I confess, it hurt and yes, I even cried about it. A mom, who spends one hour every other week in the nursery with me decided to let me have it, with both barrels on Tuesday. She told me that my daughter was a good kid and it was my fault that she was misbehaving. She told me that I was too strict and too critical of my daughter’s work. She pointed out that my daughter sits in the nursery and works diligently every week. She felt that if my daughter didn’t turn in her work it was because she couldn’t do any thing right for me.

I sat there absolutely stunned, mouth... more

LuLu is riding the roller coaster again. Our psychiatrist wisely decided a medication change was in order. I think she’s made the right call this time. But one of the medications we’re weaning LuLu off of takes a long time to back down. It’s one that she’s been on for a few years now (successfully), but it may be causing some other issues with her right now.

So LuLu’s a bit up and down because of all this transition (although I already recognize the med changes are going to be positive ones…her lethargy is gone!) She is also very anxious about her... more

“Phelmbologist.” That was the way LuLu answered her pre-writing activity on Monday. Little did either one of us know, not LuLu or her science-challenged mom, that it was PHLEBOTOMIST. But I got the drift of what she wanted to be. She wanted to be the one who drew the blood…and she wanted to work in a lab.

Today, we had the ultimate excitement of going to the lab of the local children’s hospital for blood work. Usually we go to the nearby clinic that our insurance covers, so LuLu actually knows these women by name. Today we went into Atlanta and to the... more

One of the other intriguing comments on my blog about our children’s privacy was from “Scraps” who said:

When I was growing up we knew of a few foster/adoptive families. They were always "a little weird", and provided much fodder for judgmental conversation. As a child, I was unaware how unkind and ignorant those conversations were. Now I have no doubt that we are the "weird family" who provides plenty of gossip fodder.

Yep…me... more

I do realize that it has come down to a battle of our wills. My newly adopted daughter’s strong will verses my own strong and stubborn will. The battle has commenced and we are taking bets on the outcome. My newest adopted daughter has her work cut out for her. I haven’t survived parenting a hundred special needs children over the past 14 years because of fancy techniques or good looks. Nope, it has been by sheer will, determination, and a never say die attitude that got us through the really tuff times.

I tried doing things the easy way. I implored her to follow the... more

I can’t begin to comment on Nancy’s blog about our phone conversation, except to say that Nancy is one of the few people (Super Dad and my business partner are the other ones) with whom I’ll have a conversation when LuLu is in the middle of a rough patch. The rest of you get my voice mail!

But I do think I need to add, for the record, the glimpses of the cool kid I see underneath all this mess of diagnoses. It is the knowledge that the cool kid is in there that keeps this boat of near insanity... more

LuLu is using her extra nanosecond of self-control in the right direction. She has a “thing” about plastic bags, especially trash bags. Her obsession on trash bags is a weird amalgam of trauma memories and sensory stimulation and was part of what got her in trouble with me the other late night.

What I didn’t realize until yesterday was that she’s fascinated, obsessed with…or tempted…by a trash bag in... more

LuLu has been out of the hospital for 9 days now, and in the aggregate, as I look back over my copious notes on her behaviors, things have been better. I do believe the addition of the supplements and anti-histamine into her regime has helped. We’ve only had a couple of “flare up” episodes, both of which were quickly extinguished.

But last night, right before bedtime, LuLu engaged in an obsessive, trauma-based behavior that she just can’t seem to stop. (I won’t share it here, because the explanation is long, the behavior is bizarre, and it’s not... more

She came, she shopped, she is now home for a nap! I have a love-hate relationship with Black Friday. Nothing truly thrills me more than to get a good bargain shopping. I love to scope out the best deals around. So, when those sale fliers show up in the newspaper, and the ads start filtering in on the internet, Black Friday is hard to resist.

But I’ve had my share of Black Friday snafus, such as two years ago when Super Dad and I arose at the crack of dawn to go buy a trampoline for LuLu. We arrived at the parking lot at 5:15 am and there was already a line.... more

It never ceases to amaze me at how LuLu’s heart is in the right place, no matter what her mind and behaviors seem to be doing. Yesterday was our church’s formal collection of Operation Christmas Child boxes. If you’re not familiar with this program, it’s a simple and tangible way that anyone, especially children, can reach out to children around the world and give back some of our blessings. This year, for example, Samaritan’s Purse plans on delivering over 8 million Operation Christmas Child boxes to children in... more