It gets easier…… Right?

Lets start with yesterday. . . . . .  It was a tough day from the start. We woke up late, Jasmyn had a meltdown over what she was going to wear (she wanted to wear a winter sweater and long pants with a dress) and then I was so busy watching her walking across the street I hit our mail box. I was able to clean it up and now you can barely see the mark but for only having the car three months its just not cool. But I was able to  upgrade my iPhone 4 (yes that dinosaur) and get the new Samsung Galaxy S4. I am still getting use to the new phone but am so happy with the purchase.

Another very tough day today. Since tomorrow is the last day of school for Jasmyn we went out to get her teacher a gift. I have to say that sometimes E V E R Y T I M E we go out to the store it is challenging. I made it very clear to Jasmyn that we were going to the store specifically to get the gift in hopes that she would understand that she wasn’t going to walk out of there with anything for her. Jasmyn has a thing for asking for something at every single store we go to. My efforts were useless as she got angry ALOT during this trip to the store. I am really trying hard to stay calm but sometimes that overwhelming feeling starts to creep up and before I know it, I’m completely angry and it all goes down hill from there.

I wanted to do something special for her teacher because out of all the chaos this year, I think she was one of the only ones who truly saw the challenges that I am faced with on a daily   hourly  constant basis. She is just the full time substitute filling in for the regular teacher who went on maternity. She handled this whole thing well. She was open and honest with me. She saw that Jasmyn’s only challenge is not just “She can’t focus” like the other administrators/faculty at that school seem to think. I appreciated her efforts in trying to help Jasmyn cope with everyday situations. I can only hope that next year we are blessed with a teacher just as loving and understanding.

We are trying to adjust to life with challenges. I know its difficult for everyone involved and I am trying really really hard to stay positive. But when the week has been nothing but really tough “bad” days, its hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

 I swear Honey Bun can sense when her Sissy is having a tough day ❤

It was Hat Day at School today. . . . 

(again with a sweater but I couldn’t battle her this time)

Acceptance and Understanding

I have had a few days now to soak up the psychological evaluation we had done. I am going to say that I have come to accept the term “special need” but what I am going to try and do is not let Jasmyn’s challenges define who she is. Inside there is a sweet, very loving, very smart little girl.

Today was going so good. The morning started off with its normal challenges but nothing over the top or to difficult to handle. I’ve started to let Jasmyn walk “by herself” to the bus stop. (And by “by herself” I mean I let her get a little bit of a head start and as soon as she is out of sight I get in the car and follow behind her) This seems to start her day off in the right direction.

Daniel was sweet enough to come and pick up the dog and take her out for some play time at the dog park (see a short clip at the end). Its always so nice when she gets to go out to the dog park with her daddy and relieve some energy before we all get home. Honey Bun has been with us now for a year and her and Jasmyn have developed the sweetest relationship. I think Bunny gets the deal and is really good at responding to Jasmyn. They really are best friends.

I got a heart breaking but much appreciated email from the teacher today. I have to say that up until this point there has been little  NO communication initiated from the school. I am working on getting that fixed. My daughter’s education is important to me. I read from another mom’s site about having a behavior notebook. After today’s email I think this is definitely something I will be implementing TOMORROW.  It will give me a good idea of how her days are at school.

 A little portion of what the email said. . . . . 

“Her behaviors today consisted of yelling at peers, rolling her eyes at myself and other adults, and shutting down when asked to complete tasks. I understand we all have bad days, but since we are trying to keep an eye on everything so that you can have an accurate report I did want to let you know what I saw today. I spoke with her twice in a one on one setting and she told me that she was very tired and grumpy. We also worked together to solve all of the peer problems that came up throughout the day. Then, at the end of the day we discussed how we can make tomorrow better. It was here again that she said she just hadn’t gotten enough sleep and that she would try to make better choices.”

 Now I have to say that this is nothing new to me. This is exactly how it is at home for us. The yelling, rolling the eyes, completely shutting down. . . My little girl is so bright that she figured out a “get out of it excuse” Now the excuse doesn’t fly at home because mommy is so much smarter at this game but she knows that when she uses the “I’m just tired and didn’t get enough sleep” excuse with others that this usually gets them off her back.

I’m kind of at a loss for words here. The only thing I can really say is “I’m sorry” Of course I sat down with Jasmyn to discuss the issues and it was not as productive as I would have liked but we did get a little more out of her then normal so at least there is progress there. . . . . .The good news is that we were recommended to an amazing place that we can go to for occupational therapy, speech therapy, and also equestrian therapy. We are so excited for our first appointment on Thursday. Check them out at Leg Up Farm.

Spring Program

The day has finally arrived. . . . Jasmyn’s 2nd grade Spring Program. She has been so excited about this upcoming event and hasn’t stopped talking about it all week. She was so excited, she woke up this morning at 5 a.m. and even put on her special spring program dress (and then we had a bit ALOT of trouble as I made her change her outfit) . . . She got off the bus and literally asked me every 10 mins (for about two and a half hours) if it was time to go!!

It was a great program and she did an amazing job!!! 

May Day Fun

Friday was “May Day” at Jasmyn’s school. . . . She has been so excited about it for a while and so happy the day finally came. May Day is kinda like a little carnival type thing . . . there were games and prizes and inflatables. My dad (aka Og), Tracy, Grace, Daniel, Me and Jasmyn all went. It was a great time. It was definitely a challenge for Jasmyn because picking the prizes was really hard for her and the lines for just about EVERY game was long and that’s always a tough thing for her to handle but she did a great job there.

                            It was a good day with family!!!

Field Trip Friday!!

Today Jasmyn’s class is going on a field trip to Nixon Park. She has been talking about this trip the entire week. . . . counting down the days. I love to see the excitement in her face knowing she has something to look forward to in school.

Getting ready this morning was pretty easy! She woke up her normal time 6:30-7ish. Came bursting into my room and at the top of her lungs she yelled in a singing kind of voice “IT’S FIELD TRIP DAY!!”  So I have been preparing her for this day all week. Reminding her that on Friday we can not dilly dally around. You can not be late for school. If you are late you miss the trip. I said these things EVERYDAY this week. Sure enough it worked. She went right to her room and got dressed in the outfit we picked out last night before bed. Did her morning chores. Made her OWN lunch (Peanut butter sandwich, goldfish crackers and bagel chips with a apple juice)

Then it came time for her shoes. Now she loves Sketchers. Something I think my mom kinda got her into. So we bought new ones recently that she has not yet worn. So today was the day, she was going to wear her new Sketchers. She tried putting them on and kept saying “Mommy they don’t fit” As I am trying to get myself ready I just keep replying “Of course they fit we just got them” so back and forth we went like this for a while. Till she starts to cry. So I tell her to calm down. Went over to her and OMG she is wearing THREE pairs of socks!!!! No wonder it wasn’t fitting. I asked her why she was wearing three pairs of socks and she looked at me with this “Duh” kinda look and said

“I didn’t want my feet to get cold, Grandma always told me to make sure I put socks on”

I love this little girl. . . . . Today I am praying that the teacher has extra patience while on the field trip with my little girl.

Explaining ADHD to a 7 year old

I’ve thought about this for a while. How do you explain whats going on to a 7 year old without her thinking that “somethings wrong” with her. I don’t want my daughter to think that she is “different” then the rest of the kids but I do think that she needs to know what is going on to a degree. I’ve read alot of different ways to tell a young child about ADHD. Letting them know its a gift and that it makes them extra special. . . . . discussing the challenges they face because of the ADHD but also emphasizing the things that she is extraordinary with.

I’m not rushing this at all. . . . . because I want to make sure I don’t affect her self-esteem. But I want her to also know that she is not alone. There are other kids out there like her. And I think I’ve found a good way to approach this and help her with her reading.

Here are some kid friendly books I found that would be great for any ADHD child to read.

How to Take the Grrr out of Anger 

My Mouth Is a Volcano!

It’s Hard To Be a Verb!

Eukee the Jumpy Jumpy Elephant

Shellley, the Hyperactive Turtle

Sometimes I Drive My Mom Crazy But I Know She’s Crazy About Me

We haven’t purchased all of them yet. But we will. Jasmyn is starting to really like reading now that she is reading chapter books just like the rest of the kids in the class. So I will embrace it.

Morning Mix Up

This morning started off like all the rest…. I’m trying to be OK with letting Jasmyn sleep in her own room  (she is also trying to get use to not sleeping in my bed) So we are both adjusting.

Its 5:30 a.m. and my bedroom door opens… and in walks my princess, blanket, Sizzle, and pillow in tow…. She lays down next to me and right away its “Mommy after my morning chores I’m gonna finish my project… and Mommy do you think you can drive me to school today and Mommy did you know that a Caterpillar turns into a Monarch Butterfly… but not the green Caterpillars, I don’t know what they turn into and maybe we can go on Google and look that up to see what kind of butterflies the green ones turn into.”  And yes this was all in ONE breath. Some may hear this and think “Oh My Goodness, so much information first thing in the morning”  but for me….Its routine.

I have to admit that I LOVE hearing 40 topics in one sentence because my little girls true personality shines. Her face lights up and you can tell she is so excited to tell you everything her little brain has to offer and more….

So its now approaching 7 a.m. and Jasmyn is busy doing her morning chores… Take care of the dog, feed the fish and she even incorporated making mommy coffee because Grandma taught her how to use the Keurig! As I am getting ready for work I found myself going along with my normal routine…. Every ten minutes saying the same thing “Jasmyn, it’s time to get ready for school, please get dressed” This goes on for an entire HOUR before it hit me….. I FORGOT TO GIVE HER THE MEDICINE!!!!  Now for those of you who know me… I am still not sure that the medication is the proper treatment…. so there’s a part of me that I am fighting everyday with giving her the medicine…… EVERYDAY.

My daughter is officially diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

I have to admit here that from the time my daughter was very small…. I could tell something was different. She has always been very energetic, wild, and kind of all over the place, ALL the time. Let’s be honest ADHD runs in my family so it should not have come to any surprise when the doctor officially diagnosed her. I will say though that I didn’t want to believe it…. I had two separate evaluations done (Conners and Vanderbilt) and both came back with no doubt that this child has ADHD. 

Just a little statistics for you all ……ADHD effects 3-5% of children and adults in the U.S.

Accepting that my beautiful little girl could fall under this percentage is still hard for me to do even today. All signs show me… but the mom in me doesn’t want to accept it.

So what made me get an official diagnosis????  Well, school really was the deciding factor for me. Since Jasmyn started Kindergarten it was tough. She was accepted into full day Kindergarten in a district were they really only offered half day, unless you really needed more. So the start was already a look at what was to come. We some how managed to get through it with expected comments like “Jasmyn has trouble staying on task” “Jasmyn is constantly talking” But onto First grade we go…. I thought that since she happen to have the same teacher I did when I was in First grade, things may go a little better……. That was NOT the case at all….. Report cards came back showing Jasmyn was already behind her peers… I would meet constantly with the teacher on what can be done and got the same thing “Jasmyn can not focus on the task at hand” “Jasmyn needs reminders to stay quiet” so they stuck her in the back of the class by herself. When asked for additional help using a learning support teacher I was told “She is not far enough behind to warrant additional help”  This is extremely heart breaking to hear as a mother. Since I wasn’t getting anywhere with the school and I was moving anyway, I took the school district into major consideration asking everyone I knew where I could go to get the help my daughter needed. So we moved to what I had hoped to be a district that would offer us the additional help we needed. Ah Second grade will be different……….. or NOT.  I immediately met with her new teacher and explained what we have been through. She insisted that its not as bad as it seemed and we just needed to keep a close eye on Jasmyn’s progress. 2nd marking period report cards came out and my heart dropped…. looking at it, I couldn’t stop crying. This is not going to work… I needed to get her additional help because holding her back just isn’t the option I would like to take. Not when there are things that can be done to help her. To keep things short (for now) I am still fighting to try and get additional help for her. Her school thinks that now that I am “treating” her ADHD things will just magically get better…….