I got a call yesterday from the speech pathologist, Mr N's speech evaluation will be on Tuesday afternoon. I'm so happy that we are finally moving forward with the evaluations. Hopefully some speech therapy will really get his speech progressing more quickly. Now just waiting on a call from the occupational therapist for that evaluation. In some ways, I think that might be even more beneficial than speech.
We didn't have therapy yesterday due to the therapist being sick, we just played and relaxed all day. Today we have high hopes of getting some painting done along with installing some wainscoting in the bathroom. By we, I mean me.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Resuming therapy
Yesterday was the assessment for starting NET (Natural Environment Therapy) and our first day back in therapy since last Tuesday. I spent the morning reminding Mr N that his therapist would be coming and trying to get him excited about it. He fell asleep at about 11:00 yesterday but only napped for a few minutes. I wasn't sure how that would effect therapy. He tried to go back to sleep around 1:30, but I kept him awake since they were going to arrive at 2:00. It worked, he stayed awake for all but the last 10 minutes of therapy.
Mr N was on fire yesterday, he did great during therapy. He said new words, worked for rewards, and was in a pretty good mood all day.
The first bit of the assessment when we were going over his progress and determining new goals, I was quite sure that this just wasn't going to work, that we'd be forced to find a new therapist and coordinator. Once again they mentioned that Mr N would only sit down and stand up while playing ring-around-the-rosie. I interjected to assure the assessor that he complied for us on a regular basis and it wasn't an issue. The coordinator said that they had only seen him do it during ring-around-the-rosie. I mentioned that was the only time that he had been requested to sit down or stand up, it had not been attempted in any other setting. It was also mentioned by the coordinator that he only has 25 words, since that is how many have been recorded by the therapist. It's obviously a ridiculously low number compared to reality. He probably said at least a dozen or more words while they were here yesterday including several new words.
Words he said while they were here yesterday:
more
watermelon
again
popsicle
milk
diaper
deer
apple
car
ball
cat
hi
bye
I did it
mama
help
up
good boy
thank you
I think it's safe to say that 25 words is a huge underestimation of the number of words he has, in the 3 hours they were here yesterday he said at least 19 words.
After the first awkward hour, things seemed to get better. We went outside for a while, threw some apples to the deer, checked out the garden, and played baseball. The coordinator, therapist and I got a chance to talk more after the assessor left. I'm feeling much better about the direction therapy is heading and I feel like we are much closer to being on the same page than we were a week ago. I'm really hoping the new goals and new techniques will show Mr N's true abilities and progress.
I feel like yesterday was a huge turnaround and it relieved a lot of stress now that we are working towards something that will benefit Mr N and help him progress. Things are looking up!
Mr N was on fire yesterday, he did great during therapy. He said new words, worked for rewards, and was in a pretty good mood all day.
The first bit of the assessment when we were going over his progress and determining new goals, I was quite sure that this just wasn't going to work, that we'd be forced to find a new therapist and coordinator. Once again they mentioned that Mr N would only sit down and stand up while playing ring-around-the-rosie. I interjected to assure the assessor that he complied for us on a regular basis and it wasn't an issue. The coordinator said that they had only seen him do it during ring-around-the-rosie. I mentioned that was the only time that he had been requested to sit down or stand up, it had not been attempted in any other setting. It was also mentioned by the coordinator that he only has 25 words, since that is how many have been recorded by the therapist. It's obviously a ridiculously low number compared to reality. He probably said at least a dozen or more words while they were here yesterday including several new words.
Words he said while they were here yesterday:
more
watermelon
again
popsicle
milk
diaper
deer
apple
car
ball
cat
hi
bye
I did it
mama
help
up
good boy
thank you
I think it's safe to say that 25 words is a huge underestimation of the number of words he has, in the 3 hours they were here yesterday he said at least 19 words.
After the first awkward hour, things seemed to get better. We went outside for a while, threw some apples to the deer, checked out the garden, and played baseball. The coordinator, therapist and I got a chance to talk more after the assessor left. I'm feeling much better about the direction therapy is heading and I feel like we are much closer to being on the same page than we were a week ago. I'm really hoping the new goals and new techniques will show Mr N's true abilities and progress.
I feel like yesterday was a huge turnaround and it relieved a lot of stress now that we are working towards something that will benefit Mr N and help him progress. Things are looking up!
Monday, July 23, 2012
Stupidity
While autism is on the rise with 1 in 88 children being diagnosed, stupidity is far more common. We have celebrities making insulting comments about autism. We have talk show hosts blaming autism for horrendous acts of violence, with absolutely no data to back up their claims.
This post is mostly a rant, so feel free to skip it.
It's not enough that parents of autistic children have to deal with their child's delays, the behaviors, coordinating therapies, etc now they must dispel ignorant rumors, they have to deal with rude, ignorant comments in the grocery store, at the park, or any public place they might encounter stupidity. I'm not certain what possesses people to interfere in someone else's life. Do you really need to walk up to the lady at the deli whose child is having a meltdown and ask her if she wished she could return her child to the aisle she got him from? Really? Do you really need to question a parent who is letting their child eat a bag of chips at 9am? Do you really think it is helpful when you tell a parent that their child just needs a better discipline method? Do you really think it's beneficial to tell a child to behave and apologize to their mother? These are not all my personal experiences, but they have happened to other mothers.
For one minute do these strangers; these people who interrupt our life to interject their ideas, thoughts, and philosophies into our lives; think that we didn't wish that our children could handle a trip to the grocery store without a meltdown? Do they not consider we would love for our children to eat normal, healthy foods at regular intervals so that we didn't have to consume ourselves with worry over their health? Do they think we wouldn't prefer a time out, or counting to 3 to be an effective discipline measure? Why wouldn't we want our children to behave?
I just do not understand the logic these people are using when they interfere. It's like they think we had just not thought to tell our children to not have a meltdown, we hadn't considered telling them to behave.
Every parent of an autistic child knows exactly what I'm talking about, they have been on the receiving end of unsolicited advice time and time again. Some cringe and ignore it, some make replies in hopes of saving other parents from the same onslaught, some try to take the time to explain that the child has autism in hopes of educating the masses. For me, it depends on who the advice giver is, if it's someone I know and will need to interact with on a regular basis, I will educate them and explain the situation. If it's a random stranger in a store, I typically just walk away without saying a word. I would love to think of a sarcastic well worded reply, but if my child is drawing the attention of strangers, then I'm already to the point of exhaustion and in evacuation mode.
Another frustration that parents face is other parents asking if our child did this or that and if we think their child has autism. For one, we aren't doctors, we aren't professionals, if you think your child is delayed in any way you should most definitely talk to your pediatrician about it, early intervention is vital (I can not emphasize this enough). Asking when your child is 10 weeks old, is a bit premature, saying that autism is your worst fear is a bit rude, that your life's dreams will be ruined. I get that life with an autistic child is severely different that that of neurotypical children, but autism is your worst fear? I can think of worse things than having a child with autism....oh let me see having a child with terminal cancer, having a child kidnapped, tay sachs, anencephaly, the list goes on. This is not to say that having a child with autism is a walk in the park, it's not; hopefully I've conveyed the struggles accurately.
Sorry for the long winded vent, it's hot and reading the news today made me cranky.
This post is mostly a rant, so feel free to skip it.
It's not enough that parents of autistic children have to deal with their child's delays, the behaviors, coordinating therapies, etc now they must dispel ignorant rumors, they have to deal with rude, ignorant comments in the grocery store, at the park, or any public place they might encounter stupidity. I'm not certain what possesses people to interfere in someone else's life. Do you really need to walk up to the lady at the deli whose child is having a meltdown and ask her if she wished she could return her child to the aisle she got him from? Really? Do you really need to question a parent who is letting their child eat a bag of chips at 9am? Do you really think it is helpful when you tell a parent that their child just needs a better discipline method? Do you really think it's beneficial to tell a child to behave and apologize to their mother? These are not all my personal experiences, but they have happened to other mothers.
For one minute do these strangers; these people who interrupt our life to interject their ideas, thoughts, and philosophies into our lives; think that we didn't wish that our children could handle a trip to the grocery store without a meltdown? Do they not consider we would love for our children to eat normal, healthy foods at regular intervals so that we didn't have to consume ourselves with worry over their health? Do they think we wouldn't prefer a time out, or counting to 3 to be an effective discipline measure? Why wouldn't we want our children to behave?
I just do not understand the logic these people are using when they interfere. It's like they think we had just not thought to tell our children to not have a meltdown, we hadn't considered telling them to behave.
Every parent of an autistic child knows exactly what I'm talking about, they have been on the receiving end of unsolicited advice time and time again. Some cringe and ignore it, some make replies in hopes of saving other parents from the same onslaught, some try to take the time to explain that the child has autism in hopes of educating the masses. For me, it depends on who the advice giver is, if it's someone I know and will need to interact with on a regular basis, I will educate them and explain the situation. If it's a random stranger in a store, I typically just walk away without saying a word. I would love to think of a sarcastic well worded reply, but if my child is drawing the attention of strangers, then I'm already to the point of exhaustion and in evacuation mode.
Another frustration that parents face is other parents asking if our child did this or that and if we think their child has autism. For one, we aren't doctors, we aren't professionals, if you think your child is delayed in any way you should most definitely talk to your pediatrician about it, early intervention is vital (I can not emphasize this enough). Asking when your child is 10 weeks old, is a bit premature, saying that autism is your worst fear is a bit rude, that your life's dreams will be ruined. I get that life with an autistic child is severely different that that of neurotypical children, but autism is your worst fear? I can think of worse things than having a child with autism....oh let me see having a child with terminal cancer, having a child kidnapped, tay sachs, anencephaly, the list goes on. This is not to say that having a child with autism is a walk in the park, it's not; hopefully I've conveyed the struggles accurately.
Sorry for the long winded vent, it's hot and reading the news today made me cranky.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Playground woes
Friday evening we went to Lowe's and then took the kids to the park to play on the playground. When we arrived there was another mom there with a little boy E's age. They started playing together immediately, Mr N chose to stay near Mommy & Daddy. I kept encouraging Mr N to join with E and the little boy, but he wouldn't play with them.
A while later another mom showed up with a 6 y/o girl and a baby, the baby stayed with mom, the little girl joined E and the little boy. I kept encouraging Mr N to join the other kids, and finally he did. I was so proud of him! He happily followed them all over the playground until the 6 y/o girl instructed E and the other little boy to hide from Mr N. They hid under the playground and I helped Mr N find them and told the kids to let Mr N play with them. The little girl told E and the little boy to run from Mr N. I told E that she needed to play with her brother, she said "but mommy, she told me to run from him".
I realized how easy it is for older kids to bully and to get other kids to join them. This girl who had never met E or the little boy had been the leader in their playing, she was the oldest and they listened to her. The other little boy's mom told him to include Mr N, too.
After telling the kids several more times to include Mr N, I lost it. I just broke down in tears. What possesses a 6 y/o to pick on a 2 y/o? Why did she chose to target him? We grabbed the kids and left, they were not so happy with our sudden departure. After all the stress of the day, seeing my baby boy being picked on just pushed me over the edge. I had held myself together all day, but seeing him treated like that just hurt so bad. Will this be his life? Will he always endure being picked on?
The little girl's name was Nevaeh, she'll face struggles of her own the rest of her life.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
The Plan
The meeting only lasted about an hour, then we talked with the therapist and coordinator for a while. Then I went to the market for some hot tamales, they are currently the most underrated coping device. Try them sometime when you are over stressed.
Mr N's progress was discussed, overall he has progressed 38% this is very good news, it's better than nothing. In reality he's probably progressed much more and with the right therapy hopefully this progress will move faster and smoother.
On Monday we will have someone come out to assess Mr N's needs and set a plan for his therapy. He will begin natural environment child led therapy. Basically he will be able to be taught through normal playing and won't be subjected to meltdowns.
The tricky part is that the plan is to use the same therapist as long as Mr N will start responding positively with her. I will put my feelings aside and hope that she can begin making progress with him again. Mr N is the focus, he needs to be able to learn and grow and progress, if he is okay with her continuing as his therapist, then I will be, too. Daddy and I will probably have some lengthy conversations after he is off work (he worked from home so that he could attend the meeting today, but he's back at work now) to determine if that's the route we want to go.
So overall it is good news, Mr N will be receiving services still and they will now be geared towards him and hopefully no longer impede his progress.
On the progress report they indicated that Mr N only has 25 words (these are based on words his therapist has recorded him saying), while everyone was here Mr N grabbed my Overcoming Autism book and showed it to Daddy and said "book". It's the first time he's ever said "book" so that is awesome itself, but the three new people seemed surprised and shocked when he said it. I guess in their shoes and only knowing what is presented in the report I would be surprised, too.
I am feeling much better, less stressed, I just hope things go well next week if we continue with the current therapist.
Daddy has been sitting at one of the kids' desks today working, E has insisted on sitting in the other desk right next to him so she can "work" alongside him. She's armed with her iPad, a chicken puzzle piece in a sock, and a handful of princesses. We have not broke it to her yet that she will not be getting paid for her "work" the same as Daddy.
Mr N's progress was discussed, overall he has progressed 38% this is very good news, it's better than nothing. In reality he's probably progressed much more and with the right therapy hopefully this progress will move faster and smoother.
On Monday we will have someone come out to assess Mr N's needs and set a plan for his therapy. He will begin natural environment child led therapy. Basically he will be able to be taught through normal playing and won't be subjected to meltdowns.
The tricky part is that the plan is to use the same therapist as long as Mr N will start responding positively with her. I will put my feelings aside and hope that she can begin making progress with him again. Mr N is the focus, he needs to be able to learn and grow and progress, if he is okay with her continuing as his therapist, then I will be, too. Daddy and I will probably have some lengthy conversations after he is off work (he worked from home so that he could attend the meeting today, but he's back at work now) to determine if that's the route we want to go.
So overall it is good news, Mr N will be receiving services still and they will now be geared towards him and hopefully no longer impede his progress.
On the progress report they indicated that Mr N only has 25 words (these are based on words his therapist has recorded him saying), while everyone was here Mr N grabbed my Overcoming Autism book and showed it to Daddy and said "book". It's the first time he's ever said "book" so that is awesome itself, but the three new people seemed surprised and shocked when he said it. I guess in their shoes and only knowing what is presented in the report I would be surprised, too.
I am feeling much better, less stressed, I just hope things go well next week if we continue with the current therapist.
Daddy has been sitting at one of the kids' desks today working, E has insisted on sitting in the other desk right next to him so she can "work" alongside him. She's armed with her iPad, a chicken puzzle piece in a sock, and a handful of princesses. We have not broke it to her yet that she will not be getting paid for her "work" the same as Daddy.
Supermom
I frequently have people tell me that I'm supermom and that they are blown away by all of the things I do. The truth is, I'm no better than any other mother. These type of comments typically come after observing me carrying both kids in heels, keeping my cool while having one child melting down, and the other just needing some much deserved attention. I must look much different than I feel at these moments, if I'm carrying both kids I'm sweaty, my hair is disheveled, I'm exhausted, I feel like I've been hit by a mack truck and am ready to crawl into a hole and cry. What they don't see is my slinking to my car and crying all the way home.
There are days when I get a lot accomplished, the kids do great, and I feel on top of the world, that I feel like a supermom.
This is not one of those days. I'm absolutely dreading our meeting this afternoon to discuss Mr N's progress and his transition into the education system. I'm so sick to my stomach, I feel like breathing is sucking out all of my energy, I just want this day to be over to have the information and figure out how to proceed. I'd like to lay on the floor and play dead, it works in bear attacks and to avoid sex, surely it would be beneficial in a meeting like today's. Instead, I'll do my best to look brave and put together, pretend I know what they are talking about (then Google everything after they leave). They can sense fear and they prey on it, I must not show fear!
By now you might realize that when I'm stressed and nervous my natural instinct is to make jokes and be awkward. The awkward is obvious, the jokes are lame; however, that is what my brain says to do. My brain is wise and old, I will listen to it.
The silver lining? All this stress and worry has gotten me excitingly closer to my goal weight! Go me! Sadly, those easy pounds will come right back and I'll have to lose them fairly, but until then, go me! :D
Interestingly, I just received a phone call from the super duper supervisor (exact title forgotten) asking if we'd be more interested in a natural environment, child led therapy. Really? This is/has been an option but never mentioned before? So Mr N's therapist and coordinator were just hoping to push their agenda to force us to comply with their ideology and preferred method of therapy? The relationship between Mr N and the therapist is so badly damaged, not to mention our trust and faith in her, that we will now have to start with a new therapist. I'm relieved that at least it sounds like we will still be able to receive services.
Enough complaining for today, I'm so happy that my husband will be by my side for today's meeting. Just having someone else on Mr N's side to support me will be reassuring.
I may not be a super hero, but I do have at least one super power.
There are days when I get a lot accomplished, the kids do great, and I feel on top of the world, that I feel like a supermom.
This is not one of those days. I'm absolutely dreading our meeting this afternoon to discuss Mr N's progress and his transition into the education system. I'm so sick to my stomach, I feel like breathing is sucking out all of my energy, I just want this day to be over to have the information and figure out how to proceed. I'd like to lay on the floor and play dead, it works in bear attacks and to avoid sex, surely it would be beneficial in a meeting like today's. Instead, I'll do my best to look brave and put together, pretend I know what they are talking about (then Google everything after they leave). They can sense fear and they prey on it, I must not show fear!
By now you might realize that when I'm stressed and nervous my natural instinct is to make jokes and be awkward. The awkward is obvious, the jokes are lame; however, that is what my brain says to do. My brain is wise and old, I will listen to it.
The silver lining? All this stress and worry has gotten me excitingly closer to my goal weight! Go me! Sadly, those easy pounds will come right back and I'll have to lose them fairly, but until then, go me! :D
Interestingly, I just received a phone call from the super duper supervisor (exact title forgotten) asking if we'd be more interested in a natural environment, child led therapy. Really? This is/has been an option but never mentioned before? So Mr N's therapist and coordinator were just hoping to push their agenda to force us to comply with their ideology and preferred method of therapy? The relationship between Mr N and the therapist is so badly damaged, not to mention our trust and faith in her, that we will now have to start with a new therapist. I'm relieved that at least it sounds like we will still be able to receive services.
Enough complaining for today, I'm so happy that my husband will be by my side for today's meeting. Just having someone else on Mr N's side to support me will be reassuring.
I may not be a super hero, but I do have at least one super power.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Ungrateful
I'm really struggling with the way things are going with therapy, I feel like I'm going to puke all the time. I'm afraid we are going to have to end therapy, due to our disagreeing on the methods. Why does it seem like I'm so ungrateful for the therapies we've received thus far? Why do I feel like a spoiled brat who seemingly tosses aside much desired therapy techniques?
In reality, I'm far from ungrateful, I'm so thankful that we've gotten help, that Mr N has made tremendous progress. I don't want to quit therapy, I want it to continue like it was before, when Mr N excitedly greeted his therapist at the door and spent hours engaged. I don't like feeling that I'm somewhat less of a parent because I won't allow my child to be pushed to edge and forced into meltdowns. I don't love my child any less because I chose not to let my child be succumbed to things, when I disagree. I strongly believe there is more than one way of succeeding. There are parents who allow their babies to cry it out in an attempt at sleep training, there are others that do not; as parents we all have to decide was is best for OUR children then we have to live with those decisions.
Will I be resigned to teaching him and attempting therapy myself? The thought is overwhelming and discouraging. He still needs the social growing and progress, that I alone can not give him. While I may be frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed to the max, I do know this, there is absolutely nothing I wouldn't do to help my son and no sacrifice too great to get him what he needs. I will ensure that his needs are met and that he continues to progress, with or without the help of a therapist.
I typically try to highlight the progress Mr N is making and focus on his successes not his failures. I'm not blind to his shortcomings, but dwelling on them isn't productive. This doesn't mean I'm not aware or not trying to work on them. While I do think there are times that Mr N could pass for a neurotypical child by the general public, he still has some very obvious autistic tendencies.
Something I'd like to address and clarify is that I've mentioned recovering or overcoming autism. The truth is my amazing little boy will always have autism, it will never go away, it is a lifelong disability, it is the way his brain is wired. When I speak of recovery, I use it in the sense that his symptoms will be unrecognizable and that he will no longer fit the diagnosis. I don't want any of my readers to have a false sense of hope that there is a "cure" or anyone to think I'm delusional and think he's going to be a neurotypical child.
I canceled therapy for today, which didn't seem to surprise or disappoint the therapist. I do not think the last two days of therapy were at all beneficial for Mr N, I intend to play and work with him today and not start any more crazy projects. I do so hope that a gnome sneaks in to prime, paint, grout and other various things that need done, but if not I will get to them later. Today I need to spend relaxing and playing with my littles.
In reality, I'm far from ungrateful, I'm so thankful that we've gotten help, that Mr N has made tremendous progress. I don't want to quit therapy, I want it to continue like it was before, when Mr N excitedly greeted his therapist at the door and spent hours engaged. I don't like feeling that I'm somewhat less of a parent because I won't allow my child to be pushed to edge and forced into meltdowns. I don't love my child any less because I chose not to let my child be succumbed to things, when I disagree. I strongly believe there is more than one way of succeeding. There are parents who allow their babies to cry it out in an attempt at sleep training, there are others that do not; as parents we all have to decide was is best for OUR children then we have to live with those decisions.
Will I be resigned to teaching him and attempting therapy myself? The thought is overwhelming and discouraging. He still needs the social growing and progress, that I alone can not give him. While I may be frustrated, overwhelmed, stressed to the max, I do know this, there is absolutely nothing I wouldn't do to help my son and no sacrifice too great to get him what he needs. I will ensure that his needs are met and that he continues to progress, with or without the help of a therapist.
I typically try to highlight the progress Mr N is making and focus on his successes not his failures. I'm not blind to his shortcomings, but dwelling on them isn't productive. This doesn't mean I'm not aware or not trying to work on them. While I do think there are times that Mr N could pass for a neurotypical child by the general public, he still has some very obvious autistic tendencies.
Something I'd like to address and clarify is that I've mentioned recovering or overcoming autism. The truth is my amazing little boy will always have autism, it will never go away, it is a lifelong disability, it is the way his brain is wired. When I speak of recovery, I use it in the sense that his symptoms will be unrecognizable and that he will no longer fit the diagnosis. I don't want any of my readers to have a false sense of hope that there is a "cure" or anyone to think I'm delusional and think he's going to be a neurotypical child.
I canceled therapy for today, which didn't seem to surprise or disappoint the therapist. I do not think the last two days of therapy were at all beneficial for Mr N, I intend to play and work with him today and not start any more crazy projects. I do so hope that a gnome sneaks in to prime, paint, grout and other various things that need done, but if not I will get to them later. Today I need to spend relaxing and playing with my littles.
Kindness
Look at the world around you, when was the last time kindness was bestowed upon you? When was the last time you did a kind act for someone?
I'm hoping my cousin doesn't mind me posting this, but here is her Facebook status from yesterday "Everyday I ride my scooter, I scare and make the little boy next door cry when I get home and slam the seat shut. After getting his mom's number from the landlord, yesterday I texted the mom and told them to meet me outside when I got home. I apologized to him, and showed him the noise and he said he wasn't scared anymore. Coming home today, and not making a little boy cry = priceless."
The response she received from her friends and family indicates just how uncommon it is for someone to show an act of kindness. As a parent of a special needs child who typically receives negative feedback from people when my child cries, I was taken aback by her status. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought about how happy and relieved that little boy's mom must be to not have to dread and be anxious over the neighbor coming home.
Such a small act made such a big difference in that family's life. My cousin doesn't see what the big deal was, she thought nothing of spending a few minutes helping the boy see what noise was scaring him. There needs to be more kindness and compassion like my cousin exhibited.
Reading stories like that warm my heart and give me hope for Mr N's future. I love knowing that there are genuinely nice people out there that extend effort to help others out of the kindness of their heart. There are people that you encounter that are in customer service positions that require direct contact with the public; bank tellers, cashiers at the market, receptionist at the pediatricians office, etc who tend to be rude and even make comments about your child's behavior when they should be the ones who are kind and considerate.
As you've probably guessed by now, I don't really have a point and I'm not really headed anywhere with this post. I really just was happy to see such a kind act shown to a stranger. I could have probably just made this a one sentence long post.
PS. Not having therapy today was a great choice. We have relaxed, watered the garden, played outside, went to visit the neighbor's horse, and watched a movie.
I'm hoping my cousin doesn't mind me posting this, but here is her Facebook status from yesterday "Everyday I ride my scooter, I scare and make the little boy next door cry when I get home and slam the seat shut. After getting his mom's number from the landlord, yesterday I texted the mom and told them to meet me outside when I got home. I apologized to him, and showed him the noise and he said he wasn't scared anymore. Coming home today, and not making a little boy cry = priceless."
The response she received from her friends and family indicates just how uncommon it is for someone to show an act of kindness. As a parent of a special needs child who typically receives negative feedback from people when my child cries, I was taken aback by her status. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought about how happy and relieved that little boy's mom must be to not have to dread and be anxious over the neighbor coming home.
Such a small act made such a big difference in that family's life. My cousin doesn't see what the big deal was, she thought nothing of spending a few minutes helping the boy see what noise was scaring him. There needs to be more kindness and compassion like my cousin exhibited.
Reading stories like that warm my heart and give me hope for Mr N's future. I love knowing that there are genuinely nice people out there that extend effort to help others out of the kindness of their heart. There are people that you encounter that are in customer service positions that require direct contact with the public; bank tellers, cashiers at the market, receptionist at the pediatricians office, etc who tend to be rude and even make comments about your child's behavior when they should be the ones who are kind and considerate.
As you've probably guessed by now, I don't really have a point and I'm not really headed anywhere with this post. I really just was happy to see such a kind act shown to a stranger. I could have probably just made this a one sentence long post.
PS. Not having therapy today was a great choice. We have relaxed, watered the garden, played outside, went to visit the neighbor's horse, and watched a movie.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Boat
This morning flew by in a hurry as the kids and I spent far too much time cuddling and being lazy. I worked on a grocery list while the kids jumped on the mini trampoline, played in their bins and took turns destroying the play room.
While the kids ate lunch I began tearing apart one of Daddy's tired old button down shirts to make it into a skirt. I finished it up during therapy, as it turns out, I'm not so good at it, the waist is still a few inches too big.
Mr N was playing catch in therapy and every time the therapist said "catch" he said "catch". I was quite proud of him for adding another word to his vocabulary to show off for his therapist. Towards the end of the session, she was working on some paperwork so I did some puzzles with Mr N. One of his favorites is a transportation puzzle that Aunt Wendy gave him. He really likes the ambulance and fire truck noises, he put those two pieces in first then the rest. I said each item as he put it in, after a few times of putting together the puzzle he said "boat" as he put the boat into the puzzle. Color me impressed, my little guy said two new words in the presence of the therapist. Woot. He also said "head" and touched my head in front of her.
He's been saying "I eat" when he wants something to eat, I am still of the opinion that stringing words together is huge progress.
I feel like the therapist is putting in very minimal effort to engage Mr N, since the discussion to push him towards meltdowns in order to achieve a "break through". After therapy ended today I read through her notes over the last few sessions and noticed that she's not mentioning the great things Mr N does do while she's here. There is no mention of the two new words he said during therapy, in fact, there are no words at all written down for today's session. Apparently he was completely mute the entire 3 hours she was here. At the end of the daily journal she wrote "did not record on lesson checklist sheet due to lack of program time today and insufficient data".
It seems like Mr N is no longer interested in his therapist and no longer desires to interact with her, his behavior has changed since the "discussions" regarding our unwillingness to push him to the point of meltdowns. It doesn't surprise me that he is reserved and clingy, he's heard the heated exchanges and most likely senses my anxiety, stress and frustrations.
My mom mentioned when she was here that she noticed Mr N struck out more on the days he had therapy, Mon, Tues, and Thurs the week she was here. I didn't notice, but decided to keep track. He hit his therapist on Tuesday and Thursday during therapy the week my mom was here. He also hit his sister several times those days, and hit me as well. Friday, Saturday and Sunday he did not hit anyone. Yesterday and today he has hit his sister. This is very concerning to me, he is hitting out of frustration and he needs to find a better way to express that.
I'm really at a loss as to what to do. It's so frustrating and stressful. I want my little guy to progress and do great things, but we need someone who is willing to work with him in the way he needs.
While the kids ate lunch I began tearing apart one of Daddy's tired old button down shirts to make it into a skirt. I finished it up during therapy, as it turns out, I'm not so good at it, the waist is still a few inches too big.
Mr N was playing catch in therapy and every time the therapist said "catch" he said "catch". I was quite proud of him for adding another word to his vocabulary to show off for his therapist. Towards the end of the session, she was working on some paperwork so I did some puzzles with Mr N. One of his favorites is a transportation puzzle that Aunt Wendy gave him. He really likes the ambulance and fire truck noises, he put those two pieces in first then the rest. I said each item as he put it in, after a few times of putting together the puzzle he said "boat" as he put the boat into the puzzle. Color me impressed, my little guy said two new words in the presence of the therapist. Woot. He also said "head" and touched my head in front of her.
He's been saying "I eat" when he wants something to eat, I am still of the opinion that stringing words together is huge progress.
I feel like the therapist is putting in very minimal effort to engage Mr N, since the discussion to push him towards meltdowns in order to achieve a "break through". After therapy ended today I read through her notes over the last few sessions and noticed that she's not mentioning the great things Mr N does do while she's here. There is no mention of the two new words he said during therapy, in fact, there are no words at all written down for today's session. Apparently he was completely mute the entire 3 hours she was here. At the end of the daily journal she wrote "did not record on lesson checklist sheet due to lack of program time today and insufficient data".
It seems like Mr N is no longer interested in his therapist and no longer desires to interact with her, his behavior has changed since the "discussions" regarding our unwillingness to push him to the point of meltdowns. It doesn't surprise me that he is reserved and clingy, he's heard the heated exchanges and most likely senses my anxiety, stress and frustrations.
My mom mentioned when she was here that she noticed Mr N struck out more on the days he had therapy, Mon, Tues, and Thurs the week she was here. I didn't notice, but decided to keep track. He hit his therapist on Tuesday and Thursday during therapy the week my mom was here. He also hit his sister several times those days, and hit me as well. Friday, Saturday and Sunday he did not hit anyone. Yesterday and today he has hit his sister. This is very concerning to me, he is hitting out of frustration and he needs to find a better way to express that.
I'm really at a loss as to what to do. It's so frustrating and stressful. I want my little guy to progress and do great things, but we need someone who is willing to work with him in the way he needs.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Pizza
Yesterday we spent most of the day just relaxing while Daddy caught up on some work, then did a little texturing in E's room. Her room is officially ready to be primed and painted, she'll be so happy when her room is done.
Today was our first day back to our normal routine. Mommy worked on refashioning a dress she bought then never wore. Mr N fell asleep a little after 1:00 and was asleep when his therapist arrived and slept for quite a while. He woke up rough, but finally got calmed down but didn't want to be away from Mommy for most of therapy. He finally started engaging with his therapist working on puzzles, coloring, and some music. One of the songs they listened to was about pizza. It must have made them hungry because E asked me to make her pizza, so I used some crescent rolls for a crust and got to work. Mr N oddly wanted a hotdog, but I'm not complaining, at least he wanted to eat.
It didn't seem like Mr N spent much time doing actual therapy today, he was very clingy and withdrawn. But he did say a plethora of words including pizza, mine, mama, balloon, bubbles, ball and milk.
E is apparently catching up from being sick, she has eaten nonstop for the last few days. Today she ate a bowl of cereal, peanut butter toast, a slice of cheese, a granola bar, more cereal, strawberries, pizza, more cheese, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things.
The kids are currently running circles around the stuffed animal bin, as they were going by I said "high five", they each gave me high five a few times as they went by, then we did fist bumps, touch head, nose, mouth, ear and eye. This is the first time I've gotten Mr N to do ear and eye, so I was pretty happy. He seems to be able to add parts if he's on a roll, he knows them, he just hadn't done them before. Proud mama here!
Lately Mr N has been saying "mama" a lot. It's pretty cute, I'm so glad that it's a regular part of his vocabulary and not just an occasional word. He's also been stringing together 2 or more words more easily.
He just told on his sister, she was putting her feet up on his bin and he said "mama, get her" and pointed at her. While I typically discourage tattling, it was refreshing to see him being a typical toddler.
Much to my dismay, Mr N is in the beginning stages of potty training. I reckon I ought to be happy that he's initiating but I really had hoped to delay this until he was closer to three years old. Potty training is not my most favorite thing in the world. He's not sitting on the potty much yet, but as soon as he pees or poops he tells us and gets a clean diaper. He also will go pee around the side of the house if we are outside in swimming gear. My requirements for beginning potty training are staying dry through the night and indicating that he knows he needs to pee. He's doing both, so I guess it's time.
I failed to mention the souvenirs that Daddy brought home for the family. E received a unicorn which is awesomesauce, just ask her. Mr N received a baby cow to go along with his bigger cow, he loves it. After E realized that Mr N had a "mommy" and "baby" cow, she declared she needed a "baby" unicorn. We dug through her other 839472895738 stuffed animals and pulled out a pink horse that her Aunt Cindy had given her when she was around 9 months old. The pink one is now the "mommy" and her new white one is the "baby".
My request for a souvenir was a coffee mug, I like my coffee and thought having an awesome Sweden mug would rock my socks off. Only Daddy couldn't find any mugs, only tea cups which clearly wouldn't fit the bill, so he opted for something entirely different. In order to preserve my image, I'll forego sharing my gift.
As most of you know, our anniversary was the day before the kids and I left for Colorado. We had previously agreed that our new inflatable boat and recent camping gear purchases would be our anniversary gift since we enjoy them so much and have extended our budget drastically to include these new toys. However, I still wanted to get my honey something but had a hard time thinking of something relatively inexpensive and full of awesome.
Daddy, on the other hand, did not fail and surprised me with a beautiful card (which made me cry) and....wait for it.....still waiting....one moment more.....okay he got me a remote for my camera. He loves me. I cried some more.
On my twenty hour drive home from Colorado I finally figured out the perfect gift for my perfect man and managed to pick it up on Friday before he left for Sweden. I got him a metal spinning target with three targets on it and a package of paper targets. He was quite happy and I can't wait to try them out, uh I mean for him to try them out.
Today was our first day back to our normal routine. Mommy worked on refashioning a dress she bought then never wore. Mr N fell asleep a little after 1:00 and was asleep when his therapist arrived and slept for quite a while. He woke up rough, but finally got calmed down but didn't want to be away from Mommy for most of therapy. He finally started engaging with his therapist working on puzzles, coloring, and some music. One of the songs they listened to was about pizza. It must have made them hungry because E asked me to make her pizza, so I used some crescent rolls for a crust and got to work. Mr N oddly wanted a hotdog, but I'm not complaining, at least he wanted to eat.
It didn't seem like Mr N spent much time doing actual therapy today, he was very clingy and withdrawn. But he did say a plethora of words including pizza, mine, mama, balloon, bubbles, ball and milk.
E is apparently catching up from being sick, she has eaten nonstop for the last few days. Today she ate a bowl of cereal, peanut butter toast, a slice of cheese, a granola bar, more cereal, strawberries, pizza, more cheese, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things.
The kids are currently running circles around the stuffed animal bin, as they were going by I said "high five", they each gave me high five a few times as they went by, then we did fist bumps, touch head, nose, mouth, ear and eye. This is the first time I've gotten Mr N to do ear and eye, so I was pretty happy. He seems to be able to add parts if he's on a roll, he knows them, he just hadn't done them before. Proud mama here!
Lately Mr N has been saying "mama" a lot. It's pretty cute, I'm so glad that it's a regular part of his vocabulary and not just an occasional word. He's also been stringing together 2 or more words more easily.
He just told on his sister, she was putting her feet up on his bin and he said "mama, get her" and pointed at her. While I typically discourage tattling, it was refreshing to see him being a typical toddler.
Much to my dismay, Mr N is in the beginning stages of potty training. I reckon I ought to be happy that he's initiating but I really had hoped to delay this until he was closer to three years old. Potty training is not my most favorite thing in the world. He's not sitting on the potty much yet, but as soon as he pees or poops he tells us and gets a clean diaper. He also will go pee around the side of the house if we are outside in swimming gear. My requirements for beginning potty training are staying dry through the night and indicating that he knows he needs to pee. He's doing both, so I guess it's time.
I failed to mention the souvenirs that Daddy brought home for the family. E received a unicorn which is awesomesauce, just ask her. Mr N received a baby cow to go along with his bigger cow, he loves it. After E realized that Mr N had a "mommy" and "baby" cow, she declared she needed a "baby" unicorn. We dug through her other 839472895738 stuffed animals and pulled out a pink horse that her Aunt Cindy had given her when she was around 9 months old. The pink one is now the "mommy" and her new white one is the "baby".
My request for a souvenir was a coffee mug, I like my coffee and thought having an awesome Sweden mug would rock my socks off. Only Daddy couldn't find any mugs, only tea cups which clearly wouldn't fit the bill, so he opted for something entirely different. In order to preserve my image, I'll forego sharing my gift.
As most of you know, our anniversary was the day before the kids and I left for Colorado. We had previously agreed that our new inflatable boat and recent camping gear purchases would be our anniversary gift since we enjoy them so much and have extended our budget drastically to include these new toys. However, I still wanted to get my honey something but had a hard time thinking of something relatively inexpensive and full of awesome.
Daddy, on the other hand, did not fail and surprised me with a beautiful card (which made me cry) and....wait for it.....still waiting....one moment more.....okay he got me a remote for my camera. He loves me. I cried some more.
On my twenty hour drive home from Colorado I finally figured out the perfect gift for my perfect man and managed to pick it up on Friday before he left for Sweden. I got him a metal spinning target with three targets on it and a package of paper targets. He was quite happy and I can't wait to try them out, uh I mean for him to try them out.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Normalcy
Daddy came home last night, then I took Grandma back to the airport and today begins returning to our "normal" life. Daddy was greatly missed, it is obvious, the kids can't get enough Daddy time today.
Friday we took Grandma to Cherry Lake for a little swimming and relaxing. Saturday we took her to Tioga Pass, stopped at Tenaya Lake to build sand castles, did a little exploring and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery that is Yosemite.
While Daddy was gone I finished tiling the bathroom floor, now I'm ready to grout, it's time to pick our grout color. It'll be nice to get the toilet set and the bathroom at least halfway functioning until we finish the shower.
Thursday for therapy the therapist and coordinator were here discussing Mr N's progress. It was not a pleasant day. They again insisted that in order for Mr N to progress at the rate, and in the areas they want, that we need to push him to the point of meltdowns until we have a "break through". They say that his lack of progress is primarily due to non-compliance and that once he has his "break through" he'll be more compliant and be able to do program after program and master all the goals they have for him.
We are not willing to let Mr N get to the point of extreme meltdowns until he has a "break through" in order to achieve compliance. I'm not sure what happens from here, I don't know if they'll just stop services because he's not progressing enough or what really happens. We have another meeting on Thursday to discuss his transition from early intervention into education services and to set his IEP.
My personal opinion on the letting a child meltdown until a "break through" is that it is unnecessary and not beneficial. I've read many opinions looking at both sides of the technique. I want the very best for my son, want him to have the very best services, and to have the best chance at recovery; despite what his therapist and coordinator may think. But I absolutely do not want my child to endure frustrating meltdowns, that I feel will break his spirit and cause him to lose his drive. I've read that some kids seem almost robotic after receiving ABA therapy. I don't want a robot, I want my spirited, lovable, little guy. I want him to learn and grow and progress through natural setting therapy. I think that some of the teaching techniques are so awkwardly introduced that even a neurotypical child would not respond as well as they'd like. Mr N may not wave on command, but he certainly waves hi and bye at the appropriate times. He may not touch head, nose, mouth, tummy while painting or during puzzle time, but he does during bath time or just general play time. He may not raise his hands in the air at the request of his therapist, but he will when I tell him to raise his hands so I can take off his shirt. He does things at appropriate times that he will not do during therapy.
This is not to say that I don't think therapy is helping, just the opposite, we feel that Mr N has made great progress and huge strides forward in speech and social situations. We are astounded by how much progress he has made in such a short time, without pushing him to meltdown. To be clear, we have no issue with placing demands on Mr N, or teaching him to obey and follow instructions. We do this on a daily basis without an ensuing meltdown. He complies and follows instructions from us on a daily basis, some of the things he routinely does when asked are getting a diaper, putting something in the trash, putting toys away, getting an item, sitting down, and standing up.
Mr N doesn't just do these things for Mommy and Daddy, he will do them when asked during an appropriate setting by others, as well. Grandma asked him to put toys away, he complied, Grandma asked him to put a DVD on the entertainment center, he complied, Grandma asked him to raise his hands so she could change his clothes, he complied, Grandma asked him to put something in the trash, he complied. While Grandma may be family, she only sees him every six to eight months. Mr N will also comply when we are at meeting and someone tells him to stop running. While Mr N isn't mastering the skills needed to progress in therapy, I'm not 100% certain that non-compliance is the issue.
I'm beyond frustrated, upset, and stressed over the way things are going with therapy. We want Mr N to continue to progress and move forward towards recovery, but not be forced, coerced or guilted into complying with techniques to which we are adamantly opposed. There is a saying "once you've met a child with Autism, you've met one child with Autism". Honestly, that applies to most children, but my point is each child's therapy should be geared towards them and meet their needs. Maybe some kids do well after having a "break through" and their parents are happy with the way their children behave afterward, but not all parents, and we aren't willing to take that risk with our child. He's still our child, we still get to make these decisions.
I am becoming concerned with Mr N's recent tendency to hit people. He tends to strike out when he's frustrated by someone or something. I do not want him to be violent, I don't want him to hit me, his dad, or his sister. I don't want him to hit anyone. Last week, he hit his therapist twice, that bothers me, a lot. I'm not sure what's compelling him to hit her and I desperately want this to end, not get worse.
I was delusional to think that the stress and frustration would end once we got a diagnosis, I naively thought that therapy would go smoothly, that we'd only see progress. I did think that progress would be slower and harder to detect by us as his parents. It's frustrating to know that we see progress, our friends and family see progress, but his data sheets show very little progress. As a parent, I want to think "who cares what the data sheets show, he's making tremendous progress and I'm so proud", but is that really the right attitude? If he's not excelling now, how will he do once he gets older? At what point would we expect more results on paper? Do I make too many excuses for him because he's two? Would I be so skeptical and so cautious if there were solid statistics supporting these therapy methods? I don't want to be the one holding my son back from progress, I want him to excel.
Maybe the disconnect is the type of progress he's making, our goals for him were to increase his speech and teach him to be socially appropriate. He came up to me five minutes ago and said "mama, I love you". As a parent, those are the words I want and need to hear, that's the progress I was looking for, but is it enough? We are happy, possibly even satisfied with him saying "balloon, ball, bath, bye, and bottle" even though he won't say "ba and bo" which he needs to master for therapy. He says "mama, milk, mine, and moo" but he's not mastering saying "mi, ma, mo" for therapy. Are we expecting too little of him? Are we setting the bar too low so that we can rejoice over his accomplishments?
It's so hard to know what is right, what to do, where to go from here, and how to proceed. But I do know that as a parent, we can not subject our children to things that we don't feel will benefit them. I also know having my husband 100% on the same page, reassures me that we are doing the right thing with refusing to subject him to meltdowns to achieve a "break through".
It is my greatest hope that Mr N will do amazing in therapy this coming week, master some programs and move forward the way the therapist and coordinator desire.
Friday we took Grandma to Cherry Lake for a little swimming and relaxing. Saturday we took her to Tioga Pass, stopped at Tenaya Lake to build sand castles, did a little exploring and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery that is Yosemite.
While Daddy was gone I finished tiling the bathroom floor, now I'm ready to grout, it's time to pick our grout color. It'll be nice to get the toilet set and the bathroom at least halfway functioning until we finish the shower.
Thursday for therapy the therapist and coordinator were here discussing Mr N's progress. It was not a pleasant day. They again insisted that in order for Mr N to progress at the rate, and in the areas they want, that we need to push him to the point of meltdowns until we have a "break through". They say that his lack of progress is primarily due to non-compliance and that once he has his "break through" he'll be more compliant and be able to do program after program and master all the goals they have for him.
We are not willing to let Mr N get to the point of extreme meltdowns until he has a "break through" in order to achieve compliance. I'm not sure what happens from here, I don't know if they'll just stop services because he's not progressing enough or what really happens. We have another meeting on Thursday to discuss his transition from early intervention into education services and to set his IEP.
My personal opinion on the letting a child meltdown until a "break through" is that it is unnecessary and not beneficial. I've read many opinions looking at both sides of the technique. I want the very best for my son, want him to have the very best services, and to have the best chance at recovery; despite what his therapist and coordinator may think. But I absolutely do not want my child to endure frustrating meltdowns, that I feel will break his spirit and cause him to lose his drive. I've read that some kids seem almost robotic after receiving ABA therapy. I don't want a robot, I want my spirited, lovable, little guy. I want him to learn and grow and progress through natural setting therapy. I think that some of the teaching techniques are so awkwardly introduced that even a neurotypical child would not respond as well as they'd like. Mr N may not wave on command, but he certainly waves hi and bye at the appropriate times. He may not touch head, nose, mouth, tummy while painting or during puzzle time, but he does during bath time or just general play time. He may not raise his hands in the air at the request of his therapist, but he will when I tell him to raise his hands so I can take off his shirt. He does things at appropriate times that he will not do during therapy.
This is not to say that I don't think therapy is helping, just the opposite, we feel that Mr N has made great progress and huge strides forward in speech and social situations. We are astounded by how much progress he has made in such a short time, without pushing him to meltdown. To be clear, we have no issue with placing demands on Mr N, or teaching him to obey and follow instructions. We do this on a daily basis without an ensuing meltdown. He complies and follows instructions from us on a daily basis, some of the things he routinely does when asked are getting a diaper, putting something in the trash, putting toys away, getting an item, sitting down, and standing up.
Mr N doesn't just do these things for Mommy and Daddy, he will do them when asked during an appropriate setting by others, as well. Grandma asked him to put toys away, he complied, Grandma asked him to put a DVD on the entertainment center, he complied, Grandma asked him to raise his hands so she could change his clothes, he complied, Grandma asked him to put something in the trash, he complied. While Grandma may be family, she only sees him every six to eight months. Mr N will also comply when we are at meeting and someone tells him to stop running. While Mr N isn't mastering the skills needed to progress in therapy, I'm not 100% certain that non-compliance is the issue.
I'm beyond frustrated, upset, and stressed over the way things are going with therapy. We want Mr N to continue to progress and move forward towards recovery, but not be forced, coerced or guilted into complying with techniques to which we are adamantly opposed. There is a saying "once you've met a child with Autism, you've met one child with Autism". Honestly, that applies to most children, but my point is each child's therapy should be geared towards them and meet their needs. Maybe some kids do well after having a "break through" and their parents are happy with the way their children behave afterward, but not all parents, and we aren't willing to take that risk with our child. He's still our child, we still get to make these decisions.
I am becoming concerned with Mr N's recent tendency to hit people. He tends to strike out when he's frustrated by someone or something. I do not want him to be violent, I don't want him to hit me, his dad, or his sister. I don't want him to hit anyone. Last week, he hit his therapist twice, that bothers me, a lot. I'm not sure what's compelling him to hit her and I desperately want this to end, not get worse.
I was delusional to think that the stress and frustration would end once we got a diagnosis, I naively thought that therapy would go smoothly, that we'd only see progress. I did think that progress would be slower and harder to detect by us as his parents. It's frustrating to know that we see progress, our friends and family see progress, but his data sheets show very little progress. As a parent, I want to think "who cares what the data sheets show, he's making tremendous progress and I'm so proud", but is that really the right attitude? If he's not excelling now, how will he do once he gets older? At what point would we expect more results on paper? Do I make too many excuses for him because he's two? Would I be so skeptical and so cautious if there were solid statistics supporting these therapy methods? I don't want to be the one holding my son back from progress, I want him to excel.
Maybe the disconnect is the type of progress he's making, our goals for him were to increase his speech and teach him to be socially appropriate. He came up to me five minutes ago and said "mama, I love you". As a parent, those are the words I want and need to hear, that's the progress I was looking for, but is it enough? We are happy, possibly even satisfied with him saying "balloon, ball, bath, bye, and bottle" even though he won't say "ba and bo" which he needs to master for therapy. He says "mama, milk, mine, and moo" but he's not mastering saying "mi, ma, mo" for therapy. Are we expecting too little of him? Are we setting the bar too low so that we can rejoice over his accomplishments?
It's so hard to know what is right, what to do, where to go from here, and how to proceed. But I do know that as a parent, we can not subject our children to things that we don't feel will benefit them. I also know having my husband 100% on the same page, reassures me that we are doing the right thing with refusing to subject him to meltdowns to achieve a "break through".
It is my greatest hope that Mr N will do amazing in therapy this coming week, master some programs and move forward the way the therapist and coordinator desire.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Grandma
Grandma is here and spoiling is well under way.
We drove almost three hours to the airport yesterday morning to get Grandma at 9:30am. E has always been a Grandma's girl, so she's been excited. When Grandma walked out of the airport both kids squealed in delight. I was a bit surprised by Mr N's reaction, I didn't think he'd be so excited, he's never been quite as taken with Grandma as E. His interaction and response to Grandma certainly indicates he's in Grandma's fan club.
We arrived back home from the airport around 12:30pm and hurriedly unloaded the car and prepared for Mr N's therapist to arrive, for the first time in a week and a half. Mr N greeted her at the door then seemed to shy away, but offered a "hi" as she entered the living room.
During therapy he diligently put together a new alphabet puzzle, it has more pieces than any of his other puzzles, but he figured it right out. He did some balloon play with his therapist and enjoyed trying to see how high he could hit the balloon. Having Grandma here and Daddy out of town seemed to really effect how he's doing in therapy. He needed more than the usual sensory input, too.
This morning we took in the recycling, then headed to town to get an evaporative cooler. The kids were excited to go to Lowe's, it just might be their favorite store of all time, even though nothing we get there is all that much fun for them. Next we headed to Ross so Grandma could buy the kids some toys, which of course they loved. She also bought me a dress, she even let me pick it out! ;) As soon as we walked into Ross there were two other young children with their mother and Mr N went right up to the kids and said "hi". I was so proud of him, he's so much better at initiating play with others, making eye contact and really coming to life. Next we headed to Walmart for various other necessities like balloons, dinosaurs, a mini trampoline, and muffins.
Mr N fell asleep on the way home and slept through the first hour of therapy while Mommy and Grandma determinedly assembled the evaporative cooler and got it going. He was off his game today, not really engaging in a lot of one on one time with his therapist, but he did do some excellent painting. Mr N is learning to use the mini trampoline and hopefully that will help him get some of the sensory input that he's been seeking. Grandma bought the kids a slip and slide that we set up after therapy, Mr N would copy everything that E did. E would have Mommy pull her to the end, then Mr N wanted it done. E would walk to the end and splash in the pool, Mr N would walk to the end and splash in the pool. He is learning so much and doing so good at imitation.
Grandma got the kids a block puzzle that has a different puzzle on each of the six sides of the block, it's a pretty advanced puzzle, but we figured E would figure it out. Mr N stacked all of the blocks up and then knocked down the tower a few times with his therapist today, it's one of his favorite things to do. Block towers bring out his "destroyer" personality. Mr N did a lot of sensory seeking things again today, I noticed that yesterday they increased after Daddy called and talked Mommy and Sissy but didn't get a chance to talk to Mr N. Hopefully, Daddy is up before Mr N goes to bed tonight so that Daddy can call and talk to him, or better yet video Skype.
The kids are both very much enjoying Grandma, Mr N runs up to Grandma for hugs, holds her hand, and is far more comfortable with her than he's been in the past. This makes my heart very happy, probably not quite as happy as Grandma, but we are both quite thrilled that he has progressed so much since her last visit.
The bad news.....the evaporative cooler pretty much sucks. Maybe it's my intense negative feelings towards humidity, but it's terrible. It's also kind of loud. We will most likely (read definitely) be returning it in the very near future. While we had it running and "cooling" off the house, I kept going outside to avoid the humidity. I'd rather be in the sun when it's 100 degrees than have humidity. It's not for me.
Due to the excessive heat, I enjoyed ice cream for dinner, I may follow it up with a healthy snack of popsicles and ice water. My garden, on the other hand, is loving the heat and is growing exponentially by the day. My watermelon plants have taken over the entire garden, the watermelons are growing inches every day, it's quite amazing. I think I should have planted a dozen more cucumber plants because I keep eating all the cucumbers as soon as they become ripe and I didn't get one today because they aren't growing fast enough.
While I'm in here over heating working diligently on my blog, the kiddos and Grandma are outside enjoying a cool breeze while playing in the water. I will be joining them in 3, 2, 1....
We drove almost three hours to the airport yesterday morning to get Grandma at 9:30am. E has always been a Grandma's girl, so she's been excited. When Grandma walked out of the airport both kids squealed in delight. I was a bit surprised by Mr N's reaction, I didn't think he'd be so excited, he's never been quite as taken with Grandma as E. His interaction and response to Grandma certainly indicates he's in Grandma's fan club.
We arrived back home from the airport around 12:30pm and hurriedly unloaded the car and prepared for Mr N's therapist to arrive, for the first time in a week and a half. Mr N greeted her at the door then seemed to shy away, but offered a "hi" as she entered the living room.
During therapy he diligently put together a new alphabet puzzle, it has more pieces than any of his other puzzles, but he figured it right out. He did some balloon play with his therapist and enjoyed trying to see how high he could hit the balloon. Having Grandma here and Daddy out of town seemed to really effect how he's doing in therapy. He needed more than the usual sensory input, too.
This morning we took in the recycling, then headed to town to get an evaporative cooler. The kids were excited to go to Lowe's, it just might be their favorite store of all time, even though nothing we get there is all that much fun for them. Next we headed to Ross so Grandma could buy the kids some toys, which of course they loved. She also bought me a dress, she even let me pick it out! ;) As soon as we walked into Ross there were two other young children with their mother and Mr N went right up to the kids and said "hi". I was so proud of him, he's so much better at initiating play with others, making eye contact and really coming to life. Next we headed to Walmart for various other necessities like balloons, dinosaurs, a mini trampoline, and muffins.
Mr N fell asleep on the way home and slept through the first hour of therapy while Mommy and Grandma determinedly assembled the evaporative cooler and got it going. He was off his game today, not really engaging in a lot of one on one time with his therapist, but he did do some excellent painting. Mr N is learning to use the mini trampoline and hopefully that will help him get some of the sensory input that he's been seeking. Grandma bought the kids a slip and slide that we set up after therapy, Mr N would copy everything that E did. E would have Mommy pull her to the end, then Mr N wanted it done. E would walk to the end and splash in the pool, Mr N would walk to the end and splash in the pool. He is learning so much and doing so good at imitation.
Grandma got the kids a block puzzle that has a different puzzle on each of the six sides of the block, it's a pretty advanced puzzle, but we figured E would figure it out. Mr N stacked all of the blocks up and then knocked down the tower a few times with his therapist today, it's one of his favorite things to do. Block towers bring out his "destroyer" personality. Mr N did a lot of sensory seeking things again today, I noticed that yesterday they increased after Daddy called and talked Mommy and Sissy but didn't get a chance to talk to Mr N. Hopefully, Daddy is up before Mr N goes to bed tonight so that Daddy can call and talk to him, or better yet video Skype.
The kids are both very much enjoying Grandma, Mr N runs up to Grandma for hugs, holds her hand, and is far more comfortable with her than he's been in the past. This makes my heart very happy, probably not quite as happy as Grandma, but we are both quite thrilled that he has progressed so much since her last visit.
The bad news.....the evaporative cooler pretty much sucks. Maybe it's my intense negative feelings towards humidity, but it's terrible. It's also kind of loud. We will most likely (read definitely) be returning it in the very near future. While we had it running and "cooling" off the house, I kept going outside to avoid the humidity. I'd rather be in the sun when it's 100 degrees than have humidity. It's not for me.
Due to the excessive heat, I enjoyed ice cream for dinner, I may follow it up with a healthy snack of popsicles and ice water. My garden, on the other hand, is loving the heat and is growing exponentially by the day. My watermelon plants have taken over the entire garden, the watermelons are growing inches every day, it's quite amazing. I think I should have planted a dozen more cucumber plants because I keep eating all the cucumbers as soon as they become ripe and I didn't get one today because they aren't growing fast enough.
While I'm in here over heating working diligently on my blog, the kiddos and Grandma are outside enjoying a cool breeze while playing in the water. I will be joining them in 3, 2, 1....
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Tidbits
The kids and I went outside this morning and there was mama deer and one baby. Baby deer ran into the Manzanita and mama deer kept eating. A little while later mama was waiting for baby to come out, but he/she wouldn't. Mama deer went into the manzanita and came out with twins! I got a poor quality pic of them running across the yard with my phone, then ran inside and got my camera ready for when they returned.
A few hours later I was sweeping off the cedar tree droppings from the driveway and noticed the twins down the back of the hill on the back of our property, I went to get the camera and got sidetracked caring for Mr N.
This evening after the kids' baths I looked out and saw the twins and mama in the yard so I grabbed my camera, snuck out the back door and around the house. The babies are still pretty easily startled, so in the above picture they are heading out of the yard and down the hill toward some cover.
Below is the first picture I took as I came around the corner of the house. They are such beautiful little babies!
Sensitive
I try so hard to be strong, to let things roll off my back, to not let others effect me. But I'll be honest, it pains me when Mr N makes his noises or acts "unusual" and we receive disapproving glances, dirty looks, and head shakes. I know I shouldn't let it bother me, I know they don't know, I know not everyone is understanding, but will he endure these judging looks his whole life? It's so easy to say "just ignore it", it's so easy to pretend to have a brave face in front of your friends, but inside my heart is breaking, my eyes well up with tears. I've had to take a break just to calm me down after enduring such occasions that crush my spirit.
Raising awareness for Autism is important, not only for helping parents get a diagnosis and subsequent help for their children, but also so the general public realizes how prevalent it is and learn how to treat these beautiful children and their struggling families. I would love to say that having a child with special needs is easy, or even that it is not that hard; but I'd be lying. He really does have special needs, needs that are special to him and to no one else. Needs that require more time, attention, focus, determination, love, and care. I can't just let him play outside with other kids in a fenced yard without frequently checking on him, I can't just let my kids play outside while I do housework. Not only do children with Autism not understand fear, but they are prone to wandering off.
There was recently a 5 year old Autistic boy named Scotty Meyer from Prescott, WI who wandered from his home while an A/C repairman was at his house. My heart went out to his parents, Scotty is non-verbal and wouldn't respond when rescuers called his name. I watched and waited hoping for a miracle, that little Scotty would be found and return home with his parents. While Mr N is more verbal than many children with autism, he certainly wouldn't be able to tell anyone who he is or where he lived or who is parents were, if he were to respond to a rescue worker at all. This is such a big fear of mine. Scotty was found by a volunteer searcher's pet Golden Retriever. Only the day before Scotty went missing another 5 year old autistic boy named Jeremiah Conn from Madison, WI went missing from his home, he wandered away and tragically drowned in a pond near the area his family was visiting. I realize these are valid fears for any parent, but these kids run and can run fast. They can be gone in the blink of an eye. Imagine tying one child's shoe and looking up and never seeing your child again. It can happen that quickly. Typically developing children will come running back as you call their name, they will stop when you say stop, they will ask a stranger to help them find their parents, key components to a missing child returning home safely to their loving parents.
Being hyper-vigilant has become our life, especially when away from the house. Whenever we go anywhere, I take E out of the car first and have her stand beside me while I get Mr N out so there is not a risk that he'll wander away. When we get back to the car, Mr N gets buckled in first so that once again he can't wander away, E gets buckled in second, then any purchases are loaded in the car. We keep constant physical contact with Mr N while out and about unless he is in a cart, letting go of his hand in a parking lot for even a second and he could dart in front of a car. This lack of fear he possesses is everywhere. When we are hiking we have him in a carrier on our back, hold his hand, or if it is a trail not along a cliff or water we will let him walk between us. But we must pay constant attention, rivers rush, cliffs have loose rocks, there are bears, mountain lions, and animals of a human nature; we can not risk him being out of sight for even a moment. Thankfully he is much better at staying in appropriate play areas at home. When we first moved here he would try to go down the driveway, but has not attempted to do so in several months. He will occasionally wander around to the back of the house but typically just goes on the back porch. Today I removed the enticement from the back porch so hopefully that will help alleviate his motivation to wander back there out of sight.
While there is so much extra time, attention and work involved with a child with special needs, I have learned to love so much more. I remember being pregnant with Mr N and observing my precious E thinking "I'll never love another baby as much as I love E, she's perfect". I didn't think my heart had enough room for another child, until I met Mr N. I didn't lose even an iota of love for E, my heart grew big enough to love them both. I love them both more and more each day, my heart just grows right along with them. Mr N needs extra love, he needs more hugs, he needs more patience and I feel like I need to compensate for others' actions towards him. When someone gives him a disapproving look for his noises, I give him an extra hug, I tell him I love him, I tell him how proud I am of him, I tell him he's smart, I tell him he's beautiful, and I tell myself how lucky he is that I am his mom and not them.
No one but me can change how I react to other people. I could be told all day long not to worry about the looks, glares and head shakes, I can act strong and put on a brave face. I can imagine confronting these people and telling them how hurtful their actions are, how much of a struggle it is just to do what they consider normal, mundane things. In reality, every once in a while I sit myself down and have a real good cry, then I pick myself up, wipe away the tears and give my precious little man as many hugs, kisses and cuddles as he can tolerate.
Raising awareness for Autism is important, not only for helping parents get a diagnosis and subsequent help for their children, but also so the general public realizes how prevalent it is and learn how to treat these beautiful children and their struggling families. I would love to say that having a child with special needs is easy, or even that it is not that hard; but I'd be lying. He really does have special needs, needs that are special to him and to no one else. Needs that require more time, attention, focus, determination, love, and care. I can't just let him play outside with other kids in a fenced yard without frequently checking on him, I can't just let my kids play outside while I do housework. Not only do children with Autism not understand fear, but they are prone to wandering off.
There was recently a 5 year old Autistic boy named Scotty Meyer from Prescott, WI who wandered from his home while an A/C repairman was at his house. My heart went out to his parents, Scotty is non-verbal and wouldn't respond when rescuers called his name. I watched and waited hoping for a miracle, that little Scotty would be found and return home with his parents. While Mr N is more verbal than many children with autism, he certainly wouldn't be able to tell anyone who he is or where he lived or who is parents were, if he were to respond to a rescue worker at all. This is such a big fear of mine. Scotty was found by a volunteer searcher's pet Golden Retriever. Only the day before Scotty went missing another 5 year old autistic boy named Jeremiah Conn from Madison, WI went missing from his home, he wandered away and tragically drowned in a pond near the area his family was visiting. I realize these are valid fears for any parent, but these kids run and can run fast. They can be gone in the blink of an eye. Imagine tying one child's shoe and looking up and never seeing your child again. It can happen that quickly. Typically developing children will come running back as you call their name, they will stop when you say stop, they will ask a stranger to help them find their parents, key components to a missing child returning home safely to their loving parents.
Being hyper-vigilant has become our life, especially when away from the house. Whenever we go anywhere, I take E out of the car first and have her stand beside me while I get Mr N out so there is not a risk that he'll wander away. When we get back to the car, Mr N gets buckled in first so that once again he can't wander away, E gets buckled in second, then any purchases are loaded in the car. We keep constant physical contact with Mr N while out and about unless he is in a cart, letting go of his hand in a parking lot for even a second and he could dart in front of a car. This lack of fear he possesses is everywhere. When we are hiking we have him in a carrier on our back, hold his hand, or if it is a trail not along a cliff or water we will let him walk between us. But we must pay constant attention, rivers rush, cliffs have loose rocks, there are bears, mountain lions, and animals of a human nature; we can not risk him being out of sight for even a moment. Thankfully he is much better at staying in appropriate play areas at home. When we first moved here he would try to go down the driveway, but has not attempted to do so in several months. He will occasionally wander around to the back of the house but typically just goes on the back porch. Today I removed the enticement from the back porch so hopefully that will help alleviate his motivation to wander back there out of sight.
While there is so much extra time, attention and work involved with a child with special needs, I have learned to love so much more. I remember being pregnant with Mr N and observing my precious E thinking "I'll never love another baby as much as I love E, she's perfect". I didn't think my heart had enough room for another child, until I met Mr N. I didn't lose even an iota of love for E, my heart grew big enough to love them both. I love them both more and more each day, my heart just grows right along with them. Mr N needs extra love, he needs more hugs, he needs more patience and I feel like I need to compensate for others' actions towards him. When someone gives him a disapproving look for his noises, I give him an extra hug, I tell him I love him, I tell him how proud I am of him, I tell him he's smart, I tell him he's beautiful, and I tell myself how lucky he is that I am his mom and not them.
No one but me can change how I react to other people. I could be told all day long not to worry about the looks, glares and head shakes, I can act strong and put on a brave face. I can imagine confronting these people and telling them how hurtful their actions are, how much of a struggle it is just to do what they consider normal, mundane things. In reality, every once in a while I sit myself down and have a real good cry, then I pick myself up, wipe away the tears and give my precious little man as many hugs, kisses and cuddles as he can tolerate.
Recuperating
As if getting back into the swing of things after being away from home for a week isn't difficult enough, being sick and having a sick kiddo really threw me off. E is finally better today after being sick since Wednesday afternoon. Three days of puking and losing 2.3 pounds has frazzled Mommy. As parents, we always think "if only I could take this pain for them" and even when my kids are sick, I have that wish, despite my hatred of puking. My little E is so tiny, so fragile, I worry to no end when she is sick, not only does she lose weight but it seems like an eternity before she gains it back. She was "blessed" with her Daddy's metabolism, it seems, and Mommy was pretty tiny as a tot, too. She has always been below the 1st percentile in weight, but at least has stayed on the same growth curve. She is finally eating better today and hasn't thrown up in 24 hours so I think we're all clear.
Today I started working on stripping and sanding one of the bed frames we got for the kids. We had to run to the hardware store for stripper and our friend Dan was working, I told the kids to say hi to Dan and I was shocked to hear Mr N actually say "Hi Dan!". Usually a "hi" is all he says, but he said "Dan". I was pretty excited, it's not like we work with him to say "dan" like we do to get him to say "mommy, daddy, sissy, love you, milk, cat, dog, outside, etc" It was a a new word on the fly.
The bed frame is going pretty quickly, I probably should have started when it was cooler out. I had to take a break every few minutes and cool off in the kiddie pool. I also finished a frame that I bought at an estate sale, it looks pretty awesome. Now I just need to buy a mirror to fit it. It might just be perfect for the downstairs bathroom, or the guest house bathroom. Daddy will be happy that it actually has an intended purpose.
The kids are excitedly waiting for Grandma to arrive on Monday, Mr N is even saying Grandma. That ought to melt her heart. Of course, E asks several times a day if it is Monday yet, as she is a big fan of Grandma and can't wait for Playfest 2012 to begin. Once the "is it Monday yet?" begins we sing the days of the week song so E can better understand how many days before the visit.
I had planned to take the kids to the movie in the park tonight but it was cancelled on account of the local fireworks display. So instead we're watching a movie and having popcorn at home, the kids are bathed and in their jammies, clothes for meeting tomorrow are ironed and laid out. It'll be nice to see our friends tomorrow that we haven't seen in a couple of weeks since we were gone. I'm hoping since Mr N did so good at the convention that the meeting will be a breeze.
Today I started working on stripping and sanding one of the bed frames we got for the kids. We had to run to the hardware store for stripper and our friend Dan was working, I told the kids to say hi to Dan and I was shocked to hear Mr N actually say "Hi Dan!". Usually a "hi" is all he says, but he said "Dan". I was pretty excited, it's not like we work with him to say "dan" like we do to get him to say "mommy, daddy, sissy, love you, milk, cat, dog, outside, etc" It was a a new word on the fly.
The bed frame is going pretty quickly, I probably should have started when it was cooler out. I had to take a break every few minutes and cool off in the kiddie pool. I also finished a frame that I bought at an estate sale, it looks pretty awesome. Now I just need to buy a mirror to fit it. It might just be perfect for the downstairs bathroom, or the guest house bathroom. Daddy will be happy that it actually has an intended purpose.
The kids are excitedly waiting for Grandma to arrive on Monday, Mr N is even saying Grandma. That ought to melt her heart. Of course, E asks several times a day if it is Monday yet, as she is a big fan of Grandma and can't wait for Playfest 2012 to begin. Once the "is it Monday yet?" begins we sing the days of the week song so E can better understand how many days before the visit.
I had planned to take the kids to the movie in the park tonight but it was cancelled on account of the local fireworks display. So instead we're watching a movie and having popcorn at home, the kids are bathed and in their jammies, clothes for meeting tomorrow are ironed and laid out. It'll be nice to see our friends tomorrow that we haven't seen in a couple of weeks since we were gone. I'm hoping since Mr N did so good at the convention that the meeting will be a breeze.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Road Trip
First off, my apologies for not updating in over a week.
The kids and I left on Wednesday the 27th for a road trip to Colorado for the District Convention. We departed at 4am and drove until 10pm. The kids did great in the car, as usual. Thursday we left our hotel at 3:30am and arrived at Susie's at 6:30am, I had hoped the kids would go back to sleep once we arrived and that I could squeeze in a nap. But they were far too excited about being at Susie's house. Mr N immediately started playing and "loving" the cats and dogs.
Here are some pictures from our trip out...
The kids both did great at the convention, Mr N spent most of the time at our seat; although there were a few times that we went outside for a little break.
My aunt and uncle that live about an hour from Susie came to visit on Thursday night, the last time I saw them I was pregnant with E, so they were quite excited to see the kiddos. They came bearing gifts of baked goods and toys for the kids. The pumpkin bread and zucchini bread were a huge hit and didn't even last the weekend.
The days passed quickly by and before we knew it Monday greeted us, we tearfully said goodbye on Monday afternoon and drove 6 hours. E was denial that leaving was imminent and refused to say goodbye to anyone. Tuesday morning we awoke early and hit the road, sans coffee. Five hours later we arrived at the nearest Starbucks and Mommy fueled up. Utah is definitely not coffee friendly, for this I spite them. Here are pictures from our return trip.
After driving through four states, I soon realized that where we live is absolutely beautiful. We got home about 5pm and immediately noticed how much the garden had grown. I headed out to water the garden and was excited to see baby watermelons growing, lots of baby tomatoes, and some ripe cucumbers.
Daddy got home from work about 7pm and greeted us all with hugs and kisses, he was greatly missed.
After a long day of driving, we crashed at about 9:00 and got some much needed sleep.
Since Daddy had Wednesday off from work we decided to take advantage and headed to Cherry Lake for a day of fun and relaxation. We played in the lake for a few hours, then decided we should go for a drive and scout out more camping options.
Then we got horribly lost. After 3 hours of driving Daddy so wisely remembered that our GPS functions as something other than a moving map and we put home in as our destination and were happy to see 26 miles to destination. Two hours, many dead ends and non-existent roads later we realized the GPS is evil and hateful. We then referred to our trusty forest map and navigated our own way home.
The kids starting getting restless so we stopped to let them play for a while, I got Mr N out and then immediately tripped over a chopped down manzanita. Here is the result to my leg...
I'm typically not a big baby, but it was swelling and burning. I don't like getting owies, and yes I realize I should have shaved. It hurt a bunch.
As I was standing on one foot in excruciating pain, waiting on Daddy to finish peeing and retrieve my flip flop, E came up to me and started puking. I got her cleaned up and changed and was putting her back in the car when Mr N fell down and hurt his hiney on the rocks. Daddy was the only one that escaped our stop unscathed. Four more puke stops later, we arrived back home and climbed into bed, exhausted.
E did not sleep well and around 3am said to me "why does the night have to be so long?". She got up with Daddy at 6 and when he left she crawled into bed with me and was asleep before Daddy pulled out of the driveway. Mr N was not on board with going back to sleep so poor, sick Mommy had to get up.
Now for some of Mr N's accomplishments....
He started saying "mama" a lot on Tuesday and has not stopped. I love it.
While we were at the lake he was repeating everything I said, so Daddy suggested I try some of the things they focus on in therapy. I said "me", he repeated it, we did that a dozen or so times. I'm so proud of him, he's talking and saying more things. I said "you're so pretty", he said "pretty" and touched my face. He's even said "a wuv u" a few times unprompted, he is on a roll!
Mr N's therapist is on vacation this week, so we'll resume therapy next Monday. My hope for today is to nap and watch movies, not exactly what I'd had in mind, but when in Rome.
The kids and I left on Wednesday the 27th for a road trip to Colorado for the District Convention. We departed at 4am and drove until 10pm. The kids did great in the car, as usual. Thursday we left our hotel at 3:30am and arrived at Susie's at 6:30am, I had hoped the kids would go back to sleep once we arrived and that I could squeeze in a nap. But they were far too excited about being at Susie's house. Mr N immediately started playing and "loving" the cats and dogs.
Here are some pictures from our trip out...
The kids both did great at the convention, Mr N spent most of the time at our seat; although there were a few times that we went outside for a little break.
My aunt and uncle that live about an hour from Susie came to visit on Thursday night, the last time I saw them I was pregnant with E, so they were quite excited to see the kiddos. They came bearing gifts of baked goods and toys for the kids. The pumpkin bread and zucchini bread were a huge hit and didn't even last the weekend.
The days passed quickly by and before we knew it Monday greeted us, we tearfully said goodbye on Monday afternoon and drove 6 hours. E was denial that leaving was imminent and refused to say goodbye to anyone. Tuesday morning we awoke early and hit the road, sans coffee. Five hours later we arrived at the nearest Starbucks and Mommy fueled up. Utah is definitely not coffee friendly, for this I spite them. Here are pictures from our return trip.
After driving through four states, I soon realized that where we live is absolutely beautiful. We got home about 5pm and immediately noticed how much the garden had grown. I headed out to water the garden and was excited to see baby watermelons growing, lots of baby tomatoes, and some ripe cucumbers.
Daddy got home from work about 7pm and greeted us all with hugs and kisses, he was greatly missed.
After a long day of driving, we crashed at about 9:00 and got some much needed sleep.
Since Daddy had Wednesday off from work we decided to take advantage and headed to Cherry Lake for a day of fun and relaxation. We played in the lake for a few hours, then decided we should go for a drive and scout out more camping options.
Then we got horribly lost. After 3 hours of driving Daddy so wisely remembered that our GPS functions as something other than a moving map and we put home in as our destination and were happy to see 26 miles to destination. Two hours, many dead ends and non-existent roads later we realized the GPS is evil and hateful. We then referred to our trusty forest map and navigated our own way home.
The kids starting getting restless so we stopped to let them play for a while, I got Mr N out and then immediately tripped over a chopped down manzanita. Here is the result to my leg...
I'm typically not a big baby, but it was swelling and burning. I don't like getting owies, and yes I realize I should have shaved. It hurt a bunch.
As I was standing on one foot in excruciating pain, waiting on Daddy to finish peeing and retrieve my flip flop, E came up to me and started puking. I got her cleaned up and changed and was putting her back in the car when Mr N fell down and hurt his hiney on the rocks. Daddy was the only one that escaped our stop unscathed. Four more puke stops later, we arrived back home and climbed into bed, exhausted.
E did not sleep well and around 3am said to me "why does the night have to be so long?". She got up with Daddy at 6 and when he left she crawled into bed with me and was asleep before Daddy pulled out of the driveway. Mr N was not on board with going back to sleep so poor, sick Mommy had to get up.
Now for some of Mr N's accomplishments....
He started saying "mama" a lot on Tuesday and has not stopped. I love it.
While we were at the lake he was repeating everything I said, so Daddy suggested I try some of the things they focus on in therapy. I said "me", he repeated it, we did that a dozen or so times. I'm so proud of him, he's talking and saying more things. I said "you're so pretty", he said "pretty" and touched my face. He's even said "a wuv u" a few times unprompted, he is on a roll!
Mr N's therapist is on vacation this week, so we'll resume therapy next Monday. My hope for today is to nap and watch movies, not exactly what I'd had in mind, but when in Rome.
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