A Little Family Halloween Party

Well, it's that time of year again.  Fall is here and Halloween is right around the corner.  As a child I loved Halloween.  My mom would decorate the house and make fun Halloween treats with us.  We would listen to fun Halloween music.  We had fun Halloween parties at school and went to parties at friends' houses.  On Halloween night my parents would take my brother and me trick-or-treating and then we'd watch Disney's Halloween Treats, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and other fun kid-friendly Halloween shows while my parents would go through our candy.  My dad would tell us about how he had to make sure the candy was safe for us to eat, but all I noticed was that he would eat the good candy and we'd get upset.  HA HA.  I am happy to continue some of these fun traditions with my kids.  We always decorate the yard and we usually decorate the boys' room but this year they asked to decorate the living room instead.  This afternoon they helped Jacob do just that. We put Pandora radio on the Family Halloween station and the boys and Kaitlyn danced around to the music while helping Jacob with decorations. Jacob set a cauldron out as a decoration and the boys were playing cauldron basketball with it and a Scooby-Doo ball.  Kaitlyn walked around with a trick-or-treat bucket.  It was just a lot of fun!  

You know I took pictures so here are some pictures of our afternoon of decorating for Halloween.  We have more Halloween fun to come, too. ;)  Our kids won't be little for long so we are enjoying EVERY minute of this! 

 Logan and Jacob decorating the living room for Halloween.  The boys loved it!

The boys have a book called "Here They Come."  It is about the monsters having a party on Halloween night and hiding from "the scariest sight of all" which turns out to be kids trick-or-treating.  It is such a cute book.  There is one monster named Honaby who is just a hat with legs and feet.  For some reason Kaitlyn reminded me of that while she was walking around in this big hat.  

Kaitlyn loves this blue trick-or-treat bucket. Jacob said she is practicing.  LOL 

Jacob hung his werewolf mask and Logan said, "Cool! It looks like you killed a werewolf and mounted his head on the wall like you would a deer."  Oh, life with boys.  HA HA  I said it was creepy but the boys say they like it. 

The Big Picture

We have discovered an Apraxia Kids website as well as blogs and online groups for parents with children who have Apraxia.  One thing I have noticed is that a lot of parents on the website post that they are depressed and they sat together and cried when they were told their child had Apraxia.  The therapists all say the same thing--a child with Apraxia (with the proper therapies, treatments, etc.) could grow up to speak clearly and do things that are so hard for them to do right now as children OR they could grow up and still have issues.  It can go either way and they want parents to be aware of this.  I read the comments of parents who are just devastated that their child has been diagnosed with Apraxia and I understand. Your child has to work harder than other children and as a parent it is SO hard to watch your child struggle and get down themselves. 

Alex not only has Verbal and Limb Apraxia but he also has a rare bone disease called Osteochondromatosis.  He has had two surgeries and he sees a bone specialist on a regular basis.  He has a lot to deal with, and while he does have moments of frustration, he is very determined and one of the hardest workers I have ever known.  

I think about the parents on the websites who seem devastated that their child has this disability and I understand where they are coming from and how they feel.  While I do understand their concerns, I have learned that as parents our job is to love our children, encourage them and prepare them for adulthood.  They will not be children for long and will be adults for a much longer period of time. Our children do not have a terminal illness, they don't have a disability that will keep them from experiencing a full life, or going out on their own one day and making it in this big, cruel world we live in.  I look at Alex, I watch him struggle and it's hard, but I know in the big picture he is going to be just fine.  Yes, they have to work twice as hard as other children, but in the long run (the big picture) they will be better people because of this.  They will be more equipped to deal with life's slaps in the face and disappointment and nothing will keep them from doing anything they set their minds to.  One day Alex is going to do amazing things.  He has big dreams and I know he will work so hard to make those dreams reality and I will be there smiling proudly and encouraging him along.

Sweet Morsels of Life

By now everyone knows the story. We took Kaitlyn to the ER at Children's on Wednesday where she was given a breathing treatment and some steroids and we were sent home.  She was fine until the next morning so we took her back to the ER where she was admitted.  We were there for a very long 4 days.

BUT . . . while we were there in the wee early hours of Sunday morning, during the stress of it all and the pure exhaustion, I had a good laugh.  Kaitlyn's oxygen levels were low.  They kept giving her breathing treatments but they didn't seem to work so the nurse came in to get the oxygen all set up in case the doctor told them to give her oxygen. I was sitting in the chair holding Kaitlyn, who was sleeping.  The nurse turned on the oxygen and instead of just a steady little stream of oxygen she was met with a very hard force of air.  Her hair blew up really high and her cheeks were shaking form the force.  One of the loudest sounds I have ever heard suddenly boomed from the wall. You know the sound of the drill at the dentist office?  Well, this sounded just like that but about 1,000 times louder.  This, of course, caused Kaitlyn to jump and then scream in fear. Another nurse came running in and tried to help--so then there were two nurses with their hair flying up and their cheeks shaking from the force.  One nurse began to scream and the other started laughing.  It was the funniest thing. They couldn't get it turned off so they flagged down a male nurse who gave it a try.  They eventually came to the conclusion that it was broken and were happy when they discovered Kaitlyn wouldn't need the oxygen.

We were happy to get to come home Sunday afternoon and Kaitlyn seems to be feeling much better.  Every time I think of that morning around 3 a.m. with the two nurses fighting the oxygen I still laugh.  It was like watching a sitcom.  Even the most stressful times in our life have funny moments.  Sometimes you have to look for them and other times they just present themselves, but they are always there.  Here's to enjoying the sweet morsels of life!

Apraxia Is Just Another Way of Saying, "Super!"

"Young boys should never be sent to bed. They always wake up a day older." --J.M. Barrie

This quote is true for all children.  I love this quote.  I see it happening in my own house.  Alex no longer lets me hug him goodbye at school.  He is very independent. He's in 2nd grade now--It just isn't cool to be in 2nd grade and have your mom hug you goodbye before school.  And I'm okay with that because he still lets me hug and kiss him when we're at home.  He even crawls onto my lap from time to time. 

Alex was a very quiet baby.  He didn't babble until he was a toddler and he didn't talk until he was nearly 3.  We used some sign language to communicate with him.  After a few doctor's appointments he started going to the school for speech therapy and we had a therapist come to the house to work with him. Once school started we began to notice other things--little things at first, shaky hand when he was writing, forgetting things and repeating things to the point of driving us crazy, not being able to read or recall the sounds each letter makes.  We noticed the way his mouth moved when he spoke and smiled (like Sylvester Stallone). He started occupational therapy to help with all the things he was struggling with. We knew something was going on, but we just didn't know what. Last year when Alex started 1st grade there was a lot of frustration and tears as he struggled with reading, writing, spelling, and math. Once 2nd grade started a couple of weeks ago he seemed even more frustrated and overwhelmed, which wasn't encouraging because the school year had only just started! We had no idea what to do to help him or how he was thinking or what was going on.  

Then, last week, I met with one of his therapists who informed me that they had tested Alex and he has Verbal and Limb Apraxia. She told me about how the disability affects Alex's brain and body--how there is (like) a disconnection from his brain to his body.  He knows what he is trying to say or trying to do, he just can't seem to do it. How frustrating that would be for me as an adult--I can't imagine having to deal with that as a 7-year-old boy.  Yet, he does--every day.  A friend said, "Giving it a name doesn't change anything.  It's like saying you knew your child had trouble breathing even before they were diagnosed with Asthma."  And she is right. There was no choir music echoing from the sky as the name of Alex's disability was given to us.  Alex wasn't miraculously "cured" just because we had a name to go with the disability.  BUT--on the other hand, having learned about the disability, we now feel like we understand Alex a little better.  We know a little more how his brain is working and we are getting new information on how to work with him and the treatments to help him. It has all been very eye opening and just amplifies what we have said about Alex all along . . . 

He IS a true super hero.  I drop him and Logan off at school and as I watch them walk into the building I am sure I see a tiny glimpse of his invisible cape. J.M. Barrie was right--every morning Alex wakes up older, but I believe he also wakes up stronger.  

Back To School (And Other Things)

School started last Friday.  Between getting used to a new schedule and a 9-month-old who is getting into everything, cutting teeth, and doing new things every day we have been far from bored around here!

Alex is now officially a 2nd grader and Logan is now a 1st grader.  Time is just speeding along.  I remember taking Alex to the elementary school for speech when he was three and Logan was still in diapers and being carried by me. Now they are big boys.  So far they both like school.  Logan loves his teacher and thinks she is hilarious.  Alex's teacher is very sweet and he came home yesterday excited about doing a science experiment at school.  Alex has already started bringing homework home this week and we have started working on spelling words.  I am assuming  that Logan will start homework next week. So far we have gotten back into the school schedule and while things are a tad hectic in the evenings, we are getting things done and the boys are getting to bed on time--so all is going well!

Kaitlyn has been pulling up on EVERYTHING!  She has started standing on her own and even tried to take a step the other day.  She is clapping, wagging her finger at us and shaking her head "No, No," laying her head on my shoulder repeatedly so I'll say, "Aww.  I love her!"  She is so funny.  In the evenings if Jacob is eating Goldfish crackers she will go over to his recliner, pull up, and Jacob will share his crackers with her.  It is the cutest thing!  I honestly can't believe she is already 9 months old.  It is going by too fast and we are trying to enjoy every minute of our children's childhood. I love every minute of it! 

 Alex helping me give Kaitlyn a bath.  He is ALWAYS eager to help!

                                         Kaitlyn and Logan

               The big 2nd grader doing his homework!

I am SO proud of all three of my children! Here's to another GREAT school year (Fingers crossed)!

All About Alex

People always say, "Children change your life."  Well, this is a fact in ALL parts of your life.  Some people say, "You'll never sleep again," or talk about how much it costs to raise a child. The truth is, children don't just change certain parts of your life, they change EVERY part of your life.  Having children changes you as a person.  It changes your schedule, what you spend money on, how you spend your time, and it changes how easily you make decisions.  Jacob was recently offered a position in another town and at first it was exciting.  The thought of moving and Jacob getting this amazing opportunity was all very . . . well . . . fun.  Then, we started talking about it and realized that a big change like that might be devastating to Alex.  Let's be honest for a minute--kids are mean.  There, I said it.  It's true.  Well, not ALL kids are mean, but there ARE kids that are very mean to other kids.  I'm not an idiot.  I know that Alex would be an easy target for some kid who was looking for some one to pick on. Right now he has friends who have been with him since he was 3 and 4 years old.  I can't imagine taking Alex away from everything he knows and force him to start over with new kids at a new school, new therapists, new doctors. He has made some great friends here and they don't treat him like he's different.  To them, he's just Alex. Sometimes, as parents, no amount of money is enough to take your special needs child from everything he knows and stick him in a new and strange environment and force him to start over. We love the therapists Alex has now and we love that his friends are always there to support and help him.  We even have friends here that help us when we need it.  Friends who love our children and would do anything for our children. So, after a lot of thinking, praying, and discussing the pros and cons we kept coming back to the same thought--"What about Alex?"  So, Jacob turned down this great opportunity so Alex can go on thriving and stay with all the people who love him.  I know telling them "no" when they offered him the job wasn't easy for Jacob, but he did it for his son/family.  I am thankful to have a husband (and father of my children) who puts his children/family first.  I think Alex is going to do great things one day and I look forward to watching him continue to thrive, grow, accomplish new things, and believe in himself because he is surrounded by people who love him! AND--to all of you wonderful people who love our children and are always helping us, encouraging us AND them--THANK YOU.  We love you guys. ;)

Delight

“I think it's worth trying to be a mother who delights in who her children are, in their knock-knock jokes and earnest questions. A mother who spends less time obsessing about what will happen, or what has happened, and more time reveling in what is.” 
― Ayelet Waldman

I am guilty of posting too many pictures of my children on facebook.  I'm guilty of talking about them too much and expecting the rest of the world to see them as the amazing little people that I see. Ayelet Waldman said it best and I agree--I WANT to be a mother who delights in who my children are. To delight in Logan's many questions about life and the world around him. To find joy in Alex's too cool/tough boy attitude that is pushed aside from time to time as he comes up to me, hugs me tightly, and says, "I love you." To delight in Kaitlyn's slobbery kisses and her curiosity about the world around her. To find joy in my boys' big, giving hearts and Kaitlyn's constant smile! I am not a fool . . . I know that parents lose their children each and every day--No one is promised tomorrow. I don't want to get so caught up in the every day routine and schedule that I forget to stop and delight in who my children are.