This morning was awesome with the kids! We have had horrible thunderstorms here so the kids had a 2 hour delay for school, which worked out perfectly, since Frank and I didn't get home from Post until almost 1am! Around 5:30, I came down to the couch and shut the bedroom door. I slept on the couch to, "watch the weather". Nothing unusual there! :)
Then the kids came upstairs and we watched the news for a few minutes before we got ready to start our day... or they thought...
After the initial hug, Kellsey decided that maybe she doesn't really know Frank after all and doesn't understand what all the excitement is about. LOL She went with the flow and now she is playing shy. Frank will ask for a hug and she will tell him, "NO!" and shake her head. She even came over to me a few minutes ago and pointed at him. I said, "That's daddy." And she looked at him and said, "STOP!" HA! I think she has a little warming up to do. ;)
Here are some pictures from this morning too...
Me and Frank last night at the ceremony... I was a little wind blown!
This morning with daddy!
Daddy and Kass
Daddy and Kam
Daddy and his Sincess
Daddy and his monkey
This is as close as daddy can get to Kellsey for now... and even here she was about to yell at him!
The kids are ditching school today... shhh!!! Frank only gets today off before he has to start his reintegration classes and with the two hour school delay, Kass pointed out that they weren't even missing a REAL day of school anyway... and well... Yeah. If you have a problem with that, you can talk about it while we're out to lunch. :)
So today things are back to normal. Sort of. Everyone is healthy again... and if I were superstitious I would knock on wood right now, but I'm not. So I won't... maybe.We spent the day cleaning and getting laundry caught up and put away, and showering away germs, and now we're getting back to normal. Really normal.
Like tonight, my mom will come over just like she does every Sunday night so I can go to Bible study.
While I'm gone, she will get the kids dinner and get them put to bed.
And I will go to Bible Study.
Just like normal.
But then... I don't think I'll come straight home.
I think I'll take a drive.
I think I might go to Fort Campbell.
I haven't been on post in a long time...
While I'm there, I think I'll go see if there are any big activities going on... like... you know... maybe a ceremony of some sort.
Maybe if I find said ceremony, maybe I will find someone I know there... and if I do, maybe I'll go ahead and bring him home with me... if he wants to, that is. I'm pretty sure he will though. ;)
Then tomorrow, when the kids wake up, they will find that once again things are not normal. Or maybe, they will be the most normal they've been in a long, long time.
Kameron and I are two pitiful peas in a pod today. He has the same virus that Kassidy had a week or so ago, I think. It's so strange... it starts out with a headache and high fever the first day, and then the second day they were both fine! Then, on day 3 it comes back HARD! And Kameron is my high fever boy so he's up over 105, poor kid. Kass was down for a good 4 days with her virus, we'll see what Kameron does. He's thrown a twist on it though and has diarrhea and vomiting as well.
As for me, my head started hurting about 11:00 last night, and I knew right away it was a different kind of headache than I was battling earlier in the week... I popped some motrin, but an hour later came the chills. I have been taking motrin every four hours and taking my Oscillo.
My mom came and took the other 4 kids to her house for the day and Kameron and I have been laying here in the meantime sleeping. Right now his fever is down a bit and he's telling me silly jokes like:
"What do you get from a pampered cow?"
"Spoiled milk" *groan*
Anyway! Please be praying that we feel better really soon and that the other kids won't get it. I especially need to feel better because I have to go somewhere very important tomorrow night at 9:00, and it's going to be really, really sad if I cannot go. And that's all I'm going to say about that.
In the meantime, I'm going to lay back down and sleep more while my house is quiet! Hope you all are enjoying your Saturday.
This morning started out like any other... well almost any other... the kids woke up at their usual time and started their morning routine, except for Kameron who was sick last night and was staying home from school today.
I woke Kellsey up, she walked downstairs, just like normal...
I had her clothes laid out, just like normal...
I took off her jammies and changed her diaper, just like normal...
I helped her put her clothes on, just like normal...
I combed her hair, just like normal...
I put a bow in her hair, just like... NOT normal!
And then it happened... her smile disappeared and she buried her face in her hands.
Because she knew.
Something was different.
NOT normal.
Kellsey knows she doesn't wear bows to school.
NOT normal.
And so, after I got her dressed, when she normally will go over and get her baby or a book and wait for her day to start, she stayed rooted to her spot and refused. to. move.
And she glared at me.
The look that says, "You are about to change my routine and I am NOT happy about it!"
Kassidy went to school with my next door neighbor.
Not normal.
Grandma came over, and tried to give Kellsey a good morning hug, and Kellsey glared at her.
And didn't move.
Because it wasn't normal.
Then, I left Kameron and Kennedy with Grandma, told Keeghan to go to the car, and told Kellsey it was time to go.
She slowly, sadly, walked out the door, giving Grandma a little wave on the way. Like a lamb led to the slaughter.
Not normal.
We took Keeghan to school.
Not normal.
We got back in the car and Kellsey glared at me as we drove and I talked to her about where we were going. She knew I wasn't saying the word, "school."
NOT normal.
We pulled into the pediatrician's office and she glared at me again as she took my hand to walk across the parking lot. Defeated. This building was most definitely not school.
She sat quietly and looked at a book while we waited, and then again as the nurse and then the doctor checked her out... and then she got a shot.
Holy freaking COW, totally NOT normal!!!
And then she was really mad!
As I was strapping her back into her car seat, she looked at me, rolled her eyes, and pointed to the bow in her hair, as if to say, "If you wouldn't have put this in my hair this morning, I could have gone to school like I planned and everything would have been... NORMAL!"
So sorry, Kellsey. I hope the Happy Meal for lunch made it up for it. Monday will be normal, I promise!
Love,
Mommy
PS. Guess I should have clarified, since it's been asked twice now, she wears bows everywhere but school, because she loses them at school, and they're expensive! So no bows at school. When we go anywhere else though... church, out with friends, around town, when I can keep an eye on the bow, she has one on :). So, she just knows apparently that she doesn't wear one to school. Had I known that, I would have waited to put the bow on until we walked in the door of the doctor's office! HA!
Renee have you seen this video?? It cracks me up! I don't think five kids is a large family, but I'm sure you've heard some of this comments! I have seen it!! Too funny! And yes I have gotten a few of those comments! LOL
Do you have to have the paid version of site meter to see how people find your blog? I do... love that thing!
What is in the tube? Does it taste bad, cause if it does, that won't work for me! They are just these little balls... of medicine?! LOL I don't know, it's a tube full of "dots" (as Keeghan said). It doesn't taste bad AT ALL! It's kinda sweet actually. Even Keeghan liked it and he's super picky! Kameron was too sick to even notice that I was pouring it in his mouth! LOL
You realize that the fact that it can't be OD'ed on means that there is nothing in it whatsoever that would actually work?
So what was your experience with it? Mine was that I still got sick, and the only thing it pretty much did was give me a diarrhea due to the carrying substance. I promise it works! I don't know how, but it does! LOL I am telling you, I always get sick when my kids do and I totally attribute me NOT getting sick to the oscillo. It DOES say to only use one tube every 6 hours so that's kind of strange since you can't OD on it, right? Hmm! Anyway, it works! LOL
It was great seeing your kids in action (although... where was Kassidy?) She was doing homework... her afternoon/evening fate. LOL You'll get to see LOTS of her when she does her Q&A post though! :) We're almost there!
Thanks for sharing that - very cute! Kellsey seems to be sticking with Kennedy and Keeghan looks like he wants to be just like Kameron - is that they way it usually is or was that just for this particular video? Depends on the day and what is going on... The dynamics of the kids and who is playing with who changes from one minute to the next. Kennedy is my ultimate wanderer... she will see what everyone is doing and if she thinks she might want to join in, she will, and otherwise I'll find her off on her own playing babies. No one can force her into something she doesn't want to do. She's perfectly content to play with her Groovy Girls in her room and stay away from all the noise! ;) Kass and Kam are usually the ones together because they're older and do "big kid stuff" though they will get the little ones engaged in fun games from time to time, like this play. Keeghan WANTS to be Kameron's shadow, which Kameron is not all that thrilled with most of the time! haha Keeghan and Kennedy play well together and Keeghan and Kellsey play well together. Kellsey and Kennedy play well together. Keeghan, Kennedy and Kellsey do NOT play well together. Kellsey is a one on one type girl. Two's company and three's a crowd and that ticks Keeghan off! When the 3 of them are together I can almost guarantee that Keeghan and/or Kellsey will end up on time out. Kennedy usually tries to play peacemaker, but it usually doesn't work. Then again, Keeghan and Kellsey are basically the same age, so I guess that is pretty typical. Then of course there are those times when Kellsey gets in one of her "moods" and refuses to play with anyone and just sits and observes. She's going to be SO fun as a teenager! ;)
I guess from other posts I didnt think she did so much. that she liked books and wasnt very verbal. She is just soaking up from all the other kids. Kennedy made a perfect jo jo. I miss that show, my kids dont watch it anymore, I dont even think we get that channel anymore. Kellsey is slowly coming out of her shell, but her day to day varies. I never know what I'm going to get out of her. Some day she will sit in "her spot" in the living room with her books or her magna doodle and won't move. And that's not to say she's unhappy, that's just where she prefers to play and no one is going to get her up and moving... unless we're going to leave the house of course! She's always ready to go somewhere. Same goes for her being verbal... I listed her words in my last Q&A. Some days I will get those words out of her, and some days I won't. It all depends on her mood. That's part of the reason I figured I better grab the video camera while she was up and active while I had the chance. :) As for Jo Jo, that show isn't on anymore. Makes me sad! Kennedy and Keeghan LOVED that show!!!!
Have you thought about going to the dr?!
Praying so that it goes away, soon!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know that they could do much for me... I probably would have gone if it didn't go away though! Thankfully, I woke up feeling much better today!
Sorry about the headaches.Is Topamax not doing the trick any longer? Overall, it's been doing a pretty good job still, I think. I was getting migraines like twice a month and this is the first bad headache I've had in quite awhile. I wouldn't even call it a full blown migraine. It's definitely better than I was doing before!
We bought 16 boxes.16 boxes of Girl Scout cookies.Who does that?? But think of how many friends you must have right now! LOL My mom bought 11 if that makes you feel any better! I bought 2... but they are long gone and I'm thinking I need more. ;)
"I don't eat cookies?" What the hell kind of a choice is that? HA! Welllllll I just wanted to give ALL the options, and as you can see, someone out there needed that option. Not me of course. LOL
Love this song! Look up the story behind it...it will make you cry!!! (I mean, that will make your headache better, right?!) ;) Wow, what a powerful story! Thanks for sharing. Here it is, for the rest of you!
It's Girl Scout Cookie time, and across the country people are declaring their love for their favorite cookies once again... and I... I am hiding my Thin Mints from my children. LOL I am really doing them a favor. They don't need all those calories. It's bad for them. Aren't I a thoughtful parent?! LOL
There's one lady though who is serious about her cookies. When Hersha Howard's roommate gave Hersha's children her Thin Mints, well... Hersha went a little bit crazy. I guess she really needed some chocolate! If they would just sell these cookies all year, we wouldn't have this problem... Just sayin'! ;)
In all seriousness though, if you have a cookie addiction, please seek professional help before you attack someone. Even delicious Thin Mints are not worth jail time. I promise.
SO, what's YOUR favorite Girl Scout Cookie? You know you have one! Take the poll below and let your voice be heard... don't let your favorite go unnoticed!
I'm on day 3 of a yucky headache! I think I'm about ready to just cut my head off... because that will make the pain go away, right?! No? Fine then! I think it probably has something to do with this crazy weather we've been having here... freezing one day, warm then next, then it's cold, then we're having thunderstorms. Make up your mind already! I wonder if Colorado has tornadoes? Hmmm...
In the meantime, Keeghan and Kennedy are having fun tearing apart the house, I mean playing quietly and behaving themselves. :) We did some school work this morning and talked a little more about President's Day. Keeghan brought home some pretend money from school on Monday with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln on it. He got in the car and told me, "These guys were Presidents! This one is George Washington!" as he held up the one dollar bill; "and this one," he said holding up the five dollar bill, "is Abraham... Abraham... ummm... well... he's not in trouble, so we don't have to use his last name!" HA! I guess that IS the only thing a last name is good for, after all. ;o) We sang Happy Birthday to George and Abe and had a cookie with our lunch in celebration of their birthdays.
And now, I'm going to go whine about my headache until it's time to go get the other kids from school. I know, I'm pathetic. Shhhh!
We've had a particularly hard few weeks around here, and a friend sent me this song recently... the words ring true and I thought I would share them with you all too in case you needed them as well.
Today is Savannah Swandal's Birthday! You probably know who Savannah is from me talking about her on my blog, but just in case you don't, Savannah is an 11 year old (today!) girl here in Middle Tennessee who has been battling cancer since she was 5. She is one of the strongest people I've ever met! A bunch of people have gotten together and decided to wear green today (Savannah's favorite color) for her special day, so when I told the kids about it, they of course wanted to participate. Kameron said that his friends would probably think it's St. Patrick's Day! HA! Please keep Savannah in your prayers, today and always.
Happy Birthday Savannah! We love you!
Here are some pictures of some friends of ours whose kids dressed up for Savannah today, too!
The kids were in rare form aka everyone was getting along nicely and no one was grumpy last night, so I thought I would get it on video. Leave it to Kameron to boss everyone around organize everyone into a play! LOL Kellsey even did pretty great with her line... I think Kameron was good at casting though ;).
The Special K Play (Alternate title: Welcome to the madhouse!)
Starring:
Kameron as the Daddy T-Rex
Kennedy as Jo-Jo the Clown
Keeghan as a Monkey and
Kellsey as a Baby T-Rex
Yeah... me too! :) My friend Jen's daughter Emily is going to be a U.S. Student Ambassador to Australia this Summer and she is fundraising to earn her tuition to go! She will get to spend 20 days in Australia exploring the countryside and experiencing all kinds of fun stuff. You can read about it in the flyer below. SO, do you want to help this sweet 12 year old have the Summer of a lifetime and have a chance at winning an iPad? Each $10 entry buys you a chance to win. You can use the chipin below to donate. Thanks for helping Emily!! (Any questions, you can email her mom, Jen!)
So, I realize that Kennedy's homeschool blog is like a ghost town these days. We have had a crazy couple months where I haven't been as organized as I would like to be... but that's just to say that I haven't been taking pictures of our homeschooling journey and chronicling it as I planned on doing. Nevertheless, Kennedy and I have been working hard!
With all the snow days that Kass and Kam have had, Kennedy and I have still been hitting the books... or the computer screen as the case may be. Though I really don't advocate anyone actually hitting my computer screen. My computer doesn't like it much! ;)
I will get an overall update on Kennedy's homeschool adventures and everything that we are working on up on her homeschool blog soon, but for now I wanted to focus on the new reading and phonics program we have been using, because I think that a lot of you with young children might be interested in it, too!
While I had a good plan going for Kennedy's reading work, I was struggling to find a good phonics program that she actually enjoyed. Many kids with Down syndrome learn to sight read instead of reading phonetically. I wanted to at least TRY to have Kennedy learn to sound out her words. While she does have a good memory, it would take forever (not to mention about a million flashcards!) to memorize every word out there.
Then one of my friends told me about an Internet reading program called Headsprout. This program is comprised of 80 (or 50 depending on which program you choose) lessons online that teach your child to read. Each lesson takes about 30 minutes... sometimes shorter, sometimes longer, depending on the child and how many times you have to stop for *ahem* other distractions. They start with very basic sounds and work your child up from there. They attribute their success to repetition, and let me tell you... they have the art of repetition mastered! Kennedy and I do her lessons together and there are times when I just think, "Enough already!" HA!
When we signed up for Headsprout, they said they would mail us a package... about a week later, Kennedy got a map with a bunch of stickers so she could mark her progress after every completed lesson. She also got a pack of little readers marked to tell her when to read them, for example, the first one was set to read after episode 5. There is also a set of Comprehension Companions which start after episode 15. These are short stories for the parent to read to the child and then there are questions at the end to make sure they are comprehending. On the website there are also more books that you can print to read with your child... there are also coloring pages on there full of pictures of their new friends.
The books... The back of each book tells you what lesson to read it after. It also tells you online and on your map when to read a book...
Here is Kennedy's map. I have NO idea why it's sideways... it's right in my pictures folder, yet I've uploaded it a few times and it keeps rotating! GRR! Anyway, after every lesson, Kennedy gets to put a red sticker on her map. She loves to see the progress she's made, and she always says, "We still have lots to go!" :)
Oh and remember those friends I was telling you about up there?
These are Kennedy's new friends that she has met in Headsprout. They keep her engaged and laughing. So many times during each lesson she has stopped to say, "That's funny!" We haven't met the last row of characters yet, but she is looking forward to it.
After Kennedy completes each episode, I get an email letting me know which sounds she worked on and which words she has learned. I know this of course, because I was right there, but some of my friends kids do this program completely on their own, so the email would be beneficial in their case. It also lets me know what is coming up next as well as when to read the next book, which is a nice reminder for me! They encourage you to do an episode every day or every other day so your child doesn't lose momentum... we've done pretty well with that! There have been a few times, like when she was sick and when my computer was broken, that we missed several days in a row; and I could tell she struggled a bit to get back into it. Thankfully, you can repeat an episode if needed. If we have gone a few days without doing one, I will usually have her repeat the last one just so we get back in the flow.
Headsprout also provides us parents with a lot of information and helpful tools! There are these mini-posters, which I admit that I have read, but don't have hanging up anywhere, mostly because of lack of space.
And all of these other great materials that you can refer to any time you need them. They give helpful hints on how to use the program successfully. (Again... rotated! GRRR! Sorry!)
When Kennedy finishes her 80 episodes of Headsprout, I will get to fill out these two certificates for her so she has something to show for all her hard work!
And all of this stuff is great... right? (Except for the rotated pictures!) But, I know what you're thinking... "Does it work?!" I was skeptical too. I admit it. So, maybe this will help...
And yes, that IS a Headsprout reader. That is book number 3 that she read after Lesson 18 which we did on Sunday. Today we did number 19. The thing is though, she can read those words anywhere, not just in that book, and she is learning to sound out other words too, because this program doesn't teach words, it teaches sounds.
Kennedy LOVES that she can read to me now. We have all her Kindergarten readers from school last year and she can pick them up and zip right through them. It has instilled a confidence in her that she can do it, and she needed that! We're only on lesson 19... I can't wait to see what she can do when she hits lesson 80!
SO now that I have you all hooked and you WANT Headsprout, you probably have a few questions... let me try to answer them for you...
Q: So is this program only for children with Special Needs or is it for typical children who need to learn to read, too?
A: Actually, the website will tell you when you sign up that Headsprout is NOT designed for children with Special Needs, however many parents with children with special needs have found it beneficial. It works wonders on kids who are typical, as well!!
Q: What if my child is above the basic reading skills? Is there still a Headsprout program for him?
A: YES! The Headsprout Early Reading Program, which is what Kennedy is doing, is designed for ages 4-7; however there is also the Headsprout Reading Comprehension Program which is designed for children ages 7 and up. You can have your child take a reading test on the website to decide which program would be best for them.
Q: How much does it cost?!
A: WELL, you need to look at this program as investment into your child's future. Seriously. It's not cheap, but it's SO worth it! The Early Reading Program is $198 and takes a non-reader up to mid-second grade level in 80 episodes. The Reading Comprehension Program is $99 and teaches the essential skills needed for comprehension in 50 episodes. They do offer payment plans AND if you are buying for more than one child, the second child is 50% off. They also have the option for others to buy you gift certificates, so if your child has a birthday coming up, this would be a great gift!
ALSO, since you took the time to read this LONG review, Headsprout has given me a code to share with all of you! If you use the following codes at checkout, you will receive a FREE Scout the Bee puppet. We don't have one of these, but he looks super cute and would be a good companion for your new Headsprout learner!
Q: Well, I'm almost sold, but that's a lot of money... what if I get it and my child hates it, or it's just not what I expected?
A: Your child can do a free trial of Headsprout. By the first few episodes, you and your child will know if it's right for you. ALSO, Headsprout has a 30 day money back guarantee! If you try this product for 30 days and are not amazed with the results, Headsprout will issue you a full refund, and all the materials are yours to keep. So really, what do you have to lose?!
Ready for those codes for your free puppet now? I thought so! :) Just enter these codes at checkout...
Headsprout Early Reading (Episodes 1-80) = SPCLKERBEE
With the flu running rampant all over the country (the world?!), I'm sure that either you or someone you know have been touched by it. The horrible body aches, the head congestion, the never-ending need for Kleenex, the high fevers, the chills, the need to hide under your covers and not come out. Ever. Again. The flu is horrible. And what's worse is when you are taking care of kids with the flu (or *ahem* a husband) and then you get it too! It's an almost inevitable fate.
About a month ago, my son Kameron got sick. Then he got sicker. He doesn't get sick often, but when he does it, he does it well. When I couldn't get his 105 temp to break, I took him to the doctor and a nose swab confirmed my fears: Influenza B. At the same time I had my other son, Keeghan, tested who was also sick and he had the same fate. *sigh* So we headed home and I put them to bed and loaded them up on fluids and tried to keep them away from the girls... and tried to keep them from breathing on ME!
That was the first time that I heard the word Oscillococcinum. One of my friends told me to start taking it at the first symptom. My mom brought me a box, I gave it to the boys right away, and the next day when I got a sore throat, I emptied a tube in my mouth. We all continued to take it over the next several days. I'm not sure that it did much good for Kameron since he had already been sick so long, but Keeghan fought off the flu rather quickly and I didn't. get. sick. A-mazing. I am the mom who always gets sick when my kids get sick, despite constant hand-washing and lots of Lysol! I was so excited!
Then, a week or so later, the people from the Oscillococcinum company sent me an email out of the blue and asked if I'd like to review their product and do a giveaway. I said, "Oh my goodness, YES! I will sing your praises from the rooftops!" LOL So they sent me a free box of Oscillococcinum for next time I need it... which hopefully there won't be a next time any time soon, but it's good until 2014, so I think I'm covered! ;)
So, here's all the technical boring health info for Oscillococcinum:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), flu activity in the United States has picked up over the last few weeks – 44 states are currently reporting widespread, regional or local flu activity. And as the peak of flu season fast approaches, many of our own households have at least one member suffering from this illness. So while we hope you and your family stay healthy this winter, be prepared to nip those nasty flu-like symptoms in the bud with Oscillococcinum. Oscillococcinum (“Oscillo” for short) works best when taken at the first sign of flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, body aches, chills and fever. It has been shown in clinical studies to help reduce both the duration and the severity of flu-like symptoms. Oscillo’s sweet-tasting, melt-away pellets are safe for everyone two years of age and older, and no water, chewing or swallowing is required. Oscillo works safely and naturally without causing side effects, including drowsiness. There’s also no risk of overdose and no interactions with other medications. More information can be found by visiting www.oscillo.com or by viewing our brand new Oscillo multi-media player (http://bit.ly/gVwqpi), featuring videos, educational links, coupons and more!
So, what's up for grabs here? One box of Oscillococcinum to one lucky winner!!
What do you have to do to win? Tell me you want to win! That's it! Whether you've tried Oscillo before or not, you are eligible! You just have to want it! :) And of course, if you post this giveaway on your blog or Facebook and leave me a separate comment telling me you did so, you'll get a second chance to win! :) I will use random.org to choose a winner on Friday, March 4, 2011.
Good luck and best wishes for a healthy flu season for you and your loved ones!
It's time to choose a winner for our CSN Giveaway! Thanks to everyone who entered! I have another giveaway starting TONIGHT, so please come back and enter that one as well! Tis the season for Giveaways! :)
I used Random.org to choose a number for the winner and it chose number 56. That comment belonged to:
Anonymous said...
My mom showed me your blog and now I am hooked!
I would buy something for my little brothers if I won maybe an outdoor toy!
Morgan
Congratulations Morgan!! Please email me at CAmommy2KJ@aol.com and I will give your CSN Shopping Spree code worth $75.
There are a few Vanderbilt kids who need your prayers right now...
First, Savannah Swandal... she needs tons of prayers going up on her behalf. If you don't remember, I posted about her before. She is an 11 year old girl with Rhabdomyosarcoma. The tumors have taken over her body and she is home on hospice right now. She has battled cancer for almost half her life and my heart just breaks for her and her family. Please keep her in your prayers, especially that her pain can be kept under control.
Second is Owen Martin, He is a sweet little two year old fighting Lymphoma and was taken to Vandy last night with a fever. Every cancer family knows how frustrating and scary fevers can be... they are an automatic trip to the hospital for IV antibiotics. No messing around with fevers when you have no immune system! Owen's family lives here in Clarksville and I feel so blessed to be getting to know his mom in our new Bible Study. Please pray that Owen's fever is nothing serious and that he can come home soon.
Next is Elizabeth Ussery... she is not really a kid anymore, but she's still treated at Vandy because she started her treatment there. Elizabeth had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and has already relapsed once, almost 12 years after her initial diagnosis. She was done with treatment and doing well. However, she had another bone marrow biopsy the other day and it did not come back like they expected. They are not sure exactly what is going on with her bone marrow now, but it's not looking good, and her marrow is "tired". Please be praying for Elizabeth as they figure out what is going on with her and how best to treat her.
Last, but certainly not least, Tristan Numbers has been back inpatient battling an infection in his finger. Again, any type of infection for a patient with cancer is scary. They just don't have the immune system to fight it off. They think he may be going home soon, but he's had a rough week and can use lots of prayers!!
Thanks for always keeping our Vanderbilt Cancer Warriors in your prayers!
So first, I have to thank all of you, here on my blog and on Facebook, for your comments on my last post. I realize that this is a highly controversial topic, and I know that there were probably more than a few of you who were as shocked as I was when I first saw this video. You may have even been yelling at me through your computer screen for having even an ounce of compassion for Jessica Beagley; but please know that I've had a month to soak this in... I've looked at tons of websites about her and read more about the story than this clip shows... and I've read countless personal stories about parents dealing firsthand with RAD. Please do not get me wrong, I am NOT defending what Jessica Beagley did. I'm not. She was clearly at her wits end and out of control. I just truly wanted to believe there was a still a way for her and her son to get help that they BOTH so badly need.
I hope that you'll go read the comments that were left, and even go leave some thoughts yourself. I've responded some on Facebook as well. Thank you to those of you who have commented already... even to those who have disagreed with me... thanks for doing so respectfully! We can always agree to disagree! I did want to highlight this one comment that I thought was worth repeating:
I hope that some of your regular readers will take the time to read Diana's series on The Hot Sauce Mom. This is a mom who is at the end of her wits. She is applying to the Dr. Phil show because she KNOWS that what she is doing is not working but she doesn't know WHAT else to do. Seriously look a little deeper behind what is going on here. Do I hurt for the child? ABSOLUTELY! But I also hurt for the mom. Please don't judge her life and her parenting skills based on this short segment that she had filmed herself so she could get help. I hope and pray that if I ever have the need to reach out for help that I will be met with help and not judgments.
Please DO go read Diana's series linked in my last post. You won't be sorry!
OK now onto Dr. Phil today... They re-showed the video of course to update those who hadn't seen it and then talked to a psychologist who said that he had consulted with other psychologists and they said that as far as the hot sauce goes, many doctors actually recommended it to stop thumb sucking in children. (I believe a few people actually recommended it to us to help Kellsey stop her finger sucking at one time... unfortunately, she has no taste buds, so it didn't work.) He said it all really comes down to whether or not it's torture... if tissue damage is occurring etc, to determine if it's considered child abuse or not. Dr. Phil pointed out the same thing that I found... MANY internet polls showed that people thought the hot sauce (or "saucing") was OK. What do you think?
He went on to say that taking the children away from Jessica Beagley and putting them in foster care was not the answer as that system is broken. There are 6 children total in the home - two adopted from Russia and four biological. Jessica Beagley agreed to stop the showers and "saucing" and open her home to monitoring. Dr. Phil flew one of his "experts" to Alaska to check in on her. Jessica admitted that even though she has stopped with the punishments, her sons behaviors had not changed. This doctor gave her strategies to try and she admitted that for the first time she feels like she has hope. That HAS to feel... freeing. Not ONE agency or professional in Alaska stepped up to offer her services. Pathetic. The Dr. Phil show flew her and her son to Texas for services.
The doctor talked about the challenges that come with International Adoption and how they helped Jessica learn to cope with those behaviors and show her son that she loves him while dealing with her stress. They essentially gave them the skills to become mother and son.
Reports now is that things are going well... local therapists are now coming in to work with them further. Jessica was charged with misdemeanor child abuse by the municipal prosecutor. CPS came in but decided not to remove the children. The Russian Consulate also visited and did not see cause to remove the children either. Jessica will appear in court next month to face her child abuse charge.
Dr. Phil emphasized that this is NOT good parenting (DUH!) and he's sorry that she's being prosecuted, but he's glad to see that she is moving in the right direction and that they will continue to follow the story. Jessica did not appear on the show.
Whew! All of that was crammed into about 20 minutes! I kept pausing my TV so I could gather my thoughts. I SO wish Jessica would have been on the show. I would have liked to hear more from her than just the few minutes of recorded footage from her home, but I hope that her family is healing right now. I know that she is under a HUGE amount of scrutiny and I do pray that they can overcome this... whatever that means for them. As for Dr. Phil... I'm not his biggest fan, but in this case it really DOES look like he helped this family and got them some good resources which can be really hard to find. Did any of you watch the show? What did you think? Has your opinion of the situation changed one way or the other? This spurred on another post idea that I want to write about later, but for now I'm off to finish folding the laundry that I never finished last night! HA! I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
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Welcome to my blog where I take on day to day life with my five amazing children: Kassidy, Kameron, Kennedy, Keeghan & Kellsey, and a husband in the Military. Join us as we face issues with Down syndrome, Leukemia, Deployments, and every day life with 5 young kids! You'll be in for the ride of your life!
My name is Renee, I am 34 years old, I am married to the Army... oh wait I mean I'm married to a Soldier, my hero. Same thing right? I am a misplaced Californian who lives in Colorado by way of Tennessee. I am a mini-van driving soccer mom... I always knew I would be! I am blessed to be able to stay home with my 5 amazing kids. Kassidy: my beautiful, too smart for her own good, funny, dramatic 13 year old who is starting her teen years with grace. Kameron: My high strung, smart, artistic, creative, silly, sometimes mysterious 11 year old who loves musical theater and acting. My 8 year old diva, Kennedy: who will most often be found dancing or dreaming of Justin Bieber. She's destined for the stars! Keeghan: my crazy, funny, silly, handsome 5 year old monkey who loves to ask me a million questions all day long; and our 6 year old Ukrainian Princess Kellsey who is finding her way in the world as she battles Reactive Attachment Disorder. Our goal for her is to make sure she knows she is always loved, wherever that may take her... I'm so incredibly blessed.
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