adhd

Alex was recently diagnosed with ADHD. ADHD is a behavioral syndrome characterized by inattention and distractibility, restlessness, inability to sit still, and difficulty concentrating on one thing for any period of time. ADHD most commonly occurs in children, though an increasing number of adults are being diagnosed with the disorder. ADHD is three times more common in males than in females and occurs in approximately 3 to 6 percent of all children. It’s horrible to think that such a horrible thing could happen to such a young child. He will be going on medication to treat this behavioral syndrome. The only thing that I am happy about is that now there is an explanation as to why he acts the way he does sometimes. Hopefully the medicine provides Alex with the treatment that is needed.

(http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/279477/attention-deficithyperactivity-disorder)

Fridge Madness

Alex loves the new toys that he received for his birthday. He always points notice to the new magnets that he got. They are colorful gear shaped objects. They are pretty cool if I may say. If you press the middle button and interconnect the gears they all rotate. They can spread across the whole refrigerator. The magnets hypnotize Alex into a happy state. His smile is from ear to ear. He is in complete bliss when he plays with his new toys. I am sad that this invention wasn’t created when I was younger. I remember one of my favorite toys was my doll house. Alex’s enjoyment of the gears reminds me of how I was with my dollhouse.

Movie Star

This week for my final project in Language Acquisitions class we had to film a video document on a speech impaired child. Alex was the perfect candidate for this project because he has both a speech impediment and ADHD. He had a fun time being filmed and constantly asked to review the tape. He smiled each time he saw himself on the video camera. Alex was a big help on my project. He participated freely and willingly. It was sad to discover that Alex fell into the category of where a two to three year old child would fall into as basing it on speech standards. I feel bad for Alex because he was adopted from Ukraine when he was two. In those orphanages children were left alone in cribs with little to no social exposure. It’s a sad thought that children are living like that and I am very happy that Alex was one of those children that were saved.

Jill and Jen

Jill and Jen are Alex’s two girl cousins. He absolutely adores Jill. Jill is the same age as Alex. Anything Jill wants to do Alex is more then happy to comply with her requests. Alex has a habit of acting like a dog. Jill took this opportunity to take the time to play pet shop with Alex. Jill and Jen left the room and had Alex stay in the kitchen. They made the kitchen the pet store. The girls went around the corner into the living room and walked back into the kitchen. Jill looked at the “dog” and pointed it out to Jen. Jill started asking questions about the dog. For example she asked the price and what kind of dog he was. The girls purchased the “dog” and taught him tricks and played with Alex. The three children had a great time playing pet shop.

Joseph

So one day Alex and I had to play a game. The duck game that we normally play was broken and we needed to do something to occupy our time. I looked around thinking about something that we could do. I really wasn’t in the mood to paint or get messy so I decided that coloring would be the answer. I started to draw a circle because I knew that a circle is Alex’s favorite shape. I had a bunch of papers, scissors, and crayons. I decided that I would make a doll out of paper. I made the legs into a tube like shape and then connected it to a rectangular paper with flaps. I drew a heart in the center and his chest and then added arms, shoes, and fingers. I gave it to Alex and he had a great time with the paper doll he named Joseph. He took Joseph to the dentist and everywhere that we went that day. It made me happy that this paper doll had so much of an impact.

Whacky Trip to the Bank

I took Alex to the bank with me because I needed to get some gas after I took him to speech. Alex is a very social little kid. When we stepped into the bank Alex immediately ran to the glass windows where the bank tellers worked. He smiled and waved to all the girl workers. He acted very cute when the tellers asked him different questions referring to age and schooling. When asked to be one of the workers “boyfriend” Alex immediately replied no. After some thought he shrugged and decided that he would be boyfriend to any girl he saw in the bank. We ran to the car and Alex stopped by my trunk. I asked him what he was doing and he replied that he was a “stinky boyfriend.” I told him that he wasn’t and asked him what made him feel that way. He replied that he was a “stinky boyfriend” and wanted to show them his “stinky butt.” He wanted to moon the workers! I couldn’t stop laughing. Obviously, I told him that that was not a great idea and told him we had to get to speech.

Close Call

On Monday I was scheduled to baby-sit at five o’clock. Their mother and I planned to meet at Diana’s softball practice at a field near my house. I had told her that I had Yankee Opening Day tickets and that I would most likely be home by 4:30 because the game started at one o’clock. I would have felt bad canceling on her. So I reassured her that I would be there. I would never make an obligation that I couldn’t uphold, but, this was a close call.

I asked their mother that in the event that I didn’t make it in time would she have an alternate plan. She ensured me that everything would work out if I couldn’t make it, but would prefer if I could make it. I was hoping on ran on Monday because if it rained I wouldn’t have to baby-sit. Fortunately the practice got cancelled. Unfortunately my Yankee Game go rained out as well.

Speech Session

I took Alex to speech for the first time a few weeks ago. I was very anxious to go because I am a Speech Pathology Major in school. I was disappointed however, when I was told that I couldn’t observe his session. The Speech Pathologist suggested that she gain Alex’s trust by having a one on one session. I understood where she was coming from but, I was still disappointed.

I am very happy to report that Ms. Rhonda was correct in saying what she believed. Alex left her room with a very big smile. She told me what she did during the session and told me that in short time I would be able to observe. I am very happy that Alex has a good time in speech and has fun while learning.

Pet Store Palooza

The other day I set up a play date for Alex and his cousins Jill and Jen. I was supposed to meet up with his uncle and cousins at the YMCA playground at around four o’clock. It ended up being locked. I called his uncle, but he didn’t pick up. Finally, after waiting in the car for about fifteen minutes I got in contact with his uncle. He said that he was stuck in traffic and wouldn’t be able to meet up for about another fifteen minutes.

In order to pass the time, Alex and I visited the pet store across the street. Alex was fascinated by all the animals in the store. He admired the colorful fish and the fluffy bunnies. He walked throughout the store and commented on every new animal he saw. He played with the cages and opened up each and every one of them. It was very nice that Alex was distracted while we waited for his Uncle and cousins.

Playground Madness

After we left the pet store we went to the playground. This playground was absolutely insane. It might as well be renamed the “Zoo.” All the little children ran around the playground like animals. Each child had a huge smile on their face and was very excited to be there. We met up with Alex’s Uncle and cousins at around five due to the delayed traffic. Alex couldn’t have been happier to see his cousin Jillian. He adores her and has a great time playing with her.

I pushed Alex and Jillian on the swings while Scott Alex’s uncle watched his baby Jen. Jillian was getting a thrill out of the swings. She requested to go higher and higher each time I pushed her swing. Alex on the other hand was a little hesitant about being pushed higher. He seemed a little afraid to be high above the ground. We stayed there for about forty-five minutes and then had to leave to pick up Diana from dancing school.

It's the Grades that Count

I helped Diana study for her Math and Social Studies test last week. We studied for about two hours and then took a break and played Wii. Her teacher assigned her a challenging math homework assignment. The directions were to use the numbers one through 7 and use them in all different mathematical ways in order to reach specified numbers. We worked on this assignment for about an hour and then decided to move on to the next subject. We never completed the math assignment because it got to complicated and she was getting frustrated.

Social Studies is a field of study that I am very good at. I enjoyed teaching her about this topic and helped her remember the different ways to memorize her work. It all paid off when she told me a few days later that she received a grade of 92. I was so proud of her and very happy that I helped her.

Hide and Go Seek

As I got older I found myself playing less and less of simplest enjoyable games. It’s nice to be able to be a kid again when I play with Diana and Alex. We’ve been playing hide and go seek lately. It’s very fun to play this game. Alex usually gives up his hiding spot because he gets excited and laughs when I come close to where he is hiding. They normally hide in the same spot on the top bunk underneath the blanket. You think they would change it up a little? No. I pretend to search for them around the house when I most of the time immediately know where they are. We take turns hiding and seeking. As long as I see a smile on the kids faces I’m happy to play their games.

A break from the little one

After having a horrible day with Alex the day before I was relieved that I got a break from him. He went with his father to work the whole day. It was nice to have a carefree relaxing day with Diana. Diana and I had a wonderful time playing Wii and talking. She asked me to help her with a challenging part of the game The Spiderwick Chronicles. I’m not very good at those kinds of video games but I did help her out in a few parts of the game. She was very excited to beat the level and proceeded to the next one. After playing The Spiderwick Chronicles , we played Wii sports. We played bowling and tennis. I enjoyed my relaxing day of work. It was nice to have a break from the little one.

An Unpleasant Evening

One day last week Alex was so bad that I didn’t know what to do with him. He had a massive tantrum for about fifteen minutes and was acting barbaric. This only happens about once every 2 weeks. I don’t know what it is that triggers this behavior, but whatever it is it drives him to insanity. He was being so bad and I couldn’t wait to leave when his mother arrived. I asked him what was wrong a few times and he replied simply answering, “nothing.” I hate to be a discipliner but I had to take certain steps to calm him down. In my past training I have been told a few simple tactics to calm a child down when he/she is having a tantrum. First, you are supposed to ignore the child’s bad behavior in hopes that he/she will stop. If the child stops, talk to him in a calm manner and discuss his issue, but if the child continues other steps are required. Unfortunately, for me I wasn’t so lucky. Alex starting throwing things, kicking, screaming, punching, and almost broke the DVD player after hitting it with a shoe. He started banging his head and continued his tantrum.

As a babysitter, there are only a select few tactics that I am allowed to use. I decided to hold Alex on my lap and hold him until he stopped. While I was holding him I said be a good boy and calm down. The only way I will let you go is as if you calm down and be good. After putting up an epic battle for about five to ten minutes Alex finally ended. After his tantrum I discussed his behavior with him. He never told me what was wrong with him. I guess he was just in a bad mood. I discussed his tantrum with his mother. She approved of the methods I used to control him and was just as confused as to why he was acting the way he was.

First Timer

For the first time last week Diana and her friend went to the movies by themselves. He mother called me at 3:20 to tell me that the movie her daughter planned to see a movie that began at 3:30. I rushed around trying to get Alex ready to leave and try to calm the mother down and ensure her that her daughter would be safe at the movie theatres.

After getting Diana and Alex settled in the car, we rushed off to pick up her friend that lived a few minutes away. Diana’s friend Julie’s older brother came outside as I pulled up to plan out how the girls would get home. I told him that I would pick them up.

With only a few minutes left to spare, the girls ran inside and paid for their tickets and waved to me as they ran into the theatre. To ensure the girl’s safety, I had Diana text me at various points of the movie to make sure that they were ok.

The girls enjoyed the movie and had a great time knowing that they were capable of viewing a movie without adult supervision.

Kids Say the Darnest Things

So the other week I worked out really hard at the gym for the first time in awhile. I decided that I wanted to get more toned and had my friend Rob who is a personal trainer train me. We worked rigorously on my abs because I want a more toned stomach. It turns out I worked out really hard and suffered the next few days in pain.

I went to baby-sit the next day and could barely move. They best way to describe my body stature was comparing me to a hunch back. My stomach muscles were burning making it very hard for me to walk and stand up straight. Alex wondered why I was standing strangely and wanted me to show him how I stood numerous times. He asked me what was wrong and sympathized for my pain.

He asked me if I got bit and to stratify his urge to know the answer I replied yes. He continued by asking me if I got bit by a bug or a dog. I replied yes in order to stop his wondering. Finally Alex sparks up with an answer and his face lightens up. He say, “ I know! You got a baby in there!” My face blushed and I was said, “ NO, NO, that’s not it,” thinking that I could convince him that he was false. I thought I convinced him but I was wrong.

The next day while I was doing my observances at his mother’s school, she walks into the room that I was observing in hysterically laughing. She tried to catch he breath while she was talking and said that Alex told her that I wasn’t feeling good. She asked him what was wrong and if I was ok and he responded that I had a baby in my tummy. I wanted to crawl up in a ball and turn invisible. It was very funny and obviously a false story, but I was surprised to hear that he repeated his story to his mother.

A walk with Cody

I introduced Alex to my black Labrador Cody the other week. He was so happy to meet her and his smile was priceless. He was so anxious to meet her and he couldn’t wait to get to my house. We prepared for our walk around the corner by putting a leash on Cody. We then walked around my neighborhood for a short while.

As the dog walked I tried to apply what I had learned in my Language Acquisition class. In the class we were taught to question the child in order for him to learn about surroundings. I asked him to answer how many legs my dog has, what color she is, and what color her leash and collar were. He answered my question and actually was excited to answer them.

We later went to the pet store while Diana was at dancing school. We walked through the pet store and looked at all the animals and items. Alex enjoyed watching the fish swim and the tiny animals crawl around their cages. Alex picked out a new collar for my dog. He was very happy to get out of the house and view the animals.

A week without them...

It’s been a week since I’ve seen Alex and Diana. I miss them a lot. I never thought that I would have such an attachment towards them, but I do. This week all public schools have off. The time two o’clock has held a significant meaning for me. That’s the time I start babysitting and now it’s an empty slot filled with other plans.

Diana keeps in touch with me by texting me about day. She went to Massachusetts with her friends this week. She’s been telling me about all her activities. I didn’t realize how much I’d miss them. I can’t wait for next week to begin!

Text till No End

Ever since I gave Diana my phone number I have been receiving text messages none stop. It’s nice to keep in touch with her throughout the course of the day, but I must say, “THANK YOU T-MOBILE FOR UNLIMITED TEXTS!!” She sends so many texts throughout the day that if I didn’t have the plan I have I would be paying through the roof with the amount of texts I would be paying for. She idolizes me and likes to hear about my interesting life style. She is fascinated that I am able to go out on school nights and that I have a demanding social life.

Every time she texts me I am usually out and she admires the fact that I have so many friends. It’s different to have someone younger admire and be interested in my life. She’s like the little sister I never had and she’s analyzing my life as “that cool older girl,” that she looks up to. She once told me that she wishes that she can be just like me. Her words made me blush and I am happy that I am now somebody’s idol. I’ve never been so happy to be in the position I am in now.

Wii

Diana received a Wii game system for Christmas, but wasn’t able to start playing it until about a week ago because Alex shoved a wrong disk into the slot and broke it. It was repaired and shipped immediately to her house. Diana set up the system and we began to play. I had play Wii once before, but I wasn’t familiar with the many game options.

To start off we played a matching and continued to play each selection. We played Duck Hunt, Air Hockey, and Racing. We had so much fun competing with each other. We even got to customize our characters to resemble ourselves!

“Cooking Mamma,” is the game that we have been playing most recently. The chef selects recipes from a cookbook and we have to prepare the meals. It’s nice to be able to virtually make and learn about other cultures and their meals. Yesterday we entered the challenge so hopefully we will excel to the next round!

The day I turned from babysitter into a nanny

It all began a few days after watching the Disney Movie the Nanny Dairies that I had realized that I was slowly morphing into a nanny. Their mother would ask me to drive her children around in order to ensure their normal daily schedules. I don’t mind taking them around places to help pass the time. As a result, I replied yes to her request. It started off simply by asking if I minded dropping off Diana at dancing school and to go to the playground to occupy Alex.

I later became familiar with their family members by taking day trips to Chucky Cheese and play dates with their cousins. I finally realized the metamorphosis when I revolved my social life around my job. I would hesitate or think of alternatives before taking off and would also take the time to make sure that they were going to be ok while I was absent.

Diana and Alex enjoy my company and miss me when I’m not there. They make it hard to not give into them. I enjoy learning from them and I feel like we get along very well and that are bond will grow.

Spongebob the Almighty

Oh! Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS! These are the lyrics that hypnotize Alex into oblivion. He walks into the door, puts down his jacket and automatically sits in front of the television to watch this cartoon. I am amazed that a yellow sponge can have so much of an effect on a child. Spongebob is the almighty for this child and he can watch this show for hours on end.

Spongebob and his under the sea friends live in the town of Bikini Bottom. Spongebob is best friends with a starfish, Patrick. Squidward is a grouchy squid who lives in between Spongebob and Patrick. Poor Squidward has to deal with both Patrick and Spongebob everyday while they play. I feel bad for Squidward because all he wants to do is relax and play his clarinet. Although, Squidward hides his affection for his friendship with Spongebob, the audience knows that he in fact misses him when he is gone.

One of my favorite episodes of Spongebob Squarepants is when all the characters go back to medieval times. The characters are transported back in time and encounter there ancestors from generations before. I was hysterical laughing throughout the entirety of the episode.

For this one hour consisting of two episodes I am able to relax. Alex can be a handful sometimes, but his adorable smile and his manners make it all worthwhile. I remember watching my first episode of Spongebob Squarepants. I remember seeing a count down for the days before the episode premiered as this little sponge would descend from my television screen on the nickelodeon channel. I’m happy that this cartoon brings as much joy to Alex as it did to me when I was little.

King of the Toilet

It’s funny how a small child views the world. The four year old boy imagines a world where he is free to play. After a few times of asking to go to the bathroom I realized Alex is fascinated with the bathroom. Who knew that a bathtub with a shower door could be an elevator? Alex imagines himself being transported to different worlds by opening and shutting the shower door. For whatever reason, the bathroom is his playground. He likes to flush the toilet, turn the knobs of the sink, and turn the buttons connected to the pipes. As a teenager I reminisce about my childhood and realize how much I have grown up. I wish could go back to those years when all you needed was your imagination to have fun.

...just call me Chrissy Poppins

Recently, I was endowed with the honor of being a babysitter. I have always been told that I am very good with kids and that I should look into a career that evolved children. Being a college student I accepted this job because of the flexible working schedule. I enjoy being in the presence of children however; this job required more then what a regular babysitter would normally do. I realized that not only was I to be a guardian for these two children, but eventually I would evolve from babysitter to nanny to a “mother.” Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but little did I know what I was getting myself into…just call me Chrissy Poppins.