Love this article I came across today!

"Big MAKS"... More support than a 44DD: Love, Love, Love this....: Dear Shopper Staring at My Child Having a Meltdown in the Grocery Store.... http://flappinessis.com/2011/12/28/dear-shopper-staring-at-m...

Evan's Birthday

Evan turned nine this past Saturday.  I don't know how much he really understands about his birthday.  I don't even know if he knows what a birthday is.  I like to believe that he understands way more than he lets on.

We kept it pretty simple as usual.  We got him his favorite pizza with his favorite toppings, and got him Krispy Kreme donuts (his favorite dessert).   We got him a marble run and a bean bag.  He doesn't need a lot of things, he just enjoys the attention from his family, and he always enjoys eating his favorite foods.

I must admit that, in the past especially, his birthday hasn't always been an event I have looked forward to with a lot of enthusiasm.  I have used it as a time to reflect on his progression or lack there of.  I sit back and think about where I had hoped he would be and am usually left feeling like a failure for not being able to get him there.

This year I tried not to think in terms of failure, but in terms of success.   I don't view his progress in terms of giant steps anymore, but in terms of baby steps (with baby steps not being any less significant).  Evan has definitely made some progress this year.  He is attending a new school that has proved to be a great fit for him.  He is learning and doing new things that I didn't think he would be able to do.  His successes come slowly with a lot of hard work, persistence, and patience,... but they come.

Evan's autism is a challenge beyond anything I thought that I could ever handle.  When Evan is having a bad day, he is having a really bad day, but when he is happy and his complex sensory needs seem to be regulated, he is really the sweetest kid and I can't imagine our lives without him. He is so completely untainted from the world.  He knows no evil, holds no grudges, and loves everyone.  Despite the challenges we face daily, we love the little guy and we are grateful that he is a part of our family.

Facebook Free for 30 Days

Well, I am going to try to do better with my blog (again).  I have let it go for several reasons, but the two biggest are probably time and Facebook.  I recently had a bit of a negative experience on Facebook that has left me wanting to take at least a 30 day break from the site.  I really believe that once those 30 days are up, I won't have much desire to return, but I guess time will tell.  So in the mean time,  I am going to use my time to update my blog, and just in general try to use my time more wisely.

Our Newest Addition

Well, this post is a little late, but I am just not too excited anymore about keeping up my blog (and I guess with a newborn I am a little short on time as well).

Little Owen Jerry did arrive very quickly (almost did not make it to the hospital in time) at 4am on June 11.  He was my biggest baby at 9 lbs and 20.5 inches, and now I think he must be at least 12-13 lbs at 6 weeks.  He is incredibly sweet and his siblings can't get enough of him.  We feel incredibly blessed to have a new healthy baby boy in our family!

And it's a ????

For those of you who are not on Facebook (and honestly I can't blame you if you aren't, because I wish I would never have joined Facebook myself),... anyway I thought I would let you know that we did find out that we are adding another little boy to our family.  We are super excited, and I think Ben will really enjoy having a little brother to play with.  Vanessa was a little bummed at first, but now all she can think about is how fun it is going to be to have a baby in the house again.  I am sure she will figure out quickly that there are lots of advantages to being the only girl. :)

Finally feeling better

So, I think I am finally past the worst of the morning sickness.  Honestly, I think this has been the most sick I have been with any of my kids.  I was pretty sick with Vanessa, but at least then I didn't have any other kids to take care of, even though I was working and in school.  Kids are still harder than work and school in my opinion.

Anyway, despite my sickness December has been super busy with all kinds of Christmas related events.  Vanessa has definitely kept us busy with all of her activities.  She decided that she really wanted to take up hip hop dancing this year, so I decided to let her give it a try.  She got to perform at a local event called "The Festival of Trees".  She was supposed to have her hair done up like a "who" from "whoville" for their Grinch production.  I did my best,... I have never been known for my hairstyling skills.

 

We also had Vanessa start piano lessons this year, and she had her very first recital during Christmas.   She was so excited to play in front of everyone and was not nervous at all (I have no idea where she get's that from because I am absolutely the exact opposite). We really felt like she did a wonderful job and we were super proud of her.

 

And just because I am super behind on posting pics of the kids and just blogging in general, I just wanted to throw in a couple of pictures I took of Evan and Ben on Christmas day with their matching shirts.

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! :)

Some News

So I know it's been a super long time since I have updated my blog.  I, honestly just lost any interest in keeping it up over the last part of the summer,... and now well, for those of you who are not on facebook and didn't see my post, I am pregnant!  I have felt so sick and horrible that I have hardly even been on my computer since the "all day" sickness set in.  So, I do hope to update soon when I start to feel a little better.

We are super excited to add one more little addition to our family.  Vanessa is ecstatic, and is crossing her fingers that it will be a little sister.  A little girl would be nice (it has been almost 10 years since I had Vanessa), but in the end, I just want a healthy little baby.  I am due in June.

Hopefully more to come soon.

An Outing for the Entire Family

So, this is from way back in April, but I wanted to post about it anyway.  Having a child with special needs, sometimes means not being able to do things that other families get to do.  We can't just take Evan anywhere for several reasons:

A.) He might have a meltdown caused by his anxiety from being in a public unfamiliar environment.
B.) If my husband is not with me, then there are precious few places I am willing to venture out alone with a two year old, and a child with special needs.
C.) Unfortunately, the stares and the comments made by a few ignorant people can at times really get to me and despite telling myself that it doesn't matter what a few ignorant people think, actually believing that can sometimes be a little more challenging.

On the flip side,...

Every once in a while, because we have a child with special needs, we get to do things that other people don't.  In April, because it was National Autism Awareness month, we got to go to The Living Planet Aquarium during after business hours for FREE, but that wasn't the best part; we ended up being the only family that showed up, so we had the entire place to ourselves!!!!  It was awesome!  Yes, sometimes we do get hooked up,... and the kids (including Evan) had an absolute blast!

Evan got to do his thing...

He especially loved the jellyfish...

 

And the rest of us had tons of fun too...

The stingrays were a favorite for everyone!

It really was an awesome night; no stress, no meltdowns, no having to leave early, nobody staring... And really the best part about it for me was the we got to go together (like the entire family).  Usually if we were to do anything like this, it would be Marty or I staying home with Evan while the other parent took out Vanessa and Ben, so yeah,... it was a pretty special night for all of us.