Life is a journey, not a destination

Life is a journey, not a destination.  Those words couldn't be more true.  With every passing year, I am made more aware of that truth.  Each big event, experience, hardship, and loss is just another leg of the journey.  Some parts of the journey are great and others are exhausting, frightening, and downright unbearable.  Yet with each new experience our family grows stronger, wiser, and becomes even better.

It's been well over a year since my last post.  Busy schedules, birthday parties, and life have gotten in the way once again.  It is only after another big event that I feel the keyboard beckoning me once again.  I don't know why I ever stopped, writing is so therapeutic.  It's a way to convey the simplest of messages, good or bad.  It's especially helpful when spoken words are hard to form, even with the best of friends.

A new leg of our journey is beginning.  Last week my youngest son was diagnosed with ADHD.  It's not like it was a big surprise, it's something that we've been watching for awhile.  We had hoped it was just a boy thing and that sooner or later maturity would kick in and some of the impulsive choices that he had been making would come to an end.  Instead we discovered that those poor choices were occurring more often than not and that he seemed to be in warp speed all of the time.  When he is in hyperdrive it's like watching a piece of flubber bouncing from one room or activity to the next.  He just can't stop.  

Our first step was having our family and the school fill out a Vanderbilt Assessment.  That way everyone involved kind of had a baseline of where we were starting, and where the problems seemed to be the worst.  It was also useful in determining our goals.  Shortly after, we met with our fabulous pediatrician who discussed all of our options (including massive amounts of exercise), and explained everything in detail to our very inquisitive 8 year old.  Collectively, we decided to place him on medication.  A decision that was thoroughly researched and not made lightly.  He started his first dose on Friday.

To say that the past four days have been a roller coaster is an understatement.  Since our son is only medicated during the week, we get a really good idea of whether or not the medication is working.  It is!  We may need to adjust the dosage because sometimes he seems like a complete zombie, but that may have a way of working itself out over time.  His ravenous appetite is gone so now we have to remind him to eat, even when he doesn't want to.  The worst part so far is that our lovely sleeper is a sleeper no more.  Last night he went to bed around 9:30 and was up all bright eyed and bushy tailed around 5:30 this morning.  We are exhausted, but we are also hopeful.  We are hopeful because we have seen so many amazingly wonderful changes in just four short days, including a confident little boy who has a renewed zest for learning.  I am confident that we will have more good days than bad, and that gives me so much joy.