The Weekly Review: Week 21

Blog Post that Made Me Think

Chris at RudeCactus.com wrote a post about how much and what kind of information people post about themselves online. He also poses a hypothetical question about online posting behavior. I've wrestled with this issue myself. When I decided to blog about the personal topics of my family and my daughter's Apraxia I decided to use pseudonyms. Dala, Ava, Michael, and all of the other names you see on the blog are pseudonyms. It was just a step that made me slightly more comfortable posting about our personal life on the internet. I am also constantly making judgements about which anecdotes are appropriate for public consumption and which are more private. My husband and I have decided that we are only comfortable posting pictures of the children in which their faces cannot be seen. When I am unsure if my husband will be comfortable about a certain posting topic or picture, I check with him first. I'm sure everyone draws the line between what they're willing to put online and what they aren't differently, but I hope that everyone thinks about it a little.

Weekly Weather Observation

Well, it will hardly come as a surprise that the weather has been extremely hot around here. Reading the news, that statement applies to nearly every area of the US. The thing is, I find myself thinking that I am grateful for that heat to some extent, because it means that winter is not near. I'm originally from New Orleans, LA and still travel there at least once a year. Hot is familiar. Winters that are cold with snow, ice, sleet, and salt all over the roads still feel fundamentally unfamiliar even though I've been living with them for well over half my life. I remember growing up thinking that a jacket was a "winter coat". So, even when it is so hot that I don't take the children outside to play, I'm still glad that I can leave the house without bundling everyone into coats and hats and that I still have daylight at 7:30 pm.

The Weekly Michael

Oh my the volume control has become skewed. All of a sudden Michael seems to be extremely loud all the time as his default volume. I wouldn't say he's quite shouting, but almost. He seems to think that talking at a very high volume is a perfectly normal thing to do. And he's so earnest when he's talking. He really just wants you to hear the VERY IMPORTANT THING he has to share. I hate to interrupt that earnestness with the rather mundane request to "tell me quietly please," but I am starting to feel assualted. It is exhausting, somehow, to be shouted at all day long by an earnest three year old. I suppose my next campaign will need to be constant reminders to use an inside voice.

Ava this Week:

In the beginning I didn't have a name because Ava couldn't talk. That was hard and so when "Mama" came I was so excited. I love "Mama." If I could choose what to be called forever, that would be it. Then, a few weeks ago, Ava switched to "Mommy" completely on her own. I noticed, of course, but I didn't draw particular attention to the switch hoping it would pass and that she'd return to "Mama" at some point in the future.

This week, she has suddenly started calling me "Maw-Maw". Seriously?!? "Maw-Maw?" It makes me feel like an 80 year old grandmother. Definitly not my first choice. Ok. It also makes me giggle a little inside because it is pretty funny. Again, I'm trying not to draw her attention to the shift hoping this too shall pass.

The Weekly Kittens:

The kittens have been sleeping with us. In the beginning it was because we needed to keep them separated from our older cat until everyone adjusted and our bedroom was the most convenient place to accomplish that. Now, we just like it. Every so often, in the middle of the night I will be startled out of sleep by a kitten grooming the tip of my nose. I'm not sure which kitten it is, because it is dark, I'm sleepy, and I can't see without my glasses on anyway, but someone likes to groom my nose in the middle of the night. If you've never been licked by a cat, their tongue is like sandpaper. As cute and sweet as it is to be groomed by a kitten, being awoken by sandpaper rubbing across the tip of your nose in the middle of the night is not the best way to wake up. I adore them anyway.

Parenting Slump

I've been in a parenting slump for the past couple of weeks. Don't misunderstand me. My children are loved. They have food to eat, clean clothes and bodies, a roof over their heads, and toys to play with. They get tickled and listen to stories and songs before nap and bedtime. We've been on family outings recently and we have two new kittens that are a joy to have around.

And yet I just haven't been myself. I've been tired and cranky. I'm depending on television a little more than I'd like and I'm more disengaged than usual. I'm letting perfectly normal child behavior irritate me disproportionately. I am building fewer "special activities" (art project, silly dances, special games that are usually put away) into our days at home.

I am aware of the shift and I know that I want to make a change, but I haven't quite figured out how to yet. I'm not sure what the underlying problem is. It could simply be fatigue. I adore the kittens, but they do cause interrupted sleep on a nightly basis. I can start by trying to get more sleep, eat better and perhaps add in a little exercise. Those things certainly can't hurt. Maybe we just need a change in routine. Shift our daily activities around and try to plan some fun things during the day. The busier we are with some fun activities we all enjoy, the less time that is left over for irritating each other.

If anyone has some suggestions for some fun indoor activities (it is just too hot outside for much outside time), please share some ideas.

Thanks!

NutriiVeda - Four Month (and final) Update

I haven't done a NutriiVeda update in quite some time. Before I give my final thoughts on the supplement, here's some basic information about how we used it. We never used a full two scoops a day, as recommended. The most we ever managed was about 1 1/2 scoops a day. For the first two months or so I was pretty consistent about getting that amount into Ava on a daily basis. After that we used the product fairly sporadically.

When we first started using the product I thought I saw an improvement in Ava's speech. I thought she was talking more often in longer utterances. Looking back, I'd say that the improvement was likely due to a developmental spurt or due to the speech therapy services she was receiving.

When we went on a family visit for about a week and Ava did not take the supplement I noticed no change in her speech and language. When we came home and began taking the supplement again I still noticed no change. After that, our use of NutriiVeda became more sporadic and I didn't put the same effort into getting it into her daily.

Now, Ava also has some suspected sensory issues. We haven't had our OT eval yet. One of the ways this effects her is to make her an extremely picky eater. I like the nutritional profile of the NutriiVeda as a meal replacement. It is high in protein and low in sugar. Several times a week I mix it into some yogurt and I feel good about giving it to her for purely nutritional reasons.

We are still buying the product. The company will let you call and delay the autoship for a month. We do that every other month. So, we're buying the product every other month instead of every month and we're doing that for nutritional reasons rather than because we feel it has had a significant impact on Ava's speech.

After having tried it, with high hopes, this is my final opinion:

If you can afford it, and want to try it, go ahead and try it. Many parents have reported that it works for their child and you can't know if it will help you unless you try it. However, unless the results are dramatic and you are positive that the product helped improve your child's speech, your money would be better spent on additional speech therapy or perhaps some speech therapy products to help you with home practice.