First Grade Week 39 in Review

We are getting closer to the end of first grade.  As of right now, we’re only about a week behind.  So, that’s not too bad.  With the end of the year approaching, we are finishing up lots of our books early.  So, our “school time” will be less and less each week.  I’m sure that Caleb is super excited about this okay…I am, too!  LOL!  With all of this said, here’s how week 39 panned out for us.
Heritage Studies:  We continued to discuss how a family has history.  We also discussed how each person has a history.  Caleb took his last Heritage Studies test, and we are DONE with this for the year!
Math:  We discussed adding 6, 7, and 8.  Caleb also worked on adding 3 addends and double fact families.  We finished up the week by discussing the fact families for 13, 14, 15, and missing addends.
Bible:  Our Bible story this week was on “Telling Others About the Savior.”  Our Bible verse was Matthew 4:19.
Vocabulary:  We added “meadow, atmosphere, crash, search, and clever” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English:  We added “-umb and –ew” to our list of word families.  In English skills, we worked on alphabetical order, punctuation, capitalization, and following directions.
Extra Stuff:  Two weekends ago, Caleb was invited to celebrate his friend Ashton’s 7th birthday.  Ashton is the son of one of the homeschool families in our co-op.  We’ve gotten really close to the family, and the boys LOVE to hang out with each other.  His mom, Naomi, and I also enjoy spending time together.  We joined Naomi, Ashton, and Ariana (Ashton’s 5yo sister) for some strawberry picking and a playdate at their home.  Again, they had a blast playing with each other.  I’m also thankful for Naomi and her friendship. 
Here are some pictures from the birthday party and strawberry picking.

Ahoy, Matey! Who is that mean looking pirate there?!!? Oh, look!  Micah has turned into a semi-pirate!  Caleb and another homeschool friend, Collin, making parrots. Caleb with his parrot on his shoulder Two friendly piratesGetting ready to sing Happy Birthday and EAT some lunch! Caleb playing musical “islands.”

Caleb stopping on his island. Micah had fun just hanging out in Mrs. Naomi’s van.  LOL! Caleb and Ashton at the strawberry patch They had fun because we let them run off on their own.  They ate sooo many strawberries.  LOL! Caleb enjoying himself.  His shirt, hands, and mouth were covered in strawberry juice. Two friend walking in a strawberry patch.

As always, thanks for following our adventures in homeschool and daily life.  We always enjoy sharing what we’re doing.  Join us next week as I post about Week 40 and a field trip.

First Grade Week 38 in Review

YEAH!  We are finally done with another week of first grade.  I don’t know about the rest of you homeschoolers, but it sure does seem like time goes by much slower in the springtime.  LOL!  Maybe it’s because I would rather just enjoy the weather than school.  OOPS!  Did I say that?  No, I wouldn’t ever trade school for nice weather…  Anyway, with all of that said, here’s how week 38 went for us (we finished it on Wednesday I think…I don’t even remember):
Heritage Studies:  We continued to discuss how a family has rules.  We also discussed how a family works and plays together. 
Math:  Caleb learned how to add doubles, add near doubles, and add 9 or 10. 
Bible:  We reviewed all of our memory work thus far, and our Bible story was on “Giving What We Have to Jesus.”
Vocabulary:  We added “simple, rude, wind, sob, and damaged” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English:  We added “-ead, –ild, –ind, –olt, –old, –oll, –alf, and –alk” to our list of word families.  “Guess” was added to our list of service words.  In English skills, we discussed contractions.
Extra Stuff:  We’re still enjoying the spring session of co-op.  We’re also having lots of fun with playdates and park days with our homeschool friends.  I LOVE the flexibility of homeschooling.  It’s so fun to get all of our work done, and then enjoy the rest of the day with our friends.  Fun stuff!!!!
Caleb is also doing well in gymnastics.  Now that he is in the correct class, he’s learning all of the techniques, rolls, stretches, and other exercises.  Hopefully he’ll continue to enjoy it for a long while.
Speaking of Caleb, we are in the process of seeking a 2nd opinion on his diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome.  I mentioned it to the other pediatrician at the practice we use when I took Micah in on the 6th.  She said that she would mention it to the referring pediatrician.  Hopefully they will get the ball rolling quickly.  Brian is going to call and schedule an appointment with the pediatrician so he can share our thoughts and concerns.  Maybe his meeting will expedite things even faster.  We’ll see…I will definitely keep everyone posted.
Caleb’s tics seem to be improving at the moment, so we are happy about that.  We’ve noticed that most of his arm/leg jerks happen when he’s telling us something (standing in front of us sharing a story or something else exciting) or standing at the front of the class at co-op.  So, maybe it’s all “anxiety” related.  Again, we’ll have to wait and see what becomes of the 2nd opinion. 
As always, thanks for following our adventures at Childress Academy.  Check back soon for details about Week 39.

Has it REALLY been TWO years????

To be honest, I didn’t even realize that today was my 2nd BLOGOVERSARY until I read a comment a few minutes ago wishing me a happy one.  LOL!  How crazy is that?!!?  Time has really just flown by lately, and I guess I’ve had other things on my mind.

So, yes, it’s been TWO years of blogging bliss.  Let me just tell you, I thoroughly enjoy blogging, and I see it as a great way to remember all the special and even the not-so-special memories we are making within our family.  I hope that one day my boys will be able to join me in posting, and I know it will only be time before Caleb is able to sit down and read the blog.  Heck, he could read it now, but I’ll hold off on that for a bit.  We limit his “Internet-ting” to just games at the moment.  I’m not ready for him to join the whole Internet world just yet. 

If I had realized that my BLOGOVERSARY was fast approaching I might would have offered up a giveaway, but it totally just slipped past me.  So, maybe I’ll have to throw together a giveaway here soon.  Now, don’t hold your breath waiting…with all that is still going on, it may be a bit before I can actually pull it all together. 

Anyway, HAPPY TWO YEAR BLOGOVESARY TO ME!!!  I am grateful for all of my “bloggy” pals that have come into my life via this little social outlet.  You have offered up some great words of wisdom, encouragement, friendship, and support.  THANK YOU FOR READING OUR EVERYDAY ADVENTURES!!!  I look forward to spending many more years in this little blogosphere!

Gardening 2010

I’ve mentioned several times that we’ve been getting ready for the garden season. Brian spent some time with my brother, David, and built 4 raised beds for our garden. They turned out fabulous. Last Saturday, they finished it all up by laying pavers along the paths, and putting a border around the garden to enclose it all.
Caleb and I then spent late Saturday afternoon and evening getting everything plated. We ended up planting the following: big beef tomato, cherry tomato, yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, giant marconi peppers, squash, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, cabbage, sweet potatoes, romaine lettuce, and yellow onions. These were all planted from transplants we bought at the garden centers. We then planted carrots, English peas, green beans, and snap peas from seeds. So, we’ll see how it all grows.
We’re hoping that we’ll get better produce using the raised beds. We filled them up with our soil, manure, peat moss, top soil, mushroom compost, and garden potting soil. Next year, we’ll just have to add another layer of compost I think.
Here’s how it looked on 4/3/10:

This is the view of the raised beds when I stand at the swingset and look towards our neighbor’s side fence. This is the view from the back of our house looking towards our back fence. (Brian has to add a few more pavers to the path that you see). This is the northeast bed. It has the cherry tomato, big beef tomato, giant marconi pepper, red pepper, yellow pepper, green pepper, and squash plants. I also added in a few onions and romaine lettuce.This is the southeast bed. It has squash, zucchini, broccoli, and cauliflower. This is the northwest bed. It has strawberries, 45-day cabbage, romaine lettuce, sweet potatoes, and yellow onions. This is the southwest bed. It has carrots on the far right, English peas, green beans, and snap peas on the far left.

Do you have any experience or tips for raised bed gardening? Mine aren’t as neat as I’d like them to be because I wasn’t sure how close I could put the plants. I know that you can put them closer because you don’t have to leave walking space. However, I wasn’t sure “how close”. So, once I see how it all grows this year, maybe next year’s will be neater.
Did you plant a garden this year? If so, what did you plant? We’re hoping to add some fruit trees to our backyard at some point. Caleb wants a few, so we need to oblige I think. Besides, we’d love to save some $$$ by growing our own food if we can. Too bad we can’t have animals…chickens would surely help the grocery bill.

Easter Fun 2010

Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know.  Easter has come and gone, but I’m just now getting around to posting.  We enjoyed a fun-filled day on Easter.  We always go to my parent’s house for lunch, so we headed over there around 12:30.  Micah fell asleep on the ride, so we gave him a few minutes to get his snooze on.  Then, he woke up and the boys enjoyed hunting for eggs. 
After the egg hunt, we enjoyed a fabulous meal prepared by my sweet momma.  She always prepares a wonderful meal for the holidays, and she works her tail off getting it all done.  One of these days, I’m going to step up and ease the burden by doing the meal myself.  I’m just not quite ready yet.  One day though…
Here are some pictures of our cutie pies on Easter.

Look at that boy…he’s growing up too fast. There’s the big guy. Micah looks for another egg.Caleb was told to look up in the tree, but I guess he got a bit confused.  He soon figured it out though. Uncle Daniel helps Micah find another egg. There’s our sweet little one.  His basket is getting heavy.Sweet, sweet Caleb…love him to pieces.

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful and blessed Easter holiday!  I’ll be back soon to post pictures of this year’s garden.  We changed things up a bit this year, so look for that post coming soon!

First Grade Week 37 in Review

We are done with another week of first grade.  We’re now counting down the days or I am anyway until it’s all over for a bit.  Here’s how week 37 went for us:
Heritage Studies:  We continued to discuss how everyone is special.  We also discussed how a family is special and how families have rules.  I, myself, was glad to teach that particular lesson. 
Science:  We talked about describing the water in air, the jobs of a weatherman, and how to be good stewards.  We are now completely finished with our 1st grade Science book, so we’ll spend some time doing some lapbooks and reading library books if I can get it all crammed into the lessons.
Math:  Caleb learned how to read a Celsius thermometer and how to measure perimeter.
Bible:  Our Bible verse this week was I John 3:18, and our Bible story was “Thanking the Lord Jesus.”
Vocabulary:  We added “bold, divide, equal, length, and receive” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English:  We added “-are, –air, –ief, and –ield” to our list of word families.  The word “won’t” was added to our list of service words.  In English skills, we discussed describing words, alphabetical order, contractions, and changing ‘y to i’ before adding ‘es’ and ‘ed’.
Extra Stuff:  We finally got our garden planted.  That will be a separate post soon, so look for that.  Other than that, we’ve been spending some time with our homeschool friends and enjoying playdates and fun!
As always thanks for following our adventures.  Check back next time to see what we’ve been up to!

When neighborhood kids get bored…

they start fires!  Yep, that’s what happened on Tuesday.  It was sometime after 1pm, and I was sitting on the couch while Micah was napping.  I smelled something burning, so I got up and asked Brian if he smelled it.  He really just brushed me off.  After a minute or two, I decided to look outside.  Boy am I glad I did.  When I looked out our back window, I saw about 5-6 boys, smoke, and fire.  I went to our bedroom and told Brian that he might want to go see what’s going on because there’s a fire behind our back fence.  Once he saw what was going on, he asked the boys what they did.  They of course denied any wrongdoing.  I then asked where there parents where, but I didn’t get any response.  While I did hear sirens, I wasn’t sure if they were headed our way, so I called 911 to report the fire. 

At this time, the fire is in our neighbor’s yard, and it’s pretty fierce.  Brian jumps the fence and starts fighting the fire while we were waiting on the fire department.  Well, the fire truck parked in front of our house, and I told them that it was behind our fence.  Once they figured out how to reach it, they moved their trucks to the appropriate place and started doing their thing. 

Our neighbor’s son eventually finds Brian outside fighting the fire off of their fence (he had been sleeping and was headed to the shower until he smelled the smoke and saw Brian).  So, the fire department is doing their thing, Brian is fighting the fire still in the neighbor’s yard, and it’s slowly creeping up under our fence.  Brian finally comes back to our yard, and it’s still creeping under our fence.  It ended up burning up three spots in our back yard, and the majority of the backside of our fence is charred.

After a while, the fire department came knocking on our door asking for our name, address, and phone #.  They were able to figure out which kiddo started the fire, and they had to get everyone’s information so that the damage can be taken care of.  So, hopefully, we won’t have to come out of pocket for any of the repairs.  Trust me, if we do, Brian will be livid.

***The boys were wadding up pieces of grass, lighting them on fire, and throwing them down a metal drainage grate.  Well, when it rains, all sorts of debris falls down the grate.  So, all of that debris caught fire, and it spread rampant because it’s been so dry here.  Our fence and several of the other fences near us butt up to an open field, and that’s where the fire got started.***

Thankfully, Brian was working from home.  I honestly don’t know how this would have turned out if he hadn’t been here.  I don’t even want to think about what would have happened.

So, that was another highlight of our week.  And if that’s not bad enough, I got a call on Friday morning from my mom.  She informed me that my baby brother’s apartment building burned to the ground.  Thankfully, they were able to save themselves (he and his girlfriend) and their dog.  However, they lost everything else.  I’m sure it will take a while for their emotions to return to normal.  They were able to get another apartment at the complex, and the Red Cross and apartment owners have been very gracious to them and the others that were displaced. 

Here are a few pictures from the fire at our place that Brian took.  We are not sure how long it will take for someone to replace the fence.  My oldest brother did give us a quote from his company who specializes in fire restoration.  So, we’ve got that on hand just in case we need it.

This is our neighbor’s fence.  Brian was able to help keep it from spreading any further. This is a view of our fence and some of the damage to the field.This is another view of our fence and the field. This is a closer shot of our fence. This is another side of our fence that joins up with our neighbor’s.  They didn’t go back as far as we did, so there’s a gap. This is one of the grass spots that got burned. This is a view of some of the damage that we see from inside our yard. This is another spot that got burned.  This was near the raised garden beds, and we’re so thankful they didn’t up in flames.

Without a doubt, it has been a crazy week around here.  However, we are all grateful to be alive, and we are blessed to have so many family members and friends that care.  So, even though the week has been dismal (Caleb’s diagnosis, our fire, and the fire at my brother’s apartment building), God is in control. 

Update on Caleb

As most of you know, we had Caleb’s appointment with the pediatric neurologist on Tuesday of this week.  It didn’t go at all like we had planned.  The doctor came in and asked why we were there.  So, I explained what we’d been observing since Caleb was 4.  I mentioned how there are days when it’s very obvious to others, and he asked me how I felt about that guess he was trying to play psychologist, too.  I told him that it just made me realize that we need to be advocates for Caleb.  I then mentioned that I don’t think any of Caleb’s friends have noticed.  Caleb then chimed in that some of them have noticed and said something.  The doctor then asked him how that made him feel.  Caleb said that he just told the boy that he can’t stop it.  The doctor told Caleb that is exactly how he should handle it…just explain it’s a tic and it’s not something he can control.  He also asked if it was interfering with his schooling or anything.  I explained that we homeschool, so if Caleb has a tic, then it’s not an issue.
He then spent some time checking Caleb’s reflexes and measuring the size of his head.  After that, he said that based on what we had told him, he could give us a clinical diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome.  He explained that it will wax and wane (basically come and go, have good and bad days), and it can be categorized into mild, moderate, and severe.  I’m guessing Caleb’s is moderate because that’s what the doctor mentioned.  He mentioned that there are medicines, but there’s no need for them at this time because it’s not affecting his schoolwork or any other areas of his life.  He also explained that sometimes it gets better, and sometimes it worsens.  The doctor also said that there’s really no need for another visit unless the situation changes, and we feel that there needs to be some further discussion.
Brian and I asked him about changing Caleb’s diet and adding vitamins/supplements.  The doctor just kept saying that there were no confirmed studies.  I’m sorry, but that just rubs me the wrong way.  If there are parents of TS children out there who have used diets, vitamins, and supplements with their children and have noticed improvement…that’s enough reason for me to give it a try. 
So, we left the appointment knowing as much as when we went in.  I knew from reading on the Internet that it was probably Tourette Syndrome because of the motor and vocal tics being present for longer than a year.  However, what I wasn’t expecting was a doctor that was not very sympathetic or helpful.  Brian and I both feel that it was a big waste of time.  We didn’t get any new information, and we didn’t get any help.  The doctor didn’t suggest any testing or further observation.  So, our son now has a clinical diagnosis of Tourette Syndrome on his medical record all based on what I told the doctor.  That just doesn’t sit well with us. 
Right now, we’re not sure if we will seek a second opinion or not.  There is another pediatric neurologist in our area, but that visit this week has left a bad taste in our mouth.  Part of us wants to get a 2nd opinion because this is going on Caleb’s record.  However, part of us doesn’t want to fool with it either.  We don’t want to put Caleb through any unnecessary pain or hurt.
We’ve explained the whole situation to Caleb.  He knows that his movements are called tics.  He knows that he cannot control them, and he knows that he shouldn’t let it bother him.  We’ve also explained to him that if someone asks him about it, he can simply say that it’s what his body does and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. 
I’ve started reading the book I bought (Natural Treatments for Tics & Tourette’s), so I’m hoping that will give us some answers.  At this point, Brian and I are convinced that we have to do what is best for Caleb.  If the doctors will not recommend diet and nutritional changes, then we will do our own research and reading.  We will determine what is best for our child.  We’re not going to sit back and do nothing.  We will do everything we can to help Caleb in this situation.  If I could take the tics myself, I would. 
We’re thinking about enrolling him in gymnastics to give him something to focus on.  He’s been to two classes, but they were not the right one.  LOL!  So, he’ll try the beginner’s class next Tuesday, and hopefully he’ll enjoy it still.  We’re looking into other activities as well that will maybe help with the situation. 
Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  I told Brian yesterday that I almost started crying while Caleb was in gymnastics.  He came to me to get a sip of water, and while he was walking back to his teacher, he kept having tics (the arm jerk).  It’s like he has to stop walking in order to have the tic, and then proceed.  It broke my heart to see that happening to our sweet child. 
I’m sure we will all have our ups and downs with this situation, but I know that God doesn’t give us any more than we can handle.  HE designed Caleb, and HE has chosen to bless him with Tourette Syndrome.  So, we will accept it and move forward.  We will use this for God’s glory, and hopefully Caleb will touch many lives. 
Thanks again for listening and reading.  We truly appreciate all of the prayers, support, and encouragement!
***I have so many more of this week’s events to post about; however, I do not want to take away from this post.  So, stay tuned for some crazier posts later on.***
Happy Easter to all of you!  Christ is RISEN!

First Grade Week 36 in Review

Well, there’s no denying that we’ve fallen behind.  We were doing so well until the end of February.  However, since then, we just can’t find our groove again.  Besides, life has also been throwing all kinds of curveballs (illness, Caleb’s situation, co-op, etc).  We only have 35 more days of school left, but as long as we get those all in before May 20th, I don’t care how or when it gets done.  Caleb knows this, so he’s prepared to do what it takes to get it done.  With all of that said, here’s how week 36 went for us.
Heritage Studies:  We discussed spending and saving money (something that is very near and dear to Caleb), took our chapter test, and started a new chapter.  We discussed “you are special” to begin the new chapter.
Science:  We took a chapter test, and then we started a new chapter on weather.  We discussed describing the temperature of air and describing the movement of air.
Math:  Caleb started a new chapter on worked on measuring in centimeters, estimating and measuring in centimeters, liter, and kilogram.
Bible:  Our Bible story was on “God Saves Sinners”, and we reviewed all of our Bible verses thus far.
Vocabulary:  We added “awkward, tide, construct, tower, and drop” to our list of vocabulary terms.
Phonics & English:  This week we discussed antonyms, rhyming words, analogies, and suffixes/prefixes.
Extra Stuff:  Caleb and Micah are still having a fun time at co-op.  I’m also still enjoying the classes that I assist in and the ones I’m teaching.  Here’s some of Caleb’s work from the past few weeks:

This is a fish sun catcher that Caleb made in his Extreme Weather class.  It’s now hanging in our living room window. This is the covered wagon that Caleb made in his Pioneers and Indians class.

 

This is an “apple print” picture that Caleb made in the poetry class that I teach.  We read a poem called “I Eat”, and they used apple prints to paint.  Caleb went a little crazy…  This is the “tissue paper” egg that Caleb made in the poetry class last week.  The poem was “Some Things That Easter Brings” by Elsie Parrish.

Please remember to keep us in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow.  We head to the pediatric neurologist at 9:30am, and I’m praying that we will get some much needed answers.  We’ve discussed more about the situation with Caleb, and we’ve explained that we’re going to see a doctor who is going to try to help us find out “why” his body is doing what it is doing.  That seems to be his biggest question…”Why does my body do this?”  Again, it breaks our heart to hear that, but we’re glad that he’s being open to the doctor’s appointment pending he doesn’t get any shots or finger pricks and getting answers.  Thank you for reading and for following our story.

My heart is breaking…

for our sweet Caleb.  While I don’t want to keep thinking about the possibility of Tourette Syndrome, it just keeps rearing it’s ugly head in my thoughts.  I, too, don’t want to keep posting about it, but I honestly feel as though posting about it can be a form of therapy.  So, bare with me as I may use our blog to post about this more frequently. 
I find myself having to hold back tears almost daily when I see the tics present themselves in Caleb.  While I don’t want to have a pity party, I feel sad for our son.  I hate that his body is doing this to him, and he can’t control it.  I hate that as his parents that we can’t do anything about it. 
Brian and I have noticed that the tics are making their way to Caleb’s lower extremities, and this makes it ever more obvious that something isn’t right.  He’s been having arm/leg jerks since this weekend.  When we see tics like these, we know that this means it’s only a matter of time before total strangers will start noticing them.  That’s something I’m not ready for.  Most of our friends tell me that they don’t really notice them; however, others do.  It’s honestly a day-by-day situation, as he has good days and bad days. 
However, all of this confirms the fact that we need to find out what is going on so we can be advocates for Caleb, and he can be his own advocate.  I find myself explaining his tics to the teachers and people he may see on a regular basis.  He had to take the ITBS test yesterday and today, and I had to be sure to let his administrator know that she may see his arm/leg jerks.  Did I think she’d notice?  I don’t  know…maybe not.  However, I wanted to be sure that if she did, she didn’t think there was anything wrong. 
It’s all just so overwhelming to me, and I’m trying my hardest to keep it all together for Caleb’s sake.  I don’t want him to see my crying because I don’t want to have to tell him why.  We’ve still held off on telling him anything about this.  We do ask him if he knows his body is doing it, and he says that he does but cannot stop.  If I could make it stop for him, I would in a heartbeat. 
I finally ordered some books from Amazon for us and for Caleb.  I’m hoping they come in soon so that I can use the ones I ordered for Caleb to help him understand what is going on with his body.  The books I ordered for him are: 


I ordered these books for us:


Again, I’m sorry that I have to use the blog for these types of posts.  However, like I mentioned, I find it a bit therapeutic.  So, I hope that you all won’t mind.  Thanks for reading, and please continue to lift up our family, especially Caleb, in prayer.  We go to the pediatric neurologist on Tuesday, the 30th.  That day cannot come fast enough!

Waiting for Answers…

I’ve gone back and forth about posting this.  However, I’m hoping that by putting it out there that some of you with experience with this may shed some light for us.  So, here goes…
When our sweet Caleb was in preschool, his teacher in the 4-year-old class mentioned that he was excessively blinking his eyes.  Well, we noticed it, too, so I made an appointment with the pediatrician at least I think that’s why I made it…it’s been 2+years, so who really knows why I made it.  The pediatrician just dismissed it as allergies and told us to keep an eye on him.  So, that’s what we did, and I think it went away for a bit.
Now, fast forward to the last Friday in February of this year.  Caleb and I had gone shopping with my mom to get supplies for the co-op classes that I was teaching.  When we got home, I noticed that he was grimacing his face and also had a little tongue/mouth issue.  It was almost like he was sticking out his tongue, but in a “limp” way.  I pointed this out to Brian, and he noticed it as well.  Being the worried Internet savvy mom that I am, I started looking for answers in the most dangerous place on the Internet.  Everything that I read pointed to Tourette Syndrome.
Brian and I kept an eye on Caleb, and we decided that maybe a visit to the pediatrician was in order.  I called and made an appointment for Monday, the 1st of March.  We  made arrangements for my mom to watch Micah because we didn’t want to have to deal with him at the doctor.  Over the course of the weekend, Caleb’s tics got quite noticeable.  His tongue/mouth issues actually turned into a smacking sound, and he was quite loud with it.  We asked him if he knew what he was doing.  He responded that he did, but he was unable to stop it.  Again, this all continued to worry us.
We went to the pediatrician on the 1st, and I had to write a note explaining while we were there.  Caleb is terrified of shots and “finger pricks”, so he freaked out when I mentioned the doctor’s visit.  Brian assured him that it was just a visit to discuss healthy eating with the doctor.  While we were in the office, the doctor noticed the tics/twitching as well.  We decided to send Caleb back into the waiting room so we could discuss the issue without him hearing us.  Our pediatrician mentioned that he did notice the tics; however, he probably wouldn’t have if we hadn’t brought it to his attention.  He mentioned that it could just be transient motor tics.  (As a mom and someone who has done a little bit of research, I think it’s more due to the fact that it’s been going on for 2+ years).  He then told us that there are medicines they use to treat it; however, they are either anti-seizure or high blood pressure meds.  I had already read this on the Internet, and we informed him that we would rather NOT do medicine as long as it is not interfering with Caleb’s academics and well-being (right now it is not).
Our pediatrician decided that it would be best if we went and saw a pediatric neurologist.  The neurologist would be better able to see what’s going on and discuss our options with us.  So, that’s where we are right now.  We have an appointment with the pediatric neurologist on the 30th of March.  I’m sure it will be the first of many appointments until we fully understand what is going on.  We are aware that a lot of other issues can accompany Tourette Syndrome such as ADHD and OCD.  Caleb hasn’t been tested for any issues, but I’m sure there will be an array of testing done.
The tics are still present, but it amazes us how quickly they can change.  There are days when we hardly notice it, and then there are days where it is very obvious.  He’s had various motor tics (eye twitching/blinking, head turning, facial grimacing, mouth/tongue issues, etc) and vocal tics (throat clearing, sniffing, etc).  After we sat and figured everything out, all of the things we had seen in Caleb started making sense.  We’ve been noticing these tics/twitching incidences for 2+ years now, but we JUST put all of it together.  I think the reason we didn’t think more was because they would disappear for a short while, and then come back in a new fashion. 
While we are thankful this is not a life-threatening or debilitating illness, we do know that it can be a social issue.  We are now even more convinced that our decision to homeschool was the right choice for Caleb, and we made that decision before we ever had children.  It’s amazing how God lays everything out for us according to His perfect will.  We ask that you all keep us in your thoughts and prayers while we go through this process.  I will update more on this situation once we have our appointment on the 30th. 
Also, I’d love to hear from any of you who have experience with Tourette Syndrome.  Thanks for reading!

“Blind” Four-Wheeling Banana Boy

I tell you…there is never a dull moment at our house!  Micah and Caleb are both full of energy.  I love how as Micah gets older they play together.  It’s heartwarming to see them sitting watching a movie together or playing in the tent.  I hope that they will continue to develop a brotherly bond that will make them forever friends.  Now, I don’t know what any of that has to do with this post…oh well, I went off on a tangent.  I do have some cute pictures to share though.  So, enjoy them!

Micah gets to enjoy Big Brother’s “hand-me-down” four-wheeler.  Caleb is just too big now, but Micah is loving it.Checking to make sure he’s doing it right I guess…he kept looking behind instead of forward.  I’m glad there will be a good many years before he gets behind the wheel of a car.  LOL!Now, he’s looking down.  Geez…we’ve got to teach that boy a thing or two about driving. Micah loves bananas.  He’ll run into the kitchen, point up at the ledge, and shout “Mommy nana, nana, nana.”  He will eat 2-3 a day if he’s allowed. He kept holding his banana up like a torch.  He was in the middle of saying “cheese” when Brian snapped this one.  Sorry you can see the banana…it’s still cute! Brian told me to check out Micah the other day.  When I did, this is what I saw…sitting on the windowsill, playing behind the blinds.  That boy cracks us up!  He’s such a character!