Hello everyone! I wanted to first thank you all for your support doing this difficult time. This past week has been really tough on us. Jerimiah's moods seem to go up and down without any wanring. He goes from happy to sobbing or very angry within a matter of minutes. I found out through a new friend that this is typical with high functioning autism/ SPD kids. We have seen this happening for sometime but it has gotten increasing bad lately. It is heartbreaking to watch him bounce back and fourth and not be able to help. It really makes me feel like I am missing the mark.
What makes things more stressful is that we are not equiped to handle this. We do not have the tools that we need to get through this the right way. So, for now I am doing as much reading as I can about the best ways to handle this.
I got an appointment for Jerimiah next month and Ben and I cannot wait! We are so ready to get some help and the answers we need. He will see the neurologist on May 23rd and then we have to wait another 2-3 months for his psych appointment.
Regardless we will make it through this! We will learn the proper ways to handle each struggle. I know we can make it!!
Also if you havent already please vote for us to win the Disneyland Vacation. I entered a photo caption contest a little over a month ago and was one of the 8 that were selected for the finals! I promise it will only take a minute out of your time, and you wont get spammed. :) My caption is the one witht he young boy on the older mans shoulders and reads, "Capturing generations of Memories" by Stephenie B in Kennewick WA. We would really love to win this especially with all this going on, we could use the break from reality :) Please click here to vote!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Feeling very excited this morning!!!!!! Could you help me out?
I entered into a caption contest a few weeks ago for the City of Anaheim. They have over 12k fans so I was too optimistic about being chosen but I woke up this morning to see that I am one of 8 finalists!!! I am so excited! The winner of the caption contest will receive: airfare for four to Anaheim, hotel stay at Disney California Hotel, Park Hopper Passes, VIP seating to the World of Color and much more!
I figure I have a one in 8 shot of winning which is much better than no shot at all right?! If you are on Facebook I would love if you could swing some vote my way. You can actually vote for my caption three times by selecting it in each box. If you are not on facebook, just your positive thoughts will do :)
If you would like to vote here is the link If the link does not work you can just log into your Facebook account and search for Anaheim/Orange County then under their contest.
My caption is the one with the little boy on the older mans shoulders and says "Capturing generations of memories." by Stephenie B from Kennewick.
I hope we win!!! Who doesn't want a free trip to Disneyland!!! But if not I will be okay with the fact that I made it so far :) Have a good weekend!
I figure I have a one in 8 shot of winning which is much better than no shot at all right?! If you are on Facebook I would love if you could swing some vote my way. You can actually vote for my caption three times by selecting it in each box. If you are not on facebook, just your positive thoughts will do :)
If you would like to vote here is the link If the link does not work you can just log into your Facebook account and search for Anaheim/Orange County then under their contest.
My caption is the one with the little boy on the older mans shoulders and says "Capturing generations of memories." by Stephenie B from Kennewick.
I hope we win!!! Who doesn't want a free trip to Disneyland!!! But if not I will be okay with the fact that I made it so far :) Have a good weekend!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
6 year old brings gun to school....really?!
If you follow the national news you would have seen this headline flash on the tv screen. A six year old kindie took a gun to school, it dropped out of his bag discharging and hitting him and two other children.
There is something wrong with this picture? First how the hell did a 6 year old get his little hands on a gun?! Second of all, where was the gun lock?! Where was the safe?! And why wasn't the gun in it?
I get really upset when I see things like this, seeing a child injured by a gun at the age of six is horrible but to know that his parents did not secure it properly is so upsetting to me!
I don't know about you but I know that when you get CWP you are given free gun locks. This keeps it from discharging and has to be unlocked with a key (at least ours do). Also who has a hand gun laying around their house? There are so many inexpensive gun safes that you can get that I believe that there is no excuse not to have one. My theory is if you cannot afford the safe you should not have a gun.
This whole incident angers me, there is no excuse why a 6 year old should have a gun in their backpack. They are not teenagers that can crack the code or figure out how to unlock it. They are six year olds, most of them cant even tie their shoes yet?!
So parents, if you have a firearm in your home please do the right thing and secure it. Making sure that a child cannot get to it is simple and if you cant do that then you shouldn't have a gun or a child!
There is something wrong with this picture? First how the hell did a 6 year old get his little hands on a gun?! Second of all, where was the gun lock?! Where was the safe?! And why wasn't the gun in it?
I get really upset when I see things like this, seeing a child injured by a gun at the age of six is horrible but to know that his parents did not secure it properly is so upsetting to me!
I don't know about you but I know that when you get CWP you are given free gun locks. This keeps it from discharging and has to be unlocked with a key (at least ours do). Also who has a hand gun laying around their house? There are so many inexpensive gun safes that you can get that I believe that there is no excuse not to have one. My theory is if you cannot afford the safe you should not have a gun.
This whole incident angers me, there is no excuse why a 6 year old should have a gun in their backpack. They are not teenagers that can crack the code or figure out how to unlock it. They are six year olds, most of them cant even tie their shoes yet?!
So parents, if you have a firearm in your home please do the right thing and secure it. Making sure that a child cannot get to it is simple and if you cant do that then you shouldn't have a gun or a child!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Summer is so Busy
Is it just me or does summer bring about so many things to do?! This summer we have, Jerimiahs 7th bday, my bday, mine and Ben 9 year wedding anniversay (all three of these are within 2 weeks of eachother!) We have two vacations that we are planning, one to the ocean and another to Idaho to go to Silverwood. Then we have military duty, I start at WSU, we are hoping to start look for a house in September.
It will be a very busy summer for us, but really I am looking forward to it. I hate being idle, I like to go, go, go!
Also I wanted to share that we finally got an appointment date for Jerimiah to see the neuroloigst! We do have to drive over to Seattle Children Hospital but we are so grateful that we didnt have to wait the 12 months that we were looking at before my wonderful ped pulled some strings. If you are not sure what I am talking about you can read about it here
Well hope everyone is having a great weekend!! Much Love!
It will be a very busy summer for us, but really I am looking forward to it. I hate being idle, I like to go, go, go!
Also I wanted to share that we finally got an appointment date for Jerimiah to see the neuroloigst! We do have to drive over to Seattle Children Hospital but we are so grateful that we didnt have to wait the 12 months that we were looking at before my wonderful ped pulled some strings. If you are not sure what I am talking about you can read about it here
Well hope everyone is having a great weekend!! Much Love!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Warning! Offensive Content
Is it just me or have you seen this posted on a lot of peoples blogs right before they are going to express their opinions? This week I have seen it all over my favorite blogs. It really made me wonder why these people feel that they need to apologize for their own opinions? I feel like it is your choice if you read it or not. I wonder why people would stop following a blog because they do not agree with one post that a fellow blogger has written. Doesn't it seem silly? The one thing that I find great about other bloggers is I get to see others perspectives, sometimes I don't agree with them at all but I can appreciate and respect their point of view, not to mention its their blog!
I know first hand what it is like to be unfollowed because someone didn't agree with my post. I think I have learned that I really just don't care lol, that may sound rude but really it is my blog, my place to express my feelings and opinion about whatever I want. I do not believe that anyone is purposely out there to try and offend others by their opinions. Maybe this is a concept that others need to realize as well.
So for all of you that are worried about expressing your opinions about religion, love or whatever. Please remember that every opinion is valid, and really I love to read what you have to say!
I know first hand what it is like to be unfollowed because someone didn't agree with my post. I think I have learned that I really just don't care lol, that may sound rude but really it is my blog, my place to express my feelings and opinion about whatever I want. I do not believe that anyone is purposely out there to try and offend others by their opinions. Maybe this is a concept that others need to realize as well.
So for all of you that are worried about expressing your opinions about religion, love or whatever. Please remember that every opinion is valid, and really I love to read what you have to say!
Monday, April 11, 2011
My Weekend
This past Sunday at our new Church the Pastor was talking about how when things are great we feel very close to God or trust in Him completely but when things are not so good we tend to ask Him where the Heck He is at?! This hit home for me because right now with Jerimiah's issues I am feeling a little beaten down. I'm sad, depressed and find myself asking what the bigger picture will look like for him.
Our Pastor made a great analogy for us, saying that each of our lives is like a puzzle without a box to reference where the pieces go. I think we can all agree that doing a puzzle is much easier when the have to box to look at to get an idea of where that piece goes. We are able to see the bigger picture. But trying to figure out where things go in our own life's can often be difficult since we cannot see the whole picture.
I know that when we are hurting or feel alone He is looking down on us saying "I know it hurts but you cannot see the big picture that I can." This is something that I am going to start reminding myself when things get rough, not just with Jerimiah but in everything. I know that He will never, ever leave me. I know that He loves me and I know that only He can see the bigger picture.
Sorry to get all Spiritual on you ha ha!
On to something else that happened this week. I reconnected with an old friend. Her and I have been friends since high school and we are friends on Facebook but I also have been reserved in having a relationship with her over the last few years. Which is just crazy because she has always reached out to me when things have been rough for me. So I took the step of emailing her and apologizing for being so snotty and not making more of an effort. The sweetheart that she did wrote me back and accepted my apology and we have decided that we will both make more of an effort to see each other and not have that silly distance between us.
I guess this is part of growing up. You realize some of your actions are silly and sometimes rude.
Okay enough rambling, this weekend I also: went to a wedding, went to a demolition derby, ate way too much food, avoided the gym and did tons of homework!
How was your weekend?
Our Pastor made a great analogy for us, saying that each of our lives is like a puzzle without a box to reference where the pieces go. I think we can all agree that doing a puzzle is much easier when the have to box to look at to get an idea of where that piece goes. We are able to see the bigger picture. But trying to figure out where things go in our own life's can often be difficult since we cannot see the whole picture.
I know that when we are hurting or feel alone He is looking down on us saying "I know it hurts but you cannot see the big picture that I can." This is something that I am going to start reminding myself when things get rough, not just with Jerimiah but in everything. I know that He will never, ever leave me. I know that He loves me and I know that only He can see the bigger picture.
Sorry to get all Spiritual on you ha ha!
On to something else that happened this week. I reconnected with an old friend. Her and I have been friends since high school and we are friends on Facebook but I also have been reserved in having a relationship with her over the last few years. Which is just crazy because she has always reached out to me when things have been rough for me. So I took the step of emailing her and apologizing for being so snotty and not making more of an effort. The sweetheart that she did wrote me back and accepted my apology and we have decided that we will both make more of an effort to see each other and not have that silly distance between us.
I guess this is part of growing up. You realize some of your actions are silly and sometimes rude.
Okay enough rambling, this weekend I also: went to a wedding, went to a demolition derby, ate way too much food, avoided the gym and did tons of homework!
How was your weekend?
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Taking it all in...as best as I can
So yesterday was the big doctors appointment that I had been waiting for. You can read about that here Jerimiah has had the same pediatrician since we moved over here two years ago. I could not ask for a better doctor. She is very thorough and very conservative. She will not give your child medication unless she feels that it is absolutely necessary. This is something that I respect and appreciate.
She spent about 2 and a half hours with us yesterday going over all of Jerimiahs symptoms. I heard the words bipolar and learning disability thrown around while we were talking. She must have noticed me beginning to shut down because she said "Let just rule those out now." Instead she went over everything that Jerimiah is excelling in, (math, science) and things he was having trouble in (spelling, reading). She noticed things while he was sitting in front of her that I had always ignored because I thought they were just normal child behaviors.
After about a hour and half she told me she believes that Jerimiah has High Functioning Autism. I will admit that when I heard the autism word I started to shut down again but I quickly realized that this was my chance to help my sweet little boy. She told me that all of these senosory issues and the sudden withdrawl he does often are classic signs of it. She said he may have the ensory processig disorder as well but she believes that they may just be signs of the autism.
We spent the next hour talking about how Jerimiah fits about 90 percent of the classic red flags of high functioning autism. She explained that these children that have this are so incredibly bright that they have trouble conveying it to others. Now looking and interacting with Jerimiah you would never know that he has this unless you knew him deep down. We decided together that we will not tell Jerimiah that he has this, because I do not want him to be labeled the autistic one and also I will not allow him to use it as a crutch. I know that he and us will have to work a little harder than most parents and child at school and his social skills but I and his doctor are confident that he will reach his highest potential.
I had no idea that most of these high function autistic kids go on to be physicist or Doctors or University Professors. She told me that as long as we learn the rules of autism and learn how to deal with different situations he will do fine.
So the next step is that we go see a child behavioral specialist and the neurologist. He will be evaluated to determine exactly what type of autism it is and then we will be referred to someone that can help us get a game plan.
I will say that those who I spoke to yesterday know that I was really emotional. I guess I was sad but I think even more I was so grateful to have an answer so that I can help my little guy. I am ready to do this. I am ready to learn everything I can about this, and I am even more ready to be my sons strongest supporter and advocate.
Thank you to everyone that has been supportive and so loving. You have no idea how much your kind words me to me. Even those that I have not met, you gals have just been so wonderful and I appreciate it so much.
She spent about 2 and a half hours with us yesterday going over all of Jerimiahs symptoms. I heard the words bipolar and learning disability thrown around while we were talking. She must have noticed me beginning to shut down because she said "Let just rule those out now." Instead she went over everything that Jerimiah is excelling in, (math, science) and things he was having trouble in (spelling, reading). She noticed things while he was sitting in front of her that I had always ignored because I thought they were just normal child behaviors.
After about a hour and half she told me she believes that Jerimiah has High Functioning Autism. I will admit that when I heard the autism word I started to shut down again but I quickly realized that this was my chance to help my sweet little boy. She told me that all of these senosory issues and the sudden withdrawl he does often are classic signs of it. She said he may have the ensory processig disorder as well but she believes that they may just be signs of the autism.
We spent the next hour talking about how Jerimiah fits about 90 percent of the classic red flags of high functioning autism. She explained that these children that have this are so incredibly bright that they have trouble conveying it to others. Now looking and interacting with Jerimiah you would never know that he has this unless you knew him deep down. We decided together that we will not tell Jerimiah that he has this, because I do not want him to be labeled the autistic one and also I will not allow him to use it as a crutch. I know that he and us will have to work a little harder than most parents and child at school and his social skills but I and his doctor are confident that he will reach his highest potential.
I had no idea that most of these high function autistic kids go on to be physicist or Doctors or University Professors. She told me that as long as we learn the rules of autism and learn how to deal with different situations he will do fine.
So the next step is that we go see a child behavioral specialist and the neurologist. He will be evaluated to determine exactly what type of autism it is and then we will be referred to someone that can help us get a game plan.
I will say that those who I spoke to yesterday know that I was really emotional. I guess I was sad but I think even more I was so grateful to have an answer so that I can help my little guy. I am ready to do this. I am ready to learn everything I can about this, and I am even more ready to be my sons strongest supporter and advocate.
Thank you to everyone that has been supportive and so loving. You have no idea how much your kind words me to me. Even those that I have not met, you gals have just been so wonderful and I appreciate it so much.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Meet me on Monday
If you haven't already, you should check out Java over at Never Growing Old. She has these fun questions that you can answer every Monday and link up to others. Its a great way to meet other bloggers!
This weeks questions
1. If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Hmmmm...I would have to say pasta....any kind. I love pasta!
2. Do you write your blog posts in advance or the day you post them?
I'd like to say I think that far ahead but I don't. I write then and post them right after.
3. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Yes, once when my son was 14 months and wasn't breathing right because of pneumonia. And once when my daughter cut her head open down to her scull. Both times it was very scary!
4. What is your favorite candle scent?
This one is easy, Yankee Candle Lilac!! I love it!!! It used to be the Wedding Day but I am not able to find it anymore :( Why do they do that?!
5. Coffee or tea?
Both lol, although I am not supposed to have either I love them both!
This weeks questions
1. If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Hmmmm...I would have to say pasta....any kind. I love pasta!
2. Do you write your blog posts in advance or the day you post them?
I'd like to say I think that far ahead but I don't. I write then and post them right after.
3. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
Yes, once when my son was 14 months and wasn't breathing right because of pneumonia. And once when my daughter cut her head open down to her scull. Both times it was very scary!
4. What is your favorite candle scent?
This one is easy, Yankee Candle Lilac!! I love it!!! It used to be the Wedding Day but I am not able to find it anymore :( Why do they do that?!
5. Coffee or tea?
Both lol, although I am not supposed to have either I love them both!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Welcome Spring!!!
This is our first weekend of Spring weather here in Eastern Washington! The sun has been out for the past two days and today we woke up to a beautiful morning and even warmer tempurture. I love days like this! I can open up all the doors and windows and let in the fresh air. The kids have been playing in the back yard since they finished their blueberry pancakes :)
I also woke up to a sweet message from my hubby, I love getting those! He is in the sheet metal union and they have been working almost every weekend. He left me a message saying he misses me too much and is taking tomorrow off so he can spend the day with us at church and visiting with my daddy. I married a good one :)
Well I hope everyone is having a good Sunday!
My beautiful back yard!!
Love my kiddos!
Our sweet boy
I also woke up to a sweet message from my hubby, I love getting those! He is in the sheet metal union and they have been working almost every weekend. He left me a message saying he misses me too much and is taking tomorrow off so he can spend the day with us at church and visiting with my daddy. I married a good one :)
Well I hope everyone is having a good Sunday!
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