Germies

Germies Germies Germies

December 13, 2019 Health Kiddo Seasonal

Every year around this time, I get really wound up about viruses and germs (or viruses and germies)

The first year that the little girl was with us, we almost lost her to RSV. This year my adorable little illness vector managed to catch a cold, the flu and have it progress to pneumonia in short order. My anxiety was, and is through the roof.

She passed it to both her father and I, and on top of the flu, I have an ear infection. So yep, coughing, sneezing and being unable to hear. Two big thumbs up there. /sarcasm

For me the flu is dangerous as I’ve got asthma. It’s under control, but as the flu is a respiratory infection, I have to watch my lungs like a hawk.

Kiddo has been out of school for a week because of the pneumonia. We decided to let her heal before sending her back for the next round of “what virus next”. She didn’t have much of an appetite until today, and today, well, if I didn’t know better I’d swear I have a pack of teenagers eating me out of house and home. But no, it’s just a four year old returning to health, and I’m glad to see it.

I’m happy to see her rebound. After the stint in our local children’s hospital four years ago, every day is a blessing with her.

Now I hope everyone can heal up so that Christmas can be celebrated without us coughing up a lung or two!

The Four-nado

The Four-nado

November 19, 2019 Kiddo Preschooler

This week, the little miss turns four. Reflecting on the last four years and how much things have changed is a bittersweet exercise. She’s definitely a four-nado.

From day one she’s been a child that goes against all odds. I call her my impossible girl because there has been so much that has happened that she shouldn’t have been with us (also because she does share a birthday with an important event in Doctor Who history and one of the companions).

This year, we saw her start school and get her autism spectrum diagnosis. She travelled to visit her grandparents and enjoyed a summer with them.

She is flourishing. She is blossoming. She is amazing. She loves space, and rockets. She loves unicorns. She loves her Nana and Grampy and loves her Grampy’s motorcycle.

I can’t wait to see what the future holds. Even if I want to pause things so I can hold her tight for just a little bit longer before she gets embarrassed by me.

Autism Awareness Acceptance

Adventures in Autism

October 17, 2019 Autism Kiddo Preschooler

I’ve been putting this entry off for a while, because I’ve needed time to digest, to sit and actually feel the emotions that come with this.

The little miss has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, because there is a large genetic component and as her father is on the spectrum (Aspergers), as well as other family members. But it did surprise me. I’m not going to lie. It surprised me for the fact that, as one of her speech-language therapists put it, there is no hard fast line that divides ADHD and ASD from each other. They are a Venn diagram. They overlap and it is entirely possible to be diagnosed with both. The treatment for a lot of the ASD issues is the same as ADHD issues.

Another component of what “surprised” me is dealing with my own educational trauma. I did not have a good childhood when it came to school. I was bright, but flighty. I was labeled as Bart Simpson before he existed (an underachiever and proud of it). Now I know I’ve got a high IQ (genius level, which means sweet eff all in reality other than I can rock standardised tests), ADHD, dyscalculia and a variant of hyperlexia. But the hell on earth I went through damn near dimmed my love of learning. It certainly has had knock on effects in my life. So when being told that my daughter, who by all measures is an intelligent, funny, loving child, has a developmental disorder… it sat me back on my heels and right back into a time where I was being physically bullied.

I’m dealing with that. I’ve talked to my doctors about it, and we’re taking it one step at a time. We are advocating hard for her, her father and I, and we’re not letting autism be the label that defines her when there are so many other things that she is. We’re letting her be our tour guide into her world. She has come leaps and bounds in a short time. I know I’m biased, but she is amazing. I see her grow and change every day. I hope her future is as amazing as she is.

School

School Time!

September 27, 2019 Kiddo School

I had intended, as the little miss is one of the children born at the end of the year, to hold her back until next year to go to junior kindergarten. But it was suggested to get her into school ASAP (why this was suggested, I’ll talk about in a post soon).

School

So off to school the little miss went, despite our misgivings. She’s only going for half days in the morning right now, and while I expected tears and screaming, she loves it and can’t wait to get back there every school day. Every day that she has an appointment (of which there have been a lot lately), she lets us know that she wants to go to school.

I’ll be honest and say that I am not a huge fan of the publicly funded system, and that’s something that I’ll talk about on my own personal blog. But seeing my kiddo love going to school and getting that love of learning makes my heart soar.

The past four years have been filled with struggles, but, she’s got a long line of tenacious females that she comes from, and she herself is one, even at almost four.

The past while has really been an adventure, but I think that we as her parents are taking it harder than she is. It has been an adjustment for all of us, that is for certain.

Until next time!

two young children splashing, swimming, happy in a pool

Swimming-ly Summer

July 18, 2019 Kiddo Preschooler Seasonal Toddler

Its finally summer again.

While I’m not a huge fan of the hot weather, I enjoy watching the little miss get out in her pool and go “swimming”. Right now that’s something that I enjoy. I can even get my feet in the pool and splash a bit with her.

I didn’t learn to swim until I was almost 7. I had been in swimming lessons off and on before then, but I learned to swim in a family friend’s backyard pool. It happened almost as a fluke.

So watching her go “swimming” and learning the basics that I always felt overwhelmed in a class setting to learn makes my heart sing, and I’m more than happy to go out back and play in the pool.

I’m hoping that next year we’ll have a “real” pool out back. Even if it’s one of the inflatable ones. Swimming is good for the health issues that I have, and spending time outside is always a good thing.

Sadly, I’ve not been around for a long time, and it’s because things have been busy. We’re going to health appointments, we’re doing our therapy exercises. Life is good, but life is running by at a racer’s pace and I’ve had a hard time keeping up even with my normal website stuff.

But as the summer goes along, we’re going to have more to talk about. That’s always a good thing.

So stay happy, stay hydrated.

Just keep swimming!

Space dreams

Space Dreams

May 22, 2019 Kiddo

The little miss has developed a more than passing interest in space. She loves dang near everything to do with space. Rockets, Planets, Comets… you name it and she’s into it. I am fairly certain she has dreams of space.

  • Mars Rover

I think she comes by it honestly. I realized I could never go to space myself at a young age (between multiple physical issues that would keep me from it), I have been wishing and dreaming with a telescope.

Soon I’ll be getting her her first telescope. I know she’s not got the patience yet to sit for hours just to watch stuff. But looking at the moon and looking at planets isn’t out of the question. I just have to hope that we don’t have the cloudiest summer on record this year.

I wish that I could get a nice quiet place outside of the city, but still close enough for broadband, that I could get a SkyShed Pod and a nice Dobsonian and just be, and let her see the wonders of the universe.

Because I’ll be dreaming of space, and I know she is too.

Colourful Blocks in Primary Colours

Toys, Blocks, Fun

March 18, 2019 Kiddo

So, it’s been a while since I sat down and wrote anything here.

Truth is, I considered closing up shop. Why? Because of the words of one person. Evidently, I suck as a person and a mother, and they made sure that I knew this blog sucked.

Ah well, they’re no longer in my life, and no longer my concern. I have bigger fish to fry and they are minuscule in the grand scheme of things. I have received support from quite a few people as well, and I’m thankful for that.

But that’s not why I’m here today.

I started this blog to chronicle what it’s like being a parent with attention deficit disorder, and raising a child who likely is as well. I have strayed from my mission here, and I’m now going to get my butt back on track.

Lately, we’ve been getting more and more into imaginative play. Like her mother, my kiddo has one heck of an imagination. My mother can tell you stories of me and my orange garbage bag cape (I was supergirl dammit! 🙂 )

So we’ve been doing a lot of building with blocks, and playing a bit of dress up and really just exploring what her world is all about right now. While it is hard for me to get physically down to her level and stay there (or get up in a hurry), we’re adapting things so that the fun is there for everyone.

This winter has been hard for all of us. She loves the outside, and it just has been wild. No one was really able to get out. Now that spring is around the corner, it should be easier for all of us.

Time Flies By

November 8, 2018 Toddler

It has been a while since I last updated. I’ve been busy with the million appointments that come with both my health and the little girl’s, which means that sitting down to do blogging has kind of fallen to the wayside.

Now that we’re heading into her third year, things should hopefully slow down and get into a more regular pattern. But hey, this is parenthood, so nothing is ever as planned, am I right?

She still loves books, and lately Ryder and the pups are the second most favourite show (next to one about anthropomorphic trains). She played out in our first snow, and we Facetimed her grandparents so they could see it. This child loves snow. Can I blame her birth being in the late autumn? LOL

I’m hoping to speak about some things that we’re encountering in the near future. Keep your eyes peeled.

 

Toddler with wings

Sweet Summertime

July 20, 2018 Toddler

It’s been a while since I last updated. I know, bad blogger.

Right now I’m wiped because it’s summertime and my little monkey is making the most out of it, trying to learn how to swim, staying at her Nana and GrandDada’s trailer for a while, and just being active and full of beans.

This is the first real summer that she’s experienced away from home, and it has been interesting. She didn’t handle some things well (like naps. OMFG naps), but took to other things like a duck to water. Now we’re working on getting her on a schedule again, as we had a decent one this summer while we were away. Sadly, the last bits of teething and being mean to us all and we’re adjusting the schedule to match.

She has found her words this summer, and I am still very amazed at how she makes connections. We’re working on things daily, and while not every day is a win, there is an over-all improvement.

This was also the first year that she really got bug bites (damn mosquitos) and she inherited her mother and Nana’s response to that. Yep, with us it’s go big when bit.

I am going to enjoy the last bits of summer with her, before the fall comes and we see things cool off.

tanrum

Terrible Twos, two and a bit….

May 8, 2018 Toddler

I haven’t been around much here because, as you can guess, I am the mother of a nuclear powered toddler who just doesn’t stay still. That makes for a hard time to sit down and write about what has gone on lately.

We suffered through our first ear infection, and through the usual stuff that toddlers get into. We’re starting to potty train because she’s begun showing some interest in that, and I have to say that I’m looking forward to not having to deal with diapers constantly.

And right now, her emotions are ten feet tall and she isn’t. So we’ve had the tantrums, the fits, the trips back to the car while either Mommy or Daddy finishes the shopping.

I know this sounds like complaining, but I wouldn’t trade her for the world. I just wish she wouldn’t pick the days where I haven’t had a lot of sleep to test her limits. Ah well. Live and learn.