Photo Shoot

 

     

A friend of mine in my mommy's group took these of Drew last week. I just love how they turned out!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Last  night Drew and I worked on his Thomas the Train Valentine's for his classmates before he went to bed.  He helped hold the crayons as I wrote the names of the kids in his class and he read me the letters of each child's name.  We then taped some candy to each Valentine.   We had all the Valentine's ready for his party at school.....

....Then it snowed!  Out of no where!  No one expected it.  We got 2-3 inches, which is unheard of here.  So needless to say, NO SCHOOL on Valentine's day.  Tomorrow's forecast is in the 70's, so we shall see what tomorrow brings....

What I love....

From a post in my mommy's group's message board:

Normally I wake up around 1 am or 3 am with Drew sitting on top of me banging on my head saying Wake Up Monny, Wake up Monny. Well this morning, he quietly crawled into our bed at 6:01, pushed his forehead against mine and gave me eskimo kisses! Then he got under the covers and cuddled for about 20 minutes. What a way to wake up! I just love him so much!

So with Valentine's Day coming up, I thought I could talk about what I love about my kid....

I Love:
* That even though Drew doesn't say "I Love You", he finds ways to show me that he does
* When in shopping carts, Drew loves asking for Big Hugs
* Living in a Spelling bee at all times (Drew is overly enthusiastic about letters and words)
* The way Drew tries to "teach" me sign language by folding my fingers
* The way he likes everything just so and in order, but hates baskets and boxes being full
* When Drew runs away from me he says "come back here"
* The way he stands behind me in the chair when I sew and hugs my back
* The way he looks at his Daddy when he comes home from work
* ...and so much more

Autism Workshop

Today I went to a workshop for parents of newly diagnosed children with autism.  I learned a lot.  I met one couple that take their daughter to a DAN doctor, which was really interesting.  I wish I had money to try some of these things, but for now I just work with Drew as much as I can with what I already know.  I did find out about different case managment and funding options which I need to look into.  

One thing I never thought about was the importance of notifying local emergency departments about a child with autism being in your home.  So your house will be flagged.  For example if there was a fire, they would know that Drew may not respond to them calling his name and may run from them.

I have also come to the conclusion that Drew needs a weighted blanket.  I am thinking that it might help a lot with his sleep issues.  Maybe not, but I really think it is worth a shot.  Some times the only way I can get him to sleep is to hold him tight and i used to have to put him in the sling for him to go to sleep.  He likes to be held tight and secure and the blanket might help give him a sense of security.  

I really wish he would have had an OT evaluation.  The Occupational Therapist at his school doesn't do sensory integration therapy, which is what  he would need, so I will have to look into other options outside of the school system.  Sensory issues were never addressed with Drew and the more I read the more issues I see.

I need to start making a list of questions and things to take to the developmental pediatrician in March. 

Speech...

I am starting to warm up to Drew's current speech teacher at his school.  I do think she has doing really well with him.  She has started figuring out when to use signs with him and when to use pictures and PECS to get him to talk.  He has even started calling me mommy on occassion.  He still calls me monny when he is tired, whiny, and well still quite a bit, but it is an improvement.  He is also starting to make the F sound, which is exciting.

Bad news is that his speech teacher is pregnant and will be leaving soon, who knows what will happen after that.  

So this is what sleep feels like....

So we have decided to put Drew on clonidine for sleep.  I just can't do it anymore.  He sleeps about 4-6 hours per night and naps are hit or miss.  He wakes up and is ready to go for the day.  I can't function on such little sleep.

The first day we tried the full dose that the doctor prescribed and was so tired he couldn't go to school the next day.  He could hardly stand up and he slept on and off for the next 2 days.  So we tried half of a dose with the doctor's permission.  He has slept 10 hours per night since.  He is going to bed willingly and staying in bed.  Naps are still hit and miss, but for now Drew is getting some sleep (and so am I!)

Time for T-Ball

Drew got a T-Ball set for Christmas and I decided it was time to try it out.  Drew had a blast.   He didn't hit it very hard, so he would just pick up the ball and throw it where he wanted it to go....silly boy!  He loved running back and forth to pick up the ball and put it on the tee.



      


.......and yes, I realize he needs a haircut