Squirrel

I was in BJs looking at socks.  I told Marcy I would be by the bagels.  When she saw me she yelled “Squirrel” to get my attention.

. . . It worked.  

Then she picked up the Zu Zu pet in my cart and asked, “What is this?”  Why?  Well, just because I told her I only needed to buy two things at BJs neither of which were socks or a Zu Zu pet.

Marcy decided that I was somewhat like the dog in UP that was distracted by the squirrel.  I’m not admitting that’s completely true.  However, I will admit there is a certain amount of truth to her characterization. 

Especially this week, on Tuesday I went to a Celtics’ game with three friends.  The Garden was so visually overwhelming that someone may as well have been sitting next to me shouting “squirrel” every 15 seconds!

Lizzy’s Suit

Jacob outgrew his suit.  Lizzy asked for it.  As she is very particular about clothing I let her have it.  She dressed herself up in it with one of Jacob's old ties and an outgrown shirt.  She wore it to her school concert.  She looked wicked cool!  (Albeit in kind of an 80s way.)  I worried that she looked a little like a boy with long hair.  But Lizzy wears what she wants to wear.  She’s worn the same outfit to church forever – pink eyelet skirt, blue top, pink hoodie sweater, skull ring, best friend necklace, pink striped ski socks that don’t match the rest of her outfit and black Mary Jane’s.  I can’t persuade her to wear anything she doesn’t want to and I no longer try.

Will hates Band-Aids

He hates them so much, in fact, that I don’t bother putting them on him.  I’ve tried putting band-aids, etc. on him when he is asleep.  He’ll wake up, rip it off, give me a dirty look; then he’ll roll over and go back to sleep.  Last night when we sat on the couch cuddling he noticed a band-aid on my arm.  He started to rip it off.  (I noticed because it hurt.)  I told him no, I actually wanted to keep that on.  Once he understood how odd I was, he started pinching the band-aid.  As I had skin under the band-aid I told him to stop.  He was upset and eventually stopped messing with it but it really, really bothered him.  

The poor kid has no idea what’s in store for him!  Prior to his last IEP meeting I told his team I wanted a goal around Will wearing band-aids.  And yes, I realize he will hate me for it.

Will discovered the moon

Yesterday after his MyGym class I hurried Will outside because it was time to pick up Bri from piano.  Unusually slow he dawdled behind me.  “Will, hurry up get in the car.”  I urged him.  He ignored me.  I repeated myself.  I walked back to get him.  He was staring up at the sky.  It was dark.  Very few stars were visible.  The moon was very bright.  “Do you see the moon?”  I asked as I pointed up in the sky.  

“Moon,” Will repeated and pointed.  I paused for a couple of seconds basking in the moment of discovery.  Then I grabbed his hand and pulled him along to the van.  He stared up in the sky the whole way.  And as soon as he buckled himself in he craned his neck to look out the window and into the sky.

Shush

Putting Will to sleep can be a delicate process.  So, naturally Bri wanted to play with him because he was being adorable.  He started saying “eye” while touching his own and then my eye.  Then he said “cheeky” while pulling on my cheeks.  None of us knew where that came from but we thought it was pretty funny so Bri and Jake mobbed Will.   

As mobbing is not conducive to sleeping, I shushed them and waved them away.

More Hand Twisting

In the car yesterday, Bri started using the words “perfect” and “loyal” in every sentence she could.  She asked Lizzy what the other words her teacher told her to twist her hands to were.  “No, Lizzy!”  I said, “Don’t tell her any more.”

“I won’t.”  Lizzy said flatly.  “I hate doing it.”

“Then why don’t you stop?”  I asked.

Lizzy's teacher has this amazing sense of authority over Lizzy that I would buy from her if I could afford it.  Example, the other day Lizzy forgot her lunch so she ate school lunch.  When I told her we needed to send in money to pay for the lunch Lizzy didn't believe me.  I’m going to have to email her teacher to tell Lizzy that we actually do have to pay for lunch to get her to take in money.

Harry Potter the Exhibit

I took Bri, Jake, Lizzy and Jake’s friend Ben to the Museum of Science for the Harry Potter Exhibit today; since Monday’s times were sold out by the time they reached the front of the line at 9:30.  It wasn’t bad.  Some of the exhibits were really interesting.  It would have been better if Alan Rickman had been there in person.  (Snape interested me from the beginning.  Proving, I guess, that I can be incredibly intuitive about children’s books, sometimes.)  Not that I would have anything to say to him beyond.  “I enjoy watching your movies.  Have a nice day.”

We exited the exhibit into a giant assortment of plastic for sale at exorbitant prices.  Naturally, my children were sucked into wasting, er spending their money on the attractive plastic pieces.  My children know that I will not buy such things, but if they want to buy something I will front them the money.

The damage:

 

Even with a 10% membership discount Lizzy spent $30 and Jake $12.  They would have saved money if they bought the plastic on Amazon, oh well.  I talked Bri out of spending $13 on a feather so I do have some limited powers of persuasion.

February Vacation Week

I thought about saying “February Vacation Week …. Enough said.”  And leaving it at that for the whole week but changed my mind.  I think this post will come out as stream of consciousness but anyone who knows me should be use to that anyway.

I’ll start with my exciting news.  My husband and I are going to Mexico … by ourselves …. without children for four days.  (…. If I renew my passport – yes, I know I should have already done it but it is vacation week; thus life has completely shut down until next Monday.)  The resort doesn’t allow children.  I’m not sure how I feel about that because I enjoy looking at children even if they aren’t mine.  But we didn’t pick the place, it’s a work thing.  

One of Will’s old therapists is coming to visit him today because she misses him (and me of course, because I’m delightful).

My husband took the kids to the Museum of Science in Boston on Monday to see the Harry Potter exhibit but after waiting in line for a half hour to get in all the tickets were sold out.  So, I’m taking them back on Friday to try again.  This time I’ll buy tickets online, beforehand.  (Perhaps, I should do that now, while I’m actually on the computer.)

Jake and Bri are both having a friend sleep over this week -- one tonight, the other tomorrow.   

Polly tried to take Will swimming yesterday.  But because of the snow storm she was stuck on route 9 for a half hour.  Then she took him to the library which closed early because of the snow.  Interesting.  Last week Massachusetts shut down in preparation for the impending snow storm.  Our town declared a snow emergency and schools had an early release in preparation for the …. wait for it …. inch of snow that fell.  I have to admit that I think it’s funny how everything stops here for a big snow storm.  I grew up in Utah and I remember only one snow day when school was cancelled. 

How to write an incendiary blog post

In the Ideas section of the Boston Globe, Chris Clarke wrote a delightful and satirical column, How to write an incendiary blog post.  From the first sentence "This sentence contains a provocative statement that attracts the readers’ attention, but really has very little to do with the topic of the blog post." He quite simply nailed it.  I enjoyed it so much I started reading it aloud to my husband.  

Clarke's dissection of a typical incendiary blog post ranged from the spot on "This sentence contains a link to the most egregiously ill-argued, intemperate, hateful, and ridiculous example of such people the author could find. This sentence is a three-word refutation of the post linked in the previous sentence, the first of which three words is 'Um.'"  To the sublime -- "This sentence contains a link to an Internet video featuring a cat playing a piano."  And as a result of reading this article there is only one thing I can do.  I am literally forced to find a facebook page dedicated to him and become a fan.  That being said ...  I shall close with the invitation for my readers to "respond freely and without constraint as long as" you agree with me.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: otherwise known as Mythology rewritten for an audience that never read anything that wasn’t required reading in high school

Jake’s birthday party was cancelled during Christmas vacation because he got sick.  Then the kids had skiing lessons on Friday nights and …..  Anyway, it was rescheduled for tonight.  I took boys to the Percy Jackson movie.  After it ended I heard a lot of complains about how the movie differed from the book.  Not that I disagree but the differences led to a heated discussion.  My favorite comment?  Oh, that would be –“I love how well Percy fought after one lesson!”

While reading Lizzy paused, held the book with her elbows, and twisted her hands

I have a few small pleasures in life:  chocolate, Jon Stewart, reading.  One of my current favorite activities is gently teasing Lizzy.  Her teacher told her class to twist their hands in the air whenever they hear certain words.  I found this out when I said “perfect” to Lizzy and hand twisting commenced.   

For about two days Bri and I included the word “perfect” in every sentence we could and Lizzy gamely played along in spite of Bri’s and my laughter.  I found another word out, but naturally, forgot it almost immediately.  The other day I said “perfect” while Lizzy was playing a song on the piano and she paused mid-song to twist her hands in the air.  Since then, I’ve made a point of never saying “perfect” while Lizzy is practicing.

The Tooth Fairy

On Saturday, I took Will to another sensory friendly movie.  I still don’t think he likes going but eventually, if even only over his dead body, he will have leisure activities that don’t involve a computer, his knuckles or writing on paper!  I’m slowly wearing him down.  My plan is for him to eventually sit quietly enough for him to go to any theatre with anyone.  

We ran into one of his old therapists there.  She is a lovely person and Will is almost as tall is she is, hehehe.  (That is actually nervous laughter because I know Will is going to be a giant and much larger than Jacob and oh, how I wish the opposite was true; because I can imagine all of us hanging on an appendage while he easily shakes us off.)

Tom was at the movie with Pete; so, Will sat by Pete.  It was kind of like going to the movies with a friend.  (I know.)  But I still thought it was cute.  Will even laughed during the movie. 

Melatonin

Sleeping problems are a huge issue for many autistic children.  A year ago at the suggestion of Will’s pediatrician we started giving Will melatonin to help him fall asleep earlier.  He went from falling asleep at 11 or 11:30pm every night to falling asleep two hours sooner.  I am so happy he is getting more sleep at night.  He is only ten and if he doesn’t get enough sleep that has to translate into not doing as well at school and not feeling well physically.  

Will was sleep deprived for years.  I tried melatonin when Will was three and still eating wheat and it didn’t make any difference.  So, I didn’t continue.  Obviously, in hindsight, I wish I had tried it again after he was on the gfcf diet.

A study came out last year confirming melatonin’s effectiveness in treating sleep problems in children with autistic spectrum disorder and/or fragile X syndrome.

Today's Soundtrack

I'm trying to reconcile months and months worth of receipts in Quicken.  Obviously, putting it off hasn't worked really well for me.  I'm listening to Carolina Liar's Coming to Terms while doing it and it is enjoyable .... ok, at least the music is.

Poaching

About three weeks ago I found someone to come over twice a week to take Will out in the community.  Polly has taken Will swimming and to the library.  Will is so happy with her he started calling her an inaccurate name.  Today when she came over she told me that someone wanted her to watch a child with ASD weekday evenings, but since she loves Will she turned them down.  Man, I feel like I need to grab her with one hand and use the other to slap down the hands reaching for her!

If you are a Lost fan -- You should like this!