G. has recently recovered from a stomach bug, and B. just came down with the same thing. Their different reactions to it are fascinating to me.
G. stopped signing and talking, and alternated between lying listlessly on the floor or asking (whining) to be held. I held him and rocked him a lot, and tried not to worry about his not communicating. Even after his tummy seemed to be better, he acted listless for a couple of days, and I was getting set to take him to the doctor. He was the twin who had a harder time in the NICU, and has always been a little smaller, so I worry about him. Then suddenly he was back to his old self, and even using a new sign, "play", and a new word, "waffle" (sounds like "ra-ra", but close enough).
B. on the other hand seems more connected when he's sick. He actually held onto me with his arms when I picked him up today. And he noticed my return from the grocery store. More and more, I realize that he shows the most reaction to me when under duress (visiting my in-laws with 6 cousins, at J.'s birthday party, or when he's sick). Just have to work on transferring that reactions to happy times, too.
I've been getting up a little after 6 and taking a walk most mornings, and it's been wonderful. Many birds seem to be migrating through now, and it's been warm and a little foggy. The dog still refuses to get up, but I have to admit I enjoy being completely by myself.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Tons O' Fun
I'm happy to say J's party was fun from start to finish. Six kids and a baby showed up, with their respective adults. The grown-ups were able to talk because the kids basically entertained themselves. B. and G. did their best to ignore the presence of other people, which seemed to work pretty well for them.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Birthday Preparations
This'll be quick, because I'm preparing for our first actual children's birthday party. Up until now it's been just the family, but now that J is turning three, I have found the wherewithal to invite other people and their children into our home/therapy center.
Note to Self: Next year, don't invite ten children thinking that half of them won't come. Not only are most (maybe all?) of them coming, some are bringing siblings. Luckily, the twins don't seem to mind crowds, as long as they can do their own thing. I'm very excited about seeing other adults who don't work for either Early Intervention or for me.
Most of these people don't know that the twins have autism, so I asked my husband if he wanted me to take down the picture schedule and other PECS-type choice boards we have around. I didn't know if he wanted to spend the party explaining things to people. But he's more laid back about such things and said to leave them up.
Movie Note: Impromptu was not as good as I'd remembered it. I've ordered Stranger than Fiction, which looked funny. Wish the previews wouldn't give away so much of the plot!
I have been trying to add pictures to this blog, and so far have not succeeded. Maybe because we have an Imac?
Note to Self: Next year, don't invite ten children thinking that half of them won't come. Not only are most (maybe all?) of them coming, some are bringing siblings. Luckily, the twins don't seem to mind crowds, as long as they can do their own thing. I'm very excited about seeing other adults who don't work for either Early Intervention or for me.
Most of these people don't know that the twins have autism, so I asked my husband if he wanted me to take down the picture schedule and other PECS-type choice boards we have around. I didn't know if he wanted to spend the party explaining things to people. But he's more laid back about such things and said to leave them up.
Movie Note: Impromptu was not as good as I'd remembered it. I've ordered Stranger than Fiction, which looked funny. Wish the previews wouldn't give away so much of the plot!
I have been trying to add pictures to this blog, and so far have not succeeded. Maybe because we have an Imac?
Monday, February 12, 2007
It's the Little Things that Get Me
When I bent down to kiss G. good night, he started fake snoring.
After carrying G. up to bed, I started down the stairs to get B., and met him crawling up to meet me, with a big smile on his face. This had never happened! He also had his bedtime animal, Sprinkles, with him. It's a little thing...he realized it was bedtime, and he was coming upstairs on his own initiative. But it's also a huge thing, in my book.
Quick review of Ocean's Twelve: the most unlikely plot I've seen since Ocean's Eleven, but I still enjoyed it. At no point in the movie did anyone in a dinosaur costume sing or dance, so right there you know it's got something going for it.
Next in the queue, Impromptu.
Un-nerving moment of the day: J (the supposedly NT big brother) has discovered dimmer switches, of which our house has many. As I tried to clean up this evening, he dragged a little chair around and adjusted the lighting in each room until I finally put a stop to it.
After carrying G. up to bed, I started down the stairs to get B., and met him crawling up to meet me, with a big smile on his face. This had never happened! He also had his bedtime animal, Sprinkles, with him. It's a little thing...he realized it was bedtime, and he was coming upstairs on his own initiative. But it's also a huge thing, in my book.
Quick review of Ocean's Twelve: the most unlikely plot I've seen since Ocean's Eleven, but I still enjoyed it. At no point in the movie did anyone in a dinosaur costume sing or dance, so right there you know it's got something going for it.
Next in the queue, Impromptu.
Un-nerving moment of the day: J (the supposedly NT big brother) has discovered dimmer switches, of which our house has many. As I tried to clean up this evening, he dragged a little chair around and adjusted the lighting in each room until I finally put a stop to it.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Blogger's Block
Haven't felt very bloggish lately.
Recent occurrences:
While being careful to avoid neighbor's kids playing at foot of driveway, backed the mini-van into the basketball goal and removed the side mirror. Made a big impression on J., who has now finally stopped yelling, "Careful, Mommy!" when I pull into the driveway.
Was lent a book about RDI by a friend, and am reading over Stage 1 activities.
Have hubby's permission to turn downstairs bedroom into a sensory, gross-motor play room. Which it unofficially is anyway.
Joined Blockbusters' online movie service, and intend to order as many feel-good, chick-flick movies as humanly possible. So far I have Ocean's Twelve, which I seem to remember getting awful reviews. Okay, not exactly a feel-good movie, but in a purely visual/esthetic/George Clooney and Matt Damon sort-of-way, I think it will fit the bill.
Discovered Double Chocolate Milano cookies.
G. was able to say "please" ("peez") for exactly one day. I'm sure it'll come back eventually. He retained the ability to say, "Ho, ho, ho" whenever we read Spot's First Christmas, which we have out of the library this week.
B. says numbers sporadically when other people are counting, and is still in the increased giggly eye-contact stage, which I'm loving.
J. is as always keeping me on my toes.
Recent occurrences:
While being careful to avoid neighbor's kids playing at foot of driveway, backed the mini-van into the basketball goal and removed the side mirror. Made a big impression on J., who has now finally stopped yelling, "Careful, Mommy!" when I pull into the driveway.
Was lent a book about RDI by a friend, and am reading over Stage 1 activities.
Have hubby's permission to turn downstairs bedroom into a sensory, gross-motor play room. Which it unofficially is anyway.
Joined Blockbusters' online movie service, and intend to order as many feel-good, chick-flick movies as humanly possible. So far I have Ocean's Twelve, which I seem to remember getting awful reviews. Okay, not exactly a feel-good movie, but in a purely visual/esthetic/George Clooney and Matt Damon sort-of-way, I think it will fit the bill.
Discovered Double Chocolate Milano cookies.
G. was able to say "please" ("peez") for exactly one day. I'm sure it'll come back eventually. He retained the ability to say, "Ho, ho, ho" whenever we read Spot's First Christmas, which we have out of the library this week.
B. says numbers sporadically when other people are counting, and is still in the increased giggly eye-contact stage, which I'm loving.
J. is as always keeping me on my toes.
Monday, January 29, 2007
No longer "on the verge"
For reasons mostly having to do with my husband worrying about me, I'm no longer blogging as "momontheverge". That had just popped into my head when I first started commenting on blogspot. I was thinking of the movie "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", and meant it as humorous. Not that it didn't seem pretty apt. At that point I was sleeping between three and six hours a night, and feeling pretty loopy. I've calmed down quite a bit since then.
Anyhoo, I want to mention how sweet and giggly B. has been the last few days. And not just the kind of giggly that he gets in the middle of the night, or when the credits of a movie start scrolling past. He'll look right into my eyes and giggle back and forth with me. We took him off milk a little while ago, but he keeps getting hold of G's sippy cup, so I don't know if I could point to that as the reason.
On an unrelated note, I had resolved to start getting up at 6:30 and walking the dog, figuring this would reduce B's tendancy to run through, jump in or sit in the doggie waste which we have failed to spot and clean up. I was up, dressed, and feeling oh, so, virtuous when it became clear that the dog did not want to be walked. The dog had jumped up onto my side of the bed, where it was nice and warm, and she was not going to budge. Maybe I can get up at 6:30 and patrol the backyard with the "pooper scoop". Somehow that's less appealing.
Anyhoo, I want to mention how sweet and giggly B. has been the last few days. And not just the kind of giggly that he gets in the middle of the night, or when the credits of a movie start scrolling past. He'll look right into my eyes and giggle back and forth with me. We took him off milk a little while ago, but he keeps getting hold of G's sippy cup, so I don't know if I could point to that as the reason.
On an unrelated note, I had resolved to start getting up at 6:30 and walking the dog, figuring this would reduce B's tendancy to run through, jump in or sit in the doggie waste which we have failed to spot and clean up. I was up, dressed, and feeling oh, so, virtuous when it became clear that the dog did not want to be walked. The dog had jumped up onto my side of the bed, where it was nice and warm, and she was not going to budge. Maybe I can get up at 6:30 and patrol the backyard with the "pooper scoop". Somehow that's less appealing.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Early Morning Pondering
Yes, yes, yes! The sun is shining after what seemed like weeks of rain! The beautiful winter weather is what usually makes me feel that living in Texas is somewhat reasonable (my apologies to Texans, but I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Yankee who can't help herself) The past few days have begun to make me feel a bit loopy, or I should say, loopier.
This morning I'm taking J., my NT son, to be given a full evaluation by the school district. He only receives speech therapy right now, but he failed the motor skills screening, so they want him back. He didn't like the testing last time, so he wouldn't even try on a lot of tasks.
I've packed a bunch of bribes or shall we say positive re-inforcers. Last time we were there I found myself thinking, "He's at least average, I'm sure he is!" Having two younger ones who will definitely need special ed, I find myself really hoping against hope that J. will be for the most part "typical".
J. is adopted, and I don't think he got great prenatal or postnatal nutrition, but he's the funniest, most creative kid around. With all the articulation problems that he has, I imagine that learning to read will hold some challenges for him. That may be the dyslexia teacher in me jumping to conclusions.
Well, I'm taking the sunshine as a good omen, and we'll just see what comes. I'm trying to cultivate a more Zen-like approach to things in general. Yoga breathing while in traffic, etc. So far, so good.
This morning I'm taking J., my NT son, to be given a full evaluation by the school district. He only receives speech therapy right now, but he failed the motor skills screening, so they want him back. He didn't like the testing last time, so he wouldn't even try on a lot of tasks.
I've packed a bunch of bribes or shall we say positive re-inforcers. Last time we were there I found myself thinking, "He's at least average, I'm sure he is!" Having two younger ones who will definitely need special ed, I find myself really hoping against hope that J. will be for the most part "typical".
J. is adopted, and I don't think he got great prenatal or postnatal nutrition, but he's the funniest, most creative kid around. With all the articulation problems that he has, I imagine that learning to read will hold some challenges for him. That may be the dyslexia teacher in me jumping to conclusions.
Well, I'm taking the sunshine as a good omen, and we'll just see what comes. I'm trying to cultivate a more Zen-like approach to things in general. Yoga breathing while in traffic, etc. So far, so good.
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