A real test....

Today was a test of patience.  Right from the beginning of the day, Gabriel was testing limits today.  It's been such a long time since that had happened, that I think I forget he's STILL a 5 yr old little boy and it's normal.  He had a hard time getting motivated to get dressed this morning, and had made a mess in his bedroom.
He went to work with my husband today, so I didn't see him much, since I've been sick in bed.  When they came home, he seemed to be a bundle of energy and pushing limits.  You tell him to be quiet, use his indoor voice, and he would just continue his actions, if not getting louder. If I hadn't been the one to give him his medication this morning, I would have thought that we forgot it today with the way he was acting.
I picked up my oldest daughter from school, and took her to skating practice, leaving the younger two kids with my husband at home.  When we got home, we went straight to dinner at Denny's (I know, not the optimum place for dinner, but it's close, and it's cheap).  Now granted, we didn't have the best service today, but Gabriel seemed to be back to his old self.  Being loud, not being able to sit still, and just being bad.  He kept flinging a crayon using his menu, across the table.  I must have asked him at least 10 times, and taken the crayon from him at least 3 times.  But then he would scream.  Peer pressure got the best of me, and I was nervous people would be annoyed, so I gave the crayon back each time. We tried to redirect him with puzzles and games, but that only lasted so long.  Then he started making a noise with his mouth very loudly.  Between my husband and I, we asked him 4 times to please be quiet, but to no avail. 
He was screaming that he was hungry, and where is his dinner.  I remembered that the neurologist we went to over the summer for his headaches, said to keep his blood sugar level, and when it roller coasters, we will notice a change in him.  So I gave him the benefit of the doubt that maybe his sugars were low and he just needed to eat.  The waitress was no where to be found, so I couldn't ask for her to please ask to bring them something to tide them over til the food came.
 FINALLY the food came, but by then, gabriel was so far gone, that he now said that he wasn't hungry and literally didn't have a bite to eat.  he picked his dinner himself, and didn't want to eat it at all.  He continued acting up, so my husband had to take him out to punish him.  It was very frustrating, but at the same time, it was a glimpse of what we would still be going through on a daily basis with him, had it not been for the meds.  He has made so much progress, that when he does act like a 5 yr old, I forget that it's ok.  (Well, it's not ok, but it's normal).
When we came home, I had told the kids that Santa sent a package today.  I sat them all on Gabriel's bed, and introduced them to Jingle the Elf on the Shelf.  (They named him).  Madeline read the book that came with him, which outlines the rules of the Elf, and the backround.  I thought this would excite the kids.  But NOOOOOOO, all the kids think that the Elf is "creepy".  All questions were answered, they named Jingle, but are not very excited about an Elf that "spies" on them.  But we'll see in time, how Jingle is accepted in our family!  I'm hoping Jingle will help all the kids stay in check!
Until next time, enjoy your holiday season!

Another breakthrough!

Look carefully, it's his name!

Today was another memorable day that made me cry!  Gabriel wrote his name!  We were waiting to pick my oldest child up from school, and Gabriel went to the back of the van.  He brought me a notebook where he had written his name all by himself!  He didn't ask me for the letters or how to make them.  It was 100% on his own!  What a breakthrough!  They've been working hard at therapy to do the letters of his name, but so far at home, he can't get past the 4th letter of his name without asking for help, let alone writting it!  I'm so proud of his hard work.
Another great accomplishment today was going to the grocery store.  He did very well.  No running around or touching things.  The problem child was my 2 yr old, as all 2 yr olds are when bored in a store.  Gabriel was helpful and did wonderfully.  (With the occassional, are we done yet?!) 
He's been doing so well lately I couldn't be happier!  Just to get him to eat.......

YIPPEE!

Yesterday was quite monumental.  May seem like a small step to any other readers, but to myself, it was huge.  Gabriel had a playdate with a little boy that he's known since they were fetuses.  Seriously, it's a long time.  Ever since Gabriel was old enough to move around, he would push poor Ethan around.  They both are very scrawny tiny kids that are barely on the growth chart, and they are only 4 months apart in age.  I've always been on pins and needles when getting them together because Gabriel would get mean.  We used to go all over together, on vacation, and just hang out.  Their younger sisters were even due the same day!  But with new jobs, it's been harder to get together.  So yesterday was a true test. 
I was AMAZED that we could go, the kids could play, and we heard not one whine, or "ouch" at all.  No banging or hitting, or throwing or fighting of toys.  We could just sit and talk like adults and the kids played.  How amazing to feel relaxed in that situation! 
Today was another first.  He started his day with school.  Madeline, my oldest child, had no school, so she got to fulfill a lifetime dream of reading to his class.  That was really cute!  He got to sit introduce her to his class and sit right next to her as she read to the class.  He ended up finishing the day really well.

First time to play a board game

After school, we came home, and Madeline has been wanting to play Monopoly Jr with me.  I work nightshift and need a nap before work tonight, so I didn't really have the time to sit and play.  BUT I made lunch and while I was cooking ,we all sat at the table and played.  I really didn't think Gabriel was ready for it, but he amazed me!  Yet again, no fighting, or whining about not winning.  He took his turns nicely and truly enjoyed the game.  Honestly, a while ago, he wouldn't want to wait to take turns.  He would have been too impatient.  They are STILL down there playing.  I had to bow out due to bankrupsy.  he seriously had a lot of real estate and with those darn double fines, it killed my budget!  How nice it is to hear them getting along and see that he can enjoy that activity!
That's all for now.....I work tonight so had to do today a little early!  Keep ya posted!

ONE MONTH

Well, it's been a month now. I have seen a lot of progress for Gabriel.  He has been so much more "subdued".  I can only see him going forward from here.
Tuesday, he had his one month follow up with the neurologist.  I was expecting good things.  He has been eating like a madman, and he's been doing so well.  I was no to medicate him before the appointment due to him doing a test when we got there.  The test he did was called TOVA test.   It's a computerized test that takes 20 minutes to complete.  I did not get to go in the room with him, but basically it's like a game and they gave him buttons for each hand and there were various activities.  One he described, was blocks. And when the block went down, he had to push a button.  From what I read on Google, the test is to measure your attention span.  It's not really reliable though.  Gabriel could sit in front of a video game or computer for HOURS.  So he passed that test reasonably well, and the neurologist said he doesn't put much emphasis on that test, it's just another stepping stone to follow.
The bombshell for me, was that he lost 2 pounds this month.  Gabriel is a stick figure to begin with.  He has no weight to loose already!  I knew a side effect of this medication is weight loss and loss of appetite, but I just figured that since he didn't get the loss of appetite and has been eating more than he's ever eaten before, that he would be fine.  Honest to God, he ate 2.5 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches AND 2 huge handfuls of chips for lunch yesterday.  Then an hour later was hungry so had some blueberry mini muffins.  He's constantly hungry.  I just couldn't explain the weight loss.  So as per doctor's orders.......he is to eat cookies and ice cream.  He is to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, a snack between lunch and dinner, and a snack before bed.  And by snack, he means ice cream and cookies.  Fine with me, except that I don't want him to get in that mode of thinking and end up an adult with poor eating habits.  He DOES love his fruits though, so hopefully he keeps that. 
One thing I found interesting, is that now he has a follow up visit in 3 months, in February.  But his prescription is only for 30 days at a time.  I guess I have to go every month to pick up the prescription.  It's not a med to mess with.  In fact, on the prescription I have, it has specific instructions to NOT fill it until the 8th (today). 
One more milestone, is last night.  He wanted to join the beginner precision team at skating.  I didn't let him try out at the beginning of the competitive year because he just didn't have the focus and would have been frustrating to both the coach and himself.  He's been asking to do it every week, and I finally thought he would be able to do it.  So I talked to the coach and she said to let him do it one week and see how he does.  Much to all of our surprize, he was extremely successful.  I knew he could do the content, just wasn't sure about the attention.  He did so well!  I literally was crying!!!!!!!!  This morning, he was saying how much fun he did and asked if he could do it all the time!  He did get invited to join the team permanently!
That's all for now!  On to make more positive moves!

It's been a while

It's been busy lately, but it's been busy.
Gabriel's had a lot of positives that happened the last week.  One of the teenagers actually said "Man, what happened to Gabriel?  He's one cool kid".  He's been making a lot of progress and actually interested in learning that letters have functions and what they are.  He's been making more drawings and letters that are intelligible. 
One bad thing is, yesterday he had a bad day at school.  The teacher said he had a very good day up until snack time, and then he smacked a kid on the face.  I don't know why, and he won't tell me.  We had a talk on why it's wrong, but I was sad since he was on such a good roll.  He seriously hasn't had one bad report since he started his medication.  His teachers have made no mention to how good he's been doing lately, but they don't know he's on medication.  We'll see if they ever catch on.
Today was Trick or Treat.  We did this in another town with a group of skaters.  Gabriel had a lot of fun and never ran around like he would have before.  It was cold, but overall, a great day.  After finishing the candy collecting, we all went in the house for some hot cocoa and the kids played.  It was again, so nice to know that he could play and I didn't have to worry like before, that he would turn to violence.  He played nicely and had not one incident of someone telling on him. 
He has his 1 month follow up with the neurologist on Tuesday.  That makes me nervous.  I'm not allowed to give him his medication that morning and I don't like that much.  But the appointment is early enough so that we can come home and give him his medicine afterwards.  We need to go though, because he is out of his prescription as of Tuesday. 
That's all for now!

My littler competitor

We started off our morning at 3am.  Had to be at the rink at 5am for my daughter to skate her first event.  I had brought Gabriel and Julia in their jammies to hopefully remain sleeping in the car with my husband, but that was a no-go.  Oh well!  I packed clothes, and Gabriel's medicine and applesauce in a bag for later use.
My daughter skated her first 3 events (out of 5) in a matter of an hour and a half.  Then it was time to get Gabriel ready for his first event.  I gave him his medicine in the everlasting popular cinnamon applesauce (his now favorite), and then got him dressed in his choo choo conductor outfit.  He was skating against himself this time, but I didn't tell him.  I wanted him to feel he did this huge accomplishment to get the 1st place medal. This would be his first one ever and every competition, if it's not first place, he considers himself a loser, no matter what I say.
So he got dressed, got skates on, and was the cutest rolling skating train conductor I've ever seen.  He warmed up with the girls in the same age level.  When they called him name to skate, he quickly went out there, and set up for his routine.  He did GREAT!  Compared to his last meet in August, he remembered almost his whole routine.  He had to look at the coach for reminders, but he didn't yell or say anything, and actually did the items that he was told to do.  He truly deserved his first gold medal!

 

After he skated, he had about 2 hours until his next event.  He used it by playing nicely with other kids playing video games and such.  I used to have to chase him, and be worried he would hurt the other kids.  This time was nice.  I could relax and not one kid came to me saying that he was kicking them, or whatever.  What a relief!

Gabriel was really good for his pairs event as well! It was just him and his partner, with his partner's sister and partner.  Gabriel is 5, his partner is 4.  yes, they do lifts etc.  They did fantastic!  Between the 2 of them, they remembered their routine and had no fighting! It was great to watch!  I love seeing the new Gabriel emerge!  It's still the same Gabriel, just toned down.  Exactly the results I was wanting!  They ended up in 2nd place, as expected (they are still pretty new and young compared to the other team).

After the competition, we then headed to downtown Cleveland for the circus!  We were a little early, so we decided to eat dinner first.  We stopped at this cute restaurant called the Tilted Kilt.  Looked quaint.  I'm Scottish, so why not?  WELL....we walk in, and it's like a Scottish version of Hooters. Short shirts, bare midriffs, and boobs pushed up into their chins.  Let me tell you, my 5 yr old was more than pleased!  He kept saying "Mommy, their bellies are hanging out!"  Yes, yes they are.  Ha ha!  I wanted so bad to take his picture with the waitress, who was oh so nice to us (probably tired of all the men drooling over her lack of clothes), but I was too embarrassed to ask for a picture.  (Side note: the food was actually very good, and the service was great)

Then off to the circus.  Man, what a great family trip.  Gabriel was on his best behavior.  Had a few little tifts about having to wait to get in the doors, and wanting to go look at souvenirs, but he was manageable, and redirectable.  A total change from 2 weeks ago!  He sat through all 2.5 hours of the circus without incident!  Highlight of his trip was the snowcone in the elephant mug! 

What a great day!  I hate to say it, but because of this medicine, I have a loveable little boy and our family time is so less stressful! 

 

My little salesman

Today, Gabriel had his skating lesson, the last one before his skating competition tomorrow.  He doesn't know it, but he's actually skating against himself and will get a 1st place medal for the first time.  I'm going to let him relish in that feeling of "winning".  He's always gotten a medal, but never a first.  Maybe this will help his self confidence.  He is quite the competitive child and likes to "win" and 2nd or 3rd place are losers in his eyes.  Nothing I say can change his thinking.  I just keep telling him he's a winner regardless.


Gabriel selling Wendys cards at Walmart

So after skating, we had to head over to Walmart to do some fundraising for our skate club.  The goal was to sell Wendy's frosty cards.  Unlimited frostys for a year....$1 per card.  I thought this would be a nightmare and boring for him, and I'd just end up chasing after Gabriel and his younger sister.  but Gabriel surprized me.  He turned out to be quite the little salesman. He went right up to people and had his little saying "Will you please buy a Jr Frosty card for a dodder (dollar)?   It's from Wendys and helps for my competitions and it's good for a year."  People just couldn't resist him.  Some people actually would just give him a dollar and not want the card, but just thought he was too cute!  he would get mad when they wouldn't take the card, saying "Mom, they gave me a dollar for free".  He sold stacks and stacks of those cards.  Some people would hear him talking from inside the store and come outside just to buy a card off of him, saying he was just too good of a salesman.  He stood out there for 3 hours and was mad when it was time to go!  I was sooooo proud of him! 
I found I am doing a LOT of postitive reinforcement lately.  it's working. He loves it.  His good boy chart is almost filled!  I tried a good boy chart in spring, and it just didn't work.  He didn't get it, and wasn't excited.  Now, he wheels and deals to get that sucker filled up!  The prize?  A $5-ish toy of his choice. 
So on to tomorrow.  Another test with this medicine.  He competes tomorrow.  Lets see if he remembers his routine!  it's his favorite one ever!  Polar Express music, wearing a conductor outfit!  Then to the circus after that!