Anxiety Disorder- Update

Click here to read my journal of last year from March to August. 

In honor of Kae-Kae's Thirteenth Birthday Today, I thought I would send out an update. 

Kae-Kae in a hands-on session with our friend Ginger learning more photography skills.

I have been trying to decide when to send it, she has had so many breakthroughs.

Just in January, she added in piano lessons again, with daily practice.  She has finally begun to do chores, even though she knows she does not do them well.  She decided she wanted to start up Vision Therapy this past week.  If you remember, that is what actually made her begin dissociating.  She is realizing she is not seeing well and that her eyes are crossing often when she is reading.  I am taking her to the optometrist this week.

Kae-Kae has good Sunday afternoons now, and is able to figure out some things to help pass the time without getting anxious.  She has dug out her MP3 player and is relearning how to use it.  She is making some baby steps toward starting some of her own hobbies.  She has written a few more poems, and is wanting to compose music for them.  She has said she wants to learn to draw, so I am borrowing some Art DVDs for her to watch. 

In school, she is now doing SIXTH grade math!  This is the best she has ever done in Math.  She is learning Latin because she wants to, and is about three-quarters of the way through Lively Latin Book 1.  She is doing seventh grade language arts.  The last two weeks she started reading again.  What I mean by that is we go to the library, she picks out a ton of books, and they are completely read in one week.  She has not done that in about 8 months. 

In counseling, she has progressed so well that we are going to be ending very soon.  She is asking when it is going to be over!  Dan and I feel Kae-Kae is the best she has ever been in her life.  I still can't believe we had to go through so much just to find out what was "wrong" with her and work on helping her get well.  But, God was walking through it with us the whole time, even when I could not see Him for all the pain. 

I have to say she had the BEST Birthday ever.  She has never acted excited about Christmas or Birthdays before.  But, this year was radically different.  It shows the prison of anxiety she has been locked in for her whole life.  She responded to all her gifts and was so grateful and expressive. 

Thank you again for all the prayers, gifts and other things you did for our family this last year.  Kae-Kae began her "official" descent last March and was at her peak June through August.  I write this with a grateful heart.

Her grandparents had this quilted for her birthday after Kae-Kae and I had pieced it 3 years ago.

 Heather



The girls gave her Bluebird goodies.  That is her favorite bird.