Happy weekend everyone! It’s been a busy two weeks.
D’s been having increased anxiety again, and we’re still trying to figure out if there’s a root cause that we should consider when creating an IEP. We had her assessed by a speech language therapist, and she turned out to be above average in spoken language. So when she DOES hesitate and have an anxiety attack while talking, it’s not because she can’t find the words first. The anxiety comes first, THEN she can’t find the words. We are now discussing assessing her for mild autism, based on some small sensory issues, a preference for structure, and some awkward responses to social cues. I’m about as convinced that she has autism as I was that she had a spoken language problem (which is, not very), but perhaps an assessment will at least rule out a problem that we can now just ignore. Or perhaps they’ll find something that I don’t expect. I am still relatively convinced that she has dysgraphia, but we are waiting for the first parent/teacher conference to determine what the teacher thinks about her writing skills.
M, on the other hand, has been excellently. We finally got a stimulant for the attention that seems to work and have no adverse side effects. We had a form filled out by the teacher, which said that M was in the normal range on the ADHD indicators and that he was above average both academically and behaviorally. That’s right. M’s better behaved then the other kids. That’s a far stretch from last year, when he was getting in trouble every day. So, yay! Something’s going right! We are thinking of not doing an IEP for him right now, since he’s in such a good place.
Aaron and I are doing well. There’s no news for Aaron. On the other hand, I made the mistake of going to the dentist on my birthday. Booooo! I’ve never had dental problems in the past, other than a couple of cavities, so it came as a shock when I was told I had periodontal disease and one cavity (underneath a silver filling – meaning I’ll have to get a partial crown). I’ve never had a crown. And the deep cleaning process for the periodontal disease sounds awful. Ugh! I’m going to be listening to that Dentist song from Little Shop of Horrors for the next couple of weeks, I think.
Periodontal disease is a risk factor for early-term birth (pre-37 weeks) and low birth weight. I’m not overly worried, as I haven’t noticed any symptoms of periodontal disease (even bad breath) other than the bleeding gums. But I DO trust my dentist. So, yay, even MORE appointments over the next two weeks. I’m SOOOO tired of appointments right now. I take me to all of mine, the kids to all of theirs, my parents to all of theirs….soooo tired.
On the Blog
I finally managed to publish a couple of book reviews! Yay!
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
The Mars Room, by Rachel Kushner
Plus, I joined #bookstagram. I’m hibernatorslibr (same as my twitter account). It’ll mostly be pictures of books and me, books and cats, or just books.
Currently Reading
I’m on the last 50 pages of The Hate U Give, so I should finish that today. The Passage is my scary book this month – I’m hoping to get through the whole series before Halloween, but we’ll see what happens. The Gene, so far, is excellent. And I Darken and Beyond These Walls are both ARCs from NetGalley. Yes, I’m behind on And I Darken, but I’ve decided to be responsible and catch up on some of my unreviewed books.
Completed
I finished three books last week. Reviews coming.
Bailed
I didn’t want to give up on this beautiful book, but I just couldn’t find myself interested in the words. I found my mind wandering instead of concentrating on how to move on after I am dead. I guess I better not die. 🙂 Not in Ancient Egypt, anyway. The book, otherwise, is beautiful and highly recommended.
Acquired
Beyond These Walls, The Witch of Willow Hall, and Them are all ARCs from NetGalley. I went crazy and requested a bunch of stuff. 🙂 The Greeks is a textbook that is suggested by a Ancient Greek history Great Course that I’m working on currently. The Mahabharata replaces The Egyptian Book of the Dead in my classical literature studies. To Be a Machine will be the next Nonfiction book I listen to (chosen because it won the Wellcome Book Prize), when I am done with my Halloween reading. And, finally, I gave up on reading Gulliver’s Travels in lieu of listening to it. Haven’t started the audiobook yet, but I’m looking forward to it.
Hibernator's Library 
Dental work can be difficult. I hope everything goes well and that this is the last you see of your dentist for a while!
You’ve read some good books lately (Hillbilly Elegy made me think). You have taken on some daunting books. Good luck!
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Yeah, I’m glad my dental work is over and done with. Now that I’m feeling better, I’ll take better care of my teeth. My pregnancy really did a number on them!
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That big dentistry sign made me cringe a little, as I spent several hours with my dentist this week: making a temporary bridge to replace the one that broke; and an extraction. Yikes, the after care is grueling.
Good luck with the kids’ issues…and may everything work out for them.
I enjoyed The Handmaid’s Tale and HIllbilly Elegy, and I want to read The Hate U Give.
Thanks for sharing, and for visiting my blog.
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You should really read The Hate U Give. It was the most powerful book I’ve read it years. I think everyone should read it. I FINALLY reviewed it. (As well as finally trying to get caught up on my comments. lol)
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My heart has been racing since I saw the big tooth on your post. Yeah, I medicate to go to the dentist. It is good you re getting things taken care of My son has aspergers and wasn’t diagnosed until later so I am glad you are going through the process. It really does help to understand what you are dealing with.
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Yes. I’m still skeptical that she has Autism, but it will be good to know either way. If she does have Autism, it will give us a hint of what is causing her anxiety (which is really affecting her quality of life).
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Oh and the Passage is one of my favorite trilogies. I hope you love it!
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I liked it and am ready to read the next book in the series, though I felt it was a little longer than it needed to be. 🙂
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I’ll have seek you out on Instagram now. 🙂
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Done! Thanks! 🙂
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Sorry to hear about what you’ve been going through with your kiddos, hopefully you’ll get a diagnosis soon, it’s hard not knowing. I’m also behind on reading And I Darken, I heard the third book was amazing. Good luck at your dental appointments, ugh! Have a great week.
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And I Darken turned out to be pretty good in the end. I’m glad I read it, and am looking forward to the next two books in the trilogy, which I’ve heard are even better. 🙂
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Aww sorry to hear about the dental stuff- going to the dentist is never fun. Glad you got good news on M though, and good luck with D’s anxiety. It can be tough waiting for tests and results and all that.
Hillbilly Elegy and the book on The Greeks both look good to me.
Have an awesome week.
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I haven’t started the book on the Greeks yet, but I agree that it looks good. I’m looking forward to learning a bit on a subject that I am poorly educated in. Hillbilly Elegy was very good, though there were some aspects that I didn’t agree with. Thanks for the luck with D. We’ll need it!
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I haaate going to the dentist! Even if they don’t find a small cavity, just having the metal on my teeth makes me shudder. It’s an awful feeling. I’m sorry that your situation sounds infinitely worse.
I hope you’re enjoying The Hate U Give! I thought it was an incredible book with a powerful story.
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?
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The Hate U Give was amazing. I just reviewed it and wished I could give it more than 5 stars. 🙂
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I am sorry about your kids condition but I am hopeful. I am sure everything would turn out great for both of them 🙂
And sorry for the dentist thing. I had to go to the dentist this weekend too but I bailed. But now that you have mentioned bleeding gums, I think I shouldn’t ignore.
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Yeah, I’m happy I went to the dentist in the long run – my gums are in better condition. But it certainly wasn’t a pleasant experience at the time.
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I hope everything works out with the kiddos! It can be so stressful!
I am on Instagram, too! I’m vivaciousbibliohile. I will go follow you!
have a great week!
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Yes, figuring out what is going on with the kids is difficult. But my hope is that if we can pinpoint what is going on with D, she might have as good a recovery as M had when we addressed his problems directly. One success makes it easier to be optimistic about another success! 🙂
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The dentist is the only doctor I don’t mind going to, but I am sorry to hear you had such a miserable visit. Boo! Hope the dentist is gentle with you.
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It wasn’t too bad in the long run. I didn’t like the gigantic needle, but that was the worst part. I’ve never minded going to the dentist before, but then, I don’t mind going to other doctors either. The only reason I dislike going to doctors, in fact, is that I feel often it is kind of pointless. I mean, I have a cold/flu – they’ll tell me drink lots of water and rest and come back if it doesn’t go away. I have unexplainable pain – they’ll do a cursory check and then tell me it doesn’t seem to be anything to worry about. So why bother going?
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I hope everything goes well with the dental work. I do hate dental work. Deep cleanings can be painful, but at least your teeth will feel extra clean. I hope you had a great birthday other than the dental visit! I also hope you are able to get some answers for your daughter so you can best help her. I hope you are enjoying your current books. I have been wanting to read The Passage for awhile now. And I loved The Hate U Give. Enjoy all your new books! Have a wonderful week!
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I loved The Hate U Give, too. Amazing book. The Passage wasn’t quite as impressive to me, though I mostly enjoyed it and plan on reading the rest of the books. It was certainly worth reading. 🙂
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Oh no! Dental appointments on your birthday? Ouch. I hope your teeth issues will go away soon, or at least not get serious at all! That’s the worse birthday present from the universe.
I’m glad everything is going well with M and best of luck with D! 🤗
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Thanks! I’m really hoping that the work we’re going through to figure out what’s going on with D will help her in the long run. 🙂
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Oh, that dentist appointment sounds awful! I hope you had a chance to enjoy the rest of birthday!
I’m currently reading The Hate U Give as well, and I’m enjoying it!
Have a wonderful week!
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I hope you enjoyed The Hate U Give as much as I did!
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Oh I hate the dentist! Wishing you lots of luck with the deep cleanings and appointments.
I’m so curious about And I Darken. I’m seeing it everywhere and it sounds pretty good!
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And I Darken turned out pretty good in the end, though it had a slow beginning. I’ve heard the second and third books are even better. 🙂
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