Birthday #11

I can not believe my little girl is 11 years old today! I just keep thinking about how she was when she was a little tike.  See, with Krystn her birthday starts about two months before her actual birthday. Then beginning of summer she usually starts in on "On my birthday" or "I want this for my birthday" and drive us crazy!  This year she picked having a party over a new Nintendo DS, she calls it a "entendo DS".  So next weekend we are having a birthday party for her.

So all of her presents were ordered online this year and came in boxes.  So she had a stack of boxes and was very excited! She was so happy pulling the bubble wrap out and popping it she forgot to pull one of her presents out of the box.  Seeing how she reacts with boxes and bubble wrap, I will never use wrapping paper again! She has always gotten frustrated with the mess of wrapping paper, or she loves the color or whatever and doesn't want to rip it. Then she gets irritated and frustrated and yelling could insue. So instead of all of that, boxes and bubble wrap all the way.

Now off to make she breakfast and get ready for the day!

Webkinz World Of Animals

So I have not written in awhile. It has been alittle nuts this summer. We have had a bunch of fun. Krystn did summer school and now has two weeks off before regular school.  I feel guilty sometimes that she has school so much, but I know if she didn't, she would forget alot of what she learned.

Most of our summer as been spent in the pool.  With temperatures over 100 for weeks on end, it has been a wonderful thing. Her favorite past time is the pool.  She has had her best friend Steven over as well, and those two are like a married couple.  Steven is the same age as her and act alot alike. They have tons of fun together, as long as they are constantly busy. They calm down and they fight...lol.

Well, I just love this picture of her.... She made a picnic with all her webkinz.  She loves her webkinz, it is cute.  I believe we have about 20+ between me and her. She is somewhere around 15 that she has.  She makes paper cloths for them and everything. 

If you do not know what webkinz are you should check them out: www.webkinz.com

They are a great educational tool and fun at the same time. We have been collecting for about two years now, and even my mom collects (I believe she was the one that got us into them). They sell them at many stores. We go to the same store in Clovis, CA called 'Bears, Dolls and More' in downtown Clovis.  The owner is a wonderful woman who is so warm and inviting.  Even on Krystn's off days, if we go in she just talks to her about all the webkinz.  She knows us very well!

Anyways, that is enough for today!

So upset I could runaway!

I am trying to calm down as I write but I am very upset. Sometimes I come to my wits end and then after many deep breaths, maybe a walk around the block, sometimes a glass of wine and yelling into a pillow, I do calm down. Usually it is about very stupid things, like right now. Krystn thought it would be "easier" to tie ribbon onto her ceiling fan and light cords. Not that big of a deal right? Well, she didn't tie two strings, she tied one string (in this weird, crazy tie..knot...thing), one end to one cord, other end to other cord. So when she pulls on it it will both turn off/on light and change the speed of the fan. Now mind you, she did this while I was at class last night, and she said she asked dad and he was fine with it (I am sure it was because he was playing Madden or watching American Idol). So anyways, I went in and told her to untie them and clean up he room so I could come in and vacuum. She got upset I wanted her to clean her room, yanked the string and now the cord will not turn on or off the light. Yeah now I think about it, it is not that big of a deal. Just call maintenance and they will come fix it. However, what if we have to provide a new fan/light. Ugg! Today I will practice staying away from situations that are going to get me in trouble, like yelling at Krystn. She doesn't need to be yelled at....ok well sometimes she does...

Horse Riding Lessons

http://www.rickkelleyperformancehorses.com/ So, it has been a awfully long time sense writing. Our lives have gone through a huge change in the last couple of months. However, the change is a change that we have rolled with. So today was Krystn's introduction to horse riding lessons. The place we are taking her is Rick Kelly Preformace Horses here in Clovis. Claudia, who is the trainer, is wonderful! She took us around and we got to see everything. It took me back to my childhood. Krystn is very excited about this. We bought her new boots and a riding helmet. She has been wearing both since this afternoon when we walked out of the store. I am sure she will try to sleep in both. She jumped a bit when the horses neahed. And one of the horses scared her when they were unloading it from the trailer. She did her normal hands over ears and bouncing. She was very scared at first petting them (she tried to hide behind me at first), but I just helped her over come it. Once she saw that I could pet the face and it didn't eat me, she was ready to try. Then she got excited and wouldn't be quite. She kept asking the same questions over and over, "Do they bite?" "What if they step on me?" "Can I ride one yet?" Claudia was VERY patient. She stated on the phone she has worked with developmentally disabled children before. But, lets face it, no one has ever met anyone like my gabber jaws. Claudia told me the difference between European and Western riding, and how the first couple of classes are all about saftey. I told her she will work on that with Krystn forever!! HA We got to see some trainers having lessons with European group on jumping. They were training the horses to jump the fence. It was neat. Anyways, I really hope this is something that will help her learn to control herself more. I cannot wait. Here is a picture of her new riding helmet. She tried to wear it to bed...lol...

Passing of a beloved friend

So I started to write this blog, then released I needed more time. So now I am ready to face this and be ok with it. Some of you know that we recently had to put Krystn's cat to sleep. Her name was Godsmack, yes, like the band. She was a wonderful member of our family for 8 years. She was not only a cat, but like a playmate for Krystn. Our house is very solemn without her presence. She is greatly missed. I got Godsmack for Krystn for Christmas in 2002. I remember like it was yesterday. Krystn and Godsmack bonded from the moment she saw her. She use to go limp in Krystn's arms. Krys would bounce down the hallway with her, and Godsmack never complained. People told me all the time to make Krys "be careful with the kitty" and I said "No, Godsmack will let her know if she crossed the line." And, there were times she did...lol Godsmack got very sick, and we found out she had FIP. It was a fatal, painful, non-treatable disease. Only 5% of cats (so they say) get this from the regular coronavirus (FCoV) which is like the common cold for cats. After doing good for a couple of weeks, she went back downhill. That is when we decided to put her to sleep. It was one of the single hardest decisions I have ever had to make. Krystn has had a hard time with it. After about 5 nights, she finally slept through the night. But last week she was primarily in our room with us. Many tears. So I got a bunch of old pictures together and made a collage with her collars (yes she had two, one for when she lost one from killing birds). I think that helped her. So we have talked much about death. It is a very hard subject for children anyways. She says that she hopes Godsmack will come home, and we just keep letting her know she wont, but that to always remember her and she is happy now. So here are some pictures I would like to share.

Braiding hair

Krystn has never been big on me touching her hair. She even has her dad brush her hair if it is really tangled. She says I hurt her...but I say that I take after my Aunt Vickie. She use to line us girls up (there was 5 of us, 3 years apart) and do all of our hair, and if you cried or pulled away she would wack you with the brush and tell you to hold still. With all of us kids (13 with all cousins and siblings) it took way to long to get us all ready. So when Krystn was little, I knew she hated it. So I learned to do her hair really quick and tight so it would not fall out. When she turn around 6 is when she didn't want me to braid or doll it up anymore. So tonight we are just putt putting around the house and I asked her if I could do her hair. It has been a good 3 years since doing anything with her hair. It took convincing that she could take it out if she didn't like it, and 35 minutes after negotiating this is what the result was: It took about 3 minutes. She liked it for about 5, and then took it out. but this face is what I was going for! Oh, and that is the cat feather toy stick in her hand. She had to show that in the picture.

Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS)

So I thought I could give some information on PDD-NOS. Krystn doesn't have the Autism. However, she has many of the behavioral issues and physical and mental problems associated with the PDD symptoms. "The term pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) refers to a group of developmental conditions that affect children and involve delays or impairments in communication and social skills. Autism is the most well-known of the pervasive developmental disorders, so PDDs also are known as autism spectrum disorders." "Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) is a 'subthreshold' condition in which some - but not all - features of autism or another explicitly identified Pervasive Developmental Disorder are identified. PDD-NOS is often incorrectly referred to as simply "PDD." The term PDD refers to the class of conditions to which autism belongs. PDD is NOT itself a diagnosis, while PDD-NOS IS a diagnosis. The term Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS; also referred to as "atypical personality development," "atypical PDD," or "atypical autism") is included in DSM-IV to encompass cases where there is marked impairment of social interaction, communication, and/or stereotyped behavior patterns or interest, but when full features for autism or another explicitly defined PDD are not met." - Yale Medical School My favorite article: "Like other parents with children on the spectrum, you will face many challenges, starting with the incomprehension and insensitivity of others unfamiliar with your situation. They may think your child is "misbehaving" and, consequently, deem you a parent unable to "control" him. This may be especially true because PDD-NOS kids don't fit into the more easily identifiable forms of autism spectrum disorders. Ignorance can bring out the worst in others, and sometimes, when they're not privy to your child's issues (or simply don't understand them or won't accept the diagnosis, as happens in some families), they may be more judgmental. That's why it's important to surround yourselves with friends, family members, teachers and healthcare providers whom you trust. Be sure that the lines of communication with and among them are clear; you will be relying on them through the many ups and downs of life with a PDD-NOS child." So I hope this helps some people. It sure does me. It took us almost 10 years to diagnose Krystn. I am just glad I kept pushing, and never just pumped her full of meds, like so many doctors before wanted to do. There is hope out there! Scottish Rite here is fresno is one!! http://www.fresnoscottishritelanguagecenter.com/index.htm