Has Spring Arrived?

Today was significantly better in many ways. It was nice to stay home and just ... stay home. That said I am still exhausted. Abby did NOT take a nap and no nap Abby= overly exhausting Abby. She just gets so naughty when she is tired. It's like she just can't handle it. Even therapies don't seem to help. Of course... she is an almost 2 year old... and no nap will make any 2 year old cranky!!! I tried to get her to sleep for an hour and a half. When I went to check on her at 2:30 she was naked... thankfully I caught her before she had another 'accident' in the crib. AND this time I REALLY used the duck tape! I need a new strategy...

She fell asleep in her highchair during supper today. It was really cute and while I SHOULD have gotten pictures my first reaction was to scoop her up in my arms and just hold her. Do you know how few those opportunities come for me anymore? She is not a cuddler nor has ever been. I really liked how she snuggled up in my arms and slept for 30 minuets... I miss holding her. She woke up hard and it took me awhile to convince her that I was holding her and that I was mommy. After her brief nap she never really recovered and by 9pm it was time for bed.

On a side note... K&K are really puking. Not spitting up, not drooling... puking. I am so tired of being soaked! Their GI appointment tomorrow cannot come soon enough in my opinion! I think they might want to up the dose (hehehe) of Prevacid. I would love it if that helped.

At least the weather was gorgeous! Abby had a blast playing outside today. She of course ended up soaked from all of the water... she was running a low grade temp this evening. Hope the antibiotic will help soon. Poor thing.

Well I hope you enjoyed the new pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them. Always something new with this crew! I think they are beautiful though (as always)

Love, a mommy of three beautiful girls...

Another day done...

Ah the adventures of a mother of three young children. Today was a daunting day but as I sit here with one sleeping cuddly baby and I watch my husband cuddle the other I think everything will be alright. Kiley and Kara got their 4 month check up today. I would post their weights and percentiles but I don't trust this office's measurements and they are being seen by their GI doctor on Wednesday so I would rather just wait until then.

The morning started off in a scramble of getting all three kids ready to go and out the door. This is the SECOND morning I have had to get up and get ready while my babies were all sleeping... then wake... *gasp* yes... I said wake sleeping babies. It breaks my heart.

What a chaotic experience taking 3 kids to the doctor is. They ask me these questions about their development and honestly I feel like a bad mom but half the time I'm just guessing as to what they are doing. Of course outside of the big things like rolling over. By the way! Kiley rolled over from her back to front yesterday and Kara is rolling from her front to back. Opposite. So cute though. I'll try and post a video of Kiley laughing and rolling over in the next post. They are both getting so goofy and are starting to enjoy playing games.

Well we survived all of the questions, measurements, exams etc etc and then I made the comment that Abby had been coughing for almost 5 weeks now and didn't seem to be getting any better. She could SEE Abby's miserableness and nose and watery eyes. What does she do? She makes me an appointment for an hour later... with another doctor....

This really wouldn't have been as big of a deal except that I would have to take them all in alone. With an Abby that is cranky, tired and hates doctor's offices... AND two babies that just got their shots and want to be cuddled fed and given love. It had to have been an act of God to get me across that parking lot, with two babies in car seats (that way at least 12 lbs each), up the stairs, into the office and through the appointment. I might have even been ok with that...

But the first thing the doctor did when she came into the room was 'yell/chastise/go after Abby" The babies were screaming, I was feeding Kara trying to keep her from making Kiley upset and Abby was sitting nicely on the doctor stool clicking the mouse. The screen/computer was locked out so I knew she wouldn't hurt anything and she really was just clicking it.... but the doctor comes on and gets upset with her! And she's supposed to be a pediatrician. I just think she could have handled the situation better. To make it better... all she did was look in Abby's ears. Why couldnt they do that AN HOUR EARLIER when we were there? SERIOUSLY. Abby has a double ear infection, but why oh why couldn't they just make my life/day 100x better by treating me with a little human kindness. It's just frustrating. I'm switching clinics Ive had enough

We finally made it home. K&K screaming. Abby needing a nap. I got her changed, sat and cuddled watching Sesame Street then put her down in her crib. After being unsuccessful with the twins I checked to see why Abby was still up. If the smell of poo ever greets you when you walk in the door... it's going to be bad. And oh how bad it was. She had it everywhere... BUT the diaper. I think I need to work on potty training more. She doesn't like sitting in it (who could blame her) But I was stressed out, overwhelmed, exhausted and alone. It was just too much. I put her in the bathtub, called my mom and cried. Then got to work. I got the bed stripped, disinfected, Abby cleaned, put in new clothes, the bed remade and Abs put down for a nap. By the time my mom came up to help all but Kiley were asleep. I was still thankful for her help because then she held Kiley while I laid down for awhile to recover.

Abby's play therapy tonight didn't go as well... but I wasn't expecting it to be great. With double ear infections I doubt I would be in the mood for it either. I have some questions for the OT on Thursday.

Tasty Tidbits:

• Today in the parking lot Abby looked out the window and said "Achy (aw-key) cowpie" ... where did she learn that?
• I couldn't get Kara to sleep until I changed shirts and wrapped her up in my previous one. Apparently she wanted to feel close to me
• Kara arches her back so high she almost flops out of swings/bouncies and her car seat!
• Abby also hates being in her car seat and makes it very hard for me to get her in and keep her in! She wiggles her hands through the straps. I might need to duck tape it so she can't get her arms out.
• Kiley is smiling in her sleep, in my arms... :o)

"It's ok Mommy"

The morning was too full. There were too many wake up calls at 1,2,3,4,5 and 6 am... and finally at 8:30 when Abby yelled "Mommmmmmmmy..... Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease" So I pulled Kiley's entertwined limbs away from me, pushed back the covers and got out of bed. Abby gave me the longest hug when I came in and she wanted me to carry her, her bottle and her baby up the stairs. Her diaper must have been a little full or positioned wrong and had leaked. We got that changed quickly!

Tom got up soon after but for some strange reason Abby was in pure mommy mode. It took awhile to get her warmed up. We went over to the neighbors to have coffee and fellowship (which was great) Tom brought Kiley and Kara over when he left for work. For the most part everyone did really well... until of course one of the other mom's left. I don't know why but Abby melted down. She went crazy. Of course I was feeding Kiley at the time and couldn't get to her right away but it took 15-20 minuets before I could get her to stop crying and screaming. Ugh.... So I should have known that walking was going to be hard. BUT... I wanted one so bad and my neighbor offered and I really like the adult contact...

So I brought the girls back over, got K&K into carseats all bundled up. Put rainboots on Abby. Got Feebee on a leash. Came outside. Abby took off for the road when a car was coming. Feebee started fighting with the neighbors dog AND our driveway is at an incline so the stroller takes off down the driveway. ACH!

Thats how my walk started.

Honestly I have to say for the most part Abby did very well helping me push the stroller and going for such a long walk out in the cold (I thought it was supposed to be warm!) But by the end she was going limp and falling because she didn't want to listen to me... once she almost ran onto the highway... and by the end I had had it...

The middle of the day went great, Abby played beautifully... we went outside again once the twins were napping (how short that always is) Abby even got to go on the swings. The evening was more difficult but I think her teeth are really bothering her. Tonight bathtime was like special mommy time to her. I washed her hair (which she absolutely hates and always freaks out.. it's hard) and then showed her how to wash mine. OHH how she LOVED it. She kept dumping water onto my head then she'd take my head in her little hands and then wipe the water from my face saying "It's ok... It's ok Mommy." Then she'd dump the water back on my hair and do it again. When she got done washing my hair she gave me the nicest hug. I still feel warm inside thinking about her telling me "It's ok... It's ok Mommy." If you ever want to see a picture of your parenting it's in those little moments when she 'mommy's you back." It's then I realize how often I reassure her and how glad I am that I do it the way I do!

I was going to give K&K a little rice tonight... but looked at the box in the cupboards and realized it expired April 2009... hmmm I think I need to toss it.... So hopefully soon we'll give it a shot. I need to get them back on their meds, this sleep thing is killing me! Well I'll leave you with a bunch of random pictures caught here and there...

Kiley loves this stuffed cow...

Abby NEEDED a picture of Elmo...

Quack Quack

Want a workout plan? Head on over to our house. There isn't much sitting and the sitting isn't long. With Abby's therapies (on top of just regular go go go Abby) there are 2 babies to change, feed, burp, entertain, put to sleep. Oh and that's right... I have a house too with laundry and dishes and fruit snack wrappers and tubs and tubs and tubs of baby clothes....

Something that I'm trying to tackle. I'm trying to put the newborn clothes away, yes the newborn as now at 4 months we are almost completely grown out of those little pj's. 0-3 seems to be the size of choice right now and I'm trying to go through and find those clothes and put them where they are most accessible. Of course this cannot be done when Abby is awake, and when she is asleep there are usually more important things to do. But it's a project in motion.

I also need to sort through things in our room (ugh). My photo things are seriously taking over my little corner of our little bedroom. PLUS I have clothes from the last three stages in my life floating around. Who really needs or wants all of the clothes from your high school/college days still? It's a never ending project 

Kara threw up 4 times this morning. Not spit up... threw up. Projectile frothing falls of sour milk. *shudder* So even though I did manage to make it into clothes outside of my pj's... I have returned to pj's. Plus the couch slip cover and my one and only pair of jeans is in the wash. *sigh* One pair of jeans... hopefully soon there will be more. Other than her puking sessions she seems to be ok... she's sleeping now so hopefully she will keep some milk down  and stop throwing up. I'm not sure why she did. She threw up twice on Tom and twice on me. 

Kiley is doing quite a bit better but still has a wicked cough. No fevers though and she seems much happier. I'm so glad that awful week is over! 

Abby is heading down for her nap with a pink teddy bear. Every time she goes to the crib it is a different animal. Yesterday Elmo made the trip with a baby diaper and a rain poncho on... by the end of nap Elmo no longer had a diaper on but at least Abby did! It was so cute the other day while we were driving home she kept quacking. I couldn't figure out why she was quacking until I noticed that every time we passed a 'puddle' or place where the water had pooled in the fields she quacked. Apparently duckies like water and that is why she quacked. It was pretty cute. She also loves to splash in the puddles. We go for walks a lot. I can't wait till it warms up so she can enjoy them more. 

Well Kara went back to sleep and I should get some things done while I have the chance. Later!

BTW my favorite picture right now... she is so beautiful!

Catch Up Game

Yet again I am behind in posting. Things have been a little crazy around here lately and when I did try to post I couldn't. It seems that google/blogger have had some troubles as of late. 

So to bring everyone up to date. I did in fact bring Kiley into the ER again on Wednesday morning. She had a really bad coughing spell and was still having troubles breathing after the neb treatment that I gave her. When we got into the ER her O2 sat was 90 and her heart rate was 189 (O2 was low, Heart rate high) This meant she was really working to breathe. They ended up doing a chest xray on her... something that was a lot more traumatic than I thought it would be. I had to strip her fevered body naked, put her on this device that look like it belonged in a torture museum. It was metal and she sat on this little board in the middle of this circle. Then her arms were strapped above her head and her body was encased in plastic. No joke... She just screamed and it made me want to cry. Kara sat through the whole thing in the back of the xray room just snoozing away. The ER was exhausting for her it seemed....

So when they came in to tell me that if Kiley didn't eat very soon they were going to put an IV in her. Uh... after the xray I had had enough. I took that baby and MADE her drink. It took awhile because she had coughing fits in between and she was so tired. But gosh I was not going to endure an IV. It probably would have been more painful for me to watch than for her to get! The respiratory therapist came down later and gave her another neb. We ended up being in the ER for almost 4 hours. Kiley's pediatrician and the ER doctor discussed her case and stated that she was borderline for admission. So they instructed me that if she had any troubles again they were going to admit her and that we shouldn't go in to the ER but straight to the children's hospital. I discussed things a little with the nurse and it is my opinion that they would have just admitted her if the hospital hadn't been so full. But as I thought about it later I decided that wasn't all bad. As long as I knew when to take her in if she got too bad we were ok. And let's face it... I may not be a doctor or a pediatric nurse but I did the "EMT thing" for a few years and I did take at least 1 year of nursing school. I probably knew how to care for my daughter better than some of the other moms out there.

They still want me to do the neb treatments on Kiley every 4 hours. Today I let it slip a little longer but she doesn't seem to be any worse for it. I think that we are finally on the mend. Honestly, this last week she looked awful. Seeing her today it made me realize that taking her in those days was the right thing, that she wasn't right even if they thought she looked 'ok.' Honestly Kiley is the type of baby that even on the brink of struggling for every breath, she will make the effort to smile at you or communicate. It's amazing how much brighter and happier she is now. We took her in to see Dr. L on Thursday because the ER wanted a follow up visit. Her O2 sats were back to 99 and her heart rate was 114. Much better. He told me she was certainly not better but that she was looking much better. 

Abby's therapy went pretty well on Thursday. The therapist took out a few too many things at first and put away the one familiar activity and so for the first few minuets Abby did her typical tornado routine, unable to focus on anything. Finally when Kristen took away a few of the things Abs was able to concentrate and calmed down. I love watching her work with Abby and it has honestly helped me to become a better mom to her. I know better how to communicate with her or direct her when she gets into those modes. Granted I am a mother of three and I don't always have the strength or the time to do therapies with her or give her one on one attention all the time. But we are learning together on this. I asked Kristen what I should do when I go to places where she gets overwhelmed. Because there is no possible way that I could eliminate all of the distractions when we go. She said that it is a good idea to try and work Abby's muscles really well before we go places because it will help organize her. There are also pop tubes that we can bring along in the diaper bag that are really good therapy activities. 

Abs and I have gone on walks quite a bit lately. She is so cute in her bright yellow boots and pom pom stocking hat. She loves to splash in the puddles. Sometimes she will run a bit ahead of me yelling 'faster! faster!" or say "aw-kee snow" or  any other manner of things. It has been fun, all except when she gets tired and makes me carry her the last few blocks. She's only 24 pounds but man... that gets heavy after awhile! I can't wait to do more walks as the weather improves. I only wish I could have taken a few pictures because she was so cute.

Well I think Tom left me to go to bed. I hope that I caught everyone up to date a little. Tom's mom came up Wednesday and has been helping out with Abby, the babies and the laundry. I also got to go do a little shopping and had a little fun in Hobby Lobby :) I love that store too much.

Night!

RSV Day 2

Right now I'm holding Kiley in the recliner as she finishes off the last bit of her neb treatment. It was quite the ordeal to get the machine but this morning I discovered how glad I am that I got it. She's not having a very good morning. I've been up since 6:30 trying to help her get comfortable. It wasn't until about 8-8:30 that she was starting to have troubles breathing again  so we dug our friend Neb the Dinosaur mask out and I got her all hooked up. Most of the time she falls asleep before the treatment ends which makes me believe that it opens up her airways enough for her to get some sleep. Poor baby... it's Wednesday... we have to be about done with this!



Getting the neb machine was a lot of work. I don't know WHY I thought Walmart would have them. I just assumed that 'Hey I've got this prescription thing, I'll just walk right in and get it!" Uh huh... right. They had the medicine that I put INTO the neb. So I had to browse around the store for 20 minuets until they were done filling it. Now... I'm sure it takes some time to get those prescriptions filled, but my question is... do they just tell you 20 minuets to make you browse around and buy more stuff? Because I can't think of a time where I didn't buy AT LEAST one more thing. Hmmm that might have to be a goal of mine next time. Of course when you get out rarely for shopping, sometime pharmacy runs are all I get.

But than I had to drive all the way across town and pick up the neb at a home medical store. Oh my goodness... I swear it is the equivalent to buying a card. They want this and this and this and you need to sign this form and this other form... then they give you a 'test drive' to show you how it works. Oh did I mention there is MORE paperwork? Good grief. An hour later I walked out of THAT store.

If you had asked me last night how I thought she was doing I would have told you that she was doing pretty good, maybe even starting to get better. I'm keeping an eye on her right now though to see if I need to call the clinic and have her seen. It's so hard to know... they are so miserable but it's trying to find that line between being miserable and getting bad. Kara started running a temp last night but after some Tylenol seemed to be doing better. Of course this stuff peaks at 3-5 days so we'll see here in the next day or so what she is looking like. So sick babies might be in my forecast for awhile. :(

Well my phone is ringing ... I had better go grab it since I think Tom slept through the ringer. I hope Kiley starts feeling better!

RSV rsv RSV rsv RSV

Kara has decided that Mommy's hand tastes delicious, her little hands have a death grip around my wrist and she's happily munching away. Me? I'd rather be in bed since we were up most of the night but that is what I get for having twins! Thankfully she hasn't caught this nasty RSV bug or at least if she did it hasn't been very bad. Her poor sister Kiley is having a rougher time with it.

Last night I really debated if I should take her in. "Were those retractions I just saw?", "Does she seem to be breathing really fast?", "Oh my gosh she looks awful." I posted a video up on Facebook because sometimes it's just nice to get an outsider's opinion, someone who isn't consumed with panicked mommy syndrome (I made that up...) After a few people agreed with me I decided I was going to take her in and get her checked out. I wanted to make sure she was ok.

Of course she cried the entire way there. And her cry sounds awful so it freaked me out a little....The ER staff was wonderful. They treated me so well and never once made me feel stupid for bringing her in. When they we were getting her first set of vitals done Kiley looked up at the guy and just smiiiiiiled. My first thought was "OH great... now they'll think I was crazy, you look fine!" Her O2 sat was still good and so that at least was reasurring.

They literally got me back into a room and Kiley was evaluated in less than 5 minuets. The Dr was in before the nurse could even finish evaluating her! They hooked her up to some monitors, took her temp (she was running a fever) and then they checked her thoroughly. He did see the retractions and heard some wheezing. After a bit they decided she was not in respiratory distress but just feeling pretty lousy. They gave her more Tylenol/Motrine and had the respiratory therapist come down and give her a neb treatment. They monitored us for another hour or so. He decided that he was comfortable enough to send me home but that RSV can be very strange. One minuet they are doing awful, the next they look ok... then they can get really bad really fast. He said it is an hour to hour thing. If she started getting worse at all he told me to bring her right back in. Days 3-5 (where they think she is) are the worst, it seems to peak around then. If we can get past Wednesday she will be through the worst of it. I guess it also hangs out in the lungs for a loooong time, so she can have a cough, runny nose etc for 2 more weeks...fuuun....

So now I need to get the neb treatments sometime today (pharmacies just aren't open at 1am)... The mask is pretty funny, I'll get a picture of it later. The things they do for kids now a days lol. The nebs don't TREAT the RSV, they just make her a little more comfortable because it is a little easier to breathe.

So... here's a laughable point of my night last night: I was driving home in the rain, in the dark, having just spent 3 hours in the ER with a Kiley all hooked up to monitors. I start hearing this sound that to me is stridor. I listen again. Oh gosh that is stridor. I freaked out because I thought she was going into respiratory distress! I pulled off the interstate, flipped on the dome light, crawled into the backseat, started unzipping her... I mean all manner of things are going through my head. Should I call 911? Where am I? Will they be able to find us? Should I just head back to the hospital? I need to call Tom....then I heard it... it was the windshield wiper on the back window. Seriously. I was shaking I was so scared and it turned out to be the windshield wiper. It's funny now... and I laughed at myself a little later... .but it had been a long night and there is nothing worse than watching your baby struggle to breathe. So I don't blame myself for panicking like that... but wow what a night.

I feel like there is so much more I need to write. We also did Abby's therapy last night before all of this happened. The play therapist is thrilled with the progress Abs is making. We have a few things still to work on but we are trying hard! It's not a quick fix, a lot of work is involved. Well speaking of Abby she is upset that I haven't yet gotten her out of her crib. Kara is upset because she doesn't want to be in the bouncy... and so my day begins....

A game of catch up

There is nothing sweeter than two sleeping babies. Honestly peeking over the side of the bassinet I could just stare at them for hours... and then watch all of my sleep vanish like a puff of smoke.

I'm finally feeling slightly better now. I had a headache most of the day and just general weakness but nothing like before. If I do too much I wear out (which makes Abby's therapy activities hard!) I wasn't with the girls as much today because I went to a friend of mine's wedding and did some photo work for her. It was fun and great experience for me. Weddings are nice but honestly a lot of work! I still think I enjoy babies and children the most! I'll be excited to try out senior pictures this summer/spring.

Let's see what have the girl's been up to lately. Kiley has a nasty cough right now that I (the mother hawk that I am) am keeping a close eye on it. She was so miserable tonight and it took me THREE times of rocking, screaming, pacifier, feeding... you name it to get her to go to sleep and stay asleep. Now that she is all snuggled up with Kara she seems to be doing pretty good. The other night (or should I say morning) I woke up to her cooing... not fussing... not crying... but her doing this cute little version of "heeeeeey, heeeeeey" it made me laugh and it was a nice change of the usual routine. She has really gotten vocal and loves to talk. I even made her laugh the other day! An actual little giggle. (so cute!)

Kara is ever the vocal baby even though Kiley is steadily catching up with her. Most of the dark baby fuzz is gone. For a moment I thought the little black hairs in the bassinet were from a cat... then I realized that we don't have a cat... it's all the little hair that has been rubbed out :o( I wouldn't be surprised if it comes back in blonde... after all if one blonde Abby is this much fun... how much more fun will three blondes be? (oh my)

Both girls have had a surprising amount of blowouts lately. I blame the cheap generic type brand of diapers that we were trying to use up... which I'm not sure why we were because we have 3 boxes of 1's left as it is of the Swaddlers. So why mess with the generics? After all... it's not like I need MORE laundry. I'm hoping I can finally catch up with that now that I'm starting to feel better. This week is supposed to be Spring Break for us which will be great considering I need this time to get caught up on things. Crazy online classes!!!

A friend of mine had heard rumors that I had dropped out of school... so if you are confused here it is: I HAVE NOT dropped out of school. I'm just taking a break from the nursing curriculum/clinicals until next spring. I am working towards my Bachelors in Nursing.... and it is still plenty of work!

Abby and I made oatmeal play dough the other day... it was ... interesting. She enjoyed it for a little while at least. Nap times have been getting exponentially harder lately. Yesterday I put her down for her nap at 12, right after Abby's Flying School on Sesame Street... tucked her in, gave her a bottle, duck taped her diaper (yes it's necessary still) put her TWO singing glow worms next to her, gave her a kiss, told her to take a nap.... An hour later I can still hear her talking and singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.... hump... so I go back downstairs, tuck her in and then explain that she NEEDS to take a nap... silly girl!! If she doesn't get her naps she is so hard to deal with!!! Hopefully this phase won't last too long.

Abs is getting really good at drawing on her little magnet, pen pad thing. She actually was trying to draw a puppy last night and I knew what her pen was trying to make. She can now do circles and she does very well at coloring in the lines. It is fun to watch even if it means that I have to draw a cow, dog, elephant, flower or cat over and over again. The fish was a nice change.... She still really trips over things. Some days I swear that if a bright red, flashing doll were laying on the floor, she would still miss it. I only mention this because we had just cleaned the living room so there were only two thing laying on the living room floor: Kiley & Kara. Abs managed to snag them both. Honestly, she just didn't realize they were there. Even if they were screaming like crazy!

I still feel like I haven't slept. The girls are very good at making sure at least one of them is up at all times to catch me off guard. And with that in mind... all three of my children are sleeping... It's time for bed!!!

Sensory Processing Disorder and our House

First of all let me say, that I doubt that I've ever been more proud of Abby.

I know I touched a little on what we were starting to do these last few weeks but I thought I would write a little more in detail so that I could try and help people understand it a little better. First of all, I had never heard of this 'disorder' until a week ago. It's amazing what you learn... Here is a little information that I found fascinating if you are interested:

Sensory processing (sometimes called "sensory integration" or SI) is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Whether you are biting into a hamburger, riding a bicycle, or reading a book, your successful completion of the activity requires processing sensation or "sensory integration."


Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as "sensory integration dysfunction") is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively.


Symptoms of SPD, like those of most disorders, occur within a broad spectrum of severity. While most of us have occasional difficulties processing sensory information, for children and adults with SPD, these difficulties are chronic, and they disrupt everyday life.


Most children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) are just as intelligent as their peers. Many are intellectually gifted. Their brains are simply wired differently. They need to be taught in ways that are adapted to how they process information, and they need leisure activities that suit their own sensory processing needs.


Another little kid wrote that this is what the disorder feels like: 


"Imagine driving a car that isn't working well. When you step on the gas the car sometimes lurches forward and sometimes doesn't respond. When you blow the horn it sounds blaring. The brakes sometimes slow the car, but not always. The blinkers work occasionally, the steering is erratic, and the speedometer is inaccurate. You are engaged in a constant struggle to keep the car on the road, and it is difficult to concentrate on anything else." 


I read this the other night and just cried... because I feel like this is something Abby has been dealing with since she was born. Can you imagine feeling like that all the time? They say that kids with this disorder often have EATING problems AND SLEEPING ISSUES when they are babies.... hmmm sounds familiar. These kids also tend to be very smart and have HIGH VOCABULARIES....


No wonder Abby sometimes feels out of control! I also learned that it is best if SPD is caught before the age of 7 because the nervous system is still malleable before than and before it affects school and friendships (because it does! These kids often get labeled ADHD and are put on meds even though the disorder is completely different) 


So this is what we are working on in Occupational Therapy every week:

Heavy work activities (i.e., proprioceptive input) are used for children with sensory processing difficulties to help increase attention, decrease defensiveness,  and modulate arousal.

If they are seeking out excessive proprioceptive input, they are looking for a way to calm and organize their nervous system. They may seem disruptive, full of excessive energy, or even unsafe. These are the crashers, jumpers, movers, and shakers! (Sound like Abby?)These are the children we ABSOLUTELY want to target with heavy work activities. It WILL make a difference in them!

So we learned a few more activities and I learned that I need to do a high work load activity every couple of hours to help her. Seriously... her occupational therapy is more of a workout than any 'work out program' I see a HUGE improvement with her, she follows directions, she isn't running around destroying my house, climbing on things, crashing into things, breaking things, yelling, screaming... 

I'm so excited that we finally are going to be able to help her! This will be a tough journey as most kids don't grow out of this. My biggest concern is what school will be like for her. But we will cross that bridge when we get there. For now we continue to do Play Therapy on Mondays and Occupational Therapy on Thursdays. Originally I was afraid of saying anything about all of this but I've decided there is nothing to be ashamed about and I don't care what people think. I'm getting my baby some much needed help and she is most important.

After all... I love her so much and I'm so proud of her...

Exhausted

March 1st: 4 Book Trailers Due: including pictures, audio, narration AND a book review due for each book including Lexile levels ... etc

March 5th: (you don't have to read this whole bit)

For this assignment, you will need to create a fiction or non-fiction movie that is engaging to supplement a academic lesson. You will need to buy a webkinz animal at your local store, register, and navigate to WebKinz studio. See the attached tutorial Powerpoint before getting started.
Your movie should use at least 11 of the 15 scenes, have an emotional hook, use the supplied music and be fun to watch.
You will submit to the dropbox a word or rtf document with an explanation of how you will be using this with  students. Also, attach the .wmv movie created using Windows Media Encoder of the movie. Having sound is better, but if you cannot get sound, that is okay. 
This assignment does involve buying a webkinz pet OR borrowing someone's account. Multiple people can share an account, just remember to have your movie saved as a .wmv file using windows media encoder before deleting your story. If you ask around, you may find an elementary school student willing to loan you their account. 
Assessment: Webkinz movie has a plot that supports something you would teach elementary students. File is correctly saved as .wmv, plays in Windows Media Player and is uploaded to the dropbox. 


FOUR DAYS... My professor gave me FOUR DAYS between large assignments! I'm sorry if you read through that... I didn't mean to stress you out too. I'm just sick, and exhausted and now I have to try and figure out this latest insane homework assignment for a class I despise.


PLUS


Abby sick x1 week now
Kiley: sick 2 days
Kara: sick 1 day
MYSELF: SICK SINCE SUNDAY




I'm having a hard week. I feel like crawling into bed, throwing the covers over my head and crying myself to sleep. At least until K or K wake up 


Time to get back to homework....