Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Neema's heart

Things I learned today: hearing the word "Propofol" makes me unconsciously start humming "Beat It;" you should never eat food in a hospital with unidentifiable parts; and not all doctors look like Clooney and Dempsey. Needless to say, a real eye opener.

I joke but today was a hard one as I saw my Mom wheeled back for surgery. A sight I have never seen before. Aren't Moms supposed to always be healthy and perfect? Isn't there some type of law she is breaking?

My Mom's heart condition has been something very real we have had to learn to live with for a very long time. She was in congestive heart failure the month I found out I was pregnant with Joey (February 2008), leading me to believe that my missed period was due to stress and not the new fetus that 4 rounds of Clomid helped to create.

Over the last month, it has become even more "real" as we knew that some type of medical intervention was coming. She's been having a hard time breathing, which lead to going for (and failing) a stress test, which lead to today's test: attempting to get the heart to produce an arrythmia (which it did in 2 beats) and the immediate placement of a pacemaker/defibrillator.

As long as this can guarantee that Neema's heart will still keep ticking, then this was all worth it.

Friday, January 20, 2012

A little reinforcement goes a long way

My son asked me to hang his backpack up when we were in his classroom this morning. When I put it in the right place, he said "Nice remembering." The student of positive reinforcement has become the master.

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Random thoughts on a Sunday morning

With all the amazing choreographers in town this weekend for the Jump Dance Convention, it makes me sad I no longer take dance class. So I might just go out today with my body crammed into a tutu and my feet crammed into pointe shoes. Don't judge. And don't say you weren't warned. #chubbyballerina

As I'm reminiscing, Joey cuddles up with me on the couch and says "I love laying next to you." How sweet is that? Then he says, "Because your body is so squooshy." Always so brutally honest!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

#ABAchat on Twitter

I joined the ABA chat on Twitter tonight. It is comprised of people working in the field, both BCBAs and non-BCBAs. Feel free to join every Wednesday night at 7 pm MST. See you there!

Monday, January 9, 2012

How do you teach religion and faith?

Tonight at religion class, Joey wanted to know if Jesus is a skeleton? I deferred that one to the teacher that said Jesus is in all his glory in Heaven. Joey promptly replied, "So he's a zombie then?" How to teach a child something based on belief when he only understands things based on fact?

My child, like many others, is very literal, so he doesn't understand figurative speech. I am well equipped to teach children skill acquisition, and I can read countless stories about understanding figurative speech. But how can I teach my son to believe in something that isn't scientific or mathematic?

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Brackets, spacers, and bumpers...oh my!

Brackets, spacers, and bumpers...oh my! I thought Joey was too young for all this ortho stuff. What do I know? I never had braces. When I was relieved that we wouldn't be paying the $2,980 up front, I said, "I thought I was going to have to give a kidney," Joey says, "I don't want to see them take your kidney, Mama. He is so literal.

Anyway...this journey started a few months back when his dentist, and then the neighboring Orthodontist agreed Joey needed 5 teeth pulled; 3 on the top and 2 on the bottom. I got a 2nd opinion from Dr.O. and he said we'd watch it. So we went back for our follow up after a morning at Melmed (see later post) and they introduced us to the apparently well known "Phase One Treatment.

I had the Ortho explain it to Joey and he said he would need my help brushing "really good" (after I said he would have to brush his brackets really good). This all started last weekend when I walked him through the proper way to brush and swish with Plax.

I have to wonder...can't this kid catch a break. My poor little man.