First Day Of Tenth Grade

Big Girl is off to her homeschool co-op today to begin tenth grade.  She will be taking geometry, biology, ancient history and a painting/drawing class there.  In April, she will take the state's standardized high school assessments in Biology and Geometry.  Last April she took them in US History and Algebra 1.

At home, I am teaching Big Girl one of her Language Arts electives: The History of Western Drama.  We started in June and plan to have the 130 required hours completed by the end of 2024.

Big Girl is not a morning person and does not like to eat breakfast which she usually prepares for herself.  Often, we have to remind her to take a little something at least to avoid getting hangry before lunch.  Today, I treated her to a blast from the past with a small piece of Fairy Toast and was happy that this elicited a rare teen smile and an "Aww, like when I was little."

I was glad to see that she packed herself a hearty school lunch (ham, cheese, arugula, hummus sandwich with a side of sliced apples and bell peppers).

Here's to a great sophomore year!

On Loss and Grief

Our next door neighbor lost her husband unexpectedly several months ago.  We have always been friendly with this family since we moved here in early 2015, but now we are taking even more special care to check in on her.

Since our neighbor has a quiet house, Big Girl will occasionally visit to chat or do homework there.

Big Girl has had her share of loss and grief in her life and I know it impacts her to see the gargantuan daily effort our neighbor is making to move forward alone.  Since it's challenging for Big Girl to talk face to face about feelings, one day she gave kindness and support in the best way she knew by leaving an encouraging note in the kitchen which our neighbor shared with me.

MaOma Was Here

My Mama aka the kids' Oma was visiting for most of this summer and while it does feel like summer passed us by in a haze of home renovation, we did try to put some fun into her stay.

June 22 - Inside Out 2 Matinee

June 29 - Graduation/anniversary party with our Indiana cousins

July 6 - Fourth of July party and fireworks with our other Indiana cousins

July 12 - Birmingham Oratorio by Cincinnati Opera at Music Hall

July 13 - Family Dance Day at the Cincinnati Ballet

July 15 - Lunch at the historic Golden Lamb for our moms and one of Craig's aunts

July 21 - Visit to our new state park, Great Council State Park, dedicated to the Shawnee people

July 27 - Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

July 28 - brunch at our lovely neighbor's house

IAC Sessions 599 to 609 2024

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 599 which was held on January 11, 2024:

1) Canadian dossier from FEB 2019 referred twins, male and female, aged 1 year and 10 months with features in health status and a family history

2) Canadian dossier from MAR 2023 referred a male child aged 7 years and 7 months with features in health status

3) Canadian dossier from JUN 2023 referred a female child aged 10 years and 8 months with features in health status

4) Italian dossier from OCT 2023 referred a male child aged 11 years and 7 months with features in health status

5) US dossier from DEC 2023 referred an identified waiting child

6) US dossier from JAN 2024 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 600 which was held on February 9, 2024:

1) US dossier from FEB 2024 referred an identified waiting child

2) US dossier from FEB 2024 referred an identified waiting child

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 601 which was held on February 15, 2024:

1) Spanish dossier from OCT 2014 referred a male child aged 7 years and 4 months

2) US dossier from MAR 2019 referred a male child aged 2 years and 2 months with features in health status

3) French dossier from FEB 2022 referred a male child aged 3 years and 6 months with features in health status and a family history

4) Canadian dossier from DEC 2022 referred a female child aged 5 years with features in health status and a family history

5) Spanish dossier from JUN 2023 referred a male child aged 3 years and 11 months with features in health status and a family history

 The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 602 which was held on February 23, 2024:

1) Spanish dossier from DEC 2015 referred a male child aged 8 years and 10 months

2) Italian dossier from FEB 2019 referred a brother an sister aged 6 years and 11 months and 5 years and 11 months

3) Italian dossier from APR 2019 referred a female child aged 8 years and 8 months

4) Italian dossier from MAR 2023 referred sisters aged 9 years and 1 month and 4 years and 8 months

5) Italian dossier from MAY 2023 referred brothers aged 8 years and 10 months and 7 years and 8 months with features in health status

6) US dossier from JUL 2023 referred a female child aged 1 year and 9 months with features in health status

7) Italian dossier from MAY 2019 referred sisters aged 10 years and 2 months and 6 years and 7 months with features in health status

8)  US dossier from FEB 2024 referred an identified waiting child

9)  US dossier from FEB 2024 referred an identified waiting child

10)  US dossier from FEB 2024 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 603 which was held on February 29, 2024:

1) Spanish dossier from MAR 2017 referred a female child aged 8 years and 1 month

2) Italian dossier from SEP 2022 referred siblings aged 4 years and 11 months and 8 years and 4 months and 5 years and 10 months with features in health status

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 604 which was held on March 12, 2024:

1) Italian dossier from AUG 2014 referred a female child aged 12 years and 3 months

2) Canadian dossier from SEP 2023 referred a brother and sister aged 9 years and 11 months and 8 years and 3 months with features in health status and a family history

3) Canadian dossier from FEB 2024 referred a male child aged 12 years and 6 months with a family history

4) US dossier from MAR 2024 referred a male child aged 2 years and 9 months with features in health status and a family history

5) US dossier from MAR 2024 referred an identified waiting child

6) US dossier from MAR 2024 referred an identified waiting child

7) US dossier from MAR 2024 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 605 which was held on March 28, 2024:

1) Italian dossier from SEP 2017 referred a female child aged 8 years and 2 months with features in health status

2) US dossier from DEC 2022 referred a female child aged 1 year and 7 months with features in health status and a family history

3) US dossier from JAN 2023 referred a male child aged 1 year and 8 months with features in health status

4) Italian dossier from FEB 2023 referred a male child aged 11 years and 10 months with features in health status

5) Italian dossier from MAR 2024 referred an identified waiting child

6) US dossier from MAR 2024 referred an identified waiting child

7) US dossier from MAR 2024 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 606 which was held on April 25, 2024:

1) US dossier from MAY 2023 referred an identified waiting child

2) Italian dossier from OCT 2023 referred a male child aged 11 years and 9 months

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 607 which was held on May 16, 2024:

1) US dossier from AUG 2023 referred an identified waiting child

2) US dossier from APR 2024 referred an identified waiting child

3) US dossier from APR 2024 referred an identified waiting child

4) US dossier from APR 2024 referred an identified waiting child

5) US dossier from MAY 2024 referred an identified waiting child

6) US dossier from MAY 2024 referred an identified waiting child

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 608 which was held on May 22, 2024:

1) French dossier from DEC 2021 referred a male child aged 1 year and 7 months with features in health status and a family history

2) US dossier from MAR 2023 referred a male child aged 4 years and 2 months with features in health status and a family history

3) Italian dossier from APR 2023 referred siblings aged 5 years and 2 months, 8 years and 7 months, and 6 years and 1 month

4) Canadian dossier from NOV 2023 referred a male child aged 2 years and 3 months with features in health status and a family history

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 609 which was held on May 30, 2024:

1) Italian dossier from AUG 2023 referred brothers aged 11 years and 6 months and 7 years and 8 months with features in health status

2) US dossier from MAR 2023 referred brothers aged 13 years and 6 months and 11 years and 1 month

3) Canadian dossier from MAR 2024 referred siblings aged 8 years and 3 months, 10 years and 11 months and 9 years and 10 months with features in health status and a family history

Home Reno Update

I haven't posted much about the home addition/reno that's been going on for over six months because by now, we all feel like this about it (captured aptly by Little One).  The mental health toll is real and we're struggling.

The entire project, phases 1 and 2, was supposed to have been finished at the beginning of June.  The addition is relatively complete at this point and we have occupancy of our beautiful new kitchen and dining room plus the adjacent family room. The landscaping around the addition is taking shape, too.

However, the other side of the house looks like this as of today and there's no end in sight yet to the reno.

On the upside, we were able to donate our old kitchen and bay window to Habitat for Humanity which made us really happy.

To be continued...

School's (Sort Of) Out For Summer

The 2023/24 school year has come to an end and we're all very excited for summer.  At the same time, unlike in years past, we're also already prepared for the lessons of the next academic year which alleviates quite a bit of stress for me.  Under Ohio's new home school law that went into effect last October, there's less of a bureaucratic burden on home schooling families and the requirements are more flexible.  Accordingly, the level of materials I need to prepare are much fewer particularly since we have learned that less is more with two of our students here and that a fairly interest-based approach works best.  This is why some of us now know all about poop and MRI scanners.

With me our 8th graders will work on Science (the water cycle, landforms, vertebrates) and History/Social Studies/Government (presidential elections, US presidents, kids who made a difference plus culture of Armenia/Bulgaria).  Language arts and math will be covered through their other teachers that meet with them multiple times a week.  I have prepared about ten laminated info sheets by topic and a couple of sets of flashcards and that's all we need to start.  Any other materials will be located and provided throughout the school year based on the kids' progress and interest.

Our sophomore will be taking Geometry, Biology, Ancient History and an art class at her home school school and a History of Western Drama class here with me at home.  I have already selected the plays we will read and will formulate my lessons plans as we go.  Big Girl and I have agreed that we will try to complete this class with the required 130 hours by the end of December 2024 (we have started the class already and will go through the summer), so that she can focus on Biology and Geometry in the spring and prepare herself for the state testing.

Big Girl will also continue to work on obtaining her driver's license. She has completed all required education and passed all theory tests and will begin her lessons behind the wheel in an adapted car on June 18.

PSA: Iron Deficiency

We just experienced the results of undiagnosed, severe, long-term iron deficiency in a very scary scenario, so I want to mention some lesser known symptoms of iron deficiency here that may go unrecognized especially in individuals with complex support needs.  I am also adding details about how some of these symptoms were expressed in our case verbally or physically.

1) Whooshing in the ears: "My ears are humming."

2) Rapid heart beat: "My heart hurts."

3) Poor sleep: waking up multiple times per night and walking around

4) Poor growth

5) Restless legs: legs drumming on the mattress multiple times per night while asleep

6) Ulcers/cracks in the mouth: "I have sores in my mouth."

7) Sore tongue: moving tongue around the mouth vigorously

8) Brittle nails

9) (Increased) anxiety

10 (Increased) depression

11) (Increased) symptoms of ADHD

12) Itchy skin or rash: "All the clothes are itchy."

13) Poor temperature regulation: "I have a little fever."

We saw multiple specialists to address certain isolated symptoms, but until this week, there was no cohesive interpretation of what may have been underlying a slow physical and mental health deterioration, presenting itself in all 13 symptoms above over time.

In addition, if you take SSRI or SNRIs, please have your doctor do complete blood cell counts with some regularity and test for iron/ferritin levels etc. specifically as well.