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Friday, March 29, 2013

Adventures with Kaden


I just placed a Spot for Kaden's Peeps over to the side.  I totally forgot to do that many months ago when I started this blog.  He really does like to hear from everyone from his Blog and his FB.  He inspires everything I write and post.  Most posts are even "Kaden Narrated".

A talk recently that we had:  He tells me almost everyday that he is different and that it's ok.  Just last night he said to me..."Mom, my brain sees this activity different then your brain.  I see it as a way to touch planets we have never gone to yet.  I see groups of stars that you don't see because your brain's eyes are closed"  That night we were using a fantastic App called Google Sky Map!!!  I love that Boy, he is so precious to me and he surprises me everyday.



Today we went for a walk.  Looking at nature, as close as Suburbia will allow.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
He found a ladybug.  "Come here little fella....I will help you find your Momma".  He couldn't be any cuter.  :)




It took forever, but he finally got the ladybug to crawl up his arm.  Every time it would flutter back to the ground he would dive back down and try to get it back on his arm.  I love to see him be so gentle.  Life is precious and I want him to learn to love and embrace all that God has put on this earth.  
Kaden is always flapping his arms and spinning.  So, having his body still for a moment to enjoy the ladybug was monumental for the older kids and I. 

After he successfully found a branch to call this lady bug's home he was off and ready to find another adventure.  The kids and I just tagged along for the ride.  :D

Sunday, March 17, 2013

A Little Green Man Came to See Kaden......



We were Invaded last night by a little Green Man.........a Leprechaun!!!  Kaden was so excited to wake up and see little tiny foot prints leading to a loot of Gold chocolate.



This is my first year doing anything like this for him, because he really wasn't able to focus on any real tradition or have excitement towards anything that didn't include a chess move or sequence of objects.  But, the past year we have seen so much progress. 


Of course he needed to investigate.  He just knew it was paint and had to take a closer look.  But after careful observation he noticed it was slimy like soap.  Oh no...........



 I used a Max Steel boot and diluted soap colored with green food coloring.  Luckily Kaden's investigation wasn't too long, because the Loot of Chocolate Covered Coins at the end of the trail was to tempting!!!!!   I guess the Luck of the Irish was on my side this morning!!  :)





Rocco was our Leprechaun Guard Dog.  I think it was a tough night for him.  Luckily the Leprechaun got away and was on his way to the next house.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Out of Control Roller Coaster

So, ok I am 100% stressed out, frustrated and feel like a bundle of live wires waiting for someone to pull the cord.  DEEP BREATH!!
Nope, still feel the same, DEEEEEEEP BREAAAAATH!!!!!
Nope, still feel the same, so I'm just going to write it all out and hopefully by the end of my ramble I will feel less like an uncontrollable bundle of live wires. 

Have you ever dropped an earring or, quarter between your car seat and the thingy you click your seat belt into?  You dig and squish your hand as far down as it will go, scraping your knuckles the whole time.  You dig and dig, knowing it's right there....you can see the darn thing.  As you rub the tip of your finger over whatever it is that you dropped down into the depths of car hell you feel aggravation, frustration and hopelessness all at the same time.  You just know you'll pluck it out any minute now. 

This is how I feel today, this is how I've been feeling for awhile now.  We have been having these huge set backs with Kaden lately.  This weekend and yesterday were the worse.  We actually had a Clinical Supervisor come out to the house last night after hours.  I was so worried he was going to hurt himself.  I'm thankful we have such a great team to help us with Kaden.
He is so smart and articulate that he was able to tell us how he feels inside once he has calmed down enough.  He said that he feels like flying and his insides are running.  That he feels out of control and worthless.  That he doesn't deserve life and that his head is all jumbled with thoughts and ideas.
Any suggestions we make to him get shot down with it's a waste of time to do that and it's not worth the effort. 
It's like living on a Roller Coaster without a harness.  We never know how he will respond to what we say or what will set him off into a stim or melt down.  Stimming normally is fine, I can live with it.  I actually will encourage him to get out his wiggles when he feels they are hindering him from what he needs to do.  But, lately they include violent thrashing into the wall or punching his legs or floor.  I sometimes wonder if he can feel pain.  Or if he just feels pain differently? 
I've also noticed an increase need to count things and group them in order.  But, at least when he is doing that he's not melting down.  I'm trying to give him more academic possibilities, like word problems and math activities.  Having him paint sentences or graph items. 

Doing all these things are fine with our whole family, don't get me wrong.  It's just the constant screaming, crying, tantrums, compulsions that just wear us THIN.  Poor Mahala broke down this afternoon because she said she feels like she is doing all that she can to be the Best Big Sister.  She takes the most abuse besides myself.  But, it's because she plays with him in and out of therapy and includes him in almost everything.  She is the BEST Big Sister!!!!  She tried to talk to him today and he listened, but wasn't getting it.  It was the dead stare and then the random rambling of some off topic subject that seemed to cause her to cry more and just annoyed Kaden even more.  She felt so defeated, but after I talked to her she felt better.  I reassured her that everything we do for him is appreciated by him in his own way.  And that we can't give up on him or short change ourselves for the hard work we do for him.  I'm so proud of my Girl!!!! 

I think that's why I'm soooo upset right now, because it's hard to see Mahala so upset and to know Kaden is just trying to get his mind and body to do what he wants it to when he wants it to do it.  And there I am in the middle not knowing what to do and who to comfort first.
Tomorrow will be better.....Right?

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Looking for Math Gold.....

It's March!!!  YAY!!!!  It's time for all the little leprechauns to show there cute faces and everyone to get pinched.  So, to start off the festivities I decided to do a st. Patrick's Day Unit study....more on that later.  And we will be backing and crafting like there is no tomorrow.  This will actually gear us up for Easter.  Can I just say now I Hate it when it's in March.....I love celebrating Easter for the whole month of April.  We still are going to do that, just start a few days into March.
Colorful Answers



So, first off I have some cute ideas for Kaden.  He is so bored of math.  I have him in a 3rd grade book and I truly don't want to move him up another year, so I decided to do fun math activities the rest of the school year.


I just wrote out problems in rows shaped like a rainbow.  Kaden likes problems with multiple steps.  So, the more I use them the happier he is. 


When he figures the problem out he glues the answer on and Ta-Da, you have a rainbow, minus the happy Leprechaun and pot of Gold!

It took Kaden only a few minuted to finish this, so next time I will make it harder!  ;D  I am also going to do one for Spelling words and vocabulary.  You can make a truck, dinosaur, space rocket, the sky is the limit.  Let me know what you create and how your kiddo did with it.  Kaden gave it 2 thumbs up!!!