EEG Results and More - The Walnut Acre Daily July 22, 2013

WORDS TO LIVE BY

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 91:1-2

WORKING, LEARNING AND PLAYING TOGETHER

IN THE KITCHEN

Breakfast this morning was simple -  cereal with milk, and juice. Austin fixed Pizza, fries and lima beans (his favorite vegetable) for lunch. For dinner I made chicken chow mein over rice and we had peas and fresh peaches with it. 

OTHER

Last week Michael had a 24 hour EEG. We decided to do this because I am seeing a lot of things at night while he's asleep that don't look right to me. We went to the hospital Wednesday afternoon and had it put on and then were able to come home and let it record during his normal routine. Then on Thursday afternoon we went back and had it taken off.  

This afternoon the neurologist called with the results. She said she didn't see any seizures during that 24 hour recording but that it was abnormal, showing "spike discharges coming from the right side." I'm still trying to figure out exactly what that means. From what I understand that area of his brain is "irritable" and prone to seizures and is probably where the seizures that we have seen are coming from. These spikes occur night and day although there are more of them at night. Since he is maxed out on the medication he is taking now (Zonisamide) for seizures and we are still seeing activity she wants to add a new medication (Trileptal) and see if it helps any. I am willing to try it but if it doesn't work I am not hesitant to take him back off of it. The neurologist said to give the medicine least three weeks, maybe a few more to see if it will work because we are going to start out on a low dose and slowly increase to the target dosage over three weeks. I don't really like adding another medication to the cocktail of meds he already takes, but my hope is that if we successfully treat the true underlying problem maybe some of the other medications can be taken away. Here's hoping!

ON MY MIND

I know that I wrote these Walnut Acre Daily posts before and then quit because of the time they took, but each time I quit I really, really miss writing them. There's just something special to me about the way the little details of each day weave together to create a full life. And writing this each day helps me to see all those things. So here I am again, writing the Walnut Acre Daily posts. It feels really good!

TODAY'S QUOTE

Dreams are free, so free your dreams. ~ Terri Guillemets

The Walnut Acre Daily - Michael's Geneticist Visit and Seeds for the Garden

Words to Live By

Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. Proverbs 14:22

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun

Because Michael had a doctor's appointment this morning the only "school" activity I did with the younger kids was storytime.

Storytime

Austin and Amanda's Homeschool Assignments

Bible - Proverbs 28; Literature - No Woman So Fair; Math - Conversions Part 1; Science - Respiratory System Questions and Answers

Out and About

Michael had his appointment with his Geneticist today. I love this doctor. She takes the time to really explain what she's thinking and the reasons behind the things she recommends. A year ago we were there and she did some testing for several different things. Most of these were completely ruled out but the Tuberous Sclerosis test basically came back inconclusive. There was an abnormality on one of the genes that is involved with Tuberous Sclerosis but at this point there is not enough scientific evidence to know if this particular abnormality can be a cause of TS. Michael does have some symptoms that could point to TS (the masses/tumors he was born with, seizures, other physical features, etc) but not enough to give a definite diagnosis since a lot of these symptoms could be a part of other things as well. So, at this point we're basically left with wait and see. Wait and see if any more symptoms develop (they often do as a child with TS gets older), wait and see if a better genetic test becomes available, wait and see if it everything just stays the same or gets better. She did schedule a renal ultrasound just to be safe since tumors on the kidney's can be a problem with TS. I was disappointed that there are still no clear answers, but at the same time I feel at peace knowing that God has brought him this far and that He loves him more than I ever could. I've said it before but it bears repeating - Michael is a miracle from God. As a baby doctors said that if he survived the severe health problems he was born with he would probably never walk, talk, see or hear. He not only walks, he runs. He talks constantly! His vision is excellent and since we had tubes put in his ears so is his hearing. I know God didn't bring him this far for nothing.

We passed the time waiting for the doctor to come in this morning by taking pictures and playing with a few toys that were in the room. He did a wonderful job being patient while we talked and cooperated wonderfully with the doctor. I was very proud of him. 

Other Notes and News

Our weekend flew by! One of my favorite parts of the weekend was buying these seeds and supplies for the garden. 

CJ and Michael caught my excitement and bought some too. CJ's are on the left and Michael's on the right. 

Doug spent a quite a bit of his weekend working on vehicles. He put brake pads on our friend's minivan and patched a tire that had a nail in it one of our vehicles. 

Reading Around the Web

5 Ways to Worry Less About Your Husband's Safety

Today's Quote

Anticipate the day as if it was your birthday and you are turning six again. ~ Mike Dolan

Daily Deals

Why I Write the Walnut Acre Daily

Linking Here
No Ordinary Blog Hop

The Walnut Acre Daily - Thursday, February 21, 2013

Words to Live By

And this is His command: to believe in the Name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as He commanded us. 1 John 3:23

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun

Bible

This morning we started with prayer, our memory verse, and our theme song for this month. Then we talked some more about the promises God has made to us in the Bible, focusing especially on how Jesus said if two if His children on earth agree together in prayer He will hear and answer. We sang along with Every Promise in the Book is Mine, read Matthew 18:19, watched this video about how several friends agreed together to ask Jesus for help for their friend - A Hole in the Roof.

Phonics and Reading

We did the letter Nn lesson on Starfall and completed the Letter Nn Writing Worksheets. We also played a memory game with the "am" word family cards.

Math

Our math lesson this morning was simple - we watched and sang along to Count to 20!!!!!!!

Wild Bird Unit

The activities for our Wild Bird Unit Study were also simple this morning. We read Brady Bird

and watched Birds for Kids

Other Books We Enjoyed Today

These are the books I read with CJ and Michael tonight before they went to bed.

In the Kitchen

Breakfast - Cereal w/Milk, Bananas

Lunch and Dinner - Vegetable Soup, Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Grapes. On Wednesday evenings we eat at church and sometimes when there are leftovers some get sent home with us because we always have plenty of people here to eat it.We were blessed yesterday with a big container of vegetable soup and several bags of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So that's what we're eating today. 

This morning I fixed this plate of fresh vegetables and kiwi slices for snacking on. I had already eaten several of the radishes when I took this picture. This helps to keep me from reaching for some not so healthy snacks when I get the munchies and the kids also find themselves wanting some too when they see it out and ready to eat. Michael especially likes the cucumbers. 

Around the House

I cleaned up the kitchen after dinner and took care of the chickens and our outside dog this evening.

Austin took care of the chickens and our outside dog this morning and took the dog for a walk. He also cleaned the kitchen after lunch and did the evening cleanup in the living room, playroom and upstairs bathroom.

Amanda did some laundry, did the evening cleanup in the mudroom and downstairs bathroom, and vacuumed the upstairs hallways and the stairs.

Out and About

Taking Lauren to preschool and stopping by the pharmacy was the extent of my going out today. This evening Austin and Amanda went to my parents' and sister's house for the evening. 

Just Having Fun Together

CJ loves to get out his papers and craft supplies and do things with the younger kids when he gets home from school. Here he was having them draw shapes and practice counting to 9.

Other Notes and News

Yesterday I had the worst fatigue and just felt spacey all day. I couldn't understand why I was struggling so hard to keep up but I just felt awful. Then this morning I woke up with a mild stomach bug so I guess that explains it. I don't feel as tired or spacey though and I'm so glad! I've just tried to keep things simple today - which is why we didn't do as much schoolwork and I kept the meals super simple. 

Doug worked in the garage awhile this evening on a rack he's building to hold our bins of animal food. He's almost finished with it and it will make storing and getting to the food so much easier. 

After a little over a week of no seizures (at least not that I saw) Michael had another one tonight. Thankfully just a short one, approximately 45 seconds, just after he fell asleep. 

Reading Around the Web

39 Character Strategies for Kids to Learn

Today's Quote

Every smile makes you a day younger. ~ Chinese Proverb

Why I Write the Walnut Acre Daily

~ Linking Here ~ 

No Ordinary Blog Hop

The Walnut Acre Daily - Beginning A Bird Unit Study, Weekend Fun and More

Words to Live By

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Matthew 5:43-45

Preschool and Kindergarten Homeschool Fun

Bible

This morning it turned out Michael was the only one doing lessons with me but we had fun. We had our prayer time, reviewed our memory verse and sang our theme song. We also talked about how God has promises for us and one of those promises is protection for His children. We enjoyed the song Every Promise in the Book is Mine and then watched this video of the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.

Phonics and Reading

We did the Starfall lesson for the letter Kk and completed a letter Kk writing worksheet. . . 

. . . and we played an "am" and "ag" word family memory game.

Math

We love this Let's Get Fit Count to 100 song and video so exercised along with it and then did this Bird Number Puzzle.  Michael really enjoyed it and since I laminated it we can use it over and over again.

Wild Bird Unit

This week we're starting a new unit focusing on wild birds. We began by reading A Nest Full of Eggs. 

We also enjoyed this Picture Dictionary - Birds video on Youtube. 

But the best part was these bird themed Beginning Sound Cards. Michael just loved these and once again, since they're laminated we can use them over and over again. I'm so glad I bought my little laminator. 

Austin and Amanda's Homeschool Assignments and Independent Learning

Bible - Proverbs 26; Literature - No Woman So Fair; Math - Place Value Part 1, Science - The Respiratory System

Austin watched some of his favorite shows today - American Picker and Pawn Stars. He loves learning about antiques and collectibles and gets a healthy dose of American History in the process. 

In the Kitchen

Since there were no daycare children here the first part of the day it was a cereal and sandwich kind of day. This evening for dinner we had pancakes and sausage gravy, potatoes and I fixed a plate of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Around the House

I cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast and did some laundry. 

Austin cleaned up the kitchen after lunch and did the morning pick up in the living room and playroom. This morning he let the chickens out of the coop and gave them food and water and also took care of our outside dog.

Amanda cleaned up the kitchen after dinner, did some laundry, washed down the kitchen cabinet fronts, reorganized the shelf over the stove in the kitchen and did the evening cleaning in the mudroom and downstairs bathroom. This evening Amanda put the chickens back in their coop and gave them food and water and also took care of our outside dog, making sure she had refills of food and water.

Outdoor Fun

Our morning and early afternoon were really quiet but this afternoon several kids were here. Amanda took Mykalin, Madalyn and Michael for a walk and then stayed out with them while they played in the yard awhile.

Out and About

Austin and Doug, along with a group of other people, helped a lady from church move today. A man from church picked up Austin around 2:30 this afternoon and then after Doug got off from work he met the rest of the group. They got home around 6:45 this evening. Austin was excited because he was given quite a few old tools and a few other odds and ends. 

Just Having Fun Together

I thought Michael would be really bored today because he didn't have any other kids to play with but he spent a large part of the day in the playroom driving toy cars from one end of the room to the other as he acted out lots of different scenes - broken down cars, trips to the store, going to a party, etc. He gave me one of the toy phones and we had many phone conversations, mostly of the "Hi, how are you, I'm fine" variety. But it really was fun and I loved seeing him use his imagination and keep himself happily occupied. 

Other Notes and News

Saturday evening was the Boy Scouts Blue and Gold Banquet. The theme this year was outer space. They served a spaghetti dinner and it was delicious. 

There was a magic show after the dinner that the kids just loved.

And for dessert there were cakes baked and decorated by many of the Scouts and their families. I had to get pictures of these cool cakes - so much imagination and creativity on display here. 

Another highlight from the weekend was going out to lunch with a friend. We went to a Chinese restaurant and spent hours just talking. It was one of the best afternoons I've had in a long time. 

Last week kind of kicked my behind. I kept up with our schoolwork, activities and other things but somehow posting here fell way behind. I think when I really started having trouble was when Michael had two seizures again on Wednesday. I just had trouble getting my thoughts back together after that. He had been doing well since we raised his medication Jan 22nd. His neurologist said she can raise it one more time after this and if he continues to have breakthrough seizures she would consider admitting him for 5-10 days for constant EEG monitoring to see if we can get any more information on why he's having these seizures. The two he had Wednesday were fairly short, compared to some he's had. The first one was Wednesday morning when he just blanked out on us. He was sitting on the couch but not responding, totally blanked out, and then when he did began responding again he said his stomach hurt and he didn't want the breakfast he had just been begging for a few minutes earlier. The second one was a tonic clonic after he went to sleep Wednesday night. It only lasted about 30 seconds which was much better than the 5 - 20 minute ones he has had in the past. And I haven't seen any since Wednesday which is awesome.

Reading Around the Web

The Camel Mother - I am the camel and he is the straw and I am broken. 

What Mama Did: The Storytelling

3 Ideas for Cultivating a Fruitful, Satisfying Life

Today's Quote

A smile confuses an approaching frown. ~ Author Unknown

Daily Deals

Why I Write the Walnut Acre Daily

~ Linking Here ~

No Ordinary Blog Hop Monday - Made By Little Hands, 

The Walnut Acre Daily - His Calming Touch

Words to Live By

Matthew 3:3

"A voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him. '"

Homeschool Fun

We didn't watch any videos this morning with our Jesse Tree readings because I couldn't find any I liked that fit. We watched the Letter F Song and Counting 1-20. The worksheets they did came from:
3 Dinosaurs - (Counting and Find the Difference Worksheets and ag word family )
and
Coloring Pages for Kids (F coloring page)

Austin and Amanda studied more on fractions in math today and started a unit on the body's circulatory system in Science. This evening we read pages 51-74 from No Woman So Fair by Gilbert Morris and Proverbs 12. 

Books We Enjoyed Today

I read the first four books with Michael, Lauren and Damien during morning storytime. The next two after that are the books I am reading with CJ and Michael before they go to bed at night. Then there is the book I am reading with Austin and Amanda and finally the book I am reading myself. 

In the Kitchen

Today was Amanda's day to fix lunch. She served chicken nuggets, salad and peaches. Later this evening she mixed up a batch of Homemade Biscuit Mix. 

Lauren brought these delicious Peanut Butter Cookies to share for snack today. 

For dinner this evening I made chicken and noodles with the chicken left over from lunch yesterday, butter beans and peaches.

Around the House

I did the morning cleanup in the kitchen this morning and five minute cleanups in four rooms and other misc. things come up every day to take up my time.

Amanda did morning cleanup in the bathroom and mudroom and also did lots of laundry and cleaned out the guinea pig cage. 

 Austin did morning cleanup in the living room, playroom and upstairs bathroom. He also cleaned the kitchen after lunch and after dinner.

Outdoor Fun

Both Austin and Amanda spent time outside today with the little ones. They are enjoying this poor old swingset with it's one swing and slide. I'll be glad when it's all fixed up but for now it's keeping them busy.

Creating

Austin worked some more today on the wooden block set he's making for the kids. It's going to be a long process but he likes to work with wood and is enjoying it.

We Are Going

I just had to take Lauren to preschool and stop by the store for milk. This evening Austin and Michael went to my sister's to practice some songs for a Christmas play they have part in. 

Just For Fun

On My Mind

There's a lot on my mind today and it's hard to even know where to start. But there's one thing that really stands out to me. Michael has always had trouble sleeping. He cries out in his sleep, and his arms and legs jerk suddenly and rapidly. He's on two medications to help him sleep at night and that has helped a lot. It helped even more when he began taking medication for seizures. But even with all that there are some nights when it's still pretty bad. Last night was one of those nights. His left leg and right arm would suddenly, simultaneously jerk upwards sharply, over and over again. As I sat there and watched, I struggled with what to do. Is this some type of seizure activity? Should I be giving him his emergency seizure medication to stop it? How could he be getting any rest at all? Maybe I should sit up each night and document each jerk so that the doctor will take it seriously when I say there's something going on while he sleeps. But then I began to realize that I was leaving out the most important step in this whole process. There's someone who loves Michael even more than I do. I began to pray that God would touch Michael, that he would bring His Presence into this situation in a special way and that he would give him rest. And within minutes Michael's restless body quieted. This is something we've been through many nights and repeatedly God reaches down and touches him. Unfortunately, it all too often takes me far too long to remember to reach out and ask for that calming touch. Why am I such a slow a learner? I'm so grateful God loves us even though we repeatedly forget to reach out and take hold of that love and care.

Today's Quote

A man with God is always in the majority. ~ John Knox

Daily Deals

~ Linking Here ~
No Ordinary Blog Hop, Titus 2sdays, Heart & Home Tuesday , Adorned From Above, Encourage One Another, Homemaking Link Up, Life, Faith Filled Friday, Friday's Link Up, Fellowship Fridays , 

Why I Write the Walnut Acre Daily

A Child Is More Than His Symptoms

Do not mistake a child for his symptom.

~ Erik Erikson ~

This quote that I found this morning describes our philosophy here at Walnut Acre. We currently have kids here with symptoms and diagnosis of so many different kinds.

~ ADHD

~Autism

~ Developmental Disabilaty

~ Bipolar Disorder

~Speech Delays

~ Nonverbal Learning Disability

~ Blindness in one eye

~ Asthma

~ Dyslexia

~ Possible seizures (still in the process of figuring this one out)

~ Allergies

~ Aspergers
~ Learning Disabilities

There's probably more to this list but that is what comes to mind at the moment. And while each diagnosis is important in helping me to understand the individual child, I try to be careful not to let it be the focus of what I see when I see that child. Because even though it is so easy to focus on the diagnosis, the diagnosis is not the child. It is a way (sometimes a very flawed way) of helping me to understand some of the child's behaviour, but it does not define who the child is at their very core.

My goal is to make this be a place where each child is free to be the person God made them to be without undue attention to a diagnosis. Because the diagnosis is a part of the person, but that is all, just a part. For each child it is sometimes a bigger part than others, but always, it just a part, not the whole of the child.

How does this translate into daily application?

 ~ By listening to the child's hopes and dreams as well as the fears and concerns and treating them with respect.

~ By taking into account the strengths as well as the limitations of each child and planning the days activities and routine accordingly.

~ By providing activities and resources that help each child build on their interests and strengths.

~ By teaching each child to value the uniqueness of each person in the group.

~ By sharing the positive moments of the day with the parent in the presence of the child.

This is just a short list of ways to show that the child is respected and valued with all the strengths and weaknesses that are unique to him/her. There are many ways to allow a child to be the person they were meant to be including but certainly not limited to a diagnosis.

Because at the end of the day this is still true and bears repeating -

Do not mistake a child for his symptom.

~ Erik Erikson ~