Yesterday, we had a birthday party for Max, who’s turning seven. I invited all of the students in his class and most of them came. Max’s glee was out of control. He squealed the second he saw one of the kids coming up the walkway, and he didn’t stop the entire party. We hired a clown…
Category Archives: Conditions and Diseases
Do you take good care of your health?
I am still shocked and saddened by the news that Anissa Mayhew, one of the writers here, suffered a stroke. I’ve been sending thoughts and prayers her way. It’s gotten me thinking about my own health, I have to say. I spend so much time caring for Max (who had a stroke at birth) that…
Thing # 1,387,902 I have to do for my son
Ok, not really—it only feels that way. I went to visit Max’s school on Friday to discuss his Dynavox with his speech therapist. My husband and I find it really hard to navigate, and Max isn’t so hot to use it on weekends, either. (At school, he does fine navigating the “classroom” category.) We’re going…
Even more special needs Mommy confessions
• I get excited when Max feeds himself. Then I try to get my husband to clean up the mess. • There’s a family with four kids who lives down the block. Sometimes, when I’m around their kids I think, “Wow, they got four healthy kids….” • I dread progress reports. I mean, yes, it’s…
Ramblings of a Fevered Mind
I tried, really tried, to come up with a good and interesting post for today, but most of my family has the H1N1 flu and I just can’t seem to focus my mind enough to write. So I decided to share some of the random thoughts that have been running through my mind. For instance,…
Of PPOs, DME and AFOs
Looks like we’ll be changing insurances this open season. Three years of hand and foot orthotics have brought us to Bear’s lifetime maximum benefits for durable medical equipment. I hate that they are not covered separately. There is not cap for therapy because she’s under 6, why is there a cap for her therapeutic needs? It’s so frustrating because we really like this insurance company….
What’s up with the overpriced “special” toys?
Last week on my blog, I started a Special Needs Swap Shop. I offered up a $1600 PONY Gait Trainer that Max used when he was little (someone took it). Then I invited readers to send me e-mails mentioning what sort of stuff they were looking for, and to let me know what sort of…
I don’t enjoy feeling like a “good cause”
Every year, a local branch of the Embassy Suites hotel chain throws a Halloween event for the kids in Max’s school. They go all out—they pick up the kids by shuttle van, decorate different rooms where costumed staffers hand out candy, offer a great buffet lunch and also have a room with pumpkins for the…
This Little Piggy Stayed Home
I am a worrier. I think that just comes with the territory when you are the parent of a child with special needs, especially a child with significant medical issues. But nothing has consumed me with worry as much as the H1N1 virus. I worry each year about the seasonal flu, and my family was…
“Ewwww, he drooled on me”
That’s my four-year-old talking about her big brother, Max. Sometimes, when they’re playing together, Max accidentally drools on her. And she thinks it’s gross. “Honey, he didn’t do it on purpose,” I’ll tell her. “It just happens sometime. Maybe you can help wipe his mouth next time.” Max drools pretty regularly throughout the day. He’s…