Rick did that conference because he and the boys had dental appointments in Clinton that started at 3:30.
Bad stuff first....he needs to work on his handwriting some and color a bit more neatly. In other words, he is kinda rushed...the body is trying to race with his mind and it does not always work.
The good...Rick was told that Benjamin is on the reading level of a late first grader, early 2nd grader...that he knows all his site words and those on the level expected of a 2nd grader. Math, perfect. Ms. Hao asked Rick if we were doing multiplication drills or something at home with Ben. We never have. He's just picked up this number love all on his own. And, ironically--considering he does not have autistic traits like my brother, will rattle off these addition and multiplication problems and correct answers out of the blue. We were told he can count money extremely well. Yay, McDonald's here we come! LOL Really, the people that work there can't seem to make the correct change. Maybe, just maybe, it takes a 5 year old. *sarcasm*
Tonight! (why the heck am I excited, I'm a fat cow!) But tonight, the boys, Rick and I go down to Mechanicsville to get our family pics taken. On Facebook, Kim Griffith's business, Portraits By Kim (http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kimgriffith.com%2F&h=fc959a11d036ba5c7a32706c26a7980d), is one of my groups I added. She has done Andrew's soccer pictures just about every season since I have had him in soccer. Her work is excellent. Picture prices are good, sitting fees to me, not so much. But anyway, one day I got an update from her Facebook group and it read that the first person to write on the group's "wall" would receive a free session, basically it waives that $50 sitting fee! I won! So I wanted to cash in on this ASAP, before she got booked up with sports photos and us with just the soccer practices (which I think will be within a week). So, we have to be there at 7 tonight. Wish us luck. The last time all of us did official photos was before Benjamin was even a thought. Andrew was a baby in fact. Way overdue, no matter how wide I am.
Well many may or may not know that we've been having some major issues with Andrew and his sleep. Since the accident this past fall, he's been gradually getting worse with night terrors, night walking in his sleep, and restlessness to the point of extreme tears. Many a night we can have a combination of the three. Andrew has had night terrors as a baby/toddler. They faded, things were normal for a while. Then a few years back started the nightmares, 1:00 in the morning timeframe. Would be like 1:30 to 2 am by the time you would get him back on track and sleeping again. Then those faded. I think we've had a good year of no issues until last Sept/Oct when Andrew saw every single detail from his back seat of a t-bone accident. The afraid to fall asleep and some light nightmares were normal and very light in the beginning. Then with each month they seemed to have increased. The past two weeks were the hardest...basically no one in the house but Benjamin was getting any sleep that was averaging 4 to 5 hours a night, if we were that lucky.
The lack of sleep was starting to effect all of us..down to forgetfulness and grades slipping with Andrew. Then the past few nights before the last two, before a change I was about to make, were downright heartwrenching. We would average an hour to an hour and a half with trying to get Andrew back to bed, several times, different reasons. That last night before the two nights ago, it went on for 3 hours. Something had to give! His pedicatrician referred us to a pediatric neurologist in DC. Unfortunately, the first appointment available isn't until June 8th. We would not be surviving until then!
Giving you and idea of what we are dealing with and what we have tried: http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/50/80.cfm
We have tried everything listed in that article except for the part of waking him up a half hour into his sleep time. We never know "when" he actually falls asleep, by us not being up there by his bed side watching him drift off ya know? Sadly a lot of what I read there seems geared towards children 5 and under..but we honestly have tried everything else there. And Andrew has the combo of night terrors (not the screaming like they mention now that he is older, but crying) and the fear of falling asleep I think (having come from a previous pattern of middle of the night nightmares). We got spoiled because there was a year or more break between those middle of the night nightmares and this new pattern of night terrors returning combined with not being able to fall asleep. That of course came on after the accident to a very small degree. But for whatever reason has gotten increasingly worse over the course of the months and peaked badly these past two to three weeks....
Night before last I was successful, either that or the household was struck a break from everyone pretty much not getting sleep. It just had to happen one night sort of thing. hahaha But I tried something quite opposite. Andrew took a Benedryl, which he has before. It doesn't make him sleepy, but it takes away some of the agitated feelings/itchiness he thinks he is feeling when not able to fall asleep. Kind of removes the physical part....not sure if that is understandable or not. Also, at 8, the boys both watched TV for the first time at all that day. Ben of course falls asleep immediately and will stay asleep. I check in on Andrew right before ..8:30.. and he was still awake, watching TV. It was then I decided to go ahead with my trial. I basically took away what I think is a fear of Andrew's...time constraints. Andrew I know will not abuse it, not the same for all kids. I realize this. But I told him that basically he can keep the TV turned down low and keep watching it until he fell asleep. The next step was to take worry out of the picture. I assured him that I would be back shortly after he was asleep to turn off the TV, not to worry about it. Then, since Andrew does like being in the bunk bed still, I made a place on the boys' floor of the bedroom with a flannel blanket. Marked a spot for Andrew to lay on and told him that if he couldn't get to sleep or something woke him up and he wanted to move to be more comfortable, that he could just move his pillow on down to the floor and sleep there where I made his "floor bed" up at. Trying to make that night about him not thinking he was doing anything wrong, no limits, just relax sort of thing..... When I got ready for work the next morning, Andrew was still in his bed.
We'll see. Even if this was all some sort of fluke, I will take it right about now. We go to see his doctor Friday morning again to see if there is anything else that can be done before June, since that is a long time off and it is after school is out. What grade he brings home now count more than the ones at the beginning of the year. Just wanting to make sure he gets his proper rest.....
And an Andrew "last night" update. Rinse, lather and repeat man. YEAH!!! I think my technique is working!! Andrew alone thinking that me doing something this different must be what is working I think is making him just FEEL more relaxed, even if this ends up as "fluke night number 2". Only part that was different was that Ben was up longer than the night before, but not but by 20 minutes.
This HAS been a while since I updated here. But that one loose tooth of Ben's, has turned into TWO teeth gone (bottom two). First one he brought home. 2nd one he lost and lost for good. Strangley, he doesn't even care where it is at. Or was at. *eye twitch*
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