Summer School Done!

This week was Alex's last week of Summer School (Camp Kindergarten), and apparently he did really well the last two weeks with things being different than what he was used to. He is such a smart kid, and really enjoyed playing outside a lot with his friends.

However, this next week he will have his playgroup on Tuesday (giving daddy some free time in the morning without me or Alex to harass him), and he gets to spend most of the rest of the week with his favorite person in the world... Grandpa. I imagine they will be doing a lot of this....



.... and even some of this....



I think my son's obsession with hanging out with his grandfather is because they are both very calm guys. They like things calm. They like things pretty much the same. I have said it before and I will say it again... my son is an old man stuck in a 5 1/2 year old's body.

With it being summer time, I have been working more, and catching up on things that I didn't have time to do during the regular semester, like doctor's appointments, dentist appointments, and I finally had a tattoo consultation for Alex's butterfly scheduled (Tuesday, if you were wondering). Since I am gone a lot, I try to come up with fun stuff for Alex and I to do together when Daddy is gone. We have made dirt cups, and today we made some Spanish Chicken (it involved measuring and blending stuff) for supper. I have a whole list of stuff that was sent home to me by his teachers and therapists to do over the summer. I look forward to practicing writing his name so he gets better at it, and helping him to perfect those fine motor skills that he is doing so well with.

And the more fun stuff too! I hope to be able to go play in the water at Grandpa's house a lot, have picnics at the park so we can play on the jungle gyms, and have fun in general! We have a little over a month before he starts Jump Start, so we have to get our fun in before learning commences again... for both of us!

Happy Father's Day!!

My apologies for not writing an entry last week, it was pretty hectic in our house! Alex and I had parties to go to, Summer School to prepare for, and I worked most of this last week, so we decided that today was to be our lazy day. Now to catch you all up on what has happened the last two weeks!

Alex had a week off before he started Summer School this past week. That gave him some well deserved Grandpa time, and then we had two parties to go to last weekend. One was for my side of the family, and the other was for Tony's side of the family. The first one he did a magnificent job playing with the other kids and he had a great time! But the second one was an engagement party, and he was letting me know in his own way that he really wanted to just have time off away from the ladies and the partying. Besides, the only other kids there were two girls who were younger, so I think he lost interest very quickly (as would any guy).

His first week of Summer School went well. He enjoys the fact he gets to play with his friends and be outside, and he REALLY enjoys it when Grandpa gets to pick him up from school when he is done. We couldn't find his tennis shoes for the first four days, which lead to him taking a digger one day and scraping his knees. However, magnificent Dad found his lost shoes on Friday, so the second week of Summer School should be much better.

Speaking of Magnificent Dad....



Today is Father's Day! Yesterday, since Tony had the day off, we went over to Grandpa and Grandma's house and had supper with them, gave Grandpa his new number puzzle books, and then when we got home we gave Tony his presents. Alex is super lucky to have two amazing guys in his life that he gets to celebrate today. Grandpa is his best friend, even though he won't stick up for him when Grandma tries to harass him. And Dad is his Dad, who play fights with him and he learns weird stuff from all the time. When Alex gets sick of Tony and I, he wants to go to Grandpa's house. And when he has been stuck with me all day long, he waits for Dad to come home so that he can harass him for a while. It takes quite a man to raise a kid that is not biologically your own, let alone one that is differently-abled. But these two guys have mastered it, and mastered all things in the art of Alex.



Next week is the last week of Summer School for Alex, then he has just play group on Tuesdays until August when Jump Start starts. So that means that I will have to come up with plenty of activities for the three of us to do so we keep ourselves out of trouble. Not only that, but I really should be a pro-active parent and start gathering stuff that we will need for school (its my last semester, I am so excited!).

We hope you all have an exciting week!

Kindergarten Here We Come!

This past week was Alexzander's last week as a Preschooler.

We started off the week by going to Living Waters, where we spent the day outside just having fun. It ended up with me being very tired (what a workout!) and Alex had a great day. So me being so tired for the next couple of days was totally worth it! He is now officially a Kindergartner, and I also received my copy of his IEP in the mail. Needless to say, we are going to do some work this summer! A few things that we are going to work on is writing his name, answering questions properly, following instruction with physical activity, recognizing patterns, and also playdates! He has summer school from June 11th through the 22nd, and after that he will have playgroup on Tuesdays until he has Jump Start in August before he starts Kindergarten. Mrs. G told Tony that he did a great job with being at school all day, so I hope that he enjoys it as much in the Fall.

Although a lot of aspects of Kindergarten are going to be rough on Alexzander, we are trying to make sure this transition goes as smooth as possible. He is going to have to start showing us what he knows, when we ask, and he will have to learn how to do a lot of things on his own. We want him to have independence while at school, so we will be working on phasing out the aid, and he will have to rely on his teacher more. We have to make sure he can calm himself down when he has a fit of being uncomfortable, but at the same time we want him to be able to tell someone when he is uncomfortable.

Then there is the food thing. We are going to try to get him to eat the hot school lunch with his classmates, but I know until things are in a routine for him, he probably will not eat very much. I found a blog called "The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism", and they had an entry about how some kids with autism cannot eat other foods because they are a sensory overload. They are used to the few foods they do eat, and they are only comfortable eating 15-20 foods.

Before I get too overwhelmed with the idea of getting him prepared for Kindergarten, I have to first realize that he has done so well already. He is using more words every day, and he did get the Preschool version of a report card this year. I was so happy to see that he developing or secure in all of the aspects that he needs for starting with a great foundation for his educational career. I know the toughest parts for him are transitions and peer interactions. There were even a few skills that he was labeled as developing after fall term, and now he is secure. For example: the skill of using conventional grammar. He went from developing to secure. Recognizing and recalling, throwing and catching, sorting objects, showing curiosity and motivation, fine motor skills, and retelling stories are some of the other skills that he is secure in.

And then... there was his portfolio. I received a book of his self portraits, a bunch of art projects, and his Preschool certificate. I almost cried because of all of the amazing stuff he did throughout the year! So many great projects. We are both (Tony and I) so proud of his accomplishments. While we both know we still have a lot of fights ahead of us, a lot of frustration and tears, it will all be worth it in the end.

Shaynan, Princesses, and Sneetches

This week has been a pretty wild one for our Alexzander. As per most of the posts that I write about his wild weeks, I will start at the beginning, and when I get to the end... I will stop. :) On Tuesday evening, Tony bought tickets for him and I to go and see Rob Zombie in La Crosse, so my friend Shaynan (we have been friends since high school) said she would come and spend the evening being entertained by Alex while we went out and had an evening to ourselves. Apparently, Alex took me telling him to "Be good" very literally, because he was a great kid for Shaynan that evening. He did everything he was told, went to bed easy (which, he hardly ever does for Tony and I) and the next morning he woke up a very happy kid, ready to take on the full day at school he had, so he could experience Kindergarten for the first time. When we were waiting for the bus Wednesday morning, I asked him if he had a good time, and he said yes. That day, he went to visit a farm and see all of the farm animals, and he even rode a miniature pony. He was quite sun burnt when we picked him up from school. He wasn't happy that he didn't get to go on the bus to Grandpa's house that day, but we bought him juice and some sour gummy worms, so he seemed to be better with the idea that he had to come home with us. Even with the changed schedule, it was reported that he did a great job, and that even though he didn't eat lunch, he did the rest of what was asked of him with little trouble. I am so glad that he enjoyed Kindergarten, because in 3 short months, that is where he will be! Thursday was a more normal day for him, where he went to school for his normal time and was able to ride the bus to Grandpa's house. He was able to tell Grandpa and Grandma all about the wonders of Kindergarten, and how unfair it was that he had to spend all day at school only to go home with the evil dictators, Mom and Dad. At least, that is what my father said that they talked about. Friday was a great Mommy and Son day. We started out the day by going to my school to run some errands, and when I parked on campus I parked in front of the beautiful chapel that is called "Mary of the Angels Chapel". It is where the Franciscan Sisters are. Alex got out of the car and looked up at it, and followed along behind me, every once in a while stealing a look at it. We got to the Murphy building entrance, and he said, "Princesses in the castle." I really didn't think anything of it, and I said, "Yeah, there are princesses in castles." When I got done with my errands and we went back to the car, he pointed up at the chapel, and he said "Princesses in the castle!" I looked at the church and it dawned on me, he thought it was a castle with princesses inside. I told him no, that it was a church and there were nuns inside. He asked if he could go see the princesses in the castle, and I laughed. I told him maybe next time we went to my school, he could go inside and see the princesses in the castle. After that, we went to get some lunch, and we stopped by the Cheese Corner to say hello to our cheesy people and eat. He chowed down almost his whole lunch, so I told him maybe later we could go get some ice cream. We went from there to the book store, where Alex's eyes lit up. He picked out two books, "Sneetches", and "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie". We went up to the counter and Alex handed his books to the man behind the counter, and said "Here you go", then proceeded to watch him very carefully. Those were HIS books, after all. The man put the books in a bag, and made sure Alex could see where his books went. I paid for them, he handed Alex his bag, and Alex smiled, LOOKED AT HIM, and said, "Thank you!" The guy smiled back, and said, "That is possibly the most polite little boy I have seen in here in a while." Talk about a proud moment! We went and got some groceries after that, and Alex was mauled by Aunt Bethanie right in the middle of Sam's Club. Hugs and kisses all over his face. He took it like a champ though, and just let her give him kisses until she was done. As we rode home, he read me "Sneetches" at least a dozen times, and declined my invitation for ice cream. After all, he can't read his new books and eat ice cream at the same time! His books might get dirty! When we got home, he began showing his way of thanking me for having such a good day. He told me I was pretty, and he even said that I was "gorgeous... girl..." So silly. Yesterday he had another fun day at Grandpa and Grandma's house. Today, we are going to the park again, and tomorrow he has my niece/goddaughter's first birthday party to go to. We are making a veggie tray, complete with some epic dill dip, and a fruit salad. I have to face facts that my little man is growing up fast, and if I don't take the time I will miss it. There are a lot of times where I feel like half of a mom because I don't have the "soccer mom" look to me, I want to play with blood for a career, and most of the music I listen to is usually really loud. But then I also think about all of the other things that I think I am half of. I feel like I am half a student. Half a teacher. Half a worker. Half of a pretty epic parenting duo. Which reminds me. Yesterday was Tony and I's three year anniversary, which is also the day that two years ago, we found out Alexzander was Autistic. We have gone on a pretty epic adventure the last two years, and I cannot wait to see what this next year brings us!

Nice Start to Summer

This past week was pretty busy. Since I am off from school, all I have is work three (sometimes 4) times a week. With this extra time, I have been able to exercise more, and on Friday Alex and I went to the park (and had it all to ourselves!). But I am getting ahead of myself. Lets go back a bit. On Wednesday, my family got together to celebrate Mother's Day, and Alex got to spend some quality time with everyone. He, Tony and I, kicked the ball around, ran after each other like weirdos, and tackled each other to show who was boss. Then, Alex went down and was some pretty epic moral support as Tony pulled a large, dead branch out of one of the trees. They started breaking it apart and tossing the sticks in the water, which lead to a revelation. Alex now LOVES throwing sticks in the water with dad. Thursday morning he didn't want to get ready to go to school, he wanted to go with dad over to Grandpa's house and throw sticks in the water. Their bonding is so adorable. Later that evening, he was sharing some of his delicious chips with his cousin Megan, had a water fight with his cousin Lauren with water guns (she kinda kicked his butt in the water fight), and went for a walk with me. He went to bed that night tired, and the bathwater was very dirty. That is how you know it was a good day. Now on to Friday. I put him on my back, piggy back ride style, and walked down to the park. We were there for almost two hours, just playing, laying in the grass, looking at bugs, clearing away twigs and sticks from the playground area, and talking to insects. Seriously. There was a fly that kept bugging Alex while he was playing on the equipment, and his response was to start flapping his arms and saying "Buzzz buzzz buzzz buzzzz", and when I asked, "What?" he told me he was speaking fly, telling them to fly away. Oh Alex. We went and got a "scoopa ice cream" and then went home, where he really didn't want to do anything for the rest of the day, however his iPad got some serious play time. So needless to say, I am going to block out time this summer for some picnics in the park, some more outside family time, and of course, swimming time. Busy summer ahead of us, but it will be exciting!

Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day, a day set aside to remember those people who not only gave you life, but also those who were there throughout your life giving you inspiration, and never hesitating when you call out in need. A mother is not necessarily the one who gave birth to you, nor do I think it has to be a woman. What is regarded as the normal family is changing, and gradually the word "normal" is becoming lost because the thing that makes a family exactly that is love. I am so proud to be Alex's mommy. The last six years has been amazing, and every day I am trying to make myself a better parent than the day before. I have had the privilege of watching him grow and thrive, struggle and overcome, and even in a time when there is so much difference in the world, there are still people who feel the need to mock those that are not "normal" in their eyes. Being a mother who has had to fight for her son's difference makes me proud. Exhausted. Amazed. This past week, my son stood up in front of a large group of people, with his classmates, and sang at his first school concert. And he danced! I cried because it was so amazing to me. My little boy, the same one who doesn't like baseball because all eyes are on him when he is up to bat, got up in front of a large group of people and sang. These are the things that I look forward to as a parent, because he knew after everyone applauded that what he did was amazing, and he was very proud of himself. Many people who are not parents can't really understand why we do what we do as parents, or why we are willing to give up so much. We don't see it that way, that is why. No parent should ever be afraid of having a child that is different, but rather be proud of them for that difference. Big deal if there are people out there who don't see how amazing your child is. Live every day for that human being, because they are what is left behind in this world after you are gone. My son is lucky to have so many fantastic women in his life, who are proud of him just like I am, but I am the lucky one that gets to be his mom.

Alex: The Individual

Alex had a great week last week. He had a great week in school, and this weekend he got to spend all of Saturday with Tony and I both. However, today he had kind of a rough day at school, which is probably our fault. We did a lot of running around, and on Sunday he and I cleaned the house a bit, so I can understand why he was a bit tired today. This week in school, they are learning about pets, how to treat pets that are not theirs, and even how to respect them. And now, I would like to address my child's stubbornness. It is totally and completely true that he gets it from me, however, I get it from my father, so it is really Grandpa's fault. Some days it is great that he is so stubborn, because any other kid would just give up when things got too hard. Alex... he gets frustrated because he doesn't understand, but tries to. I give him credit for that. It is times when he is focused on something, and we need him to do something else, that is a problem. Transitions. He fights right away, a lot, and then gradually accepts his fate and does what he is supposed to. I am glad for his stubbornness even with the troubles that it causes, because it shows that he is my kid. If the whole "being a bookworm" thing didn't give it away, or the pasty skin tone, or his odd sense of humor... then the stubbornness does. There has been a general trend this week on the Autism pages that I am subscribed to, and that is the topic of seeing past the autism and looking at the personality of the individual. Other than the autism, here is what I can tell you about my son's personality: He is very stubborn (obviously), but at the same time he loves to laugh and make other people laugh. He is a hard worker, I can already tell, because he is so advanced academically. He loves to learn new things, especially if it has something to do with his favorite hobby: Reading. I have no idea what he wants to be when he grows up, but like his mommy, he loves science things (mostly astronomy stuff), he likes to swim, and likes cars and trains. He has his favorite people, who he likes to hang out with and play with. When he meets you, he won't say much, if anything, until he is sure how you will act around him, and he wants to make sure that you are staying awhile before he gets attached to you. He has a lot of old man properties, like his reading the newspaper and hanging out with Grandpa is often a priority. When you have his love, there is nothing else quite like it coming from another human being. He doesn't always know how to tell you that he loves you, but he will show you. You can look into his eyes and see the adoration he has for you. I know this because he looks at me, Tony, Grandpa and Grandma all the same way. While him having autism is something you just have to accept, there are many people in my life that just see him as that. I tell people that not so they will look at him differently, but rather so they understand that he is not a typical child. Our wedding, for example, is going to be one where while Alex is there, it will be very sensory friendly. The ceremony will be small, so Alex is not afraid to be up front with Tony and I. While we are still working on aspects of the reception, we do know things like a lot of clapping and the clinking of the glasses will not be happening just because he dislikes needless noise that he doesn't understand. There won't be a lot of toasts, and the music that will be played while he is there during the dance portion will be stuff he recognizes (things we listen to at home, like Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, Kerli... to name a few). While this may make some people angry, I beg them to consider two things: 1. This is not just some party. It is celebrating the three of us coming together as a family, and our families being connected through us and thus, each person in the family must be respected. 2. If you are angry, it is probably because you don't know Alex very well. If he has a meltdown, people will then understand why we asked for these things to be discarded from the regular wedding line-up. We don't want it to get that far, because it will be very hard for us to calm him down without taking him out of the party completely. Wow. I have babbled for quite a while on this one, and I initially started with no real direction I wanted to go in. For now, I am going to go and enjoy some popcorn with my little man, because he loves popcorn. So until next week, as Alex would say, "Good bye! See you next time!"