A Spontaneous Birthday Party and Other Goings On

Luci and I baked a cake yesterday afternoon. She’s been wanting to make a “Pink Cake”--because after all pink is her favorite color and EVERYTHING has to be pink--to put in her Tupperware cake taker. It wasn’t until we were pulling the cake from the oven that she declared the cake was for Bitty Baby’s Birthday and we had to have a party! So, some pink frosting and a few party horns later we were all geared up to have a special birthday party for Bitty Baby! The boys were a little apprehensive about this celebration of a baby doll’s supposed birthday, but it didn’t take long for them to join the action--after all, there was cake!
We’ve been trying Ben on a new medication for the past couple of weeks. This is actually his second week on it. It’s a relatively new medication--only on the market since July ‘07--and is the only one of its kind. The way it is metabolized makes it so that the effects last longer and are more consistent throughout the day. I’ve been keeping a journal each day noting how Ben’s day was, what his complaints were, etc...and so far, unfortunately, we just don’t know. Because of the difference in the way this drug works, it also has significantly more side effects in some kids, BUT those side effects are more likely to go away after a short time on the medication. So, it takes a little while to know if this is going to work. Right now he is dealing with some stomach pain/nausea/vomiting in the late afternoon accompanied by a period of what I can only call “weepiness”. It does seem to be getting better, today when I asked him how he felt in his tummy he said that it wasn’t hurting like when he got sick, but it just felt “different than it’s supposed to”. The benefits to this medication over his previous medication is that it definitely lasts longer and is more consistent and doesn’t seem to effect his appetite as severely. And since weight loss is a big problem with him that is an important benefit! I’ll keep you posted on how things progress. I’m expecting a phone call from his pediatrician on Monday so we can discuss how it is working. She definitely appreciates being able to get perspective on Ben from both his mom AND his teacher simultaneously and said that it really makes it easier to pin-point issues that need dealing with. Just another reason to be glad we homeschool.
Other than that, things here are just progressing right along...we are in week 23 of our schedule which puts us right on track to finish our year in April. Gavin is working on a major research project about the state of Mississippi. I’m impressed in how much his abilities have changed since we did this last year. He is so much more capable of picking out information now and keeping note cards. I think this is going to be an interesting project for him and I’m anxious to see the results! So far I’ve not had to put in any assistance other than taking him to the library and steering him toward some appropriate websites.
Before I go, I have to take a moment to BRAG about Ben’s reading. He started out a little slow last year, but his reading has really taken off and he is reading chapter books now. Captain Underpants is currently the top of his list of favorites! He read an entire book in one evening and the boost to his self esteem is incredible!

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday Gavin

We are back at school this week after a wonderful Christmas Break. From the Christmas lights in Canton, MS, to the arrival of Santa Claus in Byram, MS, to the mountains of Hiawassee, GA it was indeed one of our most memorable holidays yet! Now that its finished I can look back and appreciate it, but there were days before Christmas when I thought I was going to go out of my mind with the planning and preparing for all of these events. Kudos to the Cruise Director and her able assistant for all of THEIR hard work :) It really paid off!
We started school on Monday, jumping in head first...some things will take us a little while to get back up to speed (Latin!!), others we barely skipped a beat (math!). There is something to be said about routines for sure. After being “sort of” back into our routine and then off for Christmas, it is comforting to get a schedule going again.
We are reevaluating Ben’s medications again. His dosage was increased in early December and I think we’ve just been too busy--and out of our routine--to accurately assess how that was working out. But being back at school this week has made some things glaringly obvious. Ben becomes nearly catatonic--zombie-like--on this dose. I have noticed this week that he had little interest in school, felt tired all the time, expressed little to no emotions other than frustration or anger. In the past, math was a strong subject for him and he enjoyed it, but this week it was a chore, one he was too “tired” to do. And when I read to him from previously interesting books he just started in a trance waiting for me to finish and say he could go. So, I experimented a little and didn’t give him his meds and--WOW! A different experience altogether. He is asking questions, he is animated and interested, and yes...bouncing off the walls when he isn’t engaged in a focused activity! After consulting with both his nurse and his doctor we’ve made a few decisions are are going to try a different route for a while. I would much rather have him animated and asking questions than to stare in a trance-like state until he’s excused from the table. This ADHD stuff is hard, but thankfully we have a great doctor who appreciates that we homeschool.
Gavin began work this week on a 4 week research project on the state of Mississippi. By the time he is finished he should have a good understanding of its history, agriculture, industry, and tourism. We plan to make some day trips to places within a few hours driving time so that he can have some actual experiences to contribute to his paper instead of relying only on books.
That’s it for now...more updates to come!