Why Don't They Speak Up

OK, no one would say I'm soft spoken or one to hold my tongue. I'm a little on the boisterous side. So why aren't my kids. OK, that's not fair. Arion speaks his mind (some times more than I want) and Brandon is at an unfair advantage. It's Lauren that's the problem. Yesterday Lauren said her shoes were tight. So, as a good Mom I take her shopping this evening for shoes. Then I get a good look at the shoes she's wearing. Not the outside, I've seen that. The inside. HOLY CRAP. A little tight. That's an understatement. She was wearing a 3 and now she wears a 5. That's right, my baby girl, my little nooky, at the age of 7 is wearing a 5. Take a look at the picture. These were her shoes. Take a look at the one on the right. That would be her longer foot. The one is a full size bigger than the other. Take a look at the heel. My poor baby.

Brando's Brain - Part II

Last night Brando told me he had a head ache. I asked him where it hurt. He said "In my brain". Then then proceeded to tell me that I burned his brain and that it was hot. A little Advil later and his brain was better. I find it funny that whenever he has something wrong with his head he refers to it as his brain. Not sure where he picked it up.

Curse You Shannon

OK Shannon, I know your out there. You gave me your cold. Lauren and Brandon are sick too. Lauren is having trouble sleeping and has an upset stomach and Brandon has a runny nose. My nose is running like a faucet, even though I am taking cold medicine. I will get you back for this.

School Meeting for Lauren

Today was the meeting at Lauren's school. Seems I do have the school psychologist on my side. I brought all the papers I have been collecting. Good thing I did. Her teacher didn't really have anything. She brought her journal but nothing that really showed what we were dealing with. The teacher also seemed evasive when asked several questions regarding Lauren's performance in class. The reading specialist seemed to be concerned regarding her reading. She has been working with Lauren since the beginning of the year and said her phonological awareness score had not increased from September to November. She also mentioned that Lauren's fear of being singled out or not failing can be at time debilitating. She said in one case, it took Lauren 2 days to get back to normal. I have requested a broad spectrum of testing be done to help identify the problem and told them that I am looking to have an IEP written when we are done. They hope to meet again in 1 month with the results and an action plan to move forward.

Brandon's New Way to Communicate


Brandon has discovered that he can communicate by writing or drawing. This is something new for him. Before holding a pencil, crayon, or paint brush was not something that he wanted to do. He has problems with the grip. Lately he has been getting much better at holding a pencil or crayon and is more willing to try. I LOVE THIS NEW SCHOOL. The other day Brandon was building a card house with some cards we have from a game. He wanted the house to look a certain way, but he was having problems getting us to understand exactly what he wanted. He then went to get a piece of paper and pencil and drew a picture to express himself. I was floored. Jim then helped him build the house. I consider this a major step for Brandon. Way to go Buddy.

Lots to be Thankful For

This weekend has been very active. First we spent the day with my family. We all got together and cooked a great meal. All kids hung out and had lots of fun. It was nice to see both of my brothers and their families.

On Friday my friend Shannon came over and spent the night with some of her kids. It was great to be able to spend time with her. We barely see each other since she moved to Georgia. Here are some pictures from our weekend.

Brandon's Family

At school Brandon was talking about what he was thankful for. At the back of the book he was supposed to draw a picture of what he was thankful for. This picture is what he did. It's his first attempt at drawing his family. Kind of cool. The coolest part for me is that he is not fighting using the pencil or crayon as much anymore. With the help from school he is now trying new things. He used to try and get frustrated and stop. This time he completed the whole thing with all the members of the family including the house.

Neurology Appointment

We had the appointment today. Things went OK. First the boys - Brandon is doing great. Doc was happy with the progress Brandon is making. He thought he was much calmer and more focused. So with Brandon it's keep doing what we're doing. Arion is doing great, as we know. They met in private because he is getting older and I dealt with the kids while they met. Arion did discuss the headaches a bit. Doc thought that they might be from him not taking his meds for extended periods of time. The weekend is OK but if he goes off for longer he needs to work his way down. Now Lauren. We discussed the toe walking again. He retested her for the other reasons that she could be toe walking and found nothing. Her feet seem to be a little over-sensitive, which may account for some of it. Just need to keep an eye on it and let him know if she starts getting back aches. Otherwise, looks like were back to therapy (when the hell am I going to fit that in). We also talked about the dyslexia. He looked at the papers I have been saving and gave her some verbal test. He agrees that she should be tested. The cool thing was he told her he was dyslexic. He wrote a note for the school, requesting that they test for reading and problems with sequencing. He also wanted a phsyc work-up done. He told me if they refuse that he will give me the name of a place to get it done on my own. All and all I feel good about what he had to say.

Hoping for Answers

Well here we go again. I'm taking that long drive with the kids tomorrow. We go to the neurologist about an hour or so away. I once again I have great hopes that he will once again "pull a rabbit out of the hat". This time it's Lauren. I remember how desperate I was when I took Brandon there last November. I almost felt like it was my last chance to figure it out. This time it's not that bad, but I still have great hope that he will be able to offer some help. If not, I will attack the school on my own. I plan to demand that she be given a broad spectrum of testing. I plan to have it include tests for dyslexia and sensory disorders. My hope is to have an IEP in place within a couple of months. I think I will call the school and talk to the guidance department again. Wish me luck.

Ivy League Champs

Big day yesterday. Princeton won in football yesterday. I sat in the cold bleachers with Arion, Dad and Jan. It was the last game of the season. It was a good game, but very cold. Dad takes each of us once a year. Sometimes you get the warmer games and sometimes you freeze. Princeton won 27 to 17. This win gave them the Ivy League Championship. The reason it was a big deal is that my father went to Princeton back in the 50's. Even more, my great-great grandfather, Carl Langlotz, wrote the Princeton song - Old Nassau. Way to go Princeton.

Way to Go Arion

Last night was parent teacher conference night. Jim took the kids to Lauren's and I went to the high school for all of Arion's conferences. It was really great. Arion is doing so well. I think he is even trying to get straight A's this year. Almost had it. I really like all but one teacher. Maybe because he's not doing as well in that class and maybe because she seemed to be a bit of a "wet noodle" to me. Arion says she's fine. The teacher had said that Arion was not taking her class seriously. OK, so you've met Arion (and most teenagers). What does he take serious. She said that after she spoke to him he seemed to be doing better. Most teachers said he was doing great. Active in class. Does all his work. English even said he was one of the best students and was reading ahead of the class. Sometimes I feel like asking if we're talking about the same kid. I really liked the Biology teachers comment about Arion having a very unique sense of humor. For the family, here are the grades: English - 95, Calculus - 97, Child Development - 95, Biology II - 93, Psychology - 85. I didn't met with the ROTC teacher, but it should be good. After 4 years with the same teacher, they should know when to kick his butt.

Lauren's conference didn't go as well. Jim did not like the teacher. He said she seemed very cold and uncaring. Jim mentioned the dyslexia and was pretty much told that she wasn't doing anything extra unless she had an IEP. OK, time for B-mom to come out. She want to play that way, I'm an expert. I told Jim that after the appointment with the Neurologist the school and I were going to have a little talk and they were in for a surprise. She will have an IEP by the end of the year. You can bet on that. Otherwise she only reads at a 1st grade level and is having problems keeping up in class. The teacher also seemed to harp on the fact that she writes sloppy. She should see Arion's writing.

A Really Good Day

Yesterday was a really good day for three reason. It started in the morning. Brandon brought me his doodle monster. He had written 4 letters in it's arm and put a heart around them. This in itself was pretty big. The letters were pretty neat and I didn't know he could draw a heart. He then told me that it said "I love you Mom". I almost broke into tears. I also realized that he now understood the concept that the letters together made words you could read.

I later went to Brandon's Parent-Teacher conference. He really seems to be make great progress. The teachers (all 5 that I talked to) had seen definite improvement in his willingness to try to do things that would be hard for him. In the being, he would try to hide under the table or get away, now he is trying and getting better and better. They think his confidence is really improving. He will be starting the individual OT next week but has improved just based on the group OT that the class receives. The speech teacher said they were going to start upping the antie and making things harder because he was doing so well. I left there thinking that this is the first year that I really see progress. Between the meds and this school I feel I can relax for the first time and let things take there course.

After a quick dinner out we had a make up swimming session at the Y. Lauren and Brandon have new teachers for this session. I think it will be good. Lauren's teacher is not falling for the "drama queen" act. By the end of the class she had jumped in the pool 4 times by herself (a first for her). No one had to pull, push or drop her in. The one time I thought we were in trouble because she went under pretty deep. She came up almost laughing because she had touched the bottom with her feet. She then got out and did it again. She had a big ear to ear grin the rest of the night.

Grandma Joyce



I have a picture of my mother in my dining room. This is not the picture, but an earlier one. It is a large picture from just before she got sick. My mother passed away several years ago. To help keep from missing her I often talk to the picture. In fact when Shannon (my best cooking buddy) and I used to make bread or jam together, we used to yell at the picture to include Grandma Joyce in the cooking process. Kind of like "Did you see that Ma, she's making a mess". She would have loved it. Tonight I was helping Lauren with her homework and Lauren started complaining to "Grandma Joyce" about me clicking my pen. That I was annoying her. I started cracking up. Yes, I have now passed on my insanity to my children.

Worst Parent Award Winner

Yes, that me. Well, according to the dentist I just took Lauren and Brandon to. She didn't say it, but I got the look. Lauren has cavities and needs a root canal on the tooth that fell apart. I had seen it and that's why we were there. Brandon has a cavity. They wanted X-Rays of Brandon. OK, think about this. Brandon, X-rays. Not happening. They sort of got the one you just stand for. But it was a little fuzzy. The dentist wanted more. We tried, but he didn't want that thing in his mouth. I was pretty impressed that they were able to clean his teeth with only a little help and hand holding. Lauren is the bigger problem. The assistant really gave me the look. She told me if I had to hold her down to properly brush her teeth, I should. That sounds pleasant. Lauren is also missing a permanent tooth. The baby tooth hasn't fallen out yet but when it does, there is nothing to take it's place. So we go back for more torture on December 1st. All in all they said they weren't' scared and it didn't hurt. Thank God there is no fear about going back. Well, on their part anyway.

That Selfish Time of Year

Normally I am not a selfish person. I help out my neighbor's kids by taking them to church. I give to charities. I always offer to help people at work with any projects. I would do just about anything for my friends and would do without for my kids to have what they need. OK. That being said, there is one thing I hate to share. Early in November Edy's comes out with their Peppermint Ice Cream. It is the best and my favorite. I always buy several and hide it in the big freezer. When I move a contain to the kitchen freezer I always hide it in the back and I only eat it after they have gone to bed. Tonight Lauren asked my about having dessert. I told her to go and have a POPSICLE. I said a Popsicle. Brandon came and ask for half an ice cream sandwich and I said yes and got up from the computer to go and get it. What do you think I find. Lauren eating my ice cream. I started yelling (just joking with them) "What are you eating". I yelled that it was MINE and I didn't want to share. MINE MINE MINE. They thought this was very funny and ate all that was left in the container. Time to go shopping.

More Like a Bend or a Hiccup Than a Corner

Well, so much for turning a corner. Last night I put Brandon back to bed at least twice and still woke up with him there. I am so tired. When I asked him why he kept waking up he said he had bad and good dreams. Turns out him and Kahona (from Baby Genius) were fighting Ivan Ooze (from the first Power Rangers Movie). I personally think it had something to do with the rain last night. It is always louder in his room then mine. I guess my dreams (ha ha ha) of having a good nights sleep for a while are just that - dreams. One day I will sleep uninterrupted, one day.

Turning the Corner on the Night Time Thing

Last night was kind of different. I woke up to a little boy laying next to me. Nothing new there. But as I was trying to decide if I could get it together enough to get him back to bed and he says to me "It's time to go back to bed, I had bad dream, scare me. I'm fine now, time to back to bed". Well that woke me up. I wanted to ask did I hear him right. I got up and he lead the way back to his room and climbed right up into bed. God, could this mean we might get him to stay in his bed soon. It's too much to think about.

Is There More I Should Be Doing???

This is the question that haunts me night and day. I know it comes from my childhood and my basic fear that I won't do everything possible and my children will end up like me. I understand that my parents did their best. People didn't know that much about dyslexia and ADD back then. They believed schools when they said "she's just lazy". I swore I wouldn't do it to my kids, that I knew better and what to look for.

Now to my point. I was reading several blogs today and wonder if I should be doing more. The more I read, the more I realize that dyspraxia, dyslexia and ADHD are all associated with one another. I know it's genetic and that I am the carrier. I am now reading more and more about Omega-3 and fish oils and wonder if it's all true. I am also reading about how certain exercises or karate can help with dyspraxia or "clumsy child syndrome" which may be what is effecting Lauren. God knows she clumsy. Always tripping or falling. I always blamed it on the toe walking, but maybe there is more to it. I hope to know by the end of the month when we go back to the Neorologist. BUT I WANT TO KNOW NOW. Yes, I'm being impatient. I know there is more going on with Lauren. Part of me says I should stop doing research on my kids. I feel like a hypochondriac. Whenever I read more about how the three issues are linked it sounds like my kids.

No Sleep in Sight

Here we go again, with one difference. Last night was the second night that Brandon was back in my bed. This probably means that I will be chasing him back to his room for another week or two. Thing were great for about 2-3 weeks there. I was getting sleep and he stayed in bed. Last night it wasn't only him that kept me up half the night. Our dog, nellie, kept having nightmare and waking me up making noise like she was running or barking in her sleep. I had to keep waking her up. After I finally thought I had her settled down, Brandon came in. After 30 minutes I got it together enough to take him back to bed. By then it was 5:00 am and I really didn't get back to sleep.