Its a Miracle!

We first bought Lincoln a potty when he was 18 months, just to get him used to it. He sat on it a few times, then decided that he was afraid of it. A few months later I decided to try a different little potty, but nope he was afraid of that one too. So we tried the potty ring that goes on the toilet, another fail. So we tried just the toilet... in any position that I could think of. Still afraid. At his last eval, the psychologist told me that with Lincoln's sensory issues I would be lucky if he were potty trained before he was 4.

Well, then one Saturday, almost 2 weeks ago I heard Lincoln in the bathroom. I walked in, prepared to get after him for playing in the bathroom, and much to my surprise he was naked, sitting on the toilet doing his thing. So I did what any mom would do, I wiped his butt then cheered and asked if he wanted to call Nana. He punched me. The next day I was getting him ready for church when he announced, "I pee-pee," and went running to the bathroom. He peed in the toilet, and when I started cheering he ran away and hid.

So staring that Monday I took a new approach. I let him run naked, and ignored the potty situation. To my utter amazement, we didn't have a single accident as long as he was naked. If I put any clothes on him at all he would just pee. We made it a week of that, and this week I decided that my goal was to get him into underwear. Monday morning I woke up, took him potty and put him in some undies and clothes. I talked to him about not peeing in them and we went off to the busstop. Now, granted the busstop is only about a half an hour long excursion, but he did it! We came home and he striped down naked. When it came time for speech, I gave him the option of diaper or undies, and he chose undies. He did great at speech and left there dry, so I decided to be brave and took him to Taco Bell and Dollar Tree sans diaper, all in all a 2 hour outing with no accidents! Of course, that afternoon he had some friends over and in a 2 hour period he had 3 accidents but for his first day of undies and being distracted I thought he did great!

Today I put him in undies and clothes and he managed to wear them all day, even at home without a single accident! I think I can officially say it... Lincoln is potty trained!

You Have GOT To Be Kidding Me!

Ugg!!!! More Lincoln evaluation drama. Lincoln had his pychological evaluation on Sept 14. They said (among other things) that Lincoln needed OT but that they couldn't provide him with services and that I needed to contact his insurance and the school district. So I did. Both said that they wanted to see the evaluation before they would do anything. So we waited. And we waited. After a few weeks I called his case manager at the Regional Center and left her a message that we needed that evaluation. I didn't hear from her. A week later I called again. I got a call back, in which she left me a voicemail stating that they had received his evaluation and that the head of the department needed to review it, and then she would review it, and then they would send it on to me. So I called and left her another message that this was no acceptable and that I expected to have a copy of the evaluation by the end of the week. Well I finally got it yesterday. Five and a half weeks after the evaluation!

So I reviewed it, and everything was sounding great until i got to a part that stated that Lincoln was evaluated at the Regional Center in Aug and FOUND ELIGIBLE for services through them. Say what!!! He qualified for services way back in August, and they have been putting me off. So I called my case manager's boss and left them a message that I needed to speak to them.

I just got off the phone with them and I am exhausted. I went all the way back to March when I started contacting them and went through every frustration I had. All they could say was, "I'm sorry, but we can't change the past." Well I'm sorry that you have hurt my child by preventing him from getting much needed services for the last seven months. Ugg!

The good news is that they sent the evaluation to our pediatrician and they have sent in a referral for him to get OT. We should be getting that soon!

2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back

Lincoln had his speech evaluation last week. It was great! He was very good and as cooperative as Lincoln gets the whole time. I haven't gotten their official evaluation back yet, so I don't know exactly how he scored on everything, but he is now getting speech therapy twice a week. He was supposed to start yesterday, but both he and his therapist were sick, so we will start tomorrow.

About twenty minutes into the evaluation, his speech therapist asked if he also sees an OT (occupational therapist) I paused and said, "Well..." and before I could continue she said that Lincoln has some sensory issues and really needs to be getting OT as well. I told her that the Regional Center had told us the same thing, but that we were running into some issues with getting the therapy. So I guess it was good to hear that from yet another person.

Now for the step back. Lincoln is sick this week. We've all had a horrible cold the last few weeks, but Lincoln hadn't seemed to be affected until this weekend. Saturday and Sunday he seemed off. Not really sick, but even more difficult that usual. The Sunday night I was woken up by the sound of Lincoln's wheezing. From another room. Seriously, it was that bad. A few minutes later he came into my room and was coughing and wheezing like crazy. If I was a smart mom I probably would have gotten out of bed and taken him in right then because he was obviously struggling to breathe, but I'm not, so I just rubbed vapo rub on him, started a humidifier and stayed up most of the night listening to him breathe. Monday morning I got up and made him a doctor's appointment. We've all been sick, but none of us were like that. Well the good news is, he isn't really that sick. The bad news is he has asthma. I've been told many times by several doctors that he has "asthma symptoms" or similar things, but yesterday he was actually diagnosed. Now I know that Asthma isn't the end of the world. In fact, it really isn't that big of a deal. It is however, a bit upsetting to me because it is something that I'm going to have to be aware of for the next 16 years or so, and yet another thing that I'm going to have to start listing as "What is wrong with Lincoln," on forms. I think I might have rather heard that he has swine flu. Oh, but while we were at the doctor they asked me how his evalution was and i told them about the OT thing, and they gave me a referral right then and there! So pending insurance aprroval we should be starting OT soon!

So just in case anyone is keeping score, we now have...
speech delay (therapy 2x week)
developmental delays (all areas- working on getting him into a developmental preschool)
sensory processing disorder- starting OT soon
Regulatory issues- again OT
Allergies- dairy, seasonal, and penecillan
Asthma.

I know there are lots of kids with bigger issues, and I really am greatful for how healthy and happy my kids are. I would just like to be finished with the "finding out what is wrong" stage of our lives.

Feeling Evil

Savannah was trying to put on her Sleeping Beauty shoes that are too small. She was sitting on the floor struggling with them when she said, "Now, I really feel like a Wicked Stepsister!"

A Colorful Surprise

Jesse is home today with a mancold, so when Lincoln didn't want to come with me to take Savannah to the bus stop this morning I left him home with Jesse, who was awake but still in bed. I came home about twenty minutes later to find Lincoln sitting in the middle of a very colorful living room with three empty bottles of poster paint. Two-and-a half hours, four bottles of carpet cleaner, and a full laundry load of paint-covered towels later I decided that my carpet wasn't getting any cleaner and it was time to move on to the paint hand prints leading from the living room, down the hall, up the stairs, and into the kids bathroom.

Lessons learned:
#1: Whatever Lincoln is going to get into while left home with a sick parent IS in fact worse than taking two grumpy kids to the bus stop.
#2: Paint must always be kept in a locked cabinet. Leaving washable paint on a high shelf is no longer enough precaution.
#3: If the carpet cleaner says wear gloves, they aren't kidding. My hands are now bright red with white blistery spots all over.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I really need to get a camera. I can always borrow one from a friend for birthdays, first-day-of-school, etc but I can't exactly call and say, "Lincoln just dumped three bottles of poster paint on my carpet. Can I borrow your camera?" without sounding like a freak who has their priorities all wrong.