My kid is a Rockstar. My kid is also crazy. My kid likes to play. My kid has SPD. My kid is understanding. My kid is a jokester. My kid is also a typical boy.

In typical boy fashion and at only 5 years of age, he has received his first concussion. 2 weeks ago, on a Friday with only 10 minutes left on the school-day, he went full steam ahead into a metal parallel bar on the playground. It was made just for him. It was the perfect measurement to smoke his nose on. He passed out, on his back but only for a matter of seconds. And then the blood, immediate swelling of the eyes and of course his tears.

His sad tears quickly turned to happy tears. On the walk to the nurses office, he starting telling jokes to his teacher. How he doesn’t care if he loses his nose because he will grow another one like lizard from Spider-Man. Then he preceded to say how cool his fall was!

I was sitting in my car as I do everyday waiting for the kids to be let out for the day. Along came a classmates father, knocks on my window and scares the bejesus out of me. He tells me that I need to go to the nurses office right away because he just witnessed what happened. I run to the door. It feels like forever until someone opens the door. I then run past them as I shout that my son was hurt and is in the nurses office.

There he was. Lying on the couch, ice on his face, bloody rag and all. After the school nurse did her checkup, it was time for us to go the big wigs! Hasbro children’s Hospital! We were immediately given a room. He was not making sense, falling asleep on & off and just kept saying he was dizzy. Long story short- after 5 hours we got our diagnosis. Concussion.

Over the next couple days we found out that concussions and sensory challenges are not friends. They amplify each other. They play a game of tag, both teaming up on each other and making the symptoms worse, all while you try and figure out which one to blame. He was more sensitive to sounds and light. He was overactive, then extremely lethargic. He was so emotional. Happy then sad, then angry then agitated all within minutes of each other. He slept until 10am most morning and wet the bed as well. Things he hasn’t done in over 3 months. Needless to say, the past 2 weeks were not fun. And he continues to have some of these effects 2 weeks later. But at least he is back in school this week. Even though school is only a mere 2 1/2 hours, I think the schedule will help him recover. We were beyond bored at home! He was not allowed to watch TV ( which we abbreviated to 1 1/2hours a day), no playgrounds, no running, no jumping, no bike riding, no sports, no nothing. I kept him busy with crafts, walks with the dogs, baking and shopping!

My son is a Rockstar. Even when the neighborhood boy came over asking to play, he never complained. Even when he wasn’t allowed to participate in his yellow belt karate ceremony he didn’t complain. Even when I said, “No” to the play-space he didn’t complain. He cracked jokes about his accident mere seconds after it happened. He has tested my patience these past 2 weeks. He has tested his own patience these past 2 weeks. The Rockstar in him is victorious! He really is just the best little man I know! He understood complaining about it wouldn’t make it any easier. Hopefully this week things will start to get better for my Rockstar, he needs a break! He’s been a trooper- a Rockstar!

My writing seems to have a common theme lately. Questions proposed by my inquisitive 5 year old. Well, just as I was planning to write on a different topic tonight, my son comes at me again with a question “too good” not to discuss. Let’s start from the beginning. Landon had a great day today. His daddy went to his school classroom to build a planter with his classmates. He was so excited and proud of his daddy! The kids had a great time and now have a self-watering planter for their classroom that they all helped build.

After school, Landon & I went to the library to get some new books. While there he picked out a new movie to watch before bed. Charlie Brown Christmas! Yup- even had to rock his Christmas pajamas while he watched it. After the library, we went on a Mommy & Landon dinner date to Cracker Barrel. Played games at the table, colored, laughed and enjoyed some yummy food. On the way home, again as if falling out of the sky, Landon asked me how do we bury people. I told him that at a cemetery a big hole is dug, and we place the person into a bed made out of wood. This bed has a top so no dirt can get in. Then they lower it into the ground and cover it over.

I then preceded to ask him why did he want to know this. He said because he just saw someone who is buried. I don’t know why this shocked me so much, because I am used to him being so in-touch with things outside of his normal realm. But Alas, I was shocked and asked him what he meant by that. He responded with, ” I just saw Elanna, up there in the clouds and she said Hello to me”.

“Oh really”, I said. Landon responded with, “Yes, look! Up there in that cloud”. I was driving so I just glanced back at him in the back and he was looking out the window, head tilted, waving and mouthing “Hi”. It was surreal……..I just glanced back forward and said to Landon that I love him and he is such an amazing man. I swear I couldn’t make this stuff up even if I tried. This isn’t the first time he has randomly “seen” Elanna either. He talks to her, see’s her and hears her all the time. It’s things like this that remind me of how blessed I am. I write about my daily interactions with him because I never want to forget and want him to know (read) that he was born amazing from the beginning!

Elanna holding Landon at his 1st Birthday party….2008!

Last night while coming home from the YMCA, Landon asked me a question. This question literally came out of the blue, as if falling from the sky into my lap. To be honest, I am still pondering how he even came up with It. Landon asked, “Mommy, whose tummy did you come out of? because I know it wasn’t Noni’s”.

I immediately asked him how he knew it wasn’t Noni’s tummy. He said he doesn’t know how he knows, he just remembers something about it. And to be honest, I don’t know if we ever discussed that I was adopted. We have definitely discussed adoptions in general. He knows what it means and understands it. But I can’t remember if we discussed me!

Being adopted is something I live with everyday. Not a day goes by that it doesn’t cross my mind. Sometimes it makes me sad. Sometimes it makes me happy. And sometimes I just feel kinda lost. I am 30 years old and I don’t think it will ever be “off” my mind. But I am fine with that. Even though it may make me feel a plethora of emotions, I am ALWAYS proud of being adopted. That will never change. It is who I am.

Back to proposed question from my inquisitive 5 year old. responded very quick with a brief answer. “No, I didn’t come from Noni’s tummy, but she is my mom and loves me very much, just the same way I love you”. He then asked me what do I call the person whose tummy I came from. He wanted now know of that person was his grandmother and he will ever meet her.  I told him that I love him very much because he is so curious and has a wonderful heart and that Daddy & Mommy can answer all your questions tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the day…and although I still have no idea what to say to him, I am happy that my little man is so curious about these things. He wants to know everything he possibly can. I know the term ” birth mother” will be used, but we are still unsure of what to tell him. Actually, sometimes I still don’t understand my adoption either. So this is why it’s so hard. I will report back with our findings…and how he takes it and what we say..and I am glad he is not so good with time-frames because I think I will need more than 1 day to think this over!

It’s Monday! So, another “Make it” post is in order. Landon’s class is doing a large segment on construction & building the next month so I thought I would start April off with that theme. We all know Landon’s fascination with Angry Birds, right? Well we decided to build a creation for some of his plush stuffed ones.

Every-time we thought we had it right, some blocks fell down. We used trial & error to see which blocks work best near each other. After a while, he got it down. And he was so proud of his creation! The best part of all this, was knocking it down! It is sad that it takes so long to build and only seconds to destroy. But those seconds were oh so fun for us!

Here is a picture of Landon and his proud smile showcasing his creation! Stay tuned for next weeks Make it Monday!

Easter Sunday, after church and our intimate family brunch we went to the movies as a family. We all have taken our children to the movie theater at some point in their lives. So I am sure you are wondering why on earth I am writing about taking my kid to a movie? How interesting can this be? Well, for starters it’s not just about taking my child to a movie. It’s about the outcome of this particular movie trip (and maybe a little plug for the movie itself)!

We all know Landon has sensory challenges. I don’t like to rewrite Sensory Processing Disorder over & over in my posts because it just seems to make that label stick more to Landon. And in this family, Labels are for Jars ( if you don’t believe me just look up my post titled that very thing). Anyways, now that I made my very own PSA, lets get to the real point of my post!

Landon’s sensory challenges have always been an issue when going to the movie theater. For starters, it’s dark, almost pitch black when you sit in the way back where we like to sit. Second, It is either extremely hot or very cold, which makes it so difficult to navigate my closet when going to a movie. What do you wear? I have mastered it- Layers! And last is the loud sound effects coming at you from every angle, (and let’s not forget those “people” who like to have loud conversations in the dark).

Landon has been to the movies a lot. He has cried at every movie he has seen in a theater. Whether it be it was too loud, too dark, too cold or sometimes because he didn’t like what was happening in the movie and was so anxious about the outcome. This particular day, he did NOT cry. He thoroughly enjoyed the movie. He was fine with the dark, never put his hands to his ears and laughed and clapped the entire way through. I was so proud of him. This is a huge accomplishment. I am not naive. I know that he may continue to have issues in the future, but I know that we are on the right path. Yay for the Croods & the beginning of civilization (you’ll have to see the movie), Its worth it! Check out some info on the movie here The Croods

See you real soon,

Landon’s mom

It’s Make it Monday and today was one of the worst days I have had in along time. You know the saying, “waking up on the wrong side of the bed”, well I dove head first onto the wrong side. Everything was going wrong, I was beyond tired, migraine from Hell and just really crabby. Needless to say, I did not want to do anything, let alone “Make” something.

While Landon was at school, my crabbiness kinda drifted away a bit. I took a shower, ate some really bad for you foods and watched my guilty pleasure TV shows. So, decided to keep with our theme from last weeks “Make it Monday”.  For those who don’t know, last week we made bird feeders. This week I decided to make binoculars to watch those said birds! We had a blast and Landon made it from start to finish all by his lonesome! Daddy & Landon even went on a bird watching walk after dinner.

I am glad I continued with my plan. Landon really enjoys this and is always so excited to tell his friends at school what we do on Mondays!

Landon and his creation

Happy Monday!

Thanks for tuning in!

Joy

I know I used to joke a while back that I would never have those  “all day” shopping trips that moms of girls have. But, I was wrong. My son is a fashion hound! He loves it. Every aspect of it he takes very seriously. We never push him to wear something he doesn’t like. Nor do we ever tell him he can’t wear something of his choosing.

He wears ties & bow-ties to school. Loves boat shoes & oxfords. Has about 50 button down shirts (plaid is his favorite), and rocks skinny jeans like no-ones business. He loves to dress. Even down to his boxers, he makes sure he likes everything he puts on himself. Today we spent the entire day shopping for clothes for Spring/Summer. His idea not mine. He said, “Mommy, the weather is getting nicer out and pretty soon I will to wear shorts & bathing suits. Let’s go to my favorite stores and buy me some new clothes because I am getting so big”.

This wasn’t a shock to me, since I know how much he likes to pick out his own clothes. We can’t go to Target without looking at the clothes. Only sometimes does he act like a typical 5 year old boy and ask for the Toy section as well. We enjoyed our day. We went to his favorite stores, Crazy 8, Gymboree & Target. We came home with a good start to his wardrobe. Suspenders, Converse High-tops, 2 new necklaces, a bow-tie, some plaid shorts, graphic T’s and more……Damn, my boy has class when it comes to his style!

I am sure most moms can agree that we would rather play with our children then clean the house, right? Well, this is especially true for me. However, I have some what would call an over obsessive clean gene. The need for my house to be clean is a big issue for me. Not sparkling clean- like those houses you see on TV. No, I am a bit more realistic than that. I know being a mom is about making more time to spend with your children then worrying about the dishes. But, this doesn’t mean there can’t be a balance.

You see, I do like a clean house. Clean to me is no piles of dirt on the floor or dirty clothes either. Also, once you can see the pile of dishes in the sink I think its safe to say its time to do them! Some other little things that can help my very (oh so very ) small house look cleaner are hanging up your coats and putting your shoes away. It’s the little things. So Yes! , there are piles of laundry waiting to be done ( all in their hampers of course), and dishes in the sink and even piles I sweep into hiding spots around the house until I have time to pick it up.

The other night, Landon wanted to play hide and go seek. I obliged and started to count. I was in my room with the door shut, so as I counted I started to pick things up. Freaking Genius! Not sure why it dawned on me that particular day, but I realized I could play & clean at the same time! It was my “AHA” moment…..a little sad I know, but it was! As I went looking for Landon in each room, I picked up the first thing I saw out of place. Landon had no idea what I was doing! He was giggling more & more which let me know he was enjoying not being found.

But Of course I knew where he was. I told you, I have a small house! Nonetheless, I went into every room until all the items that were easy to spot were back in their place. I swear, I am a smart woman, but I have no idea why this hadn’t come to me sooner. After that 1/2 hour game of hide and go seek, my house was clean, Landon was exhausted and I felt so productive. So, this week we have had more hide and go seek games then I think we have played in a lifetime. But, we are both extremely happy when it’s all over. Isn’t happiness all that matters?

So what games do you play to make cleaning more fun? How do you clean and play at the same time? With our lives so hectic it’s sure nice to find ways of using our precious time more productively isn’t it? I sure think so….

Landon knows how to make a mess!

A typical saturday night in the Friedman house is dinner  & a movie. However, tonight’s was a bit different. We usually wait to watch the movie until after Landon is in bed. Tonight we decided it was a family movie night. We made our ice cream sundaes and headed downstairs. Landon chose Frankenweenie. I less not amused with his choice, but it as his choice nonetheless.

We start watching and it already has a dark kinda somber tone to it. But then again, doesn’t all TiM Burton movies have that? When we were prerusing movies to watch, we told Landon what each movie was about. We wanted him to have an idea on what each movie was about before he made his final decision. We told him that “Sparky”, the dog in the movie dies. We were surprised when he knowing this movie because he has been having a hard time dealing with anyone getting hurt in a movie.

The movie continues, and you can tell Sparky is about to get hit by a car. typical scene where the dog runs after the baseball thinking its time to play fetch. So, it happens. Sparky dies. Landon doesn’t cry. We stare at him in amazement. Two months ago, he would have flipped out. Screaming, crying, yelling and more. But nothing. We have been trying to teach him that movies usually have have a slow beginning, a sad middle and happy ending. I think he understood that something as going to come out of what he just saw.

When Victor, (the boy who owned the dog) go to bed, he just stared at the wall. As an adult, you realize it’s because he can’t get his dog off his mind. Never in my wildest dreams did I think my brandy new 5 year old would understand that concept from only body language. But he did. He said to us, ” Mommy, he is sad. He can’t stop thinking about his dog. He loved him”. “Yes Landon, you are right”, we replied.

But what came next was even more unexpected then seeing Landon make the connection of Victors emotions. It made me & my husband tear up, wipe our faces with our shirts and grab each others hands and squeeze. Landon says, ” he loved his dog so much that he can’t stop thinking of him just like I love and miss Elanna everyday.  I always have Elanna in my heart”. For those who don’t know about Elanna, she was our niece who passed away at 16 in a car accident while a friend was driving. It was a shock to our family and still is.

In that moment, while watching a Tim Burton movie, we realized just how emotionally connected our son is. For those who know us, you know that Landon feels his emotions tenfold. He sometimes has such an influx of emotions he can’t express them properly due to his sensory challenges.  I don’t think we ever will know what Elanna & him shared. but I know whatever it was, she touched him in a way I didn’t think possible due to their  unfortunate short 3 year relationship.

So, when it really matters, when it comes to matters of the heart, he knows How he feels and what to say. He just amazes us everyday.

Elanna holding Landon at his 1st Birthday party….2008!