Multi-Tasking ... It's Not for Wimps!

I love Sunday mornings. I sleep in (till 6-ish), the others sleep much later. I have time to myself to plan the week's menu and make a grocery list while I enjoy that wonderful first cup of coffee. Sometimes I check out what's on Flickr or play Boggle on line while I try to decide what to fix for dinner each night. This is why I am tired at night - my day begins with multi-tasking, and it never ends.

After breakfast, I had the overwhelming urge to paint something small. It is rare for me to paint a 5x7" watercolor, but when the mood hits, strike hard. So I did. I'll post it on Flickr later when it's dry.

Ian and Ainsley joined me in the playroom/painting studio not long after I got started. They were playing Lego Star Wars on the computer. Life doesn't get much better than that, as far as Ian is concerned. He's got Legos, his favorite movie, and his favorite activity all rolled into one thanks to Aunt Lisa, who gave him the video game for Christmas. It took her a while, but Ainsley has finally figured out how to play the game with Ian. If I allowed it, they would spend all day in front of that screen kicking butt and trying to save the galaxy.

Steve joined us once we were all deeply engrossed in our activities. It had been almost a month since the fish tank had been cleaned, and he decided employing Ian as his assistant would be a good transition from the computer to another activity. It also gave Ainsley the rare opportunity to play on the computer alone. Typically, Ian watches over her shoulder, then gradually he begins "helping" her until he is able to completely take over the operation.

Steve's plan to keep Ian occupied worked. In fact, it worked so well, Ainsley was able to do some serious multi-tasking of her own. Sounds of blasting, exploding, and cheers prevailed. Then suddenly, Ainsley yelled, "SWIPER!"

That seemed a little odd, considering she was playing Star Wars. Then she said it again, "SWIPER! [pause] SWIPER!"

From opposite ends of the play room, Steve and I both turned to face Ainsley. We tried not to laugh at what we saw, but it was impossible. Ainsley was playing Star Wars on the computer using her left hand on the keyboard, and she was playing Dora the Explorer on her Nintendo DS with her right hand, and her head was nodding in jerks as she alternated looking between each screen.

That's MY girl!

I Never Thought I'd Hear This

Steve to Ainsley: "Don't bite your toenails at the dinner table!"

As we were entertaining guests last night in the formal dining room.

Simplify

Ainsley had her first dose of Methylin yesterday. It was the tiniest amount. In fact, if I had given her any less, it would have been air. But it was enough to get her started.

I noticed a slight improvement in her attention for about 45 minutes. She really had it together during that time. The thing I liked most about it was that she wasn't YELLING! She was excited about what she was doing and who she was with, but it was a pleasant excitement. She followed directions and maintained her focus on the activity before her. It was beautiful!

Today she will get two doses as we begin to increase in small increments the amount she receives by 1cc every couple of days. It is nice to see her wonderful personality shine through without the distortions of ADHD.

Now, if I could just get rid of the monsters in her room at night so she will sleep in her own bed!

Making the Jump to a Size 8

I wish this was a post about me making a jump to a size 8. Alas, it is about Ian. It seems funny how just about a year ago he was struggling to keep a pair of size 6 slim jeans around his hips. Whoever invented those wonderful adjustable waistbands was a genius! It was probably a mom with kids like mine who never seemed to find bottoms that fit right.

Over the summer Ian began to eat more. He seemed to grow a little plumper every day, like a little raisin that has been sitting on a drop of water. By the time school started he was a solid size 7, and by Thanksgiving an 8, with a little adjusting of the elastic straps and buttons. In December I took advantage of the holiday sales to stock his closet with warm size 8's for the winter. It made me feel good to know his body size was catching up to his age.

One morning after breakfast he headed into the bathroom. A few seconds later, in a panicked voice, he yelled, "I need help!" Thinking he had fallen in, was bleeding, or worse, I ran as fast as I could to his aid.

"What is it???" I asked with a pant.

Without looking up from the floor, he said quite calmly, "I can't get my pants undone."

At that point I realized that size 8 means a new world of clothing fastening devices to which he was unaccustomed. Button-flies. It never even dawned on me to check for snaps and zippers. He had only mastered snaps within the last year. Now I was throwing complicated buttons at him.

For Ian and kids like him who have difficulty with hand-writing, having to learn this phase of getting dressed can be a bit depressing. He looked up at me with weary eyes and said, "I want my snap pants back."

At the boys department of the store where I shop for him, the snap waistbands stop after size 7. Every brand. Every pair of pants. End of story. I know this because I looked at every single one of them. At one point, I was certain a security guard was watching me look at the flies of all these boys pants. Whatever was going through his mind was probably incorrect; but I didn't feel the need to explain myself unless it was legally required.

Eventually, I went home and got online to start my search. My old standby, Land's End, came through. They have nice looking, tough jeans and khakis with really comfy elastic waistbands! Perfect for the kid who isn't interested in tucking his shirt in and doesn't want or has difficulty making the leap from the little boys department to the big boys area. They also come in several types of shorts. Ian thinks they are really super cool. And isn't that all that really matters... looking cool in the second grade?

Another dilemma solved. I wish they were all this easy.