Thanks to everyone of ya'll. NJmom I didn't mean to make it sound as though you were being negative about normal kids. Z'Anna has Cortical Vision Impairment I think that's what it's called. Her brain doesn't registar what her eyes are seeing. Yes I've been crying my head off. As I'm sure I will many times again. Our next obsticale is her hearing. One Dr tells me her hearing is fine but I'm getting a second opinion because how many kids don't respond when someone else drops something right next to them. My son dropped a glass right next to Z'Anna and she never moved, flinched, or nothing.

That is cause for concern. My best to you and pray you find out some good news, keep positive thoughts. I have a nephew who was born with a hearing problem but they didn't diagnose him with it until he was 2 or 3 years old. He is 30 years old now. Stay strong. If you need a friend, I am here, and many here are as well. We are all family. Keep us posted. I haven't posted on here in a while, and will have to catch up on what is going on with parents and their precious kids.

I'm trying to stay positive and look at everything from the point of she doesn't know what she's missing. I will keep everyone posted.

You are correct about that. That is what helps me to get through it when I think of how delayed my son is. But to him, this is how life is. He doesn't know or understand what he could be doing at age 9. He is happy, he is well adjusted, and he is my angel no matter how delayed he is. Just know we are all here for you!

Thanks again and both my kids are my angels. I also look at they are my BIGGEST inspiration to keep going. Another thing is they are our best teachers and they don't even know it.

Wishing everyone a safe and blessed Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving all!

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I did. Me and the kids went to my grandmothers. Grouchy old woman but I love her. Then I stayed in bed all day Saturday and most of Sunday with the flu. Still not over it but I can't stand being in bed anymore.

Oh, that sucks that you are sick. Feel better soon! I went to my brother's for Turkey Day. Actually had a really nice time for a change.

Like I said I love my grandmother dearly she's just grouchy. We ate to much and still have left-overs or at least she does. I only left with a plate for my boyfriend who had to work.

Well here I go.....today the tree is going up in the classroom. You do know and realize what I am going to face from today until next Friday!!!!

When do you put your tree up in your house???? I realize that not all special needs children deal with this stimulus the same....but it's like contageous if some get soooooo excited that it overflows........

We pretty much keep the a.m. time to academics and the p.m.'s to work on crafts/gifts.

This wk we're busy going to the shop class to crack open the 1,000 black walnuts (we went and gathered 6 wks.ago) and use them next wk. to make homemade goodies to take home for the holidays. I tasted one 2 wks ago and they tasted awful. Does anyone know if you are to roast them? The info. I got off the internet didn't tell me to. Just said to store at either room temp. or in fridge or freeze. But to bake with them do I have to roast them????

I think it depends on the recipe or personal preference.

My 5 year old had a stroke at 18 months.....sometimes the Drs call his problems CP, sometimes not. He is good now, although his balance doesn't quite work right and his legs are sometimes stiff. At home, he has a great attitude and is active as heck. My main trouble is getting the public school to let him be a little boy and quit shunting him off to the side to "protect" him.

sadly a lot of schools will do that out of fear of what the other kids can do. what you might try is talking to his teachers.....maybe they could find something for him to do to "help". more or less it would be giving him something to do that would make it easier for the teacher to know where he is. worked for my daughter after her accident. if that doesnt work you may end up having to talk to the principal or even the district itself. before they had my daughter "helping" they had her sitting in the office during lunch and recess with all of the kids serving detention, she thought she had done something wrong.

good luck with your son. i will keep both of you in my prayers.

I agree talk to the teachers about getting him to help them. Even if it's sorting papers by students names or picking up homework in the mornings, then passing out homework papers at the end of the day. Make him feel special and not like he's in trouble for something he isn't in trouble for.

Well the Drs' are still saying Z'Anna's hearing is fine ,but I'm still not so sure. Even if her hearing is like her vision something is going on. Her poor brain may just be not registaring the sounds, but I as a parent would rather know that than be told it's fine and there really be something wrong that can be corrected. Am I wrong for feeling this way?

I dont think any parent can ever be wrong, we know our kids better than any doctor. I honestly believe my being a panicy mom saved my oldest daughters hearing. She ended up with tubes in her ears at 15 months old because I kept taking her to the doctors because I knew something was wrong.

We are with our children 24/7, doctors and nurses only see them when we bring them in and then only for a few minutes.

I agree we know our kids best. I might have to go to every Dr. in the area but one of them is going to listen. The one I took her to on Friday agreed with me something is going on if she doesn't react. It's just a matter of what and can it be fixed. I mean we're talking about how she will learn alot of things in her life.

First, Z'anna is a gorgeous name!

Second, even if it takes 5 different medical opinions, get them. The stress we have over worrying about our SN children is already enough to tear you down. If you have added worry because you feel she has a problem that isn't being addressed properly, get as many opinions as it takes to calm your fear or get something done about it. Doctors are not always right.

My daughter was born 5 weeks early with a birth defect called an omphalocele. It's where her stomach, liver, bladder, intestines, and kidneys were out of her abdomen and protruded into her umbilical cord. The entire reduction, including two surgeries to close her belly, should have taken, "at the most", 4 weeks. 4 weeks in the NICU for a baby with a 1 in 4000 birth defect? Of course I was excited and amazed by what they can do medically these days.

She was in the NICU for 17 weeks. The surgeon that "fixed" her abdomen admitted that he nicked her diaphragm and lungs during surgery-- 3 weeks later! The nick in her lungs sealed itself. The diaphragm was permanently paralyzed, requiring ANOTHER surgery to tack it down so that her lungs don't collapse when she tries to breathe. They tried to take my daughter off the vent 5 different times before they realized something wasn't right. And the surgeon just smiled politely and said how beautiful she was for THREE WEEKS before telling me what he had done.

Now, even after she miraculously didn't have Downs or SB (which is usually the case with omphaloceles), she has to deal with respiratory issues. And she breathes so rapidly that it burns all her calories and she can't gain weight properly. She's 10 1/2 months and just 15 lbs. None of this would have been the case had the surgeon not screwed up.

So, doctors are NOT always right. They're not going to catch every little thing. Spiderman has spidey-sense. You have mommy-sense. If you feel something's not right, please, do what you have to do to either get it recognized or set your mind at ease about it.

sounds like you may have found a doctor who believes that the best thing to diagnosing her is you. it took me almost a year, but i finally found a doctor for my daughter that i was so comfortable with i took my other 2 to. he saw all 3 of my kids grow up into adulthood. it was great.