We have Puppies! But what about Sleep?

From time to time, I have-what I like to refer to as a FLARE UP. It is when my whole body hurts, hurts so bad that all I want to do is stay in bed and try to sleep. But here is the dichotomy- I CANT Sleep when I have a flare up! Argg, what to do.
So this past week I have been having a flare up and wouldn't you know it, I had posted a add a few days before this episode started for one of my dogs. So when I was answering the many responses and setting up appointments, I was feeling pretty normal. (tongue in cheek cause normal is what most people would call being in alot of pain and just generally feeling lousy!) SO I had rescheduled one appointment until Friday-on the hopes that I would get some sleep the night before, or even morning before, and just push my way through the travel and drop off of said dog. Oh , but wait, did I mention that my plans were foiled, as does usually happen when you have a great number of people and pets living in the same household. So what usually happens is that I make apologies, have to re reschedule, or cancel until further notice, and usually end up looking like some what of a flake to others.
Well, Lola, our Pug, decides at 7 pm last night to go into labor. Me, thinking to myself, hmmm, did she do this on purpose, does she have some cosmic power that wants to taunt me when I'm not feeling well. So... Ok, I think, I can do this, it usually only last just a few quick hours, then I can sleep after, or some time shortly after I get her and her new brood settled. But AH HA! Once again, jokes on me! I was up and down, in and out, to and fro, all night with her until 4:30 am. With a few complications, of course, but I wont go into those now. So after I cleaned her up, cleaned up the puppy bed, did the laundry that needed to be done so that the other dogs didn't go crazy on a mad search and destroy mission for that smell, and washed myself up, my alarm went off! DANG! Ok, I will get some sleep when I take her to school and the boys will still be asleep. Once again, my plans are foiled-are you seeing a pattern here?Ok, I think, plans change, I am like a great tree that bends with the wind, I shall over come.
Little girl doesn't want to go to school, she wants to stay with her doggie and babies before she leaves for a week. Ah, so cute, ok, I tell her she can stay. SO she wants every detail, wants to talk, then snuggles up in my bed and goes back to sleep. Ahhhh, I lay down, YES, I am going to get some sleep before my appointment. My mind wont stop thinking, NOOOOO! The new babies need help with nursing, and one of them in a dog gone noisy little bugger. So after that is all done, I try again to sleep, and as you guessed by now-it didn't happen. Ok, so I will just jump online real quick to post some photos and up date my face book as I have had lots of my friends asking about Lola. Then I check my email, reply to a bunch of add combers looking at my adds, and before I know it I have to get in the shower to go to my appointment and also drop my daughter off at our friends house back in Boring.
Less details now, I'm tired, its 1 in the morning, and I think I am verging on crazy. I'm not , and I say NOT, a type of person who can go with out regular sleep. Just ask my mom, she lived with my since birth, and I can get a bit crabby and sorta wacko if I don't get my sleep. I think we all can. But for me, it is just a little extra helping. LOL, sooooo...... I am going back to my room, stuffing ear plugs in my ears ( puppy nursery is in our room and they squeak ALOT!) taking a sleeping pill, and gona try to sleep. The big gun pills, the sleeping pills my Dr gave me, don't usually work on me when I am having a flare up. So, Im saying so alot here, any way, I'm gona try to sleep. Dear LOrd, help me sleep! I would prefer to stay on this side of crazy and not cross the thresh hold into insanity tonight, thank you, and amen!

Sensory issues- a post my good friend wrote- this is soooo Me and my 2 boys! Fun s ville

This is a disorder that both of my youngest children share. Hubby and I are discovering the many new therapies for “Sensational” children. Kristyn Crows' article below is helping us provide a wonderful way of describing our children’s uniqueness to our friends and family.Imagine you are a child and the sweater your mother dressed you in feels like sandpaper chafing your skin. The sensation of the threads rubbing across your arms is so irritating; you can barely concentrate on anything else. You grunt and whine in frustration, trying to convey your feelings, but you can't put them into words that make sense. You throw a tantrum, and finally your mother removes your sweater. Then she casually turns on the dishwasher. The buzzing of the motor rings terribly loud in your ears. You run into the corner of the room, covering your head and moaning. All the other family members go about their business, unaffected. Your mother, confused as to what the problem is, tries to comfort you, but her hand touching your skin sends a shock through your system. You push her away.Later, as you go outside to play, your brain doesn't properly "predict" when the next step should come in contact with your foot, and you stumble and fall. Blood trickles down your leg, but you don't even notice.Get the picture? Life is incredibly frustrating for a child with Sensory Integration Dysfunction. It is sometimes referred to as Dysfunction in Sensory Integration, or DSI, and it means that the child's brain does not properly process information provided by the senses.We've been taught that there are five senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell. However, in reality there are several others, including these senses suggested by Dr. A. Jean Ayres, O.T.R., and Ph.D.:The tactile sense which involves the sensations of our skin from head to toe, involving perceptions of hot and cold, and whether we are actively touching something or being actively touched by something else. It involves the recognition of shapes, textures, and sizes of objects in our environment. It helps us distinguish between threatening and non-threatening touch.The vestibular sense which provides information using the inner ear about balance and movement, and where our body "is" in space, for example, how the size of our body relates to the sizes of other objects.The proprioceptive sense which gives us information using the muscles and joints in our bodies about where our body parts are at any given time and how they "connect" with the objects they use.When the brain "misreads" the information from these and our other senses, things go haywire. We find Sensory Integration Dysfunction (DSI) in with ADD/ADHD, Asperser’s Syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, pervasive development disorder, and other conditions where brain chemistry or structure is atypical. However, we are still trying to uncover the precise cause.Since children with DSI can't "get over" the condition, they often develop coping strategies to help them feel safe. These strategies might include ritualized routines (because the unexpected event might trigger a frustrating sensory reaction), preferring small enclosed spaces where things are quiet and predictable, or over-focusing on the senses which feel pleasurable, like fiddling with strings or curling up in a ball.What signs should I look for in my child if I am suspicious of DSI?Here are a few examples of behaviors you might observe in a child with DSI. Your child could have many, or just a few of these:
Frequently misjudges the distances between objects.
Inappropriate reactions to things that would be ordinary to other children: overreacts to small things, and under-reacts to important things (her own injury, oblivious to traffic, etc.).
Fidgets, seems to be "in his own world" and can't focus.
Has a bad sense of timing and rhythm.
Is generally clumsy, and may slouch and tire easily.
Flaps his hands or engages in peculiar body movements.
Is easily frustrated and emotional.
Responds slowly to instructions and may seem overwhelmed by them.
May have trouble waking or sleeping.
Has difficulty stopping one activity and starting another.
Is agitated by certain textures touching her skin, or certain clothing frustrates her.
May seem bothered by sounds, bright lights, crowds, or chaotic events.What can be done what-is-your-childs-sensitivity-profile"Learning about your childs specific sensitivity profile can help you to determine what teaching techniques will work best for your child. Gather information about what types of stimuli affect him in particular ways. This can be immensely helpful. There are various kinds of therapies which have proven helpful. For a fabulous book on this disorder, read Carol Stock Kranowitz's book, The Out-of-Sync Child. Carol Kranowitz is a preschool teacher who developed an innovative program to help screen children for the disorder. She has also written, Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun which contains numerous activities to DSI kids to the confusing sensory information around them. Article created by Kristyn Crow

My girl, my doll, my sweet pea

Ok, so she is just the most awesome person I know! So much so that her old friends from where we lived, beg to have her for a few days when the schools have a holiday or such. I have to say though, I am getting a bit more stingy with her and don't want to lend her out as much. She is just so danged awesome to be around, talk to, do hair with, listen and sing music with, everything! I adore this little chicky!
But you know, I'm sure you all can say the same about your girls too(but I still think she is the bee's knee's)

So how happy was your new year?

As I am sitting here watching sex and the city, I am reminded by how completely awesome my dear friend is. She is loaning me the complete series, which I have only ever watched a few shows of, but completely adored. I just cant help but think of her now every time I watch this show.
Last night, by happy accident I was invited to accompany her as a guest in their new years festivities. At first I was a bit apprehensive, not in a bad way mind you, more of a will I be too much of a boar for everyone to be able to roll with these fabulous people. But low and behold I had the best new years ever people!
Thanks to all who atteneded, I COMPLETELLY enjoyed everyone.