Good-bye Dairy Products

As some of you may know, Helen had a dairy allergy. We thought she outgrew it because she no longer had eczema and stomach issues. I think we made a wrong assumption. Since allowing dairy back into her life, she has ballooned in weight, become even more moody and irritable (if that was even possible) and all she wants is carbs and dairy. And meat. She turns her nose up at anything that looks like it grew in the dirt and craves ice cream and yogurt. So, I think it is a done deal..... dairy is going. This time will be harder because #1- she doesn't believe us that there is a problem, and #2- she is 10, not 5. She is on her own more, makes her own food and does not always make good choices when away from home. But, I need to get a handle on this and we are about to become a dairy free house. Before, I gave up dairy as well. And, frankly, felt great! Zachary is also lactose intolerant, so it won't kill him either. David, who says milk is for baby cows, has a harder time realizing that milk is where you least expect it. He doesn't drink milk or eat yogurt, but loves cheese. Oh, well. The only way this is going to work is by total elimination and going it dairy free and not having it in the house. She cannot eat what we do not have. This is going to be painful!

I am starting today, purging the pantry that needs to be cleaned out any way. The good thing about this is that I have not been "big" shopping in two weeks, so the pantry is getting bare. And I will need to shop alone so I can read labels and focus my energy to something besides telling Zachary to get off the cart and repeating the word "NO". My goal is to be "detoxed" before school starts back. I am considering gluten free, too, but that will be another chapter. I do not think I can do it all at once. Cheese, I will miss you terribly..........

The Saga Continues

We took Helen off her meds. She was becoming more and more difficult in the evening. We are supposed to schedule a psychological evaluation soon- just waiting for the NEW insurance to start.

The good news is her grades are good- A's in English, religion and science, B's in math and social studies. Social studies is actually a 93 average- but our school has 93 and under as a B. She is more willing to try things- she has started band (drums!). She wants to try out for chorus, she leaves me in the morning to go sit with her friends in the lobby- all things she would not have done in the past. She still says she hates karate, but we don't have to force her to go. So, some things are a little easier..... Now if I can get her to pick up after herself and bring home all her books!

more adhd news

The trip today confirmed two things- Helen is working above grade level IQ wise, and she does have ADHD. I already knew that. Now we need to decide if meds are the way to go. We will have a full psych eval to determine how she learns best and then will be better able to work with school. We will also have to arrange for behavioral therapy so she can learn to cope with frustration and stress. As she matures and has more control, we can take her off meds. Of course, David thinks ADHD is all made up.......

i'm still slackin'

I have been scarce here. I've been a bit consumed with kids and summer. I feel like we really haven't done much, and I guess we haven't. I also feel like we don't have a lot of summer left.

I got a call from Kennedy Kreiger today. They had a cancellation and can take Helen tomorrow. I am not sure what I should tell her about why she has to be tested. She gets so freaked out by stuff. I am also nervous- I don't know what to expect and that is an unpleasant feeling. Hopefully she will not sit and bark at the doctor. Hopefully she will talk and respond. I want them to see the real Helen, not the shut down version (we rarely see that side of her, so I don't that to be her first impression). Any way, this will at least get us started down some kind of road- maybe we'll have some answers soon......

wow- time flies when you're drinking rum.....

I can't believe I haven't written in almost a month. We have been busy, though. Vacation was great and I didn't want to come home. But all good things must end and here I am.

To update any one who is interested- Helen has been diagnosed ADHD. That is just step one. We were given the option of leaving the pediatrician's office with a prescription or to seek a psychologist for a full evaluation. We are going for the second option because we still need to rule out anything else, plus I want her monitored if we opt for meds. I am fine with meds; David, not so much. He still thinks that ADHD is a disorder invented by pharmaceutical companies. He listens to too much talk radio. The people who spout that kind of nonsense don't know anything about child development, psychology or have a child with ADHD. I want some king of occupational therapy to help her learn to function, but if meds can help her focus and reach her potential, then so be it.

I will get around to posting pictures from vacay as soon as I can- posting pictures is hard on this sight!