School Starts in a Month

Wow, I must say this summer has gone by quickly. I think it feels this way because my daughter starts Kindergarten this August. She's so excited. Every day she asks me, "Mommy, am I going to school today?" Of course I tell her not yet but soon. We are preparing our dear daughter for school and I think this just adds to it.

The anxiety that comes along with this whole, first child starting school thing, is a bit much. I'm not sure if it's being maximized because on my GAD (generalized anxiety disorder). Any time I even start to think about my baby going off to school without me, I freak out. There's so many worries I think of. It's funny really. I don't really remember my mom freaking out when I started. Well, come to think about it.... after three kids.... who'd try to keep them at home... no wonder she was pushing me onto that bus.

So, I ask this to all the mommy's out there: How did you feel about your first child going off to school?

Kids say and do the darnest things

My daughter isn't one who plays with her baby dolls all the time. But she does get into these moods. For the past few days, she's been in her mood. Everything that she does revolves around her "babies." When she eats, they eat with her. When we take a walk (providing we can) they get into the baby doll stroller and they come along with us.


Last night, she was quietly sitting on the livingroom floor playing with two of her babies, when out of the blue, she threw one down. I asked, "Emma, why did you throw your baby?" Her reply, "Because she's a bad little shit. She won't listen to me." Remarks like this make it hard for me to keep a firm face to correct the actions that I don't agree with. In return, I asked, "What did she do?" My darling Emma replied with, "She wont listen to me and sit in the stroller."


When taking a closer look at her baby, I noticed that the legs don't bend. Therefore, making it impossible to cart the doll around in a stroller. I explained to Emma that the use of her words were not acceptable and explained to her that the doll wasn't made to sit.


After this incident, the day went on and bedtime came. Emma decided to take the baby doll that "listened" to her to bed with her. She went upstairs to lay down a few moments before I went up to tuck her in. When I came into her room, I went to turn on the light. Emma firmly told me to leave it off because I'd wake her baby. Anytime Emma is using her imagination, I play along. I try to encourage the use of her imagination, so I kept the light off. I went over to her bed and begin tucking her in. As I went to say the night prayer, Emma said, "Mommy, you need to whisper or your going to wake my baby."


I began whispering the prayer. Once we said the prayer and I was kissing her goodnight, Emma said, "Mommy you have to remember to be quiet or else you'll wake the baby. I dont feel like being up with her cranky ass for the rest of the night."


Ugh, once again there was another remark that I didn't approve of but it was out of the blue. I explained to her that I'd rather her not use the word ass. Then, kissed and hugged her good night. (All the while trying not to laugh) I walk out of her room, close the door, go downstairs, and finally laugh it out.


When they say kids say and do the darnest things..... They weren't lying. (Whoever "they" are)

Kindergarten and Preparing

Our daughter begins Kindergarten in August. She's our one and only. So, as a momma who's been a stay-at-home Mom since the day she was born is kind of nervous about this. (I've heard this is normal.) I decided that since she was starting school, things would change to make her feel more of a "big girl." First, we got rid of cuppies. She now only drinks from regular plastic cups. I dreaded this step because of several reasons. First, I thought there'd be several times of tantrums and headaches. Next, it also finalizes that my baby girl is, in fact, growing up. After the cuppies were gone, we changed her routine through out the day. She's seeming to adapt to all the "big girl" stuff rather well. She even talks about the types of stuff she'd like to get for school. She has back packs in mind and lunch boxes. The only thing that concerns me now is her Pica. She doesn't eat like a child without this disorder. She eats very select items. (Items that aren't lunchbox foods) I fear that she won't eat the way she should and her health will be affected by it. Hopefully, we can start seeing some changes when her behavioral therapy finally begins. At this time she mainly eats: mac and cheese, buttered noodles, Trix yogurt, and french fries. The stress of this just seems to be over powering me because I don't know what the future holds for our daughter.

In conclusion, I just hope my worries are more than what they need to be. I hope that I'm just being a "normal" mother looking out for the well being of her first child going off to school.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day.

Wednesday... here's where I am hopping today....

Still Makes Me Laugh

As I was looking through old pictures of my baby girl. I came across one that still to this day makes me laugh. I'm hoping to share a laugh with you today. If my lil girl has made you laugh, please comment by letting me know.



"I Can't" Syndrome

*RANT, blowing steam and trying to better my mood by writing.*

Every day I fight with my daughter to do her daily chores or what I believe would be her chores. I came to the conclusion that she has the "I can't" Syndrome. Let me explain, every time I ask her to either pick up her toys or grab her dishes to put them in the sink.. she whines that she can't. I'm not sure as to why she does this. I'm trying not to raise a lazy child who doesn't want to do things for herself. But at this point, I do every thing for her.

Most children her age wanna at least try to take care of the small things because they are no longer a baby. My daughter, she'd rather you do it all. Brush her hair (which I would end up doing anyway just to be sure) and the same with trying to bath. She doesn't want to dress herself or even put on her own shoes. This is really starting to drive me crazy.

Most of the articles that I have read say that "Kindergartners are always wanting to be helpful." Not my child. She starts school in August. I really hope that between school and the behavioral therapy, we can get her onto track. Maybe I just need to learn some new discipline tactics. Time outs just aren't working anymore.

OK enough of my rant. Thanks for reading.

Pica

Most of you already know that my daughter was recently diagnosed with a condition called Pica. I have had several people ask me to explain exactly what it is. Well, in answers to all your questions, I did some research on this condition and put together the most important facts. To learn more, read below:




Pica- a medical disorder where the person craves non-food items such as dirt, clay, ashes, chalk, lotions, sweet smelling item such as shampoo and conditioner/ perfume, and crayons/markers. Pica is most common in women and children. Pica in children can sometimes be fatal. There are several known causes of Pica. Some include: stress and anxiety, iron deficiency or another mineral deficiency, some mental health conditions such as OCD and schizophrenia. Pica is currently recognized as a mental disorder by the widely used Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV).


The cause of my daughter's Pica is unknown seeing how she doesn't fall into any of the common known causes. The doctor at Children's Hospital suggested Behavioral Health Therapy. This is one of the several types of treatment. This is the most common when it comes to children. They may use the cognitive approach when treating my daughter. (This is in my opinion and comes from my education in the Psychology field. I feel this would be the most beneficial to her.) The cognitive approach is a type of therapy that has been used with children that most had a positive outcome. This approach is usually short term. The doctor will probably watch my child for a series of sessions to see how she reacts to certain items. Then, in a way easy for her to understand, the psychologist will then decide which direction is the best to go. In the mean time, they will be helping her to understand what is going on with her and ways to deal with it. They will teach her how to fight against the urge to eat the non-food item and teach her that food is the way to go.


This may take a while and she may have to do this during her first year of Kindergarten. The school may also be directed to have a student aid present with her at all times to ensure she doesn't take a chunk out of the crayons or drink the glue. Hopefully, we can get this under control before that becomes an issue. As we all know, children these days aren't respectful to other's with certain needs.


Well, there you have it. A small explanation with what our near future holds. I will update everyone when the therapy is began to start.