Cast Off

Wednesday morning Alexis got her cast taken off. It was traumatic for all the kids in the room. I had to hold her tightly so that the doctor could saw it off. She screamed and when I looked over at my other children they were screaming too. After wards Alexis' brother had a look of concern for a long time. After the x-ray, we found out that Alexis is a quick healer and only needs to wear a splint for another three weeks. No more horse riding until then.

Bathing has been made a lot easier. Eating isn't so messy. She just seems to still not want to use her arm. We will have to work on that.

Support

Alexis had her second outing with her worker (I don't remember the official title). She took Alexis out to the Humane Society. While there they worked on  Alexis not talking to strangers and not touching other people. Alexis had a good time. She bugged me all morning until it was time for her to go.

Last week was the first visit and the worker stayed in our home and played with Alexis so that they could get comfortable with each other. I was able to get the dishes done while they worked. I asked the worker what I am supposed to do during their time together and she told me whatever I wanted to do.

I am so thankful for all of the support that I have been given since Alexis was discovered to be Special Needs.

Last Day of School

Alexis had her last day of school last Thursday. Grandma Val picked her up from school and then Ellie, Mikey and I met them at Cici's for lunch to celebrate the day. Cici's is Lexi's favorite place to eat.

Sad News

Alexis broke her wrist over a week ago. She was at her horse riding therapy and fell of when the horse got spooked. She broke the rim of her helmet (glad that was on). She got a red cast that went up to her elbow. This last Friday we get a call from her teacher. Alexis had taken her arm out of the cast. Just pulled it off. That is not an easy thing to do.

So we took her in and she got a new cast that goes over her elbow. It is green with a pink candy stripe. She is having a hard time eating with utensils and bathing is a painful process for all (me) involved.

The summer is starting to be quite the adventure. School ends on Thursday. No one is really excited about that except for the teachers. Alexis loves going to school and I love having her go (I get peace during the day). I am going to have to work extra hard to not let her get bored so that she doesn't use torturing her siblings as entertainment.

I Will Share

A while ago I spent the whole month teaching the  lesson, "I Will Share" from the manual

"Behold Your Little Ones". It worked for a little while but has gotten worse since then. 

Alexis will take a toy from her younger siblings and tell them, "I will share." Of course her sharing is one sided. Today was really bad. Alexis did not want her sister to have any toys. I can only take screaming for so long from anyone.

I know that they love each other and have good times. It just feels that lately that is far and in between. 

 

I got a note from school saying that Alexis' behaviors were a yellow for the day because she was eating her classmates' food. I don't know what to tell her teachers because I struggle with that one too. Apparently it is more one sided "I will share."

Venting

Sometimes I wish Alexis did not have sensory issues. 

Yesterday was a very hot day, well into the 90's. Our house does not have central air and the only way to be comfortable is to have our window units running. Alexis hates fans. Her room is the hottest so that is where we put the unit. She would not go to sleep. Always standing in her doorway saying that she had to go to the bathroom or that her back hurt or I want it off. She is not a quiet person. She has two volumes, loud and louder. After awhile it grates on me. So at midnight I finally turned it off. It was a hot night. Today was not any better. 

I moved Alexis' bed across the room so she would not be near the window unit. I put her to bed at 8:30pm and her protests began before she even went into her room. I don't know why but today it really tested me and made me angry. I really hate that Alexis is so sensory sensitive. Sometimes I don't realize how much we do to accommodate her until something like this happens.

She shares a room with her sister. I just want both of them to sleep well. Anyways, I was so frustrated I had to leave the house and walk. I wasn't that far from my house when I heard my neighbor yelling at her kids to go to bed. It was a comfort to me to know that I am not the only one with struggles. 

I don't know if being Alexis' mom is hard because it's all I know. I am sure I would have other battles if she weren't special needs.

 

Special Olympics - Track & Field 2010

 

This last Friday was Special Olympics: Track & Field. It was scheduled for the previous Friday but the weather report was bad so they rescheduled and the day was so beautiful. It was breezy and comfortable.

Alexis competed in two events this year: the fifty meter dash and the softball toss. I was a little disappointed that she was in only two events. Last year she was in at least three. She gets so excited to race.

 

She didn't get to participate until after lunch. Waiting was hard for her. She was ready to go. Her first event was the Softball Toss. This cracks me up. It never goes very far. I don't even know if she likes doing this one. I do know is that she likes to have everyone clap for her. Who doesn't? It feels good to be supported.

 

Alexis got fourth place. Lucky for her she really doesn't care. She just aims for certain color. She prefers the yellow ones (third place). I love her!

  

    

Alexis' last event was the Fifty Meter dash. We practice at home by going for walks and we cheer her on. I always get emotional when she races. There is just so much joy at these events. Alexis got a blue ribbon for this one (first place) only because she didn't race anyone else. Ellie wanted to run too. It was cute.

 

Alexis is number one!