Friday, November 25, 2005

Such an Eccentric Child...(Meet Peanut Butter)



Son #3, age 3 1/2, is playing with his "new best friend." (Those are his words.) "I just love him," my son says. Care to guess what - no, not whom - he's talking about? His friend, Peanut Butter. I am not making this up. Heck, I don't have the imagination to come up with something like this!

I was making Son #3 a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, when he stuck his index finger into the peanut butter and declared it his New Best Friend. Now, I can't very well allow my child to go through life with a dab of peanut butter on his finger. He'll smear it everywhere...and then there's the dog.

I tried to convince him to eat Peanut Butter (the friend, as opposed to the stuff on his bread) so that "he'll be with you always." That didn't fly. I explained that if he did, Peanut Butter would magically reappear in the peanut butter jar. No dice.

So there was my son on the verge of tears. Finally, inspiration hits...sort of. I convinced him to put Peanut Butter into the little cap of a 2-liter soda bottle. Peanut Butter's own house! So now Son #3 is walking around the house, talking to a soda bottle cap with a tiny dab of peanut butter smeared inside.

They later fell asleep together on the sofa while watching TV. Just in case you're wondering, Peanut Butter is on the right (see the white cap?).

I've got to get this boy around some children his own age. Or to a pediatric psychiatrist. ;-)

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's 10 pm, the kids and dear hubby are tucked into bed and I'm enjoying a little quiet time to myself. It was a nice day. I did my cooking yesterday: Stovetop stuffing and a green bean casserole. Today we converged on my sister-in-law's house. Hers is big enough to accommodate the extended family of 16 or so. Each sibling bought a side dish or two, and my father-in-law cooked and brought the turkey. As always, I overate but only once.

As 2005 rapidly comes to a close, we have so much for which to be grateful. Here's my Top 5:

1) family
2) friends
3) our health
4) surviving Hurricane Katrina
5) all of our troops overseas working to ensure the safety of the U.S. and to bring peace to others

Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Ooooh! I've Been Tagged (& Now I'm Tagging ~D)

I've been tagged via blog by Jules! Below are my answers. Hey, ~D, I can't wait to read yours!

Two names you go by:
1. LB
2. my given name

Two parts of your heritage:
1. Irish
2. French (those are on my mother's side. There's quite a mix on my dad's side.)

Two things that scare you:
1. Not seeing my boys grow up
2. Public Speaking

Two of your everyday essentials:
1. Contact lenses
2. Brushing my teeth (stealing from Jules)

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Jeans
2. a Claddagh toe ring (that's not *all* I'm wearing - justing listing two)

Two of your fave bands or artists:
1. Eric Clapton
2. Josh Groban (am I a geek? I love his voice)

Two of your favorite songs:
1. Knockin' on Heaven's Door (either Clapton's, Dylan's or Guns 'n Roses' versions)
2. She (Elvis Costello)

Two truths:
1. I'm not a risk-taker
2. Sometimes I don't feel like the person that most people believe me to be

Two physical traits in the opposite sex that appeal to you:
1. Eyes
2. Smile

Two Favorite hobbies:
1. Gardening
2. Reading

Two things you want really badly:
1. For my boys to grow up to be happy, confident, secure and kind
2. To continue to grow in my spirituality

Two places you want to go on vacation:
1. Tuscany
2. Scotland

Two things you want to do before you die:
1. Learn to play the violin
2. Learn how to do something artistic - paint, maybe...or act in a play

Two ways you are stereotypically a chick/dude:
1. I find comfort in chocolate
2. I love to shop

Two things you are thinking about right now:
1. My diet, and how I'm tempted to blow it just 30 mins after eating a healthful lunch
2. My upcoming vacation

Thursday, November 10, 2005

I Know a Kid...

He's not feeling very good about himself these days. I've known him for a long time and he's had quite a bit on his plate that he's had to deal with. He was diagnosed as developmentally delayed/speech impaired when he was three and a half, and was immediately whisked into the public school system so he could start receive speech therapy and other educational resources via a non-categorical (meaning mixed abilities/needs) special education class.

The tonic-clonic seizures (formerly called grand mal) began when he was 5, but thankfully they were far between. He was on anti-seizure medication for two years, but was weaned off of it a few years ago. So far, the seizures haven't recurred, but they can at anytime. He was 6 when he was diagnosed with ADHD. No surprise there.

He's 10 now, still struggles with speech issues. He acts young for his age, which I think can discourage the other kids in his class from including him. This 'social immaturity' as one teacher put it is probably a combination of his developmental delays and the fact that his siblings, cousins and neighbors are all younger than him, by at least a couple of years.

He spends a lot of time by himself, which is usually his preference, but sometimes he feels left out if his brother is invited somewhere and he's not. His brother is very outgoing and developing quite the active social life.

He's also the smallest kid in the class, so not only does he act younger, but he looks it too. He's wondering if he'll ever catch up. No one can really predict sizewise, but I've read that it's not unusual for kids with ADHD to reach puberty up to a couple of years later than their non-ADHD peers (this statistic is true for those kids on stimulant meds and those not taking meds).

In the past year or so, he started to realize that his is different from most of the kids in his grade - prior to that, he was happily oblivious. He's been evaluated so many times over the years, always to find out what is 'wrong' or what might be the 'problem'. That doesn't sound very positive, does it? Now, however, he's wondering what's right. He actually asked the other day "what are my gifts?"

How does one find out what one's gifts are?

Thursday, November 03, 2005

My Kid Rocks!

There are times that it seems my precious Son 2, bless his heart, doesn't have a lick of common sense.

Me: "What were you thinking???!"
Him: "I wasn't (thinking)!"

Apparently, he does have quite a brain, though. (I really never doubted it.)

Yesterday, his teacher sent home a letter in a sealed enveloped. My first thought, uh oh - what did he do? (Isn't that terrible?) However, the letter was asking my permission to have him tested for the school's Gifted Program. Well, I'll be damned! He's always done well in school, but in the past he seemed happy to put forth the bare minimum effort - and yet he'd still get A's. I'm so proud of him, even if he doesn't meet the school district's criteria for the program.

However, Son 1 is feeling a little jealous, I think. Although we never consciously label our kids, they seem to have taken it upon themselves to assume certain roles. Son 2 will usually tell you he's sociable and athletic. Son 1 describes himself as smart (which he is - "A" honor roll) - but wait! Now Son 2 is smart too??? What's up with that?

I knew this day would come. Son 1 busts his butt to do well in school and it comes so easy for Son 2. It was only a matter of time before Son 1 (and others) noticed.

All those years when Son 1 got the extra help with his school work because of his challenges, Son 2 just quietly worked on his own. Not requiring extra assistance so really not getting any... He wasn't the child with special needs, nor is he the baby. He's the poor invisible middle child. It's his turn to shine now.