ShamROCKZ by AnnaBV Designs

Anna has a new kit being released today at ScrapOrchard called "ShamROCKZ". Perfect for scrapping your Irish heritage, celebrating St. Patrick's Day, or even just loving your lucky life, ShamROCKZ can meet your needs. There is a coordinating alpha that has three different styles and a set of quickpages that are free with purchase for a limited time.

ShamROCKZ


ShamROCKZ Alpha


ShamROCKZ Quickpages


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Happy 9th Birthday to my sweet Booski, Anna!

Today my baby girl turns nine years old. To be honest, there were times between ages three and five where I didn't think she'd survive this long. She is such a fighter and has gotten so much stronger. I truly love her with a part of me I didn't know existed. There is a fierce protectiveness, a pride when she accomplishes something she's been working so hard at, a wonder and joy at the everyday seen in a new way... she has made me grow as a parent and a person. And I am so thankful.

Happy Birthday, Anna! Nine things that I love about you are:
1. I love the way you call a cheeseburger a "cheese-hamburger" and that it is your favorite food.
2. I love the way you laugh at America's Funniest Home Videos like it's brand new even when you've seen an episode a dozen times.
3. I love the way you love babies, the same way I do.
4. I love the way you get concerned about your sister or brother if they don't feel well.
5. I love funny words (a game we play where we substitute potty words for real words in common songs).
6. I love waking up to feel you spooned up against me even though I put a pillow in between us.*
7. I love that you trust me so completely that when I ask you to do something that is scary to you, you do it anyway and are brave about it.
8. I love hearing you read a book, working so so hard to make sense of the words, and figuring it out.
9. I love YOU, for who you are.

*I sleep with Anna because of her seizures. She doesn't have them frequently, but they often occur in the middle of the night with no warning and she turns to her right and ends up with her face in a pillow. To avoid the risk of suffocation, I sleep with her.

As a newborn... oy, look at that jaundice!


Now


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February 2010 Siggies Slideshow

Here are the siggies I made in February!

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2 new releases from AnnaBV today!

AnnaBV Designs is releasing Like a Dream today at ScrapOrchard. It's soft and pretty and I thought it was perfect for scrapping a gorgeous photo of Jenny. Anna also teamed up with Faith True, also from ScrapOrchard, to release a bright and fun kit called, Only the Lucky. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, it's full of cheer. It also has a coordinating wordart pack! I just had to use those funny photos I took of Dominic yesterday for this one.

Like a Dream


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Only the Lucky


Only the Lucky Wordart


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My Funny Boy

Dominic loves to clown around when I pull out my camera. I got a kick out of his faces today.







Today was Anna's anually IEP. No real surprises. She is doing well but falling further behind in math. They added science and social studies goals for 3rd grade since she really needs so much support to learn anything academic. They also modified her social skills goals to really focus on managing her anxiety. What's so funny about this is that they are using the same approach Kathy, the behavioral specialist, recommended for us at home. We will all be on the same page!

Snow Day

We actually had snow here yesterday. It was almost magical. Huge, heavy flakes drifting down plopping on your skin as if to say, "Hey, wanna play?" Everyone was outside. Anna and I went out after lunch and attempted to build a snowman. Upon putting the head on top, it promptly fell over. I couldn't wait for Dominic to get out of school so we could all play together. I made Anna wait to do too much so that we wouldn't use up all the snow in the yard.

After coming back in, Anna and I laid down. I was up at 4 am yesterday and Anna was up at 5. She was under for almost 2 hours for the procedures and was still tired and wobbly after getting home. We slept and slept and slept. I woke up 2.5 hours later and Anna slept 4 hours. Daddy had already picked up Dominic from school and they were home (Anna and I are still staying at my mom's), so I called him to say that Anna was still asleep and they should go on outside.

We never did get our family romp in the snow but Jenny went out with Dominic and Daddy and took a few pictures. I also got some pictures earlier in the day when it was really coming down. By the time Anna got up, most of the snow was already melting, there wasn't much left, and everyone had headed in.

It was nice while it lasted.

I realized with much sadness late last night that an entire day had gone by and I hadn't seen my son. It makes me teary-eyed even thinking about it now. My mom kept Dominic for us Monday night and took him to school yesterday morning, then Curtis picked him up from school and kept him overnight. Anna was fragile yesterday so that is what she needed. But my mommy heart broke a little with that realization. I crept over to Curtis's about 9:30 last night, spied on my sleeping son, and kissed his fingertips.

We're home and she did great!

Everything went very smoothly this morning with Anna's MRI. They didn't even put in the IV or take blood until she was asleep. She woke up great, no disorientation or discomfort, and we are home now! Thanks for your prayers and support.

MRI tomorrow

Anna's MRI and abdominal ultrasound are in the morning tomorrow. We have to be at the hospital at 5:45 a.m. I haven't told her yet fearing a night of anxiety and perseveration.

Wish us luck.

New releases today from By Becca and AnnaBV Designs!

Happy Friday, everyone! My designers both have new kits out today.The first is from By Becca at ScrapMatters and is called Taste of Provence. It is designed to capture the colors and feel of traditional fabrics of Provence. Full of rich colors and detailed elements, you will reach for this kit over and over again. Kit Cat by AnnaBV Designs is being released at ScrapOrchard. It's fun and whimsical and can be use for kitty cat pictures or anything really. It also comes with a coordinating wordart pack and quickpages.

Taste of Provence


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Kit Cat


Kit Cat Wordart


Kit Cat Quickpages


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Behavior

We have a new behavioral specialist working with us through Integral Care (formerly MHMR). Her name is Kathy and I'm really impressed with her. She came to the house last Friday and did an intake interview with me... she was so thorough! Three hours later, I think she had a good handle on what Anna's challenges are and what we are looking to get out of our time with her. Initially I had wanted a behavioral specialist to help Anna and Dominic get along better... Anna is constantly rejecting him because she is afraid of him. He is loud, unpredictable, and causes her to be on guard all the time, anticipating the next boo-boo or screech. As he gets older, this gets better and Curtis works with him coaching him how to lower the intensity around Anna. At the same time, I hate that he already feels a sense of responsibility when he does cause a meltdown in her. Anna and I are continuing to live at my mom's house, 2 doors down from our house, while Curtis and I figure out how to put our marriage back together. What has been interesting is that both kids have had big developmental gains living in separate houses. Both kids are more independent, more competent, listen better, and overall seem happier. Sigh. What does this mean for our family?

Anyway, Kathy really helped narrow our focus to create some concrete goals. Kathy is going to observe Anna at school next week and she was also here on Monday for an observation. First off, she said that in a typical family, an 8-year old girl and 5-year old boy would not be getting along or playing together all the time. So to expect a socially-challenged, play-skill-delayed child to want to engage with her brother is just unrealistic. What we should be focusing on instead is helping her self-manage her anxiety and stress. These skills will help her more in a variety of settings and situations, help her be less dependent on me, and help her in the future as she gets older and the stresses get more complicated. So how do we do this?

We are already doing a lot of behavioral supports in the home. But I need to be more consistent with them, such as using the timer to increase independent play and using the sticker chart with rewards for positive behaviors and chores.

Kathy suggested social stories... where we create short, homemade books that we can laminate and have Anna carry around. Each social story can be about something very specific, like going to the grocery store. We use Anna's picture in it and review it with her before the outing. First we identify the stress... awareness and acknowledgement of the behavior, then we give her the language (stress looks like, sounds like, feels like) and triggers, then the strategies for coping (take a break, set a timer, reward, etc.). I think these will really help with specific, targeted behaviors during predictably stressful situations.

She also suggested videotaped interactions where we video Anna to show her the anxious behaviors to start to teach her to recognize them in herself. Then we give her tools for coping. Anna loves watching herself on TV, so I need to charge up the camcorder!

Kathy recommended some books, which I've already ordered from Amazon. These include:

~Don't Pop Your Cork on Mondays!: The Children's Anti-Stress Book by Adolph Moser
~Incredible 5-Point Scale -- Assisting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Understanding Social Interactions and Controlling Their Emotional Responses by Kari Dunn Buron
~Building Social Relationships: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Social Difficulties by Scott Bellini

To build Anna's relationship with Dominic, we start by setting up some playdates with an older girl or two (and we have the perfect girl in the neighborhood, she is mature, sweet, and patient with Anna) that have a timed structure with a beginning, middle, and end. Once Anna is comfortable and engaged with this level of play, we introduce Dominic into the play for a short time. Hopefully, she will be willing to play once she realizes that it's only for a set amount of time.

I'm feeling optimistic about helping Anna. We are still giving the Lexapro a try though I'm not sure I'm seeing a signficant difference in her overall anxiety level or coping. I'd love to get her off of the Risperdal since it's caused so many other issues... I'm thinking that if she's not anxious and stressed all the time, she won't be as aggressive so she won't need the Risperdal. Though we forgot to give her the morning dose of Risperdal last Wednesday and she was not a happy little girl. She's getting big enough that her hitting hurts.

Anna's MRI and other testing has been scheduled for next Tuesday, February 23rd. We have to be at the hospital at 5:45 am. *Yawn.* I really appreciate any positive thoughts and prayers you can spare. We had an incident this weekend where I thought I saw some seizure activity and it is just so yucky. It's been since the 4th of July last year for any seizures, I hate that even after all this time, I'm still on guard every minute.

Loads of Love by AnnaBV Designs

Anna has a sweet new mini-kit out today at ScrapOrchard called Loads of Love. Just in time for Valentine's Day, these non-traditional holiday colors go well with your sweetheart photos and can be used for any scrapping need. There is also a coordinating alpha!

Loads of Love


Loads of Love Alpha


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New kits by Becca and AnnaBV Designs!

By Becca is releasing a boy version of her baby kit this week at ScrapMatters called Boy Blue. It has a coordinating wordart pack also. It's the perfect kit for scrapping all of your baby boy photos. AnnaBV Designs is releasing a kit about pregnancy this week at ScrapOrchard called Special Delivery. It also has a coordinating wordart pack. This fun kit has elements for documenting your pregnancy, whether you're having a girl, boy, or letting it be a surprise.

Boy Blue


Boy Blue Wordart


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Special Delivery


Special Delivery Wordart


My Layout


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