Month: June 2015

We have a time frame for our son’s ADOS.  We are on the waiting list for a highly demanded doctor in Chico, Lisa Benaron.  The wait is very long.  The first availability is September of this year — 5 months away.  Our case manager is trying to pinpoint an exact date and trying to push it a little sooner.  In addition, she is requesting they make a Cancellation List and add our lil man to that list.

Hopefully, we will hear back regarding both sooner than later.

I am still grieving over the SPD diagnosis.  It is odd how an expert confirmation of something you whole-heartedly suspected still causes a mourning process.  I cannot imagine what I would feel if he is diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum.

I was hoping to have an ADOS prior to my parents moving to Chico.  It may sound silly, but I think it would be easier if we knew and they knew where we stand and what  the experts have to say.  Currently, the lil man is not reaching his developmental milestones due to speech delays and other developmental issues.  I am afraid my parents may dismiss what they see with their grandson as “normal” toddler stuff, although we have had confirmation of him displaying several “red-flags”.

We could change the forum of the ADOS to the MIND Institute.  However, I have heard they are more “clinical”.  Their waiting list would give us a date in July.  Is it worth the change? What should we do? The case manager is persuading me to keep Lisa Benaron.  I am not sure if she is a.  looking out for our best interest  or b. does not want to have to go and plead our case again in front of the review board to change venue.

These thoughts kept me up last night and are still plaguing me.  It stinks being so obsessive!

Sensory Processing Disorder.  Our son has Sensory Processing Disorder.  I knew he did, but the Occupational Therapist confirmed it.  Just a diagnosis of a disorder with no cure a la ASD.

I feel so bad for our lil man.  He cannot regulate himself.  He cannot soothe himself.  His body’s serotonin is not regulating his dopamine levels effectively.  He needs us to help him regulate them – via deep pressure massage, distinct activities, weighted toys/blankets, etc.  I will really get a more precise idea when we start therapy in May.  This explains how swaddling was his only comfort as a baby.  He could not be soothed by being held or any of our other efforts.

Why is life dealing our lil man such a harder hand?  I know some kids have it even tougher, but I feel bad that he cannot even make him self “feel” normal without headbanging or spinning wheels or some other self-regulating motion.  I do not want him to be an outcast around other children (or around other children’s parents).

I have so much more to say on this topic, but I have declared our son’s nap time, my nap time too since I start class tonight.

Today has been a very good day, thus far.

Yesterday, I e-mailed our son’s program manager at Parent Infant Group regarding his progress with his new interventionist vs. his previous interventionist.  She called first thing this morning and we discussed it briefly and set a time to discuss it further this afternoon.  That phone call was followed by a session and a play group.  Both went well, except the walk during break time.  The lil man decided to sit more than walk.  He would take 1-2 steps and go down, over and over again.  I think the 1.75 block walk took about 30 minutes!

The lil man fell asleep on the way home from play group and I was able to do some work.  He woke up early enough for me to have some alone time with him before his program manager came over and his new sitter.

The discussion with the program manager was very fruitful.  It unburdened me — I was able to let go of how I was feeling with the transition and the new approach. Our conversation lasted about 30 minutes or so and covered a variety of topics.  It was a well overdue conversation.

The new sitter arrived during the “meeting”.  It was good because she got to overhear a lot of what is going on with the lil man and have him check her out before leaving them alone.  However, I am now listening to the little man being quite upset.  They have been alone about 20 minutes.  He keeps crying/whining.  I hope this does not last too long.  I feel bad for the both of them!

Well, tomorrow is the OT evaluation and our first “More Than Words” class- I will fill you in on both when I get the chance!

I really do not like when people tell me that “all kids do that”.  Yes, some things our son does are reminiscent of all children – playing with pots and pans, saying “No” and doing the behavior we asked him not to do, spinning wheels.  Yes, I know kids do like to spin wheels.  However, the severity of the problem and the distinction between your “typical” child and my “neurologically diverse” child was displayed today at Safeway.

We had completed food shopping for our Passover meal.  The lil man had hurt his lip on the shopping cart handle, so I was holding him trying to soothe him.  I saw some toys I thought would interest him between the check-out and the exit.  That way, he’d be occupied while my husband waits in line.  Lo and behold, the lil man found the most fantastic toy of them all:  a dingy wheel of a powerchair shopping cart.  And not the large motorized wheels, it was an itty bitty wheel near the motorized wheel in the front of the cart.  It was higher than that motorized wheel, so he was able to spin and spin and spin it.  I kept trying to distract him with toys, but he would go back and lay face down on the floor and spin the wheel.  It was getting a little strange and was very dirty to say the least, so I decided to carry him away from the chair.  This created a meltdown that, inevitably, started with a headbang.  Since there were no hardwood floors or doors for him to knock his head into, he inadvertently banged it into my jaw/chin.  This caused him to yell even more (out of pain) and for my head to jerk back and really affect my neck.  I have a bad back/neck with a few herniated discs.  The result has been hours of back pain since the meltdown.  The lil man did not intend to hurt me, however, I am always hurt as a result.

Early intervention keeps telling me:  Occupational Therapy and ignoring the behavior will help.  We have a month til OT will start and ignoring this has gotten us nowhere.  It is quite a cycle.  There are some very good days that I think, “our son is the so-called ‘normal'” and then there are days, like today, that make me so sad and put me back into that dark place of questioning everything.

Right now, I am feeling more grounded.  The house is clean.  A second sitter has been hired.  The drawers are in order.  A huge pile is ready to be shredded.  Organization helps me focus and breath.  It is my zen…my yoga.  Now, I just have to figure out how to incorporate exercise more into my daily life — other than chasing the lil man from room to room and around the yard.

I have been worrying about the upcoming Support Group and what I should contribute (other than my own story).  The manager at Rowell told me I get $20/25 per month for supplies for the group – non-food supplies.  I am not too sure what exactly that means.  It kept me up a bit last night.  I was thinking I should buy some spiral notebooks with pockets and a packet of pens.  I will supply my e-mail address/ phone numbers for the other parents and hope they may contribute some ideas and suggestions for upcoming groups.

The other group gives out a raffle gift each meeting.  However, is that truly necessary?  Someone receive a gift for attending a support group…is the support group not enough?!  So much to think about regarding that.

I think I may also be worried about our upcoming class.  I have not been in a classroom setting for years and am worried about doing the best I can.  Can you not tell from this post that I am a perfectionist and worry-wart?

I love how I started this post being grounded and now I am working myself up.  Time to breath, watch a terrible episode of Nip/Tuck and drink some tea.

Namaste.

Among the barrage of stress I have been under, I did receive some awesome news today.  There are two families who will be attending my support group.  There are two mothers and four children.  Unfortunately, no husbands are attending yet.  I am hoping we get some husbands there.  I know my husband could use another person to talk to about this whole process.

Also, I spoke with our son’s Case Manager Monday and he will be put on this week’s or next week’s agenda for being added to the Autism Evaluation Wait List.  It can take up to 6 months for him to get an evaluation, but I am happy they are already adding him to the roster.

I wish this good news would loosen up my muscles.  It seems that stress immediately affects my body.  My neck is so stiff and sore and my back is feeling the burden.  However, the opposite does not occur.  When the phone rang with the good news, my muscles did not lose tension.

Babysitter interviews are continuing today and I am hoping this task will be checked off soon.  How many more items need to be checked off before my body does respond?!

I think one of the most difficult hurdles we have encountered thus far is finding a flexible, reliable sitter.  Our newest sitter can only watch our son a limited time on Tuesday/Thursday/Friday.  Now, I am sitter-less on Mondays and Wednesdays.  I was hoping our previous sitter would be able to watch him these days, but she can only do 2 hours each day and expects a $2 raise per hour, which is ridiculous.  I negotiated a $1 raise per hour on Tuesday nights for April and May so that we can attend the Hanen Program’s “More Than Words” class.

I woke to a text from our sitter stating that she is sick…again.  However, since she does not have a fever, I asked her to come because I have to work.  She has been sick more than half the time she has been our sitter.  I need someone with a better immune system!

Contacting sitters on craigslist before I put up another ad.  I was hoping to avoid this situation until his Occupational Therapy was set – so we would not have to change sitter schedules again.  But, alas, that is not the case!

Each passing day, the lil man has more and more tantrums and is crankier and crankier.  Are these the terrible twos because it seems like bipolar hell?!?!

This morning he woke up early and was in a good mood.  By our first meeting this morning, he was already in meltdown mode.  He was on the floor, crying, screaming, headbanging.  We made it through with lots of tears.  However, as the first meeting ended, our son’s therapist arrived for his intervention session.  This hour-long session mimicked the first meeting except with a lot more headbanging, but some happy moments too.

Finally, he got to watch Yo! Gabba Gabba after the session ended.  This is what he was asking for all morning, but could not do because of all the work he has to do.  Poor guy!

After an episode, we had our first At-Risk Play Group.  He did incredibly well.  He had a blast with his new buddy.  Each had their idiosyncrasies.  And, then, it was snack time.  Our lil man howled and kicked when they made him sit in a chair.  The headbanging followed.  The headbanging is going overboard lately.  But he did quickly calm down when food appeared.

He was quite testy on the car ride home – yelling and yelling as if the seat was causing so much pain.  And before nap time, I got to experience one more meltdown on the floor.

This is becoming so difficult.  Each day I hope he wakes in a better mood and will be less up and down.  However, each day it just seems to get worse.

UGH – please tell me this is a phase!

Well, today marks the first day of Autism Awareness Month. Yesterday, we purchased our blue lightbulb and blue lantern to “light it up” not just for April 2nd – World Autism Awareness Day – but for the whole month of April.

This morning we participated in Chico’s Walk for Autism. My husband and I distributed many flyers to parents and other organizations announcing our new ASD parent support group. I got to speak to a few mothers more in-depth who, also, needed someone to talk to regarding their children and the whole process going on. I think a couple will, hopefully, attend the group or keep in touch – since my number is on the flyer.

I am pooped and am even more exhausted when thinking about what tomorrow holds:
8 AM meeting with teacher of the speech/communication class, “More than Words”, that my husband and I will be attending
8:30 AM early intervention session
11 AM play group for at-risk toddlers
Hopefully a nap, so I can work (no sitter)

However, I am looking forward to it all. And looking forward to all of April!

I have been looking over my blog and realize how depressing I must sound.  Really, life may be difficult at times, but it is mainly very happy.  Our son has one of the biggest personalities.  He is a show-off around adults – prancing and singing and dancing.

He loves music.  He loves books.  He loves running around the house from activity to activity.  He loves Yo! Gabba Gabba – mainly for the music.  He loves spinning.  He loves the park.  He loves life!  He makes me love life so much more than I could ever imagine.

He is so amazing.  I would not trade my lil one for any other.  I love how excited he gets over DEVO’s “Girl You Want”.  His whole face lights up and he starts his dance routine.

Everyone in his programs falls in love with him – he is just so into everything!  Although he may not stay focused on anything too long, he loves exploring and trying to find out how things tick.

Talking about ticking, he also LOVES clocks.  We realized this one day when we put a clock in his playroom.  He was obsessed with looking at it and clicking his tongue.  When we had to remove it to change batteries, he had a meltdown.  When we pass a clock store, he stares.  In other stores or places, he always stops before the clock.

What an amazing mind, an amazing outlook, and an amazing boy.

We are lucky parents!

The lil man has reverted to horrible wake-ups (both in the morning and at nap time).  He screams uncontrollably and cannot be soothed.  Today, during nap time, he had a 10-15 minute screaming and headbanging session before falling back asleep.  I know he is exhausted and probably needs more sleep, but wish there was an easier way for him to fall back asleep without inflicting harm on himself.

“Occupational therapy will help” is what I keep getting told.  Is it the magic ticket?  If so, he has his evaluation on April 1oth but will not start therapy til May.  I don’t know how many more months of this I can handle.

Yesterday, during a tantrum, his hit his head on the hardwood floor and had a huge red spot on his forehead.  If I try to touch him, he usually gets more violent and flops all over the place, screaming as if I burnt his skin with my touches.

It is scary to see your child react like that.  He regulates himself by hurting himself.  And it hurts me so much seeing his actions and the pain in his face.

The lil man is still a bit under the weather.  He fell asleep on me last night while watching tv on the couch.  He slept nearly 10 1/2 hours, but it was the most restless sleep.  He would toss, turn and cry almost every half over — sometimes even more often than that.

He is in a fantastic mood this morning despite the lack of sleep.  I, on the other hand, can barely keep my eyes open.  I am so very tired from last night and the night before.  I think today I will have to nap with the lil man.  Or else, another restless night may do me in!  Yesterday’s exercise session left me sore, so maybe I should take a break anyhow.

Um, yeah, can that nap time be moved to right now???

Our lil man is under the weather yet again.  Poor guy.  He slept terribly last night and had some bouts of crying.  He woke this morning crying and was cranky all morning and through his session.  I wish he could tell me more.  Well, he can tell me “more”.  He signs “more” all the time, especially since he does not have many more words in his vocabulary.  I am hoping his afternoon nap may improve him a bit, since he does not rest up when he is under the weather.  He is still totally on the go.

I decided to exercise and work during his nap time.  I have had a tendency to lay down at some point during his nap and then I get even more tired than I was before the nap!  I am hoping staying awake and getting things done may make me feel better.

I wish I had more to add to the blog today, but I am at a loss for words.

Stay healthy!

This weekend I finally weighed myself after not doing so for some time. I was doing really well exercising and eating better before we went to NYC (in October). Since then, I have been neglectful. My weight and overall feelings of craptitude have pushed me to wanting to start eating better and exercising more from this point forward.

We renewed our membership at the gym today and it is good until December 1, 2013. I’ve also decided to try to add a night at the gym on Wednesdays, after we pick up my husband. If that all goes well, and our son is good with it, perhaps we can add Monday nights too.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself. When I do, things easily start crashing and I have to start back at square one all over again!

Here’s to trying the “healthy” thing again!

Yes, it is official.  Since I became the leader/facilitator of a support group for ASD, I decided Facebook would be one avenue to advertise and reach out for other members.  That, of course, would also mean that everyone will start inquiring about my son.

The shocking thing is that only 3 people have asked any questions.  I welcome the questions more than just idle speculation.  I know how to create scenarios in my own mind based on someone’s post.  So, I am glad a few people have reached out and asked about my son and not come to their own conclusions.

It feels like I have let go of a secret that’s been just beneath the surface, but needing air.  It feels like relief and it’s almost getting routine to say:  my son is at-risk for autism and in an early intervention program; he will not be formally diagnosed or not diagnosed with autism at the age of 2.

Now the burden of the knowledge and reaction is on other people’s shoulders.  My husband and I have already accepted our son and his behaviors.

Life is hard, but life is good and I’ve got two amazing men beside me everyday!

Well, Spread the Word: I am the facilitator of a new support group in Butte County: ASD Parent Support Group for families of children at-risk or on the autism spectrum. The first support meeting will be at ARC of Butte County on Thursday, April 26th, and funded/supported through Rowell Family Empowerment Center.

Now, the real work begins:  Community Outreach.  Handing out flyers at the Autism Walk, getting parents signed up at the Autism Awareness Faire, e-mailing flyers to organizations….and lots of talking.  I am usually someone who hates being the center of attention.  I hate speaking in front of people.  Now, that is my role as facilitator/leader of this group. I spoke to one of the leaders of the Down Syndrome Support Group and she acknowledged how show she is and how her co-parent leader is even more so.  It is amazing how necessity yields such a loud, empowered voice!

My son has given me the courage and the voice to stand tall and seek out support when needed.  It is amazing the power he  has over me.  I can be quite the couch potato and he is pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Thank you, lil man!  You are making me into a better person each and every day.

It seems our son’s go to move is headbanging.  It started out as a soothing move in bed…it progressed to being done against pillows and the couch – soft surfaces.  Slowly, it has become more frequent and more worrisome as it is involving the table, a door, the floor, the wall, etc.  How can you ignore this behavior?  How can you modify it?  Hopefully, occupational therapy can help.

Now, his whole sleep routine has become an event.  He enters the bed. Kicks the bed (while lying on his belly) and headbangs at the same time.  He stands…bounces…kicks the sides of the cribs.  Falls face first into the pillow (because I quickly move out of the way)…He has some more moves in there….And it goes on and on…sometimes for 40 minutes, sometimes for well over an hour.  I am so scared of him hurting himself, firstly, and hurting me, secondly.  If I try to scold him or move his body, he just laughs at me.  He thinks it’s all a game.  I just don’t know what to do anymore.

Does the sleep just get worse from here?

Well, yesterday I surely did feel invincible and ready to take on the world.  Supermom!  Work, Being a Mother, Facilitating a Support Group, Speech Classes, the lil man’s busy toddler schedule…I can do this!

Then, a sleepless night.  A bed routine that had our son playing in our bed/crib set up and then leading to crying hysterics til past 11 pm.  When he finally did fall asleep, the sleep was restless.  Tossing, turning, and lots of crying.  He’d want to be held. Then, he’d roll away for 10 seconds, just to roll back to be held.  He finally fell asleep soundly by 4 am and was awake by 7:15ish.  Which means, I was finally able to try and fall asleep by 4 am, but woke my husband for work at 6:30 am.  This leaves me feeling less invincible and more exhausted.

We were supposed to attend a support group tonight (as to get a feel on how to facilitate the group).  However, the lil man’s nose is running and running.  And, the daycare would be filled with down syndrome children whose immune systems are already more compromised.  Even if it’s a little cold for him, it could be much worse for them.

I feel, though, that is the beginning of a slacking Supermom.  Guilt v. Right and Wrong v. Exhaustion v. Responsibility v. the Non-Stop Brain = More exhaustion and guilt.  Amidst all this, at least that remains constant — exhaustion and guilt!

Today was much more hectic than anticipated.  I had my meeting with Rowell Family Empowerment Center regarding starting an ASD Parent Support Group.  The meeting went great, but facilitating this group may be a larger task than I anticipated.  It is very official (stipends, invoices, etc.).  I had originally anticipated a support group/play group in our living room!!!  Now, it seems I will be volunteering at the Autism Faire to get the word out on the new group.  The manger at RFEC is very excited about this group and is anticipating this leading to many great programs within Chico/Butte County.

Secondly, I decided (after nearly five years of marriage) to officially change my last name.  Friday I thought about it and saw that Social Security was very close to where I was having my meeting.  SSA was not too bad of a wait – about 20 min. from start to finish.  Lastly, I had to take my husband to the DMV because he had lost his license sometime this weekend.  It was a good push to go, since SSA said I could bring my receipt from there and go to the DMV directly to change my license (2 birds, 1 stone).  Now, the wait there was awful – well over an hour!

Upon returning home, I had a difficult time getting the lil man to nap (especially since I had been away most of the morning on these errands).  When he finally tuckered out, I had e-mails and phone calls to make regarding the name change and the support group.

Thus far, it has been quite a busy day, but quite a fulfilling day at the same time.  Hooray for me!

Another weekend, meaning another break in routine, meaning another hour long session of trying to get the lil man to take a nap!  However, if that is the only hurdle to the day, then I have already cleared that.

We went to the gym, target, and home.  My husband is currently turning in our old leased car for a new one.  The ball is in his court as to what car to get next.  (And, let me tell you, he is nervous!).  Am I that hard to please or scary – if I am not pleased?  I like to think of myself as pretty low-maintenance.  I have a feeling  my husband may disagree.  I usually lounge around the house in jeans and t-shirts and no make-up = low maintenance.  Who disagrees?

Well, I am signing off to enjoy the rest of my low-key weekend!

It seems like everyday is a bipolar day.  The daytime is always happy, fun, playful…the up in the bipolar…Every evening starts the downward slope.  The switch usually occurs after naptime. Maybe it is just having so much of the day already done and still being tired, but it seems the lil man is more fussy and whiny and I seem to get more depressed.

Currently, it is naptime, so I am still feeling accomplished and in control (of what I can be in control of).  I should savor this time before the downward turn begins!

Luckily, a fantastic friend and co-worker of mine sent me a daily journal to help keep notes on the lil man’s scheduled activities, appointments, and daily observations.  This will help a lot for myself, my husband, his “team”, and his autism evaluation.  I was going to wait to begin using it until all his therapies were underway, but I have had a change of heart and decided Monday will be Day 1.

As I state that, I just realized that Monday is my meeting with RFEC and I will not be at his entire intervention session.  However, this will be the first time I have left the house during his session.  His reaction will be important to note in the journal–as will the bipolar aspect to our days!

Thank you, my dear friend!

Proactive was the word our son’s Case Manger used to describe me when calling about the Haden Program’s “More than Words”.  I immediately felt this was a compliment.  However, I have been wondering if this actually was an euphemism for “annoying” or “the mother who calls in at least once a week”.  However, it has proven to be successful.  I get things scheduled quicker, follow-ups set up quicker…

Hey, even if it was meant to be a not-so-nice term, I still see “proactive” as a positive trait!

After Monday’s whirlwind of sessions, schedules, and appointment reminders, I have been able to take a deep breath and feel like I am in control.  The sitter situation is still not clear.  However, I am looking forward to the new playgroup for our son, the “More Than Words” Hanen Program for me and Rob, and the lil man’s Occupational Therapy evaluation in April.  In addition, I am anxious about Monday’s meeting with the manager at Rowell’s Family Empowerment Center regarding facilitating a support group.

With all of the above, I feel we will finally find the support we so desperately have been searching for!  It will be wonderful to connect with other parents going through the same process as ourselves.

In the meantime, I am catching up on household chores and time with the lil man.  It seems the one thing I have to catch up with is time with my husband.  At night, I am so exhausted by the day, that we don’t get 10 minutes alone – I go to bed with our son.  Thankfully, Sunday night we have date night!

Today, we had our first intervention session with our son’s new interventionist and program manager.  It is like starting from scratch again.  He still knows his signs, but is not comfortable yet and is incredibly wiggly.  It does not help that they say different things when showing the same cards and books he has looked at in the past (different noises, etc.).

During his last break, the manager gave me information on several things.  The first is a play group that will be starting up in the next few weeks.  If you sign up for the play group, attendance is mandatory two days a week for 1 hour and 15 minutes each play group.  In addition, we spoke about the Hanen Program – a speech program for parents of ASD children or at-risk children.  She said it would be great for me.  However, classes are 3 nights a week.  Also, we spoke briefly about how the lil man should be starting occupational therapy soon (do not know when, how many times per week, or how long each session will be).  On top of that, he will be starting speech therapy when he turns 2 (again, do not know how many times per week or how long each session will be).  What a full-schedule for a toddler and his mother!

On top of that, I have to figure out a sitter schedule and work schedule.  Until he has a firm schedule, I may just have to work during nap time.  I do not want to hire a new sitter to just have his whole schedule upset again by a new therapy time and have to change sitters again!  It is a lot to take in.  I must breathe, relax, and figure this out.  Oh, did I happen to mention that we are a one car family too?!?!

We went away for an extended weekend to Santa Cruz.  How amazingly beautiful!  If only we were rich, or they had a job opportunity for my husband, or we hit the lottery, or a long-lost relative left us a house in their will….we would move to Santa Cruz in a split second.

The destination was pretty mellow, breathtaking and enjoyable.  The only major downfall to the weekend was our son’s sleep schedule.  It was completely chaotic and short!  He fell asleep Friday at 12:30 after much yelling and tears and hair pulling (the last two mainly done by my husband and I).  Saturday (or shall I say Sunday), he fell asleep at 1:30 after a much more mellow night of Yo Gabba Gabba.  He awoke both morning afters at 7:30 (including the “spring ahead”).

He was a very good boy the whole vacation – despite his hatred of being cooped up in hotel room.  My boy needs more room to roam!  Now, imagine how claustrophobic he must have felt on the plane ride to NY.

Our first night home was a success with a good nap on his first day home.  Hopefully, this will remain the case!

Today, I am looking forward to nap time.  I have been sleeping terribly the last few nights and am actually hoping to nap with our son today.  I have lots to do around the house, but the lack of sleep is catching up with me.  I am hoping the lil man will cooperate and not take an hour or so to fall asleep!

Tomorrow, we head to Santa Cruz for two nights.  I am hoping it is a good getaway.  Hoping for no sleepless nights and no huge meltdowns.  If these do occur, I know we will be very hesitant on going away again.

I would write more, but this sleepiness is taking its toll today!

Today turned out to be quite a busy day.

Our son had a hearing test in the neighboring town at 9:30 this morning, so we were out of the house by 8:50.  (And I was able to complete a load of laundry before leaving.)  The lil man did a great job, despite the fact that numerous types of ear plugs had to be inserted into his ears.  After the appointment, we had a rather impromptu play date.  It was a lot of fun for my son and I.  He doesn’t get much social interaction – neither do I!

I had thought the hearing test and play date would wipe him out.  He fell asleep almost immediately on the way home.  However, when I placed him in the crib/bed, he almost immediately woke up!  So, a 25 minute nap would have to suffice for the day.

Since he was up so early, we had time to spare before his session.  He has been irritated by his long bangs, so I finally decided to have his bangs trimmed.  ONLY HIS BANGS!  The lil man did better than I expected for his first “haircut”.  The whole cut took about 5 minutes, so that helped.  Afterwards, we ran a couple of errands at Petco and Rite Aid. When we got back, there were birds in our yard, so the lil man resisted going into the house.  We played outside for a bit before his session started.

Session is now complete and we are both totally wiped out.  Mind you, my son’s “wiped out” still entails running all around the house – however, there tends to be more trips and falls.

Now, all that is ahead of the day:  another load of laundry, picking the hubby up from work, eating, and bath time.  Couldn’t we just call it a night now?

Another big change I found out about at 6:30 this morning…

Our son’s Extended Early Intervention is having a complete overhaul.  He will have a new interventionist, a new program director, and, perhaps, a new training time.  Sure, the afternoons have not consistently worked well because of naps/non-naps/long days, etc.  However, this means having to search for another sitter – another change.  And we have such a great sitter now!

Besides the lil man having to become comfortable with a new interventionist, I, too, have to adapt to this change.  I really liked his interventionist and director.  I am hoping to like his new “team” just the same.  They say they are creating more of a niche program for children our son’s age.  This should work in our favor in the long haul, but I do not like change this drastic!

Hopefully this will be for the best and remain constant for the next year and a half!

I have accomplished two very big tasks today.

I finally arranged a meeting with the manager of Rowell Family Empowerment Center on organizing a Support Group for Parents of Children with Autism or At-Risk of Autism. I will be the facilitator of this group. The meeting on the 19th of March will be going over procedures, paperwork, and all that fun stuff…

Secondly, I moved my son’s crib into our room. Our queen-sized bed is just not big enough for the three of us. It was much more difficult than imagined. I had to disassemble the crib in his room and reassemble the crib in our room. It was about a 1/2 an inch too large to get through the doorway. Nonetheless, it is moved and our son is very angry because he likes things “just so”. He is not used to the crib being there and it took over an hour of crying and playing to get him to finally nap.

Now I am feeling exhausted, but accomplished!

I already missed blogging one day.  My new resolution was broken…Geesh!

However, maybe another 3 a.m. wake up call from our son Sunday morning did it.  We finally got out of bed at 4:45 a.m. and I proceeded to make it a “normal” morning:  his morning milk, my morning coffee, his morning oatmeal, etc.  I even vowed not to let it interrupt our day.

We (the hubby, the son, and I) went to the gym/gym daycare at 9 a.m.  We did our routine and left around 10:40.  The lil man immediately fell asleep on the car ride home.  When we got home, I put him in bed, made myself a bite to eat, and took a nap next to him.  He slept for 3 hours and was raring to go!  We got him fed and ready for some adventure:  Target, the park, and Trader Joe’s.  It was a fun afternoon, but the day got even better.

My husband and I had a date.  We went to see Wanderlust and had a nice dinner – Indian food.  We got to talk a lot – about non-sense like Nip/Tuck and some important issues regarding our son.  It was long overdue.  When we got home, we asked the sitter if she would be available every other week or every week (one night on the weekend) to babysit, so we could have our date night.

Despite the lil man crying for about an hour or so last night with a tummy ache, I feel so refreshed today!