Every Six Months

Recovering from sedation
January 2015

Every six months we head to the dentist for a teeth cleaning and check-up. When Izzy was four years old, it was time for that ritual to begin for her, and... IT. WAS. AWFUL. Because of her lack of spatial awareness and sensory integration, she couldn't just lay back in the chair and open up wide like the kiddo in the room next door. So the dentist recommended sedation for her cleanings. What?! Sedation! This really freaked me out. I did not want to give my child medication unless it was absolutely necessary... and I also didn't want to fork over $250 to pay for it. However, teeth cleaning is essential, so we did it. Every six months, we did it. Greg and I took a day off of work to take her to the dentist. A trip to the dentist that may take 45 minutes for a typical child took a full day for us. We had to arrive an hour early, so she could take the meds, stay an hour after the exam, so the dentist could make sure she's all right, and then we had to watch her very carefully at home.

Everything is easier with Daddy by your side!
December 2016

I'm sharing this because for the past year, we haven't had to sedate Izzy!!! The first time we tried without sedation, Greg sat on the chair with her! With her Daddy's strong arms wrapped around her, Izzy was able to handle the whirring of the tools and the sensation of laying back in the big, cold chair. We couldn't believe it! The next time Izzy went to the dentist, I flat out bribed her. If she sat in the chair for her exam, I said I'd take her to Target and let her get whatever she wanted! Seriously, though! If I didn't have to spend $250 on sedation, I was happy to spend $250 at Target! LOL! And, guess what? She did it! And, thankfully, she picked out a small toy that was less than ten bucks!

So proud of Izz!
September 2018

Just last week, I took her in again. She climbed up in the chair like an old pro. At one point, the hygienist had to scrape her teeth a bit, and that freaked her out. She cried but stayed in the chair and finished up!

This is just one of many stories I can share about Izzy and her perseverance. There are many times when I worry that things are just too much for her. I wonder if she'll ever be able to do X, Y, Z... and then, some way or another, she does it!

Things are never going to be easy with Izz, and I think that's the reason why God placed her in our lives. Growing up, things were always easy for me. I made cheerleader every year from 4th grade until my senior year. I made straight As (except for that one B - 89.4% from Coach McGuire in Physics) throughout my elementary, junior high, and high school years. I graduated college in four years and immediately got a job at a local TV station. Easy peasy! By working hard, everything has just fallen into place for me. 

Izzy's hard work is so very different than my hard work. The battles she's fighting are taking months and even years to overcome. When I see her achieve something, it reminds me of what is most important in this life. While I'm proud of all that I've accomplished, I find myself asking this question often: What really matters most?  What matters most is that we are lifting each other up. Helping others to achieve success. Guiding our children to be the best humans they can possibly be. All of the things on my "To Do" list really don't matter all that much. (I have a problem; I am a borderline workaholic! Ok... I am a workaholic.) While I'm still working on it, Izzy has taught me to prioritize. Family comes first, and my child's success, while measured so differently from mine, is my number one priority. And that is why this Friday, I left my meeting on time at 3:45 pm and rushed to the movie theater to watch a movie with her and her sweet, sweet friend. (This may not sound like a big deal, but it's quite typical for me to head back to school and work after my Friday meetings.) I spent my weekend helping Izzy to foster a friendship... a friendship that is so, so special, there are no words to describe it. These are the moments that matter most.

Anna & Izzy at Altitude

Every six months when it's time for her teeth cleaning, it will not be easy. Sitting in that chair and trying to stay calm while someone is poking and prodding in her mouth will always be tough for her... but she will do it. Twice each year, I will be reminded of the possibilities. I will be reminded to never give up. I'll be reminded that goals will come to fruition.

So now I feel like it only makes sense that I go on a shopping spree after my dentist appointment on Thursday... yeah, whatever!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions!

First day of 5th Grade

School is in session! School started for students on August 15th, yet I’ve been back since July 30th. Although I love the start of a fresh school year, along with that comes so much. The transition from a carefree summer to the hustle and bustle of school is a tough one. I’m reminded daily of the many decisions that educators make. Statistics say that teachers make 1,500 decisions every day! Along with many decisions comes the stress of a never-ending “to-do” list and the unexpectedness of working with children. While I’ve vowed to continue writing, this is why I've kept my pencil down over the past month.

During one of the last weeks of summer, we visited Bahama Bucks. (If you haven’t been there yet, stop reading this post and go now! LOL! Seriously, though! Their shaved ice is the BEST!) Izz walked up and placed her order for a blue coconut with cream sno-cone quickly while Greg and I hung back and viewed the menu. Finally, Greg ordered a large mango-chamoy.

“What?” I whispered to him. “What is chamoy?”

He said there was a picture of it on the menu, and it looked really good… like cherry. Well, let me tell you... it did not taste like cherry! I couldn’t figure out why he would pick a flavor like chamoy when he had never even heard of it! Izzy and I still tease him about chamoy! (BTW, chamoy is a salty Mexican condiment… so weird on a sno-cone!)

Historically, Greg orders like this. Whether it’s the waiter coming to the table or Greg pulling up to the drive-thru window, he freaks out. Often, he orders something he doesn’t really want. He has some real anxiety when it comes to ordering food! While we laugh about it as he’s enjoying the mango-chamoy sno-cone, we recognize that decision-making is hard… especially when you’re feeling the pressure to make that decision.

All summer long, I thought of Izzy and her transition to 5th grade. Would it go smoothly? Has she

Izz loves morning safety patrol!

matured? Will she be successful? Izzy’s fifth grade school year is off to a great start. She has a fabulous group of teachers supporting her, and she is LOVING working as safety patrol each morning.

My thoughts have quickly shifted to junior high. How will that work? Where will she go? Will she go to the junior high we're zoned to, Seven Lakes, or will she go to McMeans with her Exley friends? Will she continue in the same kind of program that's currently serving her? How will she survive without me? How will I survive without her? I know that junior high is still a year away, but I am totally freaked out by it. Junior high is such an awkward time in a typical child’s life; I can only imagine how tough it is for a child who is struggling with communication, social skills, and hyperactivity. While Izzy is a typical ten-year-old in so many ways, she struggles with immaturity in so many areas. Don’t get me wrong; we are so, so lucky that she has the sweetest friends who love and accept her for who she is. I just worry about junior high.

I remember those days. You weren’t cool unless you were down with all of the latest fads and could hang with the popular crowd. The innocence of elementary school goes right down the drain on the first day of sixth grade. I remember it all too well. First day of sixth grade, August 1993, I was asked if I was waiting for the flood. Apparently, I grew between the time we went back to school shopping and the first day of school, and my new jeans were shorter than acceptable for the coolest girl in school. Ugh. I know it all too well. Junior high is almost like a rite of passage. We all needed that time to learn strategies for dealing with bullies and cool kids and how to juggle homework from seven classes.

I think the real struggle for me is that I can't see the future. Crazy, right?! Junior high is going to look so different for Izzy than it looked for me. The thing is that I thrive on predictability, and it makes me super nervous when I don't know what will happen. I'm the person who orders a clear strawberry sno-cone every time because...

1. Strawberry is my favorite fruit.

2. Since it's clear, my teeth won't turn red.

3. I know it will be delicious.

Greg says that makes me really boring... and, really, I know that I need to be more like Greg. He might freak out and order something weird, but, through that, he finds new things that he loves. Life is not predictable. I won't know how Izzy will transition in junior high until it happens. And, who knows, it could be a really great experience for her. Sometimes, we need to try the chamoy! LOL!

Life is full of decisions. Some of those decisions are as frivolous as ordering a sno-cone while other decisions impact the future or another person. So maybe I’ll just go teach sixth grade for the next three years, so I can be with Izz… yeah, whatever! #helicoptermom #mangochamoy