School and Stuff

Learning area in the playroom, still need to get a desk for the area, but for now the breakfast bar is serving the purpose.

School... The kids seem to love Kindergarten so far, but we got a call from Mrs. O last week that Levi, although very bright, wasn't participating in classwork and wasn't paying attention well. So this set the gears in motion:

A call to present and past therapists. A call to Pediatrician. A look back. And looks forward. One therapist asked if we had thought of ADD/ADHD. Afterall, preemies are at risk. Dr. C asked for a couple days to think and review Levi's chart. Therapy was scheduled already for Thursday, so I joined in on that session during my lunch  hour. Dr. C called back just as I was leaving for therapy.

Dr C. and I talked. Based on knowing this kid, and his history we thought that ADD/ADHD was not the case. Levi has never slept well, most of you know that; his Sensory Integration Disorder causes him to fall asleep ok, but then he's not able to transition back into REM sleep with sensory input. So Dr. C. and I decided to work first on sleep patterns. (thank you God!) I have struggled with Levi's sleep for years. Getting up every hour or two every night is really taxing when also working an average of 57 hours a week outside home and still running a household of 6 people. The hard thing about SID is it is a silent and even at times unseen disorder. These kids at times look like kids that are misbehaving and other times they look spoiled. And then those wonderful times... the times when the kid shows no signs of sid for a moment. So little is known about the neurological workings of our bodies, other than that you cannot predict how our neurological systems will respond or repair itself...

Look at him stick out his tounge... looks like his mamma, huh Trina? HeHe!

So: fixing sleep first: Add Iron to his vitamin. Add probiotic to his diet. Add Omega 3's. Add Melatonin for healthy sleep pattern. REMOVE high fructose corn syrup from his diet. (yes, this one made me cringe... a milk free diet as tough already. taking out HFS is phenomenal) And a schedule at home like what I did when I was a SAHM. (miss those days of being home to love on my kids every day) A schedule that will mostly mirror a day at school so Levi will be more prepared for his 2-3 days a week at kindergarten.

His therapist was happy with his abilities, and we noticed that when given too large of a task he "shuts down". We've seen this in his therapies in the past, when a task is hard, levi wants to avoid. So we made a plan to break down school tasks for him.

We can do this...

I talked to Levi's teacher after school. He was attentive, engaging, and cooprative. He's responding even to the small changes we have been able to achieve so far.

He's gonna do it. Next year, he WILL be a 1st grader!!