Making New Friends

Alex had a pretty great week. There is no other way to say it. He had a great few days at school, but since I had my surgery on Friday, he stayed with Grandpa and Grandma all day.

At school, they are preparing for a party they are having next week by making paper mache things. I was quite surprised that Alex took to this gooey task like a champ! He is also Friend of the Week next week, which means he will be bringing in his favorite book, "Sneetches", to share with his class.

This week I also got a great update from his teacher about the progress he is making with her. Instead of a summary, I will just copy/paste the message here:

"... the other day Alex shared his journal and he sat in my lap to share it! .. the other kids like to do that and he obviously did what they did but not everyone sits with me so I thought it was really special that he was comfortable enough to do that! ... and that very same day he gave me a hug goodbye as the bus kids were leaving. I was by the door (as I often am) and lots of the kids give me a hug and he did the same! Anyway, I thought that was pretty cool! As you know, we all love to celebrate his growing in a variety of ways!"

I am glad that he is starting to show how much he trusts her by showing her it is ok for them to touch. I think this is how he gets across trust with people, by showing them that they can touch him or hug him and if he is ok with it, he trusts them. This was a victory not just for Mrs. Harger, but for Alex as well, because he is learning how important it is to have a good relationship with your teacher.

Since I have been in quite a bit of pain from my surgery, Alex was able to go over to Aunt Amy and Uncle Andy's house yesterday into today (Saturday into Sunday). He had SO MUCH FUN! They went up to visit some of Andy's family, and Alex made a new friend named Lauren. They apparently chased after each other, played with Nerf guns, went to the store, watched a movie, and all sorts of other guy stuff. The only picture Amy could get was one of them having a "tickle fight":

Yup. That's our Alex, being tickled by Lauren. He had to give Lauren the typical "let me get used to you" time, just checking him out, then once they were friends, they were INSTANT friends. I am so glad that while I was laid up, Alex was able to have a blast.

Now I have to go back to cuddling with my favorite nurse ever. He periodically checks my belly button, proclaims that my belly button still has an owie, and gives me a hug and kiss. That is the best medicine ever. 

Thanksgiving

Alex is seriously excited about seeing it snow. He cannot wait for it to come down and finally stick so he and Mom can go outside and sled. He loves snow. He loves the holidays. He has been practicing "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" all day.

And Thanksgiving has barely passed.

Alex was sick on Tuesday, so he was able to spend the day with Dad since he also had off that day. What amazing thing happened with the two of them? Dad taught Alex how to love Will Ferrell. They watched the movie Elf, and Alex loves it. We have had to watch it so many times since then that Dad went out and found another holiday movie for Alex to watch: The Polar Express. He is definitely getting into the holiday spirit!

On Friday, Aunt Bethanie came over with her friend Kelli, and Uncle Erik spent four days here. Alex has been one busy kid! On Thanksgiving he was able to spend some time with his cousins (which always tires him out, because the babies LOVE chasing Alex around Grandpa and Grandma's house), and he had a great time. He likes seeing family now, which is different from before because all of the people would make him feel overwhelmed and overstimulated. But now, he loves getting together with the whole family, and even taking silly pictures!

I think it has been great for him being able to just relax over this extended break. He had an ok week at school, but it was pretty easy to tell that he was not feeling the greatest. Today, though, he is acting as though he feels a lot better, and he is even running around pretending to interview people (just Dad and I). And I just cannot get over how much he is looking forward to the holidays. We haven't been able to go through his room and clean out his toys yet, but I will get there sometime this week. Its not like it is a big job, but it is one of those things that gets me emotionally. A lot of things have memories, but at the same time I know it is important to give them to others since they are not being used to let them have memories. And it is just stuff. I have made a point in my life to not be defined by stuff, rather, the people I have in it. This is just one of the many things that I want to be able to pass on to Alex.

This week, I am giving my presentation in my English class about my research around Alex and him acquiring language. I am nervous, but at the same time I am excited. I have been lucky to be a part of something so awesome as teaching a child how to speak, and not just letting them figure it out on their own. Although he may never have a firm grasp on language, he is gaining intelligence from it, even if he doesn't have the words to describe what he is learning. I have thought about finding him some apps for his iPad that get him into learning other languages, like Sign Language, maybe even Spanish (since he has already picked up a few words from watching Dora, and I think it will be yet another thing that Aunt Bethanie can be proud of him for). I even found him an app for learning how to tie his shoes.  

I am not sure if I will be able to post anything next week, considering I will be having surgery on Friday. I will try to get up on Sunday and do it though. I have to go to school both Monday and Tuesday, so I know I will be tired out, but its the end of the semester and I really cannot afford to miss anything. Two days of doing nothing will hopefully be enough (even though the surgeon said I needed three). It will be hard on Alex because I won't be able to pick him up or even bug him like normal for a little while, but based on how he has been around me before when I have been laid up, he will be an excellent nurse.

Hope you all have a great week!

50 Days in School

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and this week has been full of ups and downs for our dear Alexzander without me bringing up the fact that Thanksgiving time is when we go through his toys and get rid of the ones he doesn't play with.

And let me say, I am SO THANKFUL for the Communication Notebook that Mrs. G has, because I don't think I would be able to remember everything that happens in Alex's week. I may not be able to write in it all the time because of my brain being so fried from homework and research, but it is possibly the best thing that I see in his bookbag every day.

On Monday, it snowed, and Alex loved that. He is a little mad that it didn't stick around, because then he knows that I am going to take him outside to pull him around on the sled again this winter. But I told him that it was coming because this is Wisconsin, and mom doesn't like being cold. So of course it is going to snow. And with snow, comes the music concert at school, which Alex really likes preparing for in music class. I see that the love of singing has definitely passed from mother to child.

Wednesday, however, was not a good day. He hurt another friend during recess, and he did say he was sorry, but I don't think he forgave himself for it. The rest of that day was rough on him. We talked about it when he got home, and I asked him why he kicked his friend, because Alex wouldn't do that for no reason. Of course, he didn't tell me, didn't want to talk about it. But I told him if he was touching him or making fun of him, to tell a teacher.

Which is where I am having a slight problem. I want Alex to be able to stand up for himself, to stand up to bullies. He doesn't have the words yet for that. I do want him to know he can tell adults when he is having trouble with another student, but I am afraid that if later, nothing comes of him telling adults, then what? I mean, I know the school system is not perfect, and often bullied students fall through the cracks. But then again, if anyone knows his Dad, then they really would be stupid to mess with him.

Thursday was their 50th day of school party, and it looks like Alex had a lot of fun!

Not sure which one of the other students she is, but apparently Alex likes her! This is good. I am glad he is making friends, let alone ones that he actually lets touch him! Their theme was The 50's, but Alex detested having his pant legs rolled up, even just a little bit. They had their party with the 1st Graders, which is good that Alex is exposed to the older kids as well.

Friday Alex had a good day again, I got home his quarterly report on his progress toward his yearly goals, but in the afternoon he was obviously tired from all of the fun they had this week. He has sufficient progress towards almost all of his goals, including him being able to name objects and actions when looking at stores, following his picture schedule, complying with directions, and even does the warm up exercises in physical education. But he was listed as having minimal progress of using verbal cues from the teacher when she is teaching them a new activity in phy ed, but he will attempt an activity after watching the other children preform the tasks required. He is making great progress toward his yearly goals already, and the school year is only about a quarter of the way done.

I went out with my best friend yesterday, Alex's Aunt/Godmama Bill. During our hours of talking, Alex came up numerous times, and she told me that she is so proud of him, and he is getting so big. I thought about it, and while working on his paper that I am writing for one of my classes, I have figured out that I think I have nothing to do with it. Alex is starting to get so close to Dad, and even though he still loves me, I think that he is starting to love Dad just as much, and realizing it. I now know what my mother has put up with in regards to how much Alex loves (and often prefers) Grandpa. I watch how Alex is when Dad is home, and then when he leaves for work he is sort of lost for a little bit. He still likes doing things with me, but I think that a part of him wishes Dad could be home, because Mom is kind of boring. While I was with Bill yesterday, Dad introduced Alex to the movie Elf, and Alex really likes it. He is watching it as I am writing this, and waiting for me to come back to cuddle.

A part of me is so proud of how Alex is growing up, and another part of me is so sad that my little boy isn't so little anymore. I am sure that all parents go through this, but I guess with my future chances of having children being so unknown, it makes me a little more sad. But I will never regret having Alex, even if the circumstances were far from ideal. He is truly amazing.

Rainy Day

I have an obscene amount of things that I need to get done for school, but I think that writing this week's entry on this rainy day will possibly help me find the motivation I need to accomplish at least some of the tasks I have set for myself today. There are not as many pictures this week, because we had a rather busy week. On Wednesday, Alex went to the dentist an it was a little rough on him, but the dentist was able to look at his teeth and saw they are just as perfect as they were last time, so he is good for the next six months.

Thursday was sort of a rough day for Alex. Its not often anymore that he has bad days at school, so I think he really just uses them as a way to communicate with us. I think Thursday was rough on him because we disrupted his natural order on Wednesday by taking him to the dentist, where he did not have the best time ever. But he bounced back on Friday, and had another good day, because the Veterans came and he got a flag.

On Tuesday, since it was Election day, they did something at school that I thought was so completely adorable: They voted for their favorite snack.

Then, after voting at school, Alex went with me to vote. He sat there while I was doing my thing, and he read Sneetches to the little old ladies who were sitting behind the desk. They thought he was so cute. I promised that he could have my sticker that says, "I VOTED", but our voting place didn't have any. So I took him to get some chocolate milk instead.

I think that, even though he is only 6 years old, it is important to explain to him why I do the things I do, and keep an open line of communication with him. I explained to him about voting for who I would like to see be the President, who I wanted our community officials to be, and even if he doesn't understand how big of a thing this is now, he will later when he is more grown up.

One of the best things he did at school this week is take part in Musical Chairs. There is a great picture that his teacher took of him sitting in a chair with two friends on his lap, and he has a HUGE smile on his face. He didn't want to take part right away, he had to watch at first to figure out what they were doing. But once he got it, he really enjoyed it! This, of course, is how he tackles almost every new thing that comes his way. Do I think that is a set back for him? Not really. He doesn't dive head first into things, he prefers to watch to see how it is done before doing things. Shows that he is somewhat cautious when it comes to interacting, which means he is thinking about it a lot.

The weather will be getting colder this week, and Dad and I went out to get him new snow pants (since he grew out of the ones last year) and new snow boots (same problem). He loves his new boots because they are green, his favorite color. Today he is just happy looking out the window at the rain falling, and eating his favorite snack: Cheese Crackers.

I am going through all of the information that I have collected from the last two and a half years, and compiling them into a research paper to show my understanding of Language Acquisition in Autistics. I found that last night, while the house was quiet and I was typing away, I would tear up a little bit thinking about everything that we have been through as a family. Alex would not be who he is today without awesome peers, amazing staff at his school, and his family. Whether people see it or not, encouragement goes a long way with him.  We have had our rough stuff, but we do our best. I am putting together the power point presentation that I will present to my class at the end of the semester, and I am wondering if I will start crying in the middle of it. Not because I am sad, but because I am so proud. Once I get it all together, I will put highlights up on here, and share what my conclusions I have after 2 1/2 years of being an Autistic's Mommy.

Happy Halloween!

This week was Halloween, and Alex also was able to go to the Planetarium for a class trip. He has been very excited about spelling his name this week, and even though he still has a strong distaste for using lower case letters, as you can see. I like how excited he is about spelling his name!

For school, he dressed up as The Cat in the Hat, and he really enjoyed the planetarium. After they got back, he had a Fall Party at school with his friends, and when he came home from school, we went and nabbed Uncle Erik to go Trick-or-Treating in West Salem. What a day! Alex had a blast walking with us up and down the streets, until he got sick of it. Then there was quite the fight to get him back to the car. But still, this little Thor got a lot of candy and was very brave when it came to walking up to houses and getting candy, something he would have never done three years ago.

At school this week, they had a new friend come, and Alex did a great job with all of the interruptions to his routine. Next week will be a normal week for him, thankfully. He makes it so easy to be proud of him. He is talking a whole lot more and getting frustrated less. He even ate the school lunch twice this week. He had chicken nuggets one day, french toast sticks another day.

Its a great time to be a Kindergartner, that is for sure!

The hammer that I made has been a lot of fun. Alex has really enjoyed having something new to play with Dad with. I even had to bring it to school on Wednesday to finish the runes on it. This was a great week for our family, and I am so glad that Alex took it all in stride and really enjoyed it!

Oh, and if Stacey reads this: Alex has already mastered the games that we got for him on the iPad. Now he is putting together and reading 4 and 5 letter words with ease. He is so very smart! Now we have to find more games for him to master. Challenge: Accepted!

Another 4 Day Week

Alexzander had a great week. He had tons of fun painting, writing in his journal, and homework!

He is starting to really enjoy learning how to read. This week he went up to the Smart Board when asked and pointed out the word "the", to which all of his classmates replied with how much they love Alex. They really enjoy having him in class!

This week Alex also got to wear the new shirts that Dad picked out for him:

And, since it is getting colder, we get to even break out his new jacket soon!

Halloween is just around the corner, and I still haven't finished his Thor hammer. There has just been SO MUCH going on. But I have to finish it this weekend, since Halloween is on Wednesday! Also on Wednesday, Alex gets to go to the planetarium, which I know he will love. I am still trying to talk Dad into going with him, since he has the day off. We will see.

Yesterday, while I was working on my powerpoint presentation for my English research, I made a new friend. This is rare, for sure, let alone meeting someone so cool! Since I have not ok-ed taking about this here with this person, I will just say this: This person opened my mind to new ideas about Alex. For example: the pica thing can be helped by just giving him somewhere to spend his extra energy that he has, and usually uses up chewing on things. One good thing is to get him a drum set. So, for these weeks leading up to the Holiday Season, I am working on Dad to hopefully get him to say, "Yes, we will get Alex a drum set.". Music was very important to this person, and it came highly recommended that since Alex likes it too, we make sure that we get it into his life as much as possible.

This person also told me about their experience with Holmen School District. Very positive things indeed. However, when it was brought up to the Grandparents, there was static, not only because they were geographically unaware of where in Wisconsin Holmen is, but also because they still have this need to keep Alex close. That would be great, but I want to, no matter what, give Alex the best chance of getting an amazing education. Sometimes you have to give up things you want to ensure that the best chance is given.

Well, there is a certain little boy who is waiting on me to finish this, so we can start baking and washing dishes. Have a great week everyone!

Parent/Teacher Conference FTW!

So I will admit it, while all of this information is fresh in my brain, I am starting this post on Thursday. Today we had Alex's Parent/Teacher Conference for Kindergarten, and wow. That is all I can say! Well, not really, but that is just the general feeling that I have.

This week, since it is a short one for both Alex and myself, went by really fast. Alex was able to hang out with his favorite Lauren, Leah and Megan on Tuesday evening at Grandpa's house for his birthday. He had so much fun, especially since they got to dress up in costumes! He was tired when we came home, because running with the babies (Leah and Megan) can tucker any guy out.

For the conferences, we first met with his speech teacher. Now for anyone who has read this blog from the beginning, Alex has not had the best of luck with speech teachers in the past. He was very frustrated by it his first year of Preschool, his second year of Preschool had an entirely different person for Speech, whom he also did not get along with the best, but this year has started out right! He has been doing very well during speech, even using more language outside of the speech classroom. He has started to use his imagination more, and play with dolls and his stuffed animals in different scenarios. He uses a Mr. Potato Head at school and tells about how if his mouth is this way, he is happy, and if it is the other way, he is sad.

Bringing this into the classroom, he is able to communicate with his friends more. This, I think, is not completely because of his work in speech alone, but also has a great deal to do with how AWESOME his classmates are. They understand that everyone is different, and love Alex for his differences. They cheer him on all the time, and when he overcomes an obstacle, they are right there telling him what a great job he has done.

He does still have some challenges. He still needs reminding when following rules, to keep with his routine, and sometimes is rough with the stuff he handles in a day. His motor development is getting there, and we still have to work on using upper first letter, then lower case for the rest of the letters of his name. Thankfully, he has his numbers, shapes, and colors down (except gray) so we can really focus on the other things.

With Kindergarten, there is now homework. With homework and class work, there are tests. Mrs. Harger showed Tony and I his first test, that he did all by himself, and both Tony and I had to giggle. He drew circles, a tree, and then... his mind wandered to World of Warcraft. On the front and the back of the test, in very clear letters, he wrote "BLIZZARD", meaning Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of World of Warcraft. No, he doesn't play the game, but he is a fan of the fan-made videos, especially "Oxhorn Brand Movies". I blame Tony completely.

He does a great job with trying things after he lets the other kids show him how things are done. His friends are very encouraging. And Mrs. Harger said that whatever Tony and I are doing, it is working. But I don't believe it is Tony and I... I think it is everyone.

From the pictures that his teacher took this week, I have to say that this is probably my favorite one:

He is interacting with his peer! Even I am not terribly good at that. I am glad he has such great friends, such great support at school, and such an amazing family. So this is not just a victory for Tony and I, its a victory for everyone in his life!
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Now it is Sunday, and I finally have time to complete what I started.

Friday Alex and I had off from school, and he went to visit with Grandpa and Grandma while Tony and I went to the gym. Normally, this is not really that big of a deal, but what happened after the gym time was. We went out for lunch, and I knew we were going somewhere that was a surprise, but I really had no idea where he was dragging me to. We walked over to Howe's Diamond Jewelers, because apparently on Wednesday Tony went and looked at some possible engagement ring/wedding band sets for me.

The ones the lady showed me first were nice, but they were just that. Just nice. But when she got to the one that Tony said I would love... I did love it. The engagement ring itself was a solitary diamond ring, but the wedding band around it had jewels on the side, almost in the shape of ribbons. She colored them purple to give me a better idea how he wanted it to look, because he wanted to put amethyst in there to look like my cancer survivor ribbon. It... was gorgeous. Absolute perfection. So in 8 weeks, after I graduate, that sucker is mine. Insane how such a small piece of metal and highly pressurized carbon can make me just melt with love for Tony.

I have since finally recovered from the shock, and today Alex and I were able to get a lot done. He helped me grocery shop, we made pumpkin cookies with caramel frosting for Dad, and we did two craft projects he has to do for school.

We have had a lot of fun together today. He has also been helping me print off some pictures to prepare for the holiday season. We have a few pictures that are going to be sent to his grandparents far away, some to his cousins far away, and we were trying to decide which one to put on a holiday card. I just wish we had a really good picture of the three of us to use for holiday cards. Well, in 384 days, there will be epic pictures taken of us, all dressed up, becoming a family via a very unique wedding.