To tic or not to tic...that is the question...

Last week, we started Skipper on some new medication. It is a heavy duty medicine and I really think it is making a difference. 

If you asked me 8 years ago if I would ever opt to medicate my child I would have looked at you as if your were a crazy person. However, that was 8 years ago......

About a week ago, I told Mr. Dad that I felt like we were losing Skipper. He just wasn't the kid we knew. Whoever had come and replaced him was a mean, moody, ticking, obsessing child. I was very hurt and I felt like he was slipping away right in front of our eyes. But I think that we have turned a corner. He seems happier and less moody and seems to have a longer fuse than we have seen in a long time. I hope that this holds to be true. He is a lot more fun to be around now! Please pray that this continues!!

However, with that being said...since a lot of you reading go to church with us or are part of our family.... please be patient with him. Especially if you are someone who has frequent contact with him. His tics are in a transition period right now he is changing his tics. He is jumping, kicking his back-end with his heels, sniffing and blinking - a lot. He does not do it on purpose...I promise it is not for attention. He would LOVE to stop it. He may ask you for a break from the activities...if he does, this is his way of needing to tic, but not wanting to do it in front of all the kids. He just needs a minute or 2 outside the area where he can jump or jerk or what ever he may need to do. His obsessing is also not under control yet. He can go on and on and on...know that is is ok to gently remind him that he has already told you whatever it might be. The tics are worse when he is stressed or anxious. He is also having compulsions...he is needing to touch things a certain number of times or step over certain things. So know that bringing attention to him or the tics will only make things worse.

We have talked with him about people who are on his "team". These are people (mostly adults) that he trusts enough to let them in on his diagnosis. We have told him that the people on his team can help him when he is having a hard time and they are people he can talk to ...he is choosing who is on his team...for the most part. So please know that he is trying very hard to work with all of this and he is struggling A LOT and on a very deep level. He is not doing any of it to annoy or aggravate you...he would gladly stop if he could. It would be like you trying not to blink...you can do it for a while, but eventually, you are going to have to blink..he can hold his tics for a little while, but they are going to come out-sooner or later. 

With all he has going on, it really is a gift to be a part of his life. Please feel free to ask questions. I will do my best to answer them if I can.

God's blessing to you...

Quote of the day...

"I see green ducks all the time."- Scrappy

Random nothingness

I love this picture! It seems to very accurately capture Skeeter's personality

I have not posted in a few days...because I have a new toy! Last weekend, my dad got me an embroidery machine! Nothing too fancy...but very very appreciated! We have had a great time with it. I say we, because Skipper has decided that he loves to embroidery! Who knew that he would like it this much! I think he likes it more than I do!

Anyway, we are off school this week. The boys decided to school 3 weeks and take 1 week off year-round. We have slept a little later and actually gone to bed earlier...we are a little lazy here lately.

Skipper lost a tooth the other day..again not my favorite activity. But our best news is that Skeeter will soon be discharged from speech! It turns out that he did not/does not have Apraxia, his problems were all because he was tongue tied! That is a huge answer to prayer. We will probably go ahead and discharge him from OT at the same time.  Scrappy is also showing signs that discharge from speech may be in our near future too! I think that he may be close in PT too. I would love to be discharged from therapies...I would really love that. Maybe that can be my Christmas present!! 

Happy Wednesday to you...

I have had a few people ask how I manage to school 3 kids at one time. Here is a copy of our schedule.(See below) 

We start the day with calendar time and a Bible story or verse...usually something that we need to be working on!! Then they split up and start their work. We use the Alpha Omega curriculum and they have Bible interwoven throughout.  Our start time varies depending on our therapy schedule. We work for 20-30 minutes at a time. The boys each have a mystery folder and they do something from that if they finish before time is up. Their day really is scheduled out for them. They get a play time and they can do just about anything as long as it is not TV or video games. We do science all together. It actually works well. Wednesday is experiment day...they all like that. Wednesday is also friend day. Scrappy's friend from therapy will come and spend the afternoon with us. Tuesday is library day. We go while the little ones are in therapy. It just works better that way. Have you met Scrappy...quiet is NOT a strength of his! HA HA.

I usually work with one kid at a time-the others are working on things that do not require my help. Skipper works pretty independent. He knows his schedule and what comes next. Scrappy and Scar do a couple of things together just because it is so similar that it is easy to do them together. 

So there you have it...a day in the life of a Heasley. Well, I figure this will either answer the questions for some of you or it will convince you that I am a complete nut...that's okay, I like nuts- I think I would be a  cashew!

I hope that your first day of school wherever it may be is a great one! I hope for new friends, wonderful old friends, caring teachers and blessing in abundance for your little ones!! I would love to hear your first day stories!!

Happy first day of school....

Dallas

 Skipper                                  Scar                  Scrappy                       Skeeter

Math                                 Reading             Computer                     Puzzles

Cursive                                 Computer              Reading                     Blocks

Computer/Snack                Snack                        Snack                     Snack

Code Book                       Math                              Math                        Manipulatives

Science                             Science                      Science                   Science

Lunch                             Lunch                               Lunch                    Lunch

Playtime                            Playtime                      Playtime                           Playtime

Mom’s choice      Mom’s choice            Mom’s choice         Mom’s choice

L.Arts                        Code Book                Manipulatives           Manipulatives

History                           Handwriting        Handwriting                    Daily Bucket

Book tub                       Book tub                      Book tub                    Book tub

Another Little Rock trip...

Today was a follow up for Skipper with his neurologist. We LOVE her. She is great and she LISTENS!!! I know that may sound odd, but really, I have found that a doctor who listens to what you are saying is a true God send.

Another visit...a few more diagnosis. We have now been officially labeled Tourette's Plus! Sounds like we have won something great! 

---Skipper come on down...you have Tourette's Plus. Now not only does you body get to jerk and move beyond your control, we are going to add a heap of OCD! Yes that's right, now you will obsess over things that are beyond your control. To add to all that, we are going to throw in a dash of ADHD. Wait, we not done yet, to top it off, we are going to throw in a free helping of explosive behavior! Congrat's Skipper, you are the lucky owner of Tourett's Plus...thanks for playing!! Void where prohibited. Winner must pay applicable sales tax....

I hope you get the humor there.  Sometimes I have to try to find the funny in it all... He has so much going on and really does keep a fairly good sense of humor about it.  My favorite is when he says "TIC" when we are in the middle of doing something and he needs a minute to get it all out! Just not something that you hear from people that often!

Last week we took the kids to Celebration City and Silver Dollar City...what better place to take kids with sensory issues and anxiety??! Skipper rode a good size roller coaster with me and poor thing..it is actually hard to tic when you are strapped into a roller coaster seat! He gave it a good try though! Then he began to worry about the safety of the ride and expressed MANY concerns about the cars falling off the track or parts just breaking. Kind of takes the fun out of the ride when you  are dealing with all that. Other than that...we had a great time!

It is late here and I am off to bed...may God's grace shine upon you!!

First Day of School

Thank God!! 

Seriously!!

We made it through out first day of the 2008-2009 school year! 

We are on a quite regimented schedule and the boys did and awesome job today! Skipper was absolutely FAB!! I was a little worried because we have been having some behavior issues with him lately. But he did great! Scar worked hard for the most part. He is not used to having to do school. He usually just lays on the floor and listens and then throws his 2 cents in now and again. All that has changed now that he is a big school kid! Scrappy was great and didn't want to stop with what I had planned for him. He kept wanting to do  more...but I sweetly said no and told him we could work on it later. Skeeter was also a champ! We rotated different boxes of toys about every 20 minutes.  He was quiet and focused for a 2 year old. I was worried about it all because Mr. Dad is out of town this week and I have tightened ship A LOT on the boys!! But God was faithful as I wavered!! I have even had time to clean!! Go figure!!!!

My gratitude to God for today. I have prayed a lot over the last few days about today and just school in general. It is so much fun to have the boys here and I enjoy watching them learn new stuff and experience new things. Thank You God for blessing our day and our family! Thank you for giving me the courage to often swim against the current. Thank you for a husband who also sees the value in homeschooling. 

YEAH GOD!!!!!!