My son got a present from his teachers today and included was a notepad and pencil. He brought them to me and said "Help me write a note." I obliged and here is what he dictated:
Dear Mom,
You are cool. I like to play with you. I like to play games. I like to paint. I like games of Crazy Eights and 3D puzzle. And some stickers!
Love,
Tripp
Age 5
Now that's what I call a Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
State Autism Conference
Well, it's been way too long since I posted. I guess good intentions don't actually get the blog written..........
Easy and I attended the Texas Autism Conference last week in Corpus Christi. Thank you TEA for doing this conference, and thank you CSISD Head Start for helping Easy and me get there! If you've never been to one of these things let me tell you - it's long, and exhausting, and well worth every minute. I wouldn't say that we really learned a lot of NEW things this year, but we definitely were reminded of some important things, and have realized that there are a lot more ways to implement that knowledge than we have been doing.
It was really nice to have Easy there with me this year. Usually I attend these things alone and then have to come back and fill him in. It's nice to avoid that teacher/student dynamic this time. I don't like telling my husband what we need to do anymore than I imagine he likes being told. You can really be a more effective team when you both get the same information. Plus, we get different things out of each session so it's nice to have that extra set of ears and his amazingly complicated brain right there with me.
While we were gone something really cool happened - Tripp had a phone conversation with me!!!! Apparently he heard me on the speaker phone talking to Vivie and he walked up to Mom and told her he "would like to speak to Mommy." Then he got on the phone and we had a converstation. A real converstaion! Complete with give and take, appropriate inflection, questions & answers - it was AMAZING!!!
The girls did well while we were away as well. I wish Paris did as well for me as she does for my mom. The last two mornings have been rough. I know that she used to be capable of getting up, getting dressed, and coming to breakfast. Not so much these days. It's like she is having sensory storms in the morning or something. Either that or she has me completely snowed and is just being a pill. Not sure which - and that's the hardest part of raising Paris. I never know which it is. Is it the autism or the 7 year old? And how exactly do you create and maintain consitent parenting strategies when you have a non-compliant 7 year old Aspie, a compliant 5 year old Aspie, and a totally nuerotypical 3 1/2 year old who is learning behaviors from the other two? If anyone has ideas please let me know. Right now it consists of a lot of prayer, and a tremendous amount of effort to maintain a neutral tone in my voice. Sometimes that works, sometimes not.
Looks like I'm spiraling away from the positive so I'll go for now. Be praying for us. Paris' inital ARD is schedule for Wed. the 16th. Also just found out today that it looks like we are going to have to find a new psychologist and developmental pediatrician for P&T. Please pray God shows us exaclty where we need to go.
Easy and I attended the Texas Autism Conference last week in Corpus Christi. Thank you TEA for doing this conference, and thank you CSISD Head Start for helping Easy and me get there! If you've never been to one of these things let me tell you - it's long, and exhausting, and well worth every minute. I wouldn't say that we really learned a lot of NEW things this year, but we definitely were reminded of some important things, and have realized that there are a lot more ways to implement that knowledge than we have been doing.
It was really nice to have Easy there with me this year. Usually I attend these things alone and then have to come back and fill him in. It's nice to avoid that teacher/student dynamic this time. I don't like telling my husband what we need to do anymore than I imagine he likes being told. You can really be a more effective team when you both get the same information. Plus, we get different things out of each session so it's nice to have that extra set of ears and his amazingly complicated brain right there with me.
While we were gone something really cool happened - Tripp had a phone conversation with me!!!! Apparently he heard me on the speaker phone talking to Vivie and he walked up to Mom and told her he "would like to speak to Mommy." Then he got on the phone and we had a converstation. A real converstaion! Complete with give and take, appropriate inflection, questions & answers - it was AMAZING!!!
The girls did well while we were away as well. I wish Paris did as well for me as she does for my mom. The last two mornings have been rough. I know that she used to be capable of getting up, getting dressed, and coming to breakfast. Not so much these days. It's like she is having sensory storms in the morning or something. Either that or she has me completely snowed and is just being a pill. Not sure which - and that's the hardest part of raising Paris. I never know which it is. Is it the autism or the 7 year old? And how exactly do you create and maintain consitent parenting strategies when you have a non-compliant 7 year old Aspie, a compliant 5 year old Aspie, and a totally nuerotypical 3 1/2 year old who is learning behaviors from the other two? If anyone has ideas please let me know. Right now it consists of a lot of prayer, and a tremendous amount of effort to maintain a neutral tone in my voice. Sometimes that works, sometimes not.
Looks like I'm spiraling away from the positive so I'll go for now. Be praying for us. Paris' inital ARD is schedule for Wed. the 16th. Also just found out today that it looks like we are going to have to find a new psychologist and developmental pediatrician for P&T. Please pray God shows us exaclty where we need to go.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Conversations with Paris
Here are two conversations I had with Paris in the last 24hrs. It really is a wonder that I'm not in the looney bin.
Friday evening on the way home after dropping off the littles at a Halloween party that Paris couldn't attend because she was sick:
P: Mom, do you ever wish that Noggin was never created?
M: No.
P: Well I do, all the time.
M: Paris I know that the shows on Noggin/NickJr are too young for you and that you don't like them, but you don't have to watch them if they irritate you.
P: YES I DO!! Those littles get to watch it every single day so I have to see it.
M: If it bothers you so much you have the choice to leave and do something else. You can always go play in your room.
P: MOMMY! Drawing in my room gets boring. Actually everything in my room gets boring, and I just..........
M: OK, Paris, I'm not going to listen to you whine and complain about this. You can watch their shows or you can leave the room. End of discussion.
P: Mommy, now you are irritating me.
and here comes my fatal misstep - born simply out of exhaustion and weakness after a week of being puny along side P.
M: Paris, sometimes it seems like everything in the whole world irritates you.
P: That's because of my Aspergers.
M: I know. I'm just not sure how to make that better right now.
P: Well you need to figure something out because everything you do just makes my life harder.
M: (involuntarily laughs in disbelief)
P: Well that was rude.
M: I'm sorry Paris. I don't know what to say. Everything I do is to try and make your life better.
P: Well you need to try harder.
And then this morning we had another one - this one I could at least find the humor in...............
Paris is sitting on my bed while I rummage in my closet to find some comfy clothes for the day. Briley our big dog is with P.
P: Ha! Briley is putting her bottom in my face. Why would she do that?
M: (feeling happy, well-rested and a little silly) Maybe she thought you'd like how it smells.
P: Well it doesn't smell good. It smells like a bottom.
(she now follows me into the bathroom where I'm about to get dressed)
M: What does a bottom smell like?
P: Well, I don't exaclty know.
here comes the misstep again...........
M:(as I bend over pointing my bum towards her) Here, smell mine.
P: No! Um, I think this is rude, but...your bottom is (pause) F-A-T.
M: (trying desperately to keep a poker face) Yes, that is rude. Get out.
P: (as she leaves the bathroom) I thought that was rude.
Sigh.........................
Friday evening on the way home after dropping off the littles at a Halloween party that Paris couldn't attend because she was sick:
P: Mom, do you ever wish that Noggin was never created?
M: No.
P: Well I do, all the time.
M: Paris I know that the shows on Noggin/NickJr are too young for you and that you don't like them, but you don't have to watch them if they irritate you.
P: YES I DO!! Those littles get to watch it every single day so I have to see it.
M: If it bothers you so much you have the choice to leave and do something else. You can always go play in your room.
P: MOMMY! Drawing in my room gets boring. Actually everything in my room gets boring, and I just..........
M: OK, Paris, I'm not going to listen to you whine and complain about this. You can watch their shows or you can leave the room. End of discussion.
P: Mommy, now you are irritating me.
and here comes my fatal misstep - born simply out of exhaustion and weakness after a week of being puny along side P.
M: Paris, sometimes it seems like everything in the whole world irritates you.
P: That's because of my Aspergers.
M: I know. I'm just not sure how to make that better right now.
P: Well you need to figure something out because everything you do just makes my life harder.
M: (involuntarily laughs in disbelief)
P: Well that was rude.
M: I'm sorry Paris. I don't know what to say. Everything I do is to try and make your life better.
P: Well you need to try harder.
And then this morning we had another one - this one I could at least find the humor in...............
Paris is sitting on my bed while I rummage in my closet to find some comfy clothes for the day. Briley our big dog is with P.
P: Ha! Briley is putting her bottom in my face. Why would she do that?
M: (feeling happy, well-rested and a little silly) Maybe she thought you'd like how it smells.
P: Well it doesn't smell good. It smells like a bottom.
(she now follows me into the bathroom where I'm about to get dressed)
M: What does a bottom smell like?
P: Well, I don't exaclty know.
here comes the misstep again...........
M:(as I bend over pointing my bum towards her) Here, smell mine.
P: No! Um, I think this is rude, but...your bottom is (pause) F-A-T.
M: (trying desperately to keep a poker face) Yes, that is rude. Get out.
P: (as she leaves the bathroom) I thought that was rude.
Sigh.........................
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Puny
So, I am at home with a puny Paris today. Tripp was home Monday due to fever on Sunday. Paris came home from school Monday with fever. T went back to school yesterday - on his birthday! How is it possible that my baby boy is 5?!?! Anyway, I thought Paris would go back to school today, but she was up in the middle of the night with about a 100.5ish temp and a headache so I let her stay home again. Is anyone else tired of having sick kids? I am seriously tired of this.
Paris made me laugh yesterday. I had my hair pulled back on the side with a clip. I don't think I've worn it like that in a really long time. When Paris got up and looked at me she kinda stopped, cocked her head, and said,"You look....different. It's like (pause) it's like you have Vivie's face with your hair in that clip." I guess she is just now noticing how much Vivie and I look alike. And sweet Paris, I think Vivie has my face, not the other way around. :-)
Speaking of Sweet V, she's doing great. Apparently her immune system is made of steel - she hasn't had so much as a sniffle in the midst of all this sickness. She's enjoying school though she keeps coming home with bruises. Yesterday she had to little purple-ish spots on her cheek which she insisted were from being pinched by a classmate. Turns out she was painting with purple paint. I suppose someone else could have had paint on their fingers and pinched her - she was very consistent with her story. The marks washed off though so I'm not too worried about it. Her other antics as of late include an increase in her "hiding problem." We've always known that Vivie likes to hide things - she once hid my Nana's room key in her chip cabinet and we couldn't find it for a week. A couple of days ago I was doing the dishes and I hear a faint voice say "You'll never find it." I turn to see what she's up to and she has Tripp's "not fuzzy Elmo" and is stuffing it behind my reading chair. I called her name and she jumped, turned to look at me, and says in her very sweet voice,"You can get it Mommy." Turkey.
And to explain the "not fuzzy Elmo".........Tripp has 2 big Elmo pillows. He got the first one when he was about 18 months old. He had already developed a love of the little red monster so Nana bought him this life-size Elmo pillow. The next Christmas he got another one from her because he loved the first one so much that he had totally flattened it out and it had lost it's soft fuzzy feel. He accepted the new one into his life, but refused to sleep with it insisting on "old Elmo" at bedtime. So, now he's 5 and he still sleeps with both of them in his bed. When he was sick with croup a few weeks ago he starts running around the house looking for Old Elmo. "Mommy, where is my Elmo?" I told him to go look in his bed. He ran in his room, stopped abruptly, pointed at the Elmo in his bed and stated with disgust "THAT Elmo is fuzzy." He left the room and continued searching for Old Elmo. We finally found it, stuffed behind the couch - gee, I wonder who put it there. Turkey.
Paris made me laugh yesterday. I had my hair pulled back on the side with a clip. I don't think I've worn it like that in a really long time. When Paris got up and looked at me she kinda stopped, cocked her head, and said,"You look....different. It's like (pause) it's like you have Vivie's face with your hair in that clip." I guess she is just now noticing how much Vivie and I look alike. And sweet Paris, I think Vivie has my face, not the other way around. :-)
Speaking of Sweet V, she's doing great. Apparently her immune system is made of steel - she hasn't had so much as a sniffle in the midst of all this sickness. She's enjoying school though she keeps coming home with bruises. Yesterday she had to little purple-ish spots on her cheek which she insisted were from being pinched by a classmate. Turns out she was painting with purple paint. I suppose someone else could have had paint on their fingers and pinched her - she was very consistent with her story. The marks washed off though so I'm not too worried about it. Her other antics as of late include an increase in her "hiding problem." We've always known that Vivie likes to hide things - she once hid my Nana's room key in her chip cabinet and we couldn't find it for a week. A couple of days ago I was doing the dishes and I hear a faint voice say "You'll never find it." I turn to see what she's up to and she has Tripp's "not fuzzy Elmo" and is stuffing it behind my reading chair. I called her name and she jumped, turned to look at me, and says in her very sweet voice,"You can get it Mommy." Turkey.
And to explain the "not fuzzy Elmo".........Tripp has 2 big Elmo pillows. He got the first one when he was about 18 months old. He had already developed a love of the little red monster so Nana bought him this life-size Elmo pillow. The next Christmas he got another one from her because he loved the first one so much that he had totally flattened it out and it had lost it's soft fuzzy feel. He accepted the new one into his life, but refused to sleep with it insisting on "old Elmo" at bedtime. So, now he's 5 and he still sleeps with both of them in his bed. When he was sick with croup a few weeks ago he starts running around the house looking for Old Elmo. "Mommy, where is my Elmo?" I told him to go look in his bed. He ran in his room, stopped abruptly, pointed at the Elmo in his bed and stated with disgust "THAT Elmo is fuzzy." He left the room and continued searching for Old Elmo. We finally found it, stuffed behind the couch - gee, I wonder who put it there. Turkey.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
What a Week!
I am so glad it's Saturday! Here's our week in review:
Sunday - I wind up in bed witha killer headache and low-grade fever all day
Monday - take a bunch of ibuprofen because I have no time for a fever. Take Paris to be evaluated by Dr. Montogmery. Get her diagnosis - I now have two children with Asperger's Syndrome. No time to process, must pick up everyone else. Make phone calls to let those waiting for the news know. Text Easy - yes, I told him via text, how sad is that?!? Get through homeowork and dinner. Easy walks in as I'm putting V to bed. Get T to bed. Chat with Easy briefly and then we sit down to tell Paris the news. Woof, exhausting day.
Tuesday - "normal" Kids to school, go to work, pick up kids, do homework, fix dinner, take P to gymnastics, leave when Easy gets there for Women's Ministry mtg, come home, crash
Wednesday - open T's door to find out he's been possesed by Darth Vador and is running a low-grade fever. Get Paris off to school, call mom to help get Vivie to school, get T to the doc - croup. Thank Go for good friends so I don't have to pick anyone up at school. Get through homework and dinner and all that the evening requires. Crash
Thursday - have mom come over to watch T so I can take V to school, get stopped talking Sonshine School business, go to Target, go to HEB, go back by Sonshine School to pick up dinner that my sweet friends made for us because when you don't know what else to do you cook!, get back home in time for lunch, go pick up kids, have a typical Thursday evening
Friday - Tripp goes back to school, Darth Vador moves into Paris. Home again with the girls this time.
And now it's Saturday, myhusband just walked in from getting new tires on my van and brought me breakfast and Dr. Pepper. I'm headed in to work for a few hours and then I have a date with my husband. Thank you God for getting me through the week. I couldn't have done it without you!
Sunday - I wind up in bed witha killer headache and low-grade fever all day
Monday - take a bunch of ibuprofen because I have no time for a fever. Take Paris to be evaluated by Dr. Montogmery. Get her diagnosis - I now have two children with Asperger's Syndrome. No time to process, must pick up everyone else. Make phone calls to let those waiting for the news know. Text Easy - yes, I told him via text, how sad is that?!? Get through homeowork and dinner. Easy walks in as I'm putting V to bed. Get T to bed. Chat with Easy briefly and then we sit down to tell Paris the news. Woof, exhausting day.
Tuesday - "normal" Kids to school, go to work, pick up kids, do homework, fix dinner, take P to gymnastics, leave when Easy gets there for Women's Ministry mtg, come home, crash
Wednesday - open T's door to find out he's been possesed by Darth Vador and is running a low-grade fever. Get Paris off to school, call mom to help get Vivie to school, get T to the doc - croup. Thank Go for good friends so I don't have to pick anyone up at school. Get through homework and dinner and all that the evening requires. Crash
Thursday - have mom come over to watch T so I can take V to school, get stopped talking Sonshine School business, go to Target, go to HEB, go back by Sonshine School to pick up dinner that my sweet friends made for us because when you don't know what else to do you cook!, get back home in time for lunch, go pick up kids, have a typical Thursday evening
Friday - Tripp goes back to school, Darth Vador moves into Paris. Home again with the girls this time.
And now it's Saturday, myhusband just walked in from getting new tires on my van and brought me breakfast and Dr. Pepper. I'm headed in to work for a few hours and then I have a date with my husband. Thank you God for getting me through the week. I couldn't have done it without you!
Monday, September 28, 2009
Random Thoughts
I nearly ran over what I thought was a little piglet this morning. When I drove past it (very slowly) I realized it wasn't a pig, it was a very fat little dog that loked to be a cross between a chihuahua and a rat terrier. It made me laugh.
Vivian beleives it is acceptable to strip her shoes, socks, and shorts off the minute she enters the house. I can thank Tripp for teaching her this. Not sure yet how to make them stop. Not sure I care that much right now.
At some point I will learn to choose my words more carefully. I should never say to Paris, "Hurry up or your cereal will get soggy" in an effort to get her moving in the morning. No matter how long it takes, or the crunchiness of her cereal, once that statement is made it is a garuantee that when she sits down at the table she will pronounce her cereal too soggy and refuse to eat it. This will then be followed by a minor meltdown when I diagree with her assessment. In the end I will most likely cave in and fix her fresh cereal because having her eat SOMETHING before school is more important than being right about the soggy status of her food.
Vivian beleives it is acceptable to strip her shoes, socks, and shorts off the minute she enters the house. I can thank Tripp for teaching her this. Not sure yet how to make them stop. Not sure I care that much right now.
At some point I will learn to choose my words more carefully. I should never say to Paris, "Hurry up or your cereal will get soggy" in an effort to get her moving in the morning. No matter how long it takes, or the crunchiness of her cereal, once that statement is made it is a garuantee that when she sits down at the table she will pronounce her cereal too soggy and refuse to eat it. This will then be followed by a minor meltdown when I diagree with her assessment. In the end I will most likely cave in and fix her fresh cereal because having her eat SOMETHING before school is more important than being right about the soggy status of her food.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
News Flash
this blog will become active again by the end of September. stay tuned......................
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