October 11, 2011

It has been a very productive day... for a rainy day anyways.

We visited our daughter's new school this morning and decided to go ahead and enroll her.  We are not happy with her school that she has been attending, so today was a great chance to see that not all classes are run that way.  I really hope we made the right choice in sending her there and that she will reach her full potential.  She will start attending as of Monday.  She was pretty excited about it. 

I have noticed that she is spacing out a lot the last two days.  I wonder where she goes when she gets lost in her thoughts.  When I ask her about it she always says she is thinking of happy things.. .Like playing, biking, or something fun.  Last night she took a really long shower... Momma K was home with the kids while I was at work and she didn't check in to see why she was in there for so long.. It ended up being about an HOUR!  So we had a long talk and the consequence was to use some of her chore money to help pay for the wasted water... She used to do this all the time and then stopped... and now last night it was repeat behavior.  She said she was singing.  Somehow she can't seem to realize that she CAN do two things at once.. Sing and shower.  lol.  Lord have mercy when she is a teenager!

She wasn't struggling to fall asleep which was odd according to her therapist.  Well, the last two nights she really has had a hard time falling asleep.  She just lays in there quietly but is very awake.  We will see if that keeps happening. 

We have her doctor's appointment next week and I hope he will let us try some meds.   I would really like to see if that will make a difference.  To illustrate my point...she recently brought home a packet of papers that she had done in class.  They were from several different days. 

Some of the days she had 100% marks, or maybe missed one or two questions.. Other days she would get 2/6 or 4/12 right... It is similar work, so I know it isn't because she can't do the work.. It is because on those days her brain isn't "there".

The therapist mentioned something last time that made my heart sad... It could be less the ADHD-I and more a pre-natal substance abuse issue.  Either way, I hate to see her struggle.  I have to keep fighting myself to remember that she can't help this... Sometimes she is so SPOT on and responsive and responsible... and sometimes she is none of those things.  So, it is very hard to keep a disability perspective and think that she CAN'T control this... But at the same time still expect great things from her and give her consequences (as per her therapist) when she does not do the right things... teacher her accountability.  So it is really hard to not get frustrated when giving her timeouts for not doing the right thing... when maybe she can't help doing the wrong things?!?!  It's a very gray area that makes me crazy :)

We have open house for our son tonight.  I already know everyone is going to say they love him... They tell us that all the time.  He s doing great... Getting a little sassy, but I think he is learning that that isn't acceptable.  We taught him the sign for respect and rude... and he really "gets" their meanings...

Both of our kids are awesome. They are so alike and so DIFFERENT.. They are something special! :)