Comments on: They say its your birthday

By: DD

DD — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 03:10:12 +0000

Sorry if I’m late to the birthday party. You’ll forgive me if I bring wine, right?

Happy Birthday!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:58:50 +0000

Hi Michelle,
I have been reading your blog for quite some time because I too have adopted a girl from Guatemala. The girls are close in age. Anyway, I am a speech therapist (plus I have a short frenulum) who has worked with feeding patients and read your latest blog post about Tessa. Sounds like you should see some improvement with the Nuk brush. Did the hospital give you specific exercises to work on? If you need further assistance I would see an OT or a feeding specialist (OT or a speech therapist). Let me know if you have any questions – I could try to help.

By: Manjit Raina

Manjit Raina — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:35:31 +0000

Hi There, just came across your posting on tongue lateralization. I have been having major feeding problems with my 15 month old boy ever since I started him on solids. He was also born with mild low muscle tone and needed physical therapy to sit up. He started walking at around 13-1/2 months. Just like your daughter, he too swallows his food. There is absolutely no chewing. Couple weeks ago our county occupational therapist suggested he has tongue lateralization…and that is probably the reason he was not chewing. We have also been working with the nukee, that you have shown, to stimulate his mouth and giving him table food cut into small pieces. I would love to hear more from you on what exercises you are working on with your daughter. Thanks..

By: Jenny

Jenny — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 00:50:22 +0000

Hey-o! Happy birthday!
Or as A would say “Argh, Matey!”

By: Yeah So

Yeah So — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:01:52 +0000

Happy Happy Birthday! Glad the day was a non event – you can get yourself so worked up imaging all sorts of crazy things – our friend’s child had their frenulum clipped and it make a instant huge difference in eating and speech, and the procedure was worse on the parents than it was on the kid. Hope it doesn’t come to that, but just so you know it would be fine if it did.

By: Leisa Hammett

Leisa Hammett — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 12:39:08 +0000

Hi, Michelle. How clever that Warhol-ish take off featuring you. Very nice. Like that. (Andy Warhol has a form of high functioning autism, called Asperger’s syndrome, btw.) As far as the labels thing, well, as a parent of a child who has “labels,” it can be viewed several ways. If there is an issue going on, many parents feel relief to have a name, to have a path now to look for help and information and get help. Labels, unfortunate as some may view it, are what you need to get help in the public school system, where severe disAbilities are served best in greater Nashville. Secondly, we can choose how we allow labels to affect us. We can view them as slapped on, hung onto us by society, etc., etc. Or, we can go about our merry way and know that labels do not define us, as Jerry Newport aptly named his book about having Asperger’s/Autism: “Your Life is Not a Label.” Or, the Down Syndrome Association of Middle Tennessee’s slogan: “Down syndrome unites us, it doesn’t define us.”

It’s an important lesson I learned in my early 30s that carried me into the disAbility journey at the near end of that life decade. As individuals, we are each responsible for our own feelings. We choose how we are going to feel about things and other people and even their actions toward us. And if we think that they think something about us and it bothers us, there’s likely something within us that believes it or believes something about us is inferior, etc. That’s my truth and it’s radical to some, but not unique by any means.

We did the NUK brush with occupational therapy to desensitize my daughter with autism from her mouth-food sensitivities and it worked beautifully. We had some great private and public school OTs. There are also specialists called Feeding Specialists and even a place where I’ve known people to go in Pa. just for feeding therapy. Of course, you may not need ANY of this! I hope not and I’m believing and knowing the best for you and your sweet one!

I came on here to post that I referred to you over at a social media site where I am a moderator, MomsLikeMe.com of the Tennessean where they have an adoption group. Here’s the link: http://nashville.momslikeme.com/members/JournalActions.aspx?se=&filter=0&m=247131&dt=MWorldData.Message&pi=1&sn=0&si=Comments&g=247043&q=&sd=

By: carla

carla — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:15:45 +0000

happpppppy 5 hours belated!!!

when we got home from the Mala there was some concern about E’s hips and we had to do a bunch of testing.
Every time we went for the tests/follow up I was thankful for all she could do—no matter the outcome of what we were investigating.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 05:01:32 +0000

Happy, Happy Birthday. I hope your day was extra special.

By: Laura

Laura — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:40:46 +0000

A little late for the party…but it is still time on the west coast to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

By: KimN

KimN — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:59:41 +0000

Happy Birthday!

We visit Children’s Hospital so often that we now qualify for free parking (we are there at least once a week). Unfortunately, Ellie qualifies for many of the labels. I wish it wasn’t so. Glad your experience this time was good.