I just need to say WOW!

After posting yesterday I went back and read the stuff from last year.  We have really come a long way!  I still have the same fears as described yesterday and saw that I voiced those before but when I started writing, Christopher had virtually no verbal skills. He is now talking in full sentences, using I, me and you, calling people by name...it is just amazing.  Granted, there is still a lot that he says that I can't understand so we guess a good bit.  But even with that he is patient and will say yes or no and repeat it if needed.  Christopher is still pretty easy going though.   After a while he will just move on to something else.

We have also come a long way in toileting.  There are still a lot of accidents, I had to wash a new pair of shoes tonight but I haven't bought pull-ups in over a month.  He stays dry at night and doesn't wet first thing in the morning, which is good because he still comes and crawls into our bed.  Those were some fearful nights/mornings so as soon as he starts waking up we usher him into the bathroom.  I'm not quite as worried now and will give him a little more time to wake up.  We still have to do a lot of cues throughout the day to go to the bathroom.

Pretend play and cooperative play are also coming along.  His sister is an elaborate story teller, and changes the rules of the game as she goes along, but he can play right along with her.  They were vampires earlier today, but only when they had the fake teeth in.

Another amazing feat, today we had lunch out at a sit down restaurant and there were no meltdowns or attempts at escape!  We did have the trusty Kindle Fire and he watched cartoons on it for part of the meal.  His sister did complain that he had it, but it was working.  However, the car ride wasn't as smooth. He has his own sense of direction and I was not driving the way he wanted to go.  But like before the meltdowns or tantrums are still very short.

I just need to teach him the difference between a watering can (which we don't own) and a gas can.  Back in the spring he poured gas on my mom's flowers to "water" them and while I was cleaning the garage today he lugged an almost empty can down over the hill to "water" them again. Fortunately, my can had a safety latch on it otherwise, the flowers would have gotten it by the time I got to him.

To everything there is a season....

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

Things are changing in our house.  The first major change is the reason I'm awake at 1 am to write this.  I got a part time job that is supposed to be my fun money.  The fun right now is working to get things caught up and cover a few extras.  There are further employment changes coming.  I've put in my notice to leave the safety and security of a job I've held for the past 5 years to begin a new program in the community.  Its scary and exciting at the same time.  I've become the "go-to" person at the office for anything and everything, which could be one of the precipitating factors for wanting to leave.  When there is a question about anything, I seem to be the first person people run to.  Even though people understand my decision to leave, I have caused several people (and more to come) sadness.  It's hard to disappoint people, even when its "just a job".  I've taken pride in my work and the reputation that I have in the community. 

Things are starting to catch up with me.  I'm near the point of exhaustion.  I have 2 weeks of school to finish a bunch of work.  To reduce that stress, I'm only taking one class next term instead of 2.  I'm taking a break from my reading to do this entry.  It's been a while since I wrote anything too.  The full time job has had me busy and the part time job wears me out on the weekends.  There is absolutely no time to clean my house or do laundry.  I'm short tempered and irritable.  I want to go lay in my bed and sleep for a week.

On a separate note, Christopher continues to do spectacularly.  Both kids are off from school but Christopher goes back for the month July.  He is trying to say more.  We don't always understand what he's saying.  He's also showing just how smart he is.  If we can get him to "perform" I don't see any problem with him going to regular ed Kindergarten.  He still has 2 years of pre-school to get ready for that obstacle.  The clapping and yelling in church has become expected.  He's doing better at staying for all of the singing and letting me hold him.  He may be able to sit through a church service eventually.

Allison goes away for her first week of camp in another week.  She's planning to be gone for two weeks.  She leaves on Sunday and returns on Saturday for Girl Scout Camp.  Church camp runs the following week.  I'm thinking she's going to be too intolerable to do both weeks.

He said what?

Communication is a huge hurdle to jump.  When Christopher was 1 1/2 he had no words and did not babble.  I always joked before he was born that he wouldn't talk because with his sister around, he'd never get a word in.  He was diagnosed just before his second birthday and communication was non-existent.  After the diagnosis, we finally started with PECS and Signing Time videos.  PECS taught him to communicate but I think the bigger skill was learning that he had a way to get something he wanted.  Christopher has never been a fussy child.  He's always been very happy and would just go with the flow of things.  PECS began that exchange process.  He says something, he gets something and after a short time it began to click.  He also learned a lot from the videos.  I would have to watch the video and try to figure out what he was signing.  The signs aren't always perfect but may be approximations.  Over time, he has fluctuated between the frequency of each use.  We probably use signs the most currently.  He tries to say a lot of things.

Christopher has really taken to singing songs.  I can't understand the words but he gets the melody enough to know what he is singing.  I'm not sure what he is doing as far as speech development. I can't pin point sound or syllable replacement and I'm looking forward to the speech therapist's evaluation.  He will just babble away at times.  Sometimes I know he is trying to tell me something but it is just the same sounds over and over.

I have toyed with the idea of getting the IPOD Touch or another system and getting a communication program downloaded but I have hesitated because the speech has been coming slowly.

ROY G. BIV

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple....okay so its not Indigo, Violet, but this was Christopher's phrase this morning.  I'm guessing it came from some cartoon but it would have to be something he recalled from at least the night before.  We also got to see some rare pretend play this morning.  Christopher found his doctor kit this morning and checked out my ears and heart.  This may not be a big deal for most people but pretend play is something that we've been working on for a long time.

On the surface, Christopher looks like he is doing really well and he is.  One of the biggest problems with working with Autism, is making sure there are no gaps in development.  Kids learn things in a certain order to build upon skills and it can be difficult to make sure skills are met when you have a three year old working on 1 1/2 year old skills.  Probably one of the most frustrating things and the hardest to keep from doing is comparing to other kids your child's age.

Christopher received an early diagnosis compared to other kids.  When I think about the reasons for going for a diagnosis it wasn't to give Christopher a label, it was to give this "illness" a name.  If you go to the doctor and find out you have a cold, the flu or cancer; you have given your illness a name and know how to battle it.  In order to know how to fight the monster that was hindering Christopher's development we had to give it a name.  Once we understood what we were fighting against, we were able to go after it head on.  If you have cancer and treat it like the flu, the cancer is going to win in the end. Even if something happens and a doctor determines it isn't Autism but was Sensory Integration Disorder or some other disorder that doesn't have a name yet, there have been no interventions we have used that have caused harm.  The interventions have only helped to open some doors to him.

In the end, it is the Roy G. Biv moments that keep me going strong and always wondering what the future has in store for us.