Monday April 30, 2007
I hate my period. Seriously. Hate it. I know it is much, much better than it used to be, but it still sucks. I feel like crap. I am cranky. I am lethargic. I can’t get anything done and not having stuff done gets under my skin a lot more than normal. Blah. I hope I feel better tomorrow.
Zach has his appointment with the oral surgeon this week, which is adding to the stress and anxiety load that normally hits us this time of the semester. Pray that he is able to cope with his anxiety and can follow through with the appointment even though it scares the crap out of him. I totally understand why, but he really needs to get this done for his own health and so he can start interviewing for jobs without missing his front teeth.
In an interesting note, I was talking to his SLP and mentioned what was happening and she instantly gave a knowing chuckle and asked if he had been head butted too many times. I told her that although Zane’s headbutting probably didn’t help the situation, it was Zora’s headbutting and arm swing that finished off his front teeth. It sounds like like there is a higher than average incidence of front teeth missing in parents and therapists who work with kids on the spectrum because of the headbutting and such. She also lost her teeth to a kid smashing her in the face, and knows of a lot of other SLPs and quite a few parents in the same situation. It would be an amusing study topic.
On a similar note, I would also guess that parents of sn kids struggle with weight a lot more than parents of more typical kids. On an antidotal level I have noticed that to seem to be the case. It is just really hard to find the time and the energy to work out and eat healthy. Plus, if they have oral adversions you have so much leftover food some times. When it is just me and the kids, I have started just making them food and waiting until everybody is done eating to see how much is left over before I make myself something so I don’t just have piles of leftovers in the fridge. The nature of life also means that I am unable to eat at all for long stretches, and by the time I get to have something (which, every once in a while isn’t until the kids are in bed) I am doing a major binge because I am just starving. It is work everyday to try and balance it all. I am very gradually getting better at it, but dang, I wish it wasn’t so hard.
