This week went alright for Alexzander, though he is still in recuperation from playing with the girls last weekend. This week, he has Spring Break from school, and my family is getting together for Easter so he will get to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt at Grandpa and Grandma's house. Last year, he had quite the leg up when it came to hunting the eggs, because Erik was here to help him. We will see how he does this year!
I was also able to get a video of Alex reading this week. A couple, actually, but I will post my favorite one:
He enjoys Dr. Seuss so much. He gets excited when he sees any of the books in the store, and when he is at Grandpa's house, he watches it on PBS. I am glad that he likes it so much, and that it is helping him transition into reading so nicely!
Yesterday, Aunt Bill (Thea Aspenson) came over, and Alex got his Christmas presents (yes, it had been that long since we have seen her!) and he got some Easter presents. What a great way to start Spring Break! He dealt really well with us catching up, mostly just ignored us (as guys are prone to do) and played with iPad. He joined us on the couch later, and helped us eat some popcorn. He reminded his aunt how goofy he still is, and even showed her that he can read!
The week after his spring break is going to be a long one for me. On that Monday is his dentist appointment, and his iPad application about going to the dentist will hopefully help make the experience a little easier for both of us. But even if it doesn't go ok, on that Thursday, the 19th, he gets to go over to Aunt Amy and Uncle Andy's house to spend the weekend, which will make the whole week worth it. That day, I also have to meet with his teachers and some other staff from his school to discuss what we are going to do for him over the summer, and set up his IEP for next year. I am thinking of putting him in Camp Kindergarten, then have him join the Jump Start program. Those two things, along with swimming again this year, will make sure that he is not too bored this summer, and that he keeps learning!
Tomorrow, April 2nd, is Autism Awareness Day. Autism Speaks has the Light It Up Blue campaign, so I encourage all of you to wear blue on Monday. I would, but I did not get a blue shirt for work in time. However, I did make sure that all of my co-workers would be set with their Autism Awareness ribbons (a Christmas present to them from Alex) so they could show their support! It is a great day to think about autism and the effects it has had on your life, and I know that it has effected mine for the better! To learn more about Autism Speaks and their Light It Up Blue campaign, visit these two sites:
http://www.autismspeaks.org/
http://www.lightitupblue.org/
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Lauren, Leah and Dr. Seuss
Another really great week!
So far, Alex has four Dr. Seuss books on his iPad, and he has already memorized "The Cat in the Hat" and the ABC one so that he can read to himself with his own books. We are working on "Green Eggs and Ham" and "Hop On Pop". We need to get him a new copy of "Green Eggs and Ham" though, we seem to have misplaced the other one. He was running around my parent's house yesterday, flying kites with Aunt Amy and Uncle Andy, talking about Sam I Am. And he had a blast!
Saturday, Lauren and Leah came over for a few hours again, so Alex was able to show Lauren his iPad and they played together on it. They played Fruit Ninja, some game where they were running through a temple away from monkeys (which incited a lot of laughter when they made the dude run into a tree and make a SPLAT noise), and they of course read "The Cat in the Hat". They played Alex's matching game, and when Lauren got down to just the zeros left, she said, "Alex! Its your turn! You have the zeros!" He also played well with Leah, because we took out his ABC blocks so she could play with them, and of course since she is mobile now, she had to take whatever she could fit in her hand and crawl around with it. This prompted Alex to crawl after her, look her in the eyes, and say, "Where you going?" Leah would just giggle at him and they would go back to playing with the blocks. She passed out on me, and when Alex came out of his room where he and Lauren were playing so Leah could nap, he gave her a kiss on the head. Boy, did that strike me in the heart. I gave him a hug and told him one day he can have a baby brother or sister too. He just has to be patient, and enjoy his baby cousins for now. Of course, being a boy, he gave me the look of "Eh, whatever, Mom..." and went back to playing in his room with Lauren.
One thing that I have noticed is that he is starting to open up to more people now. He isn't always sure how to interact with them, but he does use the few words and phrases he does know, and that has helped him have a better relationship with Lauren, and his Aunts and Uncles he doesn't always get to see. As his days of Preschool are winding down, I am less scared about how he will be once Kindergarten starts. He is a great kid, and we are very lucky to have him in our lives. And I am not just talking about Tony and I, but everyone in his family.
This week, I turn 26 years old. Which means in 6 short months, Alex will be turning 6 years old. Thinking of myself as being 26 doesn't affect me, but when it is brought up that my child will be 6? That makes me feel old. It is insane how well he is doing, and even more insane all of the things he has overcome in his short life. Also, this week will be rather tough on him, because it will be cooler, so there might not be days where he can go out and ride his bike. He will really hate that, because he is becoming quite the bike rider. However, Tony figured out the only way to get him to keep looking straight is to walk in front of him, which is kind of like asking someone to push a shopping cart right behind you. You know you are going to get hit sooner or later. Hopefully I will be able to sneak a video of him to try and get on here so you can see how much fun he has.
So far, Alex has four Dr. Seuss books on his iPad, and he has already memorized "The Cat in the Hat" and the ABC one so that he can read to himself with his own books. We are working on "Green Eggs and Ham" and "Hop On Pop". We need to get him a new copy of "Green Eggs and Ham" though, we seem to have misplaced the other one. He was running around my parent's house yesterday, flying kites with Aunt Amy and Uncle Andy, talking about Sam I Am. And he had a blast!
Saturday, Lauren and Leah came over for a few hours again, so Alex was able to show Lauren his iPad and they played together on it. They played Fruit Ninja, some game where they were running through a temple away from monkeys (which incited a lot of laughter when they made the dude run into a tree and make a SPLAT noise), and they of course read "The Cat in the Hat". They played Alex's matching game, and when Lauren got down to just the zeros left, she said, "Alex! Its your turn! You have the zeros!" He also played well with Leah, because we took out his ABC blocks so she could play with them, and of course since she is mobile now, she had to take whatever she could fit in her hand and crawl around with it. This prompted Alex to crawl after her, look her in the eyes, and say, "Where you going?" Leah would just giggle at him and they would go back to playing with the blocks. She passed out on me, and when Alex came out of his room where he and Lauren were playing so Leah could nap, he gave her a kiss on the head. Boy, did that strike me in the heart. I gave him a hug and told him one day he can have a baby brother or sister too. He just has to be patient, and enjoy his baby cousins for now. Of course, being a boy, he gave me the look of "Eh, whatever, Mom..." and went back to playing in his room with Lauren.
One thing that I have noticed is that he is starting to open up to more people now. He isn't always sure how to interact with them, but he does use the few words and phrases he does know, and that has helped him have a better relationship with Lauren, and his Aunts and Uncles he doesn't always get to see. As his days of Preschool are winding down, I am less scared about how he will be once Kindergarten starts. He is a great kid, and we are very lucky to have him in our lives. And I am not just talking about Tony and I, but everyone in his family.
This week, I turn 26 years old. Which means in 6 short months, Alex will be turning 6 years old. Thinking of myself as being 26 doesn't affect me, but when it is brought up that my child will be 6? That makes me feel old. It is insane how well he is doing, and even more insane all of the things he has overcome in his short life. Also, this week will be rather tough on him, because it will be cooler, so there might not be days where he can go out and ride his bike. He will really hate that, because he is becoming quite the bike rider. However, Tony figured out the only way to get him to keep looking straight is to walk in front of him, which is kind of like asking someone to push a shopping cart right behind you. You know you are going to get hit sooner or later. Hopefully I will be able to sneak a video of him to try and get on here so you can see how much fun he has.
Monday, March 19, 2012
New Book and New Bike
Another phenomenal week in the life of Alexzander Silas! This week, Tony and I went out and bought him a new bike, complete with helmet, knee pads, and a "basket" to match! Its a Cars one, and boy does he love it! Even the helmet, and he never likes putting things on his head! We went out to practice riding Friday evening and Saturday evening, and we were out for about an hour and a half each time. The first time he was learning about pedaling, and I was pushing and steering, then day two he pretty much had the pedals under control, but he refused to watch were he was going so I still had to steer. Every once in a while, he forgets which way to pedal, so he goes backwards and screeches to a halt. I giggle, then we move on again. He gets so excited, which gets me excited, because he will yell, "Look at me! I am going faster!", to which I have to run to catch up to him because of course, he is not looking where he is going and is steering off into something (bush, neighbors yard, down a hill, into the a sign... I could go on for days).
He also has been doing an amazing job with his reading, and he has read "The Cat in the Hat" so many times that he not only has it memorized, but we also had to buy him new books so we could listen to something else for a while. I have been trying to get a video of it, but Alex is picking up from Tony the idea that cameras might steal your soul, so he prefers to not be on camera, and chews me out if I try.
I have been feeling guilty the last few weeks because I feel like I hardly get to see my guys at all, and I am so busy all the time I am leaving a lot of the Alex-Watching to Tony. Which also makes me feel guilty, because while I am trying so hard to hurry up and graduate, he is taking over a lot of the parenting duties. I know I shouldn't feel guilty about this, but I do. At the same time, I am amazed all the time by their relationship with each other, because Alex adores and respects him, and has picked up the "Lets harass Mom as soon as she comes home" thing. I really hope that the next kid is a girl, so maybe I can have someone other than Girl Kitty on my side sometimes.
Later this week, Alex's pictures should be coming in! I ordered them last week, and the ones we picked out are pretty cute! I will put a link on here when contest time rolls around, so that you can all go and vote for Alex's picture for the Syttende Mai contest. He is so cute in the one we picked out!
This week, we are looking forward to some rain, so there may not be as many bike stories, but more reading stories. He is growing up so fast!
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Pictures and Changes
This week definitely had its ups and downs for our darling Alexzander. Pictures on Thursday did not go well at all. He was very scared of the new place, and Wendy was wonderful about it, but he just wanted to stay where he was comfortable and not sit where we wanted so he could take pictures. She did manage to get at least two good ones (I will find out how many good ones this next week) that she put up on Facebook, so I think that next year, we will see if she will come to us so he is a bit more comfortable.
We also rearranged our living room this week, and Alex is taking to the change very nicely. He loves the new stuff, and I think he felt rather grown up getting to help with stuff. I had Spring Break this last week, so he has had more amounts of Mom Time too. True, he has ignored me for the most part, but we have had some pretty epic cuddle times in there that were very nice.
His sentences are becoming clearer, and he has three Dr. Seuss books on his iPad that he loves to read. To me, it is like his vocabulary is broadening a bit, because he is asking for more things, asking for help, and says "Moooommmmmm?" constantly.
I still worry though, a lot, about his future. In just six months, he will be turning six years old. And yes, that floors me. I have really no issue with being 26, none at all. But my baby turning six? It makes me feel so old! I just hope that Kindergarten goes well, because there is where he will learn a lot more of the social skills he will need for school.
With all of the worries and stress and frustration that comes with having a child with Autism, I still would not change him for the world. He is unique, and looks at things totally unlike any other child his age. Tony and I are really lucky parents.
We also rearranged our living room this week, and Alex is taking to the change very nicely. He loves the new stuff, and I think he felt rather grown up getting to help with stuff. I had Spring Break this last week, so he has had more amounts of Mom Time too. True, he has ignored me for the most part, but we have had some pretty epic cuddle times in there that were very nice.
His sentences are becoming clearer, and he has three Dr. Seuss books on his iPad that he loves to read. To me, it is like his vocabulary is broadening a bit, because he is asking for more things, asking for help, and says "Moooommmmmm?" constantly.
I still worry though, a lot, about his future. In just six months, he will be turning six years old. And yes, that floors me. I have really no issue with being 26, none at all. But my baby turning six? It makes me feel so old! I just hope that Kindergarten goes well, because there is where he will learn a lot more of the social skills he will need for school.
With all of the worries and stress and frustration that comes with having a child with Autism, I still would not change him for the world. He is unique, and looks at things totally unlike any other child his age. Tony and I are really lucky parents.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Zero and Love
There are two things that I am going to address this week for this entry, and I think I have to do so quickly so that we may hit the road to go find a new couch.
Item 1: The iPad. It has been wonderful watching Alex laugh, play, and learn using this thing. He has conquered a memory game, where he flips over cards that have the numbers 0-20 on them, and he completely loses it, laughing his fool head off, when he gets to match two zeros together. He also has read about going to the dentist (which he will have to next month), read Dr. Seuss, and one of his favorite things to do for fun is play Fruit Ninja (which he is scary good at, by the way).
We are still looking for a lot more vocabulary apps, because the couple that we do have he has down. But we will keep him going on the other ones also, just because practice makes perfect. This slim machine is quite possibly the best thing that we could have ever gotten for him. After only one week, he seems like he is more confident in what he knows, and gets excited to learn new things all the time. I am over the moon that the Children's Miracle Network granted us $500 toward the purchase of one.
The next topic that I am going to discuss is Alex's relationship with Tony. Because of me being gone so much, they routinely get to have "Man Time" together, and I think it is doing Alex (and Tony, but don't tell him I said that) a lot of good. I watch those two together and am nothing short of in awe how much Alex loves him. Although, being a lot like me, Alex is very stubborn and wants to fight back when being told to do something, so they do yell at each other. But, all is always forgiven when they play together, because Alex, much like me, can't stay mad at him forever. I am not sure what I would have done if Tony were not in our lives, because he has been a solid foundation in some very uneasy situations. When I am so frustrated I just want to cry, he is there to help.
Next month, April 16th to be exact, Alex is going to the dentist for the first time. Yes, it has taken me this long. What took me so long is that a lot of dentists in our area do not have any experience with Autistic children, let alone will they take their insurance. I am secretly hoping that the application on his iPad will help, and maybe, if I cross my fingers, Tony will have the day off so he can come with. This will be very new and very scary for Alex. And I know that Alex likes it when both of us are together, because it makes him feel more safe. I also know that Alex does get sad when so many times either Tony or I have to leave, and he is stuck with the other parent and we can't be together. I think he is starting to understand what his family is, and what he can expect from Tony and myself. He can expect to feel safe with us. He can expect us to always be there if he needs us. And, even though right now we are poor because I am in college, he can expect to get what he needs when he needs it. That is what a Mommy and a Daddy do. I don't think, even when we get married, I will be able to find the words to express how thankful I am that Tony is here for Alex, and that he is so great at teaching him things he needs to know. That is how I know that he loves us, both of us, because of everything he gives up just to be with us. I have said it many times before, and I will say it again... there is probably nothing I can buy, nothing I can say, nothing I can do to ever thank him enough. Alex has done everything he has because of everyone in his life, and the top two are Tony and I.
Well, now I have to go. The boys are ready and waiting for me. I hope you enjoy the videos, and I will hopefully have more pictures to share next week.
Item 1: The iPad. It has been wonderful watching Alex laugh, play, and learn using this thing. He has conquered a memory game, where he flips over cards that have the numbers 0-20 on them, and he completely loses it, laughing his fool head off, when he gets to match two zeros together. He also has read about going to the dentist (which he will have to next month), read Dr. Seuss, and one of his favorite things to do for fun is play Fruit Ninja (which he is scary good at, by the way).
We are still looking for a lot more vocabulary apps, because the couple that we do have he has down. But we will keep him going on the other ones also, just because practice makes perfect. This slim machine is quite possibly the best thing that we could have ever gotten for him. After only one week, he seems like he is more confident in what he knows, and gets excited to learn new things all the time. I am over the moon that the Children's Miracle Network granted us $500 toward the purchase of one.
The next topic that I am going to discuss is Alex's relationship with Tony. Because of me being gone so much, they routinely get to have "Man Time" together, and I think it is doing Alex (and Tony, but don't tell him I said that) a lot of good. I watch those two together and am nothing short of in awe how much Alex loves him. Although, being a lot like me, Alex is very stubborn and wants to fight back when being told to do something, so they do yell at each other. But, all is always forgiven when they play together, because Alex, much like me, can't stay mad at him forever. I am not sure what I would have done if Tony were not in our lives, because he has been a solid foundation in some very uneasy situations. When I am so frustrated I just want to cry, he is there to help.
Next month, April 16th to be exact, Alex is going to the dentist for the first time. Yes, it has taken me this long. What took me so long is that a lot of dentists in our area do not have any experience with Autistic children, let alone will they take their insurance. I am secretly hoping that the application on his iPad will help, and maybe, if I cross my fingers, Tony will have the day off so he can come with. This will be very new and very scary for Alex. And I know that Alex likes it when both of us are together, because it makes him feel more safe. I also know that Alex does get sad when so many times either Tony or I have to leave, and he is stuck with the other parent and we can't be together. I think he is starting to understand what his family is, and what he can expect from Tony and myself. He can expect to feel safe with us. He can expect us to always be there if he needs us. And, even though right now we are poor because I am in college, he can expect to get what he needs when he needs it. That is what a Mommy and a Daddy do. I don't think, even when we get married, I will be able to find the words to express how thankful I am that Tony is here for Alex, and that he is so great at teaching him things he needs to know. That is how I know that he loves us, both of us, because of everything he gives up just to be with us. I have said it many times before, and I will say it again... there is probably nothing I can buy, nothing I can say, nothing I can do to ever thank him enough. Alex has done everything he has because of everyone in his life, and the top two are Tony and I.
Well, now I have to go. The boys are ready and waiting for me. I hope you enjoy the videos, and I will hopefully have more pictures to share next week.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Operation iPad: All Systems Go!
Another great week!
This week, Alex has really kicked the "being social" aspect up a notch by playing Ring Around the Rosie with some girls at school. I would have loved to been able to see this in person! But, last night we had two of his cousins come to our house for a few hours, Lauren and Leah, and he played really well with both of them!
This week, we also got the money from Children's Miracle Network for Alex's iPad! Tomorrow, Tony is going to go to Best Buy and get it, the warranty (of course), and a cool case for it. I also got a list of all of the applications that he plays with at school, got a list of applications recommended by several autism websites, so we will be ready to get this guy learning (I am most excited about getting full use of my phone back, without the battery drained because someone had to play "Tap on Tommy" so mcuh)! So next week's entry will probably be about all of the fun he had with his new toy!
Allow me to take a moment to vent a bit. Parents of non-autistic children are funny sometimes because it is so easy for them to think that we are bad parents in certain aspects of our children's lives because we have to do things a little different. I will give you an example, although realize that each autistic kid is different and this may not be the case with others. Tony and I would LOVE to have a meal with our child. However, he is a very picky eater. And I like how some parents say, "My child is a picky eater too, and I just make them deal with it." No. Not like mine. Here is a list of SOME of the things Alex will not eat: Meat... of any kind, most veggies, fruit that is too tart, things that he cannot recognize right away, certain kinds of chicken nuggets, and soups. That is just the short list. And it is not a case where it is just getting him to like these things, it is that he needs to be able to recognize what he is eating, things cannot be mixed together, and it has to be a consistency that he can handle, otherwise he will gag on it, and possibly throw up. He can't take cough medicine because of this, nor those thin strip things that go on your tongue and dissolve.
So what does Alex eat? Cheese, of almost any kind, potatoes, cheesy noodles, peanut butter (only) sandwiches, breads, and his gummy vitamins. We get his daily fruits and veggies in him via juices, and he drinks chocolate milk and a LOT of water. We are hoping that when he gets further in school and sees his friends eating different kinds of food, he will begin to feel better about it. But unless we want to lose all of the food he has eaten during a day, we cannot FORCE him to eat things. And this whole thing is very difficult when coming from a family who gets together and eats. Alex is not that big on food, which may confuse a lot of the other family members. However, I have begun working on my own issues with food, and I am starting to realize that there is nothing really wrong with Alex's take on food.
Another bit that other parents just don't get is that it doesn't matter, for the most part, what words I say. Alex is starting to understand a lot of words, but he still doesn't understand a lot more. This means we have to do a lot more showing what we want, not just telling. Its not us "doing it for him", it is us communicating with him what we want.
So this is my plea to parents of non-autistic children: Lay off. By you opening your mouth just to feel like the superior parent, really makes you look silly. By talking behind our backs, it really makes you look ignorant, because instead of asking why we do things to understand, you jump to the conclusion that we are just weaker parents than you are. Not true. If anything, we are stronger parents than you are, because the "normal" parenting doesn't work, so we have to find alternative ways to help our children grow.
And to those who don't judge, who have our backs, and understand that the stuff that we do might not make sense now, but will later.... Thank you. You really are priceless to us.
This week, Alex has really kicked the "being social" aspect up a notch by playing Ring Around the Rosie with some girls at school. I would have loved to been able to see this in person! But, last night we had two of his cousins come to our house for a few hours, Lauren and Leah, and he played really well with both of them!
This week, we also got the money from Children's Miracle Network for Alex's iPad! Tomorrow, Tony is going to go to Best Buy and get it, the warranty (of course), and a cool case for it. I also got a list of all of the applications that he plays with at school, got a list of applications recommended by several autism websites, so we will be ready to get this guy learning (I am most excited about getting full use of my phone back, without the battery drained because someone had to play "Tap on Tommy" so mcuh)! So next week's entry will probably be about all of the fun he had with his new toy!
Allow me to take a moment to vent a bit. Parents of non-autistic children are funny sometimes because it is so easy for them to think that we are bad parents in certain aspects of our children's lives because we have to do things a little different. I will give you an example, although realize that each autistic kid is different and this may not be the case with others. Tony and I would LOVE to have a meal with our child. However, he is a very picky eater. And I like how some parents say, "My child is a picky eater too, and I just make them deal with it." No. Not like mine. Here is a list of SOME of the things Alex will not eat: Meat... of any kind, most veggies, fruit that is too tart, things that he cannot recognize right away, certain kinds of chicken nuggets, and soups. That is just the short list. And it is not a case where it is just getting him to like these things, it is that he needs to be able to recognize what he is eating, things cannot be mixed together, and it has to be a consistency that he can handle, otherwise he will gag on it, and possibly throw up. He can't take cough medicine because of this, nor those thin strip things that go on your tongue and dissolve.
So what does Alex eat? Cheese, of almost any kind, potatoes, cheesy noodles, peanut butter (only) sandwiches, breads, and his gummy vitamins. We get his daily fruits and veggies in him via juices, and he drinks chocolate milk and a LOT of water. We are hoping that when he gets further in school and sees his friends eating different kinds of food, he will begin to feel better about it. But unless we want to lose all of the food he has eaten during a day, we cannot FORCE him to eat things. And this whole thing is very difficult when coming from a family who gets together and eats. Alex is not that big on food, which may confuse a lot of the other family members. However, I have begun working on my own issues with food, and I am starting to realize that there is nothing really wrong with Alex's take on food.
Another bit that other parents just don't get is that it doesn't matter, for the most part, what words I say. Alex is starting to understand a lot of words, but he still doesn't understand a lot more. This means we have to do a lot more showing what we want, not just telling. Its not us "doing it for him", it is us communicating with him what we want.
So this is my plea to parents of non-autistic children: Lay off. By you opening your mouth just to feel like the superior parent, really makes you look silly. By talking behind our backs, it really makes you look ignorant, because instead of asking why we do things to understand, you jump to the conclusion that we are just weaker parents than you are. Not true. If anything, we are stronger parents than you are, because the "normal" parenting doesn't work, so we have to find alternative ways to help our children grow.
And to those who don't judge, who have our backs, and understand that the stuff that we do might not make sense now, but will later.... Thank you. You really are priceless to us.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Intricate Makings Of The Social Creature
What an amazing week in the world of Alexzander Silas! Where to begin! Well, I suppose that the best place to start is the beginning, and when we come to the end... we will stop.
This was a great week in the life of Alex. He was sent home a goals sheet for the second semester of 4-year old Kindergarten, and there was the cutest note on the bottom from his teacher. She basically said that most of this list of goals Alex already has down, but getting him to share what he knows with us is a challenge! Some of the goals are counting to 20, counting objects, identifies shapes, identifies letters... you know, the stuff he is good at. Other things, like the social things, he is less good at it. For example, he has to be able to seek out peers as play partners. This is something that he has had trouble with, due to his inability to express his wants and needs verbally. I know that he has spend a lot of time watching his classmates interact, and he wants so badly to go over and play too, but he is unsure how. This has always been a major block separating his peers from him.
Until this past week.
In the notebook, his teacher told me about how he walked up to one of his classmates, Kaden, and said, "Do you wanna play trucks?". When I read this, I could not stop hugging him! Kaden said yes, and they went and played trucks together, which is SO AMAZING! Hopefully, with Kaden's reaction and when he and I talked about it when I came home that night, Alex will understand that what he did was amazing, and that when he wants to play with a friend later, that he should do that again!
But things just kept getting better for Alex!
On Thursday, we went up to see my oldest sister, Angela, and her baby Megan who turned one year old on Friday. Alex played with Megan wonderfully, like normal, and Angela and I discussed what he did at school. Well, when we went over there again on Saturday for Megan's party, Angela was bragging about how well Alex has been doing. When we were driving home after the party, I explained to him that she was telling her husband's family about what he does because she is proud of him, just like Tony and I are. I told him that he may not understand why people get so excited about the things that he does, but we are all proud of everything he does!
At the party, he played with all of his cousins (they are all girls) unlike he ever has before. He was on a social roll this week!
I was talking to a co-worker this week, and she said that someone I went to school with said that I was "weird". This is true. I always have been. But I thought about it more and more, and I think that this being weird thing, this ability to think outside of the box made me the perfect candidate to be Alex's parent. Beyond that, we found Tony, who also explodes the box because he thinks so far outside of it, and I think that with this combination, we are making the leaps and bounds forward with Alex. I, in no way, ever thought that I would have a normal family. I am not normal, and I just can't be. That is just too boring to me. What normal family has a trampoline in their living room? What normal family gets surround sound so Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas can come from EVERY DIRECTION? What normal mom comes home and sits on the bed with her son and helps him tell about his day, via singing? What normal parent lets their 5 year old read their calculus book? I mean, not to give you all a heart attack or anything, but its true. I am not a normal mom. I can never, will never, be the soccer mom that drives the van. I am going to be the mom that drives the black Camaro, listening to heavy metal and rock music, tattooed, and everyone thinks she works at a mystery science lab job for some government agency.
Probably.
This was a great week in the life of Alex. He was sent home a goals sheet for the second semester of 4-year old Kindergarten, and there was the cutest note on the bottom from his teacher. She basically said that most of this list of goals Alex already has down, but getting him to share what he knows with us is a challenge! Some of the goals are counting to 20, counting objects, identifies shapes, identifies letters... you know, the stuff he is good at. Other things, like the social things, he is less good at it. For example, he has to be able to seek out peers as play partners. This is something that he has had trouble with, due to his inability to express his wants and needs verbally. I know that he has spend a lot of time watching his classmates interact, and he wants so badly to go over and play too, but he is unsure how. This has always been a major block separating his peers from him.
Until this past week.
In the notebook, his teacher told me about how he walked up to one of his classmates, Kaden, and said, "Do you wanna play trucks?". When I read this, I could not stop hugging him! Kaden said yes, and they went and played trucks together, which is SO AMAZING! Hopefully, with Kaden's reaction and when he and I talked about it when I came home that night, Alex will understand that what he did was amazing, and that when he wants to play with a friend later, that he should do that again!
But things just kept getting better for Alex!
On Thursday, we went up to see my oldest sister, Angela, and her baby Megan who turned one year old on Friday. Alex played with Megan wonderfully, like normal, and Angela and I discussed what he did at school. Well, when we went over there again on Saturday for Megan's party, Angela was bragging about how well Alex has been doing. When we were driving home after the party, I explained to him that she was telling her husband's family about what he does because she is proud of him, just like Tony and I are. I told him that he may not understand why people get so excited about the things that he does, but we are all proud of everything he does!
At the party, he played with all of his cousins (they are all girls) unlike he ever has before. He was on a social roll this week!
I was talking to a co-worker this week, and she said that someone I went to school with said that I was "weird". This is true. I always have been. But I thought about it more and more, and I think that this being weird thing, this ability to think outside of the box made me the perfect candidate to be Alex's parent. Beyond that, we found Tony, who also explodes the box because he thinks so far outside of it, and I think that with this combination, we are making the leaps and bounds forward with Alex. I, in no way, ever thought that I would have a normal family. I am not normal, and I just can't be. That is just too boring to me. What normal family has a trampoline in their living room? What normal family gets surround sound so Lady Gaga and Black Eyed Peas can come from EVERY DIRECTION? What normal mom comes home and sits on the bed with her son and helps him tell about his day, via singing? What normal parent lets their 5 year old read their calculus book? I mean, not to give you all a heart attack or anything, but its true. I am not a normal mom. I can never, will never, be the soccer mom that drives the van. I am going to be the mom that drives the black Camaro, listening to heavy metal and rock music, tattooed, and everyone thinks she works at a mystery science lab job for some government agency.
Probably.
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