Shifting Gears Again...

We had Bug in at the Child Psych again today. He wasn't suppose to go in for another couple of weeks, but his behavior had us a bit concerned. He went through about a week of depression last week. His mood was low and he felt "unwanted & unloved," and that everyone would be better off without him around. (Which, of course, is NOT true!!) He was easily agitated & angered. He and his sister could not get along at all. On some days, Cricket couldn't even talk to her brother without being yelled at or having a rude comment spat at her. The two of them were arguing in Target the other day and if I hadn't been there to intervene, I am positive there would have been a physical fight between them. It has been VERY stressful in the house lately with this mood shift from Bug. R and I are having a difficult time, because not only is it SO HARD to watch your child go through things like this and know that there just isn't anything that you can do to help, but also to feel the need to protect your other children from another. It is difficult, but parenting has to be completely different for Bug than it is for the girls.
Anyway, I am getting away from where I was going...oh yes, the Child Psych visit.
After a long discussion with Dr. B regarding all of the issues that have been arising, it was decided that Bug really did need to start Lithium for his moods. Lithium is a mood stabilizing medication that will, with any luck, help keep Bug's moods from shifting so greatly. (His lows won't be SO low and his manias won't be SO manic.) In a perfect world, he will hover around the middle ground or a more "normal" everyday mood. (I am very hopeful that this will be the outcome of this medication...for Bug's sake...and for our family's sake.)
So, we are starting out with 300mg/day for 4 days and then increasing it to 600mg/day after that. He will need to have blood tests done from time to time to make sure his blood levels are doing OK with the Lithium. (The kidneys will attempt to filter the medication out of his blood - so it is important to make sure we have enough Lithium in his system to keep the kidneys from being able to completely filter it out, but not too much at the same time.) We will keep a close eye on any side effects that may occur as well. We head back to see Dr. B again in 2 weeks. That is it from here for now...I will update in a few days! Wish us luck!!

A Beach Day!

Today, we went to the beach!! I can't really even remember the last time that we were at the beach...sad, I know. Who literally LIVES this close to the beach and never goes to enjoy it, right!?! Well, a lot of our reasoning comes down to the fact that it is just too HOT to go sit under the baking sun with the kids, not to mention that carrying 3 kids plus all of the "necessary gear" because the sand is so stinkin' hot on the little ones' feet is no picnic! LOL
So, anyhow, the weather has cooled down a bit (and the humidity is down too), so it is officially beach weather for OUR family!! YAY! We packed up the troops, spur of the moment, and headed down to the white sands of the local beaches for some walking, shelling, & fresh air!
I think that everyone had a wonderful time! I, of course, took the camera and got some fabulous shots of the family!! At one point there was a very sweet lady that offered to take a family photo of the 5 of us -- what a great gesture!! I actually got to be IN THE PICTURE for a change!! :)
After walking for probably a mile or more, we loaded the kids back into the car with their goody bags of shells, feathers, and other misc beach items, we happily headed off for some well warranted dinner! All in all, it was a fabulous time & we vowed to do it again...sooner than later!!

Pigtail Cuties!!

Today was the first day that I put Baby Blue's hair up!! It is barely long enough to get into little pigtails, but I managed! LOL I think these baby pigtails are SO SO stinkin' cute!! (I am sure R will laugh at me and say they are silly, but I think they are adorable!) Of course, Cricket wanted hers done just like her sister's once I was done! So, today, just for awhile, the girls are my "pigtail cuties!"

My Superman!!

I just wanted to make a quick note to say how much I LOVE my Superman!! Yep, Randy is my Superman! The story....
We have been watching VERY CLOSELY "Hurricane Ike" for the last week. (As you know, it has been a very strong storm and has caused much destruction to Cuba, and is headed for the US Gulf Coast!) Well, over this last weekend, Randy pulled out all of our boards and made sure they were still usable and ready to be put into place. (He knows that he will have to fly a plane out for the Navy if a hurricane is to come this way, so we need to have a plan in place for just that purpose.) Well, he spent all day Saturday pulling boards out, fitting them to the appropriate windows, fixing the hurricane clips on each board, and arranging them into an accessible spot. Then, he went out to the Home Depot with our neighbor and helped him get the lumber & other accessories he needed to have for hurricane preparedness. (What a sweet guy!!) So, now it is Tuesday, and it looks like Hurricane Ike is going to hit FAR, FAR away from here! Yay!! But, what is funny is that Randy keeps saying to me..."You are welcome, Pensacola! I have SINGLE-HANDEDLY warded off the hurricane by spending my whole weekend preparing for it!!"
So now you know why Randy is my "Superman!" And I love him to pieces...

Tropical Storm Fay

Today we experienced Tropical Storm Fay! It wasn't overly exciting, but it was fun to be out in the wind and "Trist"! (Jim Cantore - our favorite Storm Tracker on The Weather Channel - said "Trist" is "Tropical Mist" LOL)

Really, it turned out to be nothing more than a very overcast, rainy day with lots of wind. I don't think that there was any major issues in this area whatsoever. (Then again, if you look at the map, you will see that we have pretty much just been hanging out in the eye of this thing for the most part!) I think that we ended up lucking out with this system, since from what the news has been saying, there have been nearly 5000 flood claims in the state of FL since Fay came ashore! Of course, we aren't through it completely, but I think that the "worst" of it is over.
So, I took some quick photos of the kids out playing in the early morning before the rain really started , but the wind was blowing nicely! They LOVED the cool weather that came along with Fay!! Here are Bug & Cricket playing with Fay!!

After a Long Day

It is a rare treat that Baby Blue cuddles up to Daddy, but when she does, it is too sweet to not capture the moment!!

Homeschool Begins!

YAY!! Yesterday was the first day back to Homeschooling for us! It was really nice to be back on a schedule again...and it seemed to be easier for the kids to get through the day as well. Bug had a fairly decent day - with very few meltdowns and was able to focus on the tasks given. It was very encouraging for me to have the first day go so well!!

Here was our schedule:
6:30AM - Girls & I are up and moving, getting dressed, breakfast & coffee, & chores.
8AM - Bug up, dressed & breakfast
9AM - MATH REVIEW & Independent work on workbook pages (I worked with Cricket on preparing her "school" room with posters of her colors, ABCs, and numbers! FUN!)
10AM - Break/Snack
10:20AM - HANDWRITING REVIEW & Cursive Lowercase Workbook Page
11AM - Break - Playtime
11:30AM - LUNCH
1PM - Errands
1:30PM - SPELLING REVIEW & Worksheet
2PM - READING & Quiet Time
3PM - Snack
3:15PM - Free Time for video games, friends, etc...
5PM - Dinner & Chores
6:30PM - Baths/Showers/PJs
7:15PM - Cricket to Bed
8:30PM - Bug to Bed

It was a simple day, with only review of information from before the summer, but it was a start! More importantly though, it was an ENCOURAGING START!! I am looking forward to today and what it brings!