Autism Trials

Ryan has an appointment with the doctor today to see if we can figure out what has been going on with him lately. The last couple of weeks he seems to have been sleeping less, had a poor appetite, and crying more. I feel so bad when he tells me "owie, owie!" and I don't know how to help him. The problem is he usually sleeps poorly, doesn't have much of an appetite, and cries. It's hard to know when it's more severe than usual, but I hope the dr. will be able to shed some light on his recent behaviour. His terrific therapist, Julie, told me today that she once worked with a little girl with mental retardation who had blown out her eardrums on both sides. It had been that way for a couple of weeks before her parents caught on. :( Poor little thing. But I can understand how that happens.

Last night I tried sleeping on the floor of his bedroom to see if it would comfort him. He is usually such a good boy; even when he doesn't sleep he'll lay in bed and sing and squeal happily. (We can sometimes sleep through it but not always.) He usually knows we are just across the hall and is just fine. But last night he really wanted mama nearby. I used to be able to sleep on the floor all the time, but I think that ability has gone the way of my eagerness with rollercoasters! It has been lost somewhere over the last ten years of marriage and children. :) Hope he's okay.

Mama's Little Helper

I have a horrible habit of running a sink full of hot water to soak dishes . . . and then leaving it alone forever. I guess I just really hate washing dishes. So God, in His wisdom, has given me a little boy who loves playing in soapy water. And that little boy can NOT leave the a sink full of soapy water alone. He pulls the ottoman right up to the sink area and starts washing! It has made me kind of crazy to have him do this, but the dishes are getting done. :) Grateful to have a little motivater in my life!

Teaching Character to Kids

Reading, writing, and 'rithmatic are hugely important in our school, but we have been trying to teach character to our kids as well. I came across a website that isn't flashy or exciting, but it does have some basic ideas for teaching character. You can find it here. We have been working on obedience, self-control and patience in the last five weeks. The best part of all? It's helping me too! :)

One Great Vacation

We have been back almost a week now from our family vacation to Lagoon. The best thing we did on this vacation was take Grandpa and Grandma with us. It was so wonderful to let Ryan and Samantha hang with them sometimes so Ethan and I could spend time with the big girls. (One memorable moment: going to Target and not having to carry or push anybody in a cart!) We are so thankful that we were able to get away from it all for a few days. One thing I learned on this trip was that either rollercoasters have gotten scarier or I have become a wimp over the last decade! Either way, it's fun to try doing something you used to love. Sometimes you find yourself loving it all over again!