Losing Teeth

Alex, these last two weeks, has again reminded us (Tony and myself) that things change fast. He is growing up, getting taller all of the time, and just this last week, he lost his first baby tooth.

I explained to him that this is showing that he is growing up, and that eventually, all of them are going to end up falling out. However, unlike Grandpa, we don't have to go out and buy him new teeth, his big boy teeth are going to grow in as his baby teeth fall out. He has had excellent teeth at his last check ups at the dentist, and now at the next one (which I have to schedule) they will be excited for him that he is not only at this stage of dental development, but that he is taking it so well. He is already working on his next loose tooth, wiggling it every chance he gets.

And the one right beside it is ready to come out too!

This last week, his teacher hurt herself at school, so he has had to deal with a lot of new things. I think as long as we continue to explain to him honestly what is going on, he will accept any situation. We don't do the whole tooth fairy thing, however I do tell him that dad and I will give him $1 for every tooth he loses, big boy teeth are exempt from this though. Some people may say, "Oh you are ruining his childhood!" Not really. He has one of the coolest imaginations ever. He doesn't seem phased by there being no tooth fairy.

One tough thing we have to address though is his aggression toward his peers when he gets frustrated. Now that my semester is over, I am going to take some time to read up on it and see what works with Alex. We have tried the social stories, I have tried to explain to him how hitting hurts others, and that even though he is frustrated, he shouldn't hit anyone. Thankfully (if you could say that), aggression is common among autistics because of their frustrations, so there is a lot of literature out there.

I am going to try and be crafty and make him a picture schedule for at home, since the one he has at school is working so well, and maybe get him his own calendar to put things on. Days that he has school, days he gets to see Grandpa and Grandma, when he has to do his homework, just to make mornings and evenings a little bit easier for him. I think I am going to even add on there the times that these things happen, so that he can transition into learning the importance of time and sticking to his schedule.

The last couple of weeks has been pretty chill at our house, which I am thankful for because of all the stuff I have had to do. For the next three weeks, I am allowing the chaos to come forth, because I will have extra time to handle it. It probably won't, but hey, a girl can dream?

Three Days of Spring Break, Two Autism Parents, and an IEP Done in the Library

Time sure does fly when you barely have time to breathe. Last week, I turned 27 years old, Alex had an amazing time at the sock-hop at school, Tony and I visited Alex's class to talk about my job and Autism, and it was IEP time yet again.

As you may or may not know, Alex adores music, and loves to dance, run and jump whenever some is playing. I wasn't sure how he would handle it being loud and with a bunch of children around having fun too. But he loved it, and his teachers said he was too cute with his rosy cheeks and strutting his stuff out on the dance floor.

Dancing the day away!

On my birthday, Alex sang me Happy Birthday, and Tony and I had a nice day while he was in school. Alex was most excited about birthday cake, and getting to have some. After all, what is a birthday (even a 27th one) without cake?

Alex had a great spring break, getting to spend a bunch of time with Grandpa, then he went outside and hunted Easter eggs on Sunday. Family functions can still be sort of overwhelming for Alex, because he is not used to so many people being at Grandpa's house when he is there. But he shares his grandparents well with the others, and tries to interact as much as he knows how. That is really all we can ask of him.

On the first day back to school after spring break, Tony and I came into the class and discussed Autism. I thought this was an important thing to do not only because April is Autism Awareness month, but also because the kindergartners really didn't have a word to describe Alex. They are taught (and very well) that everyone is different, and that we need to respect these differences because they are what makes all of us special. I explained to them that when Alex hits, or yells, or bits, its because he is trying to communicate with them, and doesn't know how. This causes him to become frustrated, like anyone can get frustrated when they don't know how to do something. I compared the way his brain functions to a different type of computer, and explained what it is like when his senses are overwhelmed. I think this is very important for kids to know so that instead of getting angry at him for the things he does, they can start to understand and work with him a bit more by saying, "Alex, I know you are frustrated because you want to tell me something, or ask me something. How about we go play?"

Giving the kids the word "Autism" to describe Alex's behavior was important because it is expanding their vocabulary in regards to other human beings. To me, I like to use the real words, and not just state the obvious. A good example can be found in what Alex knows about his Aunt Bill. She has cerebral palsy, and I use those words with Alex instead of saying, "Her legs don't work the same way yours do." Giving him the words so that he understands what is going on is much more important than just brushing it aside. By giving words, you are empowering the difference in a positive way (at least I think) because you are not hiding it like it is something to be ashamed of.

Still learning about spiders.

Mom brought goggles from her job!

Library- One of Alex's favorite places to be.

Autism Awareness Cupcakes are really yummy.

Family picture!

Alex didn't mind having us at school for a while, he was actually really proud I think.

We even decorated puzzle pieces and then put it together. It was really hard, but showed us that we are all different, and if we work together, we can do anything!

After coming to his class, Tony and I then met with teachers, the Special Education Director, and his various therapy teachers for his annual IEP. IEP stands for Individualized Education Program, and we do a new one for Alex every year (Learn About IEPs Here). We review the goals we set for him last year, see where he is at with them and write them down again if he still needs to meet the goal, and make up new goals that we would like to see him work toward. For most parents, this can be a really stressful and frustrating time, but for us, we have a very open relationship with all of Alex's teachers, which is important to us, and it makes it so everything just goes much smoother.

To start, we went around the room and introduced ourselves, and said one thing that we were so happy that Alex has accomplished in this last year. Alex really has come a long way since last year, he is becoming more independent, and we decided that this is something that we would like to see him work more toward. We want to start putting his daily activities more in his hands, so he walks himself from class to class, sits down and does his work on his own, and follows his schedule without prompting. We also added in things like tying his own shoes (he knows the steps, but is still working on his coordination to do so), and of course interacting with his peers more.

I think the most exciting thing that I learned at the meeting was from his phy ed teacher. She said that she is amazed by his hand eye coordination, and just his physical fitness in general (he doesn't get any sporty-ness from me, that is for sure). He is very strong, can throw and catch really well, and when I told Grandpa and Grandma this, Grandma said, "That is because of the millions of hours we spent tossing the ball back and forth across the bed to each other." Good job, Grandma. Otherwise, just like last year, we are all very excited to see how much Alex grows from year to year. He says hi to people in the hallway, and he has a lot of kids that look out for him. I know that Mrs. Harger is going to be sad he is not in her class anymore, and Mrs. G even told us that she misses Alex in the afternoons when she goes to help another little boy in Westby. Its great how much he touches people, and how close he is to everyone even though communicating is hard for him.

One thing that I have had to learn is that I can do what I can do, and that is all. Alex will be who he will be, and all I can do is do the best I can to give him the tools he needs to have a great life. I think that a lot of autism parents need to remember this, especially when they are sitting in the hallway crying because they feel overwhelmed and like they are the worst parent in the world. By remembering that you are not alone, that things will be better, and there will be a smile on that little face again, you find the strength to pick yourself back up and finish out the day. Every day is a new adventure in Autism, and the best thing you can do is... give it all you've got.

Social Stories Help With Big Changes

Its been two weeks since I posted something, but I really do have a good reason for it. I had to do a massive amount of homework to make sure I keep caught up because I have a job now! I am so excited. I started last Wednesday, and I am testing water samples for various things. Basically, I get to do experiments and work in a lab all day, problem solve and collect data, and get paid for it. I am so in love with my job, there really is no words to describe it. And, they are a very family orientated company, so they like that I have a child, and they work with me as far as my schedule goes.

Another thing that I have been up to is that I have been getting prepared for my talk that I am going to give on April 3rd to Alex's class about Autism. I have been reading a lot of things, about how to explain autism to children (reading from sites that talk about how to explain it to siblings), and getting some pretty great ideas. I am still undecided about a snack idea, but I think something will come to me. I ordered a blank floor puzzle with 36 pieces that I am going to have the kids decorate, so that I can use it as an example of why "Autism Awareness" is a ribbon with puzzle pieces, and when all of the pieces fit together, it is a wonderful work of art.

Last week, Alex had a pretty exciting 2 weeks! He was friend of the week first:

PBIS: Be kind, respectful, and have a positive behavior, and get rewarded!

And then, there was a big change. Mrs. G has to go help another little boy in a different school in the afternoons, so Alex is learning how to not only share her with someone else, but he is also learning how to rely on others more. Now Mrs. Stellner helps him in the afternoons, and for the most part, reports have been positive. He has had a little bit of trouble with it, but he has a social story that we try to read every morning before school to help him remember that everything is going to be ok.

The next major thing, is he is pretty much over his camera shyness at school. Following is a series of pictures that he actually turned and smiled at his teacher for! This is so exciting!

Pretending with a friend.

Playing with Puzzled Penguin.

Just happy!

Cuddling a lot of toys!

With the change, we have been really focused on making sure he understands that just because things are a little different, we still expect him to do all of his normal things, like his art projects, worksheets for math and penmanship, and even homework. While we did have one day where homework didn't go so well, so I had to find him 4 pages of homework online (he only had one sheet sent home, but I made him do four as a "punishment" for ripping up his expected homework), that he did with no issues. Since then, he has done his homework fine for both Tony and I. We are all unsure though if it was because of the Mrs. G change or if it is because he is not really a fan of writing on the back sides of papers. I guess we may never know. But he is working hard, and that is all we ask. I am very passionate about raising him with the same work ethic that was instilled on me. It has done me well these past 27 (because my birthday is this Thursday) years, and I hope that with it he will also be able to go on to do amazing things.

"This is a orb web."

Lastly, I would like to reiterate, or at least point out, how important the social stories have been in helping Alex to learn proper behavior, and to deal with new changes. They are an irreplaceable tool that I highly recommend for an Autistic child. They have, over time, helped Alex to cope with things that sometimes he doesn't understand, because being reminded of them in a story form makes them more comprehensible. We "neurotypicals" can be quite confusing sometimes. The link below is Alex reading his social story about how to properly deal with his anger in some situations. That has helped him to learn how to not bite or hit, even though he gets mad and wants to.

Alex's Social Story

I hope that it won't be another two weeks before I get to post again, because I do have a bit of work to do for school that I want to get caught up on, and I have a lot more to learn for work. However, I will try to at least post more pictures for next week. But I will leave you with these two bits of artwork that we received from Alex. Normally, it is hard for a child with Autism to have good penmanship, but Alex is practicing a lot, and doing a really good job!

How This Autism Mom Thinks

I know this post is a little late, but I have been thinking about what I am about to write a lot, and while it does anger me to no end, I feel as though I have to present it as coolly and calmly as possible.

When a person who loves someone with Autism says they hope that there is a cure found, its rude. While there are days that I wish things were easier with Alex, most days I am so unbelievably happy that he is who he is. I have, for my son, what is called unconditional love, meaning I don't want him some other way, I like him just the way he is. I don't wish for change. If I were offered some magic pill tomorrow that could "cure" him, I wouldn't take it. Both Tony and I love Alex just the way he is. It is not cruelty to him, but rather it is just one of life's many lessons that he has learned earlier than other kids his age: Things are not easy. Life is not easy. To me, it is like the crazy people who think that they can "cure gays". No. You can't. It is who they are. And it is what makes them fabulous. I want to know what made Alex this way. What happens, why it happens, and when it happens.

When I see someone say that "God intended this", I shake my head. People use that for so many different things, it sort of gives us Atheists whiplash. It makes no sense. Alex is different, and we don't know how this happened, but science will figure it out sooner or later. Just because there is not yet an explanation  doesn't mean that we should just chalk it up to some fairy tale creature and call it a day. I fight to make the unknown known, because I am a scientist. I am not just a "roll over and take it" kind of person. I call shenanigans on the "God has blessed them with this" as opposed to when a Christian hates you, it is "You are being punished through your child for your sins" thing. I understand that sometimes people need something to rely on for hope and answers, but to me, religion is just not an acceptable route. Things are far more complicated than that. One never found the why behind things by just sticking their nose in a 4,000 year old book, not understanding what the words meant at the time, and thinking it is the answer to everything.

These are the sort of people that you come into contact with in the autism community. We support each other in the struggles, but we also don't put up with people from the outside attacking. A prime example is Jenny McCarthy. I have made my distaste for her well known on my blog, and after posting a picture of her as being a "Strong Female Supporter" of Autism Awareness, one of the Facebook pages that I liked lost a lot of people. Many autism parents hate her because of the lies she has spread about Autism, and what she has even gone so far as to say about the parents of Autistic children. So yes, my loathing is justified. This is just an example of what the Autism community does to protect one another from this negativity and hate.

I think, after asking around a bit, I know what I am going to do in regards of awareness of Autism and how to treat Alex at the wedding reception. I asked Stacey, and asked online groups, and have come up with an idea. To let those who are unfamiliar with Alex know "The Rules of Alex Operation", we are going to make cards for the tables saying that all the money that would have been used for wedding favors has been donated to an Autism Awareness group, and here is what they need to know about Autistics. My major concern is the touch, because Alex is not a fan of people touching him that he is not familiar with. Beyond that, I would like Tony's family (some of whom have not met Alex and I) to know that he is not being disrespectful when he doesn't talk back or even acknowledge their presence, it is just who he is. He knows they are there, he is aware of everything in the room. But he needs to stay focused in order to have a good time. I am hoping that with this, Alex has a good time at a party that is just as much his as it is ours, and that Tony's family and my own family can come together to appreciate how awesome and different our little family is.

In three weeks, it will be Autism Awareness month. During that time, rather than focus on finding a "cure", I think that people should focus on how Autism really makes us realize that some of us are just different. Celebrate differences instead of insulting them. On April 2nd, I ask that any of you out there who wish to support Autism Awareness wear blue, and support those 1 in 88 who see the world differently. I am trying to come up with a good idea to submit to Alex's teacher, asking if I can come in and do an activity with Alex's class (I was thinking puzzle piece cookies, that they would get to decorate to show that "Not all cookies are the same, so why should we be?"). They are a great group of kids who support Alex every day, and I guess I want this to be a way to educate them a bit, while also saying thank you for being so awesome.

I will keep thinking about it, and hopefully I will have an idea by the end of this week.

So lets see... I have probably ticked off a lot of people because I have come out as an atheist in this post (and it is often confusing to a lot of people how a parent to a special needs child has the inability to believe in God), I reiterated and gave an reason for my hatred of Jenny McCarthy, and I pretty much described the Autism Community as a motorcycle gang (that would be totally awesome if we were). Oh, and I cannot forget how I also noted that those who "love" an autistic but are hoping for a "cure" for them, really do not love them unconditionally. I promise next week's post will be a lot less deep and it will have pictures again.

Awesome Hat, Man!

Can I show you all quite possibly the cutest picture of Alex I have ever seen? I will show the set to you, then explain what in the world is happening.

Monday, the Kindergartners celebrated Abraham Lincoln's birthday, and so they made hats! Alex loved wearing his, and it is reported that he even wore his after everyone took theirs off.

Let this be a sign that Alex's week started off amazingly. He has done such a good job these last couple of weeks, we could not be more proud of him. He, in his own way, is taking the positive behaviors lessons to heart. He reads his social stories every day about no yelling, no biting, and no hitting, and he is practicing being respectful to his stuffed animals when he gives them doctor check ups. I know when he gets frustrated it is hard for him to remember what he is supposed to do, but he is working on it.

On Wednesday, things started to go downhill for him. He started to get sick, like many others in his class, but his illness had another issue along with it. He told Mrs. Harger and Mrs. G that his ear hurt, but he wasn't pulling on it like he normally does when he has an ear infection. But when he went to Grandpa's house Thursday and Friday, we managed to figure out what was happening: He is getting in his 6 year molars! So Dad got him some ibuprofen and numbing gel on his way home from work, and Alex seems a-ok with the new addition to his mouth.

He was down Thursday and Friday, and he gave me his illness so I was sick the last half of Friday and all of Saturday. So Alex was in charge of taking care of me.

Today, I am feeling much better, and he is happy because Dad is home all day today. So what are they doing? Playing games.

Alex, I think, is just happy that he doesn't have to deal with mom all by himself today. 

Lastly, Alex is participating in Jump Rope for Heart this year! So, this being his first ever fundraiser, it is sort of special. Below is a link to his page, if you would like to donate. I have already explained to him what he is jumping for, and why it is important. I think he is excited, after all, jumping is one of his favorite things to do!

Alex's Jump Rope For Heart Page

Building Important Foundations... And Towers

A lot better time this week, that is for sure! This house braved the mid-winter storm Alex, and he seems as though he is seeing the light at the end of these dreary winter days, finding happiness again. This past week he has been building things, and it all started with a penguin house at school:

He built a house for Puzzled Penguin.

And his friends had to come over and check it out. He was very happy they thought it was so cool!

On Friday there was a snow day, and Alex was happy because that meant that Dad could not make it into work, so they built towers together. 

Building the TALLEST TOWER IN THE WORLD.

He has been doing well at school, even with the integration of a new program called PBIS. Positive Behavior  Intervention and Service, which basically teaches the kids how to be respectful to one another, be responsible for their actions, and to be safe. These things are very important, especially to Alex, because he doesn't really understand the social aspect of a lot of things. I hope this new program helps him to get a better grasp on some of these concepts.

On Sunday was Grandma Nofsinger's birthday, and so he was happy that he was able to play outside with Lauren (after I ran home quick to get his snowpants), and play with Leah and Megan. They both enjoyed destroying Grandpa and Grandma's bed with Alex (its one of his favorite Grandpa's house activities), and they found out that they have similar ticklish spots. 

Helping one of his friends give Puzzled Penguin a hug.

Recess inside is always fun when you can build towers with your friends!

Trying to recreate his and Dad's tower.

I am hoping to get a video of Alex saying his social story, because he does such a good job! He repeated it for Grandma yesterday, and she was so proud of him and the manners he is learning. It may sound sort of weird for those who are not accustomed to being around children or people with these issues, but knowing not to hit, bite, or yell when you are frustrated because you don't understand something is a very important lesson for Alex to be learning. 

It has been a big week for the dear boy, and he is continuing to surprise us every day with what he knows and what he is willing to share with us. I am lucky that I get him all to myself tonight, since Dad has to work late. I hope you all have a great week, and enjoyed the pictures!

This is what happens when you try to keep up with Dad: You need to take a nap.

Valentine's Week

There was a lot of love in the air this past week, what with it being Valentine's Day on Thursday, the 100th day of school for Alex on Tuesday, and getting to spend the day with Grandpa on Friday. Alex had a pretty busy week, and I think he was quite thankful that he was able to have three days to rest.

On Tuesday, they had to dress like they were 100 years old. He looked great when he had his shirt tucked in and the waist of his pants above his belly, but he was not comfortable that way, and un-tucked his shirt right away.

Waiting patiently in line to play with the SMART board on the 100th Day of School.

As you may have noticed for this picture, he is looking at the camera and attempting a smile. This is one thing his teacher is VERY excited about! He is starting to smile for pictures and actually let her take some of him! He also is more open to giving her hugs, and he talks a lot about "Mrs. Harger and The Mrs. G" when he comes home from school. Thats right, Mrs. G is no ordinary Mrs. G.... she is THE Mrs. G.

Things are looking brighter for him again, and he seems to be having a better time at school. He is still learning about the consequences of his actions, though. On Wednesday, he jumped into a big puddle even though he was told not to, so his snow boots were soaking wet. On Thursday, they were still not dry (Dad forgot to dry them while Mom was gone) so he had to stay on the pavement for recess. He didn't like this the first time around, but then understood for the following recesses that he couldn't play in the snow without his snow clothes.

Thursday, we sent flowers for Mrs. Harger, Mrs. G, Mrs. Stellner, and Mrs. Ostrem. They do a wonderful job with Alex, and he likes talking about them. So I thought it would be a nice surprise for Valentine's Day to get them something. Alex had a blast at the Valentine's party, then that night we went through and looked at all of his Valentine's, read their names, and he decided that his favorite one was from Mrs. Harger, because it had Blue's Clues on it. He really enjoyed the candy and stickers too!

He got a Valentine from Aunt Bill, and I got flowers from Dad. I told him that even when Mom says she doesn't NEED flowers, doesn't mean she won't feel special if she gets them anyway. Just laying the seed for how to act in future relationships is all I am doing.

Eating Valentine's candy from Aunt Bill and playing on PBSKids.org.

My flowers from Dad.

On Saturday, I had to run to the store for a few things (and to really just get out of the house), so Alex decided he would look for a new doctor kit. His old one is a hodge-podge of toys that he tries to use for a check up, but I thought that he had been really good this week, so why not. However, the only one we could find, was purple and pink (glitter), and he seemed fine with that. He was really excited to get it home to play with, and I think that I am ok with check ups for the rest of my life after how many he put me through.

Rockin' the new doctor kit.

Most people would probably say, "He is a boy, you should find him a blue one." Bah. I don't care. He doesn't understand the difference, and if he likes it and learns from it, why should it matter what color it is? 

I have come to realize that my little boy is growing up. This stems from him asking me almost daily where Dad is, and that he wants Dad to play with him. He is moving on from me being the center of his world to always looking to Dad for answers or guidance, and I guess... for as sad as it makes me, I am ok with it. He is so smart, and keeps a lot of it locked inside, and if we have to share him in order to get the full (no pun intended) spectrum of his knowledge, then I guess I can stop being so selfish. :)

Post Of Happiness

More snow this week meant that Alex had a really good week. The only aspect that was rough on him was doing his homework once he got home, and Dad and I had to put him in the corner for a few times to calm down so he could focus on what he needed to do. But he made snow men at school with his 4th grade friend, and the whole front of the school is lined with them!

Outside our house, it is snowing!

Alex next to his amazing snowman!

On Friday, we had a date night at the school, because they had a PBIS Family Night where they showed one of Alex's current favorite movies, Madagascar 3. He was such a good boy, eating his popcorn, watching the movie, and cuddling with me. 

Alex and I on our date to Family Night!

This week, we were just focused on being happy. There are so many things that we could focus on for the bad, but I have been feeling so down the last few weeks that I couldn't do that this week. So now I will post some pictures of our happy kid, being his goofy self. 

Goofy growling face.

Big smiles!

Tuckered out after our date.

I love when he makes this face.

He got a letter from Aunt Bill in the mail.

So he had to rip it open to see what it said!

And wouldn't share!

I will have more words for next week. I guess I just want you all out there to enjoy smiles this week, after dealing with sadness and frustration from this blog the last few weeks. So I hope you all have a happy week, keep your chins up and love yourselves and those around you!

Hope

We received Alex's IEP progress report and his Kindergarten progress reports on Friday, and I have finally found a little ray of hope. I think that sometimes it is easy for us to tell one another to not lose hope, but we don't really think about the real meaning and vastness behind that word. But when I see the words "Sufficient Progress" or "Secure" on these pages, it makes the real feeling of hope come back to me.

Lately, Alex has really enjoyed playing doctor with his stuffed animals, and of course Tony and I have had to get several check ups. I like watching him come up with ideas as to what ailment each of his animals have, and what he has to cure it.

First, Blue got a check up.

Then, T. Rex got an X, because that is in his name.

Those are his doctor tools he used to make Blue feel better.

This was after I broke the news to Alex that T. Rex was the last of his kind... that dinosaurs died off a long time ago.

This week brought snow. Alex had two days off this week due to snow, and one of those days he was able to spend with Grandpa, while the other he spent with mom and dad.

He enjoyed his time with us, but when he went back to school on Thursday and Friday, he was a bit confused. At the end of both days he wanted Grandpa, because he thought that he was supposed to pick him up from school. This made him a bit irritable, and he didn't want to focus at the end of the day. So, his teachers came up with an amazing idea to have a picture of the bus above his coat hook for days he rides the bus home, and then a picture of Grandpa by his hook for days when Grandpa comes to get him. We hope that this will help him to concentrate a bit more, because there will be less uncertainty in his day.

The best news that I got on his reports was, "Alex will answer some who, what, where questions when listening to a story. He will occasionally ask a question to get information. Alex is just starting to use picture cues to comment on an activity in speech. He is also starting to work on labeling the emotion 'mad' using picture cards/story." This is great because he is not only working on identifying his own emotions, but he is also starting to ask questions! Even if he is starting to resist doing his homework again (meaning screaming matches, hitting, ripping things... etc.) and he is still not cooperating fully in school, at least he is gaining some ground in his speech so maybe one day we can be told why he is angry or frustrated, rather then having to guess.

I am extremely lucky that Tony is so strong. Yesterday, after spending a whole day fighting with Alex to get his homework done, I went into the kitchen and had a few tears while Tony gave it a shot after he came home from work. Leave it to Dad to get stuff done. Alex finished his homework, and I was so grateful that Tony is here with me. I feel like such a wuss compared to him. I have a great partner in him, and I am so thankful that he has the ability to get through to Alex when I can't. No matter what, no one can take away the fact he has done so much to positively influence Alex and I's lives, and he definitely deserves the title of "World's Best Dad".

So to summarize, this week was rough on us again. Things will get better, but I am clinging to my last shreds of hope. I am putting my positive energy into this week, hoping that it is even a fraction of a bit better than last week or the week before. For now, though, there is a light snow falling outside, and I think it is about time that Alex and I go out there to stretch our legs a bit.

All work and no play makes him a hungry guy.