In about 15 hours we're heading out of here. The truck and car are loaded, my brother is on his way. The skies gave us a beautiful pouring true-to-Florida rainstorm to say goodbye. On to our next adventure!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Loaded Up
In about 15 hours we're heading out of here. The truck and car are loaded, my brother is on his way. The skies gave us a beautiful pouring true-to-Florida rainstorm to say goodbye. On to our next adventure!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Ready....set....GOOOO!
Tomorrow marks the start of our new adventure. We're loading up the moving truck, picking my brother up from the airport, and starting our three day drive to Connecticut. The boxes are packed, the house has been cleaned, the cupboards are empty. The kids have mattresses on the floor for tonight and tomorrow we take back our cable boxes so no tv or internet after that.
As with any move, there are lots of apprehensions. Will the new school district (the main reason we're moving) really be able to meet Little Man's needs? Will they be receptive to handling Beans' medical issues? Will the new insurance (crossing state lines) kick in fast enough? Will our new apartment work for us? Will we find new good doctors that are accessible and understand complicated kiddos (another main reason we're moving)? Will all the million and one details involved in moving my family 1200 miles away come together?
After doing my homework and planning for as much as I can, I have to have faith and take that flying leap. I KNOW this is what is best for my family. Now I have to work on the trust part - trust that it's all going to work out.
Adios, Florida. Goodbye to our dear, dear friends, the M family. Little Man's first real friend. My dear friends. Darling little A. Tonight we're having dinner together for the last time and I think it will be quite emotional all around. Tomorrow we'll have to say goodbye to my parents. There aren't words to express all they've done for us the past three years. Hah! The tears are already starting. Good thing I'll be too busy tomorrow to be sad for long.
All that said though, I am SO excited! I feel like I'm on the verge of a "normal" life. You know, kids go to daycare, mom goes to work, family all comes back together in the evening for activities or whatever. Yeah, yeah, maybe I'm idealizing a bit too much, but I can't wait! We will live very close to our good friend, close to one of my brother's families and not far from the other. I have great hopes for this move and if even half of them work out, we'll all be great. :D
As with any move, there are lots of apprehensions. Will the new school district (the main reason we're moving) really be able to meet Little Man's needs? Will they be receptive to handling Beans' medical issues? Will the new insurance (crossing state lines) kick in fast enough? Will our new apartment work for us? Will we find new good doctors that are accessible and understand complicated kiddos (another main reason we're moving)? Will all the million and one details involved in moving my family 1200 miles away come together?
After doing my homework and planning for as much as I can, I have to have faith and take that flying leap. I KNOW this is what is best for my family. Now I have to work on the trust part - trust that it's all going to work out.
Adios, Florida. Goodbye to our dear, dear friends, the M family. Little Man's first real friend. My dear friends. Darling little A. Tonight we're having dinner together for the last time and I think it will be quite emotional all around. Tomorrow we'll have to say goodbye to my parents. There aren't words to express all they've done for us the past three years. Hah! The tears are already starting. Good thing I'll be too busy tomorrow to be sad for long.
All that said though, I am SO excited! I feel like I'm on the verge of a "normal" life. You know, kids go to daycare, mom goes to work, family all comes back together in the evening for activities or whatever. Yeah, yeah, maybe I'm idealizing a bit too much, but I can't wait! We will live very close to our good friend, close to one of my brother's families and not far from the other. I have great hopes for this move and if even half of them work out, we'll all be great. :D
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Stormy Weather
Me (to Little Man who is cowering under the umbrella - inside - petrified of the storm raging outside): "Sweetheart, how many storms have we been through?"
Little Man: "A million"
Me (in perhaps not my most well thought out mommy moment): "And how many times have we died?"
Little Man: "NONE!" **Scream**
Oops, instead of being reassured like I intended, he took it as our luck's going to run out sooner or later.
Little Man: "A million"
Me (in perhaps not my most well thought out mommy moment): "And how many times have we died?"
Little Man: "NONE!" **Scream**
Oops, instead of being reassured like I intended, he took it as our luck's going to run out sooner or later.
Monday, June 13, 2011
One Food
Who knew just how much one single food could mean to a kid? Beans trial with potatoes has been an overwhelming SUCCESS!! He's had no symptoms, no signs of issues and no increase in his random breakouts of hives, red eyes or sneezing.
Do you realize what this means? When I made lunch today I made tuna sandwiches for Little Man and I, I was able to serve up Beans a plate of potato chips right along with it. On the rare occasion we go out to eat (and especially when we move and drive the 1200 miles up the east coast) Beans can have french fries or potato chips or a plain baked potato! And well, my favorite, that just occurred to me today, he will be able to go to lunch with his friends to the cafeteria when he starts 4th grade in a couple months!!! Missing lunch time has been so hard emotionally on him, missing one of the prime social times in school, going to the library when his friends go off to eat. Next year he'll be able to join in! Even if he only has his one food, he HAS a food and that is something I am incredibly thankful for.
Do you realize what this means? When I made lunch today I made tuna sandwiches for Little Man and I, I was able to serve up Beans a plate of potato chips right along with it. On the rare occasion we go out to eat (and especially when we move and drive the 1200 miles up the east coast) Beans can have french fries or potato chips or a plain baked potato! And well, my favorite, that just occurred to me today, he will be able to go to lunch with his friends to the cafeteria when he starts 4th grade in a couple months!!! Missing lunch time has been so hard emotionally on him, missing one of the prime social times in school, going to the library when his friends go off to eat. Next year he'll be able to join in! Even if he only has his one food, he HAS a food and that is something I am incredibly thankful for.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Changes
Tonight I sat here thinking to myself just how much these kids have grown up lately. For Little Man the change has been dramatic from when we started home schooling. For Beans it's just been a gradual maturing with an understanding past his years.
Little Man still struggles with transitions and things being out of his norm, as seen most recently when I had minor surgery, but there's also been development in that brain of his that can't really be expressed on any of the standard tests, or really any test at all. It's hard to even describe, but there's an underlying difference to him. He's started expressing when he feels his head getting out of control and will even ask for his "c" medicine (klonopin - helps with anxiety and aggression and I believe has some anti seizure effect as well) before I see outward signs of him needing it.
Preparations for the move (in less than 3 weeks now!) have taken a toll on him. He's obsessing over packing to the point he'll wake in the middle of the night, go get a box and wake me up to pack something. Usually I try to get him back to sleep, but I admit we have more than one box that has been packed in the middle of the night. Packing seems to calm him, but he is a bit irritable and on edge. Transitions + autism = challenge. While he's so very excited to move close to his uncles, aunts, cousins and his idol, Paxton, he's also very sad to be leaving his best friend, T, and his grandma and grandpa. Living here has given him, and all of us really, a special relationship with my dad and stepmom. We're all going to miss having them close.
Back to the positives though, Little Man has become newly aware. He's more aware of what's going on with his body (able to recognize pain and other feelings more often). He's gotten even more caring and loving towards people. He even makes great effort to be helpful between (unintentional) destructive streaks.
Beans is growing up more and more each day. He's such a typical 10 year old, and yet he also has a compassion and understanding far beyond his years. Growing up with medical challenges is a hard thing to do, but add an autistic brother who limits what you can do, requires so much of mom's attention, and at times loses his mind and you've got quite the challenge.
Rare are the times Beans ever shows resentment or anger towards Little Man. He has been opening up more, mostly in quiet talks with me just before bed, about things. From how proud he is of helping his big brother learn to talk and play, to how frustrating it is that we can't do a lot of things his friends can because Little Man just can't handle the situation, to how much he loves being able to "watch" his brother, to how irritating it is to have your play constantly interrupted.
He talks frequently about his friend from school, C, who also has health challenges. He can't wait to meet some of our EE friends - other kids that are older, walk and talk and also happen to eat through tubes. I'm hoping that once we get settled I can get him into a support group for kids who have an autistic sibling and/or for kids with chronic medical problems.
I guess all in all, these little sweeties are just growing up. I love watching every new step of development (though not looking forward to those very quickly approaching teen years :P ). I have so much hope that this move will provide the things we need for our next step in life.
Little Man still struggles with transitions and things being out of his norm, as seen most recently when I had minor surgery, but there's also been development in that brain of his that can't really be expressed on any of the standard tests, or really any test at all. It's hard to even describe, but there's an underlying difference to him. He's started expressing when he feels his head getting out of control and will even ask for his "c" medicine (klonopin - helps with anxiety and aggression and I believe has some anti seizure effect as well) before I see outward signs of him needing it.
Preparations for the move (in less than 3 weeks now!) have taken a toll on him. He's obsessing over packing to the point he'll wake in the middle of the night, go get a box and wake me up to pack something. Usually I try to get him back to sleep, but I admit we have more than one box that has been packed in the middle of the night. Packing seems to calm him, but he is a bit irritable and on edge. Transitions + autism = challenge. While he's so very excited to move close to his uncles, aunts, cousins and his idol, Paxton, he's also very sad to be leaving his best friend, T, and his grandma and grandpa. Living here has given him, and all of us really, a special relationship with my dad and stepmom. We're all going to miss having them close.
Back to the positives though, Little Man has become newly aware. He's more aware of what's going on with his body (able to recognize pain and other feelings more often). He's gotten even more caring and loving towards people. He even makes great effort to be helpful between (unintentional) destructive streaks.
Beans is growing up more and more each day. He's such a typical 10 year old, and yet he also has a compassion and understanding far beyond his years. Growing up with medical challenges is a hard thing to do, but add an autistic brother who limits what you can do, requires so much of mom's attention, and at times loses his mind and you've got quite the challenge.
Rare are the times Beans ever shows resentment or anger towards Little Man. He has been opening up more, mostly in quiet talks with me just before bed, about things. From how proud he is of helping his big brother learn to talk and play, to how frustrating it is that we can't do a lot of things his friends can because Little Man just can't handle the situation, to how much he loves being able to "watch" his brother, to how irritating it is to have your play constantly interrupted.
He talks frequently about his friend from school, C, who also has health challenges. He can't wait to meet some of our EE friends - other kids that are older, walk and talk and also happen to eat through tubes. I'm hoping that once we get settled I can get him into a support group for kids who have an autistic sibling and/or for kids with chronic medical problems.
I guess all in all, these little sweeties are just growing up. I love watching every new step of development (though not looking forward to those very quickly approaching teen years :P ). I have so much hope that this move will provide the things we need for our next step in life.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
What a Milestone!!!
Today is a day I have dreamt of for years. Even before I was a mom I had those ideal images of my child being brilliant, picking up academic skills easily...well, of course he would. One of those images that has stood out for the longest is of my child wanting to and being able to read. A little four letter word that has caused so much frustration in this house. Being one who always had my nose in a book, I couldn't wait to share this enjoyment with my little ones. Seeing Little Man struggle, struggle and struggle some more just to get through a picture book still at eleven has torn at my heart oh, about a million times.
I can't tell you how many IEP (special education) meetings, developmental pediatrician and neurologist appointments and just casual discussions where I've said, "I don't care how long it takes, but I would love to see Little Man be able and desire to pick up a book and just start reading it one day."
Ladies and gentlemen....that day has come!!! Presenting Little Man and The Magic Treehouse Series Book 3:
My grandma sent the kids these books a while ago. I've tried and tried to get him interested in them - or anything really - and haven't had much luck. Then today, he picked one up, laid down on the bed, asked Beans to be totally quiet, and he did it - he started reading! Independently! No prompting! He can only read a page or two before he needs to take a break, but he came back to it on his own twice!
I'm not sure what's next in store for this kid, but he's got a whole world of possibilities that is falling into place. I can't wait to see what's next on this wild ride! <3
I can't tell you how many IEP (special education) meetings, developmental pediatrician and neurologist appointments and just casual discussions where I've said, "I don't care how long it takes, but I would love to see Little Man be able and desire to pick up a book and just start reading it one day."
Ladies and gentlemen....that day has come!!! Presenting Little Man and The Magic Treehouse Series Book 3:
My grandma sent the kids these books a while ago. I've tried and tried to get him interested in them - or anything really - and haven't had much luck. Then today, he picked one up, laid down on the bed, asked Beans to be totally quiet, and he did it - he started reading! Independently! No prompting! He can only read a page or two before he needs to take a break, but he came back to it on his own twice!
I'm not sure what's next in store for this kid, but he's got a whole world of possibilities that is falling into place. I can't wait to see what's next on this wild ride! <3
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