My girls were in their first play!!

 My girls are growing up too fast.  They had their 1st grade play last night.  It was called Nuts and it was really cute.  My girls didn't have any major parts but that's ok.  Even the boys enjoyed watching and finding their sisters on the stage.  They were really proud because they got to perform at the big stage at the high school!  Bella got to dress up as a nut and kaya dressed up as a butterfly.  The play only lasted about 30 minutes but was really cute.  Louie had a hard time sitting still but he did pretty good.  All the noise and everything got a little overwhelming for silas but overall he did pretty well too.

I really can't believe we are coming up on the end of another school year.  The years go by way too fast.  Kaya is struggling a bit here at the end of tree year but we are hopeful she will pull ahead these last few weeks.  Bella is doing fairly well and hopeful she will do great these last few weeks.  We are looking forward to both girls moving on to 2nd grade next year and Louie joining them in kindergarten.  They are on spring break next week so will enjoy time off and hopefully have decent weather to enjoy.

Easter party fun

Yesterday at work we had our Easter party.  All the friends and family of residents and empliyees got to come.  We had a blast.  I got to be the Easter bunny and it was amazing.  Seeing the joy on kids faces and getting to hold little babies for their first Easter pictures was a true blessing.  The kids really enjoyed it.  They played games,  got their faces painted,  got balloon animals,  did a craft,  and ate cookies and juice.  They even got to do an Easter egg hunt.  It truly was an enjoyable day.

One of the scariest days of my life: 2 years Post Decompression

2 years ago today was a very scary day for me and my family. We had to send our youngest in for decompression surgery. He was only 11 months at the time. We were so scared of what could happen.

We had to get up early and be there very early for prep for the surgery.

I had barely slept the night before because I was so scared for my baby boy. He was so carefree and had no idea what he was about to go through. When we sent him back I was a mess. I cried, who wouldn't? I was sending my baby off for brain surgery.

I think he was in surgery for about 4 hours. We had a group of family sitting in the waiting room waiting on every update they gave us. The cut in they did a duraplasty, cut out part of his skull, and cut the arch of his c2. After the surgery he went to the ICU where we finally got to see him.

It was very rough seeing my baby in pain and not knowing how to express himself. I was just happy he was out of surgery and able to start the recovery process. The next day was so much better and he was able to be out of bed and playing.

I was so happy to see him doing so well just 1 day after major surgery. He is such a trooper. Just looking at him you wouldn't have known he had just had brain surgery, but then you look at the back of his head.

The next day, so 2 days after surgery, he got his bandages off. The cut was a lot bigger than we had thought. It was kind of shocking to us to see it.

3 days after surgery he was able to come home, so March 24, 2016. On his birthday, so 16 days after surgery, he got his stitches out. He was doing so well. He was off all pain meds within 3 days of being home.

Today has been 2 years since that scary day and what was to follow. He will be 3 years old in 16 days. He is doing truly amazing. He walks, talks, and is all boy. He still has some affects from the chiari, but he doesn't let it affect him too much. He will e starting preschool in the fall and he is super smart already. I can't wait to see what the future holds for my little warrior.

Bundle of joy giveaway 3/15- 4/15

Check out this amazing giveaway.  A must enter if you are pregnant or have a newborn

Sponsored By:
Stroller Spotter, Ronica, Lucky Baby World, Coconut Essentials,
Handpainting - Fine Art Prints, Lettering On The Cheap, Amara,
Lil' Johns, and Drawing Board Shop

Hosted By: Love, Mrs. Mommy

Co-Hosted By:
Chatty Patty's Place, Tammie's Reviews, Giveaways and More, MomJunky,
Coupons and Freebies Mom, and Michigan Saving and More

1 Lucky Winner Will Receive: 

$350 worth of goodies from 9 Sponsors! 

** Prize List Includes:**

Stroller Spotter

$25 Gift Certificate to Stroller Spotter! Stroller Spotter is an 18" illuminated antenna for strollers that allows parents to find theirs quickly in a crowd, as well as display a favorite topper. $25.00 RV!

Ronica

A farm theme modern photo journal and keepsake album & a 32-Pack of 4" top-end baby onesie stickers! $59.98 RV!

Lucky Baby World

Sukkiri Baby Ring Sling! This mesh ring sling is light, breathable, adjustable and one-size-fits-all! $35.99 RV!

Coconut Essentials

A Brush & Comb Set, 100% Organic Hooded Towel and Coconut Baby Moisturizer! $48.89 TRV!

Handpainting - Fine Art Prints

Winner's choice of any four, 8x10 prints! Pick out a set of 4 prints, or mix and match! $54 RV!

  

Lettering On The Cheap

$50 Gift Certificate to LetteringOnTheCheap.com! Design lettering or pictures for the walls of your baby's nursery. Check out Love, Mrs. Mommy's contributing writer's review of Lettering On The Cheap right here! $50.00 RV!

Amara

$25 Gift Certificate to purchase yummy, organic baby food for your little sweetie! $25 RV!

Lil' Johns

Winner's choice of size and style (Lil' Original or On The Go Camo) Lil' Johns! Great way to keep your baby warm during the colder months of the year! Check out Love, Mrs. Mommy's video review here! Up to a $29.95 RV!

Drawing Board Shop

Receive this 3 card set of childhood firsts + 1 additional teddy bear note card from the Drawing Board Shop! All hand-painted cards! $21 RV!

Open To US and must be 18+ to enter

Giveaway Dates ~ 3/15 9:00 AM EST through 4/15 11:59PM EST

Entry-Form

Disclosure: Love, Mrs. Mommy and all participating bloggers are not held responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill their prize obligations. This giveaway is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Facebook or any other social media site. The winner will be randomly drawn by Giveaway Tools and will be notified by email. Winner has 48 hours to reply before a replacement winner will be drawn. If you would like to participate in an event like this please contact LoveMrsMommy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Online camps for kids: Connected Camps

Want your kid to attend a camp, but don't want them to leave the house? Check out Connected camps. They are offering Spring break camps this year. These five-day programs includes 7.5 hours of online instruction in Minecraft, led by expert counselors. Connected Camps will be offering camps March 26th through April 6th. Check out the online Spring Break Camps at ConnectedCamps.com

Maybe they are just looking to have some fun after-school. They also offer after-school camps. Connected Camps is offering flexible, social online after-school program for kids who love Minecraft and coding. The after-school program is a unique drop-in online course for kids 8 to 13 years old. Weekly labs in game design, coding, media creation, and creative building in Minecraft, accessed from the comfort of the kid's own home. The subscription price is $29.95 a month and the first month is free.
Check out our online after school programs in Minecraft at ConnectedCamps.com


Now for the summer for a little extra fun. Connected Camps offers week-long coed and girls-only online camps for kids 8 to 13 years old. All of the Connected Camps programs are taught by experienced counselors. Kids are connected to an inspiring online community of coders, builders, designers and engineers this summer, all from the comfort of home.
Buy 1 camp and get the rest 20% off!

What Special Needs Parents Want Teachers to Know…

1. Please remember that all children with Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, Sensory Issues, Medical Issues, etc… are NOT the same, as no child without these challenges are the same. Just because you know One Child with a Special Need doesn’t mean you know All Children with a Special Need. It simply means you know ONE Child with a Special Need. Kids even with the same condition have different needs. What works for one child may not work for another. You can give it a try, but be willing to come up with 5 more ideas to help that individual child work through an issue or learn a new skill.

2. We are not being over protective, we are concerned about our child’s health and well-being. When we ask questions, we are trying to develop the best, most accurate picture of where our child is now, as opposed to where they were or even where they could be. We are trusting you with our most precious gifts and we want what is best for them. We know you have taught many children, but our children aren't like other children. We need to know how they are doing now so that we can adapt to their needs. If we ask for your help observing our child during their time with you at school, or need more information on a behavior or issue, please do your best to provide us with it in a detailed and timely manner. It helps us to track our child’s progress (or regression) and make appropriate changes to their overall plan (medications, therapies, specialist and other interventions.)

3. You can’t make our children do something (talk, eat, do schoolwork, behave, etc.) just because you want them to. Children with special needs aren’t just being stubborn, they are often unable to do these things independently right now. Your job and ours, is to teach them skills to get them on their way to better behavior or accomplishing a goal. We often get tired of hearing "just make them do it they will do it" or "they will do it on their own time."

4. Try to share something positive that my child did, said or accomplished every so often. As parents of children with special needs, we get bogged down by the negative behaviors, challenges, stares, judgements and all we must do on behalf of our children. Hearing how well they stayed in their seat during an assembly or how they asked nicely for a break, how they were a good friend to another
student or that they ate their lunch for once would mean the world to us. We don’t get these messages enough. While it may seem small or everyday for others, to us these are the moments we long for and hope for.

5. Special needs children can exhibit different behaviors in different environments like between home and school, inside or outside a building, in public or in private, from room to room or space to space. Therefore, the environment should be accommodating to the needs of the child in that moment wherever they are.

6. Just as teachers must pick their battles, SO MUST PARENTS. If a child refuses to take a bath/shower on a particularly challenging day, that doesn’t mean they never get bathed. Same goes for haircuts, nails being cut, wearing new/clean clothes, dressing appropriately for the weather, filling a backpack with toys or self-soothing items, brushing teeth, combing hair, keeping band-aids on boo-boos, and many more things that are sensory related. If you are concerned that this is becoming the norm rather than the exception, just ask the parent. The child may be exhibiting a new phobia or sensory issue you weren’t aware of or didn’t consider. Don't make assumptions or try to take care of it yourself, talk to the parents first. If you have a question, just ask us. That doesn’t mean we necessarily have the answer right away or that we will share all personal and private information with you, but we would rather you asked than you assume or make up an answer based on incorrect information, gossip or little to no facts or proof. We will do our best to be transparent and communicate important information with the appropriate staff members when we are able.

7. Children with special needs may run away. Even when you think everything was ok 2 minutes ago, the need to escape may overcome them within a few seconds. In all likelihood, the need to flee has been brewing for several minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years. They are JUST NOW processing the event or series of sensory overloads that make them feel like they must run away. It is always best to have a plan in place for when, not if, a child will flee. It is important to remain calm but firm. They may not hear you pleading or trying to reason with them because they are in “flight mode” but you should always call for back-up, call authorities and do your best to get a hold of them to stop them from running into the street or getting lost. No parents would ever tell a teacher or staff member they couldn’t put hands on their child to keep them out of harm’s way…

8. Just because our kids may look normal from the outside doesn’t mean they don’t have the special needs or medical complexities we say they do. It is not your place to diagnose or argue with the diagnosis and issues we have worked tirelessly to have diagnosed by doctors and specialists in their fields of medicine and psychiatry. Your input or opinion can be offered, but know that it may not change anything. Remember that many special needs are invisible. Medication and dietary restrictions/specialized diets are the domain of Special Needs parents informed by their doctors, specialists, research and personal/religious views. No teacher, administrator or staff member should intervene, interfere, or judge a parent for making the choices they see best fit to make on behalf of their child. Would you want someone else to determine what medications you should or should not take and when? Would you want someone to tell you what you can or should/should not eat?

9. Some special needs parents are veterans of the IEP/504/Special Needs/Resource process and their child’s (or other children’s’) diagnosis. Listen to them about what works and doesn’t work for their child, what they’ve tried and implemented at home that may carry over into school. Be respectful of their knowledge of policies, procedures, and Special Education Law.

10. Even though our children may have extra needs and special therapies, they need and want interaction and love just like any other child wants and needs it. Being engaging and kind to our child costs you nothing but pays in high dividends for them as they make positive social and emotional connections with teachers and staff members. Speak to our children as if they hear and understand you. If our child has lack of affect or doesn’t answer you in a typical fashion, try modeling those behaviors (even if you feel like you are having a one-sided conversation.) Believe us, they hear and observe EVERYTHING. They know what you are saying to them (or about them) and know if you care about them or not. Find ways to engage our special needs children with typical peers and other staff members throughout their school day. Often, our children are relegated to one or two rooms all day with the same students, teachers and staff. Creatively and purposefully find times or places where our children can mingle with other children not in their classroom, where they can benefit from another caring adult in the building, where they can get a change of scenery or feel more connection to their school building and community.

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month

As many of you might know, or maybe you don't know, my 5 year old son Louie has cerebral palsy. They aren't sure the exact cause of his CP but it is believed to be caused by meningitis he had at 2 months old caused by contaminated formula. For our family, as well as every other CP family, every day is CP awareness to us. To others who don't understand, we want to try to bring as much awareness and understanding as possible. This is where the month of March comes in. Here are all my posts on CP and other topics that relate. I would love for you to read and share to bring awareness to all.

Therapies and Ect Galore
Things Parents Of Kids With Special Needs Want You to Know
Life of a special needs mom
Cerebral palsy awareness month
Special Needs Awareness-Not All Disabilities Are Visable
Your guide to IEPs and 504s
Advice for special needs parents just starting their journey from veteran special needs parents
World CP Day 2017