Has it really been another 2 weeks?
I am really sucking in the blog department. Both writing and reading. I opened my Google Reader today to find over 1500 unread posts! Good grief!
Can’t really say where I have been in the last month other than getting through the days and weeks. I’ve just been really busy I suppose. I have kicked it up a notch with work now that the end of our year is quickly approaching (June 30th). Anyhoo, I have read here and there from my treo but like I have said before, commenting is a bear on that thing!
I’ve had a couple of Success Sunday quotes floating out there that never quite made it to the computer. And now I’ve forgotten them all. I do know that one was a quote from a Harry Potter movie…perhaps The Hub can jog my memory on that one. That is, if I remembered to mention that out loud to him.
So let me start on my list a little. About the Kindergarten situation. Many of you have sent me emails and comments on how you have handled your Kiddo(s)’ off-to-school situations. I have been praying that something would come up and as far as I know there will be an option for The Elder other than Kindergarten and other than a private preschool. YAY! We have his IEP meeting on the 7th of May to discuss this further. No other details are known, such as teacher, classmates (inclusion or not), number of days, length of days, or even which school for that matter. The Teacher didn’t know any of that stuff either, including her own teaching placement for the fall. Boy that would suck if that was my job! So I’ll have another post after the IEP meeting. I’m actually very excited about this one. If anyone has any advice on things that I should definitely ask for please please please leave a comment and let me know!!!
The Elder has been getting really good marks on his daily reports this week. I mean REALLY good marks. Last time, The Teacher and i discussed his 4-month cycle that we have been recognizing since he has been in her class. Of course it has only been 8 months but we can see a pattern. So we are anticipating that during the next 4 months which happens to fall during summer vacation. Interesting…
This summer I have both The Elder and The Younger enrolled into our church’s Summer Day Camp for 2 days a week. It was the least expensive option that still had spaces available. Since the church has been working really hard with me and The Hub to educate themselves, I’m about 90% confident that things will go well. They even held a Mental Health Conference and many of The Elders former teachers and directors of previous preschools (2 of the 4 from which he was kicked out of) attended so I was really happy about that. I went to the K-6 grade class and The Hub went to the preschool class. I’m glad because I would have felt very uncomfortable in there with all the people I’ve argued with in the same room with me. However, according to The Hub I would have been vindicated because everything that I stressed to them (and they ignored) was taught by a licensed professional psychologist. There were also The Elder’s Sunday School teachers (and future Sunday School teachers) present. I think some of them overlap with the Summer Camp teachers too so I’m excited about having people aware that he is just not a difficult kid, but a different kid.
Plus I really wanted to keep The Elder in a structured environment over the summer, and The Younger just needs to experience a structured day that doesn’t include having his brother with him. He is still showing signs of social anxiety (except at Zuma Fun Center last weekend, where he scared me numerous times running off to check out another game to play. Interesting…) and he is continuing to stutter. I’ve tried correcting him and having repeat me and he does fine. He hasn’t been stuttering in public mainly because he doesn’t talk in public. Other than “NO” or “Back Home Please,” that is.
I can’t remember all the stories that I had in mind to share for the “How God brings people together for a reason beyond our comprehension until you look back and see how things were weaved together” bullet, but I bet others who read this have similar experiences. I’m still finding out things as every day goes by. Hmmm, I guess that is what the mean by Life is a Journey and not a Destination. I’ll make this a “Talk Amongst Yourselves” topic so please share any feeling you have about this statement.
And lastly (not leastly), the whole organization bit. Perhaps that is why I haven’t had extra time on my hands to blog. I got me some organization! I have literally been so productive that I have to make myself STOP working! Crazy I know. I went to go see a motivational speaker in my company last Thursday and she made some very interesting points. There are 2 kinds of people in the world:
- Those who are organized.
- Those who are a hot mess.
Of course I’m getting dizzy as pictures of my hot mess are flashing before my eyes. But I loved her “comeback.” Those who are organized can spend too much time organizing and therefore are not productive to their potential because of that. Those who are a hot mess can spend too much time thinking about getting organized and therefore are not productive to their potential because of that. For those of you who fall under the “organized” category, she suggests balancing by letting go perfectionism. For those of us who are the hot mess, she suggests being a copy cat. Find someone who is organized and do what they do. Because no matter how much we think about getting organized, it ain’t gonna happen. I’m sure some could argue with that statement but I was not one of them because about 2 weeks ago I decided to adopt part of the GTD system and tweak it just a little for my business. I also invested a whopping $35 in some products from a vendor who supports the sales force of my company and tweaked it to follow the GTD system. It has been wonderful. I finally feel put together even though my former system (if you want to call it that) has not yet been transferred to the new one. I’m actually just transferring as I go so I don’t get behind trying to get it up to date.
But what I love about it the most is that I feel productive and balance in both my work and home. That includes family and personal. So yay for me.
OK, so I gotta some other things to finish on my list for the day. Looking forward to reading your stories!
I’m making up for 2 weeks
And I know that I won’t get everything in. I’ll make more posts over the weekend. Here are some of the topics I need to cover:
- The Elder’s Kindergarten situation
- How God brings people together for a reason beyond our comprehension until you look back and see how things were weaved together
- Organization can hold you back, but once I figure it out, then watch my smoke…
- GFCF Mommy challenged me to a blog game. This is the one I’m going to start with because it sounds fun and I may not get around to the other stuff until after April!
I thought I would start off with the Elder. He felt sick this morning so we didn’t make it to church. He complained about his tummy so we put a heating pad on him and started to feel better. He was sitting in my lap in the middle of the hallway outside of the bathroom (just in case). Since he was feeling better, I beckoned to The AP to bring me some paper and pen.
“So, why don’t you tell me 10 things about you and I’ll write them down.”
“OK.”
1. First you got to turn the switch, then cross over and go down and go into the bottom of the hill and you get to write the name.
2. Next, first, um they was Power Thomas goes on the blue track with only Annie and he got the jet engine and the cars.
“Pause on Thomas and tell me things about [The Elder].” (I was pushing the “pause” button on his forehead.)
“Thomas, [The Elder], Thomas, [The Elder]…we can make a pattern!”
“Well let’s talk about you first and then we will talk about Thomas.”
3. First I go to Joshua’s house then I go to Colton’s house and then I go to Grandma’s house. That’s it.
4. FIrst I go over to Skip, then Daddy, Mommy, and [The Younger]. That’s it.
“Is it Thomas turn?”
“Not yet, we are on #5 and we want 10 things about you.”
“Then we do 10 things about Thomas?”
“Sure.”
5. First I go to the Sprout, next I go to Chikfila, next I go to Walmart, next I go to Old Navy, next I go to Texas Roadhouse, then we go home.
“Ok number 6.”
“But I said 5 things.”
“That was all under #5.”
“OK”
6. I go over to watch “I love Big Machines” then I watch “Alphabet Train.”
7. Next I watch Math Circus, Letter Factory, Talking Words Factory, Code Word Caper and that can be it.
(I’m starting realize where he learned math and how to read by age 4)
8. First I watch the “Bee Movie” than I do the “Bee Movie” again, then I watch the…uuuhhhh…ummmmmm…uuuuhhhhh…Are you drawing what I’m doing?
(I was trying to write everything down on the sticky notes, but he was talking so fast!! I had to get my computer to type it instead.)
9. Umm, first I did the….uummm…my computer then I did Thomas video then I did the Cyberchase Quest and I did the watch TV. That’s it.
10. Uuummmm…First I wash my hands next I go to the playroom….no no…next I go downstairs and play with Thomas the Tank Engine then I go to the jump jump. Check! What’s next?
“Next is Thomas?”
“Ok”
11. Then Thomas goes on the bridge into the tunnel then he goes to the um um then I go turn on Rusty then he goes to meet Henry then he goes to the…then Henry goes to the…then he says, “Thomas, you are not doing Annie and Clarabel today.” I will take…
“Mommy, I’m not feeling well…I need medicine…I want to lay down on my bed…” (He walks down the hall scrunched over obviously because his tummy was hurting. Gets on his bed crying that he’s not feeling well. Then he’s gagging and I grab him, rushing him to the bathroom.) “You’re hurting me!!” (Whew we made it!)
Bless his heart…don’t you hate it when they are sick.
He’s feeling better right now but he said he wanted to finish the Thomas story later…
So now it is my turn..
1. He loves trains and can go on and on and on about them. I especially love it when he tells a little story and recites dialogue between the trains.
2. Like GFCF Mommy’s Prince, The Elder is like our little GPS and loves Google Maps and paper maps and anything that folds out like a map. He doesn’t necessarily find things on the maps but in the car he can tell me exactly where to go and where to turn (at least where to turn to go to ChikfilA, Sprout, Toys are Us, Chucke Cheese, or Grandma’s house).
3. I love when he starts describing things to me with absolutely no context clues. I can say, “What movie are you watching in your head?” and as soon as he names it everything makes sense. (It might not be a movie but perhaps a TV show, a commercial, something that happened at school, etc.)
4. I love it when he gets excited to see me and runs to give me a hug. He even let’s me kiss him now on the cheek (and sometimes on the lips but not today. No germs, thank you.) but not without promptly wiping it off,or as we say in our house, “rubbing it in.”
5. He can read. He’s watching me type right now (I went back and typed what he said before while he was recovery from his episode) and got so excited…”You’re writing down what I said?!?!?!?!”…laughing. “I am! How can you tell?” And he pointed to the words and starts reading it to me. (Number 10)
6. He loves his brother. I catch him hugging him all the time!
7. I love his innocent mind. He is honest. Very honest. And very literal. I love it, it is adorable. EG, I asked him if Eliza was his girlfriend and he said “yes.” She is the only girl in his classroom. “Are you her boyfriend?” “Yes” “Is Colton your boyfriend?” “Yes” Hmmmmmm.
8. He is more polite than most 4 year old. Shoot he more polite than most adults. Please, Thank you, You’re Welcome, I’m sorry, I forgive you, Excuse me are popular phrases in his vocabulary. And now, he almost means it.
9. I love to watch him run. Reminds me of Friends when Phoebe went to run with Rachel. He just looks so happy when he does it. And he doesn’t know or care if he appears awkward to others. Again, just innocent as can be.
10. To contradict the innocence, I love it when I catch him a “lie.” “Did you wash your hands?” “Yes” “Are you sure?” “Yes” “I didn’t hear the water run in the sink.” When he realizes that I have found him out he will say, “I’m just teasing you!”
I’m sure there are more, but those are the ones I can think of as he is leaning over me asking me I’m finished yet!
OK I can finish because he is putting a puzzle together now. Yay, he’s feeling better. What is that with vomit? I told him he got the germs out and that is why he feels better!
10 Things About The Younger
1. He is hilarious. I truly think he talk The Elder to talk because we can’t really shut him up. My favorites are when he holds my face and cocks his head to one side and says, “You’re so cute.” When I tell him he’s cute too, he will say “I’m not cute…I’m crazy.” Hilarious I tell ya.
2. I also think he taught The Elder to pretend play. He is very impromptu with his pretending too. He’s running around chasing Skipperdoodle and will stop in his tracks to grab something out of his pocket to eat. “Whatcha eatin?” “Chocolate Cake.” And then continues to chase the dog. He will also come up to me out of nowhere and hand me something pretend and say something like, “I got some ice cream for you.”
3. His favorite color is pink.
4. His favorite toys are kitchen tools and accessories; brooms, mops and other cleaning supplies, and soap to wash his hands 10 times a day. Hmmmm he’s not OCD at all….
5. He loves to cook. Supervised cooking with me or The Hub, but lots of pretend cooking. Another favorite toy is toy kitchens. I just bought a used one and haven’t shown it to him yet. I want to wash the dishes first before I show it him. I just know he is going absolutely love it, including the pink Barbie tray!
6. He also loves to put things away. I’ll distract him while I’m working at the computer by giving him a bag of binder clips (you saw the unfortunate scenario with the poor Skipperdoodle). But as much as he loves to torture the dog, his favorite thing to do is put the binder clips back into the bag.
7. His favorite phrases are, “I want to hold you,” “I want to help you,” “I want Mommy, Daddy, Grandma” even when one of us is holding him and the other two are on either side of him (usually this is his stimming phrase when he’s sad, scared, or hurt).
8. He’s very independent. He wants to dress himself, put on his own shoes (backwards and then switch them back), buckle his own car seat, feed himself (sometimes), and now to my delight, change his own diaper. He however does not want to use the potty unless he is naked.
9. He loves to put trash in the trash can, recyclables in the recycle bins and banana peels in the compost container.
10. He will let you know if you do something the wrong way or put something in the wrong place and say, “No Sir!”
Hmmm, I don’t say that THAT much do I? He also puts me in time out. I’ve even seen him put Elmo and Spongebob in time out.
The Younger doesn’t have any official diagnosis because he is so young and is not showing any signs of Aspergers as of yet, though The Teacher has concerns. He is starting to regress the way The Elder did at this age in the feeding department, but that is all sensory issues. I am putting him in a 2 day program this summer starting in June to help with his social skills (without his brother) and depending on where The Elder is placed next year, I plan to put him in MDO for 1 or 2 days a week.
10 Things About The Hub
1. He’s very witty. Sometimes they are inside jokes, but usually I’m on the inside of it and I get it.
2. He’s very literal. Now that he has a diagnosis, we joke about this a lot. I love it when he answers rhetorical questions, or at least looks like he is thinking of the answer to it. I’ll say, “Rhetorical…” and he will say, “Literal…” It’s hilarious. I’m very grateful that we come to this place in our marriage.
3. He’s good writer. Just visit his blog and see for yourself. He may not be able to verbally express himself, but give him a pen and paper…um computer and keyboard and he can communicate very well and with passion. As a matter of fact, when we were dating way back when, he used to send me hand written postcards and letters. And poetry. He even kinda sorta proposed to me in a poem, which was much more romantic than the way he actually proposed to me.
4. He’s a good coach when it comes to his passions. Soccer, Running, Cooking, and the Stock Market. He will also talk your ear off about them, so beware when you mention any of the above. I probably should also add to that his favorite bands, They Might Be Giants and XTC.
5. He’s a scary driver. He sees vectors in the world that mere mortals cannot. Therefore he can gauge how close he can be to the car in front of us before he has to apply the brakes. I have mini-panic attacks when he drives, so I try to just close my eyes instead.
6. He loves his family. Sometimes he has different ways of showing it but we are all coming around and figuring out how to decode him.
7. He is good at keeping a secret. Sometimes it is because he forgets it, but mostly because he is not emotionally attached to things and doesn’t really feel the need to gossip. But he also loves surprises. One of my favorite phrases that comes out of his mouth is, “I have a surprise for you.” Sometimes they are really wierd surprises but that all goes back to that “decoding” thing.
8. Once you get into his circle of friends, you have a friend for life. He’s very loyalty to his circle (including his blog circle). He will do incredibly nice things for people in his circle. Some reciprocate but it is never expected.
9. He’s not emotional. Sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it is frustrating. He can level my hot-headedness, and bring me back to earth when my head is in the clouds. When I get frustrated, I’ve learned to just tell him to emote and he gets the picture and follows the script. I know it is a script, but the fact that he follows it tells me that he is trying and making an effort.
10. He’s very routine. If I can put things in his routine, it may takes a couple of days, but after that it is golden. This great when it comes to chores. (MMUUUAAAAAHHHHH!) He even follows it when he oversleeps or is running late, and if I tell him that he doesn’t have to do something (like empty the dishwasher – I hate doing it because I’m too short) then that stresses him out more than the fact that he is running late.
As a family we have come a long way and have closer, more tolerant and patient, and just plain better people because of this term called Autism. Why would I want to “cure” that??
Keep spreading the word…it starts with awareness…
Take 11 minutes and 32 seconds…
…to watch this video and be blessed.
http://video.stumbleupon.com/?p=ithct48cqw
Here is the YouTube version of an excerpt plus an interview with the speaker (ABC News):
Please forward this to everyone you know that you think can benefit from it. I personally believe that is EVERYONE…
Live Life as if you are Alive.
