My lungs sort of sound like Snap, Crackle, and Pop are in there trying to catch the herd of frogs that crawled in there to die. Stupid wheezing.
Scooter had a much better day today than she did yesterday. Awhile ago, Hubster got Hopper and Scooter some used field jacket liners like the one he uses all the time, because they'd steal his and wouldn't want to give it back. They love them, but the liners look so much alike, they often grab the wrong one. So for a little Valentine's surprise, I took an old scrap of fabric and went all Laverne and Shirley on them.
I made a huge heart-shaped pocket on the right side, and then I cut out the initial of their first names and sewed them on the left breast. Hubster put the little heart shaped box of candy he'd bought them in the heart pockets, and tossed in a small box of conversation hearts. We left them on the couch, so the girls would see them first thing in the morning. They were thrilled with them, and Scooter wore hers most of the day.
Scooter was in a great mood all day and 'sang' and 'danced' all morning. Because Scooter is completely nonverbal, she doesn't actually sing, but don't tell her that! When she's panting in rhythm and tapping her foot, (especially while standing!), she's singing and dancing. And she was singing, dancing, and grinning from ear to ear most of her waking hours today, which was such a nice change after yesterday!
Hopper's day didn't go quite as smoothly. She had a bit of a meltdown, and we're not exactly sure why. She had a panic attack over Hubster changing from his thick wool long johns to a lighter weight pair. We have never figured out, (other than her OCD), why his long johns and running gear set off panic attacks and meltdowns, but it absolutely kills us that we can't seem to help her. Thankfully, medication does help some, but it still doesn't prevent it completely, and it breaks our hearts. Panic attacks and anxiety are hard enough to handle when you are capable of knowing what they are. They're doubly hard when you don't understand what's happening, and that they'll eventually go away. She was fine after Hubster left for work, but I'm sad she had to go through it at all.
I'm hoping the weekend is a bit more restful for all of us, since we're fighting off this crud. We need as much rest as we can get. Hopper seems to have already seen the worst of it and is on the mend, but Scooter and I have a ways to go.
Hopefully, we can sing and dance our way through it.
Showing posts with label meltdown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meltdown. Show all posts
Friday, February 14, 2014
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Like a box of chocolates left in the sun.
Long day today.
Sick and melting children.
I've been freezing again all day today. Just can't seem to get warm all the way through to my bones.
Maybe tomorrow.
Sick and melting children.
I've been freezing again all day today. Just can't seem to get warm all the way through to my bones.
Maybe tomorrow.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Is it hot in here?
Today wasn't a good day for Hopper. She doesn't feel well, but on top of that I think reality is setting in that she's done with school forever. She finished right before Christmas break, and it's hitting her hard that she's not going back.
Days like this are just emotionally exhausting. The day was filled with several meltdowns, and it was hard on all of us. Her hoarding tendencies were also very apparent.
She'd been loud today, but it wasn't anything really worse than normal. That is until I brought her backpack upstairs, so we could switch out the contents for the new one she got this weekend. I could not even explain to her that I just brought it up, so we could get it ready for her to use, before she started screaming, "NO!!! MY STUFF!!"
On the surface it appeared as though she was freaking out simply over the fact that I had picked up her backpack. In reality, it was because she was afraid I was going to take her papers out of the backpack. She's very possessive about her things, which is very typical for someone who hoards, and I can handle that just fine. The thing I can't handle is her screaming at the top of her lungs right in my face.
I'm hoping I can get an appointment for her to be seen tomorrow. I'm thinking she may have a sinus infection. This is typical meltdown behavior, but it's not typical for her to have a meltdown complete with an hour of screaming at the top of her lungs over paperwork. She's gets crabby just like others do when she's not feeling well. I'm hoping that ridding her of her sinus problems will help with her mood.
I don't know how many more meltdowns at the top of her lungs my ears can handle.
I'm hoping I can get an appointment for her to be seen tomorrow. I'm thinking she may have a sinus infection. This is typical meltdown behavior, but it's not typical for her to have a meltdown complete with an hour of screaming at the top of her lungs over paperwork. She's gets crabby just like others do when she's not feeling well. I'm hoping that ridding her of her sinus problems will help with her mood.
I don't know how many more meltdowns at the top of her lungs my ears can handle.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A Day In The Life...also known as: My Husband. My Hero.
The house is quiet.
For now.
It likely will only last about an hour, but I'll take it over the meltdowns that have happened daily since Hopper broke her leg. It's been a long 4 weeks since that happened.
I'm not complaining. At least I don't mean to be. I can't express how very thankful I am that she's doing so much better. And for the most part, I can handle the meltdowns. They mean she's getting back to her normal self, who absolutely hates being confined to a wheelchair and the frustration it brings. In ways, I'm thankful she's frustrated. It means she's not happy being stuck where she is, and she won't be comfortable staying in the wheelchair forever. She's got such an easy going spirit overall, that one could get the idea that she is fine with things never changing or with a lack of healing/growth on her part.
But I am honestly fatigued by the meltdowns. They wear on me. And while yesterday and today haven't been too bad, the last few weeks have been horrendous.
Bugster and Bubster had their wedding over the weekend, and I'm not sure, if it's a lack of sleep on the girls' part, (Let me break in here by saying the quiet was so quiet that I couldn't keep my eyes open, and we all took a much needed nap! Now...back to your regularly scheduled post...), or what, but the meltdowns have been plentiful. Saturday, the day of the wedding, Hopper probably had at least a dozen meltdowns throughout the day before the wedding. She had a couple more when we were at the park to break the pinata and then again at the ceremony.
Her meltdowns can be a bit contagious. And although Scooter hasn't has as many meltdowns as Hopper, Hopper's have triggered them. Sadly, Hubster and I are not immune. We normally have the patience to deal with a meltdown here or a meltdown there, but we've had no space between them in which to recover, and we've snapped a few times.
Hubby had his parents come over for a visit on Sunday while I was out with my sister and mom for a few hours. He wanted to give me a break, and he thought maybe it would be easier on me to have them over while I was gone, and I was all for both the break and not being here when they were seeing the house and all it hoards. However, it was a bit much for him to handle alone, and he said that he exploded out of pure frustration at Hopper. He didn't hit her. He didn't call her names. But he did yell at her. And he's got a big voice. It's not something that happens with any frequency. We try very hard not to yell at the girls, but we're human, and sometimes, when we've had no break from the stress, when there is no relief in sight, we've been known to yell. And while neither of us want to yell at the girls, we'd rather it come out as something loud rather than something hard like a fist.
And so, when I was away from the house, and Hubster was here alone with the girls, their moods, and their grandparents, he snapped. And his dad, in all his infinite wisdom, encouraged Hubster that maybe we needed to do it more often. After all, it caused her to stop her meltdown.
:::insert extra large eye roll here::::
Hubster put the girls to bed and then talked with his parents, who have never once showed an ounce of understanding for what goes on with the girls, either for us as parents or for our beautiful daughters. And how he didn't totally explode at his parents is beyond me. Instead, he asked a hypothetical question. He asked, "What would you have done, if I was out of control, and yelling didn't snap me out of it? Would you hit me? What if you couldn't or wouldn't hit me for whatever reason? What would you do then?"
His dad didn't have any answers.
He explained that every single day, grown people throw fits. That sometimes, "when Judy hurts my sensitive little feelings, I give her the silent treatment". That other times when an adult is going through a rough divorce, they end up murdering their entire families. And while these are only examples of fits that people throw, that adults with a normal mental capacity still have the ability to pull themselves into check and realize what they're doing. They can typically reason with themselves and stop throwing their fits.
However, the girls aren't typical. They feel the emotions that they feel when they feel them. They don't stuff them. The love, anger, sadness, happiness and joy they feel are more real than what most people feel, simply because they have no way of faking it. So when they're feeling overwhelmed, scared, sad and angry, it comes out in the form of a meltdown. And all we can do is allow them to feel it, even when they sometimes feel those deep emotions when it's not convenient to us.
So his mom asked, if we'd considered taking her to a psychiatrist. Had we considered drugs?
::::insert monumentally HUGE eye roll here::::
I know. Maybe I should give her the benefit of the doubt. She seriously could have just been brain storming and trying to help find a solution. So Hubster explained again that we had gone the route of the psychiatrist. That he'd put her on medication, and that when the medication didn't seem to be quite enough according to the psychiatrist that he upped the dose, and then she started getting physical. It was infrequent at first. She would only have full-blown meltdowns once a month. We figured it had to do with her hormones, but it wasn't long before she was having meltdowns more than once a week. By the time we realized the meds were the culprit in her uncontrolled rages, Hopper was getting physical with me 3 and 4 days out of the week, and each day consisted of 3 to 4 altercations with her trying to beat me up. She was on the medicine for 2 full years before we realized that it was the cause of the problems. So yeah. We tried a psychiatrist. And we tried drugs.
Yeah. They didn't work.
It was obvious at the wedding the night before that they both felt that the girls are not disciplined, and if we only (fill in the blank) that they'd behave better in public. The thing is, they're two of the most well behaved kids you'd ever meet. I'm fairly certain the inlaws came to our house thinking the same thing when they visited our home when Hubster was taking care of the girls while I was gone. I think they may have left with a totally different understanding of their son's family and the life we live.
Hubster wondered, if maybe, somewhere, they might get that we know how to handle the girls, that we might actually know what we're doing after all these years. After all, Hopper is weeks away from being 21. Only time will tell, if they took anything out of the conversation.
When Hubster told me everything that happened, I told him that he'd never been sexier to me. He shows me on a daily basis what we mean to him. We never lack for love. Ever. But for him to go so far as to explain things to his parents regardless of any sort of backlash, it speaks volumes about what he feels for us.
I just hope that his parents finally see it.
For now.
It likely will only last about an hour, but I'll take it over the meltdowns that have happened daily since Hopper broke her leg. It's been a long 4 weeks since that happened.
I'm not complaining. At least I don't mean to be. I can't express how very thankful I am that she's doing so much better. And for the most part, I can handle the meltdowns. They mean she's getting back to her normal self, who absolutely hates being confined to a wheelchair and the frustration it brings. In ways, I'm thankful she's frustrated. It means she's not happy being stuck where she is, and she won't be comfortable staying in the wheelchair forever. She's got such an easy going spirit overall, that one could get the idea that she is fine with things never changing or with a lack of healing/growth on her part.
But I am honestly fatigued by the meltdowns. They wear on me. And while yesterday and today haven't been too bad, the last few weeks have been horrendous.
Bugster and Bubster had their wedding over the weekend, and I'm not sure, if it's a lack of sleep on the girls' part, (Let me break in here by saying the quiet was so quiet that I couldn't keep my eyes open, and we all took a much needed nap! Now...back to your regularly scheduled post...), or what, but the meltdowns have been plentiful. Saturday, the day of the wedding, Hopper probably had at least a dozen meltdowns throughout the day before the wedding. She had a couple more when we were at the park to break the pinata and then again at the ceremony.
Her meltdowns can be a bit contagious. And although Scooter hasn't has as many meltdowns as Hopper, Hopper's have triggered them. Sadly, Hubster and I are not immune. We normally have the patience to deal with a meltdown here or a meltdown there, but we've had no space between them in which to recover, and we've snapped a few times.
Hubby had his parents come over for a visit on Sunday while I was out with my sister and mom for a few hours. He wanted to give me a break, and he thought maybe it would be easier on me to have them over while I was gone, and I was all for both the break and not being here when they were seeing the house and all it hoards. However, it was a bit much for him to handle alone, and he said that he exploded out of pure frustration at Hopper. He didn't hit her. He didn't call her names. But he did yell at her. And he's got a big voice. It's not something that happens with any frequency. We try very hard not to yell at the girls, but we're human, and sometimes, when we've had no break from the stress, when there is no relief in sight, we've been known to yell. And while neither of us want to yell at the girls, we'd rather it come out as something loud rather than something hard like a fist.
And so, when I was away from the house, and Hubster was here alone with the girls, their moods, and their grandparents, he snapped. And his dad, in all his infinite wisdom, encouraged Hubster that maybe we needed to do it more often. After all, it caused her to stop her meltdown.
:::insert extra large eye roll here::::
Hubster put the girls to bed and then talked with his parents, who have never once showed an ounce of understanding for what goes on with the girls, either for us as parents or for our beautiful daughters. And how he didn't totally explode at his parents is beyond me. Instead, he asked a hypothetical question. He asked, "What would you have done, if I was out of control, and yelling didn't snap me out of it? Would you hit me? What if you couldn't or wouldn't hit me for whatever reason? What would you do then?"
His dad didn't have any answers.
He explained that every single day, grown people throw fits. That sometimes, "when Judy hurts my sensitive little feelings, I give her the silent treatment". That other times when an adult is going through a rough divorce, they end up murdering their entire families. And while these are only examples of fits that people throw, that adults with a normal mental capacity still have the ability to pull themselves into check and realize what they're doing. They can typically reason with themselves and stop throwing their fits.
However, the girls aren't typical. They feel the emotions that they feel when they feel them. They don't stuff them. The love, anger, sadness, happiness and joy they feel are more real than what most people feel, simply because they have no way of faking it. So when they're feeling overwhelmed, scared, sad and angry, it comes out in the form of a meltdown. And all we can do is allow them to feel it, even when they sometimes feel those deep emotions when it's not convenient to us.
So his mom asked, if we'd considered taking her to a psychiatrist. Had we considered drugs?
::::insert monumentally HUGE eye roll here::::
I know. Maybe I should give her the benefit of the doubt. She seriously could have just been brain storming and trying to help find a solution. So Hubster explained again that we had gone the route of the psychiatrist. That he'd put her on medication, and that when the medication didn't seem to be quite enough according to the psychiatrist that he upped the dose, and then she started getting physical. It was infrequent at first. She would only have full-blown meltdowns once a month. We figured it had to do with her hormones, but it wasn't long before she was having meltdowns more than once a week. By the time we realized the meds were the culprit in her uncontrolled rages, Hopper was getting physical with me 3 and 4 days out of the week, and each day consisted of 3 to 4 altercations with her trying to beat me up. She was on the medicine for 2 full years before we realized that it was the cause of the problems. So yeah. We tried a psychiatrist. And we tried drugs.
Yeah. They didn't work.
It was obvious at the wedding the night before that they both felt that the girls are not disciplined, and if we only (fill in the blank) that they'd behave better in public. The thing is, they're two of the most well behaved kids you'd ever meet. I'm fairly certain the inlaws came to our house thinking the same thing when they visited our home when Hubster was taking care of the girls while I was gone. I think they may have left with a totally different understanding of their son's family and the life we live.
Hubster wondered, if maybe, somewhere, they might get that we know how to handle the girls, that we might actually know what we're doing after all these years. After all, Hopper is weeks away from being 21. Only time will tell, if they took anything out of the conversation.
When Hubster told me everything that happened, I told him that he'd never been sexier to me. He shows me on a daily basis what we mean to him. We never lack for love. Ever. But for him to go so far as to explain things to his parents regardless of any sort of backlash, it speaks volumes about what he feels for us.
I just hope that his parents finally see it.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Hope springs eternal.
Today has been long and not as productive as I'd like.
Some days are just like that.
Hopper is stressed over my upcoming surgery. She stresses easily, and it comes out in all sorts of rough ways. Like stressing over her dad going on his run today. We really have no idea what sets her off. Sometimes it happens. Other times, she's fine with him going for his run. Today, she started having a meltdown a good 15 minutes before he left. The meltdown didn't stop for 30 minutes after he was gone.
She was upset he was gone, but she started fixating on something, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what she was saying. While she's verbal, she's not always intelligible, and she was definitely struggling. She also often says, 'no' when she means, 'yes', and vice versa and very often, she doesn't hear what we're saying correctly, so it can be quite the puzzle trying to figure out what she's saying. And while sometimes it can be a bit humorous, it can also be quite traumatic.
For 30 minutes, she cried and tried so hard to tell me and show me what she was asking. She kept trying to act out what she was asking. She would draw her one arm up, so her fist was by her shoulder, and the other arm was outstretched. It looked like she was trying to shoot a bow and arrow.
But she's never even seen one.
I asked her, if it had to do with Daddy's run. No. It didn't. But it resulted in more crying and exasperation.
Was it on a street driving away from here? No. And cue crying.
Was it at the store? Nope. Not there either.
Was she talking about exercises? No. That wasn't it, and the drama continued.
At one point, I joined her in the crying. It's so frustrating to not be able to help her, and it's so hard to see her go through the pain of not being understood.
I asked her repeatedly to show me where it was, if it was in the house. She said it wasn't.
Finally, I just asked her to follow me, and I pointed out some workout things my husband uses to strengthen his forearms. If he doesn't use them, he has a problem with tendonitis. So I took her to them and asked, if that was what she was talking about.
It was.
Finally.
She was trying to find out, if he was going to do his exercises when he got home. He wasn't. But she has such a hard time living in the moment, because she's always looking ahead to what's going to happen or not going to happen next that she just can't relax. Today was a prime example.
After I finally figured out what it was and discerned her unintelligible jargoning, she was fine, but my neck and shoulders are still tight all these hours later. I'm just so glad she was able to go to bed with a smile on her face, and it all but forgotten.
Somehow, I was able to get 6 or 7 loads of laundry done today, even though we didn't get started on the list just yet. We'll be kicking into overdrive to work on it tomorrow. I think we'll be able to get most of it done.
I hope.
I need a bigger win.
Some days are just like that.
Hopper is stressed over my upcoming surgery. She stresses easily, and it comes out in all sorts of rough ways. Like stressing over her dad going on his run today. We really have no idea what sets her off. Sometimes it happens. Other times, she's fine with him going for his run. Today, she started having a meltdown a good 15 minutes before he left. The meltdown didn't stop for 30 minutes after he was gone.
She was upset he was gone, but she started fixating on something, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what she was saying. While she's verbal, she's not always intelligible, and she was definitely struggling. She also often says, 'no' when she means, 'yes', and vice versa and very often, she doesn't hear what we're saying correctly, so it can be quite the puzzle trying to figure out what she's saying. And while sometimes it can be a bit humorous, it can also be quite traumatic.
For 30 minutes, she cried and tried so hard to tell me and show me what she was asking. She kept trying to act out what she was asking. She would draw her one arm up, so her fist was by her shoulder, and the other arm was outstretched. It looked like she was trying to shoot a bow and arrow.
But she's never even seen one.
I asked her, if it had to do with Daddy's run. No. It didn't. But it resulted in more crying and exasperation.
Was it on a street driving away from here? No. And cue crying.
Was it at the store? Nope. Not there either.
Was she talking about exercises? No. That wasn't it, and the drama continued.
At one point, I joined her in the crying. It's so frustrating to not be able to help her, and it's so hard to see her go through the pain of not being understood.
I asked her repeatedly to show me where it was, if it was in the house. She said it wasn't.
Finally, I just asked her to follow me, and I pointed out some workout things my husband uses to strengthen his forearms. If he doesn't use them, he has a problem with tendonitis. So I took her to them and asked, if that was what she was talking about.
It was.
Finally.
She was trying to find out, if he was going to do his exercises when he got home. He wasn't. But she has such a hard time living in the moment, because she's always looking ahead to what's going to happen or not going to happen next that she just can't relax. Today was a prime example.
After I finally figured out what it was and discerned her unintelligible jargoning, she was fine, but my neck and shoulders are still tight all these hours later. I'm just so glad she was able to go to bed with a smile on her face, and it all but forgotten.
Somehow, I was able to get 6 or 7 loads of laundry done today, even though we didn't get started on the list just yet. We'll be kicking into overdrive to work on it tomorrow. I think we'll be able to get most of it done.
I hope.
I need a bigger win.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Melting children. Again.
I so wish I knew what the problem was.
Every time the hubster has gone for his run this summer it's resulted in a mini-meltdown. It's actually resulted in a couple of full grown meltdowns as well.
The last two nights before we left to come back home from our vacation, Hopper melted in the middle of the night. She and Scooter slept in a bed beside us. And for whatever reason, she started freaking out about her dad wearing his running pants to sleep in.
It's not that it's abnormal for him to wear running pants or sweats around the house when he's trying to relax before bed. She's seen him in them thousands and thousands of times. It's nothing new. Seriously. So why she decided to fixate on it during vacation is a mystery to both of us.
Two nights before we left, she saw that he was getting ready to change into them and go to bed. She flipped. She just kept screaming 'NO!' and crying. We didn't want to disturb anyone else, so he just put them aside until she fell asleep, and she fell into a fitful sleep. A few hours later, he picked them up again to go in the bathroom and change, and it woke her up. It was like she was just waiting for him to pick them up. She started flipping out and screaming and crying again. He decided to just sleep in his jeans.
The next morning, however, she was fine. She even got his shoes and his water bottle for him to help him get ready for his run. Then about 5 minutes before his run, she started crying again and saying "Opee it?" It's her way of asking, if she can open the door for him when he gets home from his run. He calls her his "opee it girl" which could probably be misconstrued by the wrong person. He's just saying it like she does, but it comes across like she's on drugs or something because of the pronunciation.
While he was gone, she cried off and on until he got back. We have no idea why it's happening. And the last night we were in town it was a repeat of the night before. I know that the vacation was tiring for everyone. Nobody ever gets as much sleep or as good sleep on vacation as they do at home. We know fatigue played a role. But it's happened since we've been home, too, and she's gotten plenty of rest.
So when the hubster decided to go for a run tonight, and she'd already gone to bed, he asked, if he should wake her up. I told him that I didn't think it was necessary. If she woke up, I'd explain that she was sleeping, and we didn't want to wake her up, because she needed her sleep.
Can you guess where I'm going with this?
That's right. She woke up about 30 minutes before he got home. Granted, the yelling hasn't been as loud, and the crying didn't last quite as long, but the obsession with opening the door for her dad was right there on the top of her list. Listed right after opening the door on her list was taking his shoes off. And when he came home, she asked, "Who is it?" when he knocked on the door and let him in. She then promptly took his shoes off. And yet she's still melting. It's exhausting for everyone.
I really wish I knew what the problem was.
Every time the hubster has gone for his run this summer it's resulted in a mini-meltdown. It's actually resulted in a couple of full grown meltdowns as well.
The last two nights before we left to come back home from our vacation, Hopper melted in the middle of the night. She and Scooter slept in a bed beside us. And for whatever reason, she started freaking out about her dad wearing his running pants to sleep in.
It's not that it's abnormal for him to wear running pants or sweats around the house when he's trying to relax before bed. She's seen him in them thousands and thousands of times. It's nothing new. Seriously. So why she decided to fixate on it during vacation is a mystery to both of us.
Two nights before we left, she saw that he was getting ready to change into them and go to bed. She flipped. She just kept screaming 'NO!' and crying. We didn't want to disturb anyone else, so he just put them aside until she fell asleep, and she fell into a fitful sleep. A few hours later, he picked them up again to go in the bathroom and change, and it woke her up. It was like she was just waiting for him to pick them up. She started flipping out and screaming and crying again. He decided to just sleep in his jeans.
The next morning, however, she was fine. She even got his shoes and his water bottle for him to help him get ready for his run. Then about 5 minutes before his run, she started crying again and saying "Opee it?" It's her way of asking, if she can open the door for him when he gets home from his run. He calls her his "opee it girl" which could probably be misconstrued by the wrong person. He's just saying it like she does, but it comes across like she's on drugs or something because of the pronunciation.
While he was gone, she cried off and on until he got back. We have no idea why it's happening. And the last night we were in town it was a repeat of the night before. I know that the vacation was tiring for everyone. Nobody ever gets as much sleep or as good sleep on vacation as they do at home. We know fatigue played a role. But it's happened since we've been home, too, and she's gotten plenty of rest.
So when the hubster decided to go for a run tonight, and she'd already gone to bed, he asked, if he should wake her up. I told him that I didn't think it was necessary. If she woke up, I'd explain that she was sleeping, and we didn't want to wake her up, because she needed her sleep.
Can you guess where I'm going with this?
That's right. She woke up about 30 minutes before he got home. Granted, the yelling hasn't been as loud, and the crying didn't last quite as long, but the obsession with opening the door for her dad was right there on the top of her list. Listed right after opening the door on her list was taking his shoes off. And when he came home, she asked, "Who is it?" when he knocked on the door and let him in. She then promptly took his shoes off. And yet she's still melting. It's exhausting for everyone.
I really wish I knew what the problem was.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Melting children.
So. We found out today that we need to replace the electrical panel. Remember how the window air conditioners kept flipping the breaker? Well, even though we had dedicated outlets installed shortly before we left on vacation, the breakers are still flipping. The outlets are rated 15amp (although tomorrow they will be 20amp after the upgrade), and the air conditioners are only rated 11.5amp, so they shouldn't be overwhelming the circuits at all even now. But we're still having a problem with the breakers flipping. Apparently, it is because the current electrical panel is as old as dirt and is overheating enough that it's flipping the breakers when it shouldn't.
By noon tomorrow we should have stable breakers that don't flip every 10 minutes. I'm very much looking forward to that. It will be nice not to have to stop what I'm doing to go push the breaker back on. Yep. It's going to be nice. Thankfully, both tomorrow and Thursday are supposed to be cooler, so it won't be too hard to deal with the complete lack of cooled air for a few hours.
The technician came out today to look at the air conditioners as part of the extended warranty protection. The one air conditioner isn't working worth a darn. He figures it's because it needs removed from it's case and cleaned well inside. He and someone else will be coming back out on Thursday morning to thoroughly clean the units. If that doesn't make the one window unit cool like it's supposed to, he'll charge the coolant. We may make it through summer after all!
I'm so glad we'll be able to have a cooler house in the next few days. I need to make a birthday cake for Scooter. Can't believe our baby will be 17 already.
It's been a very long, emotional day. I'm glad it's over. I had to deal with a couple of melting children today. I am thinking they maybe the hubster forgot to give them their Theanine last night. I need to check with him to make sure. It would definitely explain the meltdowns they both had today.
I'm looking for the new start that the morning brings, a cool house, and no melting children!
By noon tomorrow we should have stable breakers that don't flip every 10 minutes. I'm very much looking forward to that. It will be nice not to have to stop what I'm doing to go push the breaker back on. Yep. It's going to be nice. Thankfully, both tomorrow and Thursday are supposed to be cooler, so it won't be too hard to deal with the complete lack of cooled air for a few hours.
The technician came out today to look at the air conditioners as part of the extended warranty protection. The one air conditioner isn't working worth a darn. He figures it's because it needs removed from it's case and cleaned well inside. He and someone else will be coming back out on Thursday morning to thoroughly clean the units. If that doesn't make the one window unit cool like it's supposed to, he'll charge the coolant. We may make it through summer after all!
I'm so glad we'll be able to have a cooler house in the next few days. I need to make a birthday cake for Scooter. Can't believe our baby will be 17 already.
It's been a very long, emotional day. I'm glad it's over. I had to deal with a couple of melting children today. I am thinking they maybe the hubster forgot to give them their Theanine last night. I need to check with him to make sure. It would definitely explain the meltdowns they both had today.
I'm looking for the new start that the morning brings, a cool house, and no melting children!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Bummer. I missed a post.
I supposed I didn't technically miss writing a post. I just technically missed posting, because after I fought my phone to get my post ready last night, the cursor froze, and when I tried to publish the post it was erased instead. How frustrating! I was just too darn tired to try and type it up again.
We've all had fun. Lots of fun. But we've kept insane hours and everyone is absolutely exhausted. It's finally hitting Hopper pretty good this afternoon. In the craziness that was last night we forgot to give the girls their theanine. It's very apparent today.
Hopper has been having a rough time with her dad's desire to go running today. This happens fairly frequently at home, but it hasn't happened nearly as often since we started her on the Theanine. She has these meltdowns that are so incredibly frustrating, because there's nothing we can seem to do to stop them or prevent them.
Every 3 to 10 seconds during the course of the meltdown, Hopper asks, if she can 'opi it' (open it). It doesn't seem to matter how often either my husband or myself answer her 'yes', she can't seem to stop fixating on it. Within a few minutes, she is in the middle of a meltdown feeling very much misunderstood, even though we repeat exactly what she says back to her, and she agrees that we have understood what she wants.
Once the hubster takes off on his run, the sobbing tends to stop, but the question of "Done. Opi it?" lasts awhile longer. However, it's not stopping quite as easily this time. I'm not sure what the problem is. I do know it's exhausting for everyone involved. I so wish I knew what to do. Hopefully tonight's dose of theanine and some extra sleep will get things back on track.
I do know that part of her problem is anxiety. No doubt about that at all. She said goodbye to Bugster today when the newlyweds started out to drive back home. It's the first time her sister has left earlier than her to return home from vacation. She also has had to say goodbye to several cousins, aunts and uncles over the course of the last few days, and it's just been a bit much. Just when she starts to get to relax and spend sometime with family, they have to leave. It's heartbreaking, and i really wish we lived closer to family, so she wouldn't have to go through this each time.
The other thing was pretty major. The town the hubster and I grew up in had a tornado hit it in the last week. It was pretty major. We weren't anywhere near it when it happened, and we were in fact about 50 miles away. In spite of this, it's been a bit overwhelming to hear about the storm and see the devastation. She's always been very interested in the weather and often gives us her own version of a weather report, but this was a bit over the top.
So. That's what's been going on in my neck of the woods. Hoping for a little more sanity in the next few days! Hope things are on the saner side for the rest of you!
We've all had fun. Lots of fun. But we've kept insane hours and everyone is absolutely exhausted. It's finally hitting Hopper pretty good this afternoon. In the craziness that was last night we forgot to give the girls their theanine. It's very apparent today.
Hopper has been having a rough time with her dad's desire to go running today. This happens fairly frequently at home, but it hasn't happened nearly as often since we started her on the Theanine. She has these meltdowns that are so incredibly frustrating, because there's nothing we can seem to do to stop them or prevent them.
Every 3 to 10 seconds during the course of the meltdown, Hopper asks, if she can 'opi it' (open it). It doesn't seem to matter how often either my husband or myself answer her 'yes', she can't seem to stop fixating on it. Within a few minutes, she is in the middle of a meltdown feeling very much misunderstood, even though we repeat exactly what she says back to her, and she agrees that we have understood what she wants.
Once the hubster takes off on his run, the sobbing tends to stop, but the question of "Done. Opi it?" lasts awhile longer. However, it's not stopping quite as easily this time. I'm not sure what the problem is. I do know it's exhausting for everyone involved. I so wish I knew what to do. Hopefully tonight's dose of theanine and some extra sleep will get things back on track.
I do know that part of her problem is anxiety. No doubt about that at all. She said goodbye to Bugster today when the newlyweds started out to drive back home. It's the first time her sister has left earlier than her to return home from vacation. She also has had to say goodbye to several cousins, aunts and uncles over the course of the last few days, and it's just been a bit much. Just when she starts to get to relax and spend sometime with family, they have to leave. It's heartbreaking, and i really wish we lived closer to family, so she wouldn't have to go through this each time.
The other thing was pretty major. The town the hubster and I grew up in had a tornado hit it in the last week. It was pretty major. We weren't anywhere near it when it happened, and we were in fact about 50 miles away. In spite of this, it's been a bit overwhelming to hear about the storm and see the devastation. She's always been very interested in the weather and often gives us her own version of a weather report, but this was a bit over the top.
So. That's what's been going on in my neck of the woods. Hoping for a little more sanity in the next few days! Hope things are on the saner side for the rest of you!
Monday, May 3, 2010
I. Am. SO. Impressed.
We had a Monday Morning Meltdown before school today. Our middle daughter was upset she couldn't help her younger sister get ready for school and raged for a full 30 minutes. Her meltdowns are brutal. She gets right in your face, turns different shades of red and purple and yells, "NO!" as though she's been through a self-defense class and has actually been attacked. The yelling and crying is accompanied by clenched fists and the occasional hop up and down as she tries to get herself together.
She tries to keep herself under control and not hit me, but this morning she was so angry she shoved me by the shoulders while I was sitting down. I felt her fingerprints for several hours due to the fibromyalgia. The meltdown lasted lasted for 30 minutes straight. There is no talking with her. No reasoning. She is out of control when it happens. When anyone does try to say anything to her they are met with an ear piercing, "NO!" If she starts moving towards her little sister, one of us moves between them. She's never attacked her sister (only me and her dad once), but we know she could do serious damage, if she did.
We're breathing a collective sigh of relief that it's over. We're hoping it means she's done with meltdowns for another month. We're hopeful that by then the Theanine will have reached it's full potential, and she won't have another episode. That sounds... heavenly.
Her meltdowns drain me physically and mentally both. So this morning, I went back to bed for awhile after we got the girls off to school. When I woke up, I got busy in their bedroom. When they got home from school, I had our middle daughter help me finish things up. Then all 3 of us went through almost everything that had been in the bedroom and sorted it.
Our youngest, who is non-verbal would sign her version of "finished", if she no longer wanted an item. She put the toys she wanted to keep in a basket. Our middle daughter is verbal, but she does struggle with words and how to say things. So if she didn't want to keep something, she'd say, "Keep it. NO more!" and wave her hands in her way of she was done with it.
I was in shock and so very, very proud of them. I made sure I told them. Often! They easily got rid of 2/3 of their toys! (1 huge box that we sorted when my mom was here that was 2' cubed, another box that was at 75% the size of the first box, a big black garbage bag of toys (I ran out of boxes) plus a sizable box of wooden blocks. They also got rid of at least 15 pair of shoes, flip flops or slippers.
Things that they were never able to part with before were gladly put in the box of toys to donate. The hardest thing for me to see go was a little die cast dump truck with Big Bird at the wheel. It was our oldest's favorite toy when she was tiny. All 3 of the girls played and played with it, and I was shocked when our middle daughter said, "Keep it NO more!" It's the only thing they got rid of that I thought twice about.
And I've thought more than twice about it. It's one of only 3 or 4 times I've had physical symptoms when getting rid of something. I'm still contemplating having it returned to me. I have slight heart palpitations knowing it's gone, and my mind keeps wandering and wondering, if I made the right choice to give it away. I may just ask the person who has it now, if they'd mind taking a picture of it and emailing me the picture. I really should have done that before I let it go out the door, but I didn't want the girls to see me struggle with it. I didn't want them to see me search through everything they'd given up only to retrieve it.
Our oldest and her husband came over, loaded all that we'd gone through into the back of our car, and dropped it off at my friend's house for her and her kids to go through and take what they wanted. They will pass along what they don't want to friends or family or donate it for me.
It is no longer my problem.
Yay!
I am so excited and happy about dehoarding their bedroom. I still have to clean out the closet and a small toy box, but compared to what we've already gotten rid of, that ain't nothin' but a thing!
And I am so impressed with the girls and how they shone that I don't have adequate words!
She tries to keep herself under control and not hit me, but this morning she was so angry she shoved me by the shoulders while I was sitting down. I felt her fingerprints for several hours due to the fibromyalgia. The meltdown lasted lasted for 30 minutes straight. There is no talking with her. No reasoning. She is out of control when it happens. When anyone does try to say anything to her they are met with an ear piercing, "NO!" If she starts moving towards her little sister, one of us moves between them. She's never attacked her sister (only me and her dad once), but we know she could do serious damage, if she did.
We're breathing a collective sigh of relief that it's over. We're hoping it means she's done with meltdowns for another month. We're hopeful that by then the Theanine will have reached it's full potential, and she won't have another episode. That sounds... heavenly.
Her meltdowns drain me physically and mentally both. So this morning, I went back to bed for awhile after we got the girls off to school. When I woke up, I got busy in their bedroom. When they got home from school, I had our middle daughter help me finish things up. Then all 3 of us went through almost everything that had been in the bedroom and sorted it.
Our youngest, who is non-verbal would sign her version of "finished", if she no longer wanted an item. She put the toys she wanted to keep in a basket. Our middle daughter is verbal, but she does struggle with words and how to say things. So if she didn't want to keep something, she'd say, "Keep it. NO more!" and wave her hands in her way of she was done with it.
I was in shock and so very, very proud of them. I made sure I told them. Often! They easily got rid of 2/3 of their toys! (1 huge box that we sorted when my mom was here that was 2' cubed, another box that was at 75% the size of the first box, a big black garbage bag of toys (I ran out of boxes) plus a sizable box of wooden blocks. They also got rid of at least 15 pair of shoes, flip flops or slippers.
Things that they were never able to part with before were gladly put in the box of toys to donate. The hardest thing for me to see go was a little die cast dump truck with Big Bird at the wheel. It was our oldest's favorite toy when she was tiny. All 3 of the girls played and played with it, and I was shocked when our middle daughter said, "Keep it NO more!" It's the only thing they got rid of that I thought twice about.
And I've thought more than twice about it. It's one of only 3 or 4 times I've had physical symptoms when getting rid of something. I'm still contemplating having it returned to me. I have slight heart palpitations knowing it's gone, and my mind keeps wandering and wondering, if I made the right choice to give it away. I may just ask the person who has it now, if they'd mind taking a picture of it and emailing me the picture. I really should have done that before I let it go out the door, but I didn't want the girls to see me struggle with it. I didn't want them to see me search through everything they'd given up only to retrieve it.
Our oldest and her husband came over, loaded all that we'd gone through into the back of our car, and dropped it off at my friend's house for her and her kids to go through and take what they wanted. They will pass along what they don't want to friends or family or donate it for me.
It is no longer my problem.
Yay!
I am so excited and happy about dehoarding their bedroom. I still have to clean out the closet and a small toy box, but compared to what we've already gotten rid of, that ain't nothin' but a thing!
And I am so impressed with the girls and how they shone that I don't have adequate words!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Hope.
Very, very thankful that our middle daughter has not had a meltdown with her dad being gone. Considering that twice earlier in the week she almost melted before school, this is huge. It is just a huge breakthrough, and I believe it has to do with an antioxidant we've started her on about a week ago.
Normally when she starts to ramp up into a meltdown she gets to a point where she can't stop. Both times this week she's gotten to *that* point, but she's been able to pull herself out of it. And it seems that she has at least one meltdown monthly that is uncontrolled. I know hormones are involved, but the Theanine really seems to make a difference, and I'm so grateful that my friend told me about it.
I am going to start taking it myself as well, as it has immunity boosting properties. Besides that, it helps destress a person, and it's like fibromyalgia feeds on stress. I figure I'll know how it helps me in another week or two. My friend has noticed that she has less body pain after having been on the Theanine for awhile. That sounds wonderful.
I'm hopeful.
Normally when she starts to ramp up into a meltdown she gets to a point where she can't stop. Both times this week she's gotten to *that* point, but she's been able to pull herself out of it. And it seems that she has at least one meltdown monthly that is uncontrolled. I know hormones are involved, but the Theanine really seems to make a difference, and I'm so grateful that my friend told me about it.
I am going to start taking it myself as well, as it has immunity boosting properties. Besides that, it helps destress a person, and it's like fibromyalgia feeds on stress. I figure I'll know how it helps me in another week or two. My friend has noticed that she has less body pain after having been on the Theanine for awhile. That sounds wonderful.
I'm hopeful.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
It must be the weather.
Warning:I'm having a bit of a pity party. I'm not asking for anyone to join me. I have enough pity for myself right now. However, I just needed to write it down and get it out. It helps me to get over myself...
I have to admit that I pretty much loathe days like today. At least the way today has started.
Woke up with my neck and shoulders killing me. I think my hair is too long. It's just past my jawline. However, having no neck, when my hair gets this long it gets stuck under my shoulders when I sleep. It causes me to tense up and not be comfortable when I sleep. I need to get it cut. I need my rest.
I also woke up in the middle of a major fibro flare. I hardly have the strength to lift my arms up again today, and I hurt all over. Barely putting any pressure on any part of my body sends pain shooting everywhere in close proximity to the original touch. It wouldn't be so bad, if the pain didn't linger, but it does. It takes several minutes, (sometimes, it's hours), for the pain to dissipate.
Our middle daughter had a massive meltdown again this morning. She wanted her dad to stay home from work. She yelled at the top of her lungs for him to "STAY! HOME!" The entire time, I just kept telling myself, "Don't make eye contact. Don't make eye contact." If I don't make eye contact, she can usually get herself under control in about 15 minutes or so. If I do make eye contact, it seems to exacerbate the problem, and the meltdown lasts at least 30 minutes.
This is the first time she's actually tried hurting her dad. She kept grabbing his leg and trying to pinch it with her entire hand. She stopped when he casually asked, "Why are you hurting Daddy?" I'm so glad he was able to appear calm on the outside. There's no way he was calm on the inside. It's impossible when she has meltdowns to keep your nerves under control.
Part of what set her off this morning was that he was wearing his long johns. He wears one of those one-piece red union suits like you'd see in old Westerns. He really has no choice with his job. He's outside a lot, and with the colder weather and the wind he freezes, if he doesn't have them on. She kept yelling at him to take them "OFF!" with tears streaming down her face.
We have NO idea what it is about them that sets her off. All we know is that it's beyond exhausting. He's supposed to go out of town for the weekend in a few weeks. I don't know how I'll handle it, if she starts freaking out. Mostly, I'll be praying she doesn't, and that I have the strength to deal with it without making the situation worse.
She's calmed down now, but she's still really loud. Her vocal chords are paralyzed. They can still vibrate, so she can talk, but they don't open and close like they're supposed to. As a result, it's very difficult for her to regulate her volume unless she's reminded repeatedly. I will be reminding gently all afternoon, I'm sure.
One small good note to this otherwise depressing post: It appears as though we may have sold the shower enclosure. We'll find out this weekend.
I have to admit that I pretty much loathe days like today. At least the way today has started.
Woke up with my neck and shoulders killing me. I think my hair is too long. It's just past my jawline. However, having no neck, when my hair gets this long it gets stuck under my shoulders when I sleep. It causes me to tense up and not be comfortable when I sleep. I need to get it cut. I need my rest.
I also woke up in the middle of a major fibro flare. I hardly have the strength to lift my arms up again today, and I hurt all over. Barely putting any pressure on any part of my body sends pain shooting everywhere in close proximity to the original touch. It wouldn't be so bad, if the pain didn't linger, but it does. It takes several minutes, (sometimes, it's hours), for the pain to dissipate.
Our middle daughter had a massive meltdown again this morning. She wanted her dad to stay home from work. She yelled at the top of her lungs for him to "STAY! HOME!" The entire time, I just kept telling myself, "Don't make eye contact. Don't make eye contact." If I don't make eye contact, she can usually get herself under control in about 15 minutes or so. If I do make eye contact, it seems to exacerbate the problem, and the meltdown lasts at least 30 minutes.
This is the first time she's actually tried hurting her dad. She kept grabbing his leg and trying to pinch it with her entire hand. She stopped when he casually asked, "Why are you hurting Daddy?" I'm so glad he was able to appear calm on the outside. There's no way he was calm on the inside. It's impossible when she has meltdowns to keep your nerves under control.
Part of what set her off this morning was that he was wearing his long johns. He wears one of those one-piece red union suits like you'd see in old Westerns. He really has no choice with his job. He's outside a lot, and with the colder weather and the wind he freezes, if he doesn't have them on. She kept yelling at him to take them "OFF!" with tears streaming down her face.
We have NO idea what it is about them that sets her off. All we know is that it's beyond exhausting. He's supposed to go out of town for the weekend in a few weeks. I don't know how I'll handle it, if she starts freaking out. Mostly, I'll be praying she doesn't, and that I have the strength to deal with it without making the situation worse.
She's calmed down now, but she's still really loud. Her vocal chords are paralyzed. They can still vibrate, so she can talk, but they don't open and close like they're supposed to. As a result, it's very difficult for her to regulate her volume unless she's reminded repeatedly. I will be reminding gently all afternoon, I'm sure.
One small good note to this otherwise depressing post: It appears as though we may have sold the shower enclosure. We'll find out this weekend.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Tension, unhand me!
Middle daughter had a gigantic meltdown at 5:30 this morning while getting ready for school. The tension put the muscles in my neck and shoulders into gargantuan knots, and I've yet to be able to untie them.
I was able to get quite a bit accomplished in the kitchen today in spite of things, but I think I'm taking the entire evening off. I'll be doing homework...I'll be reading Buried in Treasures, but I'm done with anything physical. I'll be sitting with two heating pads set on high for awhile, and then I'll be going to bed early.
Hoping I can finish the kitchen tomorrow. . .
I was able to get quite a bit accomplished in the kitchen today in spite of things, but I think I'm taking the entire evening off. I'll be doing homework...I'll be reading Buried in Treasures, but I'm done with anything physical. I'll be sitting with two heating pads set on high for awhile, and then I'll be going to bed early.
Hoping I can finish the kitchen tomorrow. . .
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