I've been meaning to come here and type away for some time. Since I've got the kids, it seems like there is always something else more important to do than write to myself (and the 8 or 9 people that may or may not read this). I haven't updated since school started a month ago.
First grade for Bailey has been a pretty big success. Her reading has gotten a lot better and in just about every way, she is growing up way too fast. She's already far outshot her six years on earth. She's so thoughtful and brainy about complex emotional things. Lori loves when she's "on" and they can basically have an adult conversation. She makes up songs constantly and a lotof times, they are about things that a six year old shouldn't have to even worry about. But, not only is she worrying about it - she's dealing with it in a way that 95% of the planet would like to be able to. I hope she's able to hold on to that.
She's had a lot to deal with lately. Dalton is having a hard time of it these days. He went through a growth spurt and outgrew his medicine. We took him to the doctor and we decided to make a big change in his medication. We don't feel like he's getting a good night sleep. I crack the door open and he immediately sits up (or he's already up). Also, he's getting a lot of anxiety in the afternoon and getting in to trouble at the end of the day. So, more medication in the morning and we're ending what he got at night.
A week later and I feel like we've been through a war with a really strong munchkin. He's angry and he's not afraid to show it. We have to wait a certain amout of time to see how the new medication takes and let his body get out the old stuff (and it was pretty powerful stuff). In the meantime, Lori and I both feel like, at the moment, that it isn't working. We've alerted everybody at school. He has NO impulse control. That's been confirmed by his occupational therapist, teacher, music teacher, gym teacher, day care counselor, grandma, grandpa, and all of us here. If he has a thought in his head, he's going to blurt it out no matter what is going on around him. If he wants something, he's going to go get it no matter what's going on around him. For the first time, he's started tuning us out when we talk to him. Before, we would think he wasn't listening and he would repeat back the last 50 words perfectly. Now, he can't listen and look away at the same time. He talks constantly at school. He forgets his homework, library books. His grades are suffering because of it. He'd be getting all A's if he'd just bring his homework home from school.
The hard part is that he gets angry at the drop of a hat and in the wrong situation, he throws a grand fit. The other night I had every piece of clothing thrown at me. He loves to destroy his room and throw things. He knows he's not supposed to and he doesn't care. He gets everything taken away and he doesn't care. He used to care the next day......not so much anymore. It's hard to punish or reward when there is nothing monetary that he cares about. He wants to try so hard when he's in a good mood. But, when he's not, he could give a flip about trying. I want so bad for him to not have to worry and be angry. It seems that's all he is lately.
We've got a couple of doctors appointments set up to re-evaluate everything. Hopefully it all goes well. In the meantime, tomorrow I become the parent of a "Cheer/Tumble" girl. We've decided not to hold Bailey back because of our stuggles with Dalton. We signed up today for Powerhouse Cheer and fitness. She starts tomorrow and she's about as excited as a girl on Christmas morning. She's in a level 1 class. To graduate to level 2, she has to know how to do a cartwheel, roundoff, and back bend. She learned the cartwheel a couple of weeks ago and has gotten so good and them it's scary. She learned a round off on her own and is a day or so away from perfecting that. It seems like she learned the back bend in the last 2 hours since she knows she needs that to start doing backflips in the level 2 class. I'm very excited for her and I hope she enjoys it as much as she wants to. We signed up for a month. If it goes well, I'm sure I'll be giving this place $50 a month for the next 12 years.
Other than that, we're looking forward to the Ren Fest coming up in October. Halloween is just right around the corner. We haven't purchased our outfits yet, but I think we all know what theme we're going for. I've never cared about it before, but I'm looking forward to Daylight Savings Time ending more than I ever have. The earlier it gets darker, the easier it is for my kids to go to bed. :)
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