Well, yesterday was Monday and as I was sitting checking my email first thing in the morning, in walks a sleepy little boy who says "I'm not a Monday kinda boy, you always make me work!". He then turned around and headed into my bedroom and crawled in with Kent and went back to sleep until 8:30.
I had to laugh, because really, it is only every second Monday that I make him work. Galena our house keeper comes every second Monday and before we head off to school, we pick up all our stuff and put it away!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
I know, I know..... I never update our site. Its been what - a year? There is just too much that has gone on to go back and write about now.... so here's to the future.
I have been so proud of our son this summer, we have spent a lot of time in the pool and he is once again, ocassionally putting his face into the water. We have spent a lot of time working on that, and working on his friendship skills as well. I've taken a toy with us to the pool and as we are playing with it, soon other kids want to join in and I phase out and let him learn how to make and be a friend.
So far, he has done really well, and I've only had to step in a couple of times. The last time I stepped in was on Saturday, he had tried to punch a boy who was teasing him (do I blame him... NO), but I made him get out and this sweet man who had been in the pool came over to me and told me that K was a real sweet boy who had good manners. He told me that he had appropriately asked the boys if he could play, and also that as he went to go past him that he had said "Excuse Me, Pardon Me". It really made me feel good. Yeah K for all your progress this summer!
The video that Im including is from a swim party at our friends the Odoms from church and it actually shows him dogpaddling (swimming to him) and putting his face in the water!
Way to Go K!
PS I still am learning my new video camera.... I apologize for my volume on the tape!
I have been so proud of our son this summer, we have spent a lot of time in the pool and he is once again, ocassionally putting his face into the water. We have spent a lot of time working on that, and working on his friendship skills as well. I've taken a toy with us to the pool and as we are playing with it, soon other kids want to join in and I phase out and let him learn how to make and be a friend.
So far, he has done really well, and I've only had to step in a couple of times. The last time I stepped in was on Saturday, he had tried to punch a boy who was teasing him (do I blame him... NO), but I made him get out and this sweet man who had been in the pool came over to me and told me that K was a real sweet boy who had good manners. He told me that he had appropriately asked the boys if he could play, and also that as he went to go past him that he had said "Excuse Me, Pardon Me". It really made me feel good. Yeah K for all your progress this summer!
The video that Im including is from a swim party at our friends the Odoms from church and it actually shows him dogpaddling (swimming to him) and putting his face in the water!
Way to Go K!
PS I still am learning my new video camera.... I apologize for my volume on the tape!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Raingutter Regatta Time
I love being a co-den leader for K cubscout den. We had the raingutter regatta last night and here are the pictures. K won the award for the most spookiest boat!
Kent and K had lots of fun making the boat. On one of the minimum days, Kent picked K up from school and they went to the hardware store and picked out the paint and they then went and picked out all the stickers and the stamps to decorate it with.
Then over the course of the next week, they worked on sanding and painting and putting the stickers on. I think it turned out awesome!
On an upside/autistic note, even though in the afternoon he had been "off" he was able to hold it together all night. He did get upset because he lost both heats he was in and then refused to go again, which was okay. After that though, he was able to want to stay and cheer on his friends in the den. I was so proud. I think it helped that we had told him, that it would be okay if he acted excited, and that he wouldn't get into trouble for that, but only if he acted "inappropriate", then there would be problems and we would have to leave. (I guess it also helped that we gave him an extra 1/2 tablet of risperadal too, per doctors orders)
Good Job K
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Perfect Teaching Moment!
At school yesterday, as I crossed the play yard to go to lunch, my sweet boy was running across the blacktop, he seemed very angry and was trying to get a teacher's attention about a problem. The teachers didn't appear to be listening, and just then they called his class to line up. He looked up and was going to run and line up when I stopped him and very calmly told him that he first needed to tell the teacher the problem and then go and line up.
It turns out, that one of the first graders had been trying to pull down one of our older autistic child's pants and give her a wedgie.
Well, the day progressed and after we had gotten home, I asked K what had happened. What had the other boy been doing. I love how the Lord puts these thoughts and words into your mouth to help you teach. I explained to him, that I was proud of him and that Heavenly Father was proud of him too. I told him, the reason we are here is to help look after each other, and that it is our job to help look out for people who can't look out for themselves. I told him that he could put two good choices marks up on his board.
As he was about to hop up and do that, he said "Wait, I have to do something first". He folds his arms and says the following prayer:
"Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Your welcome. Amen"
I am so grateful that I was really able to get across to him about how important it is for us to be kind to less able children, and that I was able to really touch his heart.
It doesn't get much better than that does it!
It turns out, that one of the first graders had been trying to pull down one of our older autistic child's pants and give her a wedgie.
Well, the day progressed and after we had gotten home, I asked K what had happened. What had the other boy been doing. I love how the Lord puts these thoughts and words into your mouth to help you teach. I explained to him, that I was proud of him and that Heavenly Father was proud of him too. I told him, the reason we are here is to help look after each other, and that it is our job to help look out for people who can't look out for themselves. I told him that he could put two good choices marks up on his board.
As he was about to hop up and do that, he said "Wait, I have to do something first". He folds his arms and says the following prayer:
"Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this day. Your welcome. Amen"
I am so grateful that I was really able to get across to him about how important it is for us to be kind to less able children, and that I was able to really touch his heart.
It doesn't get much better than that does it!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Tree
11:30 p.m. last Monday, while lying in bed and reading my book, the biggest crash you ever heard. Kent and I both went running outside to see that a branch from one of our old trees had fallen. the branch was about 15 feet long and the end was rotted out and had termites (eeew).
The amazing thing is that it fell parallel to both the pasture fence and our road. It didn't hit either one of them.
We called the tree guys the next morning and sure enough the tree had to come down. Unfortunately, it was I think about 50 or 60 years old. A beautiful tree.
One of the things I am most sad about is the little ecosystems that the tree held. The poor tree guys got stung because of the beehive inside the tree. Then the squirrel's home... well that part of the tree got cut out in a big section and moved over to where the horses are so that I can use it as a mounting block. Not to mention all the termites and beetles that lived in the tree.
Ok.... what am I saying... ecosystems.... those are all pests!
As you can see by the pictures, the tree was very close to our power lines, our horses fence and ultimately ... the house.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Ugggh - People are nasty
Okay, I know I haven't blogged for a while again and that there is tons of stuff that we did this summer that should come first, but I was so stinking frustrated today that I had to journal it.
The day started great, we got a lot of stuff done around the house and decided to hit a matinee show before getting groceries and heading home.
We were shopping at Winco when K threw one of his infamous freak outs and the first thing he went to do was to hit Kent. So as I am trained to do through the CPI program, I restrained him so that he couldn't hurt Kent or I. I never once yelled at him, raised my voice, disparaged him, but all the while he was screaming at the top of his lungs. I just held him while Kent went and put some groceries back on the shelf.
While I was holding him I calmly talked to him saying I need you to have a safe body. You must have a safe body before I can let you go.
When Kent came back we did the release and he calmed down and as I went through the check out at Winco the teller seemed really cold to me at first. Then as I was bagging the groceries the lady who had been in front of me in the line informed me that:
"You should have taken him out rather than put the rest of us shoppers here through that".
I was shocked. So I came back with have you ever dealt with an autistic child before, do you know what its like. She said "Yes". I said: "You have an autistic child". She said "Yes".
I said well, I work at his school and he can be very violent....
She cuts me off and says: "I don't want to know anything about you and I don't want you to know anything about me".
So I said, well the next time, I'll let you handle it and see how well you do not to get hurt. At this point I was so shocked and angry that someone would say these things. So I said to her, I think your lying, you do not have an autistic child. You are a liar.
I think that if anyone has an autistic child, at some point in time, the child has overloaded and freaked out in public, and for a parent who supposedly has an "autistic child" to be so judgmental and absolutely cruel is unheard of, it just wouldn't happen that way.
Part of the reason that I'm writing this is because some of my friends have said that I should blog about our experience with a child with medical/autistic issues so that other parents can relate and understand. I had really held off because I don't want it to be the focus, but I also really needed to just let the anger go somewhere for a while.
I know, for those of you who know K that he is not "autistic" but on the "autistic spectrum" but in this situation, there is no way to spend the time explaining that fine hair!
On to the other note on this situation, K behaving like this has been fewer and fewer between situations. He has gotten older and has better control of himself, but we also have him on medication that has really helped with his behavior (Thank you psychologist!).
I don't know what I hope to accomplish by writing this except to let it go, I hope that I can.
The day started great, we got a lot of stuff done around the house and decided to hit a matinee show before getting groceries and heading home.
We were shopping at Winco when K threw one of his infamous freak outs and the first thing he went to do was to hit Kent. So as I am trained to do through the CPI program, I restrained him so that he couldn't hurt Kent or I. I never once yelled at him, raised my voice, disparaged him, but all the while he was screaming at the top of his lungs. I just held him while Kent went and put some groceries back on the shelf.
While I was holding him I calmly talked to him saying I need you to have a safe body. You must have a safe body before I can let you go.
When Kent came back we did the release and he calmed down and as I went through the check out at Winco the teller seemed really cold to me at first. Then as I was bagging the groceries the lady who had been in front of me in the line informed me that:
"You should have taken him out rather than put the rest of us shoppers here through that".
I was shocked. So I came back with have you ever dealt with an autistic child before, do you know what its like. She said "Yes". I said: "You have an autistic child". She said "Yes".
I said well, I work at his school and he can be very violent....
She cuts me off and says: "I don't want to know anything about you and I don't want you to know anything about me".
So I said, well the next time, I'll let you handle it and see how well you do not to get hurt. At this point I was so shocked and angry that someone would say these things. So I said to her, I think your lying, you do not have an autistic child. You are a liar.
I think that if anyone has an autistic child, at some point in time, the child has overloaded and freaked out in public, and for a parent who supposedly has an "autistic child" to be so judgmental and absolutely cruel is unheard of, it just wouldn't happen that way.
Part of the reason that I'm writing this is because some of my friends have said that I should blog about our experience with a child with medical/autistic issues so that other parents can relate and understand. I had really held off because I don't want it to be the focus, but I also really needed to just let the anger go somewhere for a while.
I know, for those of you who know K that he is not "autistic" but on the "autistic spectrum" but in this situation, there is no way to spend the time explaining that fine hair!
On to the other note on this situation, K behaving like this has been fewer and fewer between situations. He has gotten older and has better control of himself, but we also have him on medication that has really helped with his behavior (Thank you psychologist!).
I don't know what I hope to accomplish by writing this except to let it go, I hope that I can.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Cruise
Well it's the day before we leave and the last minute preparations are being taken. K and I are doing errands and I had promised to buy him a new book to draw in. As we were heading to Starbucks for frapuccino's (non-coffee for those who don't know!), K looks up at me and says:
"Mom, I love you so much, I would do anything for you....... (insert short pause here) except touch fruits and vegetables ..... or eat them either"
Anyway, it made me laugh and give him a huge hug. He's being so good while we get ready for our trip. Well, I better sign off before Kent wakes up and realizes that I have turned the computer back on!
"Mom, I love you so much, I would do anything for you....... (insert short pause here) except touch fruits and vegetables ..... or eat them either"
Anyway, it made me laugh and give him a huge hug. He's being so good while we get ready for our trip. Well, I better sign off before Kent wakes up and realizes that I have turned the computer back on!
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