Griffin's counselor and I were talking today and she has been amazed at how far he has come and how much he has matured since he has been out of school but more so even since I stopped the Internet at home and cable TV. She commented on how he just takes everything in stride and is so well-mannered and such a free spirit. He has been so much more open in communicating his emotions and stating how he feels about specific situations, he is much more social both with his peers (something new) and as usual with adults.
We go to the library every day and just by being exposed to the myriad of books, cds, and DVDs he has started checking out books that are at least at his grade level which is a big improvement from when he was in school because he was reading 2 grade levels behind then. It seems that the more free rein I give him the more he develops and has an acute interest in learning and trying new things not to mention being far more creative. Needless to say I am extremely proud of him and could not ask more of him at the point in time.
Mostly we are still "unschooling" learning more about how to function in daily life than focusing on useless academics that he will not use when he becomes an adult. We work on money, cooking, cleaning, taking care of the cats, how to shop for groceries etc... The beauty is that I have stopped harping on him to do things and he just does them on his own now for example brushing his teeth and taking a shower. Now his favorite thing to do is to go to the library and print out images of his favorite cartoon characters and take them home cut them out and simply display them....it brings him so much joy. Life is so simple and beautiful now without technology I love being the one who connects to the people around me living in the real world in real time instead of always looking at a smart phone (I have a flip phone on purpose) or a computer. It is my pleasure to be a non-conformist as I have always been. I have found that I appreciate life and the people in it giving Griffin undivided attention when he speaks to me or needs attention from me. We live in the moment....mindfully. In fact, I can't even recall the last time he had a meltdown or screamed about something. He has been so happy & laughing all the time or contemplative and quiet as we respect each other's space and privacy/alone time. I have been reading and listening to NPR classical music or CDs that I get from the library.
The newest development is that we have recently found out that he has Type 2 diabetes and he takes Metformin, a short acting insulin Novolog, and a long acting insulin Lantus. At first he was so bad that he had high ketones (ketoacidosis) which is dangerous because it is like poison in the body doing damage to the organs, his blood glucose was over 450 the day we were in the doctor's office so they had to give him insulin right away. Now that he has been on meds for 3 weeks and we have both been very careful about our carb and fat intake eating lots more high fiber foods/complex carbs, veggies, and lean protein his BG has been within normal range about twice a day. It hasn't been better than that because we haven't met with the registered dietitian yet. I am interested in what she has to say about his restrictive eating and sensory issues with food.
Griffin has been eager to do his absolute best to be as healthy as possible and takes all his injections without any complaints even though one of them is quite painful. He is such a trooper! At first I was super stressed out and overwhelmed but we have both adjusted especially since I had already been working towards better health because I have Type 2 also. We have been going to the larger stores every day and walking for up to an hour and it has really brought our BG down not to mention that we also need to bring down our triglycerides and cholesterol which is directly related to having diabetes.
I am stressed now for other reasons financial, family, and my wicked neighbor who won't leave us alone but with the help of my dear friends Ali and Rebecca I am coming through it feeling like they are all just a blip on the radar and nothing is going to get in my way of being a positive, productive, loving, happy individual who is so very grateful for all in my life.
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