Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Update as of January 2013



I've worked on my blog sporadically, but after encouragement from a few friends, and more than a few promptings, I feel like I need to work more on this blog and share more of my story.  

Who knows?  Maybe there is someone out there I can help by sharing our experiences.  

In the past I've referred to the kids by their birth order (C1, C2, C3, etc)  I think though it might be easier if I refer to them by a pseudonym or moniker.  

So here is a little about my family now.  I have six children--four boys, two girls.  All four of my boys are on the Autism Spectrum.  

C1-boy-aka Firstborn has Aspergers.  I plan to write more on our journey with each of our children and their diagnosis. 

C2-boy-aka Whirlwind.  Whirlwind has constant energy.  He also has volatile emotions that can swing from euphoria to anger in just minutes.  He was first diagnosed with ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).  It was only a couple of years ago he was also diagnosed with Aspergers. 

C3-boy-aka Lawboy (he thinks he wants to be a lawyer at the moment).  Gets distracted easily.  Was originally diagnosed with ADD, but has gotten more hyper as he got older and is currently diagnosed with ADHD.  He was recently diagnosed as being ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) with the old diagnosis of PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder).  He is rigid in his ideas and standards and has an extremely difficult time making friends.  

C4-girl-aka Princess Ballerina.  She loves to sing and dance and unlike her brothers, is not ASD.  She feels put upon when her brothers take over electronics  and will sometimes get whiny, but I am trying to teach her how to stand up for herself.  

C5-boy-aka Acroboy.  Acroboy is constantly running, jumping, doing handstands on the couch and climbing things.  He had a speech delay--he really wouldn't talk until he was two--and still has some speech issues.  He was diagnosed as PDD-NOS (the NOS means "not otherwise specified") which puts him on the Autism spectrum as well.  Additionally he was diagnosed as ADHD.  

C6-girl-aka Baby Girl.  Baby girl is all sweetness at about  9months old.  I am concerned she is showing sensitivities to certain noises and doesn't like things touching the back of her neck.  Her well visit is soon, so I will see what the pediatrician says.  She does make lots of eye contact and is very smiley.  

I look back and realize how much of our journey I have missed blogging about.  I will attempt to rectify that by using journals and notes and previously started, but unfinished blog posts.  If I post something from the past, I'll put FLASHBACK at the top of the post with the date I'm going back to.  At some point I will take the flashback tag and date of and change the posting date so it reads chronologically with the other posts.  Hopefully that will catch this blog up.