Another day in paradise. Well, our version at least. We live in Florida and grateful to be back. We lived out west for a few year because of Daddy's job, and luckily it was Daddy's job that brought us back!

I sit, hoping that now I *finally* get BigA down for her nap, that LilA will nap a few more minutes. Here are my thoughts...

We got back from LilA's EI meeting. I hate to say its routine, but having been through EI before with BigA, I know what to expect. I was surprised to hear they are about 5 weeks from booking evals. Wow....lots can happen in five weeks. At least in FL, kids with Torticollis are at risk for developmental delays, so I am hoping to catch it early with LilA and get her the services she might need. You thought this was about living with SPD. Well, it is. Right now, I do have tort on the brain b/c of LilA today. Trust me, I have plenty to blog about regarding SPD.

I am rather new at all the facebook and twitter stuff. Check me at out @sensationalmama on twitter. Even though I am in marketing, I really don't get all the new techie stuff out there. I hate to call myself old school, but I guess I am. I'm not old...just an older mother, if you call mid 30s old.

We start school next week for BigA. WOO HOO! I do love having her home, but I'll be honest, I'm having a challenging time getting BigA's sensory needs met, while trying to meet LilA's physical therapy needs. Frankly, I'm failing at both. I'm probably not, but I feel like I am. I had all these great things to do for BigA and only, hmmm, maybe 3 have been checked off our list. You know, it's not about what you do to get to the end, but how you enjoyed the ride, right? Well, parts of this summer I can say I haven't enjoyed. So I think for all of us, it will be a good thing.

You put your 2yo in school? It's daycare, right? Nope. BigA goes to a fantastic ESE preschool. What's ESE? Exceptional Student Education. Florida School language for special needs. I love this program....they offer all the therapy services on site, while ESE teachers are working with basic early childhood concepts. It's a part of the local school district here, so yes, BigA goes to school. I miss her dearly, but they can offer her so much more than I could, not to mention the socialization and independence she's gaining. At first I was upset, but quickly realized, it's not about me...this is about BigA and what's best for her.

She can stay at school until she's 6, or when she advances out of the program. Right now, she continues to have more than a 25% delay in her language (thank you, SPD) and that's the main reason she has an IFSP and qualifies for this school program. Enough about school...that starts next week. Let me enjoy the few days I have left with BigA at home with me.

Would love to chat more, but LilA really is ready to get up from her nap. Let me get her before she wakes up BigA, who just went to sleep....Such is life!!

I am not the first and definitely won't be the last. My name is Sensational Mama and I have two Sensational Kids. Ok, one Sensational Kid and one terrific baby! Why am I so sensational? I am sensational because my first child has Sensory Processing Disorder. A book that changed my life---Sensational Kids by Lucy Jane Miller---calls these precious sensory children--and adults--who suffer from this condition "sensational." When Dr. Miller signed my copy of her book, she signed it to a "sensational" mama. And you know, I am pretty darn sensational. Not in that sense, but to learn, to laugh, to cry, to hold and to grow with my precious Big A as she, hmm, we learn more about SPD and how it impacts her life.

Little A just joined our family a few months back. I say she's a terrific kid because we don't know (yet) if she's a sensational child or not. It's too early to officially diagnose it, but there are things Little A does that Big A used to do at this stage and it makes me nervous. Why would I be nervous about Little A having SPD? Because of the tears, heartache and frankly the expense that we have incurred. Unfortunately our insurance doesn't view SPD as a "real" diagnosis, so they won't cover it any of her occupational therapy. And they won't cover her speech therapy either. Said she'll get speech WHEN SHE'S 3 in school, so they won't cover it now. Sure, let my child be a delayed talker AND behavioral issue child and a burden on the school system so insurance won't have to pay for it. Sure, that makes alot of sense. Don't get me started on insurance. We still haven't "paid for" Little A yet and even some of her claims and my delivery claims are being denied. Really, I can go on a tangent about insurance.

I have another blog. It's my "normal looking family" blog. Granted I can't speak for the other thousands of families that their kids have SPD, but I can say that with Big A's diagnosis, I have found myself in a parallel universe that although we live in the "real world" there is a whole other side of life, consisting of therapy, doctor's appointments, tests, etc, that most typical families never have to experience. Little A gave me another taste of that alter universe when she was born and went to the NICU and now with her torticollis dx.