Yikes!
This is hard. I am out of blogging shape. It has been a really long time since I last blogged about anything. Hopefully, it's like riding a bike, and once I hop back in the seat it'll all just come back to me, muscle memory.
Now if you are wondering? Yes, this is my own personal blog. Not a diary but more like a record keeper. Helping me to remember these days before they are gone & I'm too senile to remember them on my own. I'm not going to do an intro to who I am or who my family is...most likely if you are even taking the time to read this blog, then you already know us. Seeing as the whole family blog thing has gone by the wayside in lieu of sites like Facebook etc...
This blog will be a little different from my first family blog. I will not be enabling comments, for one thing. This way I save myself the trouble of moderating them. No need to delete or block or read anything negative. If you want to contact me, then you had better actually know me, so that you can contact me. BTW, to my family & friends that are actually reading this & want to contact me I LOVE snail mail. Postcards, letters, thinking of you cards. You send one to me, I will definitely write back to you. In fact, I just purchased my own personalized stationary. Looking forward to going old school w communication. The art of letter writing is not dead. I grew up w thank you cards & pen pals & I want to go back to that girl/time period. I'm not looking to become popular. Just to capture memories for myself. Whether they are thoughts about whatever circumstances we are experiencing, or if I just want to tell a story about my kids/husband/self.
Well, since I ended the last blog we have moved again. This time it's permanent for at least 10 years.
Until all the kids are finished w school. Kier is graduating this year, it's hard to believe my baby is officially an adult. Just doesn't seem possible he's all grown up, has a girlfriend, a job & is about to finish school. Now if I could just get him to want to get his driver's license. Every day I feel like I need to apologize to my mom for not being a nicer child. It was extremely surreal when he told me I knew nothing, didn't understand him & had no idea what it was like to be a teenager. I just sat there, in front of him, eyes wide & said, "Wow! That really just happened didn't it? It wasn't just in my mind was it?" But he is a great kid, it's not his fault he's a teenager. ;)
Liam is almost finished w sophomore year & is experiencing better health than he has in 5 years. This phase of stability is greatly appreciated after the last few years of terror. Terror, that included almost losing him multiple times. But he is doing well, finally. Loves his high school, his teachers, his aide, his friends. Even taking a couple of general ed classes outside the special needs classroom. He even enjoyed the special needs prom last May. He was so handsome & all the girls & women danced w him the whole prom.
McKenna is still incredibly shy but as we moved into the new school this year, for this neighborhood, I really worried she would struggle with her shyness. But I am happy to report she has made a great many friends & is doing really well in all her classes. She is even in the school choir this year & sings all over the house every day. Which makes me so happy. Her artwork/drawing talents have netted her an achievement award for best of the week at school. Her teachers are blown away by her natural talent. Personally, I can't draw stick figures & my handwriting is atrocious unless I really focus & slow down.
Nolan's ADHD is under control w meds, age, and a completely organic diet. He is doing so well in school he no longer needs an IEP, but still has a 504 plan, so that they keep a close eye on his educational growth & keep him on the just in case list. He is making friends as well. Both he & McKenna stay after school, in a program called, 'Cafe'. They get to hang out with their friends, play games, do crafts, and even get some time on the computers to play games. They love it. He is a Star Wars/Legos fanatic. And entertains us daily.
It's never a dull moment in our house. And yet we aren't really interested in leaving the house very often. We haven't been to church in over a year, a time in which Liam has had no illnesses whatsoever. Solidifying that skipping out on the church, while we miss it, is also a necessity right now. We've spent the last few years circling our wagons ever & ever tighter, in an attempt to protect us all, from the unseen forces of the world, now we dare not go beyond the wagon's edge. I do feel tremendous guilt at not attending to my church calling & attending Sunday worship like I know I should, were it not for Liam's immune system. But I also know his health is more important to me than anything. We have reached a point in his life where we are trying to negotiate the treacherous paths of quality vs quantity of life. For now, we are choosing things that keep him with us as long as possible. He goes to school & Drs appts. Very rarely does he go elsewhere, an occasional trip to the theaters to see the latest movie but that's about it unless it's outside in the good warm weather. We love the backyard, the park, & the lake.
We were able to manage a week in AZ for Thanksgiving in 2016 & had a wonderful time. We even managed to stay healthy, the prospect of which really stressed me out. We left here on Friday at 8 pm before Thanksgiving, & drove straight through to New Mexico, arriving by Saturday night (approx 24 hours after we left) to spend the night w Captain Awesome's sister & her sweet family. We hit the road the next morning & were in Phoenix by 8:30 Sunday night. We stayed in our own hotel room, to give us a safety zone in case any family members were sick &/or in case any of us, Liam especially, became ill. We stayed through Friday evening, after Thanksgiving, & then hit the road, this time driving the entire way home straight through. 30 hours in the car is not something I recommend to anyone. But we did it & we were so happy we did. It was so wonderful to see family & friends we haven't seen in years.
Christmas was low key & white. The way Christmas is supposed to be. :) The new year is already one month down and I really wish I could hold back time. I can feel changes coming, I don't know when or what they will be but I can feel them as though they are stalking me, waiting for me to turn my back. I pray they are good & exciting & lovely. But whatever they are I have my family all around me, so we're all good.
Captain Awesome is doing well at work, busy, busy, busy as usual. Right now he is working on partially finishing our basement, putting in a bedroom for Kier & a craft room for myself. So far he's put up the studs, wired the rooms, put up the duct work, and has put up most of the drywall.
As for me? I completed an elimination diet in the months of July & august & discovered I'm lactose intolerant. Not to the same degree Captain Awesome is but soft dairy like ice cream & milk will send me to the restroom. So long as I keep the dairy to hard cheeses, and take a Lactaid pill before I can handle pretty much anything, in small amounts. During the elimination diet I discovered I felt better than I had in a really long time. I had more energy, a better ability to focus & complete tasks & slept better. My anxiety also lessened, although could be simply because we have a had a healthy year for Liam. So I started switching our family to an all organic diet. So I make the bread, the jelly & grind my own peanut butter all from organic ingredients. Of course, our grocery bill has gone up but I think our continuously improved health has cut down on sick visits to the doctor balancing it all out in the end. It's been a good year. A year of discovery & epiphanies.
I've heard so many people saying that 2016 sucked & they couldn't wait for 2017 to start & prayed it would be better than last year. I personally, liked 2016. It wasn't the most phenomenal year ever, but it was a year filled w laughter, family, hugs, & moderate good health, for most of my family & friends. I couldn't ask for more than that.
I think that this post has gone on long enough. I don't need to fill you in on every detail of our lives...most of which is very routine & boring. Personally, I like boring. The last few years have taught me that I need to enjoy the mundane just as much as I enjoy the exciting. Not all things that are exciting are good things. I like that it's all going so well & calm for a change. This quiet time is to be enjoyed & appreciated. For this phase of stability for our boy will pass. I have no idea when but it's the nature of A-T to have roller coaster ups & downs. Right now we are climbing. Eventually, we'll reach the peak of another summit & plunge into the scary unknown once again. I can wait. I can happily & greedily wait & push it off as long as I can.
Sending love once again from our family blog out into the interwebs. Wishing you all peace, love, joy & contentedness.
Jess
This is hard. I am out of blogging shape. It has been a really long time since I last blogged about anything. Hopefully, it's like riding a bike, and once I hop back in the seat it'll all just come back to me, muscle memory.
Now if you are wondering? Yes, this is my own personal blog. Not a diary but more like a record keeper. Helping me to remember these days before they are gone & I'm too senile to remember them on my own. I'm not going to do an intro to who I am or who my family is...most likely if you are even taking the time to read this blog, then you already know us. Seeing as the whole family blog thing has gone by the wayside in lieu of sites like Facebook etc...
This blog will be a little different from my first family blog. I will not be enabling comments, for one thing. This way I save myself the trouble of moderating them. No need to delete or block or read anything negative. If you want to contact me, then you had better actually know me, so that you can contact me. BTW, to my family & friends that are actually reading this & want to contact me I LOVE snail mail. Postcards, letters, thinking of you cards. You send one to me, I will definitely write back to you. In fact, I just purchased my own personalized stationary. Looking forward to going old school w communication. The art of letter writing is not dead. I grew up w thank you cards & pen pals & I want to go back to that girl/time period. I'm not looking to become popular. Just to capture memories for myself. Whether they are thoughts about whatever circumstances we are experiencing, or if I just want to tell a story about my kids/husband/self.
Well, since I ended the last blog we have moved again. This time it's permanent for at least 10 years.
Until all the kids are finished w school. Kier is graduating this year, it's hard to believe my baby is officially an adult. Just doesn't seem possible he's all grown up, has a girlfriend, a job & is about to finish school. Now if I could just get him to want to get his driver's license. Every day I feel like I need to apologize to my mom for not being a nicer child. It was extremely surreal when he told me I knew nothing, didn't understand him & had no idea what it was like to be a teenager. I just sat there, in front of him, eyes wide & said, "Wow! That really just happened didn't it? It wasn't just in my mind was it?" But he is a great kid, it's not his fault he's a teenager. ;)
Liam is almost finished w sophomore year & is experiencing better health than he has in 5 years. This phase of stability is greatly appreciated after the last few years of terror. Terror, that included almost losing him multiple times. But he is doing well, finally. Loves his high school, his teachers, his aide, his friends. Even taking a couple of general ed classes outside the special needs classroom. He even enjoyed the special needs prom last May. He was so handsome & all the girls & women danced w him the whole prom.
McKenna is still incredibly shy but as we moved into the new school this year, for this neighborhood, I really worried she would struggle with her shyness. But I am happy to report she has made a great many friends & is doing really well in all her classes. She is even in the school choir this year & sings all over the house every day. Which makes me so happy. Her artwork/drawing talents have netted her an achievement award for best of the week at school. Her teachers are blown away by her natural talent. Personally, I can't draw stick figures & my handwriting is atrocious unless I really focus & slow down.
Nolan's ADHD is under control w meds, age, and a completely organic diet. He is doing so well in school he no longer needs an IEP, but still has a 504 plan, so that they keep a close eye on his educational growth & keep him on the just in case list. He is making friends as well. Both he & McKenna stay after school, in a program called, 'Cafe'. They get to hang out with their friends, play games, do crafts, and even get some time on the computers to play games. They love it. He is a Star Wars/Legos fanatic. And entertains us daily.
It's never a dull moment in our house. And yet we aren't really interested in leaving the house very often. We haven't been to church in over a year, a time in which Liam has had no illnesses whatsoever. Solidifying that skipping out on the church, while we miss it, is also a necessity right now. We've spent the last few years circling our wagons ever & ever tighter, in an attempt to protect us all, from the unseen forces of the world, now we dare not go beyond the wagon's edge. I do feel tremendous guilt at not attending to my church calling & attending Sunday worship like I know I should, were it not for Liam's immune system. But I also know his health is more important to me than anything. We have reached a point in his life where we are trying to negotiate the treacherous paths of quality vs quantity of life. For now, we are choosing things that keep him with us as long as possible. He goes to school & Drs appts. Very rarely does he go elsewhere, an occasional trip to the theaters to see the latest movie but that's about it unless it's outside in the good warm weather. We love the backyard, the park, & the lake.
We were able to manage a week in AZ for Thanksgiving in 2016 & had a wonderful time. We even managed to stay healthy, the prospect of which really stressed me out. We left here on Friday at 8 pm before Thanksgiving, & drove straight through to New Mexico, arriving by Saturday night (approx 24 hours after we left) to spend the night w Captain Awesome's sister & her sweet family. We hit the road the next morning & were in Phoenix by 8:30 Sunday night. We stayed in our own hotel room, to give us a safety zone in case any family members were sick &/or in case any of us, Liam especially, became ill. We stayed through Friday evening, after Thanksgiving, & then hit the road, this time driving the entire way home straight through. 30 hours in the car is not something I recommend to anyone. But we did it & we were so happy we did. It was so wonderful to see family & friends we haven't seen in years.
Christmas was low key & white. The way Christmas is supposed to be. :) The new year is already one month down and I really wish I could hold back time. I can feel changes coming, I don't know when or what they will be but I can feel them as though they are stalking me, waiting for me to turn my back. I pray they are good & exciting & lovely. But whatever they are I have my family all around me, so we're all good.
Captain Awesome is doing well at work, busy, busy, busy as usual. Right now he is working on partially finishing our basement, putting in a bedroom for Kier & a craft room for myself. So far he's put up the studs, wired the rooms, put up the duct work, and has put up most of the drywall.
As for me? I completed an elimination diet in the months of July & august & discovered I'm lactose intolerant. Not to the same degree Captain Awesome is but soft dairy like ice cream & milk will send me to the restroom. So long as I keep the dairy to hard cheeses, and take a Lactaid pill before I can handle pretty much anything, in small amounts. During the elimination diet I discovered I felt better than I had in a really long time. I had more energy, a better ability to focus & complete tasks & slept better. My anxiety also lessened, although could be simply because we have a had a healthy year for Liam. So I started switching our family to an all organic diet. So I make the bread, the jelly & grind my own peanut butter all from organic ingredients. Of course, our grocery bill has gone up but I think our continuously improved health has cut down on sick visits to the doctor balancing it all out in the end. It's been a good year. A year of discovery & epiphanies.
I've heard so many people saying that 2016 sucked & they couldn't wait for 2017 to start & prayed it would be better than last year. I personally, liked 2016. It wasn't the most phenomenal year ever, but it was a year filled w laughter, family, hugs, & moderate good health, for most of my family & friends. I couldn't ask for more than that.
I think that this post has gone on long enough. I don't need to fill you in on every detail of our lives...most of which is very routine & boring. Personally, I like boring. The last few years have taught me that I need to enjoy the mundane just as much as I enjoy the exciting. Not all things that are exciting are good things. I like that it's all going so well & calm for a change. This quiet time is to be enjoyed & appreciated. For this phase of stability for our boy will pass. I have no idea when but it's the nature of A-T to have roller coaster ups & downs. Right now we are climbing. Eventually, we'll reach the peak of another summit & plunge into the scary unknown once again. I can wait. I can happily & greedily wait & push it off as long as I can.
Sending love once again from our family blog out into the interwebs. Wishing you all peace, love, joy & contentedness.
Jess