Focus for this Year

Over the passed few years my posts have slowly been less not because I don't have more to say mostly because I find allotting time to sit down, log on and compose becomes more and more difficult. Also many times I think of a subject but to stop at that moment and write is always a challenge..then when I actually find the time then I loose the composition of what I want to say.

This year I have decided that I will focus the blog excerpts on deficits and difficulties that Dakota  experiences through out daily living?this isn't a a bitch session or whining ..quite the opposite! Itis designed to be a way to shine a light on those areas that need the most attention to those who may one day have to be the people who need to assist Dakota.....
Spurred on for the little encounter this past weekend at the party..(see previous post)

Physiologically Dakota appears to be able to do daily menial tasks that most typical people can..sleeping , eating, getting dressed, etc..unfortunately this is not the case. As the year progresses I will be writing observations on things that have to be done usually each and every day to make things AS NORMAL AS POSSIBLE!!!  

So the first subject I will focus on is Dakotas inabilty to express pain or describe it. It is simply the same as having an infant there are certain "tells" but for most of the time you have to be intuitive..is he hot? Is he poking his ear?is he chewing?is he unusually irritated?  

Now once you determine he is sick,then you have to figure the appropriate actions.just going to the doctor can be a huge pain in the ass..I know it is for almost every body but with him there are so many issues with the doctors office I can't begin to enumerate them. . .wait time,others who are potentially ill,behaviors, the examination, people coming in and out of the room, the poking and prodding (typical people can usually tolerate, not so much for our kids) and then if there is meds and you have you go to the pharmacy after wards ..well it's all a challenge to say the least ..

There are these issues...Dakota DOES NOT know how to blow his nose..I have tried for years to explain and show him how to do this and he just can't do it...It is still necessary to utilize an infant suction bulb to extra tall the nasty stuff from his nose when he's stuffed up(yuk).He also doesn't know how to spit,so getting him to expel phlegm  is impossible ..I even asked them at school to have his aid try to teach him to spit ..gross I know,but necessary!Additionally there his aversion to the toilet in general...I cannot get him to puke to spit or do ANYTHING  other than the traditional uses ..he is absolutely freaked out about using the toilet this way ..so when he is sick I have to put him in the shower to let him upchuck or use some type of bucket or towel..I know too much information!

The reason I am taking this path, is that parents and others who come to the blog need to know that whether their child has these same challenges or different ones they are not alone . Whatever their child's issues are it's ok to be frustrated and it ok to talk about it and seek out information for others.You never know, when you hear about someone in a  similar situation there may be a solution buried in the experience....

So for now this will be the focus this year. I hope it will certainly help others to realize some of the  simplest things we do on a daily basis ...we take for granted! Stay tuned.