Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Dread of Soccer Season.......

It is soccer season again, and I find myself having mixed emotions. I love watching Michael play and practice, but it can be a painful reminder of how our lives are so much different. When you see a child younger than yours who is able to play a simple card game with his mom, or one who tries in vain to interact with Nick...but instead he walks away still spinning the blades from a long lost toy helicopter, completely ignoring all attempts to get his attention. Do their parents even realize what they have? Do they take for granted that they hear "Mom" a hundred times a day? Or that their child can tell them a story, or even tell on their brother/sister? Do they realize how I long to hear those things from Nick? That just even pointing to his nose takes weeks of repetition and numerous rewards. Don't get me wrong, I realize that we could have it so much worse, but it pains us to see how far behind our little man is.

"Nick is nearly five, but he babbles like a 15 month old" I said to Mike today. "But he IS babbling." he replied positively. That seems to be how things are with us. When I get down in one of my moods, he points out the positive things. I do the same when he gets down. Thank goodness we never seem to have these episodes at the same time..LOL!

Nick has a way of making me laugh at all the right times. Just as I finished typing this post, Nick grabbed Michael's juice box and finished it off! The best thing was HE DRANK FROM A STRAW and did not spill a drop!! Nick, you made mommy laugh tonight. Thank you sweet boy!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Chaos Returns....

Yep, I am back home again that's for sure. Chaos is just a normal part of my life. It started at 6:30 a.m. This is what time the little men in my life get up to get ready for school. It is a flurry of getting boys dressed, fed, teeth brushed, shoes and for now, light jackets on and backpacks ready. They were all shined up today with matching jackets from New Zealand, and their red backpacks. The bus arrived at just after 7am and I walked with them to meet the bus driver. It has been a different driver each year; and I am already missing the one we had last year. He was an older,grandfatherly like gentleman who always greeted us with a warm smile and a jolly "Good morning Nicholas!! How are you today??!" Maybe our new driver will eventually do that, but we are still getting to know each other. Michael sits with Nick in the morning,which they both really seem to like. There is a mountain of school paperwork that I need to fill out...eventually. Don't have the energy to do it right now. We had therapy at UW today and Nick did awesome! He pointed to his nose, clapped, bounced, and did puzzles. He must be learning songs in school again-he came home humming "Ole My Darling Clementine". He has a wonderful memory for music. He has become very animated over the last few months. He makes eye contact, loves looking at faces, and seems to be coming into his own. That is my little man. Right now he is enjoying throwing a Spongebob ball up in the air(a suitable replacement for his love of dropping things) and happily chattering away as it hits the floor. And yes, we are letting him throw small balls in the house-it is much better than him throwing remotes, telephones, batteries, and anything else he can get to...all for the simple pleasure of the sound it makes as it hits whatever is in it's path. It also has the plus of being something that looks like normal play! A few seconds ago he did manage to get a hold of the phone and hide it in the kitchen cabinet-Oy Vey!

Home Sweet Home

Just wanted to let you all know that I made it home this evening. I missed my little "bubby", and of course my big boys too. The first thing Nick did when he saw me was try to take my hat off, and put his hands on my face. He smiled with his whole body. I said hi to him, and he said hi right back. We got home and handed out the souvenirs. I had originally bought two stuffed animals for Michael since he likes them so much, but Nick took an immediate liking to the stuffed Kiwi bird so I now suppose that is his. Sometimes you just don't know what he likes until you try. He carried that around all evening. When you push on it's side it makes a sound like the Kiwi (the bird of New Zealand in case you were wondering). Nick would set it down and bang on it to get it to make noise. We even caught him imitating the birds noises. That ought to be a real hoot at school...I can just imagine him tweetering and clucking all around the place!LOL! Good thing his teachers have a sense of humor! Even with all the misgivings about therapies and the school district, I have to say that I really love his teachers. They always focus on the things he CAN do, and they really see his personality. My little man. When I talk to Mrs. R, his head teacher, she raves about Nick and how far he has come since starting the program. He thrives on lively, bubbly, spirited people who don't just see the diagnosis he has. Afterall, he is a little boy first and foremost. More people need to focus on the PERSON, not the AUTISM.