My life with Children with Autism

S P E L L I N G

2012-02-08T12:45:00.003-07:00

Reilly spells everything...EVERYTHING. He really doesn't say much that you can understand. He spells his colors, days of the week, months, and anything else he can possibly learn. At school they do calender each day. Once it is all set up, each child needs to say, "Today is Wednesday, February 8, 2012." When they get to Reilly he says, "Today is W E D N E S D A Y, F E B R U A R Y 8, 2012. " For the life of his teachers, they cannot get that little boy to stop spelling everything instead of saying it.

I was in the car the other day with Reilly and my mom. I was asking him to spell things like yellow, blue, music, games, videos... I asked him to spell Aflac (my two boys absolutely love Aflac and Geico commercials). Reilly immediately responds, "D U C K"

That's my boy!

2012-01-14T15:37:00.002-07:00

Braedon's teacher, Mrs. Ball, told me the best story. While at recess, Braedon walked up to Mrs. Ball and said, pointing to another child, "Play. I want play please." Mrs. Ball asked if he wanted to play with Ella. "Yes. Play with Ella." Mrs. Ball called Ella over and asked if she would like to play with Braedon. Ella agreed and the two children ran off to play. Mrs. Ball told me that Ella tried to keep up with Braedon, but didn't really know what he wanted to do.

Do you know how incredible this story is? Braedon asked to play with another child!! He has never done that. Usually he doesn't even know there are other children playing. He used all his words and phrases he knew to communicate that he wanted to play with Ella. Sure, he didn't know what to do after she said yes, but that will come later.

I am so excited to see him progress socially. He has even started to say hi to people in the morning when we get to school without me reminding him first. How awesome is that?

Discovery Gateway

2011-12-01T12:55:00.002-07:00

Yesterday Reilly's class went on a field trip to Discovery Gateway. If you've never been there, picture a child playland. I would describe all the wonderful different things that can be played with, but that would take too long and I lack the patience to do that. Just picture lots of things that you can play with and learn on.

Reilly likes the ball thing. It was hundreds of small plastic balls you can put in little holes. These holes suck the balls up and carry them through clear tubes in different directions. They eventually all come out in a central holding place. If it were up to Reilly, he would have spent the entire three hours we were there at this one place.

The problem I have when I go to places like this with both boys is Reilly likes to stay at one thing for three hours and Braedon likes to stay at one thing for ten minutes and then move on. After 30 minutes, I had to take Reilly kicking and screaming to the next area. Once he was there things were just fine.

Reilly hadn't had any of his afternoon ADHD medicine, so it was like watching the Tasmanian Devil rip through things. He was everywhere. He grabbed a small shopping cart and began to shop. They have a play store that you can walk through. He picked out apples, bananas and grapes. All things he likes. It was funny that he was that picky even in play.

Braedon ran over to the water section and found great joy there. After about an hour we headed up to see the helicopter (yep, they have a real helicopter outside). Braedon and Reilly and a few of Reilly's classmates found this to be awesome. Reilly waited for his turn to sit in the cockpit and when he did get his turn he was not coming out. It took some persuading to get him to finally come in.

Once inside we spent another hour playing upstairs with blocks, puzzles, magnets, fans, weather stations, earthquake blocks, and lots of other things.

Overall it was a very fun trip. I only had one small setback from an old woman who was there with her grandkids. Reilly took a ball from her hands and she told him to give it back. I reached over to take it from him and he threw a fit. I gave it back and apologized to her. As we were walking away, Reilly broke free and ran and grabbed the ball away from the lady. She grabbed it back from him and made a noise. I apologized and started to carry the screaming child away. I heard her say something like, "Someone needs to teach these kids how to behave in public." I turned right around and looked at her for a moment. I said, "I'm sorry. All of these children have Autism and are doing their best. I suggest you either be okay with it or leave." I didn't wait for a response. I just walked away.

I'm sure it isn't easy to see 30 children with Autism yelling, running, crying, and being completely over stimulated. But this is where they can do it. Be nice!

Once we finally got home we were all exhausted from our adventures. Braedon did have a meltdown at he very end because he wanted to buy a helicopter at the gift shop and I said no. Reilly had a meltdown because we left the balls.

Some stories

2011-11-29T13:00:00.002-07:00

So, I am trying something new today. While Braedon does his homework, I will attempt to do mine...blog.

Braedon's entire school had been working on a song they were going to sing for Veteran's Day to a group of veterans. It was a Flag Ceremony that many parents also attended. The Scouts were officiating the ceremony and did a wonderful job raising the flag, leading everyone in The Pledge of Allegiance, and playing taps on a bugle. Now it was the schools turn to sing their song, with Braedon and his class in the front row. Something you should know is Braedon really enjoys singing and he really liked this song. They practiced it everyday. As they got to the end, they were to sing the chorus one more time. Right before they did, Braedon stepped forward, turned and faced the school, and in a loud clear voice said, "Ok, one more time." Apparently, his teacher said that each time they sang the song. Thank you to Braedon for taking that job. His teachers and I had a great laugh. Such a cute boy.

Braedon has also made a new friend at school. I say this with enthusiasm, because he doesn't make friends. He doesn't really care about other children. They aren't important to him. Social peer relationships are really difficult for him to form. He knows the names of children in his class, but he doesn't form friendships with them.

In the Special Education class there is a little boy named Jacob. Jacob is, probably, around 10 years-old. He can't walk and is in a wheelchair. He also doesn't have very good function of his fine and gross motor skills. He's also non-verbal. He has decided he likes Braedon. I think it's because most of the children in Special Education are girls and he's just happy to have another guy in the room. Braedon goes into this classroom setting when he has trouble in the mainstream classroom or when he can't do something in the mainstream classroom. He also receives some therapy in there. He really loves going in there because they have really REALLY cool toys and computers. What has been so wonderful to see is Jacob's face light up when Braedon walks into the classroom in the morning. He grins from ear to ear. Braedon will walk over and say hello and then put his hand up to give Jacob a high five. It takes a few moments for Jacob to get his arm and hand up, but Braedon just waits. Once they slap high five and smile, they are off on their days.

Reilly continues to work on going potty in the toilet. He's about 70% there. I still don't dare go to Church or the store without a diaper. Number 2 is still only in a diaper or, worse, his underpants. Yuck!! He was in the bath the other day, by himself thank goodness, and went number 2. I wasn't in the room and when I walked in to check on him, I saw he was working on collecting the poop in his hands, smashing it into a clump (picture a brown snowball) and tossing it into the toilet. I was torn at this moment in time. Do I praise my son for putting poop in the toilet? or Do I get on my son for touching poop? I chose the first one. Yeah Reilly!!! Poop goes in the toilet! I washed Reilly off, drained the tub, after collecting all the very loose poop, cleaned and disinfected the tub, floor, and toilet, and went about my day. Poop doesn't intimidate me! It used to, I won't lie. But after sooooo many poop cleaning "incidents", I fear it no longer.

Those are my stories for today. Hopefully more to come with more homework...

Reilly's School Picture

2011-11-11T18:23:00.002-07:00

Reilly and the poop

2011-10-11T08:55:00.004-06:00

Reilly has recently learned how to take all of his clothes off. Usually, you can find Reilly without a shirt. That is a common thing in our house. When it is bath time, he will take all his clothes off. He pulls his t-shirt up over his head, pulls his pants down, and then works his diaper.

He takes both hands and, at the same time, flips the tabs off the sides of the diaper. He then grips the diaper with both hands and, in a rather dramatic fashion, rips the diaper through his legs and slings it high above his head. As if it was a trophy in some kind of victory.

That's all fine and dandy, unless there is poop inside. Dean found this out the hard way.

As Dean was filling the tub with water, Reilly decided to quickly undress. Dean looked up just in time to see a nice ball of poop fly across the room and slam into the side of the vacuum. Thwapt!! The bad part was it hit the hose on the vacuum, which is ribbed. He had to use a qtip to get all the poop out of the hose. Thank you Reilly.

We now check his diaper before we start the tub. I was surprised Dean was able to clean it up without throwing up. Me? I have no issues with poop messes. I've cleaned poop up from any place you could possibly think. It no longer bothers me. In fact, when Dean told me what happened I just laughed.

Reilly's Birthday Oct. 3rd

2011-10-04T16:44:00.003-06:00

Yeah!

2011-09-30T12:19:00.000-06:00

School picture!

3 great things

2011-09-25T12:08:00.001-06:00

On Friday, we loaded the boys into my car to take Braedon to school and Reilly to the doctor. As I was climbing in the front seat, I looked back at Reilly. He looked me in the eyes, pointed his little finger toward the house, and said, "Rio."

How awesome is that???!!!

First, he looked me in the eyes. Reilly does not often do that. Second, he pointed! That's new. Third, he said what he wanted. He didn't scream, cry, and throw his head back. He spoke.

WOW!!! A great start to Friday!

Growing Pains

2011-09-20T16:52:00.003-06:00

I'll call today's post "Growing Pains." Braedon is now into his third week of school and it is starting to focus less on playing games and more on learning. An adjustment that Braedon is finding difficult to make. Today was a tough day for him. He had many many outbursts and had to leave the classroom and head over to Ms. Dalton's (the special education room) class. His "helper", Lori, wasn't able to calm him down. She comes into his Kindergarten class two times during the day to help him transition.

I spoke to his teacher about ways we can help him. A picture schedule, a frustration/calm chart, increasing his ADHD medicine, and time. One thing his teacher mentioned is now that we are heading into more academics and less games, he is struggling even more. He acts out by screaming and throwing himself on the floor. He cries and can't calm down.

He's had a few days like this and this is not the first he's had to go to Ms. Dalton's classroom. I have to say, I do struggle with the idea of him having to go to the special ed. class. I like the teachers and children in special ed., but I just wish he could stay in his classroom more. The idea of him making such a fuss in class and having to leave breaks my heart. I don't know why, but today it really has been hard on me. I've cried over his struggles today and tried to remind myself that each step is a step, no matter the size. That hasn't really helped.

I want him to learn at a pace that is comfortable for him. I think I struggle that it isn't the same pace as other children his age. Each time I think we are "catching up", WHAM! I feel we are knocked back a flight. I can hear all the positive words and phrases you say to yourself and others say to me, but right now that doesn't change the way I feel. I just feel sad today. Defeated. Let down. Angry. Nervous. Disappointed.

I just start thinking about what my boys will and won't be able to do as they get older. Will they be able to live on their own? Serve missions? Have a family? Go to college? Have a job? I wish I had those answers. I do have a sense of peace that they will live their lives to the fullest. I believe, very strongly, that God has blessed me with these two special little boys and I take the responsibility of raising them as a sacred one. I know God knows them. He knows what they can do. I think I need to trust more in Him. Sometimes, you just have sad days.

It's not easy raising two boys with autism. If you don't have children with special needs, then I'm sorry but you don't understand. Today it is very exhausting to be Braedon and Reilly's mother.

Luckily, tomorrow is another day.

Happy Birthday, Braedon! Sept. 8th

2011-09-19T17:23:00.006-06:00

A few pictures of Braedon over the years...

Pictures by Reilly

2011-09-19T10:05:00.004-06:00

School is here!

2011-08-27T18:08:00.002-06:00

We have had such a busy two weeks. From school starting, dentist appointments, speech therapy evaluations, Kindergarten evaluations, and I got really sick right smack in the middle of it all.

I'll start with Reilly starting school on the 23rd. He was so happy to be back in school. Dean took the day off and the four of us all went up together to drop him off. Braedon was confused and brought his backpack along. He tried to put his things away in his old cubby (Reilly has the same teacher Braedon had and in the same room) and assumed we were also dropping him off. Once he discovered he'd be leaving with us, he was okay with it. Reilly had a terrific first day and a wonderful first week. He is working on body parts, verb actions, and undressing and dressing himself. His attending is pretty low (around 20%) but that is rather normal for the start of the year.

On Wednesday, we picked Reilly up from school and headed up to Primary Children's Medical Center for the Pediatric Dentist. It was time for both boys to see a dentist...their first visit. We've put this off and put this off. Finally, we caved. While I filled out the paperwork Dean tried to take the boys for a walk, but that caused problems. Braedon doesn't like to separate the "pack" and began to cry and have an anxiety attack. Just what you want before he sees the Dentist. When they called our names we headed back. The moment Braedon saw the chair he freaked out. He ran and tried to hide in the corner of the room and just kept saying, "Don't touch...Don't touch."

Luckily, this particular dentist office specializes in seeing children with special needs, all types. As a side story, while I was filling out paperwork in the main office, a cute little girl and her mother came in. The little girl was in a wheelchair and was pretty well restrained. I would assume she wasn't able to move...I would be wrong. I was really close to her and I spoke to her for a moment and smiled at her. As I turned back, I felt her chair bump into my leg and when I looked at her, she had a big grin on her face. Her mom and I started laughing really hard and I told her, "I see how it is." There are children of all types that come to see the Dentist.

Anyhoo, back to my story. It finally came down to Dean and I holding Reilly down on the chair first. Dean took his hands and I took his feet. The Dentist forced his mouth open and did a quick check. He was screaming and crying and Dean was trying to calm him down while I was fighting to get Braedon on the chair and restrained. He was screaming and crying as well, and a few more assistants came in to help us out. The Dentist looked in Brae's mouth and then we were done. I held him while he cried and the Dentist gave us the great news. They both have terrific teeth and no cavities! Oh thank heavens!! We did decide that when the time comes that they need work done on their teeth, they both will need to undergo general anesthesia. Basically, they'll require surgery for a cavity. It's how it goes. The Dentist assured us it was normal for them and very safe in the hospital environment. I would bet a lot of people wish they could be put out before a root canal or even a cavity... I'm just glad we only have to do this once every six months.

Thursday, I took Braedon to meet his teacher, Mrs. Ball and get his Kindergarten evaluation done. He did AWESOME!!! He said all his letters, all their sounds, all the numbers, shapes, and colors. He even wrote his name! His teacher and the Special Education Coordinator decided that we will put him in with the typical class and then see what additional help he may need. Originally he was to be placed in the special education class and slowly integrated into the typical class. His teacher used the words: Typical...Average...Good... I'm not used to hearing these words when evaluating my children. I'm used to Delayed, Slow, Behind, Below Average...This was a change. I was so excited! I know he'll have his troubles, but the words Typical...Average...Good were used to describe my son!!! You have NO IDEA what that means to me! It means EVERYTHING!!!

We still have an uphill battle to help Braedon with his receptive language skills, but I'm up for it. The day before I was completely sad after his speech evaluation was done. The words Really Behind were used more then once. I know he's behind and I know he'll have struggles, but to hear it over and over and over and over starts to wear on you.

Braedon starts school on Monday and I can now say I'm more excited then nervous. In fact, I'm thrilled. I think he'll do great. There are 23 children in his class, which I think is a great number. Keep your fingers crossed...

Almost time for school

2011-08-20T11:24:00.003-06:00

It's Saturday morning at our house. We are all in the front room watching Chuggington. Reilly just completed a meltdown because he wanted something and we could understand or find it. Braedon is trying to figure out how to convince me to take him to Toys R Us for a train named Calley. He's asked several times already, and has not been happy with my response.

In a bit we'll have two young boys come over for a few hours while their parents go to a funeral. They are about 2 and 3 years-old, so we will be very busy. Once they head home it will be off for haircuts and new shoes, all in preparation for school to begin.

Reilly starts this coming Tuesday, which is a very good thing. I'll go in on Monday to sit with his teachers and plan his goals for the start of the year. I'm thinking potty training, sitting still for five minutes, and starting to speak.

Potty training happens a little later in our household then it does in most homes. Typically children with autism aren't potty trained until they are between 4 and 5 because of a lack of verbal and receptive language skills. I think Reilly is just about ready. I'll be happy to not put a diaper on him anymore. It does get harder when they weigh 40 pounds and are almost 4!

Braedon has another week of summer break, but we are spending it meeting with teachers for goals and evaluations, going up to Primary Childrens for speech therapy and the dentist. We are going to have both boys evaluated with a dentist that can sedate them if necessary. We tried our normal dentist, and that is just not going to work. I'm not really thrilled about sedating my children, but I'm less thrilled about poor teeth.

We like to make a special day of the start of school. Dean takes the day off and there are lots of pictures and fun to be had. I think Braedon will really enjoy dropping Reilly off and having his mom and dad with him all day. Maybe we'll go do something fun. I know Reilly will be so happy to start school. I know Braedon will be too, but not as much as Reilly. Braedon prefers to just stay at home with his mom.

One week

2011-08-16T21:59:00.003-06:00

One more week of summer vacation for Reilly and two more weeks for Braedon. I have mixed emotions on this one. I'm excited for them to start school and sad our time together will be coming to a close. Days of slowly getting up and dressed, watching the Disney channel, taking a walk, going to the dog park, going to Winco, heading to play at the park, playing in the mud and water...I've enjoyed it all.

What I have really loved is the snuggle time with each of my boys. Reilly is not one for affection and love, but over the past few weeks he has really become a snuggle bug with his mother. I hold him close and we laugh and sing one song, Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the baby bedbugs bite. It's a real winner of a song, but Reilly can say all the words.

Reilly starts school on the 23rd and Braedon on the 29th. I'm really nervous, scared, and excited for Braedon to start Kindergarten. I have no idea what the future will hold for him. He has a ton of struggles ahead of him, but he has got such a strong support system behind him.

Will he be able to communicate with his teachers? Other students? Will he be able to learn at the pace of the other children? Will he come out of the bathroom naked? Will he be able to put his shoes on by himself? Will he make friends? Will he be able to integrate into a mainstream classroom with ease? Will he be bullied? Will he be scared and unable to ask for help? Will I ever stop with all my questions?

What I do know if he is loved. Loved by so many people. He is a wonderful little boy with the biggest heart. He's not nervous. He's not scared....just his mom. Go figure.

Summer Vacation

2011-08-07T22:20:00.004-06:00

Vacation in Pasco, Washington is a fun adventure. Braedon, Reilly, and I headed out from Salt Lake Friday morning for a very long 11 hour drive. Usually my boys are excellent travelers. Not so much this time...at least Reilly. He cried and screamed about 8 of the 11 hours. By the time we reached my mom's house, my ears hurt and I secretly was okay when Braedon would hit Reilly and tell him to shut up. I know, mother of the year!!

We've been here for a few days and my boys are in heaven. Nothing beats going to grandma's house. She has the best toys, the best backyard, and cousins. What could be better. Plus, she has a large pool that everyone can swim in. Reilly is a fish. We put some floaties on him and he jumps and swims and loves every minute of pool time. Braedon is afraid of his shadow. He spent yesterday standing on a chair on the outside of the pool, with his floaties on. He refused to get in the pool and splashed. Today, I pulled him in and after awhile he calmed down enough to be okay with being in the pool. He sticks to the sides and won't venture out very far. He got out and then asked to get back in, which is a big step. Hopefully tomorrow he'll get in on his own.

Braedon is not a daredevil. Everything he does is thought over first. I see this as a good thing and as something that is going to hold him back. We'll just have to wait and see how time goes.

The boys have had a great time with their cousins, Aiden and Olivia. Even Reilly and Aiden have played together. Reilly doesn't usually know there are other children around, so to see him playing WITH Aiden was a real treat for me.

I am exhausted but having a lot of fun. We are heading home in a few days to be back for Braedon's best friends' birthday. I sure hope the trip home is easier then the trip up. Please Reilly don't scream for 8 hours....

Dean is at home, by the way. All alone... Doing a long honeydo list, playing video games, and sleeping. I should ask him when he's going to take the boys away for a week and leave me at home. LOL!! I know he misses us terribly and it will be nice to be back together again.

Tomorrow events include hay and going to see the Columbia River Temple....oh, and the pool.

Odds and ends

2011-07-30T10:14:00.002-06:00

I don't know what I want to blog about this morning. I'm sitting in the front room with Dean and the boys, watching cartoons. It's a great way to start a weekend.

This past Wednesday, our family went to the memorial of my cousin, Ryan, at Murray Park. He was a few years older then I, lived in Utah all his life, his mom passed away almost two years ago, he was a little "off", but when alone could be a lot of fun and talkative. He committed suicide up in the canyons two weeks ago. Life was just too much for him. It is incredibly sad and everyone in the family was upset. We felt he would be able to find comfort and peace. While at the memorial service, we saw a lot of family that we only see now and then. Wyoming, Washington, Arizona, and varies areas in Utah is were they all came from. We laughed and shared stories of Ryan. Most of us didn't really know him that well, but he was family and we loved him all the same. I think what I take from this experience is to make a better effort to call family and friends. Ryan's brother, Scott, lives in Salt Lake. I have a few other cousins that do as well and we never get together. Well, that is all changing. Next Sunday, everyone is having a "family" dinner. How cool is that? We don't know each other super great, but over time that should improve.

While at the service, I was talking with my great-aunt about Braedon and Reilly and their autism. She commented that it must be incredbily difficult and exhausting to care for them. She's right, but what I told her was I don't have typically developed children, so I don't know the difference. I do have nieces and nephews that are typcial children and I babysit typical children, so I am painfully aware of the differences. I find when I watch typcial children, they are very easy to watch. I can watch two or three times the number of typical children and still be comfortable.

What else have I been thinking about...I have a friend who is set to deliever her first child next week. She's what I would call an excellent friend. One of those that you know you'll be sitting on a porch with when your 80 talking about how life used to be. I am over the moon excited for her to be a mom. Partly because I think she'll make a good mother and partly because it will be fun to watch her suffer. ha ha ha Her daughter will be born with heart complications. How severe those complications are won't be fully known until she is born. Even after that, each year that goes by could spell possible complications and trouble. I have nothing to offer her in ways of comfort. She has tremendous faith in the plan of our Savior, which provides her strength. I think part of being a mom is always worrying about your children. Each day Dean leaves with the boys for school, I worry they will be in an accident. Then I worry about the boys at school and if someone will come in and take them or harm them. Reilly has a mole on his left heal that we have watched since he was born. There are a ton of things to worry about as a mom. Luckily, there are even more things to laugh about and enjoy. I think my friend will discover that over time. She'll still worry everyday for her daughter, but the joy and laughter will far outweigh it.

Wow, I've rambled on this morning. Goes to show when I have time to sit and type...

Summer

2011-07-21T08:14:00.002-06:00

Summer has come in full force at the Dominguez home. My mom and sisters family came down from Washington over the July 4th holiday, which was wonderful. Nothing beats a parade, food, fireworks, live music, and family. Braedon and Reilly absoultely LOVE fireworks, so everything went off without a hitch.

Now it's just me and the boys...and the dog. I thought it would be a little tough to get used to trying to entertain them all day, but it has actually been easy and really wonderful. It turns out Reilly has become a bit of a snuggle bug with his mom. He enjoys sitting on my lap, giving me kisses, and always making sure I am close by.

Last week Reilly started talking on his own, without any prompts. You can't understand any of the words, but babbling is the first step to talking. It was amazing to see him sitting on the floor with his toys and talking. I'd never seen that before from him. Even now, he'll say any word I do. It isn't pronounced the same, but he is trying. How great is that?!?!

There was a time I wondered if Reilly would be nonverbal. It's a big blessing from God that I can hear his voice. Now, if I could potty train him... ;-)

Braedon has been loving being home with his mom. He is my homebody. He loves to stay at home and play, watch TV, and just hang out with me. He is also rather good at helping make cookies. Braedon is all about rules and organization. He likes rules. They dictate what he will and will not do. Reilly is all about living life to the fullest. As the wind blows, so Reilly goes. That combination can cause some problems, especially when making chocolate chip cookies. I get the ingredients out and all set up in little bowls. The kitchen aid is pulled down and both boys pull in two chairs to stand on and help. Braedon likes to slowly pour the ingredients into the mixer and watch them blend. He waits until I hand him the next ingredient to continue. Meanwhile, Reilly is trying to put his fingers into everything and eat the batter. Braedon is yelling at Reilly to stop and I'm trying to get them both to stop. It usually ends ok, but not without Braedon and Reilly getting into it at least once.

Reilly's summary of progress

2011-06-19T07:22:00.002-06:00

We had Reilly's last Parent/Teacher Conference for this school year. I was amazed at his progress. When he started the school year he didn't even respond to his own name and now he talks. Wow! Here's some info....

ELAP 5/25/2010
Reilly's age 2 years 7 months
Gross Motor 1 year 7 months
Fine Motor N/A
Cognitive N/A
Language 2 months
Self-Help N/A
Social Emotinal 2 months

ELAP 12/7/2010
Reilly's age 3 years 2 months
Gross Motor 2 years 10 months
Fine Motor 2 years
Cognitive 1 year 9 months
Language 7 months
Self-Help 1 year 11 months
Social Emotional 5 months

ELAP 5/24/2011
Reilly's age 3 years 7 months
Gross Motor 3 years
Fine Motor 2 years 1 month
Cognitive 2 years 6 months
Language 1 year 9 months
Self-Help 2 years 1 month
Social Emotional 1 year 1 month

The fact Reilly has made progress in each area, regardless of the amount, is fantastic. I was really happy to see the progress in the language and the social emotional skills.

His goals this year have been...

1. Work on improving his communication by learning to use augmentative communication systems (PECS) using pictures, pointing to things that he wants, and encourage verbalization.

2. Improve his on-task behaviors. He will begin the core attending program, participate in all scheduled groups daily, and learn to sit and listen to all groups.

3. Improve his self-help skills. He will learn to wash and dry his hands independently, brush his teeth with partial prompts, and address other self-help skills as necessary.

Overall, I think he's had a pretty successful year at school. He is starting to point to things he wants, use some words, and no scream as much. He also will come when you call his name, which is huge. He still hates having his teeth brushed. He'd prefer just to eat the toothpaste, but we'll work through it.

It's still frustrating to see how far behind he is, but if I dwell on that life would be pretty sad. Instead, I look at the progress. It's simply awesome. Go Reilly!!!

What to do on a beautiful day

2011-05-27T15:21:00.002-06:00

One day this week, I decided after picking the boys up we'd head over to Temple Square and walk around. Look at the Temple, the beautiful flowers, the water fountains, and the wonderful atmosphere. Dean met us for a few minutes, which was great.

After he left, the three of us continued to stroll around. Suddenly a golf cart came around the corner and Braedon yelled, "Oh No!" and jumped out of the way. It was President Monson and his wife driving around Temple Square doing just what we were doing on a beautiful afternoon.

I told Braedon that was our Prophet and to say hi. Braedon yelled, "Hi Prophet!" President Monson gave a huge grin and waved back and said, "Hello."

We continued our adventure. Braedon likes to go in the South Visitors Center and look at the replica of the Salt Lake Temple and the railroad tracks that are in there.

Lady Bugs?

2011-05-23T17:24:00.002-06:00

This afternoon Braedon, Reilly, and I were outside. I was working in our little garden while the boys played in the yard. As I looked over to check on Braedon, I noticed he was very closely watching something on the cement.

I heard him saying, "Wady Bugs. Wady Bugs." I walked over to see them and noticed two Box Elder Bugs desperately trying to escape the 5 year-old boy that was "playing" with them.

I should mention that Braedon really enjoys watching bugs. Usually from about 1/2 inch away. Today was no exception.

When one would almost escape to the grass, Braedon would push it back and watch it struggle to upright itself and begin the escape process all over again. I was encouraging him to set the little bugs free.

At that point, Braedon picked them up by pinching them and putting them in the palm of his hand. "There. I got 'em", he said as he walked a little further from me. Clearly I had interrupted his bug watching.

I walked over to see if they were even still alive and saw one had, mercifully, passed on. The other was trying to escape with only a few legs still functional. Braedon decided to end things and took a plastic bike wheel and ran over the bug. And over. And over.

"There! I did it! Hooray! Great job Braedon!", he excitedly proclaimed.

I will keep an eye on him going forward.

Me

2011-05-23T11:05:00.004-06:00

Today is my day to vent. My day to try and feel better. My day! Okay, maybe the next 15 minutes are "my day".

I've had a rough week. It started last Sunday, when I fought with Reilly for 2 hours in Church. I like the first hour of Church. We all sit together as a family and enjoy speakers. It's rather delightful. The next two hours I cannot stand! Not one little bit.

This past week I've been in a bit of a funk, which is unusual for me. I'm not, generally, a down person. I can feel down for a bit and then I simply pick myself up and move along. Listen to a great song. Look at my mountains. Sit outside and watch the leaves sway in the wind. All these things pick me up, usually.

This week nothing worked. I was fed up with having two boys with autism. Not being able to easily communicate with them. Not being able to relax for one minute without Reilly trying to jump off the couch onto his head. I couldn't bring myself out of it this past week.

Truth be told, I'm not 100% out of it just yet, but I'm hopeful. I wasn't hopeful last week.

I have a fried who is pregnant. She's had a lot of problems with this little baby, and she isn't even born yet. When my friend told me that her baby might have a disability, my heart broke for her. Having two children with a disability is rough and I don't want that for anyone. Things are starting to look a little better for her, but she still has a long road ahead. Each day I pray for her little baby. I hope her little baby is born perfectly healthy.

Autism has it's rewards, but let's not kid around...I'd love to have two boys without autism. I'm no hero. I'm no saint. I'm just a mom trying to make it to the next day. It's just been a little tough lately.

2011-05-16T18:47:00.002-06:00

Update

2011-05-07T07:40:00.003-06:00

Reilly has been making such progress with his communication. He and Braedon enjoy watching a video that show pictures and colors in different languages. English, French, Spanish, and Japanese to be exact. After watching this video, roughly, a million times they can count to 10 in all four languages. Reilly, especially, seems to enjoy French. Much to the delight of his teachers he now earns a set of numbers and colors he can say in French during his sessions. They find it very cute. As do I.

Braedon is getting ready to graduate from the Pingree preschool program in June. He'll start kindergarten in the fall with a typical mainstream class. I am sooooo nervous. Somedays I think he'll do great. Other days I want to throw up. He seems to have very good social skills and makes friends easily. What is difficult for him is communicating with those friends. He doesn't communicate in a typical style. I keep telling myself that with time things will improve. They usually do.

We have decided to get rid of our dog. She is simply too much to handle. When I think of this summer with the boys AND the dog, I think one of them must go. Since I like my boys more then I like the dog, it was an easy choice. So, this weekend we are putting her on craigslist. Hopefully she is gone this week. Braedon will be sad, but he'll get over it. Reilly will be so happy he'll probably dance.

Vacation

2011-05-06T07:13:00.003-06:00

Why do my boys make the same face for pictures? Also, don't I have such a cute nephew and niece? YES!

My boys love their Nanny. They think she is simply the greatest person ever. When we arrived at her house, Braedon ran and gave her a giant hug. Reilly was more interested in going into her playroom and giving her toys a giant hug. I was happy that Braedon remembered his Aunt Rebecca, or Becca as he calls her, Uncle Karl, and cousins Aiden and Olivia. Olivia is a really hard word to say, so Braedon calls her baby.

We spent a week with everyone and had a blast. Braedon and Aiden really seemed to enjoy one another. The occasionally object being throw to the head aside, they played very well together.

My mom has the best backyard for little boys. She has a large circle of sand (in the summer it is where she puts her pool). It's full of shovels, trucks, and other toys for the sand. She also has a large swing set thing, complete with slide, climbing wall, swings, and monkey bars. The boys call all climb up in the little fort area and yell and have fun. They spent most of each day outside.

We didn't really do much besides hang around the house and watch the kids play. That turns out to be very entertaining. They did see their Grandfather, Brad, after a year. It was good for them to see him. I suppose next year when we go back up there they can see him again.

Driving

2011-05-05T17:57:00.002-06:00

Wow, it's been a month since I lasted posted. We've managed to do a lot in a short period of time. Most importantly, vacation! Each year, over the boys spring break we head up to Pasco, Washington to visit my family.

This year we headed up a day later then normal due to a pesky pneumonia infection I was suffering from. Once I had the antibiotics, we were off. The trip up there is about 630 miles and takes roughly 11 hours. The boys travel VERY well! They watch DVDs, eat snacks, drive Dean nuts with requests, and always get a happy meal. I settle back and drive and enjoy the view.

Before you get to Baker City there is an old brick home. Long ago abandoned. It's a two story brick home. The windows have no glass in them, the brick is stained and weathered by time, the door is missing and you can see inside. It's empty. No furniture. There is an old wood barn that looks just like the Ingalls home. There is also an old wooden stable for horses. Each time I drive by this place I wonder about the family that lived there. It's the only old brick home on the drive. There are plenty of old wooden homes left long ago. This is the only brick home. It's a style you'd see from a home built in the mid 1800's or early 1900's. I like to think it was a family from the east coast that came across the plains and built a life. I can't help but wonder about what life this home had each time I drive by it.

Anyhoo, that's what I think about while I drive.

More on the vacation tomorrow...hopefully.

Quinceanera time

2011-04-13T12:26:00.002-06:00

This past weekend we loaded up the truck and drove to Delta, Colorado for a family function. Our cousin, Toni Rae, was turning 15 and having a big Quinceanera. Our boys travel very well and the five hour trip was rather easy. We stayed in a hotel this trip due to the party that was happening and our boys need for quiet.

They, like all children, love to stay in hotels. The first thing I do when we arrive, besides hope and prayer it has been well cleaned, is unplug the telephone. Braedon's first stop is the phone, followed closely by Reilly.

We had a terrific weekend. Saturday we attended the mass. Reilly slammed his head into the pew and Dean took him to the back for remainder of the service. Braedon sat with me and other family members. I think Braedon liked to stand up during the service. He doesn't get to do that at his Church. The luncheon was next followed by a 3 hour nap for Reilly and Daddy. Braedon and I watched TV.

The dance party was that night. I was worried about Braedon and the loud music. He doesn't like loud music and generally covers his ears and hides. He did very well. There were some stairs that he could climb up and hide a little from all the stuff going on below. I think that helped keep him in the okay.

Reilly, on the other hand, had found his calling in life. The colorful lights from the DJ were exciting as well as the loud music. He danced and ran around. During Baby Got Back, he even slapped a woman on the rump. Dean put him in a time out for a bit after that. You need to act like a gentleman on the dance floor.

After several hours we returned to the hotel were the boys fell asleep pretty fast. All in all, it was a great weekend to spend with family. The boys had fun and so did Mom and Dad. Now we are recovering from colds and planning our next adventure this week. We are planning on going up to Washington to see my family for Spring Break. Woohoo!

Holland

2011-04-02T10:32:00.000-06:00

This is a story by Emily Pearl Kingston.

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."
But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.
So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.
It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."
And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Songs

2011-03-18T08:44:00.002-06:00

I haven't posted any new pictures of the boys for awhile. Braedon "lost" our camera and we just bought a new one. Each time we ask him where it is he says, "It's gone. Trash."

The boys have really been into singing songs lately. You can make out a few words when Braedon sings. With Reilly, it's more sounds. I think it's great no matter what. They each have a song they like to sing and one they both really enjoy right now. The first song is the one they both love. The second is Reilly's current favorite and last is Braedon's current favorite. Enjoy!

Why January?

2011-02-27T10:39:00.004-07:00

The past two years, right around January, Braedon does something rather interesting and a little alarming. He takes a giant step backward.

In school and at home his eye contact decreases, he doesn't play with his friends Rocky and Myles, he stops completing his program tasks, he doesn't answer questions, he constantly quotes movie lines that you can't understand, he yells and screams more, he doesn't sit still long enough to do just about anything, and on and on and on.

Last year, after seeing two doctors, we finally put him on some medicine. The problem with that was horrible emotional outbursts that lasted several hours. It did help his attending and other issues, but it was more then I could take and we stopped it.

By summer, he had returned to his normal little self and things seemed fine. School started in August and he loved it. Things were going along nicely and then came January.

It all started again. He has the same teacher this year he had last year, so she was quick to pick up on it. This time we started a new medicine, Methlyphenidate. It is AWESOME!!!! He is better then before. His ability to stay on task is amazing to me. The emotional outbursts? GONE!! That is my favorite part.

He still quotes movie lines constantly, but I don't mind. His doctor says it's ADHD and could also be something called Seasonal Behavior Disorder. I think the name speaks for itself, so I won't bother explaining it.

I'm just happy to have Braedon "back".

2 Stories

2011-02-09T08:02:00.003-07:00

Reilly stayed home from school yesterday with a cold and fever. Last night when it was time to go to bed, he insisted that I lay with him for two hours while he got comfortable and fell asleep. Each time I tried to leave, he would come and get me and lead me back to his bed.

While we were laying in bed, I decided to work on some words with him. I pointed at my eye and said, "I." I pointed at my heart and said, "Love." I pointed at Reilly's tummy and said, "You." I did this over and over. When I stopped Reilly pointed at his eye and said, "I". He pointed at his heart and said, "Wub." He pointed at his tummy and said, "You." How awesome is that?! It's such a treat to hear his voice.

I called my mom and had him say it for her. We even mixed it up and had him say, "I wub Nanny."

This morning Braedon was getting ready for school and decided he wanted to take the bathtub stopper with him. I told him no and it needed to remain in the bathroom. We went back and forth on this issue for awhile. Finally I put my foot down and used my "mommy voice" to tell him no. He ran into the bathroom to throw the plug down and then ran into his room. He stood by his buckets of toys, prepared to pick one up and toss it across the room. I simply said, "Don't!" He ran out of his room and into the dining room and stood for a moment. I walked back into the front room and sat on the couch.

Braedon came walking in and stood in front of me and said, "Show me mad. Show me mad." I said, "Show me mad." He put his train down and put his hands on his hips and grunted. That is how he shows the emotion mad at school.

Braedon communicated to me that he was mad at me. How cool is that? He didn't throw his toys across the room, hit his brother, scream and run around the room. He came up to me and showed me he was mad.

We were able to then have a conversation. Well, I was able to have a conversation and then give him a hug.

Oh how I love progress!

Testing time

2011-02-07T15:43:00.004-07:00

The boys are doing very good in school. That's the update from their six month summary meetings. It's always fun to go and talk with their teachers and hear how they are doing.

Let's get to the numbers...

Braedon was 5 years 4 months at the time of testing.

Gross Motor -- 5 years 7 months
Fine Motor -- 4 years 5 months
Pre-writing -- 4 years 9 months
Cognitive -- 3 years 5 months
Language -- 3 years 9 months
Self-help -- 4 years 3 months
Personal/Social -- 3 years 9 months

He made strides in every category. We did have to start him back on some medication to help with his ADHD/OCD that seems to really bother him this time of year. It's called Methylphenidate and it really seems to be working. He just started it a few days ago and is already making progress in school and at home.

Reilly was 3 years 3 months at the time of testing.

Gross Motor -- 2 years 10 months
Fine Motor -- 2 years
Cognitive -- 1 year 9 months
Language -- 7 months
Self-help -- 1 year 11 months
Social/Emotional -- 5 months

There are some areas that he still struggles in, but he did make improvements in all categories as well. Hooray! It doesn't matter that he is behind, it only matter that he progresses at his own pace.

I'm so proud of both my boys and the work they are doing and making.

Rambling...

2011-01-30T07:41:00.003-07:00

I've decided this blog entry is going to be a chance for me to get out some thoughts and feelings and then pick myself up and move along...

Years and years ago I was diagnosed with severe arthritis. Rheumatoid, to be more accurate. I was 21. I've had my "battles" with the arthritis and learned there are limitations to what I can and cannot do. Once upon a time I was rather athletic. If it was a sport I could, generally, play it well. I wasn't great, but I felt I could hold my own. Arthritis took all of that from me. It's more years then I can count since I last swung a bat, played a game a basketball, or even hit a volleyball. It's not as pathetic as it sounds. I went through my grief and now I'm very content with it. This is NOT a pity party for me, I'm just giving some background.

Arthritis has made just about anything and everything just a little more difficult. You learn to adapt when you have a chronic disease that causes chronic pain all the time. I know when I need to rest and I know what my limits are. Luckily, I married the perfect man to help with all this. He is extremely understanding and helpful when I can't do something.

I have always wanted a large family. Once I started having children, I knew I wanted 3 or 4 little tikes running around. They are just fun!

In order for me to have children, I have to stop my arthritis medication for three months to clean it out of my system. I take the TOP of the line arthritis drugs. Nothing is better then what I take. After three months, I can get pregnant. 10% of women with my type of arthritis do not go into remission during pregnancy. I was one of those 10%. There is a hormone in pregnancy that, usually, will send arthritis into remission...Not me. I laugh about that. So, each time I was pregnant I had to be off my medication for over one year. During that time I could take a nasty little steroid to help with the pain. Unfortunately, for it to help I had to take a very large dose each day. The worst side affect of a steroid is weight gain. Nothing beats putting on 100 pounds during two pregnancies! I knew the risk and I knew the side affects. They were something I was fine with, because I wanted children. You can always loose weight.

I had two wonderful boys. One was a preemie, born at 33 weeks. One was born at 37 weeks and had a whole in his lung and pneumonia. Both had to stay in the NICU for a time. Both didn't get to come home when I did. That was really hard on me. I was jealous of the mom's that had their babies in their hospital room with them and that took them home with them. On the upside, the NICU did put them on a nice feeding and sleeping schedule for me. :-)

Both of my precious boys have high functioning autism. They both have delays in just about every are you can think of. Braedon is now 5 and Reilly is 3. They both are about 2 years behind their age in all areas except gross and fine motor skills. They are exhausting! Try babysitting them for a night and you will understand. They are also the greatest joy ever!

Dean and I decided we wanted a third child. I tried to go off my medicine again, but this time the arthritis won. By the end of the first month I was just about left bed bound. I could lift my arms above my head, turn a door knob, walk without a noticeable limp, turn my head, sleep, blah blah blah. Let's just say I was in some serious pain. I'd have to be this way or worse for over a year. How could I take care of the two children I had during that time? I couldn't.

We decided that I wasn't able to carry a third child, which was hard for me emotionally. I'm not the type of person to cry about things for long, so I picked myself up and moved along. We thought adoption would be a good path, and it was going along just fine.

Then I had a six month summary with Reilly's teacher. I also had a meeting with Braedon's teacher about his ADHD and OCD and how it is starting to get worse. Last year we had to put him on some medication to help control it, and it looks like we are going to do that again this year. He only needed for a few months and was able to stop it, but it looks like we are going back on it. I don't know why I didn't realize this before...Sometimes it takes me awhile to catch up, I guess.

My boys are never going to catch up with children their own age. They are always going to be behind and struggle. Academically. Socially. Emotionally. In every aspect they will struggle. They will need Dean and I to help them with everything. We had a long conversation a few nights ago and decided that our two boys are what we are going to stick with.

This was not an easy decision, but we feel it is the one that will best support our family. Now, I am working through that decision. Like I said before, I'm not the type to lay down and cry. It's time to pick yourself up and get back in the game.

Hopefully, this isn't too much information to share. I think it is mainly for me.

A night of music

2011-01-21T08:23:00.002-07:00

Last night we got all dressed up and headed downtown to Capital Theatre for a concert with the Utah Symphony and Utah Opera Ensemble. We arrived a few minutes before the doors opened and stood out in the lobby talking with friends we see now and then. Some we only see at this concert once a year.

The doors opened and we walked inside to take our seats. We sat center stage about 20 or so rows back. I'm not a fan of sitting too close or too far away. In my mind, there is a happy medium in the middle. Braedon was rather impressed with the "grandness" of Capital Theatre. He enjoyed looking around. That was until he looked at the stage and noticed a woman standing to the side with a violin in her hands. Braedon loves the violin. He excitedly yelled, "Wook! Viowin!"

As we sat waiting for the concert to begin Braedon told me all of the different instruments as they came on stage to warm and tune up. The Cello. The Bassoon. The Trombone. The Harp. He didn't miss an instrument.

Reilly doesn't share his brothers love for instruments and was, instead, watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on his daddy's phone with a few other boys sitting around us.

When the lights dimmed and the conductor walked on stage we all clapped. Once the clapping subsided Braedon yells, "High 5!" Slaps my hand and says, "Yeah!" He was ready.

Reilly enjoyed 10 minutes of the concert and the rest of the night crawling on the floor. Braedon sat in his seat and enjoyed it all. He prefers just the Symphony and wasn't too excited for the Opera part. When the Symphony played he was very excited. He would bob his head up and down and listen to the different instruments. Sometimes I would see him moving to the sound of the violins. Sometimes to the sounds of the brass section. Other times to the sounds of the percussion. He really enjoys the sound of music.

The final song was the Can-can and everyone loves to clap along to this. Braedon didn't appreciate this, as it was hard for him to hear the music.

When it finished, we all stood and clapped and clapped. The children yelled and were so excited. It really was a great night and a wonderful thing to take our boys too. Next year, we'll get dressed up again and head back to the Theatre. Hooray!

Another day...

2011-01-17T09:57:00.003-07:00

Today all my boys are home. The boys don't have school and Dean doesn't have work. This is a good way to spend the MLK holiday. After "surviving" Sunday, it's nice to have a day to relax, do some carpet cleaning, and reflect with the family.

Reilly has become a Sunbeam in Primary this year. Wow, is that taking some adjustment. I find myself in a dilemma which I'm sure every parent finds themselves. I want him to understand that in opening exercises for Primary, he should sit in his chair and pay attention. Reilly doesn't like to do that and wants to run around and play. When I try to make him sit down, he just screams. My dilemma is how much to push? I don't want him screaming the entire time, because that is distracting. I also don't want him to think if he does scream I'll let him run around. It's a dance. A very exhausting and often frustrating dance. Hopefully over time it will work itself out....Hopefully.

Reilly is starting to turn a little corner. His eye contact with me and his teachers has really progressed over the last few weeks. He actually looks at you and smiles. Which is huge! He's also starting to say more words. We sit on the couch and "talk" to each other. He likes to say Yummy, No, and Cougar (I'm teaching him BYU language at an early age). He doesn't pronounce the words clearly, but I'm thrilled he is trying.

My Braedon has discovered cooking shows. He was sick on Saturday and stayed in my bed most of the day. I stayed with him for several hours and we watched cooking show after cooking show. He would ask me what things were and offer his opinion. Things were either Yummy or Yucky. If I turned the channel he'd start yelling, "Cooking show!" We watched a lot of cooking shows on Saturday.

Being a mom is awesome, exhausting, frustrating, and absolutely wonderful. The small changes in my boys is such a huge thing to me. It means they are making progress. Sometimes I feel like it is similar to watching paint dry on a wall. But when it happens, it is incredible.

Now I am off to enjoy a wonderful day of my boys. My very favorite way to spend a day.

A little moment

2011-01-05T12:50:00.002-07:00

Today I decided to just type a bit of what I'm feeling rather then telling of the adventures of my boys. As a mother of small children, I worry about everything. I worry when they leave for school in the morning that they'll be safe and happy all day. It's the "normal" mom stuff I worry about.

Last night I was watching Reilly drift off to sleep, and I couldn't help but worry if I'd ever have a long conversation with him. Will he be able to tell me how he feels? Stories of his day and his adventures? Will he ever have a best friend? Will he have carefree summers with friends around the neighborhood? Will he have a job? Live on his own? Get married? Have children? And on and on went my thoughts. When I do this, I tend to just feel sad.

I think the very same things about Braedon. He's 5 now and we don't have any conversations. He's never told me a story about anything. He doesn't ever tell me how things make him feel. I pick up on these things from his actions, but never does he tell me. Will he ever?

I sometimes find myself watching other children that are around my sons age. I see them turn and tell a story to their dad as if it were nothing new. I see kids talking to each other and playing together like they do it everyday. I see parents asking their child a question and the child answering them.

My children don't ever do that.

Maybe this is a pity party for me. I'm so blessed and happy with my children it's ridiculous. But, as a mother it breaks my heart that I don't have that. I know my boys love me. I know they are happy. I know they are content. It's me that isn't. My mom tells me that one day I'll have that conversation with them and I hope I will. I don't know for sure, but I hope.

Today I just feel very sad and frustrated. My 5 year-old doesn't have conversations and my 3 year-old barely has 10 words. Autism is a very S L O W and L O N G road.

I have a friend that is pregnant with her first child. She's paranoid about everything, which everyone tells her is normal. She told me she doesn't think she could be a parent of a child with autism. What I want to tell her is you can be a mother. Mother's love with all their hearts. Mothers care at all times of the day and night. Mothers fight for their children. Mothers laugh at the craziest things. Mothers know how to fix bumps and bruises better then anyone. When you are a mom you are a mom of a child. It doesn't matter if they have autism. You take the good with the challenges.

That's what I tell myself during times like these. I'm the mom of a child of God. I've been blessed with the responsibility to teach my children and to love them. I've been given a blessing to raise two boys that are special spirits of our Father in Heaven. That's an awesome responsibility. So, it's time to pick myself up, dry my tears, and get back in the game.

Thanks for letting me vent it out.

Christmas Time

2010-12-26T12:03:00.002-07:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas.

We had a wonderful Christmas season. My mom and sister's family came down from Washington and spent a few days with us. Besides the fact everyone caught a cold, it was a ton of fun.

Braedon and Reilly LOVED Christmas. They don't have any concept of Santa or that he delivers toys on Christmas Eve. They are simply so excited to wake up and discover things to unwrap. Braedon walked into the front room and just said, "WOW" That's all I needed.

I don't have too much to write at the moment because I have a nasty cold and feel pretty yucky. I hope everyone had a very wonderful month!!!

Festival of Trees

2010-12-06T15:57:00.003-07:00

I took the boys to Festival of Trees Friday morning. I thought it would be a wonderful way to spend a Friday morning. I explained what and where we were going. In my head, I picture myself as one of the teachers on a Charlie Brown special and that's how my boys often hear me.

Once loaded up in the truck we headed out. We got there and Braedon began to get excited. He didn't know why, but he knew we were doing something fun. Once inside, we stopped to buy tickets. At this point, Braedon could look in the large double doors and see a glimpse of the hundreds of decorated Christmas trees. That's when he started shouting, "Christmas! Christmas!"

I love the reaction of my boys when we walk into the Festival of Trees. They both gasp and say, "oooohhhh". It's cute. I didn't put Reilly in a stroller, which is a big deal. The thing to understand about Reilly is if you let go of his hand he is gone. GONE! Usually, I will put him in a stroller to have better control over the situation, but since he is getting older he needs to learn to stay beside me. Also, my grip on his hand is much stronger now.

Off we went down countless aisles of beautifully decorated trees, with themes, lights, toys, and most importantly trains. Moving trains. Braedon sat and watched the Polar Express train go around and around. Reilly doesn't understand staying in one place for too long. Luckily, there were so many trees and Braedon was a bit over stimulated, that we could move on rather quickly. Our goal was to find another tree with a train. There were several, thank goodness.

We got to one aisle that had a five foot dancing Santa. Reilly thought it was rather interesting and looked at him. Braedon put his hands over his ears and refused to walk down the aisle. Fake things like that really freak him out. He doesn't like mascots or Halloween costumes. Anything that dresses up like something else really bothers him. So, we skipped that section.

Once we had finished looking at all the trees and finding all the trains, we headed over to buy a little stocking of candy for each boy and sit at some tables. I dumped out each of their stockings and they were very excited about all the "loot" inside. We sat for a few minutes and I let them eat a few pieces, then it was up and walking again.

This time we found a clown that was making balloon animals. Braedon was freaked out, of course. Reilly waited while he made a cute blue dog.

All in all, it was a very fun trip. The boys loved it all. Braedon was completely over stimulated and Reilly received just enough stimulation.

I was exhausted.

Now we are just getting ready for the holidays. We have family coming down in a few weeks and I think we'll attempt Zoo Lights. What the heck.

ps...I have a Santa that lights up and sits in my window. Everyday when I bring the boys home from school, Braedon excitedly says, "Santa! There you are."

My little Reilly

2010-11-15T12:28:00.003-07:00

Do you know what's cute? Reilly talking. He has finally begun to try out the English, and just a little Spanish, language. He discovered colors one day. After watching the same video about 50 times, he can say yellow, blue, green, and orange...red came later. After about two weeks, he can point to something and tell you the color. Yeah!

Listening to him with a voice has been a real treat for me. I worry about Reilly. He doesn't seem as high functioning as his brother. I worry how much language skill he will have. Just he fact he has a few words means everything to me. He is trying out the alphabet now. To give you a little taste. A = Apple D = Duck Y = Yellow V = Doh T = Turtle H = H and a few other letters. Oh, L = L I like to listen to him spell DVD when it pops up on TV. I hear, Duck, Doh, Duck. He then smiles really big and I praise his success.

He seems to be getting more and more words. His ability to understand still isn't improving too much. He is turning his head when I say his name, which is a great improvement for him. We keep working on things.

I'd love to say that each day is better then the next, but that isn't how autism works. It's more like each couple months is better then the last. I tell people that one of the hardest things in dealing with autism is how slow time moves. You know how people will say that you should enjoy the time you have with your children, now, because they grow up so fast! Well, I disagree with that. My children do not grow up fast. They grow up at a very very slow rate. I still enjoy it though.

I feel I've babbled my way through this blog...such is a Monday

Life is funny

2010-10-25T10:25:00.003-06:00

I cannot stand crooked pictures on walls. It drives me nuts. In my home. In someone else's home. Anywhere. If a picture is crooked, I feel a need to fix it or it will bother me. I don't wonder where my son's ocd tendencies come from. I know.

I like to think I have a pretty good eye at making a picture level on a wall. Sometimes I use a leveler (I hope that is how you spell it), but most times I can simply eyeball it. I do have one picture in my house that is slightly askew. It is my Simpsons poster. I justify not fixing it for two important reasons. First, for my own sanity I think it is important that one picture be less then perfectly straight. Second, it is a Simpsons poster. They are slightly off and thus the picture is too.

Braedon, bless his soul, likes to go around and turn my pictures to an angle. Not one picture. Not one room. Any picture he can reach or walk by gets turned. I found him one day looking at a wall with five pictures on it. All five are different sizes, in different areas, and in different frames. He walked up and moved three of them slightly to the right. He stepped back and surveyed his work and simply said, "Perfect."

NO IT WASN'T!!!!

I sat there for about 10 seconds before getting up to "fix" them and return them to their proper position. Braedon waited about the same amount of time before he, too, "fixed" them.

Now, everyday, I walk around my house making sure my pictures are all straight. Today I cleaned up my front room, did laundry, and even cleaned my couches. When I sat down for a much needed rest, I looked across the room and on my wall were five pictures.

Three of them leaning slightly to the right. Ahhhh...Braedon.

Raffle

2010-10-13T12:40:00.001-06:00

Just a quick thing. I'm selling raffle tickets to raise money for Braedon and Reilly's school. I'll get a list of the items, but some of them include a trip to Florida. The tickets are $2 for 1 or $6 for 10. Email me at kimasay@hotmail.com if you are interested in getting any.

Happy Birthday Reilly

2010-10-03T07:45:00.004-06:00

Today in 2007, Reilly Efren Dominguez came into our lives. Here's the story of that time.

He was due October 16th, but in true Kim pregnancy fashion I had him early. It was in the morning. They took me back to the OR (I had a C-Section for both boys) and started to prep me. A side note: Nothing. I mean NOTHING makes you feel more like a pregnant sexy woman then to be laying on a table, completely naked, with your arms stretched out to the side, numb and unable to move, while someone is rubbing iodine all over your body. Especially in your swimming suit area. Man, what a proud moment for me.

Before all that fun, I did have to get the block in my spine. That was not an easy thing the second time around. How many of you out there have what they call "red head syndrome"? Never heard of it? It's what they call people that numb poorly. Go to the dentist and need lots and lots of shots in your mouth to numb? That's me. When I had surgery on my foot, I told the anesthesiologist and he understood completely and made adjustments. I didn't say anything this time. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

He had to make two attempts at sticking that needle into my spine before it began to work. Considering I've had two children and NEVER felt a labor pain, I wasn't about to complain. He layed me on the table and the iodine chica began her humiliating rub down.

My doctor came over and asked if we were ready. At this point, I lifted my left leg and moved it and said, "NO!! I can feel my entire left side." Oops. It took another 10 minutes and what I thought was about a ton of medicine to finally get my body numb.

A few tugs later, I heard the most beautiful sound. A little cry from Reilly. Unlike his brother, Braedon, he didn't have to be immediately taken to the NICU team. I could hold him and touch him. They brought him over and handed him to Dean. Because I could move anything but my eyes, I looked at him. I remember thinking how big he looked. At 5 pounds 13 ounces that was a big baby to me.

That's when the doctor asked for him back. I guess he looked more blue then pink. Here we go again. They took him away and worked on him and finished with me. I was taken back to my room while we waited for news on Reilly.

The doctor came and explained he had a hole in his lung and it had collapsed. He also had a touch of pneumonia. You'd think I'd freak out at this news. No. Not at all. I think when it is your child, the worst doesn't go through your head because you can't even imagine the worst happening.

We were able to see him later that day. He was sedated will all these tubes and wires going into him. They had to put a chest tube in his side. I remember his chest being concave looking. He looked so helpless. I did know that babies are incredible healers, so time would tell.

Over the next week, Reilly blew several IVs and had to have one put in his head. It made him look like he was wearing a bow. He also had to go under the lights for jaundice for just a day.

I think the hardest thing for me was I didn't get to hold my baby for 6 days because he was so sick. For the first 6 days of his life, he just layed on the table without anyone to hold him. That part was horrible.

The day I held him for the first time, my mom was actually with me. What a great feeling. He felt strong and wonderful and soft and beautiful. He only spent 15 days in the NICU before coming home. Babies heal quickly.

Reilly was such a fun baby. A loud baby, but a fun baby. The one difficult thing with him was he didn't like human contact. It was always so difficult to cuddle with Reilly or try to hold his hand. He simply couldn't stand it.

Overtime, we learned that Reilly had many autistic traits. We had him tested and he qualified for early intervention. He also qualified for the Carmen B. Pingree Center for Children with Autism.

When I got the diagnosis of Autism for Reilly, I didn't cry like I did when I got Braedon's. I simply took a deep breath and said, "Okay. What now?" I know that you jump in with both feet and run as fast as you can. Whatever help Reilly would need, we would get for him.

Now he is turning 3. He has a few words. Mainly 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. He is obsessed with those numbers and loves to count. At night when he is tired, he'll let me hold him in my arms and cuddle for several moments. He holds my hand when I pick him up from school. When I walk into his classroom and he sees me, he smiles his big smile and says, "Yeah". That's my name to him. I think it's a great name. He has more energy then any child I know. From sun up to sundown he goes 100 mph and I just pray to keep up. He has a smile that will light up a room. He'll jump off anything anywhere...no fear.

I love that kid of mine! Happy Birthday Reilly!

2 posts in 1

2010-09-24T08:32:00.003-06:00

Post 1
Braedon and Reilly share their lunch and recess times at school. They go to lunch in a small cafeteria, get a tray of food, sit with their classes, and eat. They've been in school a month now. I've wondered if, upon seeing Reilly, Braedon would get upset and start to ask for Mommy. The other day Reilly's teacher told me the most tender story.

It was lunchtime and when Reilly walked in, Braedon ran over to him. Braedon took his hand and said, "Ridee, I lub you." He then walked back to his seat and ate his lunch.

How cute is that?

Post 2
Yesterday, I decided to really clean the boys bedroom. I took everything out of the room, cleaned the baseboards and walls, and cleaned the carpet. In the process, I decided it was time for Reilly to stop sleeping in his crib and join the ranks of the big boy.

He really enjoyed sleeping in Braedon's big bed when we allowed him too. I wasn't concerned with him rolling out of the bed and hurting himself. So, I took the crib apart and put it in the garage.

Skip ahead to bedtime. Dean and I were out on a date and our very good friend, Jamee, was babysitting. Braedon went to bed on his own, but Reilly kept going into the bedroom to jump on the bed. They both sleep in a Queen bed.

Quick side note...Braedon has abandonment issues. Why, I have no idea. Maybe it was the 23 days he spent in the NICU and could only be held for an hour a day...I don't know. We had to have a Queen bed instead of a toddler bed so Dean could sleep with Braedon and keep him calm at night. We decided instead of a toddler bed and a Queen bed, we'd just throw both boys in the Queen bed for now.

Reilly started to get very tired and whine and cry. He finally walked into the kitchen and just broke down. Jamee went and got him and held him on her lap. She rubbed his leg and held him until he fell asleep, at which time she put him in bed with Braedon. I think he broke down in the kitchen because he couldn't find his bed. He was so tired and just didn't know what to do or where to go.

When we got home both boys were asleep and resting next to each other. I should note that I am a heavy sleeper. It takes A LOT to wake me up. Dean is not a heavy sleeper and thus ends up taking care of the boys at night, cause he won't wake me up. Something about me not being a bitch in the morning or something.

Anyhoo...

About 11:30 Dean heard footsteps coming to our room. This is normal. Almost every night, Braedon comes to our room, gently taps my elbow, and crawls in bed with us. Dean then takes him back to his room. This time the footsteps just stopped, which meant only one thing. It was Reilly.

Dean got up and no one was there, but he did hear some whimpering. He walked to the boys bedroom and found Reilly in bed crying. Well, sobbing would be a better word. He was having trouble catching his breath because he was sobbing so hard. He was scared and didn't know what to do. Braedon wasn't there. Apparently, he got tired of Reilly crying and went and layed on the couch. I don't know why he didn't come into our room. He was just laying on the couch, without a blanket. Dean told him to go into Mommy's room and sleep, which he did.

Dean had to lay in bed and hold Reilly, tight, for 30 minutes before he calmed down enough to sleep. Now, for anyone that has ever tried to hug Reilly you know it is hug and done. There is no cuddle. There is no squeeze. Reilly doesn't enjoy human contact. Dean held him tight for 30 minutes. That tells you how scared and upset the little guy was.

When he finally fell asleep, Dean stayed in there with him. Every now and then Reilly would wake up and if he couldn't touch Dean he would start to cry and panic. Dean would hold him until he calmed down and fell back asleep.

What a great mother I am!!! I took away his comfort and safety. YES! Did I put the crib back up? No.

I think tonight Dean will sleep with Reilly and Braedon will sleep with me. Just until Reilly gets the idea that this is HIS bed.

Today I'm spending it hugging Reilly and kissing him and apologizing many many times.

Life is ironicly funny

2010-09-11T09:39:00.002-06:00

So, I'm going to tell you a story. It's a story of how you always need a good laugh and to keep your sense of humor with you. It's also a story of how you should just stay home.

My friend has had kidney stone issues all week. She needed to go to the doctor Thursday afternoon and I volunteered to take her. Mistake number 1. I drove her to the hospital at 2:00 and we waited till after 3:00 before the doctor saw her. I love that about doctors. He told her she could wait for the stone to pass on its own or have surgery that evening to have it blown up and removed. When asked how long it would take to pass, his response was 3 months. Which would you choose? Horrible pain for 3 months or surgery that night? It seemed less like a question to me.

I walked with my friend and a nurse over to the same day surgery portion of the hospital to get her checked in. Did I also mention she had a migraine? She was in a great deal of pain. I kept asking anyone I could find if she could have some pain medication. We were always told, in a bit. Once the IV was in.

We finally got called back to the prep area. By this time, another friend arrived. We sat in the prep area for almost 2 hours. It took FOREVER to get her IV in because she was terribly dehydrated. Just when they were going to give her the drugs it was time to take her back to surgery.

My friend and I headed to the waiting room. We watched the entire Saints/Vikings game and still hadn't heard anything. Long story somewhat short, she had trouble keeping her oxygen levels up and her blood pressure was high, so they decided to keep her overnight for observation. It was 12:30am when I finally got home. I am NOT a night person and was exhausted.

The next day, yesterday, my kids spent the afternoon with their grandma, so I thought I'd go help my friend again. Mistake number 2.

She was STILL at the hospital. Her sister was with her but had to go home, so I said I'd hang out and bring her home once she was discharged. Well, the hospital was having trouble finding her an oxygen tank to take home. I guess the largest hospital in the state has issues. :-)

After 3 hours of waiting, we finally got her dressed, hooked up to an oxygen tank, and down to the car. The nice nurse told us the tank would last 3 hours, so don't go out to eat or stop at the store. Go straight home and call the home medical people to come bring another tank. No problem was my silly response.

We're driving home and I'm going 65 on a 65mph Interstate. I'm trying to drive nice because too many bumps or turns hurts my friend. That's when I notice a red BMW just in front of us suddenly spin in a circle. My brain thought, "Well, that's a strange direction for a car to be going on a busy Interstate." My brain had not caught up to what was unfolding. Next, I hear my friend yell and then we watched as the BMW crashed head on into the cement barrier. By this time I had come to conclusion we were involved in something serious and slammed on my breaks. Slammed is not the right turn. I stood on them! I immediately looked in my rear view mirror, waiting to see a truck or car slam into the back of me. Utah drivers are not known for allowing a great deal of distance between vehicles on the Interstate.

No one had hit me yet. Just then, the BMW began to drift back into traffic. Well, really my lane of traffic. I'm still standing on my breaks trying to go from 65 to 0 in about 2 seconds. I thought about steering my car to the left and try to avoid her, but when I turned my head I saw a car coming and knew I could either get hit by the BMW or the car on my left. I didn't think those were good options.

That's when my friend and I tightened up and the right side of my car hit the BMW. We hit hard. The vehicle jumped and we came to a very quick stop in the middle of I-15 or a Friday night. The only thing I was thinking about was getting over to the side of the road as fast as possible, as cars continued to drive by. Please don't let anyone hit us right now.

We finally got over to the side of the road and a few other cars, who saw everything stopped too. Once happened to be an off duty south salt lake police officer. He ran to our car first and asked if we were okay. I said we were. He ran about 100 feet to the BMW and that's when it got interesting. A woman got out of the car and just about fell into oncoming traffic. To say she was drunk, would be an understatement. She looked like what I can only imagine an old barbie would look like. Black high heels, tight black pants, tight black shirt, fake boobs, giant lips, worn face, jet black hair, and eye makeup you could see from a mile away.

I was trying to calm my friend down while the officer was getting this woman out of her car. My friend wasn't hurt, but was very shook up. A nice lady walked up and asked if we were okay. That's when I hear the cop whistle at me and motion for me to come to him. I asked the lady to stay and talk with my friend because she was very upset. I ran down the road and he told me to go to his cruiser and get his handcuffs. Cool. I ran to his car and found them. Did you know they are very heavy? I ran them back to him and he put them on drunk barbie.

Now we had to wait for the highway patrol to arrive. They finally arrived, took everyones statement, did the fun drunk tests on barbie, which she failed miserably and arrested her. By this time my friend is starting to be in a great deal of pain, so we get paramedics to come and check her out. I thought if we had to go back to the hospital...

We didn't. She was cleared and we were allowed to go home. Oh, did I mention my car only sustained a scratch on the front and rear of the right side? As far as I can tell, no dent or crack. We'll take it in to check alignment and other stuff, but wow we were lucky.

I finally got my friend home and promised I would no longer bring anyone home from the hospital. I finally got home and had my mental breakdown. My mom told me I'd have a delayed reaction. She was right. She is always right.

Today I am feeling exhausted and very sore. My neck, shoulders, wrists, knees, and feet are really hurting. So is my back. I'm feeling sick to my stomach and so dang tired.

But, I'm alive and that is what matters. I can't believe we weren't hurt worse or hit from behind. The Lord really stepped in and spared our lives last night. I'm 100% sure of that.

I would write more, but I'm feeling very sick. I think going over this accident has made me sick, so I'm going to go lay down.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2010-09-08T07:53:00.005-06:00

Today Braedon is turning 5 years old. Wow! I love it. When I told him today was his birthday and he was 5, he counted down from 7. LOL!

Just a quick recap of 5 wonderful years... Braedon was born 7 weeks early. He had stopped growing 9 weeks early, but hung out with Mom for a few extra weeks before coming into the world. He was what is called an IUGR (Intrauterine Growth Retardation) baby. For some unknown reason, he simply stopped growing and it became dangerous for him to remain inside me.

So, very early on Thursday morning, we drove up to LDS Hospital to welcome him into the world. I can still remember his first little cry. That is a great sound. Because he was so early, the NICU team was there to immediately take him away and start to make sure he was breathing okay. Dean got to go see him while I just waited. That part wasn't too much fun for me.

As I was wheeled back to my room, they rolled me into the NICU to see and touch him. Boy was he tiny. I remember his dark hair and how beautiful and perfect he looked. They put him on my chest for a moment and then it was off to recoup and let him settle down. He was 3 pounds 4 ounces and 15 1/2 inches long.

Over the next few weeks, he stayed in the NICU to grow a little bigger before we could bring him home. We were very blessed he didn't require any surgery or anything additional. He was just, what is called, a feeder grower. Finally, we got to take him home. Dean happened to be in Vegas for work that day. CRAP! I called my good friend, JoAnn, and she helped me bring the little bundle home.

Braedon was such a joy for us. He hated loud noises and we had to practically whisper all the time. He would only listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Anything with a drum beat or guitar would make him scream. This made watching football incredibly difficult that year.

Dean blessed him in February and he continued to grow and be such a fun bundle of joy for us. Because he was a preemie, he was automatically enrolled in a neonatal follow-up program the Utah Department of Health does. Every so many months, we would go up to the U and see 4-6 different doctors. It was nice. We got his hearing checked, eyes checked, talked with a nutritionist several times, saw a pediatrician, and a few others I can't remember. It was while we were up there that we referred to DDI Vantage for additional early intervention.

Upon the DDI Vantage evaluation, I heard a phrase that would forever change my life. Sue, the evaluator, asked if Braedon had trouble making eye contact. That was a red flag for me. I knew enough about autism to know that is what she was asking about. After countless hours of research, more evaluations, and testing Braedon was diagnosed with Autism.

At first I was devastated, like any mother would be. I cried and cried and worried about what life would hold for my son. I lamented over the challenges he would face in life and the struggles he would endure. Over time, these feelings lessened. Thank goodness. I began to see how creative, brilliant, logically thinking, determined, and completely hilarious Braedon is. It's still hard, at times, but I have a very different view of what my son CAN and WILL become.

We enrolled Braedon in a private preschool for children with autism when he was 2, as well has had a speech therapist come over to our house a few times a month. He LOVED going to "school". The structured environment suited him just fine. He also loved having Sue come over to play games.

When Braedon was 3 he started school at the Carmen B. Pingree Center for Children with Autism. What a blessing this has been. In the past few years, he started talking. Not in complete sentences, YET. He communicates his wants and needs other then screaming. To watch him each day grow and develop has been a lot of fun.

We've had our share of struggles along the way and will in the future, but that doesn't matter so much to me. What matters is Braedon is loved, happy, healthy, strong, confident, and my 5 year old boy.

A great way to start the day

2010-09-07T12:24:00.002-06:00

Do you know what makes my heart so very happy? Little tender moments with my boys. This morning Reilly got up and came into my room. He crawled into bed with me and scooted over to be right beside me. He put his head on my chest and I put my arm around him. I heard a very quiet "yeah" and I knew he was content and happy.

Those moments are so rare with Reilly. I am thankful for the 2 minutes I had to spend cuddling with him and covering him in kisses. That's usually all he'll give me in a day and I will take it every time.

It's the best way to wake up.

Boring post

2010-09-05T09:05:00.002-06:00

It's fun to watch your children become excited about going to school and all the positive changes that brings. I've been surprised at how well Reilly has adapted to school. I'm surprised because I don't think of him as someone that enjoys much structure. In many ways it is difficult for him, but he is responding in so many wonderful ways.

A few days ago, when he came in from playing in the back yard, he ran straight into the bathroom and put his hands under the faucet. He's never done that before. In fact, it is a major struggle to wash his hands. He doesn't like to have his hands touched. I attribute that to school!

He's moving along so well in his program right now. He's still working on sitting in his chair with his hands and feet down. You'd be surprised at how many steps that task takes. I've also noticed he is trying to "talk" more. Nothing I can understand, but babbling is the first step. Sometimes I wonder if he will ever talk, and then I try to push that thought out as quick as it came in.

I'm adjusting to life better as well. I was very lonely at first, being home by myself for all that time. I still feel it is a lonely thing, but I'm doing some fun things to help pass the time. For instance, I took a toothbrush to my fridge the other day. Cleaned the entire thing! My home has never been cleaner. :-)

Cloud 9

2010-08-24T14:57:00.002-06:00

What a wonderful day! Incredible! Perfect! That's how I describe Braedon and Reilly's first day of school. First Braedon...

Once we got him dressed and told him we were going to school he was set. "Cool", as he calls it. I went with Dean this morning to take them to school. Once we got to the building, we took some pictures and headed in. Braedon walked into his class, headed straight for the trains, and never looked back. "She you waiter. Goodbye." He didn't need us anymore. You'd think I'd be sad about that, but no. I was thrilled. He remembered school. He knew what he was doing. He didn't need mom and dad hovering around.

He had a wonderful first day. Of the six 30 minute sessions he earned his menu during four of them. That means he was 100% attending and doing his task. He's working on colors, prepositions and function of objects. He picked up on his tasks really fast and did awesome.

When I picked him up, he didn't run to me and start getting upset we weren't leaving fast enough. He put his work away and was casual about leaving. He used to panic if I didn't leave fast enough. It was great. I did get a new prescription for his ADHD, but we're going to wait a few weeks before trying this one. I just hope to avoid the horrible meltdowns the Vyvanse caused.

Reilly...What a character. I worried about him all day long. How was he doing? Was he struggling? Was he having fun? Would he eat lunch? Would he get along with others? Would he even notice others? A million questions went through my head all day.

He did GREAT! All Reilly is working on in his sessions is sitting on his chair with his feet down and his hands down. He got a 50%, 80%, 100%, 100% and 70%! That is incredible. He had his fair share of meltdowns and yelling fits, but he caught on. He moved five levels in one day!!! 5!! For one session, when he was told it was time to work he ran right over to his chair and sat down. During lunch, he didn't even get out of his seat. He simply ate his lunch with the other boys. If you know Reilly, that is a BIG DEAL!

When I got there to pick him up, he saw me and said "Yeah" and gave me a kiss. Talk about a tear jerker. He looked so tired. He couldn't even close his mouth, he was that tired.

We got in the car and headed home. Reilly fell asleep not 5 minutes out. When we got home, I put Reilly down for a few minutes. I'm not sure who was more happy to see the other: Braedon or Xoshi. Those two have been running and playing since we got home.

It's been a great day for the boys. I did get lonely and sad at home by myself. It felt pretty empty. Hopefully tomorrow gets better for mom. :-)

As for Braedon and Reilly, I couldn't be happier for them. There can be a lot of frustration with autism. Things seem to move at a snails pace. I'm on cloud 9 today.

A new school year

2010-08-17T15:54:00.003-06:00

I met with Braedon and Reilly's teachers yesterday to set some goals for the beginning of the year. It's a fun thing to sit with their teachers and discuss all the possibilities and laugh about what the year will hold. I have great hope and optimism for my two boys. Here are their goals.

Braedon
1. Improve his self help skills. Learn to independently brush his teeth. Put his coat, shirt, pants, socks, and shoes on independently. Will learn to wipe himself after using the bathroom.
2. Improve in using full sentences. Will improve in pronunciation. Will improve in commenting about his environment, how his day was and answering social questions.
3. Will improve in social skills. Will participate in all classroom activities. Will learn to engage in associative play. Will learn to be a friend.
4. Will improve in fine motor skills. Will learn to write his name and trace lines and letters independently. Will learn to cut on fat lines independently. Will learn to button shirts and pants.
5. Will improve in self regulation. Will improve in having less aggressions towards others. Will improve in self regulation during transitions. Will improve in being ok with new situations during the day.

Reilly
1. Will improve his communication by using Pecs, pointing to the item. Encourage verbalization's.
2. Will improve his task behaviors. Will begin the core attending program. Participate in all scheduled groups daily. Learn to sit and listen during groups.
3. Will improve his self help skills. Will learn to wash and dry his hands independently. He will brush his teeth with partial prompts.

I don't know why typing these goals out made me feel down. When I look at them, they seem like such easy things to do. Simple tasks. Yet, they are incredibly difficult for my boys to learn and maintain. I don't have down days often, thank goodness. I know each child learns a unique pace and each accomplishment is very important. Sometimes I just feel like I'm running in a tub of molasses.

Books

2010-08-13T07:28:00.002-06:00

As summer is coming to a quick close, I thought I'd take a moment to give an update on how the boys are doing.

I had, what I consider, a pretty great accomplishment yesterday with Reilly. I'm sure you have heard the saying, Read to your kids for at least 15 minutes a day. Well, I've tried this. With Braedon, it was easy. He liked to sit on my lap or sit beside me. He likes the closeness. We'd look at books and point out different things. Reilly has been very different.

He doesn't like physical contact. He doesn't like to be close to someone. He, especially, doesn't like structure or have the patience to look for different things on a book. Each time I've tried to "read" with him over the past 3 years, he takes the book and tosses it. He screams and fights if he has to sit beside me. It's basically been a non-starter. That was, until yesterday.

As usual, I turned on some quiet music, got out about 20 little books and spread them out on the floor of the front room. Braedon and I sat on the floor and began to look at the different books. To help Reilly enjoy books, I bought books he would be familiar with. He likes the movies Toy Story and Cars. He also likes Thomas the Train. I have books with all of those characters.

As we were sitting on the floor, Reilly walked in and sat down. He picked up a book and started to look through it. He doesn't have the best fine motor skills, so turning pages is a hard task for him. I slowly reached over and turned the page and acted all excited to see Lightening McQueen. He smiled and thought it was neat.

I turned another page and pointed at a race track with all the cars on it. I made car noises and moved my finger along the race track. Reilly just sat there. He'd never done this before. He then took his little finger and traced it along the race track and then looked at me and smiled.

Eureka!!!

We looked at one other book with Buzz and Woody, before he threw the book at my face and walked off. I can't begin to tell you how happy I was. We had an accomplishment. It didn't last long, but that isn't the point. The point is it happened. I'm hoping it will happen again today.

As for Braedon, I'm so impressed with his progress this summer. I stopped his ADHD medicine about a month ago, and it has been a blessing. He might still need to take some medicine when school starts up, we'll see. Not the Vyvanse he was on. It helped him focus, but his mood swings were off the charts. Hours and hours of panic attacks, screaming, crying, hitting... It simply turned him into another person.

I've really enjoyed communication with Braedon this past summer. He still doesn't talk in sentences and 3 word combinations aren't too common. His pronunciation of words is something we are always working on. What impresses me, is how well he can communicate his wants and needs to me. I can also ask him to do something and he understands me.

As usual, we are still working on the "I want" phrase. He still needs a verbal prompt most of the time, but I'm hearing him use it on his own more and more.

Autism Every Day

2010-07-26T08:22:00.002-06:00

I really enjoyed watching this video. I felt I could relate in so many ways. I hope you enjoy it. Just click on the video to see the entire screen.

Baby steps

2010-07-23T16:39:00.003-06:00

Being the mother of two children with autism can bring many things. Happiness. Joy. Sadness. Exhaustion. Frustration. Surprise. Enthusiasm. Today I felt a mixture of a few of these.

I, occasionally, babysit 3 neighbor children. They are really cute children. Their ages are 5, 3, and 20 months. You'd think that would be a difficult task, but it really is very easy. They answer to their names on the first try. When I ask them a question, they answer me. Appropriately! When I ask them to do something, they do it. This really knocks me over. I'm simply not used to any of that. They don't scream and yell at me. They don't hit me. They don't spit on me.

I have to be careful when I babysit, because I can become sad and frustrated easily. If I stop for a moment and compare my children, I can get overwhelmed. Like any mother, I sometimes can't help it. When I thought, today, that the 19 month old has so many words and my almost 3 year-old doesn't have any, I about cried. I have a good friend that gave me a nice text and helped me out.

Then, came the joy part of the afternoon. The 5 year-old girl was putting together a large alphabet puzzle and having trouble finding some letters. Braedon walked into the room and noticed what she was doing. He immediately said and found the next letter she was looking for and handed it to her. They repeated this until the puzzle was done.

Now, it might not seem like a huge deal that two children were putting a puzzle together, but it is a GIANT deal to me. Braedon did something with another child!! I could have lived off that for weeks, but then it got better.

He walked up to her, looked her in the face and began to talk to her! TALK TO ANOTHER CHILD!!! Sure, it wasn't coherent and I'm pretty sure he was reciting lines from Mary Poppins. That doesn't matter. He was trying to talk and interact with another child.

Just when I was feeling sorry for myself, I'm lifted up to cloud 9. It's all about tiny baby steps!

Lots and lots of pictures from vacation

2010-07-17T15:53:00.004-06:00

Grin!

At the beach by Half Moon Bay. They flew a kite for the first time and loved it.

My very handsome nephew, Lucas!

How handsome does Braedon look in his cousins robe!

My very handsome nephew, Aiden, in another cousins robe. Going swimming.

This is the best way to walk on the boardwalk in Santa Cruz.

This is their very first experience with the ocean. The water was COLD!

Aiden eating a corndog on the boardwalk.

Reilly is such a ham!

This is my beautiful neice, Olivia

Reilly decided to jump while in the tub and hit his eye on a soap dish.

Never afraid of chocolate pudding.

Summer

2010-07-16T08:03:00.004-06:00

Summer vacation has been fun, intersting, exhausting, and frustrating. I suppose that you could use those words anytime to describe your life.

My boys have discovered the joy of mud holes this year. They like to dig and dig and dig and dig. Braedon just learned how to turn the garden hose on and fill the holes up with water. Reilly jumbs in and takes a cup and dumps muddy water on his head. Braedon likes to take ALL his clothes off and roll around in the mud hole. If you've ever seen a pig in a mud hole, you know what I'm talking about.

They love doing this. I'm starting to put my foot down on the taking the clothes off thing, but I don't mind them being dirty and having some fun.

I'm going to miss these days when they both start school in August. I'll enjoy my time, but what I really like to do is hang out with my boys.

So, for now it is back to Mary Poppins and mud holes.

The day Toby died

2010-07-09T21:38:00.003-06:00

We have had a wonderful vacation. Our boys went to the beach for the first time and fell in love with both the sand and the ocean. We are pretty sure Reilly would have kept running into the water had we not grabbed his hand. Braedon found it exciting and a thrill just to watch the waves crash in.

We swam in the pool in my brothers community and realized we need to go swimming more often. Reilly wears a life jacket and has NO fear. He counts to three and jumps in the water. Always sure to go under water first and pop up happy and ready to go again. Braedon was a little slow to warm up to the pool. He isn't as big of a risk taker as Reilly. When he finally learned the pool was only 2-3 feet in the part we played in, it was all about fun. Tonight he jumped around and went under water several times. What he really loved was getting in the hot tub or "hot water", as he calls it. The weather here isn't like in Salt Lake. It's only in the 70s and can get chilly.

Today we went downtown to the Wharf to walk around, look at the boats, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the sea lions. It really was a lot of fun. When we got to the sea lion part I was excited to see what the boys thought. We walked down the pier and found a place to stand and watch. I lifted Braedon up to get a better look and Dean lifted Reilly up. I noticed Reilly had something in his hands as Dean was picking him up. It was Toby, the number 7 square train from Thomas and Friends. Just as I reached out and said, "Dean, get Toby", Reilly realized he was holding something over water. He really likes to throw things in the water and watch them splash. It was a slow motion heart stopper. He gently tossed Toby and we stood their as he fell into the water, "splash."

I feel I need to stop the story for a moment and explain what and who Toby is. Braedon doesn't have any friends. He doesn't know the names of any friends. He barely realized their were others in his class at school this year. His friends. Excuse me, his BEST friends are James, Thomas, Edward, Gordon, Percy, and Toby. He will usually take one of them to school each day and carefully place the train in his bag to wait until the end of the day. He will sometimes sleep with one or more of them. He lays in bed and his hand reaches out and touches his train. He knows all of them by name and remembers where he puts them. They are his friends. They are his best friends.

Back to my story. As soon as I realized that Toby had just died in the San Francisco Bay, I grabbed Braedon and spun him around and covered his eyes. I hoped to have avoided him seeing the horrific tragedy at sea. I was too late.

There was a pause and then I heard it. "Toby?" "Toby?" "Toby? Water?" This kept up for a moment and we thought he was handling it well. I sat down on a bench and that's when it got sad. Braedon realized we couldn't get him out of the water and you couldn't see him. Toby never came back to the surface. He put his head in my chest and started to cry. Not fake crying. Not a little crying. He was mourning the loss of a best friend. His little heart was broken. He was crushed. I tried to wrap my arms around him to offer comfort. Through his sobs I could hear, "Toby in the water." "Toby."..."toby"...on and on.

As we walked off he continued to cry and panic. We were leaving him behind. As we walked along, Braedon walked his "sad" walk. He droops his shoulders, lowers his head, and kind of mopes along. We tried to explain that Toby was going to swim home and meet us there, but that seemed to fall on deaf ears. He cried and yelled for Toby all the way back to the car.

We left and went up to Coit Tower to look around and see the awesome views of the city and the bay. When we got up there and looked out over the bay, I heard Braedon say, "Toby, you in the water." I have never felt so sad about a stupid train before.

When we got home Dean and my brother headed to Toys R Us with their fingers crossed. We played and had a good time in the house. When they returned Dean told Braedon that someone just got back from swimming home. He brought a new Toby from behind his back. Have you ever seen your child smile a smile so wonderful it warms your heart completely? That was this smile. His best friend had returned. Braedon said, "Toby. We found you." He then brought him over for me to kiss. It was a great moment. Thank goodness the night could have a happy ending. Next time we pick Reilly up without anything in his hands. Lesson learned.

Day 1

2010-07-03T21:39:00.002-06:00

I am going to blog about myself today. Nothing about my two wonderful boys and the craziness they cause. Just me. Well, me, my mom, sister, and sister-in-law and our adventure in San Francisco. Day 1

Today the guys watched all the children while we headed downtown to explore and watch Wicked at the Orpheum. We left at 9:30 and headed into town. I enjoyed the nice views as we drove of houses, the airport, candlestick park, the ocean. I tried to not anger my sister when she drove. She likes to hug the car in front and my nerves get a little on edge. We made it safely to our parking and now looked to find a cab.

Ever ride in a cab in a very large city? Yes?! No?! If you haven't, you simply are missing out. I've ridden in cabs in Washington DC, so this one was not a big deal to me. He zipped in and out of traffic, honked his horn, gunned his engine. It's similar to riding a roller coaster, but in a crowded downtown environment.

He dropped us off in little italy to walk around. For those of you that don't know me well, I LOVE italian food. Since it was 11 we decided to find a place to eat. We decided on this nice Sicilian place. It was the perfect choice. We watched part of the World Cup game, ate absolutely wonderful antipasto, and several dishes that were simply delicious. The woman that waited on us must have been in her 60s and she ran that place so well. When the table beside us asked what was good here, we overheard her say, "The meatballs of course". So, we ordered some meatballs.

After we ate we decided to head a street over and walk through chinatown. Let me start by telling you the difference between little italy and chinatown is night and day. In little italy there is an atmosphere of ease and enjoyment in the day. In chinatown it felt like eat or be eaten. It was so busy and so loud. Not my idea of a good time.

As we headed back to the comfort of little italy we heard a bunch of yelling and cheering. World Cup was still on. There is nothing quite as much fun as watching soccer with people who aren't American. They REALLY understand the game. We walked into this pub type place that was packed with people drinking beer and watching the game. Many had on soccer shirts. We were in the right place. We sat for about 15 minutes and yelled and cheered along. We decided that for the semifinals we'll need to find another bar to go to.

It was time to attempt another cab ride. This one was a bit easier on the stomach and the nerves. He took us back to our car. I'm sad to say that we then changed for the theatre behind the car in a parking garage. NOT my finest moment.

Finally it was time to see Wicked. We had our seats, read the playbill, had some water, and were set. It was incredible. I love that musical! If you haven't seen it, you need to.

Once it ended, we got back in the car and headed home. We found out everyone survived the day. They played in the bounce house and the slip-n-slide. Thank goodness my brother has those things in his backyard.

We grilled up some hamburgers and hot dogs, sat outside and ate, and enjoyed our night. Now we get ready for the 4th!! By the way, my favorite holiday is the 4th of July. We like to go all out and go till we all drop. Woohoo!!!

Sleep!

2010-06-25T14:10:00.002-06:00

This is what I've been thinking about today...

Logic tells me if I put my boys to bed at 7:30pm and they wake up at 6:30am then I should be able to put them to bed at 9:00pm and have them wake up at 8:00am. Right? That makes sense. I'm pretty good at math. It's the same amount of time to sleep, just the hours are slightly different.

Here is reality which I have discovered often trumps logic. We put the boys to bed at 8:30pm, they fall asleep around 9:00pm, and they wake up at 6:30am. They don't nap during the day. I feel they should and I even go so far as to lay them down. I'm sure they laugh at my attempt.

Don't they know it is summer? Don't they understand that mommy is so much nicer if she can just sleep a tad bit more? Don't they know that mommy doesn't go to sleep when they do?

And so the battle continues...Logic vs. Reality

Summer

2010-06-24T06:23:00.002-06:00

Today is my first, official, day of summer. School didn't end, for Braedon, until yesterday. Today marks the days of sleeping in, staying up late, and doing whatever we want..kind of. Due to the need my children have for structure, or any child for that matter, I keep a somewhat tight schedule in the summer. I like to know what I'm going to do the day before.

I was laying in bed this morning thinking of what a successful year it had been for Braedon. All his accomplishments, efforts, milestones, and goals he met. He turns 5 in September, so he will receive one more full year of preschool, which I am very happy about.

This year he learned multiple word combinations. He still will need a verbal prompt most times, but that's fine. For example, when he wants juice he will often just say "juice" over and over. If I say "I", he'll say "I want juice please". If I ignore his demands for juice by about the 10th time he'll give the "I want juice please" a try. He is saying "Thanks" when I hand him something without a prompt. That is huge! His vocabulary is really impressive. What we are focusing on now is using those words in combination and where appropriate and also annunciation of the words. He works with a speech therapist to help him pronounce words. Often it's hard to understand what he is saying unless you spend everyday with him.

He was potty trained this school year. In fact, once he started he never had an accident at school. He had a couple at home. Number 2 proved to be difficult. I was told that sometimes it could take months or years to develop that task. Oh please don't let it be years. Nope. It only took a few months. I even taught him to pee outside. We were outside one afternoon and he had to go. Really had to go. He was doing his dance. I started fumbling with the house keys and remembered he was a boy. I took him out into the yard and taught him how to pee outside. I'm starting to think it may have been a mistake. He now will go when he is playing in the back yard without asking. He especially likes to "water" the flowers and play "sprinkler". I worry we'll be in a public park and he'll want to drop is drawers...

He started to notice other children. He learned the names of some of his classmates and would play with them now and again. That's a big accomplishment for Braedon. Normally, he doesn't even notice other people around him. In Church, he has really enjoyed Primary. He walks in the room and immediately tells me goodbye. The other boys in his class seem to really like him and often I hear, "Hi Braedon" as I'm leaving. He never responds back, but he appears happy to be there. That's enough for me.

It was a good school year. There are many other things he's done, but I wanted to touch on a couple. Every parent is happy when their child makes progress. I'm so happy and blessed that he is making progress and is excited to learn. This summer we are going to work on being clam and okay when things don't go according to plan. It's okay to do something different. There's no need to cry, spit, scream, yell, hit, or destroy things. Really. No need!

AGH!!!

2010-06-18T15:09:00.002-06:00

There are days when dealing with autism just plain suck. It bites. It offers me no fun, no happiness, no joy, only a headache. Today has been one of those days.

It started off well enough. We took a trip up to Bountiful (about 15 minutes) to hang out at a friends house with her kids. My boys love going over to her house and playing with the toys. I sat on the couch and just chatted with my friend while the boys played. They never play WITH the girls (2 girls the same age as my boys). The girls just look at the boys and leave them alone.

After we left the house I needed to stop by the store to pick up just a few items. No big deal. Usually we stop at McDonald's after for some fries for Braedon and chicken nuggets for Reilly. Today I planned on doing that, but I needed to go to the grocery store first.

My reason for doing this is to help Braedon understand that sometimes the "schedule" can be adjusted. We don't always need to do the same thing. As I pulled into the grocery store parking lot, which is just across the street from the fry place, the panic started in the back.

I calmly explained we would get fries but I needed to first get some groceries. I parked the car, turned the engine off, and the yelling and crying began to get louder.

I continued to calmly explain that we first needed groceries. I got him out of the car and was careful to hold on to his arm very tightly. I could picture him running toward the fry place. I got Reilly out of the car and headed in.

Braedon, of course, was screaming and crying. It's an annoying and very loud yell he does. I'm pretty sure the entire store could hear him. I put Reilly in the cart and placed Braedon up front in the little kids part of the cart. All this time he was yelling and starting to slap me in the face. I was calmly trying to talk to him.

I pulled the cart to the side and held him very close and tight in hopes it would help calm him down. Nope. He started to spit in my face. Always a joy. A nice lady walked over with some suckers and offered them. In the nicest voice I have, I told her I doubted it would work and thank you. I'm 100% sure Braedon would have thrown that sucker across the store.

As other people began to watch I continued to try and get him to calm down. It wasn't working. I decided to head outside and walk around for a bit. Perhaps I could get him to calm down. Nope. He continued to scream, spit, and slap.

I loaded the boys back in the car and decided I didn't really need apple juice and bananas. They weren't that important. As we headed out of the parking lot, Braedon began to calm down and ask for fries.

OVER MY DEAD BODY!

Once I passed McDonald's, the panic once again set in. The drive back to my house seemed like the longest drive of my life. Braedon was directly behind me, so I was unable to get my hands on him. Lucky for him.

He almost opened the back door while I was on the Interstate going 70 mph. He thrashed around, screamed the ENTIRE way, kicked my seat, and was completely out of his mind.

I think Reilly sensed this and he tried to hide in his car seat and not make any movements. Braedon can reach him, so he wasn't safe. I tried to keep an eye on Reilly to be sure he wasn't harmed.

When we finally got home I took Reilly inside and got him ready for lunch. I left Braedon in the car. Yelling, screaming, and kicking. When I finally did get him out and brought him inside, I sent him to his room. He spent the next 30 minutes yelling in his room. Finally he let me come inside and talk with him.

In all, he acted like this for an hour and a half. By the time it was over any sound hurt my ears. I felt like they were so sensitive. Braedon was tired. We talked for a bit about control and I'm sure he listened.

Today I really don't like autism. I'm hoping tomorrow offers a slightly quieter day.

Testing update

2010-06-16T09:13:00.002-06:00

Braedon is doing amazing! I had his 6 month progress meeting yesterday to get the information on his testing, how he's been doing in class, what steps he has made, what he's working on, and what to look forward to.

To make things simple I've made two columns. The first is where is was 6 months ago. The second is present. There were some outstanding improvements made in some areas and others a little slower. The main point is there was progress in ALL categories. Braedon is 4 yrs. 9 mon.

Gross Motor: 4 yrs. 5 mon. / 5 yrs. 3 mon. Woohoo!!! He's ahead of his age.
Fine Motor: 3 yrs. / 3 yrs. 11 mon.
Pre-Writing: 2 yrs. 1 mon. / 3 yrs. 11 mon.
Cognition: 3 yrs. 1 mon. / 3 yrs. 2 mon.
Language: 3 yrs. 2 mon. / 3 yrs. 4 mon.
Self-Help: 3 yrs. 5 mon. / 4 yrs.
Personal/Social: 3 yrs. 2 mon. / 3 yrs. 3 mon.

I'm just amazed at how well he is doing. He continues to progress. Sure, I could be sad that he is still so far behind, but why?? Where does it get me? What does it profit Braedon? Instead, I'm thrilled that progress is being made, no matter how slow or how fast. I love it!

Snuggle Bug

2010-06-08T08:35:00.002-06:00

Something I really enjoy doing is snuggling with my little boys in the morning as they first wake up. Braedon likes to lay in bed and look at me. I memorize his nose, eyes, the shape of his mouth. I usually give him a back rub and hold him tight. Braedon loves to be held close and tight. He's always been very affectionate.

I've hoped that one day I could do the same with Reilly. You see, Reilly doesn't like to be touched. His sensory issues are almost completely opposite of Braedon's. He can't stand for someone to rub his back or gently stroke his hair. Usually he doesn't even hold still long enough to even try.

That all ended this morning. Finally the day came! I was sitting in the living room with Dean and Braedon when Reilly walked in and took my hand. He led me back to his room and back to the bed. I climbed in and snuggled in beside him. We stayed there for about 15 minutes. It was probably the most loving 15 minutes Reilly has ever been. He looked at me. I memorized his nose, eyes, the shape of his mouth. I rubbed his back (deep pressure so it wouldn't bug him). I kissed him on the cheek several times and he just smiled. He didn't mind being close for those 15 minutes. All I could think about was how long I felt I had waited for this moment.

Just as quickly as he had come to get me he pushed me away and the moment was over. I sure do love that kid, sensory issues and all! It's really the smallest of the small things that mean the absolute most to me.

Divorce

2010-06-04T13:56:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure who, if anyone, actually reads this blog. I think I write more for myself then for anyone else. I also like to print the pages out and let this count as my journal for the boys. That's what keeps bringing me back. I want to be sure they have something when they get older.

Today I'm blogging about my mother and my father. Come Monday, they will be divorced. That's such a strange thing, still, for me to try and wrap my mind around. Divorced. No longer together. Separate. Apart. Yep, doesn't matter how I say it, I still can't quite get around it.

If you want to know what happened to their marriage, I'm going to make it simple. Circumstances and Choices. Everyone has them. Everyone makes them. Sometimes you make the wrong choice and that leads you into a bad circumstance. At any point you can make a different choice and be pointed toward a different circumstance. Maybe a therapist will help you. Maybe a religous coulselor. Maybe a friend. I believe that over time my Dad had many choices put in front of him and he constantly chose the wrong one. It would lead him into a bad circumstanc and he would again make a bad choice.

This caused him to stop loving, according to him, my mom. To stop "feeling", according to him. To basically loose all perspective about why we are here on earth, why we have families, and what we want from this life. He simply can't be happy with what is right in front of him. He wants something else. The problem is he doesn't know what it is and will never find it.

So, here we are. Just a few short days until their divorce is final. I feel bad that my children won't have their Papa as a guide and example in their lives. I feel bad that they will probably very rarely see him. But, these are things that are consequences of choices and circumstances.

Finally it was Reilly's turn

2010-06-01T07:45:00.002-06:00

Patience is not a very good friend of mine. Anxiety seems to be a little closer to me, as does anticipation. Those are the words I'd use to to describe how I felt last week.

About a month ago, we received that call parents wait for from the Carmen B. Pingree Center. Reilly's number had finally come up. It was his turn to be evaluated for a possible slot starting in the fall.

Having Braedon going there the last year and a half, we've gotten to know the staff well and how wonderful all the people that work with these amazing children are. We had our appointment date set and the closer it got, the more nervous I became. I was pretty sure Reilly would qualify. He seemed to have enough traits of autism. His DDI Vantage provider seemed confident. My mother and friends seemed confident. As his mother I was more hopeful then anything else. That's funny to think about now. I was hopeful my child had autism? No, that didn't sound like the right thing to be hopeful for. How about this. I was hopeful my child could get the help I KNEW he needed. Yes, that sounded much better.

The day of the appointment arrived and we headed up to the school. Dean and I met with the doctor while Reilly played and was evaluated in a classroom setting. This "interview" takes about an hour and every question you can possibly think of is asked. We found out that Reilly scored 6 out of 12 on their testing scale, which meant the doctor was comfortable giving him a diagnosis of autism. You'd think that would hit a mother hard, and the first time it happened to me with Braedon it did. Over time autism becomes less of a "bad" word and more of a "normal" word.

When they brought Reilly back up to us they commented that he seemed like an active child. All I could do was laugh.

We then went to meet with the Program Director of the Preschool program while they took Reilly down to the cafeteria for lunch. We discussed how excited and nervous we were. It didn't take long because there is usually a tour of the facility, discussion of the class structure, and what to expect each day. Because Braedon goes to school there, we decided it wasn't really necessary.

When we caught up with Reilly, we was outside playing in the playground area. Braedon's class was also out there and he seemed happy we were all there. We took Reilly home and had to wait two days before we heard anything.

I admit I was nervous and hopeful. Anxious. A bunch of things. Seeing the success Braedon has had at the Pingree school really made me want to get Reilly in even more. Finally the day came and the call came. He was in!!! Now my emotions are happiness, joy, relaxation, and again anticipation and anxiety. I think the last two never go away when you are a parent.

The zoo

2010-05-05T10:02:00.002-06:00

I went to the zoo last week with Braedon's class. I love going on field trips with my son and his class. As I waited for his bus to arrive I was able to talk with another parent about her son and the joy she gets from going on field trips.

When Braedon got off the bus and saw me, he smiled and ran to hug me. He's been to the zoo a couple of times and never seems too interested in the animals. With the exception of the elephants, which are his very favorite. This time was different. He seemed to know where we were.

While we waited for everyone to get off the bus and into the zoo we looked at some turkeys and a wolf. They weren't together, of course. That would have been a bloody sight. Braedon seemed excited, almost giddy at looking at the animals.

Next up were the tigers. It was early in the morning and they were all walking around and enjoying their day. The kids were so excited and some even roared a bit (the kids). Braedon told me they were tigers and then asked to see the elephants. He remembered they were here!! WOOHOO!!

We did see the elephants and Braedon stood and watched them for a long time. There was a little baby elephant which he seemed to be interested in. In the zoo there are several statues of the animals that kids can climb on and get pictures with. One we passed was of a Rhino. A few of the kids ran over and climbed on and we were taking their picture. Braedon just stood there frozen. I knocked on the animal to help him understand it wasn't real. He ran up to it, knocked, and quickly ran a few feet away. Statues of animals are really a hard concept for Braedon.

We continued through the zoo and saw giraffes, turtles, snakes, and monkeys. Braedon was such a great little boy. He loved all of it. I am so happy he knew he was at the zoo and was happy to see all the animals.

Next field trip is to see dinosaurs next week. Woohoo! I'm going and we'll see what he thinks.

Mud

2010-04-18T13:14:00.002-06:00

Every spring we like to start off with power washing our house, windows, and cement in the backyard. Here are some pics from our day.

Communication

2010-04-15T17:40:00.002-06:00

The boys are playing outside this afternoon in the wonderful sunshine. Usually, I go out there to play with them and read, but today I decided to watch them from inside. As I was sitting at the window, the neighbors dog and granddaughter came outside to play. The girl is probably 8-10 years-old. Braedon saw they came out and jumped up, excitedly. He ran across the yard and stopped about 15 feet from the fence and said, "Hewo! I'm Bwaedon." He waited a second and then said, "What!"

HE COMMUNICATED WITH ANOTHER CHILD!!! She didn't respond and he waited and waited. Just then an airplane flew overhead and he reached up and said, "Pwane" while looking at the girl. She still didn't respond so he gave up and went back to playing.

I couldn't believe what I just heard! Hello. I'm Braedon. I'm shocked. I've never heard my son spontaneously communicate with someone outside my husband or I. What a terrific afternoon.

Let summer begin

2010-04-15T08:01:00.002-06:00

Do you know what is nice? When your child can tell you what hurts. Last night Braedon woke up crying and said, "Ear. Hurt." There you have it!! After some Ibuprofen and a warm cloth on his ear he was back asleep.

There was a time when screaming and crying for several hours would have happened until we were able to guess what was wrong. I hope Reilly picks up on that soon.

I'm happy spring and summer are well on their way. Normally, I wouldn't be because I can't stand the sun and heat. I'm a girl that loves cold rainy days...lots and lots of them. I think I did pretty good with weather in Alaska during high school. Now that I'm the mother of two very energetic boys, I like the sun and warmth. It means we can go to the park, go on walks, or open the back door and play outside for hours and hours. Cabin fever begins to set in with my boys around February.

Yesterday was our first outing to the park this year and it was a success. As we drove up, Braedon started yelling, "dirty. dirty." That means he wants to go play in dirt, which this park we go to has a huge sand pit. Once out of the car we headed over to the slide area. Reilly has recently discovered how fun slides are and ran right over and climbed up and slid down. There is a moment, just as he starts down the slide, that there is an expression of pure terror on his face. It then changes to excitement and thrill. I love to watch him because he has these expressions EVERY TIME he goes down a slide. The thrill never diminishes.

Life is good when the sun is out and the park is free, I guess.

Wun

2010-04-13T10:28:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Reilly had his speech session with his therapist. While they were sitting on the floor playing with some shapes, he lined them up and carefully pointed at one of them and said, "Wun." He pointed at a second one and said, "Wun." He pointed at a third and said, "Wun." HE WAS COUNTING!!!

His therapist and I were shocked. He's never tried counting or pointing with his finger. It was a very good session. Go REILLY!!

The many faces of Reilly

2010-04-12T15:29:00.001-06:00

These are a few pictures from our week on vacation of Reilly. One is of him and his cousin, Aiden. You can easily see we caught Aiden in the act of whacking Reilly in the head. Nice. ;-)

Mud

2010-04-12T15:21:00.002-06:00

I know with children on the autism spectrum that there are generally times when life seems to be progressing and you see a change in your child. There are other times when there are steps backward. It's during those times that I try to be positive and focused on the successes.

Braedon has had trouble this school year with his ability to focus and concentrate. It appears that in addition to his autism he struggles with ADD. His teacher and the doctor at the school have given some great recommendations for medications. Dean and I aren't 100% on board with medicating our four year-old. I've decided to do some research on homeopathic remedies. I've tried his diet and that doesn't seem to have any affect on him, so I'm open. Wish me luck and feel free to donate information.

It's not frustration that I feel over this small set back. I sometimes feel like I'm in a giant swimming pool full of really thick mud and I'm trying very hard to swim to the other side. That's me today. Stuck in thick mud, but still swimming....wish me luck.

A boring update

2010-04-08T19:43:00.004-06:00

This week we are up in Eastern Washington visiting my family. It's always a bit, well a lot, exhausting with our boys. Throw in another 2 year-old and a six week old and things start taking shape. Then, after a day, let's add a 7 year-old, 3 year-old, and a 1 year-old and things really get exciting.

I absolutely love my wonderful nieces and nephews, but I'm tired and I still have two more days of my "vacation". It's been a really great visit. Dean blessed the newest addition, Olivia, on Sunday. He did a really great job. He gets very nervous and takes his responsibility very seriously, which I completely admire and love.

Both of my boys get overwhelmed with all the extra people around. I'm amazed at how well they have done this trip. I think Braedon has the hardest time with learning to deal with noise and chaos. Since Reilly is generally noisy and chaotic, it doesn't seem to bother him. Braedon will spit, throw things, hit, scream, and cry when life hands him lemons. Thank goodness for Thomas the Train toys or he'd be a basket case by now. They seem to calm him down and keep things under control, a little.

I don't have any funny stories to tell. Partly because I'm so tired I can't be clever. I'm working on surviving vacation...

Autism

2010-03-30T16:12:00.003-06:00
National Autism Awareness Month is April, with World Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd. You can show your support on April 2nd by wearing blue. You can also choose to make a donation at http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/utah/dominguez. We are raising money and doing a walk on May 1st. Your donation would be greatly needed and loved.

My little friends

2010-03-29T10:14:00.003-06:00
Today's little tidbit isn't about my boys, although I could probably draw a parallel.

I love pets, except cats. I grew up with a dog or cat in our house all my life. When I grew up I became terribly allergic to cats, so they are on the outs with me. I love all types of pets, common and uncommon. Since I've been married I haven't had a pet.

For the past three years we've had these small, plump little birds nesting in the rafters of our overhang in the back yard. I'd say there are about 4-6 little families that call this place home each spring. They come, build their nests up, lay their eggs, wait, and raise little birds. They then fly away and return again in the spring.

You might be thinking, yuck! I keep everything clean and wash my backyard down each night with water. This year I put up a little bird seed bell to help feed them. Each morning I watch and listen to them plan out their day (I'm assuming that's what they do). They sit on the edge and tweet back and forth.

When the ugly big black birds with yellow beaks come around and chase them away, I run out there and chase the bad birds away. I like to think of myself as their protector. I make sure my husband doesn't use the garden hose to clean out their nests and the big birds don't pick on them. I thought we had a good relationship, until this year.

I have iron bars on the outside of my backyard window and as I sit and watch my friends, they fly over and perch on the bar. They gradually turn around and poop on my window. I can't believe it. They crap on my window. As I am typing this, I'm watching one of my friends poop on my window. If that wasn't enough, I noticed today they also like to poop on the cover of my grill. Seriously!! I take care of these little guys.

I still care for my friends, so in addition to cleaning my backyard deck, I'll also clean my window and grill cover each night. Thank you my friends for crapping on me.

Like my bird friends, no matter how much crap my boys dish out, I'll clean it up, and be happy to sit and watch them play and chatter. What a life.

A few things

2010-03-26T11:44:00.002-06:00

I wanted to give an update on Reilly and his speaking. Reilly is 2 years 6 months old. He has a few words and many many sounds. His words are as follows:

-- MMKK = Milk
-- Taada = Sucker
-- Ch = Chips
-- No = No ;-)
-- Ouch = Ouch
-- Awo = Hello
-- Eeee = Squeeze

Those are all his sweet words. He uses them appropriately and not as often as I'd like. His main communication style is to take my hand and lead me to what he wants, which is wonderful. Any form of communication is good communication. I took pictures of all the food he enjoys and taped them to my oven door. When he wants something, we walk over there and work with him to point at something and say the word. For those of you familiar with the PECS system, it is just the same only with real pictures. It's started to help reduce his screaming, which Braedon and I are very thankful for.

I love my little Reilly. I love his wild spirit, adventurous soul, and curiosity in life. I look forward to the day he can tell me all about his world. It still shocks me when Braedon uses more than one word to communicate with me.

I think that is one thing, being the mother of two special sons with autism, I would like more of. I love to hear stories of things my nephews and nieces are saying and I love to talk with my kids in nursery, but I also would like that with my sons. I'm confident that one day I can have a long conversation with Braedon. I'm hopeful to do the same with Reilly. I probably spend most of my day trying to learn how to communicate with my boys in a way that reduces frustration and fosters development and growth. It is an awesome and very exhausting job.

On a different note, we had my mom for a visit this past weekend. My boys love their Nanny. She is the best ever! They each have a special relationship with her. Reilly especially seems to be able to communicate with her by stomping his feet and running into her. I know she is going through a lot right now. My dad is such a moron. Luckily, she is by far the strongest person I know. I know she will appreciate this, but I think she gets that from her mother. Although she was closer to her father, I think her inner strength to push forward when things are tough comes from her mother.

MMMKKK

2010-03-16T16:24:00.004-06:00
Autism is such a funny, frustrating, and interesting thing. It can make you laugh so hard and cry just as much. Today we had a break through with our little Reilly. He's 2 years 6 months and doesn't talk. He has started to make sounds, which is so wonderful.

To communicate he has been screaming and yelling. The past month has been especially difficult. I think he is reaching an age where he understands his wants and needs but can't communicate them. That would be frustrating to anyone. He responds by getting angry and screaming.

I took pictures of all the different foods he enjoys eating. I printed them out and taped them on my oven door. He walked over and took time to look at them all. I started to point at them and say the word that corresponds with the picture.

To my great delight, when I got to milk I heard a tiny little voice say, "MMMKK" HOORAY!!! What an incredible sound from my little man.

Later he ran into the kitchen and pointed at his juice cup on the oven door. I said, "Cup" and got it out for him. Hey, it worked! I really hope the screaming goes down.

It's always nice to be able to communicate.

Teaching my son a new trick

2010-03-15T15:48:00.003-06:00
This is just a random thing because I'm always curious what Braedon is thinking.

One day, a few weeks ago, I was outside with Braedon and he started to do his "I need to go pee" dance. He even ran to the backdoor and started to say, "toiwet. toiwet." As I begun fumbling with my keys to unlock the backdoor, it dawned on me he can just go outside.

I led him over to the side of the yard, helped him pull his pants down, and he started to pee. He thought it was pretty cool, as did Reilly. Reilly ran over with a handful of dirt hoping he could toss the dirt in the stream of pee. I had one hand on Braedon's clothes so he wouldn't pee on himself and the other hand was trying to keep Reilly from playing in the pee stream. It was a beautiful picture.

The next day, the boys played outside in the afternoon, as usual. When it was time to come in, I took off Braedon's shoes and pants and he started to run back outside. He stopped at the doorway and lifted his little hips to pee. I had to yell, "No! Go in the grass outside." He agreed, ran outside in just a t-shirt, and went to the bathroom.

The third day, he came inside and once undressed, ran outside and went the to the bathroom. Since then, I'm happy to say he does run inside to pee. It hasn't become a normal thing.

This last Saturday my in-laws were over to help with some wiring in the house and Braedon went outside to play for a bit. We were inside watching him and noticed he was doing is familiar pee dance. This time, he just pulled his pants down, ran to the side of the yard, lifted his little hips, and went potty. When he was done, he pulled his pants up and went back to playing. I was so happy my mother-in-law was there to see that.

To be a little boy in a big backyard.

Odds and Ends...

2010-03-15T08:19:00.002-06:00
This week I am determined to help Reilly overcome his desire to scream and screech. He just started doing this the past few weeks. Most of it has to do with his inability to talk and communicate his wants and needs. I'm thinking some extra attention will help. At least that is what I'm hoping for. I also think Spring needs to get here so he can spend more time outside. Cabin fever is not a good fit for a 2 year-old.

This weekend I saw a really good friend of mine get married. She married a really great guy, from what I can tell. It was a lot of fun for me to brave the cold and snow to see how happy she is.

For anyone that reads this blog and has ever worked with me, you know I like odd trivia. I especially enjoy information on what happened today in history. I'm going to bore you a little with information on March 15th, cause that is what I do.

Today is the Ides of March. The term ides was used for the 15th day of the months of March, May, July, and October, and the 13th day of the other months. The Ides of March was a festive day dedicated to the god Mars and a military parade was usually held. In modern times, the term Ides of March is best known as the date that Julius Caesar was killed in 44 B.C.

The good and the...

2010-03-04T12:36:00.002-07:00
Today I was both the greatest mom in the world and the devil all within a 20 minute span and all with the same 2 year-old. Reilly decided that this morning he wanted to go outside and play. I let him play outside every afternoon and in the mornings during the summer. It's still a bit chilly outside, so it's afternoons only.

He tried knocking on the backdoor to see if it would open. He'd knock and stand there waiting, I suppose, for someone on the other side to open the door. When that didn't work, he came and grabbed my hand and led me to the door. I told him I'm sorry but we couldn't go out right now. I said it very nicely, I promise.

For the next few minutes he took swings at me with his little hands while his red face yelled at me in a very ugly tone. I felt the best way to handle this was to walk away and leave him to his anger.

After about 15 minutes he walked into the room I was in and sat down. I had put on the movie Happy Feet. His very favorite movie. To sweeten the deal, I was playing with a Mumble doll that makes noise and dances (the penguin in the movie). I was back in his good graces.

Mom's always know how to win the hearts of their 2 year-old boys. We are friends once again and will play outside this afternoon...if it doesn't rain.

Braedon was really cute this morning when I was getting him dressed for school. I was working on his belt when he started to say, "hug. hug. hug" He stretched his little arms out wide and I wrapped mine around him and squeezed. That's when I heard him say, "Oh, how nice." It was nice. He's such a tender hearted young man.

Just another day

2010-03-02T11:51:00.003-07:00
Today I am tired. I feel drained of energy, emotion, and motivation. Let me tell you why I am so tired (maybe I'm complaining, but it's my blog so I get to do what I want). ;-)

As much as I love my two wonderful boys, they are a handful. Anyone that has spent anytime with me can attest to that. A 4 year-old and a 2 year-old are a lot, but add into the mix they both have autism and uncontrolable energy and you get a busy day. Right now, Reilly is trying to take a nap. I say trying, because I can hear him jumping in his crib. Sleep my little one!

My parents are getting a divorce. I think this is what took all my emotional energy. It really came out of no where. The short story is my dad decided he didn't love my mom and didn't want to be married, or have responsiblitiy, or basically be a normal human being. My mom filed the paperwork yesterday and in 90 days my parents won't be married anymore. It's even strange to type. I love my mom so much and consider her my very best friend, outside my wonderful hubby. As for my dad? Well, the jury is still out on that.

I'm having the worst arthritis flare in about 10 years. I really don't complain much about my arthritis, because I find it pointless. But, today I am!!! I've been having this flare for about three months. I've started new medication which will hopefully help a bit. While I wait for it to pass, I take nice hot baths, plenty of narcotics, and pray the pain lets up eventually.

Well, that is my complaining blog for the day. Sometimes it just makes you feel better to put your troubles out in the open. Now I can move forward, look out at the beautiful mountains, kiss my screaming child upstairs, and drink a diet coke.

Tuesdays are great.

What are you up to?

2010-02-28T13:15:00.003-07:00
And now a brief update on how the boys have been doing...

Braedon continues to LOVE his school. He is working on colors, prepositions, and the function of objects. It's amazing how far he has come in just a short time. He is talking non-stop these days. He is even starting to put simple sentences together. He has another full year of the preschool and we are hoping he'll be ready for typcial kindergarten. Yeah!

Reilly is as fun as he can possibly be. He currently goes to a structured play group twice a week to learn to do certain things in a very structured environment. One of his biggest hang-ups is being touched, especially his hands. That is a big stumbling block in helping him, but with patience and persistence we should be okay. He has his speech therapist that comes to our house three times a month to help him out. Last week he learned to string beads. Hopefully he will be able to go to Braedon's school this winter when he turns 3. We haven't had a lot of Autism testing done on him yet. I'd be curious to see how it turns out. Reilly is 2 years 5 months and doesn't talk. He has started to say a few words, yeah, go, and hello. I know that it will come.

They are the best boys in the world. They make me happy, proud, exhausted, and amazed everyday.

Adventure

2010-02-26T18:27:00.002-07:00
Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged. It's amazing how little I use my computer when I have to walk 15 steps to the basement.

Today Braedon, Reilly, and I went for a walk. As I was getting Braedon ready he said, "Nanny Papa". I had to tell him that would be too far of a walk for us (about 640 miles). Then he decided we'd go see his cousin, Dominic. As with everything Braedon wants, he says the name over and over and over and over and over (I did that multiple times so you'd understand how annoying it is). I agreed we'd walk down to his Tio's and see if Dominic was home. I knew he wasn't, because his Tio is deployed at the moment and not in the country. Off we went.

As we got closer, Braedon ran up to the door and started to ring the doorbell, knock, and lift the mail slot to look in. He kept saying the name Dominic. As I got closer I heard him say, "Dominic, where you?" He looked around the side of the house and no one was there. I told him sorry he wasn't home and we had to go.

As we started to walk off, Braedon looked at me with a very sad face and said, "Vedy sad." He was sad.

Hopefully he'll get to see his cousin tomorrow. We continued our walk around the block to help him overcome his grief. Luckily, a train named Percy and some dirt was all it took.

2009-12-31T14:49:00.002-07:00
Dean and I wanted to wish anyone that reads this a very happy new year. We are both so thankful for the wonderful friends and family that we have. We have so much to be thankful for this past year, we don't even know where to start. Please know we are so pleased with everything we have been given in our lives. Even if we don't see you very often, our friends and family are always in our hearts and our prayers!!

Best of everything to you!!

A Walk in Our Shoes

2009-12-12T12:14:00.002-07:00
Twas the Night Before Christmas
And all through the house
The creatures were stirring
Yes, even the mouse

We tried melatonin
And gave a hot bath
Asleep early for Christmas?
...an unlikely path

The children were finally
All nestled in bed
When visions of Christmas
Ran through my OWN head

Did I get the right gifts?
The right color and style?
Would there be a blank stare
Or even, maybe a smile?

Friends and family come
But they don't understand
The pleasure he gets
Just from bending his hands.

"Just make him stop it," some say
"Just tell him 'no',
You must learn to be tough..."
On, and on they do go...

We smile and nod
Because we know deep inside
The debate is moot
Let them all take a side
We know what it's like
To live with the spectrum
The struggles and triumphs
Achievements, regressions...

But what some don't know
And what some don't see
Is the joy that we feel
Over simplicity.

He said "hello"!
He ate something green!
He looked me in my eyes
He did not cause a scene!

He peed in the potty!
Who cares if he's ten;
He stopped saying the same thing
Again and again!

Some others don't realize
Just how we cope
How we bravely hang on
At the end of our rope

But what they do see
Is the joy we can't hide
When our children with autism
Make the tiniest stride

We may look at others
Without the problems we face
With envy, with wonder,
Or even distaste,

What we want them to know
What's important to see
Is that children with autism
Bring simplicity.

We don't get excited
Over expensive things
We jump for joy
With the progress work brings

Children with autism
Try so hard every day
That they make us proud
More than words can say.

They work even harder
Than you or I
To achieve something small
To reach a star in the sky

So to those who don't get it
Or can't get a clue
Take a walk in our shoes
And I'll assure you...

That even 10 minutes
Into the walk
You'll look at us all
With respect, even shock.

You will realize
What it is we go through
And the next time you see us
I can assure you

That you won't say a thing
You'll be quiet and learn,
Like the years I learned too
When the tables were turned.

-utahmaks.blogspot.com-

2009-11-29T15:00:00.003-07:00

My boys are always cracking me up. We set up our Christmas tree last week and they were more than willing to help out.

Braedon remembered doing this last year and would show me were he wanted things on the tree. Reilly, on the other hand, liked to take a bunch of decorations and place them in a pile on the tree. If I tried to move them it would really upset him. Now, our tree is up. Half has just lights and half has decorations. It's such a fun time of year.

Braedon is loving school. He continues to excel. We are currently working to potty train him and it has it's ups and downs.

Reilly is starting to make sounds, which is wonderful! He uses "no" pretty consistently, and is starting to make other sounds. Hopefully we'll get a word or two from him in the next few months.

This is a bit of a throw-together post, but I wanted to get up some pics.

2009-10-28T16:55:00.002-06:00
I love my sweet boys. They make me laugh, cry, and tired. For the past three weeks we have been potty training Braedon. I'm excited to announce that he hasn't had one accident at school. From day one, he goes with the other boys at bathroom time and keeps dry in the classroom. His teacher was really impressed and even commented that in her nine years at the school this is the first time without a single accident. That made me feel pretty great.

At home it has been a different story. We had some minor accidents and now he just goes in the bathroom when he needs. We are hoping that soon we can try overnight and church.

Number 2 has an interesting story. 4 minutes. That doesn't seem to be a long period of time. That's how long I was outside getting something off the grill. When I came back in I could smell "it". I walked around my kitchen corner to find a smiling Braedon, holding up dripping underwear and shorts. Dripping with a brown water-like substance. His hands had brown smeared on them, down his legs, and on his t-shirt. I noticed the hallway wall had brown smeared on it and also some clumps on the tile floor. When I walked into the bathroom the toilet was cloudy brown and the seat was completely covered in "it". There was brown water on the floor and that is where I found Reilly. Little boys like puddles of water to splash in and that is exactly what he was doing. A big smile on his face as he splashed in the poo-water. If that wasn't enough, Reilly got down on his hands and knees and began to run his hands through the awful poo on the floor.

I had a choice at this point. Would getting upset or mad get rid of all the mess? No!! I smiled at Braedon and thanked him for trying so hard to clean up and help Mommy out. Then, I put my children in the tub while I used almost a gallon of bleach water to clean up. I should mention that I can see the boys in the tub when I clean. ;-)

I am now immune to any further disasters. I also reserve the right to go to a spa for the weekend. ALONE!!!

Let it begin.

2009-10-10T14:05:00.002-06:00
We officially started potty training with Braedon today. I bought all the supplies this past week. Disney big boy underpants. Skittles. Pants. I explained to him what was expected and showed him what we'd be doing today. We set an alarm to go off every 30 minutes and that would signal us going to the bathroom and trying to go potty.

28 minutes into the FIRST 30 minute cycle, Braedon comes to me with his shorts and underpants down by his ankles. He is saying, "diaper. diaper." When I look I can see a huge amount of poop in his underpants. Of course the very first accident is going to be poop. I can't imagine living in a world in which it wouldn't be. Can you?

We got it all cleaned up and so far things are going okay. We'll just keep this up and hope he catches on quickly. He's a smart little guy, so I think it should be rather easy.

You might be wondering why Braedon is 4 and not potty trained. With children on autism spectrum things come at different times. 4 is actually an early age.

Pictures

2009-08-26T20:42:00.004-06:00
These two pictures are Braedon on his first day of school when Daddy dropped him off. He has a pretty cheesy grin.

The baby is my nephew Lucas and the older baby is my nephew Aiden.

Braedon and Claire really love each other.

This pretty young lady is my niece Sierra.

The boys LOVED to go swimming.

A group picture with Braedon, Randal, Dean, Reilly, and Katelynn.

Braedon found the little kids pool a blast.

Just Information

2009-08-26T12:32:00.002-06:00
Wow, it has been almost 2 months since I've posted something. Just tells you we've been a busy family this summer. I will attempt to catch you up quickly. I do have pictures to post but my camera is upstairs, so pictures will come later tonight.

We had an amazing 4th of July. We spent it in Sandy. They have a great community event and a parade in the evening, which is even better. I never did understand getting up at 6:00am just to see a parade. We stayed for the fireworks and this year both boys loved it. I held Reilly on my lap and at one point he just started to clap. He didn't fall asleep that night until well after midnight.

The end of July we packed the truck up and headed north, 650 miles north. We stayed with my parents in their new house for 10 days. My brother, his wife, and three children came up from Arkansas for the visit as well. My sisters and their little boys also came over from Portland and Spokane. What a fun visit. I think my boys would have been happy if we just moved there. We enjoyed the hydroplane races, the river, park, the pool in my parents yard, and a great crab boil. You know that saying, "you need a vacation from your vacation". Well, I did need one. It was fun but I was exhausted.

We are now moving into August and I started having yucky foot problems again. Anyone remember when I had to wear that stupid black boot because my doctor thought I had a stress fracture in my foot? Yeah, it was that same pain. I went to a foot doctor and we did an MRI that showed I have "abnormal inflammation inside the bone". It's in three bones in my right foot, and if I had to guess it is also in my left. That is just judging from the fact it hurts just as much. What does that mean? Well, we don't know. My mom came down for a week to help me out when I was put on bedrest to help heal the inflammation. She left. My feet still hurt. I go back to the doctor tomorrow for cortizone shots in my feet. Ever have that done? If not, I'm very happy for you. I hope you never have to have that experience. If you have, you will gladly shed a tear for the pain I am going to go through tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed it works and I can get around without hurting. I'm going to also have a bone biopsy done on the 9th as well has shave off a taylors bunion (it's by the little piggy toe). Whew, that was a lot of informtion.

The best news of this blog has to do with Braedon and Reilly, of course. Reilly has gotten into structured play starting in September. We are VERY excited for this. He'll get more dedicated attention. He is also 94 on the Pingree list and might be able to be evaluated and start next fall. If you are wondering, we are pretty sure Reilly is also on the spectrum.

Braedon started another year of school at the Pingree Center yesterday. It was a nervous day for Mom and Dad, but we made it through with flying colors. Braedon loved it. He was happy to get there, kissed and hugged his Dad, and went off to play. When I picked him up in the afternoon he said, "Mommy". That made my day. He was happy to go, but when he went back today he was pretty excited. He did great his first day. He attended at 100% just about the entire day and did wonderful with his verbal, matching, and body part sessions. I'm sure proud of his progress.

That about sums up our lives in the last two months. Oh, I did get ONE tomato from my garden. Noelle, when you read this please know you are going to come over to my house next year and help me out! I really want a garden, but I am just retarded!

2009-07-03T18:58:00.002-06:00
Today I cut my boys hair...for the first time. I was more excited to do it then I was scared. Frankly, it was fun. Braedon was first and did a wonderful job. I only got his ear a tiny bit and just once. I waited for Dean to get home to try Reilly. He HATES hair cuts. It's a nightmare! Dean sat on the chair, wrapped Reilly's arms in a towel and I started up the clippers. It was rather easy. He didn't cry. I did have to cut his hair upside down, but I'm pretty good with eye-hand coordination. Here are some pictures to show the new hairdos. I think Reilly looks completely different. I LOVE IT!!!!

These pictures are before the haircut. Reilly's was getting rather long and Braedon just looked...I don't know the word. I just didn't like it on the long side.

Happy July 4th!

2009-07-03T09:45:00.003-06:00
I wanted to sit and write a little about the 4th. July 4th is my very favorite holiday. I thought about what to write. Do I write about what the 4th means to me, personally? Nah, to sappy for my taste. Do I write about what I'm planning on doing this 4th? Nope, to boring. Instead, I'm going to write a small bit about where to spend the 4th.

If you ever get a chance to head north, Wrangell, Alaska is one of the best places to spend your day on the 4th of July. The downtown road is shut down, so it's walking only. Don't worry, the road isn't that long. You can attend the parade in the morning. If you are lucky, a cruise ship will be in dock and the showgirls will march through town and everyone will just stand there with their mouths wide open. The big logging trucks will come through, a few homemade floats, the town grocery store employees will march with their stereos all playing the same tune. After the parade you can take your pick on things to do. Do you go to all the booths for fun and food, or down a side street to play games. There will be a woman sitting in an ambulance, using the speaker to tell you when to toss your egg. "Toss your egg now" will forever be in your head.

You can go out on the water in a boat, or just sit on the dock and watch the lumber contests and log rolling in the water. It's pretty much an entire day of playing and having fun. At night, you can watch a firework show on the harbor.

I suppose small towns have the best parties. I do enjoy Salt Lake on the 4th. You can choose to do just about anything, but it just isn't the same.

Besides A Capitol 4th in DC, Wrangell, Alaska is a fun place. I do have one more wish on the 4th. I'm sure my mom and Noelle would go with me. I want to sit on the banks of the Charles River, in front of the Boston Pops, and watch the firework show. That would be the best.

Hope you all have a terrific holiday wherever you are!

A little prayer

2009-06-21T09:35:00.002-06:00
Friday I prepared some lunch for the boys and myself and got the table all set for us. I put Reilly in his seat and Braedon and I both sat down. Usually, we don't eat lunch together. Braedon is at school and I am feeding Reilly his. Today was a special day that gave us a chance to sit around the table and enjoy lunch together.

As I sat down, I reached for Reilly's spoon to help him eat. Braedon sat there, folded his arms, looked at me, and said, "Fold your arms." Okay! It's always nice to be reminded to pray by your 3 year-old. ;-)

I was glad to know that all our efforts had payed off and he understood that you should say a prayer before you eat your food. Mommy will try to do better in the future.

2009-05-25T19:17:00.002-06:00
I realized I hadn't put some pictures of the boys on here for awhile. I had a few that I really enjoy because I feel it shows their cute personalities.

Reilly has become the "climber" in the house. If he can get his leg up onto it, or bend down into it he is there. He likes to crawl in this tiny little space and just sit there. Who knows...

Braedon can fall asleep in the strangest of places. He decided one night to just lay down on his little red couch and hold the big stuffed doggie and go to sleep. We found him here and moved him to his bed. He will go and go until he just runs out of steam.

Today, Reilly helped his Lito fix our underground sprinklers. He was very helpful in sitting in all the holes that were dug. He even helped to throw dirt on the sidewalk.

Braedon spent 5 hours outside today helping his Daddy and his Lito with the sprinklers. Braedon takes very seriously his work with his Grandpa. He had his own little shovel and was digging right beside the guys. Of course, he was also the first to jump in the hole and also the first to throw the dirt all over. Actually, he was the ONLY one to do that.

Braedon listens to his Music Therapy for 15 minutes twice a day. On this day he as very tired and tried to sit at the table. I finally decided to let him lay down.

That about does it for what has been going on. Braedon has just one month left of school before summer break. I thought about putting him in an autism camp for the summer, but I think we are just going to enjoy some good old fashioned family time. We can camp in the backyard! woohoo!!

Reilly still isn't talking, but we are hopeful he will break out into sentences any moment. Keep your fingers crossed.

GLEE

2009-05-21T11:48:00.002-06:00
I love to watch TV. It's fun, entertaining, and just plain awesome. I've been so disappointed in TV the past few years. I am NOT a fan of reality TV, so that takes care of about 50% of what is on. I like fun, lighthearted, clean shows. Those are really tough to find, until last night.

If you watched "Glee" on Fox you watched a terrific show! If you didn't see it go to www.fox.com and you can watch it there. It was such a fun show to watch. I am a big fan of Jane Lynch and she is absolutely fabulous in this.

Yeah!!! Good TV is back!

8 TAG

2009-05-21T08:47:00.003-06:00
8 Things I am looking forward to

1. Reilly talking
2. Braedon saying a full sentence
3. My tomatoes growing (I planted two upside down in a bucket)
4. My girls trip to Vegas
5. Winter
6. Our trip to Washington in July
7. A nice backyard
8. Reilly's afternoon nap

8 Things I did yesterday

1. Watched a few episodes of "Friends" with Jamee
2. Spent some great quality time with Braedon
3. Took Braedon to school
4. Went to the airport
5. Read my book "A Friend like Henry"
6. Had lunch with Dean
7. Enjoyed a nice bubble bath
8. Had quiet time by myself while all the boys went to Grandma's house

8 Things I wish I could do

1. Be more organized
2. Have more energy
3. Have more time in my day
4. Live closer to my parents
5. Get Reilly to talk
6. Get my lawn to stop growing weeds
7. Have more patience
8. Enjoy the summertime

8 shows I watch

1. House
2. CSY NY
3. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
4. Friends
5. Chuck
6. Keeping Up with the Kardashians (my guilty pleasure)
7. 30 Rock
8. Grey's

What happened on May 18, 1980?

2009-05-17T20:04:00.008-06:00

This picture was taken May 10, 1980. The picture below was taken Sept. 10, 1980.

I would ask this question each year to people I worked with. I'm sure they loved it. ;-) After several years, I started to get the answer. woohoo! I love history. This is the story of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens from the view of a five year-old...or at least what I remember about it when I was five.

My family had just moved to Othello, Washington two weeks prior to the eruption. We lived on what is called Radar Hill, which is up a steep hill just outside town. My Dad had a brother and sister that lived with their respective families in Othello. Sunday we were all over at my Aunt Linda's butchering chickens. I am told that chickens have to be butchered by a certain age or they are too old and don't taste good. I guess we'll use that as the excuse why we would be killing animals on the Sabbath. ;-) All I remember about this is the flapping wings of a dead chicken.

When we finished we headed home. I remember like it was yesterday looking at the strangest clouds I had ever seen. It was like someone took cotton balls, dipped them in dark grey paint, and neatly placed them in the sky. I also remember feeling uneasy because my parents were talking about the clouds all the way home and really concerned about them. I'm not sure what time this was, but I know it was still in the morning hours.

When we got home we turned on our silver stereo. I don't remember it having a cassette player on it. I remember the big silver dials, the turn table that I used to play my "You Light up My Life" album and the blue lights from the radio tuner. I don't remember ever hearing about a volcano erupting. I remember cooking chicken in the kitchen and filling our bathtub with water. I knew something was happening because my mom was worried. By the way, whenever there is a possibility to loose power you should always fill your bathtub with water. If you need fresh water for cleaning or flushing toliets you will be happy!

Around noon, or what I thought was noon, it got pitch black outside. Not like a dark night kind of dark. It was literally the color black in the sky. I remember looking out at the horizon and seeing a very bright light. It was as if the black was over our house and in the distant you could see the light from the sun. It was like a border around the sky to me. That's when we brought a cat in the house. I can remember people outside bringing their animals inside. A few people came into our house, including a man with a cowboy hat on. I'm not sure if we knew him or not, but he tracked in something that looked like dirty snow to me. We tried to keep it all outside. When I did look outside it looked dark and snowy.
That's is pretty much my memory from the day the mountain erupted. I don't have much memory of cleaning up all the ash. I do remember what it felt like to touch and walk through. It was the finest feeling...like touching flour. When I walked it would kick up a cloud of dust.
Here are some details on what happened on that day, 29 years ago.
Mount St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980 at 8:32am. Shaken by an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale, the north face of this tall symmetrical mountain collapsed in a massive rock debris avalanche. Nearly 230 square miles of forest was blown down or buried beneath volcanic deposits. At the same time a mushroom-shaped column of ash rose thousands of feet skyward and drifted downwind, turning day into night as dark, gray ash fell over eastern Washington and beyond. The eruption lasted 9 hours, but Mount St. Helens and the surrounding landscape were dramatically changed within moments.
The massive ash cloud grew to 80,000 feet within 15 minutes and reached the east coast in 3 days. Although most of the ash fell within 300 miles of the mountain, ash circled the earth in 15 days and continued to stay in the atmosphere for many years.
This really was a big event in my little young life that has stuck with me for 29 years.

A Good Day

2009-05-01T09:07:00.002-06:00
I am not one to pour my heart out online or in person, for that matter. Today is my 5th wedding anniversary and I thought I'd let you all know that.

Dean and I were married in the Manti Temple five years ago today. Unlike today, it was a beautiful 75 degree sunny day. We had so many friends and family members make the trip down to Manti. Some were in the Temple and some waited patiently outside. It was a great day.

Five quick years later it is raining. ;-) Happily, that is my favorite weather. We have two wonderful boys and a very busy life.

Dean is a great friend, husband, and father. I'm lucky I was able to trick him into an engagment. I am happy to share this great day with my Grandparents. They were sealed in the Manti Temple in 1956. They have both passed on, but they are still married so they get to celebrate this day as well.

So, Happy Anniversary Honey, Grandma, and Grandpa!

Information

2009-04-21T12:51:00.002-06:00
Okay folks, this is just a quick little diddy. I've had some emails around the Autism Walk this year. I have been working with the Pingree Center and haven't had much time to get involved with this.

It is May 2nd at Utah Valley University. We are going down there and would love anyone else that would like to come and walk and make a nice day of it. If you want to know more about Autism, this is a GREAT way to start. You can go to www.walknowforautism.org/utah for more info. It is a lot of fun to go to one of these events.

I really hope that we can start to get more involved with this going forward. Right now I am working with little Reilly. We are taking him to an ENT to have his ears tested. If all is okay there, we're going to have him tested for autism, so I am pretty busy with Braedon and Reilly. We'll wait and see if both boys are autistic or if Reilly is just developing really slowly.

Please come on the 2nd if you are in town. ;-)

Lesson #2

2009-04-18T14:28:00.003-06:00
I woke up Thursday sick and throwing up. I, too, had the terrible bug that plagued my young sons the past few days. I decided I would talk myself out of it. My sister and her son were coming over to see us and I didn't want to be sick.

My nephew, Ethan, is a few months older then Braedon and loves his cousin. When we first arrived at my parents, Ethan was there. Braedon, upon seeing his Nanny, ran to her and gave her a kiss. When he saw Ethan, he smiled, waved, and said Hi. Ethan got all excited and looked at his Nanny and said, "He can talk!" Braedon never speaks around Ethan. They just play in silence, so this was a very big deal to Ethan. Later, when his mom arrived he ran up to her and said, "Mommy, Braedon can talk." He than grabbed Braedon and told him to say hi to his Mommy. It was really exciting to Ethan that Braedon could say Hi.

Anyhoo, Ethan and his mom were on their way down when we told them I was sick and to turn around. Ethan cried and cried because he had to go home.

I started to feel a little better by the afternoon and helped my mom around the house. The boys were still having diarreha diapers and not eating much. We put our best foot forward and decided that on Friday we would drive the 620 miles back to Utah.

Things seemed okay that evening and I thought we'd turned the corner. Around 2:16am I awoke to Braedon coughing and throwing up on my chest. Fun! I was so tired by this point that I just took my shirt off and threw it on the floor and fell asleep. About an hour later he threw up again on his sheet. This time I threw a towel over it and we both fell asleep. Please don't judge me, you weren't there! You don't understand! He threw up a third time and we ended up in a corner of the bed trying to sleep a few more hours.

Around 7:00am we got up and started to pack the truck for the trip. I was determined to go home. At 8:15am the drive began. The truck was loaded, no one had thrown up for hours, snacks were packed, and my mom and I were off.

Things were going smoothly until just outside Boise. We stopped to change diapers and get some walking done. After changing the boys they both decided a nice big diarreha diaper was in order. Back to the changing table I went. Let me say that this point that Reilly has a strange and very real fear of public bathrooms. He screams and cries in them. I don't know why. We finally got everyone clean and headed down the road.

Not 20 minutes later we heard the sound of Reilly throwing up on himself. A nice curdled milk smell and chunky throw up was all over the back. I stopped along the interstate and got out to change him while my mom tried to clean things in the truck. We were off again, with that now familiar smell of vomit. Only 6 more hours of driving.

The one bright spot was our stop at Baja Fresh in Boise. We found a lovely section of grass under a tree and my mom layed down with Reilly. After a few minutes it was time to head out, but not before Braedon had a nice big diarreha diaper to be changed.

What seemed like forever was only 12 hours of driving. At 8:30pm we pulled into my driveway in Salt Lake. I had never been so happy to be home. Braedon ran inside and looked at his things like he'd been gone forever.

We unpacked and went to sleep. Reilly did throw up all over his crib, but I didn't get up. Dean did. Lesson #2 Thank goodness for Daddy.

Lesson #1

2009-04-15T21:27:00.003-06:00
I wanted to write a little about my trip to visit my parents in Kennewick, Washington. To start I feel I need to give a little background into what it is like to take a "vacation" with me. I try... I really do. I am organized. I plan things out. I try to be patient and enjoy each moment. However, NOTHING ever goes like it does in my head. It's a curse that my entire family shares, from my parents down to my sisters and my brother. It only gets worse when we all travel together. It's like watching a Vacation movie with the Griswolds.

Dean and I packed the boys up early Saturday morning and headed north. The drive went very smooth and only required a few stops. Of course, about 45 miles from my parents everyone looses control and cries. I promised the boys we wouldn't get back in the truck for at least a day.

Saturday was a lot of fun. My sister, Rebecca and her son Aiden were in town from Portland along with my nephew, Ethan. Aiden's dad, Karl and Ethan's mom and dad (my sister Mindy and her husband Terry) would all come over later in the evening. We played and sat around and had some good laughs while watching the boys.

Then came Sunday...Easter Sunday. My mom was playing the piano in a special number for Church, so we were all trying to get ready and out the door. We ran out to the truck, jumped in, started it up, looked behind and pulled out to Church. That's when I heard a loud "CRUNCH". Yep, I had run OVER the neighbors car. In my defense, the idiot had parked it in the dumbest spot possible and it ended up in my blindspot. That doesn't work as a "good"reason for running over a car, so I kept quiet. We explained what happened and left for Church, only 10 minutes late. The rest of Sunday went just fine.

My sister that lives in Portland is moving. She also had some weird neck "issue" that caused an extreme headache. I thought I'd be nice and offer to drive over to Portland (3 1/2 hours) and help her clean up her old house and get things moved. It seemed like a nice gesture. I've been taught to offer service when possible. You'd think it would be fine.

My mom, two boys, and I left for Portland on Monday morning. (by the way, Dean had to fly back to Salt Lake Sunday because he had to go to work on Monday. So, he is at home...ALONE!) The drive to Portland is a beautiful drive. You drive along the Columbia River and in the Columbia Gorge. Very green and beautiful. We got to Portland and thought it would work if my mom stayed with the boys and I went with my sister to clean. After cleaning for awhile, we headed back to save my mom.

We got ready for bed and that is when the fun really got started. A few minutes after lying down for the night, I heard a strange sound. It was the sound of Reilly throwing up all over himself and his cousin's crib. AWESOME!! We cleaned up the crib, threw the baby in the tub, and hoped for a better night. It was not to be. Reilly threw up 4 more times throughout the night. The next day was a combination of nightmare and hell. Reilly was sick and we were still cleaning and watching children. After what seemed like a week, we left Portland in the afternoon of Tuesday. Oh wait, I remembered something else I did. I lost the only set of keys we had to the vehicle that would transport us home. We looked everywhere. It was a terrible feeling knowing I had trapped us in Oregon. Finally, after a very sincere prayer by my mom they were found.

Incase my sister is reading this post (which I doubt), I am glad we went over to help her.

Just as we got out of Portland and headed home, Reilly threw up on himself. We pulled over and I jumped out and changed him in a nice meadow. It was cold and he was not happy. The car now had a lovely aroma of vomit. With 3 hours of driving ahead, I was so excited. Luckily, there was no more throwing up during the trip. There was crying and some really terrible weather. Finally we got home!!! Easy sailing ahead... Or so I thought in my now crazy head.

My dad started a bath to put the kids in before putting them to bed. It was a tad bit hot, so my dad held a naked Reilly while I adjusted the temperature. Just as I turned and said it was okay, a strange yellow brownish stream of diarreha started to squirt out. My dad swung Reilly around, spraying the bathroom counter and I did something strange. I cupped my hands togther and started to catch the poop. WHY WOULD I DO THIS?!?!!? Then the smell hit me and I did everything I could not to throw up on my dad. My mom tossed me a towel and I dropped everything on the floor and went to clean-up. The boys had baths and went to sleep. My parents and I cleaned up and tried to forget we had just sprayed the bathroom in poop.

Things were fine until early Wednesday morning when Braedon turned in bed and threw up on himself and on me. Oh good, I get to do it again. Let's just say today has been spent cleaning up throw up from my parents carpet, bed, and kitchen as well as diarreha from a bed, carpet, and children. We did laundry non-stop today. I still have a sick Braedon but am hopeful things will be okay tomorrow. Will I get sick? Will my mom get sick? Lesson #1: Moms don't get sick.

2009-04-07T09:58:00.002-06:00
Autism spectrum disorders can usually be reliably diagnosed by age 3, although new research is pushing back the age of diagnosis to as early as 6 months. Parents are usually the first to notice unusual behaviors in their child or their child's failure to reach appropriate developmental milestones. Some parents describe a child that seemed different from birth, while others describe a child who was developing normally and then lost skills. Pediatricians may initially dismiss signs of autism, thinking a child will “catch up,” and may advise parents to “wait and see.” New research shows that when parents suspect something is wrong with their child, they are usually correct. If you have concerns about your child's development, don't wait: speak to your pediatrician about getting your child screened for autism. If your child is diagnosed with autism, early intervention is critical to gain maximum benefit from existing therapies. Although parents may have concerns about labeling a toddler as “autistic,” the earlier the diagnosis is made, the earlier interventions can begin. Currently, there are no effective means to prevent autism, no fully effective treatments, and no cure. Research indicates, however, that early intervention in an appropriate educational setting for at least two years during the preschool years can result in significant improvements for many young children with autism spectrum disorders. As soon as autism is diagnosed, early intervention instruction should begin. Effective programs focus on developing communication, social, and cognitive skills.

There you have my information for the day. Early intervention is so key. Anyone that I speak with that suspects their child might be autistic hears that from me. We've tried to work really hard to give Braedon as much early help as possible. We have seen a lot of progress from him, but it is a slow road ahead.