Kindergarten in TWO WEEKS!!!!

So t starts kindergarten soon. I cant believe it! Hes grown so quick. I realized that after I stopped doing his occupational therapy regularly he started to act up more so back to doing that again. Not sure why I thought he would do ok without it. But we are getting back on track. Hes super excited for school and I cant wait to volunteer for his school too.

Brayden is a whopping 16lbs 15oz now. Hes starting to try and crawl and is much more active now. Signing him up for early headstart. Cant wait for him to get into that.

I am on my third week of my psychology class. I love it! The online thing is a little nerve racking but I am managing. Cant wait to be done with school and starting my career as a family advocate.

Overall we are doing good. Just going to school and hanging out with my boys. Hope everyone is doing well in their world. much love from the 3 of us. :)

It's been a while...

So I have to figure out how to get back to my blog online. Since my university of Phoenix uses google it thinks I'm trying to make a new blog haha. Once I figure that out I'll update it. I really need to post. Got lots to talk about <3 you all!

Parenting a Sensitive Child...

So here are some things that I am doing for my boy. I love his counselor. His Occupational Therapist is amazing too. Shes given me TONS of ideas to help him. I have done so much research on helping him become less sensitive and let me tell you it is a FULL TIME JOB! On top of all his emotional stuff hes got this other stuff and i feel bad for him but things are getting better. Here are some of the things we are doing now.

The surgical scrub brush is used as a calming technique. He really likes it. He doesnt like to use it in front of people because hes scared they wont understand but hopefully he will get to the point where it doesnt bother him.

The weighted lap mat is also a calming technique and helps with his seeking sensory dysfunction. I have noticed a big change in how often he runs into people for impact now that he has one of these to give him the pressure and weight he needs.

The Rice sensory bin is used as another calming technique and it has cars, marbles, and beads in it. The beads have pipe cleaners he can string them on to help with fine motor skills and every now and then he picks the marbles out with his eyes closed.

The Bean sensory bin has the same purpose as the rice bin but the beans are heavier so he likes to make them rain over his hands for that seeking sensory thing.

Helping mom cook helps desensitize him. It shows him its ok to get messy while cooking. He loves to stir but if he has to touch the butter he freaks.

This is his birds nest. We are relating angry birds to his anger and its really helping. He now tells me when he is feeling angry and that he would like to go sit in his bird nest. He has his rice bags and his bins there as well as the angry bird cool down techniques we practice and a box with books, crayons, paper, and coloring books in it to help him calm down. :)

And lastly we are making a visual schedule since he is always needing extra time to transition. This shows him what to expect for his day. He is so excited to start using it. 

This cookie sheet is our new project from his OT. I am supposed to have him do two activities he doesnt like to do (i.e. clipping nails, practice writing, washing hands, fine motor skills, etc.) for a certain amount of time and then the 3rd thing is something likes to do (i.e. coloring, playing the wii, and other things he loves doing).

All in all things are going well for my little man and we are getting along much better now that we know how to help him. He is really taking everything from counseling and the OT seriously and I couldnt be more proud of him. There are some things going on at dads but those will be dealt with very soon. Love you all! 

What a day!

Today has been amazing. Tristan has been so well behaved and doing so good calming himself down. Im so proud of him. Hes taking what we work on in counseling and really doing well with it. He had his parent teacher conference today and hes improved so much since January! All that hard work we do is really paying off. :) He also woke up dry today! Im so proud of him for that because he usually doesnt care when he wears a pull up. Hes going to get a treat after dinner for all the good things hes done today. :) Hopefully he can keep up the good work. I am finally making progress in counseling and starting next week, we start diving into where all my resentment and anger comes into play...er really where I believe it stems from.

All around we are doing well in this house today. Hope everyone else had a great day! :) <3 you all.

SPD?

So ts counselor and I suspected some sensory processing stuff with him. So she recommended we go see an occupational therapist to get a sensory profile. Although she has not diagnosed him with this she does think he has some sensory things to work on. Enough to have him go in every week. For those of you who dont know what SPD is Here is a quick overview.

Sensory processing (sometimes called "sensory integration" or SI) is a term that refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into appropriate motor and behavioral responses. Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD, formerly known as "sensory integration dysfunction") is a condition that exists when sensory signals don't get organized into appropriate responses. Pioneering occupational therapist and neuroscientist A. Jean Ayres, PhD, likened SPD to a neurological "traffic jam" that prevents certain parts of the brain from receiving the information needed to interpret sensory information correctly. A person with SPD finds it difficult to process and act upon information received through the senses, which creates challenges in performing countless everyday tasks. Motor clumsiness, behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, school failure, and other impacts may result if the disorder is not treated effectively. Symptoms of Sensory Processing Disorder, like those of most disorders, occur within a broad spectrum of severity. While most of us have occasional difficulties processing sensory information, for children and adults with SPD, these difficulties are chronic, and they disrupt everyday life.

Thats an overview of it. This next part is where I see A LOT of tristan.

 Children with Sensory Processing Disorder often have problems with motor skills and other abilities needed for school success and childhood accomplishments. As a result, they often become socially isolated and suffer from low self-esteem and other social/emotional issues. These difficulties put children with SPD at high risk for many emotional, social, and educational problems, including the inability to make friends or be a part of a group, poor self-concept, academic failure, and being labeled clumsy, uncooperative, belligerent, disruptive, or "out of control." Anxiety, depression, aggression, or other behavior problems can follow. Parents may be blamed for their children's behavior by people who are unaware of the child's "hidden handicap."

The part in bold is where I see him. He has so many emotional issues that it really explains it. SO my goal is to pinpoint the triggers and help prevent them as well as providing him with sensory friendly activities. She said after about 4 or 5 weeks she will have some take home tools for us.

As I have said time and time before I dont want there to be something wrong with him but my instinct is telling me there is something more and has been since he was a baby. I feel relieved that someone is finally listening to everything I am saying and we are finally getting some answers. I feel a little bummed because no one wants to hear things arnt working right in their kids. But I am glad I am finally getting the tools I need to help him and that its not just me being a 'bad parent'. Hes a great kid and so smart and funny and sweet but there are things that make him more emotional. She told us today that it looks like he has problems in the Tactile sensory area, sensory seeking, and audible. The other areas there are a few things that he is super sensitive to but not as much as these three. Our first goal is to help with the noises and his hyperfocusing so he can seem like he is actually paying attention to us. All I can say is counseling is really starting to pay off, and I am so happy I kept him in it and didnt let people get to me. Like his doctor said, "It doesnt make you a bad parent, it just means that you need extra tools to deal with a different type of child."

Its been a while...

Well it has been forever since I have actually blogged. There is lots going on in our crazy little life. Lets start with me.

So I moved in with my sister and brother in law in february. Its going pretty good and we all get along so it works. I love my new apartment and I love that its so close to town now. I had Brayden Anderson in March and hes just an amazing addition to our little family. I am still in counseling and since I have switched I feel amazing. I really like this new counselor, he is really helping me see things a bit more clearly or i should say helping me realize that I already have seen these things and know exactly what I need to do to move forward. The weather is definitely affecting my mood and I still have times when I am down but im working on it and couldnt be happier with everything in my life right now. :)

Tristan is doing great! He starts kindergarten in the fall and is doing amazing at learning everything he has to for the next grade. He loves his new little brother. Hes so sweet to him. He is still in counseling as well and is doing great. We switched his and she is a much better fit for him. He is learning that its not all about him and I think having Brayden around is helping with that as well. He seems to be having some sensory stuff going on so I am having a sensory profile done with an occupational therapist. As a mom I feel like there is more there than the typical 5 year old stuff, but all of it could be attributed to all the change in his life as well and the fact that he has a dad that is kinda flakey. He really likes counseling and I get a lot from his sessions on new ways to help with his "big feelings". He had an art show today and was so proud of himself. Im so proud of him and all the hard work he does with school, speech therapy, and with his counselor. Hes an amazing little boy thats for sure.

So, Brayden was born March 13, 2012. He weighed 6lbs 1 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long. He had some trouble eating for the first few days but hes doing great now. He weighs 8 lbs and 15 oz now and is 20 3/4 inches long. Hes already holding his head up and is starting to sleep through the night. hes a good baby but is a little tougher than tristan was. He is more cuddly than tristan was and seems to always want to be held. T wasnt like that so its new to me. The doctor asked me if he was an easy, normal, or hard baby and i had to say normal because t was so easy.

Hope everyone is doing well. <3 you all!