The Power of "NO"...

Last week we noticed that Nick was shaking his head from side to side while sitting at the dinner table. I had put some food in front of him and he began shaking his head. We just thought "Isn't that nice, another sensory stim, ok Nick let's move on now" We thought that, well, because a lot of what Nick does is purely sensory related. From smacking things, to rubbing his head on the carpet, to grinding his teeth. All of these have been phased in and out of our lives at different times. We don't really give it a second thought anymore. I am realizing though that maybe we should. Case in point, the head shaking. The other day, Diane and I had a chance to talk in the hallway while Nick was on a few minute break. She brought up something quite extraordinary. She got the impression that Nick was shaking his head "NO". She would ask him to do a certain task-and he would shake his head. He had done this several times throughout their session, all of them towards being asked to do something. In the few days prior to her and I speaking, we were starting to realize that Nick might just in fact be doing this. For those who have a disabled child, we often buzz around caring for them just as we had when they were an infant. Most of the time we don't even realize we are doing it. Time seems to stand still in that respect. They eat, drink, wear, etc. whatever it is we put in front of them (or feed them by hand) often with little to no protest. NO is a powerful thing. It let's someone know that YOU do not WANT what they are giving you. It let's them know that YOU indeed have a voice and opinion about things being done. It let's them know that YOU are a thinking, feeling, living person. For nearly 6 years Nick has not been able to say No. He has had to be happy with what was given to him. Nick, mommy and daddy are slowly getting a "clue". You are nearly six, and deserve to be treated as such. I am afraid you are discovering girls...in your own way, but also like so many other little boys. Yesterday you learned about Mickey Mouse. You are getting tired of Goldfish crackers for snack, you now like Mandarin Oranges. You love 80's music-and even sing a few songs. Instead of ripping my magazine to shreds, you carried it around for days looking at all the pictures. All four of us are learning on this journey my dear boy, and we are all better people because of you. Don't hold it against us Nick, we can't help being "neuro-typical".

Happy New Year!!

Another year has gone by, and actually I am happy that it is done. I spent a lot of 2009 away from my boys and I hope that 2010 will leave me home more. We move into our new house in just a couple of weeks! Not anxious to have to pack up all our stuff and try to move with two kiddos, but at least this time we won't have to deal with feeding a newborn every 3 hours. When we moved into this house Nick was just a wee baby. With every new year it brings new promise. New skills gained for our Nick and new hope for what he can achieve in the next 12 months. He has gone from eating microwaveable meals consisting of lasagna and ravioli--to eating steak, pork chops, veggies, mashed potatoes, eggs, bacon, and anything else put in front of him. We have even managed some gummi candy, and a chocolate chip cookie. He follows directions, is counting up to 20, learning to draw shapes, and even learning to sight read! Today him and Michael were playing together and getting along. It was such a great thing to see. I often dream about my boys playing together. Except, most of the time it is just that...a dream. In my dreams Nick talks, plays, and runs around like any little boy should. He is not restricted by anything. I see them chasing each other with Nerf guns and laughing. Then the dream is over, and I wake up to reality. Except today, my dream WAS a reality. For that, I am thankful. I am also thankful to have had another year with two amazing kids and a wonderful husband. Happy New Year!! I hope 2010 brings everyone love, health, and happiness.

Pictures from a wonderful day!!

And for the first time Nick actually opened his presents on his own! It was also a day with no fighting...that was very shortlived. They were back to their usual antics this morning.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

I cannot believe how fast this year has flown by! We have been busy little elves this week. Filling our days with lounging around, staying up late, and lots of family bonding time. Nicholas has dicovered the joys of emptying out all the dresser drawers when he gets upset--hence the lots of family bonding time spent re-folding clothes. We managed to get to the park this week once. And we have also enjoyed running errands and chatting with our neighbors. Our Christmas present to ourselves tomorrow: 2 newly installed baby gates. The fancy schmancy kind. These buggers are drilled into the walls. No prying down the gate by determined five year old hands. All closets are essentially blocked off. Our house is becoming increasingly locked up. We have locks on the washer and dryer, and window locks. Coupled with all the baby gates, no one can get IN or OUT for that matter. Which, is just how we like it.

Needless to say, the holiday break has thrown Nick a little out of whack. I now know how people can claim "temporary insanity". I now know how it feels. Spending any length of time with a 5yr old having numerous meltdowns a day will do that to a person. I had to go to the post office today...don't ask me how I got there...I think I was borderline delirious. I was so out of it that I even took with me the cause of my mental fog. Nick. He was in fine form in the constraints of his "smallish" umbrella stroller. His feet drug on the pavement so I had to *wheely* him all the way back to the car; as he refused to put his feet up. Yes, I dug out the stroller from the abyss of the shed. A mama has to keep her sanity. If I had not used it, surely there would have been a huge line at the post office, Nick would have had a meltdown and socked some poor soul in the back or rear, he would have been trying to escape out to the parking lot, and I did not want to revisit any of our numerous outings in which we were ill prepared(Safeway, DMV, his old school, etc.) Of course, he was a perfect little angel during this trip.

The holiday break did spark a little creative side of me though. One night I was able to come up with our very own version of the "12 Days of Christmas". Enjoy.

12 Days of Christmas

On the first day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
ONE broken coffee pot
On the second day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
TWO busy therapists
On the third day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
THREE huge meltdowns
On the fourth day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
FOUR new holes in the wall
On the fifth day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
FIVE whole words
On the sixth day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
SIX broken closet doors
On the seventh day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
SEVEN hours of screaming
On the eighth day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
EIGHT burned out lights
On the ninth day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
NINE days of tantrums
On the tenth day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
TEN torn up window screens
On the eleventh day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
ELEVEN broken cabinets
On the twelvth day of Christmas my autie son gave to me:
TWELVE lovely smiles

Doors....

What is it with Nick and Doors??!! Seriously. We have numerous doors that are either cracked or falling off their hinges. Trying to keep him from doing this is a herculean effort. Every fricken room has at least two doors (closet door and entry door), with the kitchen and bathrooms having even more with cabinets. This has been going on in earnest for over a month now. Leave. the effing. doors. alone! This has been the one thing lately that is literally driving me insane. We get done distracting him from one door, and he just moves on to another door somewhere else in the house. It is neverending. Doors are everywhere. They must be open. They must be closed. They must be slammed against the walls when you open them. Some have the added bonus of making unusual noises as they slam against the baseboard heaters. You can imagine what repeated slamming does to a door. If you can imagine that, then imagine what repeated slamming is doing to my sanity.

Home Again....

I am home again after another trip. This time I went to St. Louis for a 4-day class to learn a new computer program we are using at work. I got home around 8pm last night, and Mike had ordered a pizza. YAY!! After spending a week in the "flatlands", I was happy when we flew right by my Mt. Rainier. It stands majestically above all the clouds showing her snowy white top. It is beautiful to fly by,even in the dark. To me, when I see that volcano, it means that I am HOME. Back to my three guys, and back to a routine. It's funny how we think that people like Nick are the weird ones who are stuck on their routines. Doesn't your routine during the day provide you a little comfort? Are we not a little anxious when we are forced out of our "comfort zone"? I know I am. I am simply a nervous wreck on the inside until whatever it is passes. When I go somewhere on a trip, I like to get everything settled and put away in my room so it feels like I belong there. Nick, although a little more severe than most, likes to feel the same way. His routine is comforting and he likes knowing what to expect. One of the reasons we have a camper is so that he feels comfortable. Nick hated going to a different hotel room everynight when we traveled. He did not know what was where, or even where he would sleep. Seems silly to most of us, but for him this caused him great stress. He likes to know "the lay of the land". He LOVES our camper. He knows where he sleeps in there, where he eats all his meals, and where his toys are. So even though his routine may be interrupted by a camping trip, he is not stressing over a "new" place. Don't we all like the feel of a familiar place like our own homes? I know I do. For me, there is really no place like home.

Back to Normal.....Almost.

After 4 chaotic days of Thanksgiving break, we were looking forward to getting back to a normal schedule on Monday. But, as luck would have it, that did not happen. Mike had gotten Nick all dressed and groomed for school and they were waiting outside for the school bus. As I have said before, this is the absolute highlight of Nick's day. He LOVES the bus. So, when it did not arrive on Monday he was completely upset. Mike called the transportation people and inquired about the whereabouts of the bus. They said that it was a substitute driver and that they were here to pick up Nick around 10:45-10:50. Mike said that was not true because they had been waiting outside since 10:40. They said that they would send another bus to come get him, but by that time Mike was like "What's the point? He would only be in school for just over an hour." That threw off Nick's whole day. As he has gotten older, he is getting more rigid in his schedules. He likes them. It takes him a long time to recover from a schedule change. And until he does, he makes our lives a lot harder.

Tuesday was a little better. Nick went to school as planned. But, before he went to school, he managed to peel off part of the baseboard in the kids' bathroom. He also managed to peel off a layer of paint and more damage to the drywall underneath. Another door had also been taken off it's hinges. So, we called the housing office to have them repair our house. They came and fixed up the bathroom, and a couple of doors and screens. We still have several closet doors that are in dire need of repair. He just can't stop. We watch him constantly, and even his therapists are having a hard time keeping him away from doors. We are at our wits end with this. Then, just after we called the housing office for the repairs, we get a call asking if we want to move into another house on base. This *new* house is completely remodeled, and has a garage! YES! It is one-story, so we would not need to be worried about anyone falling down stairs, and it also has central heating. I remember central heating...how nice it was not to have to worry about anything burning up or melting if it is too close! We have had baseboard heating for 10 years now, and always have to check in the boys' room to make sure no toys, clothes, bed spreads, or anything touch the heater in the winter. Nick also won't have them to stand on. YAY us! We are scheduled to move in sometime in Jan.

This week-Nick ate bananas! What is even better is that he is now picking up his food with his hands! We are talking broccoli, chicken, bananas, pot roast, etc. He is eating all of it. He is also using a fork. It is just so good to see him picking up these things with his hands and feeding himself. He has really come a long way! Even better yet is he is now curious about what we are eating! Michael had a banana yesterday and Nick saw it. He proceeded to come into the kitchen screaming. We asked him if he wanted a banana, and if he wanted to eat. He went right to his chair and waited for it. I cut up half a banana and gave it to him. He dived right in and was happy. He is doing that more and more. He is getting frustrated at not having the words to express himself. We are working with him on this, and so are his therapists. One day we will hear what Nick wants.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Just wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. Hope you are enjoying your holiday with your families. The turkey is in the oven, I am baking a Gluten Free cake with Dairy Free frosting for dessert, and we are just relaxing as a family and enjoying each others' company. Have a wonderful day and safe travels.

Challenging Days....

After a week off milk, I was happy to report that Nick had improved in just about everything. His poops were finally normal--been waiting almost 6 yrs for that little gem. Then Saturday hit like a ton of bricks. Started out just like any other day and Nick was happy. We ate breakfast and got dressed. We went over to the neighbors house. We came home. That is where Happy Nick ended. He was replaced by pissed off Nick. In one instant while I was cooking his lunch, he got upset and launched his sippy cup. The cup flew in the direction of our espresso pot. The next thing I heard is glass shattering all over the floor and the counter. Nick just laughed at the commotion. I had had enough. I sent him to his room, although I don't think he understood why. The grocery store was no better. He threw a tantrum and started knocking things off the shelf and hitting me. I told him no the first two times. The third time I said no and pinched him on his cheek. It got his attention and he began to soothe himself by chomping/sucking on his thumb. By the time I got home, I was done. Needless to say I had about 2-3 servings of cookie dough ice cream that night. He has a fixation on doors again. He has broken the door on our laundry closet-it is completely off track and has a chunk of wood missing at the top. He has cracked one of our kitchen cabinets almost clean off. It is now held together with two nails. He has damaged a few other cabinets, but not as bad. Somedays I really feel that I just cannot take it anymore. The constant stimming, and just everything else that goes along with him. Then there are days like today...when he greets me at the door with a big smile on his face.

I bought some Pedia Sure at the store so that maybe Nick could get in some extra calories. The day after he had some, he was back to mushy stools. I looked at the package and it was lactose free and gluten free, but still contained some milk based ingredients. Guess I won't be buying that anymore. One day Nick, mommy will get it right!

Fall is here...

You know how I can tell? Not from the thousands of red,brown, and yellow leaves that have taken over our neighborhood; oh no. I can tell from the cold viruses that have taken up residence in our house. We have gone through 3/4 of a bottle of Children's Tylenol. Nick gets green goop everywhere. He gets the concept of blowing his nose, just not when there is a tissue in front of it. You can imagine what we end up with. It's not a pretty sight. Michael has made it through this week and I am glad to report that he has been headache free. Nick's nose is as red as a firetruck, and the area around his mouth and chin are raw from his constant rubbing. At least he is eating still.

Moving on to better news. We got a call from Maxim a couple of days ago. They are the company that provide us with all of Nick's services. Including respite care. For those who are not familiar with respite care, it is a system that provides parents of disabled children qualified people to watch their special needs children while the parents can go out and get a break. Our respite provider called this week offering us a chance to go out Saturday!! Holy Sh*T I am so excited!!! To go out with hubby to a movie and possibly even dinner! Do such things even exist anymore?? Going to cut this post short for now. Have to get Nick ready for school and run some errands myself.

I'm Home!!

Ok, so I finally got home last Tuesday afternoon from New Zealand. I had Wednesday off so that I could adjust back to the time difference(afterall, we were 20 hours ahead in New Zealand)and be with the boys. It has been a crazy week at work. I was working 12 hours through the weekend, and coming home just drained. Today is the first day that I have had off, so I thought I would update on Nick.

He is continuing to make huge progress with his ABA home programs. He has mastered gross motor imitation. Which was and still is, thrilling to see. It is exciting to witness him copy everything we do. Mike will pat his head, Nick pats his head, I wave, Nick waves, etc. It is spontaneous imitation-with no prompts, and appearing very natural. He can now answer some questions. For example, if I point to a shoe and say "What's that?" he can answer "Shoe". The same with car,nose,mouth,eyes,ears,hair,etc. He is grasping the whole Touch Math program seemingly easily.It seems like he can come out of his world easier now and join in ours when the time comes. We have much less "hand over hand" instruction, and he is often better at following directions than Michael LOL! The potty is a work in progress still, but we will get there. He likes to help with the laundry. So much so; that last week he took a closet full of clothes and dunked them in the toilet and sink. He has a thing for water and loves to play with the faucets. Bathtime however is still somewhat tricky. I can't tell if it is the louder noise of the running water, or the process itself that scares him. Maybe some others who read this can help shed some light? He used to love bathtime!

Another thing now is that his school is requiring him to get updated on his shots. I honestly cannot remember the last time he got a shot. I think his last one was right around two years old. I know it seems silly, but I am conflicted. I think I will get him his shots, but not all at once. That would be quite an assault on him. He needs DTP, Hep B, HiB, MMR,Polio, and Varicella. We will see what the day brings. Right now Nick is dressed and waiting for the school bus. He has helped me with the laundry this morning, and had two waffles for breakfast. He is my little "Bubby".

Almost Home....

I have been away on another 3 week trip for work; and am due to be home this Sunday. I have kept in touch with the guys back home via Skype, and it has been wonderful. Not as great as being there, but wonderful to say the least. I got to hear Nick hummm contently, sing a little song, and jump like a Mexican Jumping Bean in front of the tv. On one day I even got to talk to Tracy-one of his therapists who was there to work with Nick. The whole time I was talking to her, Nick was using her as a jungle gym. Don't let him fool you--he knows exactly what he is doing and when we are talking about him--he flashes that "knowing" glance, or looks right into your eyes and gives a huge grin. This time, as we were talking, Nick was standing against the door looking right at Tracy as she talked to me. One of these days, Nick will tell us what is in that grand mind of his.

You would think I relish being away from the whole world of autism. But, I miss it. I miss seeing the new things Nick has learned. I miss reading about his days in therapy, but most of all, I miss HIM. I miss my baby boy's smiles, humms, the occasional word, and his laughter. I miss seeing Michael and knowing how his day went, what homework he is doing, and all those other little things. I know this was not a long trip, but I hated leaving again so soon after I got home from Turkey. I miss you Michael and Nick!!! I miss you all terribly!! Mom will be home soon! Be good boys for Daddy!

Another week down....

Hey we made it through another week!! It is another typical Monday here in the Weger household. Yesterday I decided to venture into unknown territory. I have been thinking about this for a few weeks now, but decided to go for it yesterday. I have been slowly trying to reduce the amount of chemicals we use in our household. Our steam mop works wonders, and our floor gets clean without using harsh chemicals. We also save $$ by not buying floor cleaner. Now I am wanting to go even further and try to make our own laundry detergent. It is really very simple. All you need is some soap(any kind you like really), something to shave the soap into small pieces (like a cheese grater), Borax, water, and washing soda. 1 bar of soap can make 5 GALLONS of detergent! Later on, as we go through all of our store bought cleaners, I am just going to make my own instead of buying more.

So, Sunday I took both the boys with me on my quest to find all the ingredients. It ended up being a fiasco (really? That is Normal for us) because we had to go to multiple stores. The first was the BX. A certain aroma was emanating from a certain 5yr olds backside and apparently it smelled so bad that he himself was gagging. At first I thought "great, another phase of something he is doing to stim himself". Then I thought maybe something in the store was setting him off...because he did not do this in the car. And to be honest, he can smell up his room, and all it will be is gas. I thought this could be one of those times. Not so. I caught a good whif as I lifted him into the car after going to Target. We came home and promptly changed him.

Today, after everyone was at school, I went and found some Washing Soda by Arm & Hammer and went about detergent making. It was not hard at all. We grated some Irish Spring soap(it can be any type, we just had that lying around), and put that into 4 cups boiling water. I stirred in the little soap pieces until they were melted. In a 10 Gallon Rubbermaid Container, I mixed in 3 gallons of warm tap water, 1 cup of Washing Soda, and 1/2 cup of Borax. I stirred it around until it was all mixed together. Then I added our soap solution from the stove. You have to let it sit for 24 hours, then stir and use. We have it sitting in the container with the top on off to the side of our dining room. So far, it is still smelling like Irish Spring and it is starting to get a little more solid. If this goes well, we just made 3 GALLONS of detergent for an extremely low price! And as our store bought cleaners run out, we will be making all of those ourselves as well.

Cost of Having Autism...

This is a breakdown of our insurance bill for Nick from August 3rd-August 13th. That is ten days of therapy:

8/3: Consult with BCBA(Head tutor) $250.00
8/3: Tutor for 3 hours $150.00
8/3: Tutor for 2.5 hours $125.00
8/4: Tutor for 3 hours $150.00
8/4: Tutor for 2 hours $100.00
8/5: Tutor for 2.5 hours $125.00
8/5: Tutor for 2.5 hours $125.00
8/6: Tutor for 3 hours $150.00
8/6: Tutor for 2 hours $100.00
8/7: Tutor for 2.5 hours $125.00 (So far, we are up to $1,400.00)
8/10: Rehabilitative Services(another word for Tutor) $262.50
8/11: Rehabilitative Services $225.00
8/12: Rehabilitative Services $100.00
8/13: Rehabilitative Services $250.00 (that is another $837.50 for those four days)
That is a grand total of.........
$2,237.50 FOR TEN DAYS OF THERAPY Most insurances DO NOT cover AUTISM, so this is what would have to be paid by the FAMILIES. THIS is what it takes to raise a child with Autism.

Our New Routine....

School has been going for almost a week now, and both Michael and Nick are settling in to the routine. This morning I have a few minutes of peace before I wake up little man again. I say again because he was already up earlier; around 6:30. He was playing in the curtains hung on the window by Michael's bed. I told him frankly to get back to HIS bed and go Night Night. Michael wanted me to drive him to school today, and for some reason he was already up as well. And dressed. In the same clothes as he wore yesterday. I told him to go change clothes, and that he cannot wear the same stuff again. He looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. Of course I was. Mommy is not speaking "Male", which unfortunately is the predominate language in our house. I come from planet "Female" and there we change clothes every day without thinking about it. Apparently, those from "Male" have to be reminded. They also have to be reminded to brush their teeth. After he got ready I went ahead and did some dishes and I took Michael to school. There he gets a free breakfast. Great. Another meal that I don't have to feed him. Saves on our cereal budget.

Little Man loves riding the school bus. He is getting to be such a big boy. He gets on the bus by himself, all I do is fasten him in. Yesterday he was so excited he could not contain himself. We were waiting outside for the bus and he was a stimmy mess. These were happy stims though. Lots of humming,flapping, hand twirling, and doing a modified happy dance on the lawn. I am so happy that he is in the right school now. They know how to handle him. It is a smaller class, so I know he is getting what he needs. Makes me mad though to think that we lost an entire year due to the stupid move that people who don't even know Nick made for him.

We had another meeting with all of Nick's home tutors yesterday as well. They are adding more programs as he is mastering the old ones pretty quickly. Diane told me that they just started on identifying numbers like 13,14,and 15, and that Nick was already able to ID them! We are now going to start him on the Touch Math as Ana now has all the materials, and also work on spelling some simple words and learning to recognize those words have meaning. He will also have a tutor come in the mornings to help him with basic skills like dressing himself and going through his morning routine. It helps to add in new stuff to keep him from getting bored. It is hard to describe how much he actually likes this. When his tutors first started coming here, he would run and hide in his room. They would have to carry him to his "work room". Yesterday, he went in there ahead of Diane and was ready to do stuff. Ms Tracy not only got a "hi Twacy", but a hug as well. He gets cheeky with them and now goes into their goody bags to see what they brought. For Nick, these are all the more people to play and interact with. He is progressing much faster than I ever thought he would. The daily sessions of ABA are much more helpful than just once a week. Nick is already doing more stuff now than he was at UW.

Back to School..

Today is the last day of summer vacation. It is back to school tomorrow morning for both our boys. We went and met with Nick's teacher this afternoon and he got to meet some of his other classmates. One of Nick's old speech teachers came in at the end and she was happy to see Nicholas again! To find people like her is a blessing. She was disheartened as we informed her of what happened the past school year. His teacher is really nice, although I am a little scared at the idea of Nick having "homework". They will be learning to write, numbers, shapes, and all the other things in kindergarten. Except that this will be more at their own pace and the program is tailored to SN(Special Needs) kids. Nick's therapists will also be working on the same material. There seemed to be a good mixture of kids, and he was not the lowest functioning one there. I can't help but get depressed when all the other kids are higher functioning, and then there is Nick-staring out of the window.

As far as preparing him for tomorrow... I have told him that he will ride on the school bus tomorrow and go to school. "Bus tomorrow" he replied. We took him with us to meet his teacher and play with all the new toys. Kindergarten. It does not seem like he is five years old. This is just a reminder that time is passing by. It seemed that as long as he was in 'pre-school' everything was ok. So, he still is not potty trained...he is just in pre-school. Now, he is in SCHOOL. By the end of kindergarten; Michael was able to read. We just hope Nick will be able to write his name by the end of the year. Things are different. Somedays it is almost like hearing his diagnosis all over again. The uncertainty of it all is almost too much to bear. Give up? No. Never. One day at a time. One small step at a time. One word at a time.

The Blanket

This blanket has been in our family for nearly 25 years. It was made by my grandmother for my brother in 1985. My brother then passed it on to Michael when he was born in 1999. Michael LOVED this blanket, and it has accompanied him on many trips to visit relatives(this blanket is WELL traveled!). He referred to it as "deedee". Well, "deedee" was passed on to Nicholas when Michael did not need it anymore. "Deedee" is still going strong. My grandmother would be surprised that a simple blanket she made in 1985 for my brother, is now providing comfort for her great-grandsons that she never got to meet. Nick does not sleep with this blanket very often, but on this particular night, he was needing comfort from a gentle and loving soul while he slept. Maybe it is her way of "knowing" them. I do know that our boys know her from those hand sewn stitches that made that blanket.

Can Nicholas "See" Numbers??

We are learning more and more of what Nick may actually know. It is astounding to say the least. Yesterday we were playing with one of his new placemats. It has colorful shapes on it, and I was asking him what shapes there were. I was flipping the mat over to the other side when he blurted out "eight". So, I counted the shapes on there. Sure enough, there are EIGHT of them. Yet, when I took his finger to count them individually, he had some trouble. Mike thinks it could be coincidental, but then again, this is a kid who is already saying phrases in Spanish and Chinese. Every day we are discovering some sort of hidden talent or knowledge he has. Today he told his tutor that "W is for Wagon!" I had never heard him say the word Wagon before. That is the funny thing about autism. Sometimes stuff just flows out without any effort,other times he can't get his words out for anything.

School supplies, cleaning, redecorating..Oh my!!

You know we have been busy when I do not update the blog for over a week!!LOL! We have been busy with doing a little end-of-summer cleaning. It is amazing how much stuff you accumulate in closets. Last weekend our project was to clean out our bedroom closets. They desperately needed it. I must say, it felt good to get rid of all that "extra" stuff, and now be able to actually see what is in the closets..LOL! We also did a little redecorating around the house. The boys got new bedding and a curtain for their room, and we put curtains in our room, the living room, and the kitchen. For their bedding, Nick picked out SpongeBob. In other words, he looked at the package and let out a huge giggle at SpongeBobs face! Michael went with the camouflage motif.

Also on tap for last weekend was getting school supplies. I feel that we basically gave my paycheck to Wal-Mart with all the $$$ we spent in there. It was insane, but all for a good cause.

Nicholas is progressing very well in his therapy! I can't believe all the stuff he can identify now! Last week he brought us a picture book and identified every picture-with a point! We were freaking amazed!! We have been waiting YEARS for a simple "cat!, duck!, car!" and last Wednesday we got it! He can also name shirt, pants, Jingles, shoes, among others.

I am very tired, so I think I will cut this post short. Just wanted to give an update. More to follow later.

Touch Math....

We spoke with Nick's tutors yesterday and discussed adding some new programs. He is doing well with recognizing letters and numbers, identifying clothing, and is also engaging in more social behaviors. We have found out that Nick likes to be challenged. His tutors will be doing letters with him and then all of a sudden switch to numbers. He doesn't get them right every time, but he recognizes that those are numbers and not letters. In the interest of teaching him that numbers have meaning, and also to keep him from getting bored, we discussed adding a relatively new program called Touch Math. You can go to their website HERE and check them out. It is pretty neat and we are excited to start it with Nick.

Today was a good day for him. His fave tutor came to see him. I think he has a little crush on "Tefanie". He likes to run his hand over her long blonde hair and just loves to say her name over and over. It is really quite cute. He likes all of them, but she seems to be his favorite. He always says her name very softly. Right now he is having a blast blowing raspberries,silly talking, and gathering all his flashcards together.