Post #25

We are going to be starting occupational therapy for him next week. He will be getting therapy twice a week. I am still in shock in a way, and scared also, but I trust that this therapist has my son’s best interests in mind. She is very talented in the things that she does, and I know she will do what she thinks will help him the most. One of the things she wants to incorporate with him is called iLS. iLS stands for interactive learning system, and it helps sensory kids learn and do things the way that they should. I have seen other patients use it before, but I have never seen them enough to understand what they were doing, or if it was truly helping them or not. He is going to be getting occupational therapy twice a week, but iLS therapy three times a week. I am ready to get him going and begin to work on things that he needs help with. I am ready to see my son behave and do things how he should. I know that there will always be differences, but with therapy, it should get easier. I am ready to learn how I can adequately help my son with things, and not unintentionally harm him due to the sensory issues that he has. We are also going to try to pursue occupational therapy in the school. He has an articulation disorder and receives speech therapy in the school as well as in a private therapy clinic setting, but we want to get occupational therapy set up in the school alongside the therapy clinic. I don’t know if he will qualify though. He scored terribly on the tests that she did, but I don’t know if he did bad enough to get school therapy. School guidelines are pathetic with how bad you have to be before you can get help. A lot of kids that I think actually need therapy fall through the cracks due to their guidelines. I am grateful that regardless of what happens in school that he will be able to get therapy in the private clinic.

Word Count: 359 words

Post #24

Also this week we took in our son for an occupational therapy evaluation. He has been having some sensory issues as well as behavioral issues. He had been having some issues for quite some time with certain things, and one day I decided to try to figure out what might be causing them. No matter what we tried, things never got better with these issues. Some of the issues that I was noticing was an issue with brushing my son’s teeth, washing his hair or face, trimming his nails, as well as inattention and not following directions. I decided to google issues trimming nails one day and it led me to a website that said that this might be related to sensory issues in a person. Thankfully, I work for a private therapy clinic full time, so I knew just where to go. I decided to ask our occupational therapist and see what she said, and she agreed that this might be a sensory issue he was having. I mentioned the other above issues that I had noticed at home, and she said that it sounded like we had a sensory kid on our hands. At that point we decided that we probably should pursue an evaluation to see what might be going on with him. Fast forward a few weeks....last week I sent off an order for my son to have an evaluation (I send off orders for all of our patients in our clinic, so I did his also), and we got it back. He had his evaluation on Tuesday, and we received the results on Thursday. He has quite a few sensory issues, and a lot of issues that I didn’t even realize would be sensory related. The therapist had me fill out a questionaire called a Sensory Profile, and I was amazed at some of the questions asked. I never would have thought that some of these things would be sensory related. After the evaluation she said that he has Sensory Processing Disorder. Part of me was shocked, but part of me was glad that we had a diagnosis for the way he acts and does things, and can start getting help.

Word Count: 366 words

Post #23

Well this week has definitely been an interesting one for me. First I find out that my daughter will most likely end up having reactive airway disease for the rest of her life due to getting RSV last week. Her lungs were so irritated that they will probably always be that way. She will probably wheeze off and on unless we give her breathing treatments. We had to give her breathing treatments three times a day for a week, and we stopped that on Wed. She was doing really well, but tonight she started wheezing again. I hate that she keeps getting wheezy, but at least I know what will help her. We gave her a breathing treatment, and within minutes her wheezing had stopped. The only good thing to this is that since we are starting this at such a young age, as she is growing up she will know no different and think that breathing treatments is a normal thing and not try to fight them. She does very well with her treatments now. We use the spacer instead of the regular mask due to her fighting and screaming with the mask. With the spacer, she likes to gum on it and suck on it, and it makes the treatment process so much easier. I love how easy it is for her. I hope the easiness stays that way for the future, if we have to keep giving her breathing treatments. She is also starting to get her first tooth. The very tip of her tooth has poked through, and now we are waiting for the rest of it to pop through. She has been super fussy recently due to this, and loves to have her gums rubbed. It seems to calm her down and help with the pain in her mouth. Oragel seems to be helping also. We use an amber bracelet on her ankle to help with pain also, as well as occasionally giving her Tylenol.

Word Count: 330 words

2/25/15: Free-writing Post #22

Once a week our “adopted” sister comes over to our house to hang out. She spends times with our children and usually helps us make dinner. Occasionally she will make the whole meal. My kids love it when Jenna comes over. My almost 8 month daughter gets so excited when she walks in the door and wants to see her immediately. My son runs through the house yelling, “Jenna is here…Jenna is here…Jenna is here!” We consider her adopted because she gets along well with all of the members of our family and we get along great. Over the summer she will be living with us and helping take care of the kids. She goes to BBC here in town and lives on campus. She has to pay rent over the summer and has no access to food. The cafeteria is closed over the summer, so she would have to purchase all of her own food. With her staying at our house over the summer, she will save money, and so will we. She won’t have to pay anything except a storage unit for part of her stuff. We will be paying less in babysitting because she will watch our daughter a few days a week. We also needed someone to watch my son all summer since school will be out, and couldn’t afford for him to go to the babysitter every day of the week. It is a win for everyone. The only thing that I wish were different was that our house were bigger. We have a 3 bedroom house, and every room is currently being used. We have our master bedroom, Joseph’s bedroom, and my daughter’s nursery. While Jenna stays here she will be sleeping on the couch and keeping her basic living essentials in our living room. I don’t mind though. She will have it organized in here though so you won’t even be able to tell.

Word count: 321 words

2/24/15: Free-writing Post #21

I am so far behind in my assigned reading for The Heart and the Fist. I try and try to get to read my book some more, but I just haven’t had time. I have been dealing with so much everywhere else currently, that school work has got so far behind. My daughter has been so sick over the last two weeks, and were getting hardly any sleep. She is also getting her first tooth currently, so she has been very clingy and fussy. Two weeks ago she was diagnosed with double ear infections, double pink eye, and an upper respiratory infection. Last week she was diagnosed with RSV. She was given steroids for 5 days, and we were supposed to follow up with her pediatrician on Friday. When we went on Friday, her wheezing wasn’t any better, so he wanted her to start breathing treatments. He filled out paperwork for her to have her own nebulizer, and gave her one at the office. We have to give her 3 breathing treatments a day for a week to help get her breathing under control. At first we tried to use the regular breathing treatment mask, but it didn’t work well at all. She would fight us and scream her head off. She kicked and writhed around wanting to get out from the mask. I think the problem was that she doesn’t like to be restricted, and we had to restrict her to give her the treatment. Her nebulizer came with a spacer that could be used when she was older, but we decided to give that a try. We were desperate to try something else that might work for her to still get her breathing treatment without all the trouble. We tried the spacer and she would either “chew” on it or keep it by her mouth. She would fuss a little for the beginning of the treatment, and would settle down right after. We have been doing the treatments like this for a few days now, and it is working wonderfully. She hardly fusses now, and is able to get her treatments done much easier.

Word Count: 356 words

2/23/15: Free-writing Blog # 20

Navy SEALS:

Navy SEALS are a unique breed of warrior who conduct special operations in any environment, but who are uniquely trained and equipped to operate from, around, and in maritime areas. SEALS take their name from the environments in which they are trained to operate: sea, air and land. Their small highly trained teams usually work quietly at night conducting some of the nation’s most important missions. SEALS are constantly deployed throughout the world to protect national interests.

Navy SEALS and their high speed boat driving counterparts, Naval Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewman, form the operational arms of the Naval Special Warfare community, which is headed by the Naval Special Warfare Command. NSW acts both as the Navy’s special operations force as well as the Navy component of the U.S. Special Operations Command, which is responsible for all U.S. special operations forces.

NSW training and preparation stresses an enduring commitment to individual initiative, personal responsibility and mission accomplishment. Naval Special Warfare goes to great lengths to ensure that its forces are capable and prepared.

http://www.sealswcc.com/navy-seals-overview.html#.VOqUpPnF8fg

A career as a Navy SEAL provides intangible and tangible benefits. SEALs work closely with their teammates to innovatively accomplish missions important to national security. They constantly learn and push their physical and mental limits, living an unconventional and out-of-the-cubicle lifestyle.

-Starting pay of up of $60,000

-Qualification and re-enlistment bonuses

-Possible repayment of college loans

-Extra pay for diving, parachuting and demolitions

-30 days’ vacation per year

-Medical and dental benefits

-Retirement after 20 years

-Tax free pay in combat zones

-Tax free allowances for housing and food

Navy SEALs operate at the forefront of America’s national security efforts by conducting direct action missions against bomb making networks and, to finding, fixing and finishing high value terrorist cells. SEALs have provided security for key officials, taught foreign military and special operations personnel how to combat terrorism in their own countries, and prevented environmental sabotage. Wherever they are assigned, Navy SEALs make a difference by supporting their teammates, serving their country and protecting both U.S. and global citizens.

Word Count: 343 words

2/22/15: Free-writing Post #19

I thought it would be a good idea if I learned a little bit about the author while reading more of the book. I thought it might help me understand the background of the story more.

Eric Greitens:

                -Born and raised in Missouri

                -was an Angier B. Duke Scholar at Duke University

                -At Duke University he studied ethics, philosophy, and public policy

                -Attended University of Oxford as a Truman Scholar

                -Earned a Master’s degree and a Ph.D. at Oxford

                -served as a Navy SEAL officer

                -deployed 4 times during the war on terrorism to Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, Horn of Africa, and Iraq

                -Commander of a Mark V Special Operations Craft Detachment

                -Commander of a Joint Special Operations Task Unit

                -Commander of an al Qaeda Targeting Cell

                -Was appointed as a White House fellow in 2005

                -Became Navy Reserve Junior Line Officer of the Year in 2011

                -Military awards received:

                                -Combat Action Ribbon

                                -Purple Heart

                                -Bronze Star

                -Founded The Mission Continues

                                -national nonprofit organization

                                -challenges veterans to serve in communities across America

                -Recognized as one of the most effective leaders in America

                -TIME magazine named him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013

                -Was recognized as one of the 50 greatest leaders in the world by Fortune magazine

                -Is a photographer

                -Is a writer, and has wrote 3 books

                -Teaches as a Senior Fellow at the Truman School of Public Affairs

                -Books

                                -The Heart and the Fist

                                                -Published April 2011

                                                -New York Times Best Seller

                                -Resilience

                                                -Published March 2015                                                 

                                                -Letters regarding war between Eric and a friend

                                -Strength & Compassion

                                                -Published October 2008

                                                -Collection of humanitarian photographs that Eric took along with essays

                                -The Warrior’s Heart

                                                -Published October 2012

                                                -Teen version of Heart and the Fist

                                                -teaches Character Education curriculum including (integrity, courage, compassion, perseverance, leadership, global issues, overcoming fear, service learning, unity/teambuilding

                                                -think critically about values and how you would respond to difficult situations

                                               

http://www.ericgreitens.com

               

 Word Count: 321 words