennica!

Go Jen!  Headed upfield dribbling the ball! 

Jennica dissolving into "twisting" during a game.  (Look for my blog post soon regarding her endless hair-twisting issues!)

Jennica with our other beautiful daughter, Tiersten.  Note the baggie of GFCF pretzels in Jen's hand?  We keep crunchy snacks on the sidelines for her for chewing stimulation during game breaks.  :)

Jen's dark head, smack dab in the middle of a pile of obnoxious boys.  They were supposed to be waiting "quietly" on the sidelines while they waited for their turn on the field.  Instead, they thought wrestling was a better way to pass the time.

Another WINNER!

My oldest (very, very old) sister found this article in her Spokane newspaper!  As an SPD Mom that is always look for great information to share about SPD, and usually finding it very hard to come by, I'm THRILLED to give this article a resounding "thumbs up"!! 

Nice to see good information about SPD getting out!  I'm SO encouraged!!  Please follow the link!
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jul/27/sensory-confusion/

Book Review!!!

I'm a little late to the party........but I finally got around to ordering Hartley Steiner's new book, "This is Gabriel Making Sense of School."  It arrived today from Amazon, and I hurriedly ripped open the box on the way to the girls' soccer game and ran out the door with it, thinking I would read it at the game.

Well.......I arrived at the game with it in hand, and my Mom and sister both read through it.  My sister is a special education teacher in Minnesota, and is here visiting for a couple of weeks.  Both my Mom and my sister were instantly impressed with both the simplicity and the depth of the information provided.  (Any of us that have ever attempted to explain SPD to anyone can relate to the difficulty of making the explanation simple, without being too deep--all at the same time.)

Soccer games are always more chaotic than I tell myself that they will be/should be.  So....I left the soccer game with the book still unread, and actually sat on the book for most of the game, as Jennica spotted the brightly-illustrated cover on one of her many passes by my seat, and demanded to read it immediately, rather than go back into the game.  So the book became my temporary seat cushion as I "hid it" from her to keep her from this distraction.  :)

And then home again.  And then dinner.  And finally bedtime, and out came the book.  So my first real read was with my 6-year-old SPD daughter planted firmly on my lap. 

First, I want to say that I enjoyed this book!  The information IS deep enough, and yet simplistic at the same time!!  The illustrations are bright and engaging!  I fully intend to share this book with our principal, our schoolteacher, our paraeducator, our occupational therapist, and virtually everyone else that I can convince to read it! 

My own positive review aside, my daughter recognized herself in this book!  Over and over and over!!!  She kept saying, "Just like me!" as I read to her about Gabriel.  What a wonderful gift to be able to read this book to her and let her feel like, even for a moment, she is not so alone and that there is another child out there like her!!!

A huge "Thank You!" to Hartley for a job well done!  (You go, Girl!  I look forward to seeing you again in Seattle in November!)

Buy it here:  http://www.amazon.com/This-Gabriel-Making-Sense-School/dp/1426927770/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280290234&sr=1-1#_

Not Horsin' Around

Oh my.....what a week!  I wish I was expressing that in exhaustion from too much fun.  Instead, I've been soundly humbled by a sick horse. 

Yodi has been ever-so-slowly declining in outward signs of health for about the last 60 days.  I've been watching it happen, and waiting for it to turn around on its own or reach a point where I felt the need to do something.  But.....its been subtle.  His coat is dry and his skin is flaky.  I justified it by the very wet, moist Spring and Early Summer that we've had.......which followed a miserably wet Winter.  Was he losing a little weight through the topline?  One day I would think so.......the next day not so much.

Well......about 10 days ago, he was suddenly swelling in certain areas and seemed less "perky".  We immediately stepped up to the plate and started watching him more closely, but last Friday, the vet came out for a visit.  He tranquilized him for a tricky procedure, and I was really hoping for a simple infection to step out and say, "Hi!"  No such luck.  No infection.  And no sounds of lung congestion despite a dry cough with no nasal discharge.  And no fever.  So we sat back and observed for a few more days.

By this past Monday, he was showing signs of severe dehydration with soreness still acute in his spine.  Four horse-savvy adults attempted to pull blood out of him for testing before we figured out that our vacu-tainers were defective.  (Twenty+ needle holes later!  Geez......I love this horse.  He stood like a charm and would have happily drawn his own blood if he could hold the needles in his hooves.  We all decided that when the next set of riding students are ready to learn to give vaccines, THIS will be the horse we will use because he never raised a fuss.)  We finally got blood out of him using a syringe, I ran it to the vet courier, and it returned 24 hours later with signs of a depressed liver enzyme, and no other significant offages.

My vet was totally confused with the liver enzyme.  There aren't a lot of things that cause this number to go too low, and none of them fit Yodi's symptoms or life.  So.....I personally spoke with a Veterinarian at WSU's Diagnostic Labs and he graciously offered to review the results.  I faxed them over to Pullman, and am still waiting to hear an opinion or suggestion from them. 

Fortunately, while waiting for a determination of the next step, Yodi's swelling, all-over body soreness, and dehydration have resolved.  He's still coughing, but I'm watering his hay for the time being to lower the irritation of inhaled dust.  His spine is still sore, but a bit better after a full week of rest and spoiling.  I've stepped up the insect repellants, and altered his feed slightly to add electrolytes. 

Once I hear from WSU, I'll know what step comes next.  For the time being, I'm hoping that we're past the worst?  Not quite sure what caused any of this, and we still have his coat and skin condition to address.  But its been a LONG WEEK! 

The boys of summer

The boys are home from football camp!  They are sunburned and tired and hungry.......but had a GREAT time!  Our school has not attended a football camp in many many years, and this year was a definite success.  They even came home with a TROPHY!!! 

Please laugh at the photo of their legs!!  I am!!!  Grant is the one on the left with the "socks."  Dane isn't much better, but was smart enough to at least wear lower socks. 

Mike came home late last night, and the rest of the team returned this morning.  I have to say that its rather amusing to compare the same stories from the adult/coach perspective vs. the teenage boy perspective.  :)

Its nice to have them home! 

The fight for dexterity

I've attended enough SPD educational offerings, read enough SPD blogs and texts, and spent enough time with occupational therapists that specialize in the SPD field to know that handwriting is a very common challenge for kiddos with these issues.  The reasons for handwriting challenges are about as diverse as the kiddos themselves.......and the answers and solutions are just as diverse. 

Jennica is no exception to the handwriting issue.  We've seen it coming but, in all honesty, lots of 6-year-old neuro-typical children also have handwriting issues.  So.......its hard to get anyone real excited about it.  The schoolteachers sort of shrug and say, "She's within normal age range on this skill."  Yeah.......but for how long? 

So handwriting is the #1 issue that I have requested help from our OT for the summer.  I'm probably a little ahead of the game, but Jennica has to get this a little bit resolved in the next year.  (I happen to be a rabid opponent to teaching keyboarding for first grade for anyone that is physically capable of mastering the basic tasks involved.  Reality tells me that, regardless of a child's future path, they HAVE to be able to write to some degree to function normally in life.)  I'm not foolish enough at this point to say, "Fix her.  You've got 10 sessions."  Instead, I walked in the door today and said, "Teach me about handwriting and what it truly takes for the hand to write correctly."  Bless her heart, our OT opened her door of knowledge and shared a little with me.  I am volumes ahead of where I was this morning.......and its all bursting out of my brain in fits and starts tonight.

First of all, she showed me that Jennica has a fairly weak use of her opposable thumb.  Interesting......and after having being shown what she was talking about, I feel like I should have noticed it before!!!  She assured me that without the skills that we have been building in the past year already, it wouldn't have really mattered if I noticed it before or not......Jen wasn't ready to focus on this issue until now.  (Whew!  No guilt then for missing the signs on this one!) 

So......we have to focus on strengthening "grasp."  And not just "pencil grip" in the traditional sense.  But actually training the fingers how to work in sync with the thumb.  I wasn't sold on it, until I literally watched my daughter today move her thumb (with prompting) to a new position and her fingers immediately lost their ability to function!  Her fingers no longer knew what to do when her thumb went to a new position!!  Fascinating!!

I have a lot to learn so that I can help guide Jen's daily life to include more use of her thumb.  Picking up toys off the floor.........swinging on the monkey bars at the playground........holding the chains on the swings.......Everything will now have to include a quiet "prompt" to make sure that her thumb is in the opposable position.  She's going to struggle with coordination at first, but I can see the progress coming quickly with this one.  Of course, that might be the optimist speaking.  :)

And meet my new friend!  Jen will have to give her a name.  But each day, Jen will be responsible for "feeding" our friend beads, cotton balls, and anything else that we can think to feed her.  The goal?  Squeeze to open her mouth. 

I LOVE occupational therapists!  They are the coolest, most innovative people on earth!  Thank you, Renae, for sharing your knowledge with me! 

No Boys Allowed!

Mike and the boys are headed to football camp for a few days.  Which means that........the girls are home alone!!  Wahoo!! 

Now......its not like it going to be a party with me and a 7-year-old and a 6-year-old.  But then again.......the girls are home alone!!  Wahoo!!

Less laundry.......less dirty dishes.....no ESPN on TV......and popcorn and ice cream for dinner!  Its a PARTY!!