To My FAVORITE Teacher Ever

I am about to take my shot. Guess what? I am not nervous.

I would like to dedicate this blog to my favorite teacher ever, Ms. "I don't know how to spell her name." I think her name is French because she is a teacher who teaches French. I started calling her this nickname when I was texting my mom during the second week of school.  I was telling her how Intro to Foreign Language is the best class ever.  I knew that if I spelled her name wrong my mom would go crazy and give me a spelling test, and I do not want to take a test to show her I know how to spell "see" or "again" or "veterinarian."  (In second grade my mom did not make me learn how to spell the word "veterinarian" for a spelling test because my dad could not even spell it.)

She has inspired me and taught me so many things so far and I am proud that I am in her class. She is the only teacher I have told at my new school that I take shots and have my blog . . . which leads me to . . .

When I was giving her the address of my blog, a boy in my class was standing right next to me.  I know him.  He said that he liked my blog and that I need a lot more posts. 

I love you Ms. B, that is the closest I can get to spelling your name right. :-) Thank you for teaching me.  You are a ray of sunshine on a flower.

Helping others with Growth Hormone Deficiency

Posting from "The Editor" (aka: Mom):

Below is an email I sent to a parent whose 3 sons, all age 13, will be starting growth hormone therapy.  I am so proud of Samantha's strength, courage, and interest to share her experience with others, and that in the process, she is positively impacting both children and adults.

********************************************
Dear *****,

I am so glad to hear that all 3 of your sons have been accepted to take growth hormone therapy and that Samantha's journey was helpful as you and your family made this decision. I wish I knew of someone who had a child who had gone through the process of testing and thereafter taking HGH when I was making this decision. Some of my friends told me that they felt I shouldn't allow Samantha to be on the medication, and that was extremely challenging for me to digest as I weighed our options.

Samantha started taking the medication about 7 weeks ago. In that time her body has already changed in size and structure. Not only has she grown, her body itself has changed shape. HGH will decrease body fat and increase muscle mass. Samantha had several of the traditional side-effects / symptoms of someone who suffers from growth hormone deficiency. It is amazing how quickly the medication can begin to work.

My understanding is that there are 4 pharmaceutical companies which provide HGH, Nutropin being one of them (that's what Samantha takes.) The difference I have been told about them is only the manner in which the medication is dispensed; the medication itself is the same (somatropin.)

Samantha's medication is in a "pen."  She dials on the left the dosage and the medicine is in the clear area on the right. She reuses the pen until there is no more medication in it. The needle is put on before each use and disposed of after she takes the shot. It is a "twist cap" needle and is easy to put on and take off. In just a few weeks of taking the medication it became a regular part of her routine. 

As always, I hope I can support you as you start this journey. It is one I personally feel is a life-changing experience for both the child and the parent in so many ways. Spencer (our almost 8-year old son) has become involved as well; he usually helps Samantha get her shot set up and is with her when she takes it. He has been so supportive.

My relationship with Samantha has changed since we have began this process. We have become closer than we already had been, and are learning together as a family. 

I look forward to hearing more about how your sons were approved as all I heard were stories of denial and appeals. It is good to know insurance and drug companies are approving children who indeed need this medication.

Samantha's blog, which she is trying to keep up writing on even with school starting, has several postings about the stages of when she began taking her shots. Maybe the posts will be helpful for you and/or your sons to read about her experience thus far.

It's nice to personally know of other children and families going through a similar experience. Samantha is always available to talk to your sons if they want to know more about her daily routine. 

Cheerleading Tryouts tomorrow

Cheerleading tryouts are tomorrow and I have been practicing for it all week. I feel really confident and enthusiastic and I hope I will be cheering on the teams at my middle school.


People think it is funny when others make fun of cheer dances; well, cheer is important!  Our teams need our support and encouragement.  If you don't get the dance and cheer moves correctly, then you will probably not get on the cheer team. If your daughter tries out for the cheer team at her school, make sure she does not make fun of the dance moves.  She does not want to make a poor impression or be a bad influence on other students on the first day of cheer.


I have been practicing every single day for this moment and I cannot wait until tomorrow's try-outs. I am really nervous about tomorrow; however I know that it will all work out.  The worst thing that will happen is that I do not get on the team and that is ok.  I am strong and I feel good about myself.  Wish me good luck!

First Week of Middle School!

I have been officially been in middle school for one full week.  All of my teachers are awesome . . . except for my math teacher.  I feel like he is never focusing on math; instead he is focusing on riddles and my computer, not "real math."  I want to learn math because when he gives us a test I will be ready for it.  If he does not teach us math and we have a test, then I won't be ready.  He is very nice, but it is all about the computers we use in class and NOT about math.  I think we will get to math in 25 years.


I LOVE my language skills and literature teachers.  My favorite subject is literature because we have done projects.  Our first project is about the book "Wonder."  We are picking a scene from the book, pick a song that explains the scene in the book, and write a biography about a character.  I have selected August, the main character who has a deformed face.  I think he is the best character in the book because he is always nice to his friends and cares about others. I really enjoy seeing my new teachers each day because they are so nice and they care about me. 


The first day of school was a little "nerve-wracking."  I did not know which classes to go to, what time I needed to be there, and people think it is funny to goof-off between classes.  I am telling you it's not funny goofing-off because we don't want to be late to our classes!

Time For Lockers

OMG! I hate lockers. I got stuck in one, by accident, one day during summer school (long story).  Today my teacher gave me a wrong locker combination but I got the right locker number for my locker. I tried to open the locker and it did not open.  My teacher tried to open it, and she said that the combination did not work.  After school, I went to the Dean and he said that my locker was jammed, or that maybe I was given the wrong locker combination. He said, "Don't be worried, come to the Dean's office and we will give you the right one when you return tomorrow."


I decorated my locker but my mom bought the wrong "wallpaper."  I like it but the wallpaper is too small and does not cover the walls.  I like the mirror and the write-board, so that is a good thing.  A girl at school helped me put in my shelf for my books.  I put a small rug in the locker, it is an American Girl rug that I had when I was younger for my dolls.


I did not like that my wallpaper was not measured first before I put it in to make sure it fit right. I wish it was a little longer.  My computer that my school lends me which I just got today was not fully charged and the other kids in class's computers had a full battery.  That was annoying.  I freaked out a little today that my locker did not open and everyone else's locker did.  I wonder why lockers hate me so much; I mean, I didn't do anything wrong, did I? Maybe they can hear me say bad words about them.


When I got home I fell asleep I was so tired.  Now it is time for my shot and then bed.  Tomorrow is another computer day.  Wish me luck! TTYL!

Middle School Orientation and My New Backpack

Tomorrow is orientation for my new middle school. It starts at 8:30am and ends at 11:30am.  I am so happy that we will get out a little early and that I will be able to decorate my new locker.  I wonder if I will see all my friends there?  I wonder if 7th and 8th graders there?

I love my new backpack.  I am so excited to wear a uniform; it will be so much easier.  People won't say "Where did you get that outfit?"  I have felt before that maybe someone did not like my outfits that I wore in elementary school. Now, all they can say is, "How many pairs of Converse do you have?"

I am very excited to take the bus to school with all my friends. This is the first time I will be taking a bus to school and I can't wait.

Tomorrow I am going to take a picture of my locker after I decorate it and post it so you can see the "before" and "after!"

Wish me luck!

A Little Mishap

A "little mishap" occurred today.  When I was in the middle of taking my shot . . . the medicine stopped.

I wanted to do my shot myself tonight.  I prepared the pen, put the needle on, and dialed the dosage.  When I pushed the button for the medicine, the dial stopped at 0.4.  I did not check whether there was enough medicine in the pen left before I put the needle in my stomach.  My mom came to help me and slid the needle on my stomach when she was trying to take the needle out and she did not even say "sorry."  My skin was bleeding.  I was nervous that the pen had broken, but it didn't. My mom realized that the medicine in the pen was empty.

I learned that my mom should never do my shot again, and that an adult needs to check my pen each night to make sure there is enough medicine before I give myself an injection.

Article: "Hey Parents: This is What Girls Really Do on Instagram"

A mother's perspective:

As I am debating whether or not to permit my 11 year old daughter to have an Instagram account, I have looked online to learn more about it.  I do not subscribe to Instagram, nor would I if I did not have a child interested in having one.

In my "research" I found the article below:
http://m.2machines.com/175379/

I hope this information is helpful to Samantha's readers and their parents, and if it is, please let us know by posting a comment so we can continue to post relevant content!

Thank you for following Samantha in her journey,

Samantha's Mom

Helping a Girl with Down Syndrome at Camp

I go to a camp called "Art Camp."  One day when I was making a lanyard, all of a sudden a lady, about 35 years old, walked up to me and said "wow, I love the lanyard you are making, can you please teach me how to do it?"  I said "of course."  After I showed her how to make one, she said, "Come meet my friend Amanda." I asked how old Amanda was and she said she was 5.  She told me that Amanda has Down Sydrome and that she helps her.

In the camp there is an upper camp, teen camp, and a camp for younger children about Amanda's age. When I met Amanda, I noticed that she was small and had short blond hair and has blue eyes.  I said, "Hi Amanda, my name is Samantha."  She said, "Hi Samantha" in her own way. I thought it was spectacular that she has her own way of talking.  You may think that people who have Down Syndrome are scary, but today, I played with Amanda at snack time and recess.  We went on the monkey bars, the slides, and even the swings.  She even made me a picture. In my woodworking class, I made Amanda a bookmark with a picture of an owl with hearts and flowers on it.

Amanda is like me: she loves the monkey bars, we both love to hold hands, and we love music. I even taught her the word "sassy."  I think Amanda is a great person.  If you meet a person with Down Syndrome, remember, they are just like we are... all different.

Instagram . . . I want it!

I just took my shot and I feel great.  My brother was going to do it, but I am very angry with him. I am not talking to him because he started punching me in front of my math tutor.  I threw his fruit gummies "lightly" across the couch and he was upset. I would like to say "shut up" to him but I am not allowed to use those words.

People think I have Instagram . ..  guess what?  I don't.  I always feel left out when people ask me if I have it. I want to have it because my other friends do.  I know you don't always have to be like other people, but this time I want to.  My mom said I will get it "one day."  When my mom says "one day" it probably means in 20 years.  That sucks. I wonder why she doesn't trust me? I know why, maybe she does trust me, but she does not trust other people and what they post. In 20 years I bet there will be a new thing called "Gobblygook" and I won't get that either.  I think I deserve Instagram because I am about to start middle school, I am at 34 days of taking my growth hormone shots, and I am awesome. :-)   You may think "you are 11, that that is not old enough," well my loving mom thinks it's not either.  I think I am ready.

Too Much

Last night we were at my cousin's house and we got home around 10:00pm.  I went to my room, changed, and went to sleep.  My mom came to my room and gave my my shot and it hurt really badly because I flexed my arm.

Tonight I just took my shot and it did not hurt. My mom says usually I flex my arm when I am given my shot and that makes my arm hurt more.

Most parents have phones, and most of my friends have phones.  I have the iPhone 5c in blue.  Now let's talk about texting.  Too much texting for me. 

I love to text because it makes me feel "cool."  When I feel "cool" too much, people can get get annoyed.  I don't mean annoyed, I mean really annoyed.  My mom checks all my texts to make sure that nothing is inappropriate is said between my friends and I.  I don't think most of my friends moms' check their texts.  My friends think it is ok to write something to write something inappropriate.  They probably say to themselves, "my mom won't check my texts, it's ok." Well, maybe they do. Moms are smart like that. My mom is the smartest.  I love her so much.  My mom cares a lot about me. I love her more than a bee loves a rose and she does too.  I bet all of you moms out there love your children too.

Mean Girls

Mean girls are . . . mean.

Today my "not friend" texted me things which really hurt my feelings. I am who I am and nobody can change that.  Why do people have to be so mean to me? Why do they have to be so rude to me?  She wrote on a text "guess who is being blocked now?"  I don't like it. I blocked her from my phone.

As my my mom says, there are three reasons why people are "mean" to others:
1) they don't like themselves,
2) they are jealous, or
3) they want to be someone else than who they are.

I am going to stand up for what I believe in and try not to be so upset about what other people say to me.  I am who I am and nobody can change that.

Fixing the "Mean Girl" Syndrome (article)

Samantha and I spent time today discussing the subject of why people, particularly tween girls, can be "mean" to those they call their friends. 

After we both shared our experiences of being bullied and feeling that at times those we call our friends really may not be such, I read with her an article about a study which was conducted and its results.

In sum, the research study showed that kindness may be the antidote to “popularity-through-meanness.”

Being kind to others is contagious. Pay the kindness those show to you forward.

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/fixing_the_mean_girl_syndrome