Oh What A Night

Alex had a big night on Friday. We went to the USHL Stampede Hockey game in Sioux Falls and not only did we have front row center ice seats, but Coach Kevin Hartzell also let Alex help him deliver the victory speech to the team in the locker room following the game!


Alex cheering the team on and throwing out some advice for the players



Alex - let's take a picture together!!!


Thanks hon


After helping deliver the victory speech with Kevin Hartzell



Hanging with the players enjoying some PB&J sandwiches



If you haven't been to a game, let me throw in a plug for this team and encourage you to see them in action. Not only are these guys talented hockey players, they are also one group of classy men. Coach Harzell emphasizes the importance of their impact on a community and they take that to heart. The team encouraged Alex and made him feel like "one of the guys" in the locker room. They didn't brush him off or ignore him - they took Alex right in and showed him a great time. #19 Robbie Vrolyk even graduated with a 4.0 and will be attending Stanford in the fall!! So even if your not the biggest hockey fan, go out and see this team because not only are they one stand up group of boys...but I know we'll be seeing some of these kids in the NHL someday

AND - as if center ice tickets and hanging in the locker room with the Stampede Hockey team wasn't enough fun for one night, we also picked up this little guy - Chewy



Look at Alex's face!! He loves that little dog and seeing that pure joy on his face was totally worth it! I was hesitant when a friend of my sister's approached me about this shih tuz. His girlfriend bought him for her aunt, however, she had to go back to NY and couldn't take the dog. He's 21 weeks old and has all of his shots and papers and she didn't want anything for the dog (unlike the $350-$400 fees some ask for their shih tuz), other than to know he would be in a good home so it worked out perfectly for everyone!

Seriously - it was like 1:00am before Alex finally settled down and fell asleep after this eventful evening

Chewy Monster

Perhaps it's the holidays

Perhaps it's me having baby fever

Perhaps it the constant request from my son "please mom, can I get a dog"

Whatever the reason - meet our new dog Chewy

Rekindling Over The Holiday

I had to run to the grocery store on Saturday and since Alex was warm and cozy in his pj’s yet, I told him he could stay inside. We ran through the list of rules…don’t answer the door, don’t mess with the stove…blah blah blah. I gave him my cell phone to use IN AN EMERGANCY.
Apparently, I didn’t make that last part clear enough

Alex wanted to call his dad and also thought it would be fun to talk to another man who was very important in his life, my other ex Brian

Now, for those of you who don’t know, for some reason, I’ve dated a lot of men with the name “Mike” and “Brian”. Don’t know why and it’s defiantly not intentional, but that’s the way it has happened.

At 8:00am on Sunday, Alex called the entire list of Mike’s” and “Brian’s” in my contact book and thanks to caller id, those who didn’t speak with Alex called back in the afternoon to see why I called.

To make it a little more painful, if Alex didn’t reach his “Mike” or “Brian”, he called back immediately…sometimes dialing two or three times making them (I’m sure) wonder why this crazy woman would call them three or four times on a Sunday morning. Thus, most of my Sunday afternoon was spent talking to my ex’s. Some wanted to simply know if I was okay since I called three times that morning, some wanted to know if I wanted to get back together, some wanted to know why they needed to explain to their current girlfriends why Amanda was calling them continuously on a Sunday morning.

I guess this is why people erase their ex’s phone numbers after they’ve ended the relationship

SPD

First of all - thank you everyone for your advice, thoughts, comments, and support. You have NO idea how helpful it was to me!!!

The assessment went as I expected - the psychologist suggested the possibility of ADD. The next step going forward is a TAT team which consist of myself, Alex's teacher, a school physiologist and another second grade teacher. We monitor Alex's ability to concentrate as well as other behaviors at school and home that might help us reach a conclusion. If we conclude Alex may be at risk for ADD, he will then go to see a child physiologist in Sioux Falls who specializes in children with ADD. She added that Alex is doing very well in school and his grades are good, but she's worried that as his education continues and the work gets more difficult, he may struggle.

I took Alex to see his pediatrician to rule out any other issues such as hearing or eyesight and in addition, I wanted to talk about some other health problems Alex has been having. Alex complains of frequent stomach pains and headache and....as some of you who have sat with Alex at night may already now....since the age of 9 months, Alex has banged his head as he falls asleep. I know it sounds weird and when he first started doing it, I totally freaked and talked to his doctor about everything from seizes to autism. Everything was ruled out and his doctor said that he'll probably just grow out of it and I shouldn't worry. Well, he is now 8 and he still bangs his had to go to sleep and I was concerned that the headaches could be related to that.

His pediatrician thinks that Alex is a very high anxiety child - which is true. Alex is a worrier (probably due to living with a neurotic mom) and is very sensitive to people around him. If a kid at school is having a difficult time, Alex takes it almost personally and internalizes it. If another kid is sick, Alex feel sick...if another kid is sad...Alex is sad and does his best to make everyone around him happy. I use to think it was a good thing and actually was quite proud of my little man. He was a do-gooder! However, it seems have turned to being harmful to his own health. For about the last year, I've been working on adjusting his own cognitive mind to shape his thinking by telling him that he's not responsible for other actions/thoughts/behaviors - only his own. He was also very young when I left his dad - less than a year old - but that year was filled with violence and turmoil. I've always wondered if this didn't put Alex's little sensory ability into high alert and it's just never kicked back into "normal" range. I had him see a physiologist for awhile last year because of some of these issues, and she concluded he was healthy and added that if I'm okay, Alex will be okay. In other words - don't be a nut job and be all anxious around your kid....or at least that was my interpretation.

His pediatrician's nurse suggested I research Sensory Integration Dysfunction and look at hypersensitivity to movement. Get this - here is the checklist....
2. Hypersensitivity To Movement (Under-Responsive):



__ in constant motion, can't seem to sit still

__ craves fast, spinning, and/or intense movement experiences

__ loves being tossed in the air

__ could spin for hours and never appear to be dizzy

__ loves the fast, intense, and/or scary rides at amusement parks

__ always jumping on furniture, trampolines, spinning in a swivel chair, or getting into upside down positions

__ loves to swing as high as possible and for long periods of time

__ is a "thrill-seeker"; dangerous at times

__ always running, jumping, hopping etc. instead of walking

__ rocks body, shakes leg, or head while sitting

__ likes sudden or quick movements, such as, going over a big bump in the car or on a bike

Always running jumping....like's spinning...in constant motion? Isn't that every boy? Alex likes amusement rides...he loves to swing high on the swings...likes to take his bike over ramps...but does this warrant a medical diagnosis? None of his behaviors seems to have a negative impact on his life so how much of it is abnormal? And what in the heck is a normal kid?

ADD

I am crazy nervous today. Aside from having finals this week, Alex's teacher stopped me last week and voiced some concerns about Alex's ability to concentrate. She informed me that she was going to have a school psychiatrist shadow him to see if she observes any concentration problems.

ADD does run on Alex's paternal side and I've been somewhat prepared for this day knowing that the chance of Alex inheriting similar problems were high, but unprepared emotionally. Alex has a few uncles and cousins who have ADD, but are not medicated and believe me, the Holidays are eventful on that side of the family. I hate the thought of Alex being on medication, but I hate the thought of him having any additional obstacles when it comes to learning even worse than I hate the thought of medication. He is doing well in school, but his teacher remarked that school will only become more difficult and if ADD is a problem, it's best to address it now.

So this morning I received an email from his teacher saying that she's received a report from the school psychiatrist and she would like to review it with me. I told her that I would be in to talk to her later today since I have the afternoon off from work (my dad is having some medical test done and I have a final tonight) and plus, I'll just sit and fret about these results if I don't find out what they are today. I wish that I had someone to just tell me what is the right thing to do. A magic ball that I can look inside to find answers and have all of my anxieties erased.

Birthday Fun

We celebrated Alex's birthday this past weekend. On Thursday, which was his actual birthday, I woke him up with a birthday cupcake and serenaded him with an exquisite version of Happy Birthday. What can I say...I've been called the songbird of my generation ;)Later that evening, Alex and I went to SF to see a hockey game and then stopped at Applebees for some chocolate cake smothered in hot fudge and ice cream.

On Friday, Alex invited three of his friends over for a party at Chuck'e Cheese. I was so against this idea at first, but with the move, school, and work; I was more than happy to have the cheese staff organize, cook, and clean. We had a great time and the boys played for three hours while I just hung out at the table reading "Business and Society". I can't lie - this was the easiest party I've ever planned. The staff took care of everything including the cake and the goodie bags!



After the party, we drove back to Madtown and the boys spent the night at our house. Of course we can't escape without a little drama....when I unlocked the door, I realized that the top lock somehow latched and we were locked out of the house. The boys immediately started looking for bricks and sticks to break in the windows, but I thought we could come up with a plan that didn't involve broken windows. I tried climbing through the basement window * but...errr....my rear-end was a little too big...which one little boy who shall remain nameless (but it rimes with Blex) thought was HILARIOUS! I ended up breaking the lock on the back door to get us inside.

So, my baby is officially 8-years-old now. I am the mother of an eight-year-old. How does that happen?

Oh The Ego

Sometimes I have trouble sharing the spotlight. God Bless my friends who put up with me.

My little man

He melts my heart

Happy Brithday Alex

Today is a special day!! Alex says goodbye to being a seven-year-old and hello to being an eight-year-old! He announced with excitement this morning, that in only 10 years, he'll be 18!!

He's an eight-year old people!!! Sometimes it amazes me how much he has grown and how he is developing. Alex loves to make people smile and has an inventive sense of humor. He is strong willed and very persistent when determined - a characteristic that I know will make him a fiery force someday. He has a warm heart and an amazing ability to empathize with others. He loves classic cars, fishing, and golf * three things that must have been hardwired because I've had nothing to do with enforcing these interest.

I watched him wake up this morning. He still stretches his arms and smashes his face and if feels like I'm watching him wake up for the first time in his crib 8 years ago. He makes the same facial expression and the same sounds as he did as a baby and it melts my heart to know that no matter how old he gets, he will always be my baby.

Happy Birthday Alex! I love you always....

Making Progress

Hey...we have a floor!

Tell Me What I Want To Hear

There are three words that this single gal yearns to hear

Three words that make my heart jump for joy

Three words that starts my blood pumping

Three words that sends a tingle from my head to my toes

Three words that bring tears to my eyes and places a smile on my face


Those three words….



No assembly required

Phase 1 - Complete

Phase 1 of project Relocation is complete!



Now if I could just remember what box I packed Alex into....