April is Autism Awareness Month

Noah (18 months) and Mrs. Silvia, February 2009

April is autism awareness month. The Internet and news media is buzzing about the latest CDC numbers concerning autism. 1 in 88 kids and 1 in 54 boys. According to the CDC, that's a 78% increase in incidence since 2008. Wow!

I don't usually get into the politics of autism too much. My concern is my son. What are we doing for him? How is he progressing? What's our current challenge? I know that autism is a spectrum and in those regards, we have it pretty good. Noah is verbal and smart. Happy. Loving. He's funny. He's in a good school, and our family can afford to be choosy about the care he receives whether insurance covers it or not. We are so blessed in many ways.

I found this article on the Internet this week.

- Could My Child Have Autism?' Ten Signs of Possible Autism-Related Delays in 6 To 12-Month-Old Children  "If parents suspect something is wrong with their child's development, or that their child is losing skills, they should talk to their pediatrician or another developmental expert," says Dr. Landa. "Don't adopt a 'wait and see' perspective. We want to identify delays early in development so that intervention can begin when children's brains are more malleable and still developing their circuitry."

This is what I think is so important. Early intervention. What would we have done without it? Dr. Meyers, Noah's pediatrician in Miami who suggested a speech evaluation at age 15 months.

Sweet Ms. Silvia, Noah's very first speech therapist at 18 months, who with a unique style of play therapy quickly coaxed words like "go" and "meow" out of my babbling little ones mouth. With such optimism, she taught me what I needed to know about autism and how to be a better mother to Noah. She is the litmus for every other therapist he's had.

Mrs. Veronica, Noah's very first occupational therapist at 18 months who was able to get his attention through play. She taught me all about floor time and the natural approach for engaging my child, and she led us to Mer.

Ms. Mer, Noah's OT for over two years, who gets Noah better than anyone and who has been and continues to be a constant supporter and cheerleader for him. We have a standing offer for her to move in with us.

A friend of mine forwarded this email to me today, so if you're reading this and want to do something for autism this month. Say a prayer for Noah, my family and all the kids and families affected by it. Love, Sarah

Dear Lord,
I come to you today on behalf of all the parents of children with autism. I thank you that you understand all that the families are dealing with. Today, I thank you for your word that says the parents of children with autism can do everything God asks them to with the help of Christ who gives them the strength and power. I pray that you would fill all of these parents with your strength and power. I pray that the strength and power you have for them would drive all weariness, weakness and negativity from our bodies, souls and our spirits. I ask that you would continuously remind the parents of your word and your promises. And I ask that you would guard their hearts from being bitter or negative. I pray that you would minister to all the parents with your healing, encouragement, hope and wisdom. I also ask that you would protect and nurture all marriages of the parents. We know that the divorce rate is very high in the autism community. I ask that you would strengthen these marriages with your strength and power to overcome in very difficult circumstances.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen

I'm Still Standing

So the squat has naturally turned into a full on stand.  I am happy to report that as of today no walking has begun just yet, but she sure is standing tall!  Here are some shots of Em in action.

Oh look... it's one of brothers toys with small pieces.  Let me hurry up and play with it before Momma sees me. 

Down.

And up.

And down.

And up.

Family Fun & Field Day

Friday at school pickup, Noah's teacher waved us off with a "see ya tomorrow?"  "Not tomorrow," I told her.  "It's Saturday."  To which she replied, "It's field day."

Field day.  I knew that, but hadn't really planned on attending.  With all the traveling we do during the week, I tend to want to stay close to home on the weekends.  Did I really feel like making an extra drive to school on the weekend?  Dean was working most of the midday, so I figured we might as well.  And, I'm so glad I did.  Noah had some much fun.  All the boys from his class were there.  I had a chance to chat with the parents while our kids contained in the bounce house.  The weather was beautiful although a bit hot.  Luckily, I was able to find some shade and borrow some sunscreen for Emma.  I completely forgot my camera, but once again, yay for phone cameras!  Daddy even showed up after work to catch a bit of the fun. 

I loved watching Noah play today.  He was so good, and I think it had a lot to do with being around the people he sees everyday and being in a familiar setting.  I really do love his school.  And, I was a really proud Momma watching my little guy play with his friends and navigate the fun day. 

I pumped up field day by telling Noah that we were going to his school, and there would be a bounce house.  He was pretty pumped about it.  This kid loves him some bounce house.  There was a lot of bouncing this afternoon. 

I didn't really see a ton of teachers there, but Noah's teacher was front and center leading the motor activities.  I'm a big fan of Mrs. J.  Noah really wanted to participate in the slightly advanced sack race.  Mrs. J made sure that Noah came out first. 

 
Here is one of our many water breaks. 

There was a balloon man.  Noah and I walked up, and there were two kids in front of us.  I asked him if he wanted to come back later, and he told me that he wanted to wait his turn.  And, he did.  He was so patient.  When he finally made it to the front, he told the man he wanted a red balloon.  The man asked if he wanted a sword, and Noah replied that he wanted an ax.  Obviously, a bit of a challenge for the balloon guy, so he ended up with a sword. 

Emma was so good too and hung out in the carrier the entire time.  Sweet girl!

Time for the cake walk.  Noah chose a bright orange toy story cupcake with a star shaped Woody insert as his treat from the cake walk.  After he finished it off, he said, "now it's time for the hexagon."  He was referring to another toy story cupcake with a hexagon shaped character topper.  Yes, my boy love him some shapes, letters and numbers. 

Noah had so much fun at field day.  All that running and bouncing in the hot sun made for one pooped little guy.  Big snooze on the ride home. 

Phone Purge Friday 03.23.12 - Sweet Emma Lou

My post on our trip home was a bit Noah heavy, so I decided to do a bit of iPhone photo purging just for Emma.

Wearing Pa Pa's sunglasses while watching B play tennis.  I love how you can see his reflection.

 

Chasing a ball into a tunnel at Gymboree.

Momma's arms needed a break.  A little swinging at Noah's park playdate.

Such a big girl helping Momma with the grocery shopping.

Snoozing on a stroll. 

It's a little hard to tell from this angle, but oh yeah, she's standing.

Party In My Tummy

The day we left for Louisiana, Emma was starting day two of her second round of antibiotics to clear up a double ear infection.  She was also starting her new miracale weight gain drug three times a day.  So, I decided yogurt was the perfect food to keep her tummy happy.  She loved it.  You know what else she loved?  Guacamole.  She also loved roast and gravy, which Ma Ma Ellen fixed her over a baked potato.  She worked hard on her eating skills, and by the end of the week, she was very much improved on opening her mouth for the spoon.  She makes me laugh every time she eats because she is so serious about it.  And, she also gained two pounds while we were home.  Amazing!  Ma Ma Ellen was a huge help with feeding.  Thanks Ma for taking over duty most evenings!  You still have the touch. 

Katie B's Birthday Bash

Katie B had her 10th birthday at Grammy and Pa Pa's, and Noah got a chance to reap the benefits of the bounce house/water slide pre-party.  My smart baby boy decided to change back to dry clothes once the water got too cold and too crowded.  "Soaking wet" and cold are not two of Noah's favorite things.  Later as he wsa swinging, he told me, "Momma, this bounce house is so pretti-ful."

What Noah Did on His Spring Break

The kids and I loaded up for Louisiana to enjoy some family time for spring break.  Aside from a couple days of cold and one day of rain, being outside was on the agenda. I may have mentioned this before, but Grammy and Pa Pa have the BEST backyard.  It's actually an empty lot that Pa Pa bought about 15 years ago.  It has so much green.  A huge swing set.  A playhouse.  A pool.  A zip line.  I would like a dollar for every time I heard, "I need to go outside."  What a great trip! 

1. Noah did some major swinging in Grammy's backyard this week. On the flipside, Grammy did some major pushing. This child can not get enough. Thanks Gram.

Noah request for swinging.  "Would you like a push?"  Even Pa Pa got in on the action.

2. The weather was beautiful for the majority of the week which made for one dirty and tired little boy at the end of every day. Photo evidence below.

3. Noah is into drinking water from the tap. I guess he's trying to recreate the whole school water fountain thing at home. This is how I found him in his grandparent's bathroom.

4. Watching Noah play football with Pa Pa. He had the best time running and laughing. Pa Pa would say, "Go long. Go long." Noah would run and turn to wait for the throw. He missed every catch, but he didn't care. I feeling this kid probably better suited for track.

5. I tried to tell Noah a story as he was going to be bed. He said, "No mom. Stop the words."

6. I told Noah that after I put Emma down for a nap, we could go play outside. He told me, "Just in her crib. Not the "c" pillow." He was referring to my boppy pillow and me nursing her before nap.

7. Falling asleep way past his bedtime, Noah yawns and says, "I'm so tired!"

8. You know what makes you feel old? When you pass your nephew driving in the car next to you. The same nephew you used to pick up from kindergarten ever day. We pulled up alongside him, and Noah said, "Look, it's Blake."

9. Seth put Noah to bed. Just call him the baby whisperer.

10. Ma Ma Ellen brushed up on her babysitting skills. After she watched Noah in the backyard for me, she started to head inside. Noah said, "No. It's Ma Ma's turn. Go down the slide. Through the sandbox..." Funny, Noah.