Today was OT again. James' new goal is thirty minutes of continuous play on the obstacle course to increase endurance. He lasted 5 minutes. He was COMPLETELY winded. Done. He is so weak in his upper body, arms and hands that he is FAR behind his twin in this area.
Missy continues to blow through all the goals.
This is really surprising to me. She's the one who can swim best, ski best, jump the highest, etc... but I thought it had to do with her mindset and his total fear of everything. Intellectually he seems more on top of things, but apparently, according to the therapists she has WAY fewer struggles physically and does not have so many UN-integrated reflexes. That is a real surprise to me because we've always been told otherwise, but she is proving quite strong and determined.
My sister's kids are here. Today they were riding mountain bikes and doing jumps. Missy joined them... Let's just say she came out a little damaged and learned that 15 year old style of bike riding is seriously beyond what she should be attempting. :-)
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Gardening Season
is here. We are busy. I have, as usual, many tomato plants. More than ever, really. We are trying new things in the garden and increasing our plantings by quite a bit. We ordered a new greenhouse, but it won't arrive until the middle of May. It took us too long to decide on which one we wanted, apparently so our limited space has been a real challenge.
My nephews are living with us for awhile so we turned the laundry room into a bedroom with bunk beds.
The twins are doing fairly well. I went to Texas for about a week and it was a rough re-entry with James. And a very, very hard reality to be faced with for me. He usually does well, but when he loses it he can be physical and I usually take the brunt of his crazies. He got in a good punch to my face... but He's not strong or big yet and thankfully on the fearful side yet, so if he threatens me with a stick I will usually use it for my protection once I get it away from him. Either that or I grab the broom and just hold it. No need to use it. Just hold it as a sign that he can't try anything. But it certainly feels like a hostage situation. He zeros in on me and I can't get away without paying the price of a dent to my car or damage to the house. Thankfully, this is not often. I recorded the last tantrum and showed it to him many hours later. He couldn't bare watching it. It upset him and he cried like a baby and was remorseful. Our quest is to avoid going there in the first place.
The kids are both doing well in therapy. MIssy is especially making strides. Her core strength and abilities are improving very impressively. James needs it for sure. I think he is being helped by it, but it is not so obvious. I take them every time there is a cancellation call, so they get to go about 3 times a week. It's rather disruptive to school, but at this point this is more important.
I learned some concerning things about what is being promoted and taught in Missy's Montessori. It is upsetting enough that one Christian teacher is leaving... (so the gossip goes and I don't have a backup on that.). I have had no issue with Missy's teacher. She's a very sweet gal with an unusual ability to deal with kiddos. I like her a lot, but it is a small school growing too fast (in my maybe not so humble opinion.) And perhaps the number of kids is not conducive to having a special needs kiddo with some behavior issues?? But more importantly, I am really bothered by the New Age-y feel the owner seems to lean towards and seems to be growing stronger in. I haven't spent a lot of time there, and Steve hasn't been there much at all, but he's had this sense that it isn't exactly what we were hoping for. And so...... Oh dear. I don't even know what to write about the turmoil we are in thinking about next year and what we should do....
We had Missy's class here for a picnic on Friday. The balsamroot, lupine and phlox are in full bloom and the kids call our hill Sunflower Heaven. We live on Flowery Divide... the blossoms are incredible. We had the kids collect the eggs and enjoy the chicks and I had them each transplant a tomato seedling and take it home. It was a good field trip for Missy to "host" for her "friends". Poor kiddo doesn't actually seem to be friends with any of them. Same for James at his school.
My kiddos think they are on vacation or something, so I best get off this computer before the behaviors get out of hand. Besides, the tomato plants are calling!
here's a link to the youtube advertisement Brianna made for me: Drakie is our star! Be sure to watch it on HD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4I6qoYcQKY&feature=share
My nephews are living with us for awhile so we turned the laundry room into a bedroom with bunk beds.
The twins are doing fairly well. I went to Texas for about a week and it was a rough re-entry with James. And a very, very hard reality to be faced with for me. He usually does well, but when he loses it he can be physical and I usually take the brunt of his crazies. He got in a good punch to my face... but He's not strong or big yet and thankfully on the fearful side yet, so if he threatens me with a stick I will usually use it for my protection once I get it away from him. Either that or I grab the broom and just hold it. No need to use it. Just hold it as a sign that he can't try anything. But it certainly feels like a hostage situation. He zeros in on me and I can't get away without paying the price of a dent to my car or damage to the house. Thankfully, this is not often. I recorded the last tantrum and showed it to him many hours later. He couldn't bare watching it. It upset him and he cried like a baby and was remorseful. Our quest is to avoid going there in the first place.
The kids are both doing well in therapy. MIssy is especially making strides. Her core strength and abilities are improving very impressively. James needs it for sure. I think he is being helped by it, but it is not so obvious. I take them every time there is a cancellation call, so they get to go about 3 times a week. It's rather disruptive to school, but at this point this is more important.
I learned some concerning things about what is being promoted and taught in Missy's Montessori. It is upsetting enough that one Christian teacher is leaving... (so the gossip goes and I don't have a backup on that.). I have had no issue with Missy's teacher. She's a very sweet gal with an unusual ability to deal with kiddos. I like her a lot, but it is a small school growing too fast (in my maybe not so humble opinion.) And perhaps the number of kids is not conducive to having a special needs kiddo with some behavior issues?? But more importantly, I am really bothered by the New Age-y feel the owner seems to lean towards and seems to be growing stronger in. I haven't spent a lot of time there, and Steve hasn't been there much at all, but he's had this sense that it isn't exactly what we were hoping for. And so...... Oh dear. I don't even know what to write about the turmoil we are in thinking about next year and what we should do....
We had Missy's class here for a picnic on Friday. The balsamroot, lupine and phlox are in full bloom and the kids call our hill Sunflower Heaven. We live on Flowery Divide... the blossoms are incredible. We had the kids collect the eggs and enjoy the chicks and I had them each transplant a tomato seedling and take it home. It was a good field trip for Missy to "host" for her "friends". Poor kiddo doesn't actually seem to be friends with any of them. Same for James at his school.
My kiddos think they are on vacation or something, so I best get off this computer before the behaviors get out of hand. Besides, the tomato plants are calling!
here's a link to the youtube advertisement Brianna made for me: Drakie is our star! Be sure to watch it on HD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4I6qoYcQKY&feature=share