Auterrific

or should this picture

be labeled, “Ara-PHAT?”

Well, no sooner do we get home from Vegas, we are on our way to Columbus, Ohio.

Yes, I said Vegas. It was great. There was liquor. There were shows. There were big wins followed by big losses. There was family. There was a wedding. There was lots of….um, that stays there.
We had a very good time thanks to two lovely friends and my mother who were willing to take care of Ari, the house and the dogs. Ari did much better than we thought he would. Ari really loves both of the substitute primary caregivers and I think that had a lot to do with his level of comfort. Though, I think the nights may have been a little rougher than they’re willing to admit. I think they may be sleeping it off, actually. But, they said if we needed them again, they would be available. So, we must be doing something right.

Unfortunately, the night before we left for Vegas, Joe was up because his sugar was low. He looked at Diana who was still awake and visibly uncomfortable because of her collar. He felt sorry for her and since we were going to be up in less than two hours, he thought, “What can she do to her stitches in two hours,” took the Elizabethan collar off and came to bed. In the morning, we discovered exactly what she could do in two hours. About one third of her stitches were gone. We were heading to the airport. Our lovely baby, house and dog sitters made sure she got to the vet that day to get resewn. UGH It took forever for me to get relaxed since the last thing I wanted to do was put more pressure on anyone who was already immensely helpful. They handled the whole thing very gracefully, especially since we called home 4 times that day to find out how they were doing.

So much is going on that it’s hard to give you the full update and experience. But, I have to say that I received a phone call last night from the woman to whom I sent the care package, and she’s really wonderful. I didn’t really expect her to be terribly talkative. We spoke on the phoen for a very long time and it was really, really nice. Maybe I didn’t expect to click with her, but we did and had I not felt horrible about it being her dime, I think we might have talked a lot longer. I’m definitely going to give her a call back. She was feeling poopy with a cold, so some good thoughts would be nice. Oh, and she was very appreciative….for those of you who wanted me to give to someone who would acknowledge the help. I only wish I could have done more.

The big news this week is that Ari’s care plan is in place and therapy has begun. But, at his meeting he did some really unexpected stuff of which I was particularly proud. When his DI (developmental interventionist) came in, I showed her these flash cards that he is just really digging. I told her that he has mastered the word “fish” again and that because he always smiles and stares at the horse picture that I thought that would be his next word. Right after that his SLP (speech & language pathologist) came. I held up the horse card and was about to tell her the same thing I had just told the DI when Ari speaks up and says, “HORSE.” We all looked at him with the most shocked expressions. The SLP turns to me and says, “This is a different boy than I assessed.” I have to say that I was beaming about that. He’s doing so well already and he wasn’t even getting formal therapy yet. I feel tremendously optimistic. Other new words and phrases are, “Go” since I say, “Let’s go” every time I want him to leave an area where he is not supposed to be exploring. And, “Uh oh” has made an appearance as well. That’s 4 new words already in the last couple of weeks. If he keeps on this path, he may be saying his 6 - 10 new words by 1 or 2 months instead of 3 - 6. Woo Hoo!!!

Anyway, that’s about it for now. I have two exams next week and I’m now behind two and a half papers. But I look forward to catching up and being able to visit blogs again and write a little bit more here. Actually, Mark (a frequent commentor) has a very interesting story about a recent trip he took to Tennessee and Georgia that he would like to share, so I may have him as a guest poster soon. That might help take up some of the slack from my infrequency right now.

Take care, and lots of love to all who have sent personal emails or have made comments. You guys help me keep my sanity.

XOXOXO

WHEN THIS DOG

PLAYS WITH THIS DOG

SOMETIMES, YOU GET THIS

A CLOSER LOOK
(the tube is a wound drain)

THIS IS NOT A HAPPY DOG

Just so you know, she’s actually doing quite well. She had to have surgery, obviously and the dog’s play privelages are permanently revoked without strict supervision by us. This was not the vet’s decision. It was ours. We just can’t handle $350 every time they want to get frisky in addition to the physical strain it puts on either one of them. Yes, she has torn him open a few times too, though not so badly. Loki is capable of doing much more damage without being purposeful. So, we have to protect Diana from future gashes.

The upside to Diana’s surgery was that she had her nails quicked. Now she has beautiful feet. Her nails are the most difficult to keep short of any dog I’ve ever owned…so this was a good thing.

The surgery was performed Wednesday afternoon. She was in some pain yesterday, but dealt with it rather well. She’s feeling much better today, but hates the Elizabethan Collar. Who wouldn’t?

She is scheduled to have the drain and stiches removed on Thursday of next week.

I don’t normally do these, but this is so strikingly accurate I can’t resist.

Congratulations! You are Lynette Scavo, the
ex-career woman who traded the boardroom for
boredom, mixed with moments of sheer panic as
the mother of four unmanageable kids.

Which Desperate Housewife are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

During last night’s episode when Lynette leaves her husband home with the kids and says they can eat as many cookies as they want, Joe looked over at me and said, “I don’t think you should be watching this.”

Hee hee.

There is something I would love to do, but am not sure I should. I need to give you some background info on this so that you can understand why this is a dilemma for me.

I belong to a bulletin board which has been a source of strength for me. It has also been a source of great conflict. At one point I left the board for a while. This was mostly due to focusing more attention to Ari, but partly because some people really seemed to dislike me and not respond very well to my views.

When I was on sabbatical from the board, I was still lurking and responding to people personally by email. It was my way of staying connected and responding to people without imposing those thoughts upon others.

During that time they decided to compile an address book. This was a board which I had been with almost since its inception, so I sent in my information. I received a prompt response stating that since I was not “active” I would not be allowed to participate. I caught the organizer on line one day and began chatting with her. Apparently, there were some people who didn’t want me to have their information. In addition, it was implied that my lurking had ulterior motives. The chat concluded when I was accused of abandoning them all…even those who disliked me.

Was I pissed? Absolutely! Of the phone calls I had made to others, I had never once received one in return. I felt incredibly slighted. Even though I didn’t feel totally supported, I decided to go back and start posting on occasion. I certainly don’t have the time to devote like I used to, but at least my motives aren’t questioned as much.

Now that you have some background, here’s where I need your help.
Continue Reading »

We had a fantastic meeting with Ari’s Developmental Interventionist today.

First, she’s fantastic. We really like her and get along with her very well. Ari loved her and she got lots of smiles from him. He also sat in her lap once. Very cool!

She spent some time watching him play and interacting with all of us and said, “I’ve got to say that I know you said that you have concerns about him being on the spectrum. I just don’t see it. I think he’s a normal 2 year old with a language delay.” I think we all heard the air that was expelled from Joe’s lungs at that point. It made his day, week, month and year.

That said, we have a rough road ahead in getting him to progress. We have to shift some of our natural parenting tendancies toward more structured parental guidance. We also need to learn and use some sign language with Ari. But, if we make our best effort with this, she believes that he would be able to transition into the school system by the time he’s 3. Now, I’m a bit skeptical about getting a 2 year old child with the language development of a 9 month old to the development of a 3 year old in one year, but I’m damn well gonna try.

What we do next is choose a Primary Service Coordinator and schedule a meeting with everyone: Initial Service Coordinator; Initial Assessor; Speech Therapist; Developmental Interventionist; Primary Service Coordinator; & us. That meeting is to design a treatment plan with attainable, reasonable goals.

I hope to be telling you all of his new words very soon. Oh, and remind me when I complain about him ranting and raving about every miniscule detail in life that we were fearful he wouldn’t say anything at all.

It’s been so long since I posted that I wasn’t sure I would remember how. But, alas, blogging is like bicycle riding. Once you learn how, you never forget.

Speaking of never forgetting, I hated that the first page on every news site was announcing Christopher Reeve’s death this morning. I remember when he had the riding accident almost ten years ago. He had made so much progress that it is almost unthinkable to be without his presence. He forced us to shift the paralysis paradigm and move in the direction of long term healing of spinal cord injuries. A doctor can no longer look someone with paralysis in the face and say, “You’ll never move again.” Now that speech is more like, “You likely will never move because your insurance will not cover the intensive treatments needed to move.” Reeve was trying to change that. Perhaps that was his mission in life. All I can tell you is that when I remember him, it won’t be for his work in the Superman films. He was more than that. Much, much more.

You’ve heard me speak of my neighbors before. Well, the beagle owners are getting a bigger piece of our mind lately. A couple of weeks ago, Joe left our cozy bed at 2am to walk next door to talk to the neighbors. One was just arriving home and apologized. However, apparently they really don’t care about our requests to keep the dog quiet in the middle of the night. Last night was horrendous. They will be getting a letter from us either tonight or tomorrow stating our displeasure, including a statement about the noise ordinance law. If it happens after that, we will be heading downtown to file a motion against them. I’ve been wanting to do that for a long, long time. I almost don’t want them to stop just so I can do that. We’ve played nice for over a year now. If they can’t play, it’s time to pay.

It’s been great having Joe around full time again. We eat as a family; play as a family; go to bed as a family. Nice, nice, nice. Joe was worried about Ari not warming up to him, but Ari has been very happy to have Daddy around. I’m still numero uno when it comes to comfort. However, Daddy is a nice buffer when Mommy isn’t too happy with Ari. Take yesterday for example. I took Ari to the grocery store and from the moment we got in the store to the time we left he did nothing but scream. I was ready to scream. He had NEVER done this before and I was aghast as everyone looked on. We went home immediately after and he went to his room for a time out which just included more screaming. Daddy went in to comfort him and brought him out to have some juice and chips. I believe Daddy could have been defined as HERO at that point.

For all that has come up so far this semester, school is going very well. I am still behind on some things, but I should be caught up soon. In fact, the rest of today will be spent catching up. Hey, at least I like the material I’m studying.

Now, for my toe…
Yesterday, the nail came off. Yeah, it IS really disgusting, but it’s finally feeling better. The nail was creating pressure on the tisse trying to heal. I will need to keep it completely covered for a while considering there is only 1/4 inch new nail there and the rest is open tissue. Looking at it without the nail makes me realize how infection took over. I’m guessing it will take 3 - 4 months to grow a new nail. Joe, the budding doctor, couldn’t even look at it. Apparently, he gets the willies from nail issues. Thank God he’s not going into primary care.

Again, I want to thank all who have left comments about what’s going on with Ari. We’re hoping to have even more answers after this week.

So, how is everyone? Anything new and exciting in your lives?

VolcanoCam

Obviously, I’ve had a lot going on lately. I haven’t had time to post here or to visit any other sites. For that I’m very sorry. Perhaps I will return to mega blogging in the future, but for now the posts are going to be scarce.

I’m playing catch-up on a lot of school work because of the diverted attention to Ari. This semester has thus become one of the more difficult in terms of being on track. My professors have been infinitely understanding about that.

Joe is finally home for good, which is very cool. I think reentry is going very well. Ari seems to like having both of us around. Now there will be interviews, the match and we’ll know where we’re going to be either in February or March, depending on the match he chooses.

I’ll have you know that not only did my toe NOT get better, it got worse. I’m now taking antibiotic horse pills and am in constant pain. The nail is starting to come off on one side but not the other. I am fearful that I will need to have this nail removed forcibly. This is NOT fun.

Now, for an update on Ari…

We had the intake for the First Steps program on Wednesday and initial assessment done for Ari yesterday. The assessment includes 5 areas, of which he was deficient in two; his communication, obviously, and social interaction with peers (likely due to his lack of communication). The assessor is a speech pathologist and was very open to hearing our concerns. She said that she could see some of the flags we were seeing, but not enough to send him for an intensive evaluation for being on the autism spectrum. She said that this could go either way at this point. But, she believes that once we get him talking everything should shape up around that. So, our goal for the next 3 – 6 months is to get him saying 6 – 10 more words clearly. If he is not able to do that, we will have the evaluation done. We’re hopeful that some intervention with his speech will do wonders. However, if he is on the spectrum, he will be very high functioning due to his level of intelligence, motor and fine motor skills. So, that’s where we’re at right now. We should be in contact with a speech therapist this coming week and have a treatment plan in place as well. Again, we have fingers and toes crossed that he blossoms.

Thank you for all of the wonderful input, either here or by personal email. The support is appreciated.