I Run this Ship

I don't quite recall having a conversation this morning about the shirt he was wearing today, but someone must have told him. Just now as he was having dinner, a nutritious and delicious hot dog, he asked for another.

His exact words, "More hot dog again."

"Sure," I said.

His response, "I run this ship."

Hmmm... You think so. Quite astute for an almost 4-year old.

He seriously said it again as his Little Einsteins' DVD rolled into a new episode.

"Two shows," he said.

"Sure, but after this one, we're going take a shower." I said.

"Sure," he replied. "I run this ship."

Funny, little man!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Happy Easter!

I've been working with Noah on smiling for the camera.  I alternate between asking him to "show me happy" and "show me your smile."

What can I say?  He has a bit of flair for the dramatic.

Pretty sure he comes by it naturally.

Happy EASTER everyone!

Going on a (Egg) Hunt

Last week Noah's teacher asked us to bring over some plastic Easter eggs because the class would be practicing going on an Easter egg hunt.  On day one, the note from his teacher said, "Noah went at it like a pro.  We counted eggs and cheered for everyone."  Another day, "Noah is the egg hunt KING."  And then yesterday's note, "Egg hunt is no longer a challenge.  Noah is the best!"  So, we invited a few friends over, so Momma could see those skills in action. 

Ready for the egg hunt!

This is so much fun!

Phew.  I think we got them all.

Surveying the loot.  Mmmm... jellybeans.

Just call me king of the egg hunt!

Hippity Hoppity

Did I mention that I am not a big fan of animals?  Is it some kind of karma that this little guy chosen to inhabit our backyard?

Please go away little bunny and find a new place to live.  Or I may have to sic Uncle D on you.  Thank you!

Five Things Friday 04.12.11 - Special Edition

So, it's not really Friday...it's Tuesday. But, third trimester has come with a vengeance, and I'm too tired and scatterbrained to come up with a lengthy one topic post, so a list it is.

1. Did I mention third trimester is kicking my butt? It's hard to believe there is only about 10 weeks left until this baby arrives. I'm definitely starting to waddle, I spend the afternoons with my feet elevated trying to get a handle of my swollen ankles, and don't even get me started on how many times I get up to pee at night. I think I'm sort of in denial thinking that this baby will just fit seamlessly into our already full schedule. It's about time to start a list of things to do before baby. Although, I did order the bedding. Cute, right?

 
2. Please don't be confused by the next statement. I just knew I was having a girl this time around, but I was still convinced it was going to be a boy. Well, as you know, it is a girl, which makes all the super cute boy clothes saved out in the garage useless, and a lot of baby girl shopping in my future... or so I thought. The baby's closet is already filled with clothes! My baby clothes. I'm not sure what's more surprising that I had this much clothes as an infant or that my mom saved it all. Either way, I can't wait to dress my sweet baby girl in these outfits. Thanks Grammy for the saving, the washing, and the ironing!

3. This weekend Noah's school hosted a fundraising gala. I volunteered a bit during the planning process and was part of the host committee. Part of being on the host committee was to give a list of names and addresses of people we knew who might want to donate to the cause. Dean and I were completely overwhelmed by the response from our friends and family. We feel so blessed and are so thankful to everyone who contributed to a cause so dear to us. The event was a huge success, and although wearing a formal at 30 weeks prego is less than ideal, the night was so much fun. Thanks to D and Sarah and Judi and Mark for dancing the night away with us. And, of course, thanks to Grammy for babysitting! PS - The Spazmatics rock!

4. With D and Sarah in town for the big event, the girls also spent the weekend at our house. Noah LOVED having the girls here. And, the girls were so great with him. The first night Noah hung until about 11:00 watching the girls play Rock Band which Noah referred to as, "Let's rock and roll." The next morning Noah headed straight upstairs (instead of to our room like he normally does) and woke each girl up with a "time to wake up. I missed you." He played outside with Morgan, let Brooke get him dressed for the day, and pretty much wrapped his arms around Katie and pulled her where he wanted to go. Thanks girls for being such great cousins! We can't wait for your next visit.

5. Noah's language is continuing to improve, and he is pretty much talking in complete sentences. Most is still scripted, but he is getting really good at using it functionally. Today, his OT reported that during their session while playing with a doctor kit, Noah said, "Hi. I'm Dr. Noah from Houston. Send in my next patient, please." Too funny. Where did that come from?

Welcome to Holland

April is Autism Awareness month. And, although it's not something I mention very often here, I'm pretty sure most of my readers know that Noah is diagnosed on the spectrum for autism. His official diagnosis is pervasive developmental disorder - not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). This basically means he falls somewhere on the spectrum of autism, but does not match a particular label.

Dean and I feel very fortunate that we have recognized and addressed Noah's special needs from a very early age. I can remember being asked at his one-year well baby check-up, “can he wave bye-bye?” At his fifteen month well baby check-up, the question was “can he point to his nose?” The answer was, at both twelve and fifteen months, “no.” With no words, no pointing and no responding to his name, Noah was sent by our proactive pediatrician for a speech evaluation. Thus, at sixteen months, our little guy began therapy. In the first year, we learned as much as Noah about autism and parenting a child who is a just a bit different from everyone else.

Denial isn't and hasn't been part of our vocabulary. Instead, with therapy, both speech and occupational, we have seen constant and consistent improvement. Noah is an extremely bright and active child, and he brings so much joy to our lives. Dean and I are hopeful that with hard work on both our part and Noah's, we can enable him to be the best little boy that he can be. Dean and I realize that we cannot do it alone. Aside from twice weekly sessions of both speech and occupational therapy, Dean and I have enrolled Noah in a school specifically designed to educate children on the spectrum. He attends school five days a week for three hours a day. We are so happy with Noah's placement here, and we have seen an amazing improvement since he began in September. His teachers are outstanding, and Noah happily goes to school each day. Dean and I think of Noah as "high functioning," and instead of wondering what that means for his future, we are concentrating on what we can do for now.

Parenting a child like Noah is definitely a different experience than we expected when we began our journey into parenthood. For me, despite some of the challenges, I feel like being Noah's mother is the most important thing I've ever done. It defines who I am as a person and a mother, and I thank God every day for bringing him into our lives.

A friend of mine posted this on her blog a while back, and it was definitely something I could relate, so I thought I'd include it here.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

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."

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.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Field Trip - The Zoo

I'm not really a big fan of animals.  I think it was something passed down from my parents.  We never had pets growing up... well, except for that dog of my brothers, which we named Wonder, because we wondered why we got a dog.  Anyway, not a fan.  So, when I found out this month's field trip was at the zoo, I teasingly told Noah's teacher that we didn't like the zoo very much and that Momma and Noah were a little s-c-a-r-e-d of animals.  She said that the zoo was one of her favorite field trips, and I should be careful not to pass my fear of animals neurosis off on Noah.  OK... point taken, off to the zoo. 

I'm sorry, Ms. I.  I think the damage is done.  Here is Noah waiting patiently for the rest of his class to catch up after viewing the monkeys.  He found a few sticks and nice cozy rock to sit and wait.

Here is Noah posing by the cut-out rhinoceroses.  Didn't really get too close to the real thing.

Noah's favorite part of the zoo's new African exhibit was the drums.  His new zoo pencil from the gift shop served as the perfect drumstick. 

Time for the playground and petting zoo.  Ms. I said that the petting zoo was not a field trip requirement, but I encouraged Noah to just try it while I stood off in the distance and used my zoom lens to catch a picture.  So, he petted this goat with the help of his teacher, and then moved on to other things.

Like the playground.  Did I mention that I love it when he gets air?

I told him before we left we needed to ride the carousel.  First, carousel and then home.  He jumped on and stoically handled the ride.  Great job at the zoo, Mister No!

Testing the Waters

On our recent trip to Louisiana, Noah took his first swim of the year.  Blake offered to take him.  PaPa had heated the pool, so it was nice and cozy for a late afternoon in March.

Thanks Blake!

Noah had a blast.  Grammy had picked up a pair of floaties for Noah to try.  He really liked them and was able to float around the pool solo.  He didn't need them for the shallow end since all of his 45+ inches could touch the bottom. 

Blake definitely added to the fun with a few games of motor boat...

And lots of tossing him in the air.  Speaking of tall kids, it's hard to believe my sweet little nephew Blake is well on his way to six feet tall. 

Thanks for a super fun afternoon, Blake!!  You can take Noah swimming anytime.