The Home Stretch

Ok, a little more than 48 hours left to go in single parenthood. Unfortunately, the last part is going to take the most energy. Today is easy (so far), but tomorrow The Little Person has no school and Sam has a dentist (another familiarization visit). Then, Thursday, M gets in at 9:30AM. Sam has a speech therapy appointment at Children's at 11AM. I will need to go pick him up at school and drive the almost 40 minutes. Fortunately, Sam's teacher, Mrs. H will be with me. Since it hasn't worked out the last two times we've tried to go, I am a little anxious. Hopefully the Speech Therapist will be on the premises. Then M will be home, which is great, but he will be jet lagged, and I will be outwardly sympathetic and inwardly crabby. We will try to recover by Friday when we are having an overnight in Boston ALL ALONE! I hope I can do more than just sleep on our time away.

Last night was Passover at my parent's house. The dinner was great and the company couldn't be better (grandparents and lovely neighbors), but The Little Person was being, shall we say, challenging? And I feel like all I did was yell, and look for Sam. This morning I snuggled with both boys in my bed, and then I took The Little person to school in my pajamas (the glories of the Drive-By-Drop-off). Now I am making breakfast (matzoh brie) for my Mom who is blessedly not making me come over to help put things away from last night. Pajama party!

Where do all the bookmarks go?

Every time I use the MacBook I make Bookmarks of pages I visit regularly. Except, I have no idea where they go, because when I try to bring them up, they don't exist. Does anyone know where Bookmarks go on the Safari browser that Apple uses?

Today is Day Three of being Home Alone, but Day Four of getting up at four. I'm getting a little tired. So my parenting plan tonight, while Sam is having a sleepover at my parents' house tonight so I can sleep in tomorrow, is to take The Little Person to a movie. We are going to see How To Train Your Dragon in 3D. That way, I can be with him, without being with him. Then we come home, and he goes to bed. I may go to bed then too. Last night babysitter Extraordinaire was over and after putting the kids to bed and dinner, we stayed up talking until eleven. And then I read my book for a while (The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing). So, not exactly doing great on going to bed early. And then Halitosis Boy (I think the cavity is making Sam's mouth stink), got up at 4, like normal.

Tomorrow, I am going to (hopefully) sleep past 4 and go to Sweaty Yoga. Then I have arranged for M, the woman I work out with (notice how I am uncomfortable saying My Personal Trainer?) is coming over with her (two) pugs for a visit. I haven't told the kids yet, but it is part of my little plan to get them addicted to pugs and tell their dad they want a dog. Plus, I have been wanting to hang out with M, and thought it would be fun. The on Sunday, The Boys and I are going to Pump It Up for a party with the local autism organization. I plan to arrive after the training video and leave before the pizza. Then I plan to pawn off The Little Person while L is with Sam (I even have homework for them to do!) and just breathe. Or nap. Sunday afternoon/evening a friend of mine from high school (but who I did not go to high school with) and his wife are coming over to play. The kids love them, so that should be good.

Monday, I have to try to get the school to send one of Sam's teachers to a local autism conference hosted by The Doug Flutie Foundation. There is a presentation on Assistive technology and Speech Generating Devices (SGD's) and since nobody at his school (besides his one-on-one teacher) has any experience in this area, I think it would be good. I'm all for training. I should have suggested they send someone to the Autism Symposium we went to with Temple Grandin. Oh well, next year.

Also, next week is Dentist Appointment #2 and Speech Therapy at Children's Appointment #1. Good times. Gosh, now I feel like I need to make a To Do list for myself. I'm starting to feel a little verklempt (it's a Yiddish expression, look it up). I still need to pack an overnight bag for Sam, and new clothes for The Little Person who Didn't Make It To The Bathroom at Grandma's house. I'm sure he's walking around in my Dad's XL t-shirt right now.

Next up, processing all the conferences I've gone to (I went to a workshop last night for parents with kids on the autism spectrum), and start implementing more of the ideas. Also, working on a haircut for Sam, who looks like a cross between a wood sprite and a character from Annie. Till then, Chow, Shalom, Salem Alechem, Sayonara, Adios, and Domo Arigato. Have a great weekend.

Day One

I have exactly 15 minutes to write this post before the kids go to bed, and as I am alone, you can bet your ass they are going to bed on time tonight. M is still en route to AK for a week of business and hopefully skiing. He left at 6 this morning, so I've pretty much been alone all day, except...Gram and Pop are back! Gram came over around noonish and took The Little Person until after Sam got home, so I had a few hours to relax. I didn't get anything done, but I did catch up on Real Housewives of New York, a guilty pleasure for sure.

Back at the ranch, things are going well. Had a little tune-up from The Therapist, to remind myself that I'm not insane and things really are okay. Actually, after we talked about my worries for a bit, I spent most of the time updating her on all the great things the kids have been doing. Plus, she told me about a new restaurant in Somerville, MA. I was telling her about my great experience with M at Solea, in Waltham. Love the tapas.

Took Sam to his first dentist appointment. It was just a first step in what they call "Familiarization" visits, so we'll continue them once a week for a while to get him used to the office, the dentist and all that they do there. Unfortunately, in the less than 3 seconds Sam let her look in his mouth, she things she spotted a cavity, in a place which may mean there are more (between his teeth, and big enough to see at a glance). I think for that, we will take him to a children's hospital (Franciscan), where they will put him under and they will fill the cavity(s), take x-rays, and do whatever else they need to do while he's out. I know it sounds harsh, but considering the time and trauma of getting him to the point of being able to do it easily in her office, it seems like the best choice. Hopefully, they can put some sealant on his teeth while he's there to prevent future cavities. I feel awful that I let this happen, but even though he is willing to brush, he mainly goes across the front, and anything else is a battle (one which I tackle, but obviously not well enough).

Speech at Children's for Sam continues to be postponed, this time until next week. And even then, it's not totally consistent. To be honest, I am not thrilled with the whole process there. After having had the appointment postponed twice, once after we had confirmed the appointment the day before and actually physically shown up for the appointment.

I have already broken my word twice now. Originally, I said I had 15 minutes to write this post, anf that was at 7:15PM. Now it's 9:54PM, and I said I would get into bed at 9 and try to be asleep by 9:30. At least I got into bed around 9:40 and i am no longer watching TV. Problem is, I'm not Sleepy Tired, and I don't feel like reading. Cruising the internet it is. Nite.

In My Pajamas Before 7PM

I feel like I should preface this post, and all of my interactions today with the following caveat,

"I got up before 5AM; my parents house and another property they own is flooded and they are on vacation; my lower back is killing me; I have not had a good kid break in a couple of days; we can't go to Vermont this weekend because of the aforementioned flooding; I had to cancel my much needed haircut because of same flooding; and my husband is going to Alaska on Wednesday for a week and a day and I will be GASP, a single parent of two lunatic children."

In addition, my ENTIRE family's birthdays are in March (including M), and I have yet to purchase one of the seven plus cards and gifts I will need by the end of this month. However, I did find the PERFECT gift for friend K in Oregon, Been Doon So Long, by the owner of the Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, California. I had it sent to me so I could preview it. K is a wine and food connoisseur (yes, I had to look up the spelling), and I think he will be quite surprised since he is not a friend I usually buy gifts for (his wife is a BFF of mine). But I like to get the perfect gift for someone when I find it, even if my purchasing habits may be inconsistent.

So, I have had, as Babysitter Extraordinaire (BE) put it, A No Good, Very Bad, Horrible week. Two autistic kid events that didn't work out, either well, or at all, no exercise (until today), I had very little chance to do computer work with Sam, and the rest of the shit you already know about. Plus, childcare is somewhat limited because we thought we would be away. But, the upside is, GARDENING! YOGA! SUNSHINE! M even took the lawn furniture out today, which I am sure will result in subsequent snow and cold.

As my therapy this week, I have chosen retail, specifically Amazon. Those folks are, as The Little Person remarks,

"(That's) Genius!"

They have my credit card info (actually Debit, we don't use credit cards anymore), and all it takes is One Click. I think of something I need/want and CLICK! It's mine. So, the packages have been arriving. Four new cookbooks, plastic strap-on skis for the kids, autism books, and more autism books.

It is the kind of week where Things and Television make me happy, in addition to magazines. Did I mention my new subscriptions? Also, sweaty yoga tomorrow, and hot tubbing with Lovely Neighbor. Along with resulting tasks at Flood Central. I'm thinking pancakes and bacon for breakfast. What are you doing this weekend?

Part Deux

So, the swimming. Let me set the scene.Sam has been taking private swimming lessons for a year and a half. First we went to the JCC, which had an Adaptive Aquatics program, so the instructor(s) had some experience woking with kids with autism. We were fortunate to get Tony, who was fantastic. The first thing Tony did was kick me out of the pool area. I would go upstairs and watch through a window whilst sitting and reading. It became my favorite part of the week. The going was a little stressful, since I picked Sam up at school (15 minutes away from our house) and then drove to the JCC (20 minutes from Sam's school). I would bring snacks, and he would chill and in the early days, sometimes fall asleep on the way. So the driving was about almost an hour all told. Then there was walking into the JCC, checking in at the front desk with my squirming child, and taking him down to the family locker room to get him dressed. It was all good unless we were early, or Tony was busy.

The good and bad was that Tony was the Aquatics Director, and so he sometimes had to cover for other staff. But all in all, we were happy. Tony works somewhere else in the summertime, so we had Lucinda last summer, and though we were concerned at first (and missed Tony, who SAM was used to), she ended up being great. Very calm. Both of them had oodles of experience with kids on the spectrum. Then the JCC became the YMCA, which changed things. The Adapted Aquatics Program was a JCC program, so they were now running the program from outside the building and had less control. The available times became much more limited and were mostly on weekends, when we go away a lot. So we took a break and eventually signed both kids up as members at another YMCA nearby. The plan was to have L take Sam swimming on Sundays, but it took us a while to set that up, and then it didn't work out so great. L was into it, but the slide at the pool was a problem (Sam would have to wait in line) and the young lifeguards on the weekends were not accommodating to a kid on the spectrum, mostly due to inexperience. We talked with the administration at the Y, and they were receptive, saying that they just hadn't been able to effectively train all of their staff, and perhaps we could try a weekday. So I looked into private lessons, and though their Adaptive Aquatics program had been going on for less time and seemed less organized than the JCC, they had just hired someone with experience and were eager to work with us. That was the first instructor, who's experience ended up being with a child with cerebral palsy, but she was very nice and eager to work with Sam.

M ended up teaching Sam swimming for about a month or so. Then we signed him up for the next session, assuming it would be with her again. Apparently, M switched her days, and they were planning to switch instructors. I told the Aquatics Director that we would prefer to stay with the same person, and so WE switched days. The first day we showed up as M was leaving, apparently she didn't know she had to teach even though I had confirmed it with The Director that day. She was very gracious about staying and teaching Sam. I gave her my number and she said she would text me regarding the next week and the time (I had asked if she could do it 10 minutes later so we wouldn't be late). I may have written about this previously, but I arranged to pick Sam up at school and play on the school's playground for 10 minutes so we wouldn't be too early. M texted me an hour before the lesson to say she was sick and could we reschedule. So I picked him up anyway, and he was fine about going home.

She texted me during the week to see what days would wok for us, and we decided to just make it up at the end of the session. Then this week we showed up and...there was a new instructor. A is her name. She said that M had a health issue or emergency and they had to take her off the roster. I was dumbstruck, as I couldn't believe that The Director wouldn't call to let me know it was going to be a new person. I asked about A's experience working with kids with special needs and autism. She said 16 years. Great! I gave her a little information on Sam, ie: he's non verbal but understands a lot, he will test you until he knows you, he knows some signs, he can swim etc...and I went to sit in the lobby (it is so hot by the pool you could die. The air is suffocating, but the pool is often freezing. Go figure). I am sitting watching through the glass in the lobby and reading a magazine when A comes to the window and mimes like she needs help. I should back up and say that I already noticed that she had no control over Sam, and I had already seen him get out of the pool walk past two lanes and jump off a platform over a few other kids. I RUN around to the family locker room and out to the pool. Turns out Sam was crying and pulling his bathing suit down, signing help. Guess what? He had to go to the bathroom. Also, she scratched him with her fingernail by accident when he was getting out of or into the pool, so there is a nice red scratch up his side. I take him to the bathroom, come out and she apologizes, says he was all over the place and not listening to her and do I want to continue the lesson (there are about 5 minutes left at this point)? I say I think we are good for today, and leave to comfort my child, who is still crying. I feel like at best, she was totally unqualified to be teaching him. I also decided we were done with Sam at the Y. I emailed The Director that night and told her what had happened, why I was unhappy and that I would like a refund on Sam's lesson and the rest of his year membership.

The next day I got two emailed apologies, one from The Director, and one from A. Both were very nice, and honestly hoped that we would try again. By that time, I had already called a different place and spoken to someone about a different placement for Sam. I had been furious, but I was never sad. This was a difference for me. Whereas before, I would have been embarrassed, defeated, wrecked by this type of situation, I was instead just mad and concerned about my child. It wasn't his fault that she didn't understand he needed to go to the bathroom, that he got scratched, and that the instructor was unprepared and inexperienced. It was not his fault that the instructor had changed with no notice. I did what I needed to do For My Child. As it turns out, we will get the refunds we asked for, and Sam will get to swim. I am even thinking of checking out Special Olympics as a after school activity.

I am feeling so much better about my life with Sam. He is my special boy and I cannot wait to see what he can do! And, life keeps going. There is always something new to deal with. Today we went to a special Speech Therapy appointment at Children's Hospital in a department that specializes in Augmented Communication. We confirmed the appointment yesterday, mostly to make sure the insurance authorization had been obtained. I picked Sam and his teacher up at school and drove the thirty minutes to the appointment. When we got there, all prepared with our device, computer, iPod and snacks, we found that there had been a mix-up, and someone had scheduled us in a time slot that should have been blocked. The Speech Therapist was not even on site, and could we come back in two hours?

Therein lies a whole nother post. Till next time, my dear friends.

Wormy The Pet Worm

This post is being brought to you by The Little Person's new pet, Wormy. If you hadn't guessed, Wormy is a worm. I have a lot to share, but feel a little overwhelmed by all that is going on.

Autism Symposium

M and I attended an Autism Symposium on Thursday and Friday of last week. Since we were both going, it took some arranging, but thanks to Gram, Lovely Neighbor, and Babysitter Extraordinaire (BE), we pulled it off. BE actually attended the Symposium with us, which was fantastic. It was so good to have her there, and she saved us seats, which was important, since there were 450 people attending the first day. The keynote that morning was Temple Grandin and she was amazing, inspiring and super funny. She had her trademark cowboy shirt on with her pins, and Claire Danes did an incredible job portraying here because they sounded exactly alike. I even asked a question, whether she still had the Squeeze Machine and whether she could comment on her relationship with her typical sibling/sister.

They had a great "bookstore" with tons of resources in the back, and I bought as many as I could that I thought would be useful for working with Sam. The second speaker of the day was Elaine Hall, from Autism: The Musical (great if you can rent it). I have heard her speak before and seen her story about The Miracle Project, where she brought together a bunch of differently functioning kids with autism and their families to create a musical. I think, as BE commented, that she would be better for people new to the autism community, either parents or practitioners. She was good at energizing folks, but I felt like she didn't share as much of her story as she has in the past, and that affects her authenticity with this group.

The next day we heard from Pat Mirenda, who is the guru on all things AAC (Assisted Augmented Communication), SGD's (Speech Generating Devices), assistive technology, and social interaction for kids on the spectrum. I loved Temple, but this was the presentation I got the most out of, because this is exactly where we are at with Sam. I enjoyed it thoroughly, took copious notes and didn't want to miss a minute. I was fully engaged the entire time, which was most of the day. I again purchased resources, but we also got lots of ideas for things we can and want to do with Sam. It felt great (and overwhelming) to think about all of the things he can do with a little help. I will keep you updated as we implement some of the new things we learned about.

The other thing is that Sam has a new SGD (speech generating device) called, ironically, Say It Sam, and apparently he has really connected with using it, according to his teacher. He comments on the weather, and tells his teacher when he has something to say. We are looking forward to seeing him and the device in action. Hopefully, the prior authorization from our insurance will be worked out for his speech therapy appointment on Thursday. He has been doing great work for me at home, and with L, who does respite on Sundays. Aside from the ongoing early waking, I am feeling really good about things with Sam. Though there is always nagging feeling that you can always be doing more for or with your autistic child, or that you should have done more earlier. Found a good book by a local (Brookline, MA) woman called The Autism Mom's Survival Guide, which I identify with a lot more than I would have thought.

OK, need a break. Part II regarding swimming and anything else will be tomorrow (hopefully).

Big post coming as soon as I catch up on some sleep. Autism Symposium, speech generating devices, swimming and homework on the computer. Stay tuned!

Waiting for Grandma

I don't have much to say except that we are waiting for Grandma to come visit with the kids so we can go play for a while...preferably something outside since it is GORGEOUS outside.

Sometimes I Like The Kid Who Doesn't Talk More...

There are some benefits to a kid that doesn't talk. Peace and quiet being two. The Little Person, who may be renamed The One Who Never Shuts Up is literally driving us crazy. As in batshit, I think I might do something bad if you don't go to your grandparents house right now. Thankfully, The Rents are still in town. And when I called my mom to ask her to take The Little Person (I won't rename him just yet), my dad answered. I went through the niceties, how are you, how was your trip (he just came back from seeing my 93 year old grandmother), and then laid it out.

Me

"I just wanted to see how you were doing and whether you could take The Little Person for a while, because he's driving us crazy."

Dad

"What's he doing?"

Me

"Talking non-stop and asking tons of questions (among other more vexing things).

Dad

"Oh, so the normal."

Me

"Yup."

Dad said that he had some work to do, and I thought this, along with my mother not being home (she is the official arranger of plans) was going to be an excuse or delay tactic (as in, why don't you give your mom a call?) But to my surprise, he said he had some work to do, and why didn't I drop The Little Person off at 2:15, 2:30, which was in about a half an hour. Great!

After M was done letting him watch him sand and stain the new wood shelves for the basement I let The Little Person watch an episode of I Spy on the condition that he not talk or I would turn the television off (I figured it was the only way I could cope with the time left until I dropped him off with Pop. He agreed, and to his credit, lasted almost 10 minutes, at which part I reminded him of our deal.

As I was walking out the door to drop him off at The Rents, Lovely neighbor called for a coffee break. She was working from home and needed a bit of a chin wag. So I zoomed over to The rents, disposed of the child and kept her from doing anything productive for a good hour. That, along with the coffee (and said ditching of the child) has restored me to my normal cheery self! Did I mention I've been up since three?

The cool thing is, Lovely Neighbor helped me come up with an idea. We were talking about books, and with my Kindle Ahem problem. I download books constantly, whenever I hear about them, whether it be on NPR, or in O Magazine. I downloaded the Kindle app on my Blackberry and on one of the laptops (we now have three, but that's a whole nother post), so I can read on multiple devices (including my Kindle). Partly this was because my Kindle is Ahem compromised. It works well, but there is a crack or a glitch in the part of the screen where the cursor slides up and down, so I have to guess where the curser is. Usually, I am pretty good at guessing, but it takes some of the fun and convenience out of it (especially downloading items), and today it took me a good fifteen minutes to download The New Yorker. So, not only can I read on multiple devices anywhere and everywhere, but the downloading itself is a lot easier on the BB and laptops.

Anywho, all that is to say that I Like To Read. A Lot. Actually, I'd pretty much rather be by myself reading, or lost in a book, than anything else. Might be something to do with the only child thing, but it's what makes me happy and what calms me down. So we were talking (that is, Lovely Neighbor and I), about how this interest/obsession had never really translated into a career for me. Editors, copy or otherwise don't pick what comes across their desk, and end up reading a lot of crap. She suggested I could write reviews for the local paper, but I don't know if anyone else would care what books I like. But then i thought, what medium allows me to share my thoughts and opinions no matter whether anyone else is interested in them? And it hit me. The internet! I could blog about the books I read (on a separate blog from Sammy Noodles, of course), the books I want to read, the magazines I like and everything that obsesses me about books and reading! So, I may do it. First I have to think of a name. Book Whore?

Tired when I sleep

Today was my day to sleep and I almost feel more tired. Go figure. Pretty good weekend, though I'm not sure exactly what we did. I do remember fries and shakes (shamrock for me) at McDonald's and then not being able to eat dinner. It was so worth it. Today Sam had swimming. The problem with swimming is mostly the time. It is at 3:15PM, and he gets home at 3PM. It takes a good 20 minutes to get to the YMCA, so we are always late. But, if I pick him up at school, which is out near the Y, we will be too early, which is also a problem. The lesson is a private lesson, so it is more expensive, and it is only a half hour, so being late cuts into an already short lesson. So today it was beautiful out, and I though, maybe I can pick him up early (I think school technically ends at 2:50PM), and let him play on the playground for 10 minutes and then go to the lesson and be on time. I called his teacher and arranged to meet them at the back door by the playground at 2:45PM, to avoid some of the end of school chaos. It seemed like a great plan and I was pretty proud of myself for thinking of something that made it easier for both of us.

This is where the plan fell apart. Murphy's Law. I arranged to meet a friend (massage therapist extraordinaire) at the farm-stand less then 2 minutes from Sam's elementary school. They have great sandwiches and a great outdoor space, so we could sit outside. Plus it was near Sam's school and the highway, so said friend could hop on and get to work in Boston. Alas, the place was closed on Mondays this time of year. So we had to regroup from my original perfect plan. We decided to head to a coffee shop in the center of town with outdoor seating as well. It cut into our time slightly, but not too badly. So we get there, and decide to have dessert for lunch with our coffee. We get a selection of sweets and find a sunny table outside. Life is good. Then I get a text from Sam's swimming instructor. I have been waiting to hear from her since last Monday. She is sick, and needs to reschedule. Great. I have already arranged to pick Sam up, so I still will, but hopefully he is not too excited about swimming. I will let him play at the school playground for a bit if he wants, but otherwise will go home. This all takes place an hour before the lesson. I can see how if you are sweet and nice and nineteen (?), it seems reasonable to cancel within a few hours of an appointment. But kids get used to routines, especially kids with autism, and change is difficult. Fortunately, Sam was fine with going home, and lovely lunch continued without (another) hitch. Such is life.

Nu? (And you?)

So, what's new? Same old same old here. My thoughts are more tangential than whole, more suitable for Facebook than a blog post. Things on my mind:

1. Called in a prescription refill, which my insurance wouldn't cover because they only cover one pill per day, and my doctor had increased it to one and a half pills per day. I know, the nerve of doctors, increasing prescriptions! So I called my insurance, and they said I needed prior authorization from my doctor. So I called my doctor and a snippy nurse took a message, but wouldn't take the number of the prior authorization phone line that the insurance company had given me. So I emailed my doctor the additional information. Then I went to pick up my prescription, intending to pay for it out of pocket for this month until things got worked out with my doctor and my insurance, minus a AAA discount the pharmacy told me about when I returned their call initially. So last night I go work out at the gym (by myself with no trainer, no class, nothing) and then stop by the pharmacy's drive-thru. After the tech finds my medication, I hand him my AAA card and my debit card. He asks me if I want to run an errand, because it is going to take some time JUST TO RUN THE AAA CARD. Since my experience at this pharmacy is less than optimal (they regularly lose or my prescriptions), and there is some potentially interesting television on, I decide to screw it and pay for it without the AAA card.
2. Sam has been using a voice output device by a company called Dynavox at school. It's a older version, but he's picked it up pretty quickly, and it has been great for helping him to interact with the kids in his typical first grade classroom. Unfortunately, it is a loaner (we are "renting" it to try it out prior to purchasing) and the lease is up in less than a week. The school has told me that the plan is to "try out" a couple more devices to see which one works best, and then make a recommendation to purchase something. The delay means he will be transitioning a few times, each time after he gets comfortable with a device and then has to get used to a new one. Plus, the first type has been working well, and I heard through the grapevine that device number two is crap. So it sounds like several months of wasted time just to figure out that we liked the first one and then have to jump through all the hoops required to try to purchase one (they are several thousand dollars). Financially and administratively, I see the benefit of trying different rental devices and then making an educated decision, but as the parent of a child who doesn't tolerate change well, and is already having success with the first device which will soon be returned/exchanged, I am torn. I want it all for him, and I want it now!
3. Plus, we had a series of six appointments set up with a speech therapist in Children's Hospital's Augmented Communication program. The appointments were supposed to start today, and Sam's one-on-one teacher, Mrs. H, was going to come, so we could all get help on how to best support him in using technology. I was particularly excited to show the speech therapist the work Sam and I have been doing at home on the computer. In addition, there is some software we bought through the program at Children's that we need help in setting up, and i had intended to bring it with us today. Yesterday we got a call that they FORGOT to get the prior authorization required by insurance and so we would need to cancel our appointment and reschedule. Mrs. H told me she even wore non-jeans! The worst part is that M and I have plans to attend an autism symposium next week where Temple Grandin is one of the keynotes, and won't be able to do the speech appointment then either.
4. So, in conclusion, Sam and I have been doing a bunch of work, but I need help in expanding on what we are doing, and the delay is frustrating. I had a conference today with Sam's (typical) first grade teacher, and she said how well Sam is doing, thanks in part to the device, which she calls The Box.
   

Well, I guess I had more to say than I thought. The Little Person has been, as one of his teacher describes it "ornery" this week, not to mention tired. Welcome to my world. The good news is that Pop will be out of town and so The Little Person is having a sleepover this weekend at Gram's! In spite of it all, I have actually gotten a few things done this week, so I'm feeling okay. Looking forward to a date night with M and The Lovely Neighbors...go Bruins!

Um, I am very tired

But you will not have very much sympathy for me, as part of the reason is that we got home late from taking The Little Person to see The Lion King. Sam spent the night with my parents, and enjoyed his night as an only child, complete with dinner out at a restaurant. We took The Little Person to dinner in Boston's Chinatown before the show. We were all dressed in our fancy duds and on our best behavior. He LOVED the show, was totally mesmerized with eyes like big saucers as the animals came down the aisles. Oh, and we had fourth row seats thanks to Gram, so we had a great view. Plus, they gave him a booster seat, which helped a lot. Who knew, a booster seat at the theater! I could have used one of those on more than one occasion. But, I'm guessing they don't give them out for the vertically challenged. Anyways, The Little Person was awesome. Which was good, because he was beyond a pain in the ass all day leading up to our departure. At the show, he was his best self, happy and engaged and super cute. Even when he fell asleep at the end, across the chair and on M, we smiled across at each other over the little person we created, having a perfect night at his first show.

So, we got home at about eleven, dumped The Little Person in bed, said good-bye to Gram, and passed out. Until Sam got up at....actually, you don't want to know. Trust me. I helped him get leftover pizza out for breakfast, started a video, and periodically told him to be quiet. The next thing I know, M had let The Little Person out of his room because he was yelling, and I didn't hear it (gotta love those earplugs). I parented and got Sam ready for school (The Little Person doesn't have school today), and now we are chillaxing before a playdate with a friend of mine from high school and her son. Fortunately, that is the only thing on the agenda today as far as scheduled events.

Parenting in IKEA

Yesterday we took The Little Person to IKEA for lack of any other ideas while Sam had respite with L. The first forty-five minutes were great. The Little Person went happily to the play area while we toodled around.

We got to the end of the upper floor and were by the food. M went to use the restroom and I looked for this mini tent with stuffed animals in it that I had seen on display. While I was wandering back through the maze I atpped to ask an employee for help, and the woman was calling security for help with a nine or ten year old boy laying on a bed in the kids area who did not respond when she spoke to him. I followed her back to the child because I was concerned he was autistic. He was indeed lying on a child's bed with eyes open and unable or unwilling to speak. I walked back and got M and by the time we got to the child his parent/guardian was there WITH HIS WALKER. Yes folks, his caregivers left him there while they explored IKEA. He was significantly disabled both physically and cognitively. I can only imagine that's how desperate they were for a break from their life. We sat near them at lunch, and they appeared happy and loving. I was angry and felt sick when I first heard the IKEA employee tell the caregiver that he could not just leave him there. It hit a little too close to home. It was awful, but I don't know their life and I can't even imagine how they handle situations and make decisions affecting that young boy.
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