Busy, busy, always busy…

Well, didn’t I just be an asshole and leave you guys hanging with that last post?

Update: Some things have been shaken up at my job. They have me moving around and it has my anxiety at work through the roof. I’m surviving though. It felt like the end of the world but I will get through it, hopefully with my dignity intact (no promises there though, I may cry).

I ended up with a massive sinus infection which left me with vertigo and sick as a dog for 24 hours until the medicine had time to kick in. I’m feeling much better now though so don’t panic.

Now that most of the shit has stopped hitting the fan, it’s almost time for report cards to come out. There will be more PALS testing. My two Pre-K autistic boys will be tested to see what they know at that particular moment in time. If they participate in the testing at all, I will consider it a small miracle. Here’s to progress and the things I’m noticing at home because at the moment recognizing their colors aren’t as important to me as the ability to tell me if they are hungry, thirsty, or feeling sick. So far I’m finally getting two out of the three of those. Woohoo! Progress!

When they were originally tested for Pre-K, Twin A could put together 2 pieces of a 4 piece puzzle. He put together a 30 piece puzzle in my living room floor this past weekend. He couldn’t tell you what a kid with a kitten in picture were in July. Now he will tell you about what he sees in the picture. When school started, Noggin had very little (if any) pretend play. Now he will make car sounds as he runs through the house with a matchbox car in hand or dinosaur sounds as he chases me up the hall with his giant dinosaur. He talks about playing “castle” and he pretends to need help from his brother if he’s under the kitchen table and wants to play like he’s being rescued. He can tell me when he wants a drink and he can specify if he wants milk or juice. Noggin tells me when he’s hungry and he tells me when he needs to be changed. He is peeing in the potty but hasn’t mastered number two’s yet. He sings! He never sang a single song before school started. Now, he sings to me in the car, at home, and at his mamaw’s house. He knows nursery rhymes and songs that I play frequently in the car.

Twin B would point at pictures and tell you tall tales about what he saw in them but if he was asked to point out the bigger of two objects, he would just stare blankly at you. Now he can pick out the bigger of two objects and he can count to 6 before he starts mixing up his numbers. He recognizes a few colors when he couldn’t pick a single color during his testing. Screech can match colors and shapes of objects and he can stack a massive tower of blocks. He can ask you questions more easily and can understand multiple step instructions. He loves to tell you stories about what he sees in pictures and he can recognize people he knows in photographs. Screech sings at the top of his lungs and loves to snuggle on the couch. He is still terrified of being picked up but he is doing so much better transitioning between activities.

I’m proud of all the progress my boys are making. I’m making progress myself in recognizing when my little guys need a sensory break, when they are getting overstimulated, and in discovering the amazing talents that they each are sharing with me. Noggin has an amazing ability to pick up on things on the computer or iPad after just seeing you do them a few times. Screech can do some amazing physical feats with all the energy he has and he loves to show off his dance moves.

My little girl has been amazing me more and more. She can tell you all her colors. She knows her full name. She can follow multiple step directions and ask for almost anything she wants. Grabby is growing in leaps and bounds (she’s already wearing some 4T stuff and she will be three in March!). She is such a girly girl, too. She loves dresses and having her hair ponytailed. She loves hair clips and bows and frilly skirts. She likes bright colors and wild patterns and of course anything pink. She still follows me everywhere and is a total mama’s girl but she is developing a fiercely independent streak. She’s very opinionated about her clothes, hair, toys, and anything else she can state an opinion on. 🙂

As for their newly diagnosed Aspie mama, I’m still going to therapy. It’s helping me to see a lot of the behaviors I need to work on and some that I can help my kids with. I’m seeing myself in a new light and realizing that I need to stop letting all my fears of basically everything stop me from living. I’m still busy with the day to day of life but I’m actually getting on the ball and accomplishing some things that have been piling up while waiting on my attention for some time. Getting things done at home and organized is helping to ease my anxiety about things there quite a bit. I am relieved to have the occasional hand around the house now. I’m dating someone and he’s nice and he’s good to my babies so I’m taking my time and seeing where it goes. My automatic response to anyone interfering with my routine and changing things has always been to push them away and this one understands me well enough not to let me get away with it. When I push he pulls me out of my comfort zone and points out exactly what I’m doing. He’s learning to deal with my quirks and sensory needs and I’m learning to share my routine with someone who really wants to help. I guess I’ll see how it goes for now.

Once things has settled down at work and I can get my head screwed back on straight, I’ll update a little more. Until then, everyone have a great Monday and don’t forget to stop and breathe when your sensational kids are pushing your nerves in a sensational way! 🙂