Thursday, September 3, 2009

This Time Last Year...  

We were in the thick of fundraising and the excitement was nearly unbearable! We were heading into the unknown but were very excited about it. If we had known everything then that would happen up until today, would we have done it anyway? Hmm.....let me think.... YES! YES!! YES!!!

This was the weekend that we not only had our first fundraising effort, but this marks a year since Eli had his 2nd fundoplacation and g-tube put in. Probably, it also marked when the TEC started (though we can't be sure about that).

It marks a year since Blake started high school. A year since Hannah started junior high.

What a year!

Yesterday was a hard day at school for Micah, but he did GREAT at church in his new class!

TODAY... Eli had a dentists appointment today. His two front teeth have always looked "dead". But he is now in a medical condition that we felt if something needed to be done, it could be. Thankfully, they are fine and nothing needs to be done. The doc did tell us that he has ground his teeth in the back nearly to the nerves (that sounds like it would hurt if he breaks through). He said when that happens, we will have to act, but now is not the time. Unfortunately there is simply nothing that can be done to stop him. If someone has an idea BESIDES a mouthpiece of some kind, we'd love to hear it. He doesn't just do it when he sleeps. He likes the sensory stimulation he gets from it.

At the dentist, they had to wait a good bit of time and Micah was out of control. Trying to hit Mary and screaming. He didn't want to be in the stroller. He NEVER does that with me. It's frustrating to both of us. She disciplines him much more than I do and doesn't let him have an inch, but he doesn't have the same respect for her. I think that's normal for all kids, but maybe you get more used to it when you have them from birth. I don't know. We are getting weary of the behavior problems. He's our first child with discipline issues and we frankly don't know what else to do. We are definitely needing to PRAY MORE and PRAY MORE TOGETHER and PRAY WITH HIM about it. Unfortunately, that's sometimes our last resort. If we could just keep him at home all the time, it'd be great! He's generally very good at home.

Enough of that! Blake has his first football game tomorrow night (he's in marching band). Mary's gonna try to go over and watch. I have an engagement that I had before I found out when the first game was. Blake's great at springing stuff on you the day before or just a few days before and there's sometimes no way to change plans that quickly...especially with church stuff or when others are involved. I sure wish I could be there for his first game though. Ugh.

Here's a picture of Hannah, Bethany & Seth that I found that is too cute! It's from the fall festival last year. 2 magicians and a mime. (Hey! Maybe I could get Micah to be a MIME!!! Mimes are quiet right??? :-) ).

Okay...there's more than one. Eli in the middle and then there's this one. YES...our Christmas tree was UP October 31 (not decorated yet, but we were in the process). At that point, if we were going to miss Christmas with the Kids, we were going to have it early. Of course we ended up not going to Ukraine until February 13. :-)

I have more pics of the kids that I will post in another post. This post is LONG ENOUGH!

In case I haven't reported it, I'm returning to Ukraine September 15.

And finally...if you missed the article about our family in the Baptist Messenger here in Oklahoma, it reappeared in the Baptist Press. Here's a link... http://baptistpress.com/BPnews.asp?ID=31174

Blessed be the name of the LORD!


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4 comments: to “ This Time Last Year...

  • Stephanie @ Ralphcrew
    September 3, 2009 at 12:01 PM  

    If I caught my son grinding I might give him something else to satisfy...like a chewy toy or one of those toys that buzz when you bite down on them. Ask a speech therapist if they have any other ideas.

    I'd love to hear more about your trip to Ukraine!

  • Leah Spring
    September 4, 2009 at 12:58 AM  

    Hmmm I think the fact he's generally ok at home, but the behavior happens away from home is your clue! What about putting together social stories? Social stories tell the sequence of events, and you use them BEFORE an activity (or outing) and during the outing as well. Lets use the dentist's office as an example. The story might start out with (these would be storybook pages with pictures included.) "Today is Micah's dentist appointment. First we get up and get dressed. Next we brush our teeth. Time to get in the car! Here is the dentist's office (do you live close enough that you could get a real photograph of it? Or maybe they have one on their website?) We have to wait in the waiting room. Someone says, "Micah!" and it's our turn to go. We sit in the chair. Open wide!..." I think you get the picture. Anyway, the concept behind social stories is predictability, but you can also use them WHILE you're at a certain place (like sitting in the waiting room) to get his attention back on track, and out of the behavior mode. Many children with Down syndrome don't do well at all with changes in routine, but social stories can really help! We use them a lot for Angela, particularly when she was younger, to help her with problem areas. (like transitioning from one classroom to another.) I usually put them together for school to use, as I know Angela better than they do, and could include language or phrases we used at home. I know they sound like a pain to make, but they really are helpful for many kids.

  • Chris and Mary Malone
    September 4, 2009 at 8:05 AM  

    Leah...that sounds like a great idea. Micah indeed seems to have trouble only with the transitions in his life. When things change quickly, he doesn't do well with that. He does love stories and he is a pretty smart cookie. This might work for him. Thanks for the idea!

  • Carole Ray
    September 4, 2009 at 1:26 PM  

    Hey don't feel bad about the Christmas Tree. Mine is still up from last Christmas. I don't use the den much during the year & it didn't get decorated till Christmas Eve so I usually forget it is still there & when I do notice I don't have time to do anything about it so by now why take it down.