T is for Tae Kwon Do

T is for Tae Kwon Do.  As we did last summer, we have enrolled the boys in Tae Kwon Do. This time, the classes are through the City of Mobile and are being held at Davidson High School.  We have 3 classes under our belts so far and Apollo is paying attention most of the time.  Both of his brothers are taking the class with him, so he does get distracted by Phoenix sometimes (who mostly just want to run around and have me chase him down the halls) but overall, he is doing well and mostly trying to emulate Orion.  He is also seems to get along with the other kids okay.  It's not perfectly normal child interaction, but he does at least look in their general direction when he is avoiding them, so there's some progress.  He is also genuinely trying to learn some of the moves.  So far, they have learned forward block, low block, high block, forward punch, front kick and crescent kick.  Could he do them all if I shouted commands?  Probably not.  But he can usually follow along in class and complete most of the tasks without too much confusion or disobedience.  It took him a while last year to get the hang of it too, so by the end of his training (it's a 6 week class), he will likely be doing well.

T is for Testing.  On my concerns, his pediatrician referred Apollo to the USA Speech and Hearing Center to have his hearing testing.  More often than not, Apollo turns the TV up to ridiculous levels and he seems to never hear anyone when he is being spoken to.  As we are still testing him to find out what is causing his social/obedience issues, I wanted to rule out a physical problem with his hearing.  (Phoenix was also referred for speech, so we were going anyway.)  The technicians at the hearing center were very sweet and patient with him and he did so well!  I was very proud of him.  He sat still, he paid attention and he PASSED.  So that means we are dealing with a listening issue, not a hearing issue.  This is what I almost expected, but I didn't want to leave anything to chance, so because the resources were available to us, I had his hearing tested.  It is a bit of a relief to know that at least it is behavioral and not something physical.

T is for Theory.  Speaking of possible causes for Apollo's social issues, we have run into a bit of a road block.  His psychiatrist does not think he is on the autism spectrum, which comes as a bit of a blow because that particular diagnosis explained the majority of his symptoms, so now we are back at square one.  The medication he is on is definitely helping him.  He's had far fewer outbursts and isn't as determined to act on his impulses, but I don't think the dosage is quite where it needs to be yet.  We will find out for sure coming up at his medicine check on July 20th, where they will either raise his dose to the next level, or re-prescribe him at the current dose. In doing a little research on some of my own eccentricities, I have discovered a potential theory for what may be causing the majority of Apollo's issues and it's something I never considered until I sat down and researched it. I have come to the realization that I actually have Sensory Processing Disorder and likely have my entire life.  I can hear things most people can't (like dog whistles, security cameras and muted TVs), I can see millions of colors, I can't eat a lot of foods because my sense of taste goes overboard with bitterness (broccoli, mustard and pickles are all among the offensive foods) and I tend to overeat the good stuff, I am weird about what touches me and how it touches me and my sense of smell is stronger than everyone in my family.  I never thought of it as a disorder or an over-processing of sensory input until I posted on Facebook that I was curious if there was a connection between my sensory overdrive and my migraines.  Someone who read that post suggested it may be SPD and upon further research, I believe she is right.  As an adult, there is little than can be done for me as I am too ingrained in my coping mechanisms and furthermore - it is believed to be hereditary.    So if I have SPD, it is highly likely that Apollo does as well and he is young enough for intervention to be effective, so his therapist is ordering further diagnostic testing for him to try to come to a definitive answer, hopefully before school starts.

T is for Terrified.  The 4th of July holiday was over the weekend, so I decided to try to take the boys to something fun to celebrate.  I knew I didn't want to get into something too big or overwhelming because the last thing I wanted was a meltdown or to have to leave early.  We decided to go to MGM high school in Semmes and go to the Freedom Celebration.  Apollo was bouncing away, happily shifting between the bounce house, petting zoo and obstacle course.  Then we took a short hiatus for a picnic dinner at the car and headed back inside to get a spot in the grandstands for the concert and fireworks.  I made sure to place us in the front with an easy exit just in case of sensory overload.  Even though the concert was insanely loud (no louder than any normal concert), Apollo sat there and seemed to be enjoying the concert.  All 3 boys played with their glow sticks and seemed genuinely pretty happy...  until it happened.  The first fireworks exploded over the stage as the grand finale of the concert and almost immediately, Apollo's eyes went blank, he squeezed them tight and slammed his hands to ears.  I was prepared for this possibility, but nevertheless, it still somewhat took me by surprise.  He was in such a desperate shut down that I couldn't even pull his hands off his ears long enough to tell him we were leaving and I had to physically drag him, kicking and screaming from the stands.  45 pounds of weight is enough to shift around on a regular basis, but when that 45 pounds is slapping limbs all over the place, it can be miserable.  I managed to get him into the wagon and to the car, but his hands didn't come off of his ears until we were 10 miles from MGM and he wouldn't sleep until well after 2 AM due the popping of fireworks everywhere around us at home.  He finally got some relief with earplugs.  I think we are going to be in the market for noise-canceling headphones VERY soon...

T is for Train.  We decided to take a day trip to see how the boys would potentially fare on a longer trip or even a possible overnight trip.  To make the story short, they didn't fare well and were grumpy and tired by the end, so we may be waiting a little longer for any real trips more than an hour or so from home.  However, for dinner today we decided to visit the Derailed Diner in Robertsdale, AL which is built to appear to be a derailed train crashed into a building.  The inside was fun and kitschy - reminded me heavily of Route 66 type decor.  We got to sit in the dining car of the derailed train and the boys enjoyed looking around, pretending to be a on train and coloring their menus.  Apollo made a huge mess of his chocolate milk, but otherwise did pretty well eating.  The food was good but nothing spectacular, so this will likely be a one-time visit.

T is for Triceratops.  As the main attraction for our day trip, we decided to trek over to Elberta, Alabama, to visit Barber Marina and its hidden treasures.   It is essentially a big roadside attraction with lots of places to pull over and get pictures.  The first thing on our list was to stop off at Alabama's version of Stonehenge, lovingly referred to as Bamahenge.  It is an exact replica of Stonehenge and aligned for the solstice as well.  Further on down the road there are dinosaurs!  Hidden among the trees are a T-Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus and an Apatosaurus, even though the latter is kind of hard to find.   While Orion and Phoenix had seen these dinosaurs before, Apollo had not.  He was a bit in awe of the first one (the fierce T-Tex) but by the end of the excursion, he was hugging the Apatosaurus!  Success!  Also found in and around the Marina were knights, a Lady in the Lake and a huge spider!  Much fun was had, but I think it is going to be our last trip for a while.  It was hot and sticky, the boys kept arguing and everyone was whining by the time we got home.  I do believe we are about to change up the seating arrangements in the car because they can't be next to each other for more than 5 minutes before they're bickering.