Patched Up

Taryn: Returns to Rolla tomorrow. Her eye is looking much better. There's still a stitch or two left, the others have either dissolved or she rubbed them out. The blood around her pupil is beginning to recede. Makes me happy; not sure how much more of that I could take!!  The dr was pleased with the results. The surgery should also help her in classes now that her eyes are working properly again. Taryn also finished the battery of tests and appts at the Neuro's.  The results there indicate that ADHD is definitely the correct diagnosis - she continues to be not just a little impaired but significantly impaired. The good news is that her high IQ has offset the effects of her ADHD and enabled her to compensate and do well. College life has unevened the scales a bit though and so her medication will be changed. She is starting an ADHD patch today. We are praying the patch works for her, with changes in both the dosage and the distribution into her system. The patch has the advantage of being something she can physically check that she hasn't forgot it, and she can carry one in her backpack if she did, which is something she can't safely do on campus with pills. Her new dr's also sent to student services new requirements for her disability: longer testing time, private or quiet testing location, breaks during tests, and no tests given after 5 pm. That should make a world of difference. She has some new technology to assist her as well - a  Smartpen.  The dr feels her sleep patterns have not been doing her any favors and that her sleep has been too interrupted so her brain is not functioning at its best. He suggested she have a set bedtime every night and get at least 8 hrs of sleep. No napping! She hated hearing that! Now that Taryn has been armored once more, she is off to college to hit the ground running for summer classes. It will be a good test run to see if the new adjustments work well.

Gib: Goes backpacking this weekend. Getting in shape for Hawaii.  We outfitted him for his continued backpacking and scouting needs during the Memorial Day sale at REI.  He is equipped with lightweight and dry weave clothing, hiking socks, a new tent, polarized sunglasses with straps so they don't fall off when he's looking over the edge of a volcano.... I did my best to think of everything. Hmmm, I wonder if his boots have good enough traction? Haha just kidding. I'm sure he will be fine. I'm not that worried about Gib - that boy has excellent survival instincts.  Gib and a friend of his have nicknamed Mariah "Gib Jr" and he said he will make sure it sticks for her freshman year at high school.  What a good brother.

Mariah: Cleaned out her closet and is starting to think ahead for her trip to France. She has been going down to the pool alot but got a skin reaction to probably the sunscreen, but it could have been a touch of heat rash. She is taking a couple days off so she can go boating Friday with the youth group. She, along with Taryn and Grammy, helped me out a ton yesterday - we had 40 t-shirts to rubberband and get ready for tie-dying for Vacation Bible School. I volunteered to do the bible story to the group each day and help with preparations. Mariah was my mix-master with the dye powders. We set everything up outside on the grass and wouldn't you know it, the weather changed on a dime. Right in the middle of everyone arriving and eating, we had to grab everything and high tail it down to the garage. We worked in the humidity of a sudden summer thunderstorm. It all went well, and she was crucial to the success of our tie-dye party. Later today we will hose off, rinse and untie all the shirts. I can't wait to see them!!!

Indie: We have received a couple of emails from the group via a professor's wife who has accompanied the group. She reports that their flights were great, customs no problem and everyone accounted for and well. This morning there was another email saying they visited an early childhood intervention school in the kibera slum click on little rock school for more information. Taken from their website:  Kibera is the largest informal settlement (slum) in sub- Saharan Africa. 70%of Nairobi‘s population lives in the slums.  Kibera is the biggest slum in Kenya with a population of a proximately one million, surviving on less than one dollar a day.  
Afterwards they had lunch in an elaborate mall - they noted what a huge contrast that was. She said everyone is learning, experiencing, and having a good time. Next up was a giraffe park. They are making their way to the village but it is quite a distance away.