Thanksgiving Thoughts

Blogging has made me feel like I am back to being myself again.  I know I will have days where I don't write, and I know you will understand because you also have a life and understand how overwhelming life can be at times.  

As always, I am trying to get healthy and stay that way.  I still haven't mastered that skill. I will feel ok for maybe a day, so I try to get a few things done.  Vacuum or do some laundry.  It wipes me out. So a lot of days these things done get done.  I am grateful that Angus and HistoryBoy are helpful (when they want to be LOL)  HistoryBoy is at an age where it could be a fight to get anything done, yet he if I ask he simply does the chore for me, whether it is simply carrying a load of laundry from one room to another for me because I can't lift it, or taking out the garbage.  He grumbles every once in a while, but he still does it and doesn't truly give me a hard time. 

I am grateful for this, especially at this time of year, when the cold is beginning to feel like it is seeping into my bones and take root.  I can't get warm and stay warm, and my hands simply hurt, just because its cold. It might be 68 degrees inside with the heat on, but some days I am still wearing gloves inside.  If it is 60 degrees outside I need gloves in my pocket because my hands will start hurting if I am outdoors too long. 

Even though I have these problems, I have Angus and HistoryBoy, who truly want what is best for me, even if some days they don't understand why I am not feeling well, or how I can go from feeling ok one moment to miserable the next.  When I need help, they do their best to give me what I need, whether it's time to lie down and simply leaving me be, or carrying the things for me that I can't, or taking care of the things that I am simply not up to. I don't know where I would be without them.

REBLOG: The first time you realize something is different about your child - Part 2

REBLOG (from 4/26/11)

Yesterday’s blog (REBLOG 11/12/14)was not long enough and didn’t say as much as I could have said. I should have said it took me a long time to realize that HistoryBoy was different from other kids. Not just different but different enough to be excluded by others his own age.

In preschool kids pretty much do their own thing; I play with this you play with that. They may play with the same toys but they don't always intersect play. HistoryBoy also had VERY definite ideas of how to play. You had to play it his way or you couldn’t play with him. He would get very agitated. I just assumed it was immaturity. He was a boy, he was a born 5 ½ weeks early. It would all come in time. But it didn’t. 

His preschool teacher was the one who recommended we get him evaluated by the child study team. Why? Won’t he be ok in

Kindergarten? He has all the skills he needs. Should I have realized he needed help sooner? Did I do something wrong? Did my mommy radar go off somewhere? 

All of these thoughts went through my head. I went home all upset, cried and I realized I couldn’t change anything I had done up to that point. I could only go from here. Kicking myself wouldn’t help HistoryBoy. So I set up the Child Study Team Evaluation and an appointment with a pediatric neurologist. It was just the beginning…

I would love to hear from you. 

Please feel free to leave a comment or email me at teenahope@gmail.com

Being a Mom

I love being a mom. I don't know if I can ever say that enough. It is a hectic, sometimes thankless job, but watching him grow and change everyday is AMAZING. He has grown from a child who struggled everyday to handle noises, distraction and generally being overwhelmed by the world to a tween/teen who know what his limitations are.  

• He can say Mom I NEED to get out of here now when he can't handle the situation or is going into sensory overload.  
• He can tell me Mom I need another pill, my medication is wearing off and I need it to help me stay calm.
• He has his own tastes in movies and music that are no longer just listening and watching what I do.  
• He is a compassionate, caring, loving young man who wants to help and will help anyone who needs it.
• He has a love of music that is wonderful to see and a beautiful voice to match.

I am profoundly grateful that God gave me such a wonderful present, even if I wasn't quite ready for it. He knew what he was doing and I can't imagine my life without him.