Here comes the last of my update for 2022. After the horror of the year was completed, we were relieved that it was time for a well-deserved, much needed break. We decided to do a Stay-cation as we just didn’t have it in us to pack and go away, even for a bit. We needed lazy mornings, chill time, fun excursions, less worry, less work and more fun and relaxation. So that’s exactly what we did – we stayed home and did outings in and around PE.
We went to water parks, we visited many restaurants, we had playdates, braais with family and friends, we played, we relaxed and we recuperated. Brother and sister had bonding time and had a ball playing together. Hubby and I celebrated our sweet 16th wedding anniversary after being together for 23 years.
Christmas was amazing as always. Christmas eve spent with Johnathan’s family, and this year we were alone for Christmas – the first time in quite a while, which was also nice. Hubby cooked the chicken and gammon in the Weber, so I just had to make sides and dessert. We ended up only having our Christmas “lunch” at 5, but had such a good time just chilling and being us. The kids got hoverboards for Christmas…it’s been on Shae’s wish list for quite some time; she actually cried of happiness when she opened her present. So glad I got that part on video.
Holly the Jolly Elf, our elf on the shelf also made her appearance which made Shae really happy, Jamie wasn’t bothered, but he made sure we continue the tradition and kept our secret. Holly got an elf-in-training to assist this year, so Twinkle Elf joined in the fun. I don’t know how long Shae will still believe in Santa and the elves, but hoping for another year as she is still a firm believer.
I’m going to let the photos do the rest of the talking
Happy kids for sure!
Lastly, since we (I) forgot to do our Year-End interview at the end of 2021, Shae made sure I remembered this time. I got regular reminders. Shae, little Miss Chatterbox, will not let an opportunity to talk go to waste! Jamie, once again not much bothered and was reluctant to sit down for the interview and was very eager to get it over and done with, but at least he participated! Excuse they eyeroll and facepalms!
This little miss was like a breath of fresh air, a beacon of light, a shining star throughout the year. With everything going on, this year wasn’t easy on her either. Imagine seeing your big brother is so much distress all the time, your parents trying their best to keep it all together…yeah, the year has taken it’s toll on her too, but she saw it as her job to make us laugh as much as possible and she would deliberately do funny things, crack jokes to get a smile on our faces. A big job for such a little person.
Three days before our departure to the hospital in Stellies I was called in to see her teacher as well, who had concerns about Shae being overly anxious and also exhibiting ADHD symptoms. We always expected as she is quite a busy bee, but at the time all of it just felt overwhelming. Eventually got her diagnosed (after we returned from hospital with Jamie) and we’ve been working with her to manage this proactively.
Shae did well in Grade 2! She really enjoyed her reading and Mathematics and she did amazing in all her assessments. The only thing she struggles with is handwriting, just like her brother.
She also had a grand time with extra-murals. She joined the school’s junior choir which was just up her alley as she loves singing. It made for early mornings, though as rehearsel was early mornings before school. She did athletics, netball, chess and tennis at school, although she is not a sporty person. Shae also begged us to enrol her into modern dancing and she really enjoyed this and will probably carry on with it this year. She also started karate on her request, which can never be a bad thing as it teaches great discipline and they include some self defense.
A big surprise this year was that she wanted to participate in her school’s pagaent. I still can’t believe that she went up on stage and paraded the way she did and even made the top 10 finalists. We’re raising a very self-confident girly and me being a very shy person found it very surprising and made me really proud.
Shae is a very bubbly little person and makes friends very easily. With her brother she has almost taken the role on as big sister instead of little sister. Sometimes encouraging Jamie to wash his hands, get dressed, trying to calm him down when he is in distress and sometimes even reprimanding or reminding him “not now Jamie”, ” Really Jamie?”, etc. Some days she has lots of patience with him, but then other days she has none…so some days they get on like a house on fire and the other days like a dog and cat fighting…
Other than what was already mentioned, a trip to ER to get 5 stitches and getting sick quite regularly in 2022, the year has been good to her. May she continue to flourish in 2023 and keep on being the amazing little person she is!
Some photo highlights of the past couple of months:
Easter with daddyStrutting!Look at her personality shining throughRawr!First netball matchLumo partyKarate girl!Kisses for my girlTiny dancerExcited on Xmas eveAt a local restaurant with their resident cat
This is going to be a long post, seeing as I sort of disappeared off blogland for quite a couple of months…with good reason. Life was tough 2022, guys… and I couldn’t get myself to write about it till things fall back into place. It just hurt too much and I felt way too overwhelmed.
So Jamie’s doctor passed away 2021… thanks Covid. And since then we went from doctor to doctor to psychologist to psychiatrist who could help Jamie with his autism and ADHD. None of them could help Jamie and understood him the way his old doc did and Jamie’s medication needed to be adjusted and no doctor could get it right. After a full blood panel with a new paed, he was referred to a new psychiatrist and said psychiatrist weaned him off his old medication and started a new protocol of meds. She also disagreed with Jamie’s autism diagnosis and diagnosed some type of mood disorder. It was a Sunday in April when he was off his old meds and started his new meds and just before 1pm we realised something was not right with Jamie. His pupils were dialated, he was sweating, high body temp, his mouth had a strange form and he started twitching. His body making a lot of involuntary movements and his mood eratic.
We phoned the paed on call and eventually ended up in the emergency room of a local hospital. Not that they did much, just evaluated and monitored him. Serotonin Syndrome was feared. This is a life threatening condition that is caused by the body making too much serotonin caused by meds. He was released from hospital in the morning hours with instruction to monitor him. Jamie was different. He couldn’t function, his mood still erratic, aggressive, suicidal, pupils still dialated like crazy. He couldn’t go to school, he was just unable to function at all, couldn’t even watch a movie or play games. Got hold of his psych on Monday morning without much help, but in the end we were referred to a hospital in Stellenbosch. It was an awful time between Monday and Wednesday. We had to prepare to go to Stellenbosch for 2 to 3 weeks where I would stay with Jamie and they will re-evaluate him and get him on the right protocol. It was hard to keep Jamie safe in these couple of days. I had to prevent him from putting his finger in a plug hole, I had to dig panados out of his mouth, keep him from smashing his head against a wall. He needed 24/7 monitoring and supervision to keep him out of harms way. All whilst packing, making arrangements, take care of Shae, work etc. It was a nightmare.
Thursday just before Easter we took the long road to Stellenbosch where we stayed in the most amazing hospital with the most amazing people, doctors, nurses and staff. They really took great care of us. It had the most beautiful surroundings in the mountains, we could go on daily walks and do outings in the area too. Most importantly Jamie was fully evaulated and re-diagnosed as autistic and ADHD re-confirmed. Jamie was seen by different psychologists, psychiatrists, paeds, OT’s and even physiotherapists. The time there was amazing and hard at the same time. He started new meds, time and time again, but this time they could monitor him and find the right meds. I was able to work from the hospital, but missed hubby and Shae terribly. They provided us with so much info, Jamie had terrible anxiety which was completely masked. He also has demand avoidance which together with the anxiety caused so much of our problems, but they offered us good advise on how to handle this too. We were eventually released at the end of April, but things have still not fallen in place with Jamie.
The HospitalBeautiful viewsEaster Egg hunt in hospital roomOn one of our outingsRainbow of promiseGoing home!
Luckily the psychiatrist at the hospital took Jamie under her care and agreed to do Zoom consultations with us on a monthly basis, so we keep on trying until we find the right medication for Jamie to help him with his anxiety. PE really has a lack of medical professionals who understands autism, so she was God-sent.
Most medications caused side effects, increased aggression, tummy aches, nausea, headaches, weight gain, more anxiety, suicidal thoughts. It all differed from meds to meds, but the psychiatrist promised she would help us until we find the magic potion for Jamie.
End of term 2 exams was hard for Jamie as he missed more than a month of school, he still got 80%+ in most subjects, but anxiety levels was through the roof. We eventually had to take Jamie out of school as he just couldn’t cope anymore. We enrolled him in an online school just so he could finish Grade 6 without falling behind while we wait on acceptance in a school that is inclusive of kids with special needs.
He wasn’t interested in sports anymore. He even had to quit karate because the yelling and stomping on feet on the wooden floors were so overwhelming and overstimulated his senses. The only thing he was interested in was computer games. According to the medical personnel at the hospital it is his way of regulating himself apparently.
In July Jamie celebrated his 12th birthday. Made him a Pokemon cake, went ice-scating and had all his favourite foods to celebrate him.
Every month his medication was tweaked and every month it failed. More blood tests, DNA testing etc etc. Until December came and all of a sudden after a small tweak the medicines just worked. At the same time we got acceptance in the special needs school for 2023. No more anxiety, no more aggression, he was the old Jamie again, or closer to it at least… there is hope!
2023. Now we await the new school year. I hope and pray Jamie will do well in his new school, that he makes friends and that his teachers will be kind. May we never experience a setback like last year! The toll it has taken on our little family is incredible, but it made us stronger and I’m thankful we got through it. How I don’t know, but we made it out on the other side.
My beautiful, baby girl turned 8 last Friday! We had a beautiful weekend celebrating another trip around the sun for Shae. Since I was away for 15 days with Jamie and our world being a bit upside down (a story for another day), I couldn’t get around to organising a party this year, but instead had many mini celebrations. Party packs to school, an afternoon spent with the princess in our lives, Shae’s choice of restaurant for dinner, a day at the races with friends and a braai with other friends. The girl was spoilt rotten with many presents, a special Descendants cake baked by yours truly and our house was decorated with balloons and banners to make it extra special. Shae loved her presents! She squealed with each present opened.
My Sweet Babygirl,
For 8 years you’ve brought so much joy to our world. You are just the most amazing little girl on this planet and we are so lucky to have you. We love your sense of humour, the way your eyes come alive and your pretty smile. We love how you want to do little things for us, your hugs and kisses, your zest for life. We adore you for your quirks, your cleverness, your energy and kindness.
Happy birthday, my Shae-Shae. May you go from strength to strength and may you experience only love and kindness along the way, as you give it so freely. We wish you only the best in life, utter happiness and joy.
Oh my goodness, what an overdue blog post! More than half a year of my kids life missing from my blog due to this mom’s tardiness… Let me try catch up with the last half of 2021.
My first year of having two kids in primary school was a busy one. Having to keep track of both of their homework, activities and such were hard, and we weren’t even going full force with Covid/lockdown, but we survived it! I am very proud of both kids.
Shae excelled in Grade 1, she quickly got used to “big school” although she wasn’t so impressed with the amount of homework she got. She found her feet quickly and made new friends. This girly charmed everyone with her outgoing personality and beautiful blue eyes. Smart, this one too! She loves her mathematics and I’m quite impressed by how quickly she picked up reading.
Jamie found it hard when school returned full time instead of every 2nd day, and he was luckily blessed with amazing teachers who helped him to cope. With his sensory difficulties, it was hard having to be in a noisy, full class again and Grade 5 was a busy one. But we made it through and luckily he thrived with his academic work and placed in the top 10 for his grade academically. With sport being on and off, Shae only did a bit of athletics and a bit of netball and she quite enjoyed it. Luckily Jamie had his karate, and a bit of athletics at the end of the year. My little Flash raked in the medals at the interhouse athletics and was named Jnr Victor Ludorum. He really missed his sports.
We were all thankful when the holidays started after the busy fourth term and exams! December we had a staycation instead of going away. We had friends and family visiting and it was lovely doing things in and around PE; and also a bit of kitchen renovations. Christmas was wonderful as always – spent with family and indulging in delicious foods. Holly our jolly elf visited again to Shae’s delight, but Jamie not bothered anymore. He knows to keep our secret to keep the magic for Shae alive. Hubby and I also celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary. Time flies when you’re having fun!
And now we are already stuck in this (not so) new year. The kids have found their feet in their new grades and already keeping me so busy. Both of them made the choir (early mornings, urgh!) and doing athletics, Jamie already started rugby practices and on top of that karate, music theory and trombone. Shae is not a sporty person (unlike Jamie), so she’s still deciding what she wants to do. She was out of her skin when she made the choir, and is really enjoying art, drama and singing at school. Let’s see what this year holds for us! Hopefully only good things 🙂 xx
While I’m blogging, I just have to post about my little haasbekkie who lost 3 teeth in practically a week. So cute, looking at her smile cheers me up every time! And she’s rather proud and excited too… especially with all the tooth fairy visits too!
Another lockdown birthday …. Jamie turned a full 11 last Wednesday and although we couldn’t have a party or even have people over we had a special day celebrating at home. He was quite happy with spending the time with us, eating cake and opening pressies at home. He enjoyed all the messages he received and even had some nice video calls with his friends.
My dearest big boy
Here you are, growing in leaps and bounds and it won’t be long until you are just as tall as your mommy… already reaching my nose and wearing the same size shoes as I am. Oh Jamie-Jame, you make me so proud. You will forever be my sunshine child… my firstborn and my boy.
Happy birthday, dude! May you always find the wisdom to guide you through life and the strength to handle whatever life throws at you. Above all, may you always be happy, may there always be a smile on your handsome face.
Always be kind and courageous. You have it in you to achieve so much in this life, I know it in my heart, but remember that you will have to work hard to reach your dreams. You are an amazing child, don’t ever forget that.
Shae celebrated her 7th birthday on Thursday. Yes, I can hardly believe it myself, my baby girl is growing into a real little lady. Every year I say my kids are growing up way too fast, but it’s so true. Can’t believe here we are at 7 and almost 11….
Dearest Shae
My beautiful girl, whom I love so much… words can not describe how much you mean to me. You’re my forever princess, my baby, my golden haired moonshine. Your hugs always make me feel better and your smile lights up my world.
Mommy is being soppy, I know… but you add so much to our lives. I’m so thankful for the day we were blessed with you.
I love how you are so chatty, even on days you talk way too much. I love your sparkly, blue eyes. I love your inquisitive nature. I love your patience and your kindness. I love how you love to be creative. I love your passion for learning. I love you for being you. Never change who you are, you are pretty amazing, kid!
Happy birthday, my angel-cakes. May this next year in your life be full of happiness, smiles and everything that is beautiful. Continue being the most amazing girl you are.
Shae started Grade 1 almost a month ago and I’m very proud of how quickly she is adapting being in “big school”. She still has her mornings when she doesn’t feel like going and there were a couple of tearful days, but overall she is a little trooper. A cute one at that 🙂 . I’m doing my last round of Biff, Chip, Kipper & Floppy, yay! She is very excited about her homework and can’t wait to show off her work every day.
Jamie started Grade 5. Phew, it’s a lot of work and I’m struggling having to balance work whilst helping him with his homework when he is at home every second day. They are already preparing for the test series and some projects in between as well. On top of it the dude started trombone lessons this year at school too, well it’s Zoom lessons. My poor ears, haha! He received academic colours for Grade 4 and he is very proud of it. Karate is also going well and he got a trophy for Karateka of the month.
This year is sure going to have it’s challenges juggling two kids in primary school, all whilst Covid is still around and making our lives hmmm…let’s just say interesting. The kids are still only going to school every second day. My two goes on different days, so there’s always one at school and one at home / aftercare (daycare rather!) . Right now there’s no sport at least, just PT every two weeks in a controlled environment and small groups after school. Parent meetings was replaced by digital communication sent out, reading books are scanned in and emailed for the Grade 1’s… so many things to get used too. I long for normality… to think a year ago we didn’t know what will be hitting us.
Anyhow… now I’m blabbering. I just wanted to post a school update, especially Shae’s first day… before another month passes 🙂 . Hope all the other blogger kids are enjoying their school year too
As per usual, I did the year end video with Jamie and Shae again. I have been doing it every year since 2014; asking the same questions and it’s amazing to see how some of the answers differ and how some stay the same. And seeing how the kids are growing up in video! In this video you will see a lot of yawns, haha… sorry! You will also see how confident little Miss Shae got since I started this tradition and you will understand a bit more why I’m so tired all the time, she is a chatterbox, actually both of them are. Also note Shae’s sense of humour, she sure is a character! Life is always busy and never dull with them by our sides!
Can’t believe the 2020 Festive Season is over now… it went so fast. But before I get to that, let me just write about what happened before the festive season.
Hubby and I got the dreaded Corona virus. After being super safe and following all the protocols which is easy for me as I was a bit of a germophobe to start with, so even before Covid hit our shores I always carried sanitizer, social distanced and all of that. When it started, I ramped things up considerably as I am high risk with my asthma. So groceries were sanitized, only went to Spar 7 am in the mornings, changed clothes and showered when getting home, no take-out, socializing or restaurants etc etc. Hubby and I started with what we thought was sinus (no other normal covid symptoms or fever), but when he was informed one of his client’s tested positive and he has been in contact he immediately got tested and tested positive. We immediately grabbed the kids from school and went into isolation for 2 weeks. Luckily it was on the last day of Jamie’s exams and he finished writing when hubby got his positive. It was dreadful to have, headaches started a day after and absolute exhaustion. Was so tired, I don’t know how I survived. Coughing and shortness of breath only a couple of days after, but we never got fever, sore throats, loss of taste and smell like they advise is the regular symptoms. I am grateful we got through this.
In other news, the kids completed their school year. Jamie passed with flying colours, placing in the top 10 for his grade and Shae graduated from Pre Primary. She did so well on her report as too, a real bright spark, especially in maths.
Shae on her First day of Pre Primary vs her last
Christmas holidays was pretty low key as we chose to stay home mostly. We postponed our planned trip to Oudtshoorn, but the relaxing time at home was much needed to shut off from work and the hectic year. We kept to our traditions, putting up the Christmas tree, having a Christmas eve braai with my mom in law and spending Christmas with my family. Holly the Jolly Elf (on the shelf) made her appearance again to Shae’s delight. Jamie now does not belief in Santa and all of that, but he agreed to keep the secret and play along for his little sister’s sake. The two loved their Christmas pressies, once again they were spoilt rotten by us, “Santa” and the rest of the family. Hubby and I also celebrated our 14th Wedding Anniversary on the 23rd of December. We ventured out to have dinner out for the first time, but it worked out fine as we sat outside and there were no other tables. Oh, and another “outside adventure” we discovered Norm Hudlin – a lovely trail on private grounds. We did a 7km trail and it was wonderful to get out of the house and into nature and breathe in fresh air. Otherwise we just missed the beach where we usually spend most of our December’s as beaches were closed due to Covid. Hubby and I have fishing licenses as it’s a hobby and that’s allowed, but we never ventured out to do some fishing. Even low key, it was a lovely holiday with my specials.
Let the photos tell the rest of the story.
Have a happy, healthy 2021 you all! Stay safe out there xx
Oh wow, I haven’t blogged in ages and now returned to this new WordPress editor which took me forever to figure out!
This year is speeding by like it’s nobody’s business and what a weird this year was with Covid and everything it brought along.
Jamie’s year is going well so far. He really likes going to school every second day and all the protocols at school really does him well, so he has had an exceptional year. He wrote his first exams and placed in the Top 10 for his grade. We’re now busy with the 4th term exams and so far so good – after today only 3 subjects remaining. He also enjoyed his music this year, taking his recorder lessons online. They just finished working on a Celebration in Isolation concert. He had to do his recorder and choir performances and then they’ll put it all together in an online video / concert. I can’t wait to see the end product – the teachers and children really worked hard at it. Not to mention the parents (read moms) that did the recordings! Jamie is also still doing his karate and enjoying it. Soon he will try out of orange belt. Little mister is doing well and has really grown up too fast, growing in leaps and bounds. Still don’t know where the last 10 odd years went.
Little Miss Shae. She is getting ready for her Grade R graduation. It will also be a video’d event as we can’t do public gatherings with Covid on the rise. Next year it’s time for Grade 1 and we can’t wait for her open day at primary school next month. She’s also growing way too fast. Learned so much this year, the whole letterland and doing basic maths. She thrived with all the learning. She keeps us busy though as she thrives on a lot of attention, I suppose like any kid does. Besides doing pottery at school she’s not doing other extra-murals at this stage. Let’s see what she’s interested in next year in big school. She’s a real chatterbox and has about a 100 stories when she comes home after her school day. My little beauty!
Oh, I never got to post these, so before they age another year – Jamie & Shae at their current ages:
Life with Jamie & Shae 