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Thoughtful Thursday: Family Update

Thursday, February 16th, 2017

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about the kids so I thought I’d share an update. After a bumpy January, February is shaping up to be a much nicer experience for the kids. And I am incredibly grateful.

Mr. Luna and Anna

We think most of Anna’s behavioral challenges stem from severe anxiety. We started Anna on anti-anxiety medication over a month ago, then increased the dose a few weeks ago. Her teacher has seen a slight improvement but not as much as we were hoping. The side effect is that she gets sleepier after getting frustrated. She’s still perseverating on her health… she’s been saying her stomach hurts for almost two weeks and has been making herself throw up (bus driver said it was just saliva). It’s hard to tell with her if something is really wrong or if it’s behavioral; but since we have not seen any vomiting, diarrhea, fever, or complaints at home, we are pretty certain it’s behavioral. Once she turns 16 (two weeks from today!), I can get her in with my GI doc… just to make sure.

Anna’s teachers and support staff have been doing a great job redirecting her if she gets upset. But her glasses will still sometimes fly off her face in a fit of rage. Consequently, her glasses are stretched out and crooked. We visited Linda and April at the New Braunfels Optical Shoppe earlier this week to get an adjustment. The shop’s kitty, Mr. Luna, is quite fond of Anna. We had to wait for a bit for another customer to finish up and Mr. Luna hopped right onto Anna’s lap. He’s a big cat! Anna wasn’t quite sure about having him there as you can see here.

Overall she is more stable than she was in the fall. The school district is doing a some behavioral assessments and interventions. There have been so many staffing changes that Anna hasn’t really had a chance to experience any stability yet, but so far in 2017 (knock on wood), things have been pretty good in comparison to how the school year started.

New Braunfels child special needs photographer

Nikon D750 | 20mm | f/3.2 | 1/100 | ISO 1600

A Place to Makeup

We got to visit Jenny and Chris a couple of weeks ago in Hutto. Jenny has always been a makeup fanatic, watching YouTube tutorials and educating herself about quality makeup and techniques. In their extra bedroom, Jenny has created a dedicated space to do her makeup. Chris (along with family and friends) has outfitted her with the most amazing supplies. Doesn’t she look beautiful? I love her fun hair color too.

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2 | 1/160 | ISO 1600

Man Cave

Chris has one of their bedrooms dedicated as his Man Cave, complete with video game setup. Dominic always enjoys seeing his brother-in-law, they have a lot in common and like the same things (and have the same sense of teenage boy humor!). I wish Jenny and Chris lived closer, they are both so good for Dominic.

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/1.8 | 1/125 | ISO 3200

Stylin’ Boy

For anyone who doubts that ADHD is a real thing or that medication can make a life and death difference, just ask my son. After a particularly rough start to the new year, we decided to try a stimulant again for Dominic. We have tried them three separate times before and while the medication helped some during the day, the side effects were too awful for him to tolerate, especially at night when the medication would wear off. The new psychiatrist we are seeing in San Antonio suggested a liquid stimulant that has a gentler tapering off effect. Since we’ve started him on this medication, we’ve had no calls from the principal and he’s only had a few missing assignments. He is doing SO much better!

I took Anna, Dominic, Jenny, and Chris out to eat in Georgetown at a place called 600 Degrees Pizzeria when we visited them a few weeks ago. The food was good, but their menu is very confusing. They offer a ton of options by the slice but you can only order it during certain times of the day. The service was great though and the weather was so nice, we ended up eating outside. At the end of the building was this great wood and metal gate… a perfect backdrop for a photo op. Dominic is always a willing model. Do you know that he’s as tall as me now? Yup, 5’4″. I think he’s going to be tall like Curtis.

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2.5 | 1/160 | ISO 1250

Reflection in a Food Truck

My view from the table at which we were dining at 600 Degrees Pizzeria… there was a food truck parked next to us and I could see other patrons reflected in the side mirror. I thought it was kind of a cool shot.

Nikon D750 | 35mm | f/2.5 | 1/160 | ISO 2000

Without the support of our family, friends, educational professionals, and medical professionals, we could not get to this better place, nor enjoy it. Curtis and I are very grateful for the love and support we feel and don’t take it for granted. Thank you all. And thanks for looking!

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