Showing posts with label Broadway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Broadway. Show all posts

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Moving Daze and Issues of the Heart

So I mentioned briefly before that we were moving. Since mentioning it, time has moved in warp speed for us, and here we are in our new (much larger) rental house.



 I love that Broadway now has a real bed room instead of a converted dining room. I love that it has 2 full baths. I love the big, airy kitchen, but most of all, I LOVE our new PLAYROOM!



All the girl's toys are down in the playroom, and there is still plenty of room to run and do cartwheels! It's perfect for those days that are too cold, too hot or too wet. It even has a door and I'm considering installing a lock... on the outside of it... And for the days that aren't too hot or cold and happen to be just right (and we have a LOT of those here in Virginia), there is a lovely back yard.


It's a great place to hang out with friends.



Or give someone a nice back-scratch.

We kept our strawberry plants from last year (yes - they survived my "care"), and we have a number of berries ripening quite nicely.


The back yard also has mature pear trees! Of course I had to Google "Harvesting pears" because I know very little about growing this fruit, and I have learned that they should be picked before they are ripe - around mid-October in our area - and then put in cold storage for a couple weeks to ripen. Who knew? A-pear-antly if they ripen on the tree they get mushy on the inside. Ewww, right? Well - I suppose this means our refrigerator will be filled with pears this fall. (Avalanche!) Luckily, we all love pears!


If just 1/4 of those suckers make it until harvest, we'll be up to our ears in pears!





Iraq takes flight in the new yard.

As for me... well... I'd love to tell you that I'm just fine. I'm quite happy (see "new house"), but there are a few little things going on with me physically that we're still trying to pinpoint. Last year I had some issues with my heart and unfortunately I seem to be having some issues now. I had some pains in my neck, jaw and left arm the Friday evening before Mother's Day and did a "sleep-over" at the hospital while some tests were run. My iron was low (I seem to have chronic anemia - but I've known about that for a number of years... because it's chronic... ), low vitamin D and my potassium was very low which they believed may have caused some of the trouble. A bunch of other seemingly-unrelated problems were identified in the blood work too. I also have had chronic hypertension for the last 7 years which doesn't help. Now I'm going through a series of medical tests to see if there might be an underlying endocrine issue.

I am generally very careful with my diet and there is no reason that I should be low on any vitamins, minerals or other nutrients. At the request of my doctor I have been taking large doses of iron supplements already... and it's still low? Do I need to start swallowing horse shoes or something? And at what point do I need to worry if I'll start rusting in the shower?






So at this point in the game I'm just hoping they find *something* so I can treat it and move on! I have an entire medicine cabinet of pills I take for all my symptoms - it's no wonder I'm not hungry for breakfast right away - LOL. I figure if we can find the root cause, I can start treating that instead of taking a pill for each of the annoying symptoms. Wish me luck!


In the mean time, the girls are loving the new house. Iraq has had some transition issues - no surprise there. She has Aspergers. She has issues transferring from playtime to lunch time, let alone making a switch from one house to another. Needless to say, she's having some sleep problems and has "lifted" a few small objects belonging to other children at school. Yay... the kleptomania is back... *groan*  Hopefully once life settles down again, so will she. The ADHD meds are still making a BIG difference, but the Aspie behaviors are still present. Just easier to handle without the daily meltdowns and tantrums.

The Skink is as sweet and easygoing as ever. First night in the new house and she was asleep within 3 minutes of being put to bed. The one annoying thing she has been doing lately is screaming if she is angry or doesn't get what she wants. Gee... wonder where she could have learned that? As with Iraq, we don't give in to The Skink's screaming either. I think she just thinks it's the socially acceptable way to express one's distaste for something on our house *insert eye roll here*  We'll be working on that right alongside potty-training. (and a fun time was had by all)



Broadway is healthy and doing well. His grades have been up and down... his teachers say he gets distracted very easily. Well, duh! Funny thing about ADHD, huh? But we're working through that too :o)


That's all I got for now. Hope everyone in blogland is having a great day!



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Sunday, May 1, 2011

Campinig With Kids - Jellystone Park at Natural Bridge

On Thursday we packed up and left for Jellystone Park at Natural Bridge. We have been itching to try out our new-to-us pop-up camper, but we've had some reservations about camping with Iraq and The Skink. Dealing with Down syndrome and autism at home is one thing, but managing them at a campground... is another.

We had a BLAST!

Yup - all of us. We knew Broadway would love it, but Iraq was the one who ended up being the hardest to get into the car for the ride home. Sure, we had our hands full keeping up with The Skink, but then... we always have our hands full keeping up with her energy and fun-loving spirit.

We ended up having rather brisk weather this weekend. The air smelled like fresh, damp cedar mixed with undertones of smoke from the campfires. Iraq, The Skink, Brandy Ann and I went down to the playground while the guys set up our camper. It didn't take them long at all, and then we set about finding kindling.



You know? Food just tastes better when cooked over a campfire and eaten at a graying, wood picnic table under trees covered in new spring leaves!


After dinner we had some drinks and played some cards (and made stuff out of Play-Doh).


On Saturday we headed over to see the Natural Bridge. It's pretty amazing in person and quite beautiful. Walking up the path, one's ears are filled with the sound of rushing water. Small waterfalls trickle down the rock walls on either side. The roots of old trees wrap around the rocks. Midway up the path, a replica of a Native American settlement greets visitors with the sights and smells of yesteryear.


We took Brandy Ann along to help out with the kids. She earned her place, both helping me with The Skink while in the large gift shop, and soothing Iraq's rattled nerves when she became overstimulated from all the new sensory input along the path. (Yes - Iraq's medication is making a huge difference with her meltdowns, but she does still have major sensory issues. Her reaction to becoming overstimulated is just different now, and far easier for us to handle.) We even took Brandy into the cafe and she sat just as politely as you please as we ate our lunch. No begging, no wandering, nothing but exemplary behavior and only minimal drooling (hey - she could smell the food, and it smelled good!).
No - that's not drool. Brandy got to enjoy her own taste of nature along the path!

One of the best things about Jellystone Park was the number of other children there. Iraq found herself a large pack of children when ever she went to play or collect caterpillars (ewww).


We spent even more time around the campfire on Saturday evening, knowing the dawn of Sunday morning meant packing up to leave.



If you want to see more pictures from our adventure, please enjoy the slide show below!



We are already planning our next camping trip, and there is a high likelihood we will be returning to Jellystone park quite soon!



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Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Caught Somewhere Between Boy and Man

Thursday, March 17th marks Broadway's 16th birthday. Really, I can hardly believe it. I'm very proud of just how far my oldest has come.

As far as driving... we're not really sure if we're ready for that. Don't get me wrong... Broadway is a great kid! I just worry because we still have days where he forgets to take his ADHD medication. When he's on his medication, he's a smart, easy-going and popular guy.

When he's not on his medication he turns into the Tasmanian Devil - a whirling dervish unlike anything most people have ever seen. He is impulsive, temperamental, excitable and can't hold still even for a second. If he must hold still, he will drum his fingers... all his fingers... swing his legs and bounce up and down.

Now imagine that behind the wheel of a car.

And wasn't it just yesterday he was a 4 lb. 12 oz. baby coming home from the hospital wearing "Newborn" size clothing? His little legs didn't even reach the leg holes in the sleeper! (It was before the time that "Preemie" clothes were sold at WalMart.)

When did this:


turn into this?:


(No... don't worry. He can't be duplicated!)

And for all he's grown up and matured, he still has those sweet moments (don't tell him I posted this!) like the one I caught this last weekend:


Yes. That's my just-about-to-be-16-year-old-boy-man playing some sort of war game on our Wii with a real Kevlar Army helmet on his head and a happy kitty in his lap. (Perhaps the helmet is just in case he falls off the couch from distraction?)

No... When he says he wants to go get his driving permit, we won't say "no," but that doesn't mean I'm fully ready to unleash him upon the unsuspecting public in a 1,500 lb. gas-powered missile. (Although I suppose he could wear his Kevlar helmet... just in case... )

I guess that part of being a mother is knowing that no-matter how old your child is, when it comes to letting them get behind the wheel for the first time, you can't help but to see them like this:





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Sunday, March 13, 2011

St. Patrick's Day Parade

The biggest parade in our town is the annual St. Patrick's Day parade. It's rather nice since St. Patrick's day is Broadway's birthday. It's very hard for me to believe that on this St. Patrick's Day, we will celebrate Broadway's 16th birthday. I suppose this means that in order to hide my real age, I'll either have to start telling people he's my little brother or let them wonder if I was 14 when I had him.

Yesterday could not have been more beautiful. The temperature was in the upper 60's and there was not a cloud in the sky. The only negative was that Iraq has awakened in the morning with an ear ache. We initially planned on having daddy take her to the doctor while I took The Skink to the parade, but Iraq was adamant that she did NOT want to go to the doctor and that her ear was fine. After much cajoling, we managed to get some Tylenol in to her. As with many children in the autism spectrum, Iraq is very limited in the things she will swallow. Often getting her to take medication can involve both parents and duct tape a lot of patience.

We parked a block away from the parade rout and found a nice spot to watch from. The Skink had a lovely time running around in an empty parking lot prior to the start of the parade.


For some unknown reason, The Skink has an irrational fear of bagpipes. Now, I've looked it up, and there is no dedicated term for a fear of bagpipes. The closest things I can find are Ancraophobia - the fear of wind and Aulophobia - the fear of flutes. So we'll just have to come up with our own hybrid and call it Aulancraphobia. Rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it? I should mention that there are some rather unique and hilarious unfortunate phobias out there, like Cenophobia - the fear of ideas. That particular phobia would be a horrible thing for a creative person. "Ahhhhh... I just had an idea! Make it go away! Oh no! There's another one! They're chasing me!"
You can See A List Of Phobias Here.
OK - so getting back on my train of thought before it leaves the station... I suppose a St. Patrick's Day parade might not be the best event to take a person with Aulancraphobia. The Skink panicked when this first group came by:


The panic subsided as soon as they passed. She and Iraq loved seeing the Wright Kids - the local group who made it on to the television show America's Got Talent last season.


And we all thought the Roller-Derby team was fun! No... I'm not considering joining the team. Those ladies could eat me for lunch!


Throughout the parade, I had the best view of all:


Right up until it turned into a wild, flailing creature at the sight of the next group of bagpipes! Aulancraphobia!


Then the evil Scottish torture devices were gone and the Dalmatians replaced them. Apparently the barking was way easier to take than the elongated honky-whining of the bagpipes.


The really loud motorcycles didn't phase The Skink a bit!


And then we could see Broadway's group approaching!


And then we saw Broadway! He's the second from the left in this picture:




The girls waved and yelled - behavior sure to make any almost-16-year-old blush, but like any good military man, he didn't flinch or even look at us.


The Corvette Club had their cars gleaming in the sunlight. I like Corvettes... it would just be hard to fit a family of 5 into one. Oh well... maybe when I'm older (and so are my kids).


After the parade it was time for lunch. Strangely, Iraq who hasn't taken a nap in years fell asleep on the couch after taking only a bite or two of her lunch. When she woke up later, she said her ear was still hurting.

Though we had planned on taking her to the doctor on Sunday (yes - are pediatricians have weekend hours for sick kids) I was worried we weren't going to make it through the night. I remember having ear infections as a child. I remember the horrible pain... and the idea of going to be only to be awakened by a child crying in pain at 2:00 a.m. sends shivers down my spine. (My own mild case of Odynephobia - fear of pain.)

At about 5:30 in the evening I put Iraq into the car (no - she still didn't want to go.  Iatrophobia - fear of doctors and Aichmophobia - fear of needles) but told her we could get a treat afterward if she came with me. Good thing we went to the ER. Turns out poor Iraq had such a bad ear infection her ear drum ruptured. Just a small hole, but still... eeewwwww!

No - I didn't take any pictures of our hospital adventure. It may have been the first time Iraq was NOT in the mood to have pictures taken. We left with a prescription for some bubble-gum flavored medicine and a strict warning from the doctor that if Iraq refused to take her medicine, she would have to be brought back in to confront her Aichmophobia head-on.

So - I think we've had enough adventures for one weekend and today I'm staying at home with my girls while the boys enjoy an electronics expo at the Civic Center. Yay. I just hope they don't get carried away... I have Peniaphobia... the fear of being poor (following an electronics expo).

With that, I'm wishing you all a great weekend, and hopping you never develop a case of Geliophobia - the fear of laughing. Truly, that might be the most devastating of all phobias (in my humble opinion).

 
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Monday, February 14, 2011

Weekend Getaway!


That's right, folks! Just when you're getting tired of winter, what could be more fun than an indoor water park in February?

On Thursday we put the kids in the car as soon as they got home from school and drove down to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. We do have friends down in the area, but as a number of family members have just been recovering from the flu, we decided against sharing our germs with people we actually like.


I tried to get some pictures of the water park, but...


The lens fogged up in the humidity :(


The suite was beautiful! Two large bed rooms, a full kitchen and living area and an ocean view too! Just the kind of place that makes you want to lick your plate...


 and find all kinds of neat, new hiding places, like this one:

 And this one:
And this one:
And this one:




And this one, again:

When you're on vacation it is like an unwritten rule that you should try new food combinations!




And it is absolutely mandatory to sleep late at least one morning.


And when you are awake and in your suite, don't forget to enjoy the view!


Aside from a couple of us fighting post-flu sinus infections, we all had a wonderful time! We all spent hours in the water. Iraq rode the huge water slides at least a hundred times, Broadway found other teens to play water basketball with, and The Skink loved trying to swim with Mommy or Daddy supporting her under her chest. In short, none of us wanted to leave, but the kids had to be back in school on Monday.

Speaking of school, The Skink must be paying attention. The other day I gave her a pencil and some paper to keep her busy, and she wrote this:


While to some it may look like some scribbles on a piece of paper, Mommy can tell you that she WROTE HER NAME! Yup - totally bustin' with pride here!

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