It is the end of the year so i must be glad that we survived another one! It has been a very crazy year and as January approaches i always remember that it also symbolizes the month that we found out that Dom had Aspergers Syndrome. January 2009, 2 years ago. It is crazy to think that it has been two years of therapy, doctors appointments and school already, where does the time go. Although Dom has made enormous progress and accomplishments from first being diagnosed, the every day to day challenges are still draining. As you may know AS kids or people do like to obsess about certain things. Dom has always been fascinated about letters and numbers. At age 4 1/2 he knows his abc's, the sounds the make, what letter starts almost every word, can count to one hundred and backwards from 20. Along with these strengths he is also obsessed with every abc/number game or puzzle in our house and likes to do them over and over and over again. While this week does fall on Christmas break from school, if i do one more abc puzzle i think i will lose my mind. The days seem to go by very slowly and I myself can not wait to get back to work!
This past month I also took Dom to the eye doctors, i was noticing that he has been crossing his right eye. I thought that it was due to him stymming on toys but i was completely dumbfounded when the doc told me that Dom was actually far sighted. So it wasnt due to his disability at all! OOPS Now we have the challenge of wearing glasses. He doesn't like to keep them on for more than an hour at a time, but we are working on it. One step at a time! It is just one more thing to add to the list!
During this break I have also been catching up on television online of course and have caught up on the show Parenthood. For those of you who do not know this show, it is about a complex extended family and how they deal with life's challenges. One of the families in the show's challenges are living with a 9 yr old son who has Aspergers. At first i was hesitant to watch this show, but as the episodes went by i got hooked. The acting on this show is excellent and their emotions in dealing with AS is so real that it makes my heart break and is a real true testament to how a parent feels having a child with AS. It is really nice to have this story be told and see how the parents react to certain situations. One would think that watching this show would be depressing, which it is, but it also helps to see some of the feelings that i may have being displayed on the television screen and knowing that I am not alone.
Dom
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Updates, Improvements and Stress as usual...
It has been a while since I last entered a post. A lot has changed in the past few months, so i will break it down by family member!
Jonathan - is doing amazingly well in school, 90's in everything, i would love to say that he got his smarts from me, but for anyone who knows me, knows that i would be lying! ha ha
Nathanial - is a senior, college planning and has a girlfriend. So what does this mean for me? stress, white hair and more white hair! It might sound extremely crazy that I (31 year old) have a senior in high school, but I do and he is amazing. I am going to be so sad when he leaves me for college. Note that I said "leave me". Having a 17 yr old and having a 4 yr old, you tend to lean on the 17 yr old for "normal conversation" in between dealing with tantrums, thomas the train and yo gabba gabba!
Dominic - Dom has been doing amazing in school. He is in a new class with other goofy 4 yr olds, some who are special needs like him and some typical ones too. It is amazing and astonishing to see the MANY gains that Dom has made in the past year. When he started pre school he would cry every time I would drop him off, be scared and not socialize or say more than two words at a time. But NOW - he doesn't even say goodbye to me, i have to chase him down, he is making friendships with kids his own age as well as talking non-stop in complete, understandable conversations. As for the Aspergers, his socialization has grown tremendously although in groups he does still struggle. He is actually pretending to talk on the phone, which may seem trivial to a 4 year old, but for my little guy, abstract play and imagination is something he had to learn and was not innate like many typical kids his age.
Dom has definitely grown as a person and a child with Aspergers which bring me to my stress of the year - KINDERGARTEN!!! While being in preschool, the teachers are always there when i have a question and if they aren't, they are on facebook so i can stalk on that. Now in grade school there isnt that constant teacher-parent support that a neurotic parent as myself needs on a daily basis. My wish is that Dominic does well and isnt neglected in his class next year. What if he is "lost" in class and no one notices? what if he gets bullied and he is afraid to tell someone? what if he is bullied and him being his aspergers type self doesnt know that he is actually being bullied? These are the thoughts that go through my mind constantly. I normal mom would probably try not to worry until next year, but as again, if anyone knows me, they know that i am FAR from normal!
Jonathan - is doing amazingly well in school, 90's in everything, i would love to say that he got his smarts from me, but for anyone who knows me, knows that i would be lying! ha ha
Nathanial - is a senior, college planning and has a girlfriend. So what does this mean for me? stress, white hair and more white hair! It might sound extremely crazy that I (31 year old) have a senior in high school, but I do and he is amazing. I am going to be so sad when he leaves me for college. Note that I said "leave me". Having a 17 yr old and having a 4 yr old, you tend to lean on the 17 yr old for "normal conversation" in between dealing with tantrums, thomas the train and yo gabba gabba!
Dominic - Dom has been doing amazing in school. He is in a new class with other goofy 4 yr olds, some who are special needs like him and some typical ones too. It is amazing and astonishing to see the MANY gains that Dom has made in the past year. When he started pre school he would cry every time I would drop him off, be scared and not socialize or say more than two words at a time. But NOW - he doesn't even say goodbye to me, i have to chase him down, he is making friendships with kids his own age as well as talking non-stop in complete, understandable conversations. As for the Aspergers, his socialization has grown tremendously although in groups he does still struggle. He is actually pretending to talk on the phone, which may seem trivial to a 4 year old, but for my little guy, abstract play and imagination is something he had to learn and was not innate like many typical kids his age.
Dom has definitely grown as a person and a child with Aspergers which bring me to my stress of the year - KINDERGARTEN!!! While being in preschool, the teachers are always there when i have a question and if they aren't, they are on facebook so i can stalk on that. Now in grade school there isnt that constant teacher-parent support that a neurotic parent as myself needs on a daily basis. My wish is that Dominic does well and isnt neglected in his class next year. What if he is "lost" in class and no one notices? what if he gets bullied and he is afraid to tell someone? what if he is bullied and him being his aspergers type self doesnt know that he is actually being bullied? These are the thoughts that go through my mind constantly. I normal mom would probably try not to worry until next year, but as again, if anyone knows me, they know that i am FAR from normal!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Back to school - yippee!!
Well Dom went back to school and started a new class last week. He is now in the 4 year old class with the pre-k's - scary!
I was pretty nervous to see how he would of adjusted to the new class, kids and teachers. But he did amazingly well. He didnt cling to me when i left, participated in class and seemed happy. What a uyhge relief.
After the long 11 days at home with not enough routine, it was great to see him so happy!
I was pretty nervous to see how he would of adjusted to the new class, kids and teachers. But he did amazingly well. He didnt cling to me when i left, participated in class and seemed happy. What a uyhge relief.
After the long 11 days at home with not enough routine, it was great to see him so happy!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Realizations and Anxiety
As a mom of a "special needs child" there is this process of thinking that everyone does as they enter into CPSE.
You child is labeled as a special needs child to receive services, free therapy in pre school to help them socialize, increase language, speech, ot or pt. I do not mind the label at all, it is free services, who doesnt like free stuff.
Sometimes you even get an actual "diagnosis" from a developmental pediatrician. When we got Dom's diagnoses as Aspergers Syndrome about a year and a half ago, it did hit hard but i think a little part of myself was in denial, thought the doctor was full of it and didnt believe her. When getting services through the county you really dont care of the "diagnosis", as long as they get services, right?
Well this week, during our week off, i saw all the classic Aspergers signs and it really did hit home for the very first time. There was the obsession and stubborness with being all alone and only with me, the refusal to socialize or go outside the house, the terribe tantrums when transitioning to go into the car, etc....
This vacation week actually killed me. It made my anxiety sky rocket, stress overcome everything and make me think way too much. I only pray that when school comes back into session on Tuesday that thinks do get better...
You child is labeled as a special needs child to receive services, free therapy in pre school to help them socialize, increase language, speech, ot or pt. I do not mind the label at all, it is free services, who doesnt like free stuff.
Sometimes you even get an actual "diagnosis" from a developmental pediatrician. When we got Dom's diagnoses as Aspergers Syndrome about a year and a half ago, it did hit hard but i think a little part of myself was in denial, thought the doctor was full of it and didnt believe her. When getting services through the county you really dont care of the "diagnosis", as long as they get services, right?
Well this week, during our week off, i saw all the classic Aspergers signs and it really did hit home for the very first time. There was the obsession and stubborness with being all alone and only with me, the refusal to socialize or go outside the house, the terribe tantrums when transitioning to go into the car, etc....
This vacation week actually killed me. It made my anxiety sky rocket, stress overcome everything and make me think way too much. I only pray that when school comes back into session on Tuesday that thinks do get better...
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
vacation is truly killing me loudly
Hey guys again....
I swear that my heart is breaking inside my chest. Dom is not the kid that i know these days. He is very anti-social, refuses to leave the house and is just not himself.
As soon as school ended Dom started turning into this very reserved child. His teacher, the only teacher that he has had his whole life will not be his teacher anymore and he is getting a new one since he is getting older. I am welcome for the change but i dont think Dom is. Since the last week of school he started becoming very difficult getting ready for school in the am, but was also being teansitioned into his new class. Aspergers plus change does not bode too well with him.
As soon as vaca started he becoming a recluse. He doesnt want to leave the house, jst wants to stay home all the time, we even go to his favoite friends houses and he just sits in a corner and looks so sad/miserable, it just breaks your heart seeing him like that.
Watching dom like this is so dificult for me. In the past 2 years he has progressed so much and has gotten so much better, it is very heartwenching to see him like this. How can regressions happen so fast and be so difficult. I CAN NOT wait until next tues when school starts!
I swear that my heart is breaking inside my chest. Dom is not the kid that i know these days. He is very anti-social, refuses to leave the house and is just not himself.
As soon as school ended Dom started turning into this very reserved child. His teacher, the only teacher that he has had his whole life will not be his teacher anymore and he is getting a new one since he is getting older. I am welcome for the change but i dont think Dom is. Since the last week of school he started becoming very difficult getting ready for school in the am, but was also being teansitioned into his new class. Aspergers plus change does not bode too well with him.
As soon as vaca started he becoming a recluse. He doesnt want to leave the house, jst wants to stay home all the time, we even go to his favoite friends houses and he just sits in a corner and looks so sad/miserable, it just breaks your heart seeing him like that.
Watching dom like this is so dificult for me. In the past 2 years he has progressed so much and has gotten so much better, it is very heartwenching to see him like this. How can regressions happen so fast and be so difficult. I CAN NOT wait until next tues when school starts!
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Last week of school/avb - what was i thinking?
This week we decided to end AVB at home. For those of you who dont know what that is, it is Applied Verbal Behavior which is used for kids on the autistic spectrum. We paid out of pocket for Dom since he ended Early Intervention last June. It helped dom with his processing/speech/sitting skills/etc...
This week also ended his school year. Although he only gets 11 days off until summer ends, he is also getting a new teacher for the first time i 12 months. Basically, it was the only teacher he knew.
OK - WHAT WAS I THINKING ON THIS ONE.
Way too much change for Dom. He now wants to stay home, not go anywhere. It takes about 20 minutes to get into the car. I guess with Aspergers kids this can be normal. Since they do have a hard time socializing, but still give me a little something!
Its not like Dom is my only kid. I have Nathanial ( 16 yr old who refuses to get a job ) and Jonathan ( 13 yr old who wants to be busy 24/7) and i am working for the next 6 weeks - this summer is going to rock!
This week also ended his school year. Although he only gets 11 days off until summer ends, he is also getting a new teacher for the first time i 12 months. Basically, it was the only teacher he knew.
OK - WHAT WAS I THINKING ON THIS ONE.
Way too much change for Dom. He now wants to stay home, not go anywhere. It takes about 20 minutes to get into the car. I guess with Aspergers kids this can be normal. Since they do have a hard time socializing, but still give me a little something!
Its not like Dom is my only kid. I have Nathanial ( 16 yr old who refuses to get a job ) and Jonathan ( 13 yr old who wants to be busy 24/7) and i am working for the next 6 weeks - this summer is going to rock!
Monday, June 14, 2010
Trying to be a good mom is a stessful job.....
Let me start by saying that i have made about one million mistakes on this whole stepmom/mom thing. I am never one to say that i am perfect or a good role model for other moms right there.
It is very frustrating trying to juggle three hats around the parenting job. Mom of an aspergers toddler, mom of a teenager and mom to a son who is days away from being a senior in hig school.
My average day is getting all 3 boys ready for school in the morning with lots of help from dad, going to work, picking up dom at 130, come home to kid 1 and 2 consecutively. It is like 2nd part of my day starts at 2pm. During the afternoons i am either, preparing dinner, dealing with doms latest crisis, referee between the 2 older ones and trying to find my sanity around the house. It is a lot to handle, but who am to complain. I have a loving family, great friends and a beautiful life.
I am always trying to do things for the boys, but not like anyone notices around here. Being a mom has to be the hardest job in the world and being a step mom is even harder!!
It is very frustrating trying to juggle three hats around the parenting job. Mom of an aspergers toddler, mom of a teenager and mom to a son who is days away from being a senior in hig school.
My average day is getting all 3 boys ready for school in the morning with lots of help from dad, going to work, picking up dom at 130, come home to kid 1 and 2 consecutively. It is like 2nd part of my day starts at 2pm. During the afternoons i am either, preparing dinner, dealing with doms latest crisis, referee between the 2 older ones and trying to find my sanity around the house. It is a lot to handle, but who am to complain. I have a loving family, great friends and a beautiful life.
I am always trying to do things for the boys, but not like anyone notices around here. Being a mom has to be the hardest job in the world and being a step mom is even harder!!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Birthday Parties - Like them or HATE THEM
As many of you know, Dom is almost 4 years old and gets invited to a birthday party almost ever single week. Dont get me wrong, i do love parties, mostly the ones that involve alcohol, but kid birthday parties can be fun too.
While having a kid on the spectrum, this is where it gets more interesting. Dom loves going to parties. But he either has a bad time or a fabulous time all depending on his mood. My role as a mom is not to sit back and relax, but to keep an eye on him, making sure he is comfortable, having a good time and doing well in the various social situations that he might encounter during those long 2 hours.
Some days are perfect and others i can just see his anxiety rise and that is very hard to watch, that is when i act like a goofball in front of all the other 20 parents who probably think i am an over protective mom, bt who cares, i jst my kid to have a good time!
I really do wish they would have adult cocktails at these things, i certainly need them more than most!
While having a kid on the spectrum, this is where it gets more interesting. Dom loves going to parties. But he either has a bad time or a fabulous time all depending on his mood. My role as a mom is not to sit back and relax, but to keep an eye on him, making sure he is comfortable, having a good time and doing well in the various social situations that he might encounter during those long 2 hours.
Some days are perfect and others i can just see his anxiety rise and that is very hard to watch, that is when i act like a goofball in front of all the other 20 parents who probably think i am an over protective mom, bt who cares, i jst my kid to have a good time!
I really do wish they would have adult cocktails at these things, i certainly need them more than most!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Great Saturday Horrendous Sunday
This weekend was definately full of many ups and downs.
On Saturday we went to Doms good friends house to play and for the very first time, i saw Dominic having a conversation with another boy for about 15 minutes! It was totally amazing to see. For a long time i have always wondered if Dom would be able to accomplish this. Usually when other kids go up to Dom to speak to them he just stares at them blankly and it is very hard to watch. But with this boy he is very familiar with and it is definately in his "comfort zone". It is definately a great start. Did i also mention that Dom was with this boy for 6 hours! Are we heading towards normalcy? I would of thought so if Sunday didnt happen.
Today was just tantrum/meltdown Sunday. I dont know if there was a black cloud over my house but Dom must of had 100 tantrums today, over practically nothing. he was probably worn out from the day before, but honestly this kills me. I am so drained finding out what he is angry about, trying to calm him down, trying to teach him the right way to act and deal with it. Being a mom/teacher is a very hard job. Thank God for vino
On Saturday we went to Doms good friends house to play and for the very first time, i saw Dominic having a conversation with another boy for about 15 minutes! It was totally amazing to see. For a long time i have always wondered if Dom would be able to accomplish this. Usually when other kids go up to Dom to speak to them he just stares at them blankly and it is very hard to watch. But with this boy he is very familiar with and it is definately in his "comfort zone". It is definately a great start. Did i also mention that Dom was with this boy for 6 hours! Are we heading towards normalcy? I would of thought so if Sunday didnt happen.
Today was just tantrum/meltdown Sunday. I dont know if there was a black cloud over my house but Dom must of had 100 tantrums today, over practically nothing. he was probably worn out from the day before, but honestly this kills me. I am so drained finding out what he is angry about, trying to calm him down, trying to teach him the right way to act and deal with it. Being a mom/teacher is a very hard job. Thank God for vino
Monday, May 10, 2010
Aspergers funny of the day
Mom: Dom, I will be right back, i have to run downstairs and get something.
Dom: Mommy, dont run, walk and be careful
Dom: Mommy, dont run, walk and be careful
Sunday, May 2, 2010
2 Birthday Parties with my little ASPIE
*** For the familes of the birthday parties we went to, please dont be offended by what you may read ***
So as many of those parents out there who have little ones, i am sure you signed up your little kids for classes like baby mama yoga and gymboree classes, right? Well Dom did so many classes i cant even count them anymore, so he has had little "best friends" since he was 6 months old and therefore gets invited to ALOT of birthday parties. Dont get me wrong, i like parties, i like seeing Dom having fun and socializing but yesterday was just an emotional day for me!
We got invited to four birthday parties this weekend, unfortunately we could only make 3 - poor Dom.
Anyways, the first party was at Tumbling Tykes which is a gymboree type place where you jump and run around, do some circle time eat pizza and have cake. Dom has been here a few times so he was pretty comfortable there and had fun for the most part.
As some of your mommies out there know Dom has Aspergers Syndrome, so as an AS kid if dom doesnt know what to do he just stands there or hides under a toy. For example during the parachute game, something bothered Dom so he just layed there as the other kids got out - no big deal for me, i dealt with that. Then he wanted help on stairs so he couldnt find me so he jus layed on a trampoline in a curled position. That wasnt so bad either, but it is very hard to just watch Dom laying there not knowing what to do. Actually it just braks my heart in two. Well, after that we were able to have a great time and dom participated in most the activities and had fun. So you would think he would nap after that right?
FAT CHANCE
We then dropped by my friends house where dom was cranky and played a while and then went went to party number 2! This party was at a soccer place with a bouncy house. At first dom went on the house and slid around a while. After a whikle i didnt see him so i went to find him, he was standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting to get up these bouncy stairs to go down the slide. As all these crazy 2-4 year olds were pushing their way up Dom was just standing there. Having AS also means lack or awkwardness of socialization. So me being super mom went into the bouncy house and helped Dom go up the stiars a bunch of times as well as the other kids. I dont mind helping but boy was i gett5ing exhausted. After a little while we went downstairs to the green indoor soccer field. This is where the hardest part started. All of the 25 kids there had to stand on this white line and follow direction/instructions. This is where Dom really struggles. He does pretty well one on one, but throw in 25 kids and 2 intructors yelling he is just "lost". I basically stayed on the field and helped him hand over hand and he did "ok". I just felt so bad that Dom was struggling so much. It is very hard to watch your child struggle at something all the other kids his age get right away. And so the heart wrenching starts again.
We then went upstairs for a people break and went on the bouncy house with just 1 other person anddom had a fabulous time. We had pizza, cake and went home.
Dom did have a good time, but boy was i ready for a pitcher or 2 of margaritas! Today we have another bday party. Most parents or some parents would not go to another one today but i really feel the more activities dom does the more accustomed he will be. Well i hope so anyways and i am signing dom up for sccer soon to get used to the instruction, i know that i sould double crazy, but it could only help, right??????
So as many of those parents out there who have little ones, i am sure you signed up your little kids for classes like baby mama yoga and gymboree classes, right? Well Dom did so many classes i cant even count them anymore, so he has had little "best friends" since he was 6 months old and therefore gets invited to ALOT of birthday parties. Dont get me wrong, i like parties, i like seeing Dom having fun and socializing but yesterday was just an emotional day for me!
We got invited to four birthday parties this weekend, unfortunately we could only make 3 - poor Dom.
Anyways, the first party was at Tumbling Tykes which is a gymboree type place where you jump and run around, do some circle time eat pizza and have cake. Dom has been here a few times so he was pretty comfortable there and had fun for the most part.
As some of your mommies out there know Dom has Aspergers Syndrome, so as an AS kid if dom doesnt know what to do he just stands there or hides under a toy. For example during the parachute game, something bothered Dom so he just layed there as the other kids got out - no big deal for me, i dealt with that. Then he wanted help on stairs so he couldnt find me so he jus layed on a trampoline in a curled position. That wasnt so bad either, but it is very hard to just watch Dom laying there not knowing what to do. Actually it just braks my heart in two. Well, after that we were able to have a great time and dom participated in most the activities and had fun. So you would think he would nap after that right?
FAT CHANCE
We then dropped by my friends house where dom was cranky and played a while and then went went to party number 2! This party was at a soccer place with a bouncy house. At first dom went on the house and slid around a while. After a whikle i didnt see him so i went to find him, he was standing at the bottom of the stairs waiting to get up these bouncy stairs to go down the slide. As all these crazy 2-4 year olds were pushing their way up Dom was just standing there. Having AS also means lack or awkwardness of socialization. So me being super mom went into the bouncy house and helped Dom go up the stiars a bunch of times as well as the other kids. I dont mind helping but boy was i gett5ing exhausted. After a little while we went downstairs to the green indoor soccer field. This is where the hardest part started. All of the 25 kids there had to stand on this white line and follow direction/instructions. This is where Dom really struggles. He does pretty well one on one, but throw in 25 kids and 2 intructors yelling he is just "lost". I basically stayed on the field and helped him hand over hand and he did "ok". I just felt so bad that Dom was struggling so much. It is very hard to watch your child struggle at something all the other kids his age get right away. And so the heart wrenching starts again.
We then went upstairs for a people break and went on the bouncy house with just 1 other person anddom had a fabulous time. We had pizza, cake and went home.
Dom did have a good time, but boy was i ready for a pitcher or 2 of margaritas! Today we have another bday party. Most parents or some parents would not go to another one today but i really feel the more activities dom does the more accustomed he will be. Well i hope so anyways and i am signing dom up for sccer soon to get used to the instruction, i know that i sould double crazy, but it could only help, right??????
Monday, April 26, 2010
Fighting - another day another glass of wine
As i sit here listening to every abc song on utube, i am hiding from my teenagers in the office.
As every afternoon goes by so does the same scenarios. I work all morning and pick up Dom at 130 and get home, soon after number 1 and number 2 get home half an hour after each other. Everything is fine at home until all 3 are home at the same time.
Its not 2 seconds until the teenagers are in the same room and they are yelling, fighting, teasing each other and scream one word, "FRANCESCAAAAAA." I think that I am going to change my name, seriously!!!!
I have learned along the way to just let them handle their own "battles." But why must they drag me into every single little problem. "He's looking at me funny" "He locked me out of my room" " He's listening to the tv while doing homework" " I hate him, he hates me" BLAH BLAH BLAHHHHH
As i hide here listening to the abc's in english, spanish and french, ( Dom loves the abc's by the way) the boys have had another fight so i told them to handle it on their own, ha ha ha, lets see how this goes!! As time goes on, whatever the fight was originally was about doesn really matter, the bys only care who gets in trouble the most - arghhh....
As every afternoon goes by so does the same scenarios. I work all morning and pick up Dom at 130 and get home, soon after number 1 and number 2 get home half an hour after each other. Everything is fine at home until all 3 are home at the same time.
Its not 2 seconds until the teenagers are in the same room and they are yelling, fighting, teasing each other and scream one word, "FRANCESCAAAAAA." I think that I am going to change my name, seriously!!!!
I have learned along the way to just let them handle their own "battles." But why must they drag me into every single little problem. "He's looking at me funny" "He locked me out of my room" " He's listening to the tv while doing homework" " I hate him, he hates me" BLAH BLAH BLAHHHHH
As i hide here listening to the abc's in english, spanish and french, ( Dom loves the abc's by the way) the boys have had another fight so i told them to handle it on their own, ha ha ha, lets see how this goes!! As time goes on, whatever the fight was originally was about doesn really matter, the bys only care who gets in trouble the most - arghhh....
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Developmental Pediatrician Appointment and Meltdowns
I was so set for our appointment today. Dr. N diagnosed Dom with Aspergers back in January of 2009. Since then we have been back every 4-6 months for checkups where she watches Dom play and interact with us and her. Our last appointment in November went so well, Dom was very outgoing, lovable and well spoken, so i expected todays appointment to go well too, right? WRONG SOOOOOO WRONG!!!
So, we get there and Dom is playing in the waiting room and using his imagination with a kitchen set. And even pretending to make pizza! ( In my head i am saying WTF is the doctor to see how happy and "imaginative" he is - of course she doesnt see that, that would be too easy for us!) Anyways, we get into her little office and we encourage Dom to play with some toys in her toy box, toys from the 1980's btw!
Dom starts playing by dropping a toy on the floor. Dr. N says to be nice to "her toys". Dom then tries to put himself in the box. (which i have never seen him do - of course) and Dr. N says that only hands belong in the box. So then, my little smart ass takes out a big truck and then looks at Dr. N and drops it on the floor for her to see. ( obviously dom was trying to see howmch he could get away with - why me!) So then, Dr N says to Dom that this is just unacceptable behavior. Dom goes and sit downs in the chair and i could see it coming. The moment that i dread most! Meltdown time - dum dum dum
Dom then starts to cry for about 15 minutes, i calm him down and then our time is up! See ya in 6 months! ugh
So, we get there and Dom is playing in the waiting room and using his imagination with a kitchen set. And even pretending to make pizza! ( In my head i am saying WTF is the doctor to see how happy and "imaginative" he is - of course she doesnt see that, that would be too easy for us!) Anyways, we get into her little office and we encourage Dom to play with some toys in her toy box, toys from the 1980's btw!
Dom starts playing by dropping a toy on the floor. Dr. N says to be nice to "her toys". Dom then tries to put himself in the box. (which i have never seen him do - of course) and Dr. N says that only hands belong in the box. So then, my little smart ass takes out a big truck and then looks at Dr. N and drops it on the floor for her to see. ( obviously dom was trying to see howmch he could get away with - why me!) So then, Dr N says to Dom that this is just unacceptable behavior. Dom goes and sit downs in the chair and i could see it coming. The moment that i dread most! Meltdown time - dum dum dum
Dom then starts to cry for about 15 minutes, i calm him down and then our time is up! See ya in 6 months! ugh
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Men and children birthday parties
As many of you mothers know out there, our children get invited a birthday party about every other week. Our obligation as a mom is to try to make our children happy by suffering through the gift buying, wrapping, napping before parties and threatening our children to be on their best behavior. All of these tasks seem to be on the moms shoulders!
What is it with birthday parties and men anyways? It seems that my husband would rather get a root canal than to attend one of these obligatory events. Dont get me wrong, i do enjoy going to these things and enjoy watching Dom "socialize" with the other kids BUT sometimes it seems like too much work for one mom to take on 2-3 times a month.
Is it really so much to ask for the men to come along for the ride and eat some cake?
What is it with birthday parties and men anyways? It seems that my husband would rather get a root canal than to attend one of these obligatory events. Dont get me wrong, i do enjoy going to these things and enjoy watching Dom "socialize" with the other kids BUT sometimes it seems like too much work for one mom to take on 2-3 times a month.
Is it really so much to ask for the men to come along for the ride and eat some cake?
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Yes i know i look young.....
As many of you guys know, yes i am 30 and yes i do look like i am in High School.
So today one of Jonathans friends mom came to pick him up and said hello in this very loud voice. You know those types of people that just talk way too loud like they are talking in front of an audience?
Anyways, i invite Mrs. Loud in and she says, "How old are you?" A little rude if you ask me but what are you going to do, some people have no manners. So me being the polite person that i am say, "30". Mrs. Loud respondes, ohh i thought you were the older sister in the house!
By now you would think that i would be used to these statements, but i guess not. I do realize that i do look 1/2 my age, but cant you just keep that to yourselves! And no i am not a homewrecker either! I am just a young looking woman who fell for an older widowed man - so there BIATCH!!
So today one of Jonathans friends mom came to pick him up and said hello in this very loud voice. You know those types of people that just talk way too loud like they are talking in front of an audience?
Anyways, i invite Mrs. Loud in and she says, "How old are you?" A little rude if you ask me but what are you going to do, some people have no manners. So me being the polite person that i am say, "30". Mrs. Loud respondes, ohh i thought you were the older sister in the house!
By now you would think that i would be used to these statements, but i guess not. I do realize that i do look 1/2 my age, but cant you just keep that to yourselves! And no i am not a homewrecker either! I am just a young looking woman who fell for an older widowed man - so there BIATCH!!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Grocery Shopping With No Nap - not a good idea
Dom is getting older and I should probably realize that his naps are pretty much non existent, right? RIGHT
So, yesterday we had a playdate with one of his friends Naomi where he basically played with her dog the whole time and got drooled on and then we went to the mall. Malls are definately not a fun place for me when Dom is around. It basically goes like this.... "Dom, stay close to mommy, ok?" "Yes, mommy" Ten minutes later he runs around the mall and through every rack until i find him. What a fun game when i am trying to choose out clothes for my boys. Its not like i am even buying anything for myself, but since my teenagers would rather play video games or kill people on the computer, i have no other choice!
Also, Dom as learned the word "shut up." So its not bad enough that he is running sround stores but also screaming shut up to me and everyone he sees. Yippeee
So onto the afternoon, here we are at the grocery store. Since my teenagers tell me there is never any food in the house, it is up to me to buy more food that they will devour later that afternoon.
I start our trip as i always do bt telling Dom to stay close to mommy. This works for about 5 minutes. Dom is too big to sit in the front of the shopping cart and wont even sit in those cute car looking carts. He would rather walk/run through the store. I swear that i must of called his name 1,000 times. In between Dom running through isles, eating cookies, the colored chocolate ones by the way, he reads every single price he sees while walking though the store. Since Dom has Aspergers he is totally obsessed with letters and numbers. He can count and recognize all nmbers to 50 and read and sound letters, even upside down. Gotta love the friggin abc's every where! Anyways, back to my story, i then get to check out with dom trying to run out of the store, me putting him in a time out and then running into everyone i know so that they can watch me yell at my 3 yr old. Good thing i dont get embarrased easily!
As i leave the store and Dom tried to run into the parking lot, one of my friends Kay Kellog helps me to the car. As i finally sit in my car and realize it is only 5pm - i wish for a drink but instead go home to make burgers. Until next time!
So, yesterday we had a playdate with one of his friends Naomi where he basically played with her dog the whole time and got drooled on and then we went to the mall. Malls are definately not a fun place for me when Dom is around. It basically goes like this.... "Dom, stay close to mommy, ok?" "Yes, mommy" Ten minutes later he runs around the mall and through every rack until i find him. What a fun game when i am trying to choose out clothes for my boys. Its not like i am even buying anything for myself, but since my teenagers would rather play video games or kill people on the computer, i have no other choice!
Also, Dom as learned the word "shut up." So its not bad enough that he is running sround stores but also screaming shut up to me and everyone he sees. Yippeee
So onto the afternoon, here we are at the grocery store. Since my teenagers tell me there is never any food in the house, it is up to me to buy more food that they will devour later that afternoon.
I start our trip as i always do bt telling Dom to stay close to mommy. This works for about 5 minutes. Dom is too big to sit in the front of the shopping cart and wont even sit in those cute car looking carts. He would rather walk/run through the store. I swear that i must of called his name 1,000 times. In between Dom running through isles, eating cookies, the colored chocolate ones by the way, he reads every single price he sees while walking though the store. Since Dom has Aspergers he is totally obsessed with letters and numbers. He can count and recognize all nmbers to 50 and read and sound letters, even upside down. Gotta love the friggin abc's every where! Anyways, back to my story, i then get to check out with dom trying to run out of the store, me putting him in a time out and then running into everyone i know so that they can watch me yell at my 3 yr old. Good thing i dont get embarrased easily!
As i leave the store and Dom tried to run into the parking lot, one of my friends Kay Kellog helps me to the car. As i finally sit in my car and realize it is only 5pm - i wish for a drink but instead go home to make burgers. Until next time!
About Me
Thanks for reading my blog. I thought that this would be a great way to express my daily frustrations/adventures and milestones.
Here is a little bio about my life.
I grew up in Westchester County, you know where there are million dollar homes everywhere you look and you pay to park for almost everywhere. At 22 i moved to Albany, NY for a job and other bad reasons but i am very happy that i did!
At 25 i met the love and loves of my life. Tom and I met at work in Albany, after 6 months we were engaged and 9 months after that married. (Here comes the complicated part. Tom is 15 years older than me and was a widower. His wife died of cancer the year before we met and left behind 2 boys, Jonathan and Nathanial.) And 3 months after we got married i was pregnant! So there i was 26, married with 2 1/2 kids.
Let me say that our transition into a family was not as bad as i thought it was but trust me it was not easy. What did a 26 yr old know about teenage boys and mood swings? Basically nada!
So then comes Dominic. He was born in July of 2006. I had a very normal pregnancy and bf for about 9 months, that was always fun with the boys and their friends coming in and out of our house btw!
At about 16 months i realized that something was a bit different with my bundle of joy! Dom acted very to him self or overly clingy to me. He got very high anxiety with other people/kids. My mom and dad used to say how i was too over protective and held him too much. But, i was like, why wouldnt i? He was so adorable and probably the only baby that i would have.
At 18 months i contacted Early Intervention and got Dom evaluated. He was then approved for Special Education therapy. I used to call it behavioral therapy since i hated the word "special ed". After a few months Dom started speech therapy. That went ok but then therapists thought that he should then be evaluated by a developmental therapist. Dev Ped? SCARY!! Is there something wrong with my kid?In my heart i knew there was something up but i didnt want to hear it but i never stopped getting Dom the most therapy that i could.
As January of 2009 approached i was a nervous wreck, our dev ped appt was coming up. Tom couldnt even talk to me, i was always on the internet looking up autism links, looking at different therapies to try and what our next step would be. On the day of our meeting i was a complete mess but tried to keep it together. As soon as we walked into Dr. Nordhauser's office Dom started crying and yelling and clinging to me and basically didnt stop till we left the room. The Dr. tried to read to him his favorite book but that didnt help at all. By the end of the meeting the doctor told us what she observed and said that he has Aspergers Syndrome, just like that. I still get choked remembering that day and the words that came out of her mouth.
So,fastforward to today. Dom is 3 1/2 and in an integrated special ed program at one of the best pre schools on earth, is talking so mcuh more and actually socializing, as best as he could.
This blog is a way to show the world some of the experiences that i go through with my 3, 13 and 16 year olds. Enjoy.
Here is a little bio about my life.
I grew up in Westchester County, you know where there are million dollar homes everywhere you look and you pay to park for almost everywhere. At 22 i moved to Albany, NY for a job and other bad reasons but i am very happy that i did!
At 25 i met the love and loves of my life. Tom and I met at work in Albany, after 6 months we were engaged and 9 months after that married. (Here comes the complicated part. Tom is 15 years older than me and was a widower. His wife died of cancer the year before we met and left behind 2 boys, Jonathan and Nathanial.) And 3 months after we got married i was pregnant! So there i was 26, married with 2 1/2 kids.
Let me say that our transition into a family was not as bad as i thought it was but trust me it was not easy. What did a 26 yr old know about teenage boys and mood swings? Basically nada!
So then comes Dominic. He was born in July of 2006. I had a very normal pregnancy and bf for about 9 months, that was always fun with the boys and their friends coming in and out of our house btw!
At about 16 months i realized that something was a bit different with my bundle of joy! Dom acted very to him self or overly clingy to me. He got very high anxiety with other people/kids. My mom and dad used to say how i was too over protective and held him too much. But, i was like, why wouldnt i? He was so adorable and probably the only baby that i would have.
At 18 months i contacted Early Intervention and got Dom evaluated. He was then approved for Special Education therapy. I used to call it behavioral therapy since i hated the word "special ed". After a few months Dom started speech therapy. That went ok but then therapists thought that he should then be evaluated by a developmental therapist. Dev Ped? SCARY!! Is there something wrong with my kid?In my heart i knew there was something up but i didnt want to hear it but i never stopped getting Dom the most therapy that i could.
As January of 2009 approached i was a nervous wreck, our dev ped appt was coming up. Tom couldnt even talk to me, i was always on the internet looking up autism links, looking at different therapies to try and what our next step would be. On the day of our meeting i was a complete mess but tried to keep it together. As soon as we walked into Dr. Nordhauser's office Dom started crying and yelling and clinging to me and basically didnt stop till we left the room. The Dr. tried to read to him his favorite book but that didnt help at all. By the end of the meeting the doctor told us what she observed and said that he has Aspergers Syndrome, just like that. I still get choked remembering that day and the words that came out of her mouth.
So,fastforward to today. Dom is 3 1/2 and in an integrated special ed program at one of the best pre schools on earth, is talking so mcuh more and actually socializing, as best as he could.
This blog is a way to show the world some of the experiences that i go through with my 3, 13 and 16 year olds. Enjoy.
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