The proof is in the .. pudding?? No, it's in the emails.

So, we are back to school and summer is basically over. Sigh of relief for being back on a schedule and more of a routine but still holding the breath every time the phone rings hoping it's not school!!
BP kids or any ED kids really have a tough time in school and in turn so do the parents. We fret over case conferences, calls to and from the teacher to discuss things, weekly behavior reports and just about anything else.
So far so good!!! We are into our second full week of school now and so far J has had little to no involvement with his ED teacher except end of the day check In's. He's fully immersed in Gen. Ed classes, eating lunch in the cafeteria, enjoying recess with friends and participating in gym, music and art!
Mind you that we did this last year as well and it lasted until Labor Day then fell apart until ... April! So again with the bated breath, hoping that he makes it past Labor Day this year. Fingers Crossed! Then we take it day by day, week by week.
One thing that is sooo important to have for an ED kid is an awesome team of teachers who is on his side. Moving him from Lawrence township to HSE schools was the BEST decision I EVER made. His ED teacher is amazing and his team of teachers this year is awesome. His homeroom teacher is amazing. She used to be an ED teacher and his current ED teacher had him placed on her team on purpose.
We had our first issue with one of the teachers last night due to an over excessive amount of homework sent home. OK- my kid can't focus on anything for more than 5 seconds and has the attention span of a fruit fly!!! (It's OK, he knows this!) The teacher sent home over 50 math problems for him to do.
As ED parents we also HATE homework time but when it takes over 2 hours, it's just UGLY. They get cranky, we get cranky. Things get ugly, he gets upset, feels like a failure, blah blah blah.. So we finally got through as much of it as we could- after 9 million distraction's and 48 blow ups over him not knowing how to do it because the teacher didn't explain it. Not to mention the 72 times he told me I didn't know what I was doing and I don't know match so I can't help him!!
I emailed his ED teacher and asked for HELP!!!!

Here is a copy of the email.. (from the most recent teacher response to my initial email down at the bottom)


He did not come see me, and he did go and speak with Mr. Gray. very responsible of him. I'm proud!

Geoff Godbout
Fall Creek Intermediate School
Special Education ED Resource Teacher

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Kristi Wilkerson Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 8:12 AM
To: Godbout, Geoffrey
Subject: RE: homework


He actually told me this morning that he wasn't going to come down to your room and was just going to try and talk to Mr. Gray directly about the one's he didn't finish!!! Thanks for talking to his teachers and hopefully that will help out for awhile and not cause issues. I'm really proud of him as well and hope that we continue! :)

--- On Tue, 8/30/11, Godbout, Geoffrey wrote:


From: Godbout, Geoffrey Subject: RE: homework
To: "'Kristi Wilkerson'"
Date: Tuesday, August 30, 2011, 8:00 AM


I spoke with his homeroom teacher as well as his math teacher, and yes, he can continue with reduced homework assignments. Mr. Gray apologized and will work with Jake to reduce the number of problems he has to do for homework. He will either give Jake evens, odds, or select questions from the assigned homework each night.
I am proud that he did complete his writing and most of his math assignment, and with only some grouchy attitude. I'm even more excited that he is excited about coming to school and being out in general education classes. I hope this enthusiasm continues. Today is day 10! We are 1/18 of the way to summer break! I am very proud of Jake's progress thus far this year, and will continue to give praise and encouragement for his efforts. Keep it up.

Thank you for communicating your concerns and please feel free to let me know if anything else arises.

Geoff Godbout
Fall Creek Intermediate School
Special Education ED Resource Teacher

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Kristi Wilkerson
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2011 8:03 PM
To: Godbout, Geoffrey
Subject: homework


Hey, I don't want to start anything with his teachers this early in the year but homework tonight was a little out of hand.. He had over 40 math problems. We spent well over 2 hours tonight on everything (most of it being math). From last year, he was not used to having that many problems. I know there is more work in 6Th but it's just barely the 2ND full week of school. He has been horrible ever since he finished his homework tonight and just plain nasty. He needs help on a handful of them but he did try to do them all at least. Is there anyway, he can do half of the work or a reduced amount like he did last year? Or is that only allowed when he is in your room?
He is planning on spending some time with you in the morning I believe to go over some of the ones he wasn't able to do. I know a lot of it was after a certain point he didn't even want to try and I did have to help him on most of them.
I don't know if there was any time in class to work on them or if he chose to do something besides homework in TE time ( which knowing him, I'm sure he did).
He also told me his math teacher won't even grade papers unless work is shown, said it was an automatic 0? I'm sure he's exaggerating a bit but you know how much of a perfectionist he is and he's so scared he's going to fail.
Any suggestions on how we can make this a little easier- at least for awhile until he gets used to it all again, I know it's review but I'm worried it will get worse when it's new stuff. He didn't complain once about the language arts writing assignment though!! :)

He does not know I am writing you about this. He told me awhile ago that he actually wanted to go to school today!!! I was shocked.. He's so happy he's in regular classes and doing so well. He's been playing after school with kids in the neighborhood and doing well with that too!!! I was even worried how he would do today after our night last night and he had a good day (from what I heard anyways). We are off to such a great start, I just want to do whatever I can to keep it that way as long as possible but not make it too easy for him that he doesn't have to work for it..

Thanks again for everything and I hope we can continue to have an awesome year!!!


Kristi


It's great to see emails from teachers like this. It makes me proud and I feel like my voice is being heard. Not only that but the teachers share my voice and have the same goals and expectations for my kid! I have regular communications with his ED teacher and he always lets me know when Jake does things on a positive note. I don't just hear from him when it's negative! He's also really good about doing the same with Jake. He makes sure Jake knows how proud of him he is. He knows what Jake is capable of and how to handle him and goes about and beyond most teachers in my opinion. He adapted his way of doing things to each one of his students. He knows the same things don't work on everyone and he paid enough attention to me and to Jake to know what works for him. How to get him to succeed and also how to not give into him when he wants things his way!!! He's done some "unconventional" thing's with Jake and you know what, so have I, so I am totally OK with it! Jake's ED teacher from 5Th & 6Th grade is going to probably be one of the few teachers Jake will remember when he's older! I know he's one I will NEVER forget!
I wish everyone out there good luck with school this year. Stand up, speak your mind, communicate with your teachers, have constant contact! There will be bad days. Hopefully there will be a lot of good days! Take everything one day at a time and make sure your kids know how proud you are of them. Even if it's for the smallest of things. Love them. Guide them! Be the best role model you can be! Do not let them miss out on thing's because of their label and don't let schools just stick them somewhere and let them "get by" because they don't care enough to help you or the child thrive!

Back to school

Well here it is, the day before school starts. The last day of summer! We met Jake's new teachers yesterday and we both love them. I'm glad we have one more year with his ED teacher Mr. G. He has been one of the best things to ever happen to my son. I don't know what I will do without him in Jr High. He will definitely be one of those teachers J and I both will remember for a long time. I had the IEP case conference this morning and thought it went pretty well. I am happy and breathing easy for the year to come (so far anyways). His homeroom and his ED teacher both seem like they really want him to succeed and will do what they can to help him out! I think we are very lucky to be a part of this awesome team he will be on this year!
So with that being said, time to cover the other stuff.. You know the good with the bad.
Summer! For most kids and families it means trips out of town, visiting the beach, water or amusement parks. For my son, however, he's not a big fan of summer (except for the whole being out of school thing). We only got to do one over night trip and it even got rained out & cut short. He did get to spend time at the pool a lot but he spent most of his time at home with a sitter. When he wasn't spending his days at the stress center of course.. 2 out of his 3 months off, were spent in St. Vincents. I guess as a parent though, I am glad it was in the summer and not during school but Jake does not share my feelings on this one. Not only did he spend half of his summer there but we also had some pretty severe health issues that hindered us from doing things we wanted to do, even though we sometimes tried anyways. He didn't spend his days riding his bike in the neighborhood with friends, he wasn't invited to sleep overs or camp outs, and spent time at the pool playing with me or Nana. He would make the occasional friend at the pool and have someone to play with for awhile but that was about it. He spent some time with a couple neighborhood boys but not very much.
One of the questions, his ED teacher asked me today was what my expectations are for this year and of course, I said I wanted him to be more social, make more friends and be able to keep them. To have the life a "normal" 6Th grader has, hanging out with friends, being invited to sleepovers, birthday parties and to have the chances and opportunities that he so deserves. To be involved in sports or after school clubs/activities, to feel like he is a part of something, to feel like he belongs. I have so much hope and faith that my child will grow up into a wonderful, successful, smart, well adjusted adult. But I want him to have those childhood memories that involve friends, not just all the time he spent with me and the things we did. So much of my childhood memories are of spending time with friends in the summer, the slumber parties, the school projects we had to partner up for. Plus I am still friends with people I was friends with when I was 12 years old.
I found out today that kids were making fun of him last year for something and also that a mom intervened and dis-invited him to a party that a classmate had told him about then later said he couldn't come. Because the mother didn't want him there.. However, the kid was in Jake's ED class so that just made me feel worse, since her son has ED issues as well. But, as a parent, I guess we have to deal with ignorance and stupidity. I just never expected it from a parent who has a child with similar issues like my son. Those are supposed to be the one's who understand, who give a chance, who know how to handle the kids. Oh well. I hope Jake never has to know these things but I'm sure I can't shield him from it forever.
Sometimes, I love the way my son looks at the world, I love his imagination, and I love his determination. However, sometimes, these exact things are also what get him in trouble.
I would love to have a bigger and stronger support system for him that involved more strong and positive male role models but sadly I don't. I need that for both of us. Oh well, that's a story for another day I guess.
Still doing a lot of reading and research on the whole ODD possibility and really focusing more on behaviors and things and not diagnoses. We will find what works for us and stick with it. Make changes and adapt as necessary and do what we both can to make sure that he gets that "normal" childhood.
Good luck to my friends out there who know what this is like. To hear these same stories from you kid or their teacher, to feel the way we do. Stay strong, stay positive and speak up for your child when no one else will. You are their strongest supported and biggest advocate! You know what's best even though other people always feel like they know more than you do because of the position's they are in!

(started a second blog that is not so much all things bipolar all the time.. this one is about my other passion.. so check it out if ya want.. http://musicislifekw.blogspot.com/)

Time for a new book ...

Summer is half way over, Jake has spent most of it in St Vs. Started out in intensive outpatient at the beginning of June, ended up as inpatient by the end of June, did partial in patient for 2 weeks and is now back to intensive outpatient. The nurse prac and therapist there who have been working with J, seem to think that although there is definitely a mood disorder present in my child (tell me something I don't know)that now they are concerned that it could be or may become Conduct Disorder or Oppositional Defiant Disorder. I know enough about CD to agree to an extent. I can see how it could develop into CD if this does not get nipped soon. However, ODD is a more viable and believable diagnosis for my child. It's all a huge gray area anyways. I have been his mom for almost 12 years, have a psych background from school and have dealt with countless doctors over the years who all seem to have their own opinion about what is "wrong" with my kid. It's not a concrete thing to diagnose, it's not a disease, there is no cure, there is no straight arrow course of treatment. But no matter what we want to call it, the underlying issue is the case. His safety, the safety of others and to get him to manage his anger and use the appropriate coping skills when handling his anger. Yes those skills, also include medication.
So as I have discussed the big red book before, it's time for a new book, the little white one. (well it's little now, but I'm sure this one will grow over time). This one is strictly focused on behavior, ODD, being the parent, being in control, setting and defining limits and making sure that he knows... NO MEANS NO!!! So this will be my next big project, diving into all this, learning and reading, taking it all in and then trying to dissect it so I can share it with all of you.
So far the little white book is full of articles from www.EmpoweringParents.com. I get their emails and I follow them on Facebook and I share their articles with my friends and support groups all the time. Today I actually dove into the site and found a while library on ODD/Behavior/Parenting. So the little white book was born.
Here is a list of the articles that are in the book. ( please feel free to visit the site if you are interested in reading/printing the articles).
Why the word No sets off an oppositional child
No means No, How to teach your child that you mean business
Parenting ODD Kids, advice from 2 moms who've been there
A day in the mind of your defiant child
Anger as a weapon, when your child "points the gun" at you
Angry Child outbursts: The 10 rules of dealing with an angry child
Angry Child- Fix the Behavior, not the Feelings
Anger with an Angle- Is your child using Anger to control you?
How to manage violent behavior in children and teens
Tired of yelling at your child? Stop screaming & start parenting effectively
Dealing with anger in children/teens:effective tools to help you handle it
Power Struggles: Are you at war with your defiant child
Managing the meltdown
Your child is not your equal: Why you have to be the boss


As you look over these titles, I'm sure a lot of you are saying, hmm, that sounds like my kid or that sounds like something I need to read? You may not have the ODD or CD kid, and for these to be used or be effective, you don't have to.. Jake is not a teen yet but I remember how I was when I was a teen and I was not an ODD/CD kid. A lot of this sounds like typical teen behavior and most of it is, sure but the ODD/CD kids, just take it a little further, get a little angrier, handle it a different way & have different triggers then the "typical" teen.
Nature vs Nurture? Maybe. Is Jake the way he is because of the environment he was raised in, the fact that he is an only child, has divorced parents? Is it a chemical imbalance in his brain? Is there something in his DNA that is missing (or excessive) that is causing this? Unfortunately, we may never know. But what I do know is that I can help him. Can I fix him? Doubt it! But is he broken?? NO WAY!!
We will both continue to work on this, strive for some peace, and hope for the best. Being a parent is a tough job, parenting a child with ODD/CD (ADHD, Bipolar, rage, Autism etc. etc.)is even tougher. I know a lot of strong parents out there who struggle with this every day and not one of them wants to give up, feels like they have failed or wishes that their kid was "normal."
Stay strong, stay in control and stay educated. Reach out for help! Look for support, don't let yourself get sucked in by people who don't understand or want to blame you! Be the best parent, advocate, educator & role model for your child!!
Good Luck!

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The Fair is in August

Seems I keep repeating that whole apology theme each time I write a new blog. I promise to write more often then ummm, I don't. So let's get that out of the way and then we can all move on. I'm sorry.

Since this is primarily a blog about Bipolar, let's now move on to Jake and how things have been since the last entry. One word- AWESOME! 4 practically perfect weeks at school IN A ROW! Grades are the best they have EVER been and the trend seems to be continuing. Had a few small issues on spring break but he was outside of his element/routine etc. Also a somewhat rough day at school on Wednesday. But hey 1 somewhat rough day in over 20? I'll take it and not complain!!
There are still some of those "social" issues we need to work on but with Jake and all things Bipolar, one step at a time and oh yeah, baby steps too!! But steps forward are still steps!!! :) I am really proud of him and the progress he has made. Here's hoping that he will be able to keep it up during the summer when he will again be outside of his element/routine.

Now for a "slight" tangent & real reason for the blog post today (not that I didn't want to update you all on Jake's amazing story but it's time for a little rant- well sort of). Life isn't fair! What did I do to deserve this? Why is this happening to me? Why can't my life be better or more like his/hers? I can't handle all this stress. I can't pay my bills... Calm down, I'm not suicidal! But who hasn't said these phrases in their lifetime? At least once? Every day? (Getting up on my soap box)... No life is not fair, it's not easy and there will be things we have to struggle for and sacrifice. If life was easy, we would never make mistakes and we would never learn from them to become better people. If we didn't have to struggle, the things we have wouldn't mean as much to us as they do. Oh and the best part about all this is when we are saying how unfair life is to us, guess what we do? We blame someone else! It's easy to do, we've all done it. Blame it on family, your boss, the economy, the President, the gas prices or some other enabling factor we can come up with.. My personal favorite was blaming things on being a single mother to a bipolar child (I'd have more $$ if I wasn't always paying for medicine, therapy, etc, I wouldn't miss so much work if school wasn't always calling me to come pick up my kid and stay home with him for the next few days, both my kid and I would have a happier life if..etc, etc, blah blah blah.But looking back, that never got me anywhere, nothing changed. We still have medical bills, I still don't have enough money to cover them.) Oh come on, you've all done that too. Admit it. Listening to someone complain about a problem and all you want to do is say listen bud, you think you have problems, you should hear mine!! It's OK. it's part of life.. It happens, admit it, deal with it and move on. OK.. so.. whats the point to all this besides just a meaningless rant and ramble, hang on I'm getting there.. We struggle, we fight, we sacrifice and we get up every morning, take a breath (if you get that far, you're off to a good start so keep going at this point right?), and do what we do to get us through each and every day. Hopefully all of this struggle and sacrifice someday pays off and no sorry it probably won't be immediate or any time soon but hang in there, it will happen. There will be good days, there will be little rewards (or maybe even big ones) along the way. Pick a cliche to enter here.. it's always darkest before the dawn, there's always a silver lining, when one door closes, another one opens, etc. So now let's throw in loved ones, kids, friends and family. Whoa!!! It's one thing when it's just you and you have to struggle and fight, now guess what you have to do it for other people too! Yep! Which pretty much means, you no longer do it just for yourself anymore either. Because sacrificing for others, takes up what?? YOUR time! You need clothes? Well your kid needs lunch money and new shoes. Guess who wins? The Doctor's office called and your bill that is 3 months behind is now going to collections, why didn't you pay it? Well because you decided to feed and keep a roof over your children. You have 5 outstanding bills and can only afford to pay 3.. What do you do? Freak out? Stress over it? Complain and whine? Or make the best of what you've got, do what you can, accept that you are only human who unfortunately does not have super powers or that ever so popular money tree in your back yard?
I am not an alcoholic or a recovering anything but based on the life I've lived, I'm a bit surprised (no not really but that's because I am a strong enough person)but there is one thing I want to share.. because it fits every day life! The Serenity Prayer. ..
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Let's break this down.. accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference----seems pretty simple right? Is it something you really cannot change? If not, then OK move on, you cried about it stressed over it, complained about it and it still didn't change, so now where are you? There are some things I can change and somethings I just cannot. I cannot change that Jake is Bipolar and that's OK. There will be medicine and doctor bills to pay. That's OK! I can't change the weather, I apparently can't make it stop snowing in April. Sorry to everyone about that! I tried but again, lacking in those super powers!
Courage to change the things you can.. OK so we admit there are things we can change.. but will you do it? It can be small like I don't like the shirt I'm wearing- so change it. I don't like my hair, so cut it! But there are some pretty big one's too- I hate the way I look, I am not happy in my relationship/marriage, I hate my job, I don't make enough money.. but do you have the courage to change these things? Are these things worth changing? Will you really be happier? Better off? If not, then stop complaining and accept the way things are.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Do I really need to explain this one? As a mother to a Bipolar child.. this is basically how I have learned to live my life now. I would have NEVER done this before. I was always a big picture person, the grand scheme, the list, the plan.. None of the plans I made for myself in HS ever played out (except the whole graduating college thing but it never got any further than that). Not anymore. One day at a time, small steps, looking for blessings in the smaller things and accepting them as positive accomplishments even if they came in the middle of a rage.
Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next. This world was not created for ME! You don't have to believe in God but do believe in a higher power, give into it or give into HIM. You will be here for awhile you might as well do what you can and enjoy the ride.. Jumping off the ride while in motion is not an option. Plus some believe that when you are done with this life, there's going to be another one. That's a long time to be unhappy! But also one thing to remember here is to love the people around you every day just in case their ride does end tomorrow.

I have had my share of hardships.. I have struggled, sacrificed, pissed people off along the way and have always come out fighting at the end. Money is tight, my kid's health and well being will be an issue for the rest of our lives, I've made mistakes, I've failed, I've had to ask for help (and those who know me know this does not ever happen) I've stressed out so much that I made my self sick over things.. But I finally learned that was not the way to go!! Not for myself and definitely not for my kid!!! It took me a long time to get there and sometimes I do slip! I'm not perfect after all!! So again, life isn't fair, no one is perfect and each day you wake up and are able to draw a breath, while you lie in a bed with a roof over your head-count that as a blessing, get up, get through the day because guess what, there's going to be a repeat tomorrow!

By no means is this meant to offend anyone. This is my blog so therefore, my opinion and I am allowed to share it. So again with more cliche's-Cowboy Up, Put on your big girl panties and suck it up, Life's what you make it, Life is like a box of chocolates-(which by the way, you may not know what you're gonna get but I only eat the ones I like and avoid the ones I don't).
So my final words of wisdom to spew to the masses today- "Eat the good chocolate avoid the bad, but try it first to see if you do or don't like it. Try new things, make mistakes. Live every day to the fullest, don't let the small stuff get you down and look the big stuff in the face and tell it who's boss (that's YOU by the way, in case this still hasn't really sunk in yet)."

Thank you, that is all!

Oh and also in keeping with true form to the blog, here is my shared resource for the day: I will be manning the About Special Kids Booth on April 30Th at Speedway United Methodist Church Info and Resource Fair, 10a.m-2p.m. This is one of the largest resource fairs around. They have attracted hundreds of people each year as they reach out in the community and the city of Indianapolis. Last year they had 60 exhibitors and hope to have more this year. So if you are in the area, come by and see me!:)

Old habits die hard

We are in our second/third week of Jake not having any homework after school most days if not all week. This is HUGE progress for him. He used to refuse to work during school and was sent home with HOURS of homework almost every day. I am not gonna lie.. Homework with a bipolar/adhd kid is NOT fun! I would get frustrated, he'd get frustrated, it would get ugly and I hated it. Over the past few weeks, he's done all his work at school and is no longer bringing home any work at all!! He sees how proud I am and I also know how proud he is of himself. He's trying really hard to make it all week with no homework. He's also had some really good weeks with behavior too.. Not great weeks but close to 80% if not right over, and most weeks are at least 4/5 good days with 1 icky day in there to drop his points down so he can't progress up to the next level and get back into gen ed classes..
We've also instituted a 30 minute no electronic policy each night. No TV, no video games, no cell phones, no computers.. We play card games, board games, puzzles, play Lego's, read together and exercise. The first night he was right at 30 minutes and the TV was back on, second night, was like an 1:15 minutes and it was awesome. He kept pushing it out, "No, let's play another game, let's keep going." He's really liking it and being supportive of the new rule. I am really impressed.
He's still doing well after school on his own but could be a little better with having some stuff done around the house before I get home (Like his toys picked up) but small steps and small victories :)
My biggest thing is looking past the last 5-6 years of how his behavior affected things. How he reacted, how I could predict what he would do in certain situations. His behaviors and reactions have changed, mine not so much. I am working on it though.. Just as hard as he is.. Except sometimes he gets upset with me because he thinks I always see or expect the worst from him. I know we are not out of the woods and this is far from over but for now it seems like he really has this under control and his meds are working and he is making the right choices. I am really very proud of him and will continue to support his progress and do everything I can not to hinder it. Sometimes I do have to remind myself that I am a MOM though. Yeah I am the mom to a Bipolar child.. but I am a MOM. I make the rules. I am in charge. If he breaks the rules he gets consequences. Walking on eggshells and trying to avoid blow ups or rages happens a lot but it's still done with the best parenting skills I can offer!!! Both his med Doc ad therapist were very impressed with his progress at his last doctor appointment and when others see what he is capable of, like I do, it's really a great feeling for both of us!
He is growing up so fast and pretty much continues to amaze me and make me laugh every day. I am a little nerved by the upcoming teenage years but we will get through it together, just like we always do!
I am still active as a Family Response Team member with CABF and I do my best to reach out to those who seem lost, need help or just a little extra support and advice. I finally get to work my first information fair for About Special Kids (ASK) at the end of April. I am looking forward to that. A little nervous though since it will be my first but excited to be able to offer help and support to people who need it.
Spring break is coming up soon and we are heading to Chicago. This will be his first trip there and I am really excited to take him. I know it's not sunny FL or anywhere warm and we will only be there a few days but it will be packed with trips to the aquarium, museums, LegoLand and swimming! Oh yeah and shopping :)

Ready for Spring

Wow, ok so yet again I promise to keep this more up to date and I am a slacker. Sorry folks!! So here goes.
The past 2 weeks have been good for Jake. School has been better, he's not bringing home much or any homework these days and he seems to really see a difference in himself when he has good days and does this. He's happy!!! He tries really hard to accomplish this. Still having those issues at school with his little potty mouth however.. Yes folks, my 11 year old sweet innocent.. oh wait.. never mind.. my 11 year old cusses like a sailor and is rude and obnoxious! But hey at least he's not breaking windows, beating people up or breaking teachers toes.. Right?? Silver lining? Positive thinking?? Small Victories where I can find them??
Meds seem to be ok for now but we still have room to increase doses if we need to. I like the combo he's on now and hope it continues to work.
The weather has caused some issues but not as bad as I thought it would. He's bored a lot but not being destructive or anything.. A little more on the hyper side but I will take the high side to bipolar any day over the low side with him. He's been spending a lot of time with his Lego's but really wants to get outside and play, travel and have fun. I think he gets that from me LOL
He got his grades up from last grading period too.. :)
He's eating a lot better these days too. Eating a lot of fruit but still need's to get more active. So ready for spring to be here.
We are planning a pretty fun trip for Spring Break. It's only going to be a few days and close to home, sadly no place warm but hopefully we will be able to do that over the summer! Mommy really needs to get some things in order and straightened out but that's another story for another time.

Cabin Fever has set in

Ok well gotta love winter in the Midwest.. Or is it just Indiana weather? Last week.. we were buried under a few inches of ice then several inches of snow and there was no school FOR 4 DAYS!!!! I managed to hang in for 2 then had to have mom step in and take him the other 2.. Since I would also have him for the weekend.. Oh wait, I'm a mother, I should be happy to spend 24/7 with my child right?? Shhh, don't tell anyone. I'm already in the running for mother of the year, I don't need this to tarnish my rep!!! LOL
I finally got the doc to put him on a new med and we didn't go the Prozac route, we put him back on Geodone. He has been on this before, but she started him on the lowest possible dose.. So far.. it seems to work well with the trileptol but I can definitely see it being increased as well.. So hopefully with the med change, we can get back on track, get school back under control and keep the weight down too. We've backed off group therapy for awhile too so I hope he gets back into that. He doesn't like this one as much as the one at St V's but I hope he gets there one of these days. Group therapy seemed to really work for him.
Not much else to report tonight but promise to be more current with the updates and resources.