Today was Mini Laps, the big fall fund raiser at The Little Light House. The theme this year was "Once upon a time." All of the kids dressed up as story book characters and got to make a lap around the little track on the school's campus. Will was Prince Charming, and he looked so handsome! He rode around the track with a little girl in his class who was dressed as a princess. Their "carriage" was a tandem bike that was decorated and had a stick horse attached to the front. I think they had a good time, but they were both definitely on sensory overload. I took a ton of pictures and a video of Will and Hunter making their lap. Will ranked 15th in fund raising, out of 64 kids. The kids get to pick a prize in the order of their amount raised. Will picked a CD player, which is exactly what Jeremiah and I wanted to get for him. There was a carnival afterward with food and games for the kids. We all had a great time and are very proud of the kids and the $335,800 they raised this year.
Prozac Update
Well, Will has been on the Prozac for 6 days now. The doctor said that it takes 3-4 months to see the full therapeutic effect, but that bad side effects are usually seen withing the first 3-4 days. These bad sided effects include increased agitation, increased hyperactivity, and increased sleepiness, to name a few. Over the past week, I've felt like Will has more hyperactive and agitated than normal, but Jeremiah said that he was just his typical self. So, I let it go. However, today his teacher voiced a concern about Will's hyperactivity and energy level. Will has been at this school for over a year, and no one has ever mentioned Will's hyperactivity level. This is how I knew that my suspicions were true. They also said that due to Will's recent growth he's getting physically harder to control. This makes me really sad. I had high hopes that the Prozac may be the answer to Will's energy level. The main problem with his high energy level is that he isn't able to focus, even for 2 minutes, and this prevents him from learning a lot of things that I think he could learn otherwise. I called the doctor today to talk about this, but he's out of the office until Monday. So, we're going to continue the medication until we talk to him next week. Please pray that Will will calm down and be able to focus and learn at school. I'll post again when I have more news.
Developmental Update
Will had an appointment with his developmental pediatrician yesterday morning. It had been about 10 months since we had seen him last. He was happy with Will's progress in his motor and speech skills. He did seem a little disappointed that Will wasn't saying more. Anyway, the real news from the visit is this - he is starting Will on Prozac. He said that Will is so sensory overloaded, it's like he's trying to take an algebra test during a rock concert. He said that this sensory overload is the reason Will is constantly moving from thing to thing and can't focus on anything - that he's seeking more sensory input to somehow calm the overloaded feeling he gets. The doctor said that the reason Will has this sensory overload is that he has a seratonin deficiency. Prozac helps the brain keep as much of its seratonin as possible by blocking the re-uptake receptors that bring it out of the brain and into the blood. He said that it will take 3-4 months to see the full effect but that if Will was going to have any bad side effects that we should see them in 2-3 days. We start the medicine tomorrow. I'll post again after he's been on the medicine for a little bit and let you know how it goes. Please keep us in your prayers and pray that Will doesn't have any bad reactions to the medicine.
Happy Birthday Will!!!
I can't believe it, but my angel Will turned 4 on Saturday. He had a little party at school. They had pizza and I sent a cookie cake for the kids to enjoy. Will got to wear a birthday hat, and they sang to him. I'm sure it was a lot of fun. On Saturday, we had a small party for him. I don't think he knew it was his birthday, but he got to play with some friends and eat some cake. We also got people to donate to his school rather than bring birthday presents; so that was good. I think he had a good time. We had a puppy party because dogs are his favorite thing right now. He sees them and shouts "Ba!" He calls all dogs Ba because my parents have a dog named Beau, and that's how he pronounces it. Anyway, I'm posting 2 pictures from his birthday for your viewing pleasure!
Back to School
Both of the kids started school this week. This is Cate's first time being away from home during the week, and I was very nervous as to how she would do. She has started at Highland Park Learning School in their 2 day a week program. She goes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 2:30. There are five children in her class, 2 girls and 3 boys. So far, I think she's doing okay. They have play time, music class, art, a schoolastic lesson (they're learning letters, numbers, colors...stuff like that), lunch, and a nap each day. She isn't eating much because they have to bring all finger foods and nothing that needs to be heated. She isn't always the best eater anyway, so I'm not too worried. Their teacher actually gets 5 1-year-olds to sleep on a mat on the floor. I can't believe it, but apparently Cate slept on her mat for 50 minutes on Thursday.
Will started back at the Little Light House on Wednesday. He is in the same class he was in last year. There are 2 other kids who were also in his class last year, 4 kids who came from other classes, and 1 student who was on the waiting list. His class has 2 boys and 6 girls. The crazy thing is, the other boy also has Angelman Syndrome! Will and Henry (the other boy) are the only 2 in the school with AS and they're in the same class. They are friends too! They sit together on a bench during circle time, and their teacher told me Will is trying to teach Henry how to do things in class! I am so proud of my sweet boy. I think we're going to see some awesome development during this school year.
Baxter, our new puppy, is also doing well. He is chewing all of the kids toys and our carpet, so we're having to watch him very closely. Will seems to really enjoy him. I think Baxter knows he's here for Will. He always kisses him and he lies at the foot of Will's bed when we're putting Will to sleep. Cate isn't such a big fan because Baxter takes her toys and her cups. I'm trying to teach her to stand up to him and tell him "No no!" We'll see. Anyway, pray for us that Baxter will grow out of his chewing phase quickly.
More to come....
Welcome Baxter!
I know, I'm a slacker and haven't posted in a while. Sorry. Life's been crazy around here. Today, we added to the craziness...we got a puppy. Baxter, a chocolate standard poodle, joined our family today. He is 3 months old, and is adorable. He seems to be pretty laid back, which is a must in our house. Will loves him, and calls him "Ba!" It's the sound he uses for all dogs. Cate isn't sure about him yet, but I think as they get used to his occasional bark, they'll love him. I took a video clip of Will loving on Baxter. Baxter is Will's birthday present from his Gran and Poppy. As you may or may not know...Poppy gives the best prizes!
Squeaky Shoes!
So, I'm trying to be better about posting more often, plus I have a funny story...so here goes!
I took Cate to Kathleen's Kids (a local children's boutique) today to buy the kids these matching fall/winter church outfits I'd seen. Today is tax free, so I thought, what better time to buy them. Anyway, I realized this morning that Cate has outgrown all of her shoes, so I took her over to the shoe section to try some on. I put these brown leather Mary Janes with bows on the toes on her. The lady said, "Put her down and let her walk." So, I did. She just sat on the floor for a minute. But when she got up and started walking, we both got a surprise. The shoes squeak, like a squeaky toy! It's hysterical! Then she started walking all over the store. She loves these shoes. She wouldn't let me take them off of her feet, so needless to say, we bought them and took them home...still on her feet. She went down for a nap when we got home, and I went to the grocery store. When I went in her room to get her up, she still had the shoes on! Jeremiah said he didn't want her to cry, so he let her sleep in them. It's so funny to me how much she likes the shoes. Normally, she doesn't like wearing shoes at all. Anyway, they are very cute. The bows are interchangeable, so you can coordinate with outfits, something very important to little girls. I've attached pictures of her squeaky shoes for your enjoyment. They come in all sorts of colors, so I see more squeaky shoes in our future!
