I am so proud of Kaiden! Over the summer we potty trained using the techniques laid out in the book "Oh Crap, Potty Training!". I HIGHLY recommend this book! Follow the steps, it really does work. I went into it with no expectations because I honestly didn't know if Kaiden knew he was peeing when he was peeing, and whether or not he could even feel it as he has some delayed sensations. He did great though, and by the end of summer he was well on his way. He still needs physical assistance with his clothing and aim, thanks to motor apraxia, but he's even waking me at night when he needs to go. There's still the few and far in between accidents, but 99% of the time, we are accident-free.
Kaiden started kindergarten this fall. It's been a huge transition for him as it's full days, 5 days per week! When I was in kindergarten, it was full days, every other day, while other schools did half days 5 days per week. He was doing really well with being toilet trained, but of course a heavy schedule like that set him back a bit.
He began refusing to use the toilet in the afternoons, leading to several wetting accidents within a 2 hour time frame. We thought at first it might be defiance since we weren't having this issue at home. His teacher and I came up with a plan: I should come in just before 1pm (the accidents were starting about then) and take him to the bathroom myself. What we found was that it wasn't defiance at all; he was getting so stressed out with the long days that by the time afternoons rolled around he couldn't control holding/releasing - like his torso was all tensed up. The first day I came in, I gave him the option of going to the bathroom at school and then continuing on to his favorite class (gym), or coming home and then go to the bathroom. He chose to go home - and went straight to the bathroom of his own accord, but could not "go" for another hour; he was just too stressed. So, I came in every day for the next week - and each day that week he went to the bathroom for me, and then happily went to gym class. It was like seeing Mom for a couple minutes in the afternoon was enough of a break from school and he was able to function again. The next week he made it until Thursday on his own before getting too stressed, so Friday I came in to help him. And . . . the principal had a problem with it. She called me at home and told me it was not necessary for me to come in since the teacher and paras were well trained in handling all sorts of potty issues. I explained to her that Kaiden was getting too stressed out and having me there for a couple minutes helped and that I was going to do everything I could to set him up for success whether she liked it or not. We had a short week this week, and he'll have a short week next week, so we're hoping that will get him over the stress-hump and go back to being accident free - because again, he has not been having accidents at home or when we're out in public.
With that and another phone call I was also told about this new data privacy policy; it was explained to me that the school does not want parents in the self-contained classrooms (like the Functional Skills room that Kaiden's in) because the parents might compare their kid's abilities to that of another disabled child - or something to that effect. Many parents are being hit with this policy and so far we know by way of the lawyers already contacted - schools cannot legally deny parents access to their child in the classroom despite this new policy. It sounds like the schools are misinterpreting the policy, but since I was never provided with a copy of it, I really don't know. I do know they can't deny me access to Kaiden, so I'm not worried about it. If they don't like me coming into the classroom when he needs my assistance, well, that's just too damn bad.
Ok, potty training, check. Onto the next subject. :) Kaiden's had a couple growth spurts this summer (I am VERY thankful for Kohl's return/exchange policy!) and is also sporting two brand new adult teeth! He still hasn't lost the pertinent baby teeth but they're on their way out. He's just so darn cute with his new teeth!
And I learned something else over the last few days - either Kaiden can't tolerate hemp protein powder, or I forgot his taurine in last week's supplement batch. Or both. His behavior at school last week became horrible. The kind of behavior where I'm embarrassed as a parent . . . he was hitting the other kids - even took his snack plate and hit a couple kids in the head with it! And singled out another girl, sneak-attacking her from the side. Awful behavior. :( He wasn't doing this at home, only at school. We talked to him about it several times, but to no avail. Then when making his new supplement pack (I make them in 8 day packs) I realized the taurine had gotten buried in the back of the cupboard . . . and I bet I forgot to add it last week. So I made sure it was in there . . .and that day, both his teacher and his outside-the-school speech therapist reported he was like a different kid. More focused, no hitting. It could have been either the hemp or the missing taurine or both - I'd made a batch of his "cookies" (really banana pancakes but he calls them cookies!) last week with hemp protein powder for some added nutrition since the growing season is over - previously I'd been adding fresh leafy greens), so both things happened at the same time. I suspect it was moreso the missing taurine, but I'm not willing to experiment and see which one it was.
And now onto the exciting news from the last post - we purchased an old, abandoned farmstead - 5+ acres with a nice woods, way out in the middle of nowhere. :) Nick has been working very hard at clearing the property since most of it has been untouched for probably a decade. The house on it has to come down; it's unlivable. We plan to build a house within 2 years. Kaiden will have lots of room to run, I'll have mushrooms to pick and lots of room to garden, and Nick will be able to hunt right in our own backyard. :)
