Let’s see,to catch up…

Blake had been in therapy to catch up to age appropriate goals in communication and motor skills since he had been diagnosed with asthma – he’s on at least 3 inhalers, but if he does well over the next couple of months without an episode we can cut back the daily meds, according the the asthma and allergy specialist.

He’s still a little behind in communication, but is making progress and that’s what counts. He charms all with his smile where ever we go. He very mechanical. This kid can throw a ball across the backyard, take legos apart and put them back together, climb up the couch or chairs and stack blocks or anything as tall as himself. He is one you have to watch because he’s into everything- and eats anything he finds.

We’ve also enrolled him in Gymboree. He likes running around with balls. He doesn’t like parachute time. He is getting better, but it’s quite the joke about him freaking out as soon as the parachute comes out.

Blake has done well and has been discharged from the Early Intervention therapy. We’re still in the file in case he relapses. He’s starting to point and name things, even if it all sounds like” kitty” and “doggy.” This week Blake has been going into Cory’s room and taking Pounce, a wolf toy. He hugs it and so of course that doesn’t please Cory, and I’m almost sure Blake wants it because it’s Cory’s. So we looked it up to see if we could find another. Of course it was one Dan (my brother) got Cory when he was little and now it’s a collector’s item for $300! Figures. So we ordered the same brand but got a labradoodle. We thought if we’d put it in Cory’s room Blake would want that one!


Cory continues to be brilliant adding and subtracting, spelling and reading, and contemplating the world and universe in all it’s spiritual and physical components. it is a pleasure to see where his mind goes on a daily basis and his facial expressions and dramatics.

Cory had been diagnosed with SPD- sensory processing disorder. It’s not very well known but basically Cory hears, feels, tastes, everything more than we do. His brain is in overdrive- which we all knew the moment he was born and stared his dark, deep old-souled eyes into his father’s. So he has a type of SPD called sensory defensiveness. He literally feels like the world is beating him up all the time. Instead of the type of person that hides from what hurts, he runs head on and lashes out in tantrums. He spends all his energy just trying to be upright that everything else is hard.

We’ve worked hard and read a lot and even had him evaluated by the LIU to see if there were behavior disorders we should be concerned about. People who work and spend time with Cory have noted how much he’s improved over this half a year. He has been enrolled at Rebecca’s Place http://www.rebeccasplace.org/ for occupational therapy OT to help him with his proprioception (balance and fine motor) and strategies for his frustrations.

Things that have helped the most are making sure he has heavy work to do- lifting, pushing, pulling. When he focuses on heavy tasks, he focuses more on his balance and the frustrations are less because he is using his energy for other things. A bean bag chair. He sits in a lot to calm and eat because sitting balanced in a chair is too hard. A headset for nap time at day care http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00689GBX2/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00 so he wasn’t disruptive. He had one rough day, but the rest were fine. I’d say one day out of two weeks is pretty good for MOST people! Therapy normally goes well there might have been one or two off days- and we’re scheduling a “brushing class” http://www.ot-innovations.com/content/view/55/46/. They think it will help. We will be trained to do it with him.

We also use If/Then statements- IF you put your shoes on THEN we can go out to play or IF you eat your dinner THEN we can have a treat. We also help him to use his words to express how he’s feeling and let him say what he needs- does he need a hug or quiet story? Does he need some quiet time with a movie in his room to feel better? We now recognize when it’s too much before it’s a tantrum
(usually), like when friends are over and he hides- we know he’s feeling overloaded and is ready for the play date to end instead of dragging him out to participate.

I’m working on my final project for my last class this semester for my reading specialist certificate at Millersville. For those of you that don’t know, I have a masters in teaching and curriculum and wanted to become a literacy coach- so I went back to school for a reading specialist certificate. I have to come up with a “line” something that encourages teachers if I would be hired as a literacy coach to see me as someone who they want working with them. Most of the time for this class, students come up with a business card or prop with a line like “call me if you need me” with a card of an i phone with apps that have different things a literacy coach could help with. I have a few ideas:

“You never had a friend like me” – like the genie from Aladdin and have a magic lamp, that I can help them get them what they want!
“Tools for Success” – and have a little tool kit with tools inside labeled with things I can do, I have the tools they need to have a successful classroom.
” Your McGyver” and have a bag of chewing gum, paper clip, and a ball point pen, we don’t need anything fancy, we can use what we know and a pen.

I’m still rattling around ideas, but that’s what I have so far. Any ideas?

Also, I’ve had my routine blood work done after a year on my blood pressure meds and I’m awesome: good cholesterol, kidney and liver functions great, no thyroid problems, etc- I’m healthy. I even lost 17 pounds since I had Blake and I’m 10 lbs away from a 25 BMI (normal).

However, last month at my check up we talked about how I’ve been feeling. It was the same questions that the OB asked me after having Blake. I pretty much gave the same answers, but Dr. DeHart says I’ve had postpartum depression untreated. That it isn’t my fault and it’s a chemical imbalance. He’s started me on citolapram and just increased it. It seems to help. I even had my yearly exam with my OB and to check on my IUD and she said she tried to tell me that after Blake was born, but I was resistive. Shocker.

I never really thought I had depression. I’m not a bawling, crying or suicidal person. I don’t have dreams of hurting myself or others. But I get anxious and scratch at my arms and pick at my fingernails and get frustrated at new things or when the house is a mess or my classroom students are disrespectful and I thought people were talking about me all the time judging me.

I was embarrassed about it at first and felt that (just like I felt when I was told to take blood pressure meds and thought diet and exercise would cure it) I am strong and should be able to control it- mind over matter, so to speak,and I would feel better after a glass of wine at the end of the day to unwind, but the more I read, it seems this is pretty common, and it’s better I take care of myself than worry about being labeled or that I can control chemicals in my body.Supposedly, I’m going through what women these days go through in their 30s and having a busy life and two boys! It was helpful to me to know other people were going through this and didn’t need to be embarrassed- so I thought I’d admit to it, too.

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Blake is now 7 months old and had his evaluation with EI. Amanda came while Caroline typed up her report. They tested him in six areas: gross motor, fine motor, play and cognitive, language, social emotional skills, and adaptive skills (feeding, sleeping etc). Gross, Fine and Cognitive were measured in weeks and language social emotional, and adaptive were measured in months. He has to have a 25% delay to qualify from any area and receive services. His areas of delay were a 33% in gross motor, a 27% delay in cognitive, and a 30% delay in language. He had minor delays (1 month or so) in fine and adaptive skills. And my little socialite 30% over into 8-9 month skills with his social emotional skills. A physical therapist called me and scheduled his first apt for 8:45 on Wed the 27. It’s easier to do it without Cory, but I’m sure I can find something to occupy him so he doesn’t try to get so much attention. Poor boy things everyone who walks in the door or near him is there to entertain him!
Blake is eating much better now taking around 28 oz and eating 3/4 of a jar at a time. He even feeds himself graham crackers (which the therapist said was good because it basically turns to mush in his mouth) and teething biscuits.

Cory visited with the neighbors for the evaluation. It was a little over an hour long. I have yet to hear from anyone that they had a bad experience with EI. So far it’s just been a lot of paperwork!
Cory and I went to turn in all his piggy bank money. He had collected quite a bit of money. So we went to the toy store and I let him pick out what he wanted. I tried to get him on a bike, but the training wheels freaked him out and he wants to ride the big one that Pah has been fixing up at his house- which he needs help to do. Instead he picked out two new cars from Cars2.


He’s also been doing well at swimming lessons. He finally got his backpack off and swam (a short distance) back to the wall. Savanna said he could use flippers next time! She says he’s stubborn and just needs to move instead of float there or just swim on his back. He still won’t get his face in the water except to blow bubbles. Sometimes he’ll wear his goggles. Cory still plays in his own pool and though Blake can’t sit in on his own yet, but I can get in the little pool with him and he seems to like it.

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This weekend Blake will be 7 months old. When the social worker was here, she said that she thought Blake would be doing a lot more by the time she saw us again for his evaluation. I smiled and thought she was being nice, but,no, really! He is! He’s started to sit up without support either hanging on to something or just for a few seconds alone.

He’s flip flopping all over the place back and forth, back and forth, tummy to back, tummy to back. A few times he’s started to transfer from hand to hand if you watch him close. He’s doing much better at longer tummy times and with independent play while I get breakfast or do dishes in the morning. It’s definitely time for a new play yard gate.

He’s still struggling with solids. We switched solely to stage 2 foods. I was reading the book I had read when Cory was/is struggling as a picky eater. It said that there were 15 month olds that these therapists visited that were still on purees because their parents were not challenging their mouths enough with solids. So he might struggle and not eat as much because it’s harder work for him to manipulate, but that’s what his mouth needs- it’s not like he’s going to die. We’re right there to swipe it out if he really can’t handle it. I suppose I just never thought mouth therapy!

He’s still not making consonant sounds or sucking on pacifiers, but he has found comfort in blankets or small stuffed animals. He has a hand sized plush rattle giraffe that a friend hand given to us when Cory was born. He takes it to bed. I know we’re not supposed to put anything in his bed, but he sleeps better sucking and it’s that or Jay’s- and Jay can’t fit in the crib. He also likes a stuffed lion. He likes the mane and tail. Not sure I’d put that one in the crib. Tails worry me. The giraffe is kind of paper doll shaped with giraffe prints and little ears and horns. Not a whole lot of dimension to it. Of course I can’t find anymore anywhere…so when this becomes THE lovey, I don’t know what will happen if something happens to IT.
Cory is almost halfway through is swimming lessons. He is just not moving like his should. Savanna is playing hardball and is bringing him down to 1 piece on the backpack only and making him work. But mostly he just treads, he won’t kick and pull with his arms. She did get him to put goggles on. Maybe when he does a group swim, he’ll do what the others are doing. I see others his age in the lap lanes using kickboards and putting their faces in the water. I can’t make him and forcing him would only be painful. He’s just going to do things when he’s ready.
Cory’s been going on fun adventures with Grandma to the zoo, aquarium, Thomas trains, little horses, and I’m sure he’ll have a great time this weekend with Lukas.
We’ve been doing the library program again this year. I don’t think we’ll get a lot of the trails done. Some are just too long and its’ too hot to do them. Cory and I whine a lot. Blake sleeps on Jay in the carrier. Maybe I’ll stop beating myself up over it and just stop doing the really long hard trails. I just have this thing about finishing all 30 and getting it done. Jay likes he has twice as many chances at prizes this year.

Cory’s current fascination is tractor combines. He likes Frank from Cars, and wanted a toy one. Grandma and Pah got him one this weekend. He’s been playing with it nonstop. He even wants it to come to bed. He watches YouTube to see what they do with the grain. He watches them in fields when we drive by. Of course he still asks where it’s mouth is and if it chases cars away from tractors…like the Tractor Tippin’ scene in Cars.

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So yeah, Blake is 6.5 months old, Cory is 4 years old now and a few things have happened. Cory’s 4 year check up went alright. The sucky part were the several shots two nurses jumped on him to administer. They remember things like that…and bring it up for days. The doctor didn’t listen wholeheartedly to my concerns of his crazy behaviors that sometimes leave me and him in tears. He did think less hand held games and tv would help. He also felt the need to address Cory and say ” Are we strong willed like our Mommy?” Whatever. He has gotten a bit better. Hes gotten more independent getting dressed and putting shoes on and cleaning up toys. Hes completely out of diapers now at bedtime which is great. But we still have bad whining screaming jumping out of control days where I just want to either leave and head for a spa  and lock him in his room. Otherwise hes a loving brother and I do see him growing up. He starts kindergarten next year for crying out loud.

Blake had his 6 month check up and I have noted some delays that I shared with the same doctor. He agreed and even though Blake is healthy, he has been referred to Early Intervention, which is free.  Most of what we see is him struggling to eat even his stage 1 foods and some of his bottles. Still struggling to sit up supported and was only rolling over one way. He has now rolled the other way, but he doesn’t always do it. I also shared he was spitting up a lot- a little several times after a meal and wheezing some still doing belly time and coughing. The doctor said he has reflex and prescribed Zantac. We’ve already seen some improvements and increased belly time, but he’s still spitting up some. He also isn’t transfering- moving one object from one had to the other.

Ms. Miller came out Tuesday afternoon to go over what she called the Family Interview or Intake Appointment. It was a lot of questions of demographics. She wanted to know his doctor visits, hospitalizations, immunizations, family members their employment status and level of education, how many books we had in the house- which I sort of smiled at and though in what room? She said she has to make sure that families have at least 20 books. She didn’t say it, but I’ve talk to families as a teacher with more DVDs and video games than books. We’re kind of the opposite. We might have 20 video games, but we have hundreds of books. She asked if there was any learning disabilities or impairments in the family. I told her quite plainly that our families are obnoxiously gifted.

Cory was alright, but he was a bit noisy. Ms. Miller had some sort of hearing device and I think she was frustrated, though calm and patient, while asking information. I think for Blake’s eval, I may find somewhere else for him to be. The eval is scheduled with Pentacle-I think, with a girl named Amanda that Ms. Miller hasn’t heard of before. I’m not so sure about noobs, but she said she was confident in that association’s reputation and ability to find me some answers.

Blake’s had a fever for most of the weekend, so it being close to 102, I decided to take him to the doctor. Dr. Dempsey said it was just a summer virus going around. He may have some diarrhea and will probably only last a few more days. That was good news to me. I am really tired of getting up in the middle of the night with this fever. Even though he upped his tylenol to 1.2ml, it only lasts so long before he’s fussy again. On top of all that and Cory’s swimming lessons, it had been a busy day!

His first private lesson this summer with Savanna- same girl he had last year- was rough. He wouldn’t do anything and just whined that he wanted to just swim. She was making him work and do strokes. Tuesday was better. He would stand and jump in. He would lean back in the water and practice moving his arms over head. She wants to get him out of that backpack and be down to a 1 or 2 of 4 pieces from now on.

Otherwise, Cory has been a dear entertaining brother. He will jump or run or squeal just to get Blake to laugh and have some attention. 5 more minutes for me is what I say! Attention is the game lately. The neighbor girls were over and entertained him most of the late morning into early afternoon. I brought out lemonade and snacks and then lunch. Their mom seemed embarrassed that I did that and felt her children were ill-mannered, but it’s how I grew up! We were always at someone’s house and  we had lunch there when we played. I finally got the backyard weeded!

So now we’re just looking forward to a vacation with Gail and Bryon and Lukas at  OC NJ the end of the month.

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Blake’s been keeping up with his lightly runny nose and coughing and wheezing. No fever. He’s eating and playing and seems fine as long as we pat his back and suck his nose and give him albuterol treatments. He’s really loving the rolling over from belly to back…but that doesn’t get him belly time!
Cory loves him and brings him toys and makes noises for him.


Cory’s birthday party is underway and he’s selected Mario and the theme.I’ve got some ideas for the kids such as a coin hunt and Yoshi egg pop with painted spots on balloons. Brittany is going to make Mario colored mushroom cupcakes. Otherwise it’ll be pizza and outdoor visiting in our backyard with friends, family and neighbors and we truly asked them all not to bring presents.

Blake’s schedule bounces all over, but he’s eating and getting a good total amount of sleep even if it’s scattered. He’s not the best cereal eater, but he’s getting better.

Cory and I worked on a color project called Chromatography where really that sounds super mom, but it was coffee filters, markers, and water. It showed him that markers are made from different colors like other things. He already knows the colors, so it was something of a next step that we did like a science experiment. He’s also moved past his refrigerator magnet letters to magnet words. He has memorized a lot of stories, so I don’t know if Cory is really reading along with Jay or just has memorized the words. Regarless, a lot of beginning reading is memorizing sight words- good for him. He’s still a tantrum mess some days, and I can’t wait for summer to start to take some grad classes and go places with my boys in the afternoon. His play has gotten quiet imaginative. I can’t even always keep up…even if he lets me. He’s got rules. I”m not totally sure what Einstein and the Serpent Pirate Master were doing here with all the sea creatures.

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