Saturday, May 02, 2009

They were SOOOOO Little!!!

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Hey...You back there?!Photobucket
Michael around 18 mos old

Big Brother




Just wanted to give a HUGE Shout out to my oldest son Michael. It was his TENTH birthday yesterday!! I can't believe my oldest 'baby' is TEN already!! He is not looking like a little 'kid' anymore; he is growing tall and filling out. Where did the time go?? It was also his best friends birthday yesterday!! HAPPY TENTH BIRTHDAY GUYS!!!

I also want to say that Michael is a wonderful big brother to Nick. It's not easy having a special needs brother, but Michael is a champ. He has reminded me many times to tell Nick's teachers that he is just across the hall, and they can come get him if Nick needs him. Of course, I have yet to really do this as I want Michael to have his own life outside of his brother, but he has always put the offer out. It has been that way since the start. I remember Nick was just a day or two old and the nurse came by our hospital room to do a heel prick on him. Of course little man screamed at the stick, Michael turned around and shot the poor nurse a look of death. He was always trying to make Nick comfortable--we have a picture of Nick sleeping in his carseat surrounded by stuffed animals. 5yr old Michael thought he would be more content with lots of soft things. We still have an outfit that Michael picked out for him when he was newborn. It is a lovely white little jumper with a Peter Rabbit design on it. Peter Rabbit was Michael's fave story book character at the time. Nick has stood at the door waiting for Michael to come home from school saying "Michael come here!" When Michael and his friends are playing Guitar Hero, Nick gets out his little guitar and plays in his own way with them. They have shared a room for 5years. No matter how much Michael wanted his own room, two days later we would find them sharing a room again. To see the both of them so attached warms my heart and my spirit. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a wonderful boy, who I am sure will become a great MAN someday!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Yoko????

Yes, apparently now Yoko Ono has jumped on the autism bandwagon. Go HERE to read the article published by the BBC. Not sure how I totally feel about this. I mean on one hand it is great that she is supporting the cause, but, Yoko Ono?? Why not someone who is more affiliated with autism?? How about someone who has first hand knowledge?? There was one quote in the article that bugged me.

Once the solution for autism is discovered, we will see the sky shimmering in its original beauty, with no holes.


Well, I see my son in his original beauty WITH autism. He has no "holes". And no, to this date, Nick is not what people call "high functioning", and I still believe he is wonderful.

I know I am not the only person who thinks that once the solution for autism is found, the world will be at an injustice. Kids like Nick are not wanted by the general public. They are not part of that "Perfect family vision". Imagine how many fetuses will be aborted when the parents hear the words "Your baby will be autistic". I admit, autism is no easy thing to deal with sometimes. But what I have found is that a little humor can go a long way. In a way, autism is freeing. I mean, who has not wondered how far an object will fly if it gets hit with the ceiling fan? We know. Socks can fly across the room, so can hats. Shoes, on the other hand, tend to just hit with a "THWACK" and then land about two feet further. I mean really. Us "social people" have not given the world much when you think about it. Possibly because we are too busy yapping our mouths rather than trying to create things. We worry too much what people will think of us if we don't. I dare everyone to, just for one day, do whatever pops into your heads at the moment. Whether it be dancing on your tip toes, jumping up and down in the store, running just to feel the breeze on your face, or gazing at a ceiling fan(and just for some real fun, throw a sock at the ceiling fan!). Get in touch with your inner autistic, and tell me if it's a bad thing.