Eastern Michigan University

I was accepted into EMU!!  Their nutrition program is very different then anyone elses.  Normally, you get your BS in Nutrition, then you do an internship and then go on to an MS if you choose.  EMU's program includes the internship in either the bachelors or masters program.  I was fully prepared to enroll in the bachelors program when one day I had an epiphany.  Why didn't I contact Wayne State University and find out if I could graduate from their and get my BA in Biology and then I could apply to the nutrition program for my masters?  After one quick phone call I found out it was perfectly doable, I just needed to find a school that offers the one class I need, and then I can graduate from WSU!!  This will shave 2 whole years off my program!!  I contacted Texas A&M and while they do offer the class, I have to apply and be accepted into A&M as a transfer student.  I missed the deadline for both summer and fall, so the soonest I can apply is August and the soonest I can take it is Jan 2014.  This does push me back a year, I was hoping to apply for the nutrition program in Jan 2014, and now I'm looking at Jan 2015, but I still have a few pre-req's to take and this will give me more time to do that, and not feel rushed or pressured to complete all those classes too fast.  As much as I'd like to go to school full time, I do still work full time and have 2 children, so that's not as doable right now.  I am very excited about this new route I'll be taking.  For now, I'm taking the summer off while I figure out how to take all the classes I do need, and I get my financial aid switched to EMU, but I am not walking away for long, I am too committed now!!

ADHD meds

Well, we did it, we started Garrett on some ADHD meds.  After a few very difficult weeks and some major temper tantrums at home, I had a serious meeting with his teacher, and then his pediatrician.  Matt was still on the fence, but with the kids insurance running out we decided to try it.  There was only 5 weeks of school left, so we thought let's see how he does, he won't take it all summer so we can think about the best options over the summer.  The Dr. agreed, and suggested 2 doses of Vyvanse, , only because the meds are expensive and without insurance he didn't want us to have to pay cash.  He made me promise to try the lowest dose for 2 weeks before I went to the next dosage.  The first day he did better but could not stop talking!  The first day he took it was a Friday, so he didn't take it over the weekend.  Monday, he did ok, but Tuesday was horrible!  So, I called the pediatrician back, and he just said give it time.  Well, Wednesday and Thursday were fantastic days, but Friday, and Monday and Tuesday were not.  Wednesday was good, but Thursday wasn't.  I called and talked to his teacher rand she agreed she could see some change, but not a lot, so we decided, on Friday to try the higher dose, and it worked!  He is now reading much better, writing so much better, behaving so good, the teacher admitted she forgot he was there on Monday!!  On Tuesday, he not only finished all his work, but even offered to help another child with his!  This has never happened.  Mrs. Sowell said he is just doing SO good!  I was glad we both were able to see her Tuesday night and Matt could hear her rave about his behavior, he needed to hear that to put his mind at ease for doing the meds.  I think it did.

She did tell me that he needs to be reading at a level 2 to graduate kindergarten and at Christmas he was reading at a level 4, but they retested this past week and he's now at a 10!  A 10 is required to graduate from first grade, so starting next week, he'll start reading at a second grade level!

Tonight, he did not argue or fight with me, and he choose to color pictures for Mrs. Sowell and Mrs. Brewer rather then watch tv, this has probably never happened, and at bedtime, he picked out a book and wanted to read it himself!  He had started really fighting us on reading.  So for everyone who says "don't put your kid on meds", I argue, look how much Garrett has improved in such a short amount of time!  I am very pleased with our choice.  I do still worry about long term side effects and i hope someday I don't regret this decision, but to see him do so well at school makes me feel so much better about my choice.

GT Expo

I don't remember if I posted anything about Garrett being chosen for the gifted and talented program or not.  It was right before Spring Break, I believe, his teacher approached me and said she thought he should be tested, we decided it wouldn't hurt anything and he was accepted!  The crazy thing is, most ADHD kids have a learning disability too, so this was a surprise to me.  Basically, the GT kids thing outside the box, it doesn't mean they are exceptionally smart, most of them are not geniuses, but they arrive at the answer differently then other people do.  It also means more time doing things he considers fun.  The Kindergarten class has 7 kids that tested into the program, I believe it was 7, and they each had to spend time researching an animal, Garrett choose a Cheetah, they were allowed extra library time, and computer time and art time.  They had to research their animal and answer certain questions about it, make a poster, then make a clay animal, they also had to do a presentation in front of their classmates and then Tuesday night, Bowen had an Expo where all the GT kids had their projects on display.  I was amazed at how well Garrett did!!  He wasn't the best artist, Rijo definitely wins that category, but Garrett made an antelope that was laying on the ground and a cheetah running towards it, he was the only one who thought to have his predator and prey on display.  He knew every fact there was to know about the Cheetah, but he also learned so much from all the other kids.  I'm telling you, this was right up his alley.  He had a blast telling everyone about his animal and at one point was answering peoples questions about the girls project next to his because she had gone to the bathroom, lol!  Needless to say, Matt and I were very proud of him!