Vision therapy begins soon...

Julianna had her appointment yesterday with the Developmental Optometrist. I told the DO all my concerns, then he did some tests with her and determined that she will definitely benefit from vision therapy but doesn't need glasses. She has problems with tracking, fixation, and parts of visual memory and visual discrimination. It wasn't the big moment I was hoping for--I kind of wanted him to shout from the rooftops, "YES! Julianna's vision is holding her back in all areas! This therapy will help her overcome many difficulties she is having! What a great mom you are for bringing her here and discovering exactly what she needs to improve." I mean, I kind of built up the exam so it would end that way--my description of Julianna to him lead up to something like, "And that's why I'm really excited to be here to find out if vision really is her main issue and causing her difficulties in so many areas." All he said was, "Okay, let's begin the exam." And I didn't even know when it was over! I almost had to ask him what he found out, and then he said, "Oh, yes, Julianna will benefit from vision therapy." Anyway, what I've really learned is, any type of help I decide to get for Julianna will not bring instant results--it's a process. I'm never going to be given a magic wand to cure her. So here I go, on a new journey with her through vision therapy. The cool thing about it is I only have to go once a month, and in between visits, I get to work with her one on one for 1/2 hour a day. The optometrist also follows her progress very closely, every other month, to determine what she needs. I have a good feeling about it, but PATIENCE is the key...it will certainly help her in school more than anything. That's my story!

What to do on Tuesday nights...

Well, I always hate this time of year because I never have anything to look forward to watching on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. What will I do with myself now that American Idol is over? And by the way, I am still VERY upset about the final results. Adam should have won--I couldn't wait until the end of the finale when I would see him crowned the winner. I had already decided it would be one of the best moments on the show--PERIOD. But then, Ryan announces it's Kris Allen. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT! How did this happen? Even Kris was shocked that he won and said that Adam deserved to win. This was the first season in a while that I was really excited about watching the show because I couldn't wait to see what Adam would do next. So, Joel and I talked about it (he also liked Adam) and decided that it might be a good thing for Adam that he didn't win. Now he won't have the title of "American Idol Season 8" winner over his shoulders, which could taint his edgy image. No matter what, he's going to be a huge star and I can't wait to buy his first album and see what he does with his career. Sorry, Kris, I won't be buying your album.

Do you think the right person won, AI fans?

Blake's turn

Well, it's Blake's turn for some attention on the blog. He is still his crazy, wild self. Into everything, talking like crazy, keeping me very busy. A few weeks ago he fell asleep leaning against the couch (he didn't take a nap earlier) so he finally crashed. It was pretty cute. And the video I have here is him trying to do front flips on the trampoline. Yes, that's right, FRONT FLIPS! The last time I jumped on it with them, I was just playing around and did a front flip to my back. Well, he decided to try it, right then and there, and almost landed right on his head! I'm not kidding, he really did try to flip from his feet. So I told him, no flipping but jumping somersaults are okay. So that's what he does now. He's getting pretty good at it. So coordinated, this kid. He really has no fear.

Vision Therapy--the missing piece of the puzzle?

Sorry, another Julianna post. I've been reading about visual motor problems the last couple of days since the Dr. at the Inland Regional Center mentioned she might have a vision problem. I now really feel that MANY of Julianna's behaviors and concerns stem from her visual motor problem. This is totally new--I've never been told anything might be wrong with her vision until now (why hasn't anyone said anything to me before? It took this long to figure it out?). But it makes so much sense to me--she has every symptom of the visual motor checklist. So one of my books talks about developmental optometrists (DO's) who do very thorough eye exams, not just 20/20. They look at the way the eye is functioning and sending signals to the rest of her body, particularly her hands and for movement. And if there are problems found, Julianna could start vision therapy, and possibly have very specialized glasses made to help her vision. So I found a clinic in Riverside that have great DO's and provides vision therapy (and it's covered by insurance. YEAH!). I would be shocked if all it took was a pair of GLASSES to help her improve. Wouldn't that be amazing? May 28th is the day. I can't wait to see what they find out. I really feel like I'm onto something now...

Gym Story

This is pretty close to what the fitness instructor looked like yesterday for the cardio kickbox/bootcamp class that I attended, after a 2-week hiatus from the gym (hey, my parents were living with me!) Normally it's taught by a petite blonde woman whom I really like. But as all the women were waiting for the class to start, we see "Lynell" approaching, which means, no Tammy today. Now, I could have just walked away and done the treadmill. I've been in his class before and it was sheer terror. But since it had been two weeks away from the gym I decided it would be a good way for me to get back in the game again. One older woman saw him walk in and said, "Now, be nice to us. Yesterday was Mother's Day." He smiled, somewhat innocently, and said, "Oh, of course! I can do that!" YEAH RIGHT! So let me tell you all about "Lynell."

*The pose you see Billy Blanks doing above is one we did as well, except, if someone wasn't "low" enough, he would come up to you and say, "Uh uh! Uh uh!" and then point to you, looking out at the rest of the class, and say, "She said, go lower!" and he would push your shoulders down until your thighs were almost parallel to the ground. He did this to me a few times.

*His music was blaring loud and fast, and he didn't even need a microphone to tell us what to do.

*He liked to show off for us by doing each move with great intensity and he was always watching the mirror to see how we were all doing. If he saw someone messing up, he would snap his head around and give you an evil stare, right in the eyes. And I mean EVIL! Once I thought he was looking at me and my heart stopped. Turns out he was looking at someone behind me, because he walked over to her.

*When we were doing floor exercises and about to collapse of fatigue, he would look around and say, "Let's rest for a second...Second's over!" So yeah, we got to rest. FOR A SECOND!

So yesterday and today, I have been EXTREMELY sore. I'm proud to say I made it through the whole class, and I think most everyone else did, too. Probably because they were too scared to leave--he'd probably come get you. But I'd definitely say I'm back in the game again! Yeah for the gym and scary fitness instructors!

Mothers

I wanted to share a quote by Sheri L. Dew from something the RS gave the moms at church today:

"Both God the Father and Adam called Eve the 'mother of all living'--and they did so before she ever bore a child. Motherhood is more than bearing children, though it is certainly that. It is the essence of who we are as women. It defines our identity, our divine stature and nature, and the unique traits our father gave us. As daughters of our Heavenly Father, and as daughters of Eve, we are all mothers and we have always been mothers. And we each have the responsibility to love and help lead the rising generation."

So next time you moms feel like you're just not cut out for the job, remember that you have the traits necessary and it is part of our IDENTITY, even if you don't have children! Believe me, I'm still trying to remember this, EVERY DAY, as I try to fulfill my role as a mother. It's hard, but it's worth it! We are needed and special! Happy Mother's Day!

Big Julianna news

Well, today was a very interesting day. We took Julianna to the Inland Regional Center evaluation--her appointment was at 9. My mom came with Blake because we planned on going to Ontario Mills afterward. So, I thought the eval was only going to be an hour long or so. Well, the Dr. comes out and calls us in. He is an older man, a psyhologist, and acts very much like a psychologist would (in my opinion). He started by getting to know Julianna a little bit, then started going over her file (it's pretty big now) and then asking me questions. I told him all about my potty training concerns, because that's the real reason I want their services. He listened, but didn't give it much attention. He then asked about her language skills, because I feel like that's the one thing keeping her from getting the services--her language is too good to qualify her--she has to qualify in all three areas to get the help. So he decides to give her an IQ test (she's never had this before). And of course Julianna is surprising me the whole way through--the whole time I'm saying, I didn't know you could do that! She was able to answer most of the questions and identify what's missing in a pattern or series, etc. Then he pulled out these red and white blocks and had her imitate the way he stacked them. She did pretty well, until he mixed the colors in different ways, and she couldn't do it, although she tried (he told me she might have a visual perception/processing problem). Well, halfway through the IQ test, he says, let's take a break. Did you bring snacks? I said, yes....how long is this evaluation? He said, well, I have her down from 9 to 12. WHAT?? No one told me this. So we went out and told my mom and she took Blake to Sam's Club. After a snack break, it was back into his office for more tests. He took notes like crazy, really trying to figure her out. He did an autism test, one she's never had before. I would say he conducted about 5 tests over 2 1/2 hours. Then at 11:30 he gave me one to fill out as we waited for him to compile his scores. So around 12, he comes out and tells me something I'm not expecting. He said, I think your child doesn't have full autism--I think she has PDD-NOS, and possibly ADHD. WHAT????? Now, I've considered PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified) but NEVER ADHD. But as I watched her take these tests, I've never seen her wiggle and squirm and lose focus so much. It made me wonder if she acts this way in school as well. And why hasn't the school district ever mentioned PDD or ADHD? But the good thing about PDD is that it's really just a delay, not a disability. She may have autistic traits (PDD is under the umbrella of the autistic spectrum) but kids with PDD have a MUCH brighter future than those with autism. And it all kind of made sense to me, considering her history--she was pretty much delayed on everything, except language, which she's behind in now, and the potty training could just be another delay. So anyway, now I have to work it out with the school district to get this all straightened out before kindergarten. Oh, and the interesting thing is, the neurologist she saw recently also said the same thing--he said, I can diagnose her with high-functioning autism (he did it mostly for this eval I had today) but I would place her more in the PDD-NOS category. So, two people have used that label with her lately. Anyway, a LONG post, sorry, but it seems like my journey with Julianna has taken a little turn, but it will all get resolved. No matter what, she's Julianna and she is great and special! (By the way, we still went to Ontario Mills--it made for a LONG day).