Autism Awareness Month

I haven't posted in forever because I find posting things on Facebook satisfies my need to share my life with family and friends. I have decided that this month, I should go back to blogging because April is Autism Awareness month, and this is a subject that is hitting close to home.




Almost a year ago I posted this entry about Jayden's 3 year check-up and my apprehensions about his lack of speech. The plan was for Jayden to go to HeadStart and see if things would work themselves out with extra outside help.

I'm happy to say that things ARE improving. He has developed more vocabulary. He is starting to play more with other kids- whereas before, he was mostly doing his own thing and didn't care to be very social. He's receiving therapies that seem to be helping a lot.

Therein is the pull. He is receiving therapies because it has been determined by the Special Education team that he qualifies based on the SSIS(Social Skills Improvement System) and other assessments they performed. The SSIS includes an assessment of autism behaviors. Jayden placed within the above average range for behaviors related to autism. This wasn't a big surprise to me. I had suspected such for a while, but it makes it a little more real when you hear it from others.

Those of you who know Jayden well might be shocked to hear that he could be autistic. He shows love and affection and interacts. It's a myth that people with autism lack the ability to show affection and love. In fact, it's a myth that if you've seen one person with autism, you've seen them all. There is a reason that they call it "the spectrum." I am fortunate in that Jayden seems to be on the high functioning end of the spectrum.

Some things that indicate he could be on the spectrum:
Speech delay
Difficulty with social interaction
Repetitive behaviors
Lines toys up
Becomes very upset if his order is messed with
Echolalia
Difficulty with change
Hyperlexia
Sensitive to some sounds
Food aversions

Some of these issues lead to behaviors that seem less than desirable to the general passerby. I'm sure that people might look at Jayden during a meltdown and think that he just needs to be disciplined and I feel like a bad parent at those times. I think that one thing people need to be aware of this month(and others) is that autism is an invisible disorder. Don't sit in judgment on a situation where a child is having a meltdown. It could be that the child is a little hellion with lack of discipline, but it could be something that is beyond control. I know that I've been judgmental in the past, but I'm not so quick to be that way now. A kind word goes a long way.

It hasn't been easy for me to come to terms with our situation. Parents want the best for their children, and I want Jayden to have a good life without too many struggles. The truth is that we all have our own struggles to face, and I hope to be able to help Jayden face his struggles. He hasn't officially been diagnosed with autism(something I need to work on in the coming year), but no matter what label he gets, the label that I hope to put on him is LOVE. He's a great kid, and I'm proud to be his mom. He makes me smile every day(even on the days that I want to cry).

There's a lot more that I want to say about this subject, but I'm leaving on a weekend retreat later today, so my plan is to blog frequently through the month about autism and Jayden. I'll be adding more pictures and stuff, so check back soon!

Squirrel in my Bag and Snake in the Sink!

Today we went to a park for an outing with people from Parents as Teachers. We grabbed lunch from McDonalds because I forgot that we were out of bread. After it was over, I grabbed my bag which contained a few leftover fries and set it on the grass while the kids continued to play on the playground. When we were getting ready to go, I told Kyrie to go get the bag. She came back with,"Mom! There's a squirrel in the bag!"

We sat and watched for a while.






It found the french fries! Moments later it went back down and came up with a ketchup packet! Guess it wanted a little ketchup to go with the fries!


Late tonight, I decided to make a trip to the gym. When I got there, I used the restroom and started to wash my hands. I got my heart rate up before I even stepped on the treadmill when this snake came up out of the drain! I let out a scream! I didn't bother to reach over and turn off the water. There were two guys and two other girls working out. I told them about the snake in the sink, so we all gathered around the bathroom and stood there watching it. One girl told me that the manager had tried to get the snake out earlier, but was unsuccessful(Thanks for the warning!). We called the manager, but she was in bed and didn't want to come down, so she said if no one was going to get it, we could shut the door and leave a note about the bathroom being out of order.



For some reason, I decided to put on a brave face and pick the snake up and carry it outside. I don't know why- maybe I was afraid of it coming out under the door or something. Anyway, I hope it stays outside now and enjoys it's freedom.

And that was my experience with wildlife- twice in the same day!

4th of July

If you want to see all 63 photos I took of the day, you can click on this!

We had an excellent 4th of July. Went to church in the morning. In the afternoon, we attended the parade:




This is my favorite picture!

After the parade, I put the final touches on the raspberry pretzel jello salad that I had prepared the night before for the party we were attending that night. Note to self:Spray whipped cream might be convenient, but it will surely melt and run later on.


Later that evening we left for the party that was a few blocks down the lake from us. The neighbors were setting off a lot of fireworks, and Jayden was very overwhelmed by it all. I think it was partially due to the fact that he was tired, but Mark decided to take him home and put him to bed.


Isaiah and I took a little boat ride on the lake before they shut it down for the fireworks. It was pretty smoky coming back to the dock because of all the fireworks being ignited. The man next to Isaiah is Captain Ken. He is a sailboat enthusiast. After we got back to shore, he taught Isaiah how to tie knots. They really bonded.



Kyrie and Isaiah were the only kids at the party, so a lady there gave them all her sparklers to play with and we got to play with some personal fireworks.







At 10:00, they shot off the fireworks over the lake. It wasn't as big a show as last year, though.



It didn't matter too much because we got to enjoy all the other fireworks that the neighbors were setting off. ;)



Happy 234th birthday, America!

Another schnuzzling post

So it's been a while since my last post. I would like to blame it on all the fun that I'm having on our vacation in Seattle. Mostly it's because it was easier to post all the pictures that I've been taking on Facebook.

I saw a post on another blog I follow about sleeping babies, and it reminded me of this picture that I took of Jayden about a week or so ago. Once again, he has fallen asleep in a funny place in a funny position- holding a SpongeBob card. And yes, this poor child is only wearing a diaper. I am lucky to get him to wear that. He is fully clothed when we go anywhere, but as soon as we get home, he is asking,"Shirt off? Pants off?"



Well, we've been here for about two weeks, and we are planning on staying through the end of July. It's a pretty long vacation, but we're fortunate to be able to do it since Mark can work from anywhere and we have a basement apartment to "live" in. Since we've been here, we have gone on hikes along the Puget Sound, attended an International Festival with Taiko drumming, Hula dancing, aerial arts, juggling, bouncy castles and train rides, and more. The kids have been swimming at the Club pool a couple of times(it's still hasn't warmed up too much here). Kyrie has reconnected with her friends, and has been to the Seattle Center on three different occasions with her neighbor friend. They've ridden the roller coaster there a couple of times. I'm amazed at her bravery. She must get it from her dad- I don't like roller coasters.

Today I took the kids to see Toy Story 3 in 3D. I don't think the 3D effects were very spectacular, but will warn anyone(especially mothers) who hasn't seen it to bring a tissue or two. It was definitely good writing. I also liked the cartoon short that came before it.

We're looking forward to the 4th of July(as I type, I can hear some fireworks being shot off in the neighborhood). Church in the morning, parade in the afternoon, and a BBQ and watching the fireworks from the neighbors' house(they live on the lake where the firework display will be shot from). We had a good time last year- such a good time that Mark wanted to make sure that we were here for the 4th this year.

Hopefully I will get around to posting more while we're here. I have a lot of pictures I haven't shared yet. And probably will have more pictures and fun times to report as the month progresses.

Uncle Manny

Our dear friend Manny will be moving to Virginia in July. We will miss him!

Give me some knuckles!


"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABY Jayden!" as Uncle Manny says.

Our kids love him!

Actual New Pictures!

Kyrie lost her third tooth last night. All bottom teeth. No signs of her top teeth budging yet. It's always exciting when she reaches another milestone, though. Bittersweet, because it means my oldest baby is growing up!

These are also cell phone pictures, so not the greatest quality:

Cell phone pictures- Exhibit D

Before Kyrie got her own room: