Bravery

I'm bravely posting a picture of myself with Thane. As I was making slide shows for both boys, I realized there were very few pictures of Thane and I together, so Braeden took this one. Thane didn't want any part of it . . . and in some ways I didn't either . . .

It has taken me a week to get this far, and I am still resisting uploading it reduced to the size of a postage stamp!

Stinky Playdate

I guess I was so taken with Thane and his blanket that I forgot that I wanted to post that yet another baby skunk was spotted in our yard. Braeden had a playdate with someone who lives elsewhere during the school year. They were out back when a baby skunk decided to try to get in the yard, at the same time as the other boy's mother drove up.

She asked Braeden for a box, caught the baby skunk, and removed him from our yard. In the process, the little one sprayed while in the box so there was a heck of a stink again. She came back up to the house and asked if she totally reeked. Luckily she didn't, but I had to kid her that it was a heck of a way to pick up her kid after a play date!

Therapy Blanket

Thane seems to be growing like a weed lately. We ordered him a weighted toddler blanket months ago. I knew we'd need a twin-size before long, but since he never would consider even using a blanket I didn't want to invest the money. I got in a Wiggles pattern as he was in love with The Wiggles. He screamed at the blanket the first day, but when he finally tried it he loved it. The toddler one was five pounds and it just calmed him right down for sleep.

He likes to sleep totally under the blanket at first, and he is just too long to be covered head to toe in a toddler-size blanket. He's wearing 4T sleepers from an OMOM friend -- who knew he would catch up so much so fast?!?

Anyway, I ordered a twin blanket in a Go Diego Go! pattern as that is one of his current favorites. He was cheering and jumping up and down when Dave was opening the box. I should have had the video going!

But what happened after that was priceless. He grabbed the pillow and tossed it on the floor to stand on it and jump off. Then he pulled the blanket out of the box, dragged across the fuzzy carpet, and put in on the couch. Then he dragged it back and climbed in the box, covered himself in the blanket, and asked for the pillow.

Dave joked:

"Therapy blanket and pillow, $119.99”

“Shipping for blanket and pillow $30.00”

“Child climbing in beat up cardboard box and covering himself with therapy blanket, priceless!”

It was cute! I am editing this as I published this post to my blog and then Braeden came in with a picture of Thane that actually shows the box. The second and third pictures were taken earlier -- the second shows how happy he is with the blanket, and the third shows a silly smile and the pillow.







Anyone who is interested in a weighted blanket should consider this Natural Remedies for Autism ADHD . . . I have gotten my orders very quickly, even special orders, and they are nice fluffy blankets. She makes all sorts of sizes and lots of fabrics to choose from.

Sigh

Today is our 20th wedding anniversary. It wasn't very exciting . . . The sigh is for one of those moments that makes a mom cry. Thane is really, really off today. He was crying and wanted nothing to do with me. Braeden tried to calm him with a hug, but something happened and Breaden's finger got smashed under the roof of a rugged log-cabin doll house. Braeden started crying and sat in the corner of our sectional sofa. Thane climbed up on the couch, still crying too, and plopped himself in Braedens lap. B wrapped his arms around him and cuddled, but admitted it was
sometimes very hard to be his brother. It was really painful atching the two of them crying like that.

I imagine there are always times when having a sibling stinks, but the looks on their faces today was difficult.

Hyperlexia

One of Thane's therapists mentioned hyperlexia to me last week so now I am trying to read information on it. According to Merriam-Webster's online medical dictionary hyperlexia is precocious reading ability accompanied by difficulties in acquiring language and social skills. Hmmm. Could be. I guess I don't really see a problem with early reading . . . and the social skills and language acquisition are improving. I just wish I could go a week or two without having to research anything!

Splish-Splash

Good, Bad, Icky

Dave came home from work this evening and he and the boys got ready to swim. I was sitting in my recliner thinking about taking a quick nap while it was quiet, but I got a whiff of au de skunk . . . I thought maybe they found a skunk en route to the pool, so I headed out back to see what was up. To the right, my family seemed content. To the left, the dog was munching on a skunk. YUCK!!!

The annoying thing is that she was in our backyard, within the fenced in area, and had just been inside before Dave came home. So in the span of at most 15 minutes, she killed two skunks and could not be deterred by my yelling at her. Dave had to separate her from her prey.

The good part isn’t that she got the cute little guys, but that we weren’t still out there. We had been outside until 6, and Dave came home at 6:15. The bad part is the smell – fresh skunk is the absolute worst odor. We need to pray for a good downpour to wash the grass. I already mentioned the icky. And I guess Mist is going to have to go through a de-skunking bath later. Yech!

Mist

A bird, a squirrel, a skunk? Something has violated the neutral zone, but Mist has yet to decide whether it is worth the chase.

Visitors

Squirrel's are so last season around here. Now we have these two baby critters hiding under my car.

THAT Mom

OK, today I was that other mom – not the mom of the ill-behaved, tantrum-throwing child, but the mom who told someone else’s kids to cut it out.

Braeden made a very sad commentary on the world today -- he said there are more bad people than good. Isn't that awful coming from a 9-year-old?

I understand his perspective, though, as I think the bad/misbehaving sometimes stick out more. Braeden and I have been dropping Thane off at school and going to do things. On Tuesday, he was upset because some people let their soggy wet dog pounce on him while we were having a picnic. His main complaint was that the people weren't obeying the sign saying no dogs in that area of the park, nor the rule to pick up after dogs in other areas. It sure doesn't help him with his fear of dogs to get pounced on by something that weighs more than he does.

Then he was walking on the beach a little bit and started to rub his nose. I asked him about when he came back and he asked if we could leave because the teenagers were smoking weird cigarettes and it was making his nose itch. He pointed out the sign again that also says it is a smoke-free, drug-free safe zone.

Today we went to the skatepark and there was only one boy there, probably about 15. He was very nice to Braeden and showed him some tricks and encouraged him. It was really nice. It is also a smoke-free, drug-free safe zone, yet it was the one place I expected the rule to be ignored . . . yet it wasn’t!


Then after school I asked Braeden if he wanted to go to a playground on our way home. He said yes . . . and I have to say the kid can be so totally amazing and patient with his little brother. He even helped him wipe his nose (way beyond the brotherly call of duty, in my opinion).


Braeden really doesn't respond well to other children being less than kind on playgrounds. After they were done swinging, we headed for the slides and there were three kids there -- two older brothers and a little brother maybe 2 years old. They were trying to get away from their baby brother and were yelling “Baby Alert” and then shrieked that there was a second baby (Thane) to escape from. Thane didn't even remotely acknowledge them, or go near them, so Braeden came over and commented to me that he didn't like that, could they go for a walk instead. I said yes with certain restrictions (line of sight, stay close to Thane on the bridge, etc.).

Thane doesn't really understand fear. It is exciting to him and rather than backing off, he tends to explore the adrenaline rush. He was scared of the bridge and needed Braeden to carry him over the middle. They went back and forth many times before Thane could get to the other side without asking Braeden to pick him up. Meanwhile, Braeden looked down at the river bank and some boys about 10-11 had killed something. Braeden was so offended -- saying they murdered the poor harmless thing, whatever it was (they were smashing it with rocks). Luckily, Thaney was concentrating on the bridge because he would have vomited if he saw.

One of the mothers must have heard him as they called the children up and spoke with them. When they headed to the water next, they were told to "make good choices" . . . which included throwing stones at the side of the foot bridge that Braeden and Thane were crossing. One small stone hit Braeden in the leg, and the sound made Thane scream. Braeden suggested to the boys that they stop, but they ignored him. One mother called a few times, but they didn't even turn and kept tossing rocks. I was closer, so I told them to "stop throwing rocks, you're defacing public property and might hurt someone!" Braeden and Thane were next me and the mom of 2 of the boys said she had it covered as they continued throwing rocks, when there were some old people coming across the bridge. I was kind of pissed and said it sure didn't look like it. Honestly, it wasn't fast enough. She was busy chatting and not correcting, and when she did it was useless because her kids didn't listen and there was damage happening and people at risk of being hurt.

Then she put one child in a time out and did nothing about the other one . . . and the other parent still couldn't be bothered with her kid. I actually considered suggesting that they take their children home if they weren't going to prevent them from killing whatever they killed, and throwing rocks.

Braeden wanted to know how I would handle it if he acted like that. I said one time when he was almost 5 he was chasing a smaller boy in the playground. At first the other boy liked it, but then he wanted Braeden to stop. I told Braeden he needed to stop or we'd leave. He did it again and we left. He's never done anything like that again.

Don't get me wrong. Braeden is by no means perfect. He can't pick up after himself worth a darn, is horrible to get to go to bed because he doesn't want to bother sleeping, there are snarky words that pass his lips way too often when he talks with his father, and I felt embarrassed yesterday when he snatched the fish puzzle pieces from Thane at the library while we were working with Thane's DT (I know it is normal sibling stuff, but I like the better behavior!). As frustrating as he can be at times, his kindness, good manners, and his incredible patience for his little brother make me very proud of him.

I really hate saying anything to someone else's kids, and when I do, I tend to do it in a more conversational manner – “Do you think that was respectful?” I find that often makes them pause and think and then they do something else without my having to risk the wrath of other adults. But this whole scene today just really made me mad. The moms who weren't watching their kids were both sitting there smoking – right next to a town sign saying it was a smoke-free, drug-free safe zone. I was taking pictures of my kids and I thought about taking the mothers' pictures as they smoked right next to the sign, sitting in front of their pretty SUVs with license plates showing.

Kim says I should have taken the pictures, but I was afraid of being that antagonistic I guess. Maybe I could/should have done it inconspicuously.

On one level I am angry that we’ve had several experiences this week that precipitated Braeden’s comment about more bad people in the world, but I also have found all the difficult discussions a bit stressful (and maybe not the best timing when weaning off medications and feeling a bit agitated). I came home and I just felt very tired. We’ve had discussions about smoking marijuana, when to listen to adults and when not to – listening to his sense of what is right and what isn’t – defacing public property, killing innocent critters, foods in moderation, and all sorts of other stuff. We’ve had a lot more time together than usual. I remembered feeling that Braeden’s questions made me feel really stupid when he was younger. These ones I can tackle a little better than the constant “why” of a young child, but there is a different kind of stress and I do find it pretty hard to keep talking about stuff. The other day we talked for five hours about various things. I have sort of mixed emotions about the fact that in this aspect, Thane seems a bit easier than Braeden. Braeden is so intense.

Then I wondered when Thane might ask “Why?” It’s somehow a bit scary that he hasn’t done that yet.

Move Over Elephants!

Braeden and I had a picnic at the lake across the road from Thane’s school today. I took a bunch of pictures. Thane was checking them out when we got home and rather liked this one from the muddy parking lot:


“Those are butterflies!”

Then he added “Butterflies have wings to fly.” Sounds like a song . . .

“Where are the penguins?”

I would really love to understand how his mind works. I wonder if one of the books he is reading at school has penguins and butterflies in it?

Speaking of reading . . . Thane took the tooth-brushing guide from my hands as we got to school and sat back and was reading the text in the center column! Very cool!

Brushing Teeth

So far I think my picture schedule method deserves mixed reviews. Thane caught on to the smiley face method the first night and seems happy with that positive reinforcement for doing something he considers torture. That’s the good part.

The negative aspect is that he generally wants to start with “back and forth,” but from there he hasn’t chosen an order. Thane is trying to figure out what he can control in his world and the issue with the laminated card was that to follow the pictures doesn’t lend itself to doing things out of order. A big part of the song helping us has been letting him choose the verse. So perhaps this one would be better with Velcro – or cards, and I could actually pick them up when we’re done!

It also could be that a couple more days of using the card and he would want to follow the order. Maybe I just need one photo of brushing teeth as the visual cue of what is about to happen, or perhaps just the picture of brushing teeth in the midst of the night-time schedule would work. So many options . . . and ways to over-think things.

Velcro, Cutting, Laminating

I love when I write a post, finish it, and decide I have other things I should have written.

When we had Thane diagnosed in Waterville last year, the team suggested that we should try using picture schedules with Thane. Getting guidance on how to do it with him has been a big stumbling block.

I downloaded a program off Do2Learn to make the schedules, but the therapists at CDS keep telling me that I need removable cards and with Velcro backs, rather than just having a solid card – so that he can remove things as he does them. I have spent a lot of time trying to do things their way, but honestly the software doesn’t make it that much easier because if you cut and laminate the pictures, they are slightly too big for the grid on the background page and it drives me insane. I also hate having things cut crooked. And the pictures provided with the program aren’t always that good . . . I tried making a tooth-brushing guide and the up-and-down, back-and-forth, etc., drawings are of different people. No one is going to dye their hair, perm it, and get a sex-change operation between steps of brushing their teeth!

I admit my own my obsessive-compulsive stuff has been bad lately and I am wondering a bit if Thane and I are being triggered by the same thing.

When I did a haircutting schedule I just made cards using tear-apart printer postcards. I think it would have worked well if I had punched a hole in the top corner and added a string just to keep them in order – like flip cards. When I left them out on the couch, we spent much of the next day repeating the steps of the haircut. The implication was that I hadn’t really done it right. I think the problem was that I didn’t pick the cards up!

So back to the Velcro – it is very time-consuming, especially if I follow the recommendation to use photographs. Dave and I decided last night to buck the system. We laminated a guide for brushing teeth and will put smiley faces for each step completed and then wipe them off. Now I get to find out whether they will follow my method at school or not. I think they under-estimate his ability to understand things and that they are making the pictures schedule too difficult to do.

For most things, we don’t seem to need the schedule for as long as it takes us to finally get one from CDS, even if we provide the images, text, etc. I am much more likely to use them if I can do it relatively quickly, shove it through the laminator, and go . . . It won’t work for a daily schedule with changes in routine, but I don’t see the problem with doing it for bedtime routines and brushing teeth. This is one of the guides I made yesterday:



It can be seen larger by clicking the photo.

This 'n' That

The good news is that it seems like I am at least vaguely healthier . . . I even had low blood pressure when Thane decided to throw himself down while he was standing on top of the exam table as the nurse was inflating the BP cuff on my arm. I upset him by suggesting he shouldn’t unroll the entire spool of paper that goes across the table. He’s done it before without everyone getting angry with us, but the incredible waste of paper is a little bit more than my obsessive-compulsive personality can handle!

I made it up to him when I was done by helping him write letters on the paper with crayons. He was very cute trying to sign the letters too, and wanting both upper- and lowercase.

The doctor was again impressed with Thane’s progress – I think she is still surprised to hear him speak at all. She walked in and he announced “Now that’s a doctor!” He was being pretty loud, but I commented that at least this time he was being cheerful and loud instead of screaming in total terror at the idea of someone looking in his throat.

We went to the playground for a short visit afterward. Braeden and Thane played for a half hour but then Braeden said he wanted to leave because he was finding the other children there obnoxious. I suppose I may be odd, but I was happy to hear that as I noticed poor behavior right off. They were there for the Y-Care (“Why Care?”) and the supervision is dismal.

I’ve been reading another mom in Maine’s blog . . . she doesn’t just write about the day-to-day stuff I post here, but a lot of information and thought-provoking discussion about autism. I have been reading about the controversy with Autism Speaks – between the founders Bob & Suzanne Wright and their daughter, Katie Wright. I found myself feeling as if making that video of Thane may not have been the best choice – at least not as a fundraiser for Autism Speaks. The vaccine hearings are fascinating too. Anyway, I highly recommend Adventures in Autism.

Kipper the Dog

I'm sure the time to rebel against overalls will come soon, but I could not resist getting some Kipper the Dog overalls made for my little Kipper fan. I just viewed the pictures from Debbie, the designer, and Thane was so excited by all the pictures. I have to post at least the front and back here. There are more detailed pictures on her site.



The position of the paper towel roll seems a bit odd -- I think I would have put that on his backside, but all his favorites are on here and he was so shouting out Kipper! Arnold! Zebra! Roly!

Hungry

I spoke with Thane's speech therapist for a few minutes after school today and she said she was trying to language evaluations with him and he was resisting. As if that should be a shock!

Anyway, she did get one adorable quote out of him. He was identifying pictures and she showed him a picture of food. He said, "That's a hungry! I love hungry!"

Dave joked that he must really love being hungry since he never eats anything.

Braeden just called on his cell phone (10 p.m.). It appears that he and a friend are getting to sleep in the school library this evening as I guess they both thought the other was bringing a tent. We expected to hear disappointment about not camping out, but instead he and his buddy are excited to haunt the library overnight and use all the reading pillows to get comfortable. It sounds like the head teacher suggested he be inside anyway because of his allergies, which is probably a good idea. Braeden seems to have gotten the environmental allergies while Thane has more food-related ones.

Romeo?

Braeden was one of the brawlers in Romeo and Juliet on Monday evening. His science teacher emailed me this photograph. You have to love the wink!


Note: Braeden looked at this photo and reminded me it is not a wink, it is the evil eye!

Mobile Blogging

I guess my social story is a success . . . Braeden read it to Thane four times last night. They were so cute - Thane was shouting the names of the people in the pictures, himself included, and Braeden was cheering him on. Thane actually answered the "What is your name?" correctly within the context of the book, but so far not replicated without the book. It'll come.

This morning we tried story hour at the library. The book choices and the reader being shy was not the best combination. Thane was happy to check out the new library, but when people started arriving for story hour, he wanted to leave. I hate seeing my little one have such a hard time. He cried. He tried to pull me out of my chair, then push me. He hid his face from everyone and was pretty much only okay when he was concentrating on his purple car.

Getting participation in the craft was a bit easier, but he was upset that there was no yellow - he still colors in order of the spectrum. He finally started engaging his DT. I should have taken a camera as she ended up sitting in a chair with a 4-foot bear, a frog, and dog, and an Alice in Wonderland doll . . . and Thane! They read two books together and then we headed out. Thane took a nap before school and I dropped him off a few minutes early.

We're going to stop by and see Braeden after school. He is camping out overnight, but wanted us to visit. I like when the little boy peaks through a bit!

Please ignore typos - I am doing this blog entry from my Blackberry while sitting by the water in Rockport.

Treehouse Couch

This weekend's new adventure was adding a treehouse tent over the couch. Thane thinks it is fun to go inside and chat with Elmo and his nameless boy doll.

I guess my social story wasn't as bad as I thought. I was doing research yesterday and it seems it isn't as cut and dried as I was led to believe -- some feel there has to be a ratio of certain sentence types and things like that, but lots of people disagree about being that strict if the person isn't low-functioning. I talked with our social worker this morning and she said that they really do need graphics that appeal to young children, so I guess I am going to try my hand at a couple more.

I'm feeling a little bad for Braeden . . . it has been raining all day and the school campout tomorrow is postponed. I hope it can happen on Wednesday. Tonight he is in Romeo and Juliet. I can't believe it is the last week of school!

Fricatives in Holland

I’m moody today . . . I’ll admit that right up front.

I was reading an editorial in the local newspaper related to the Emily Perl Kingsley Holland piece (about how having a special needs kid is like going to Holland when you planned to go to Italy – beautiful, but not what you planned). The editorial said that one of the worst things for parents was the way other people look at them and their child with disabilities.

Before that I was talking to a friend about some concerns with our current speech therapy and feeling like I need to take on more responsibility for helping Thane . . . but it seems like such a foreign language with things like “voiceless fricatives” which sound rather like cursing underneath one’s breath. Funny how I wouldn’t mind doing some of that right about now!

Prior to that phone call, we had an afternoon home visit for developmental therapy where we discussed social stories. I wrote a little book about Thane and his allergies to try to help other children understand that Thane can’t eat many – most – of the foods they eat and illustrated it with photos of Thane. I was told at the time that it was a great social story. But today I learned rules of writing social stories and by that person’s rules, mine was awful. The formula sounds so foreign to me and I now understand why it took the therapist a week or two to write this story. And now I feel like I need to go searching out guidelines, probably another book to buy and never really get to read . . .

Unless I go to that conference on using the picture exchange system in Bangor for two days in July – that I was only told about after I would have to pay the higher late registration fee -- and sit in a hotel room and read all night. I am just too antisocial to do something like that right now. And where would I stash the kids?

So how does this all relate to the article? Well, people seem to think it is fine to stare at you like you’ve raised your child in a barn, or even comment on him being a “bad pirate” . . . and it really feels like people think that the parent is at fault. I don’t think that is just my own insecurity because the editorial mentions other parents who feel the same way, and I read it all the time on the various listservs I’m on.

But does anyone really get it? First, I am dealing with a little person who has so many obstacles in front of him that it can hurt to think about it. He has an immune deficiency. He needs a special diet. Some of his motor planning needs to be learned because it isn’t wired properly. He processes a light touch as pain and a firm touch as a tickle. It’s easy to see why lots of us make no sense to him because it is kind of hard to put myself in his place and I am an adult with pretty good empathy skills.

Now I am supposed to be speech therapist (I hate seeing that word as my mind often separates it into “the rapist” – how’s that for awful?!?), occupational therapist, developmental therapist, learn all of these different languages of vexing vestibular input and frigging fricatives . . . this afternoon I felt like I was tired and I realized I really didn’t have a physical right to be. I slept well for two nights in a row. So did Thane. It has been months since that has happened so I am more rested than usual. It’s the mental strain of having too much to learn, process, implement, etc.

Plus I seem to take really lousy care of myself. For the second day in a row I actually remembered to take my insulin with me when I left the house, only to forget to take it while I was out anyway. I tried to move back to oral diabetes medication but I felt dizzy, nauseas and started getting edema in my feet . . . I wanted to do this so I could move off insulin and the scenario of forgetting it would be a thing of the past. Nope. I have a lousy track record with meds, but I wasn’t expecting trouble as I have taken that one before.

I got “permission” from the doctor to switch the way I take one medication to split the pill, but when I do I forget half of it, so that’s not working out either. I used to be able to set a timer on my watch and remind myself to take stuff – now I am likely to just swat the alarm and go back to whatever I was doing.

I wonder what the point of all these special therapists and such is if most of it is really up to me anyway. So far I feel like I am the one who explained how to calm him down. I am the one who thought of a way to entice him to try to draw purposefully. I’m the one who figured out that he responds well to puppets speaking to him. I figured out how to get him dressed without a battle. Dave figured out how to brush his teeth without the battle. Is all the effort taking him places just sapping energy that could be better expended one-on-one Thane and I? Probably not, but it does sure seem like it would be easier for me!

To be fair, I do get good information from the therapists, but it still just feels like a lot on my shoulders and some days I would really prefer to just stay home because I really have no energy left by the time we get home.

Obviously this adorable face is worth all the effort.

Beautiful

“Beautiful” is one of Thane’s favorite words at the moment. Somehow it is especially cute coming from him. He also likes to say a really breathy “Wow!” when he likes something.

Last night we played for a bit with shapes, but his attention turned to some Playmobil animals I had ordered for him. Watching him play with things is a lot of fun. I put together a vase with flowers and he announced that it was beautiful, and then took it over to the elephant and put it down for the elephant to eat!

My mind isn’t good at linear progression, so I have to insert a comment that Braeden and one of his friends stopped in the field at school to pick flowers for me. I’m glad I have cups stashed in the van! They looked really sweet gathering the blooms, and it was a very nice gesture.

Back to Thane . . . I had my head stuck in some instructions as he started playing with the people and animals. When I looked up, I couldn’t help but laugh at his setup. In the house he had placed some furniture and a family of hedgehogs. Outside within a fence were the people. To me, it looked like he corralled the humans and the hedgehogs were apparently of higher importance. In reality, it probably wasn’t meant to be funny or even slightly odd. He likes to play in our back yard, which is fenced in. So the people were probably playing and safe. I suppose I may have laughed harder if it was a family of flying squirrels inside!

That reminds me of one of the other things I meant to post a few days ago. I have been busy trying to back up my photos again because I believe my computer is on it’s way out – I don’t think I have owned one this long before, but then again there haven’t been as many changes in the technology recently. We thought the squirrels might be back the other day. There was a funky scratchy sound upstairs. Dave went upstairs to check it out and started laughing his backside off – laughing so hard he couldn’t really speak clearly. Apparently the dog decided to stick her head in the trash can upstairs. We have a white bullet can in the bathroom. Her head got stuck in the lid. She came racing downstairs looking like she was wearing a big medical collar – and she gave me that “I was naughty and I was caught” looks. Thane didn’t laugh. He was worried about his dog! He immediately saved her while saying, “There! That’s better! You okay, Misty?” He was so fast that I didn’t get a chance to take a picture.

Glaze

Now I am experimenting with sound . . . the link below should take you to an MP3 of "Glaze" -- Braeden's second attempt at musical composition. I think it is pretty good for a recently turned 9-year-old, though I admit total bias because he's my kid!

Braeden's "Glaze"

I wish I had known his first one was going to premier at the first school concert in December, but I didn't and I wasn't prepared. This time, I was smarter.

Elephant next door

After playing tag with Kimberly, I thought I would finally getting around to posting this blog entry that is from events on May 5. I was driving Braeden to gymnastics and we passed a neighbor's farm. Thane was feeling chatty.

"Look, a horse!"

"Sheep!"

"Chickens!"

"Where's the elephant?"

You should have heard Braeden laugh!!!

Then I took Thane to the playground for awhile while Braeden had gymnastics. There is a plastic stone wall that you can climb. Underneath is supposed to be a fossil on the wall of a cave . . . Thane is more of a climber, so he never went under there before.
Saturday he went under, and said:

"It's a MONSTER!!!!!!!!"

Backing off with startled look on his face.

"Hello, Monster " looks at it for a minute, backs away further and says, "Goodbye, Monster!"

I didn't think he would go near that wall again, but he climbed up it several more times, but never went back under. Leave it to Thane to be scared of a monster and just say hello to it.

Fast forward to this Saturday and he didn't want to spend much time in the playground. Just a visit to each of the slides.

"Chinese Freeze Tag"

Ack! I’ve been tagged!!! Kimberly must think I have 10 interesting things to say about myself but I am not sure she is correct on that one. I’m supposed to say 10 things about myself, tag 10 people, and then they are supposed to tag another 10 (without repeating previously tagged folks!). We’ll see how this goes.

1. I started blogging only about 6 months ago because I tend to be too lazy to write things down . . . but I am not always good at blogging either! I tried really hard last month and have completely slacked off.

2. I adore penguins . . . and my older son looked a bit like one last night in black dress pants, white dress shirt, and a black tie for his concert yesterday. If I can figure it out, I am going to try to post his original piano composition up here. I wouldn’t hold your breath for that, though!

3. Shopping is fun to me . . . but only if I don’t have to pay full price. The weird thing is that I am not cheap or anything like that, I buy more than I should, but it has to be some kind of deal.

4. My little video of Thane is actually the first slideshow/montage of any sort that I have put together. I can’t tell you how many times I crashed my computer before I figured things out. And I ended up using three different programs to produce it and get it small enough to upload.

5. I went to boarding school at Loomis Chaffee in Connecticut. My 25th reunion is in June, but we won’t be going. I think I have only gone back once since I graduated and I am no longer in touch with anyone from high school.

6. It has actually been 11 years since I started my website and a bunch of support groups for overweight women.

7. Braeden is the result of my 10th pregnancy and Thane from my 13th – I didn’t even test until 11 weeks with Thane because I just didn’t want to know if I was going to miscarry again.

8. I spent half my summers out an island with just my immediate family – people I no longer speak to at all.

9. I love the ocean, but I rarely swim in because it is so cold up here in Maine. I feel Braeden is a true Mainer because he will go in, no problem.

10. My mother’s day wish this year is to be able to use the bathroom when I wake up without company. Thane’s new script includes “tight-rope walking” from a stool to a potty and filling a cup with water, and repeating it over and over again, complete with feigned difficulty stepping up onto the potty.

Let me see . . . who shall I tag (and who will actually look here and see they were tagged?) . . .

Alicia (she needs to post something!!!) at Jettison Junk
Liz at One Silly Mama
Dori at The Ups and Downs of Our Life
Anna and Lori

I'll stick to 5 like Kimberly did -- for the same reason!

Thane's World

I posted a video about Thane -- every time videos on the site are viewed, money will be donated to one of the charities. Views of Thane's World benefit Autism Speaks. Please take a look and pass along the link to friends and family!

Big Brother

I know I post more about Thane – in part because I spend more time with him since Braeden is in school all day and then often is playing with friends in the afternoon.

Braeden is a pretty amazing and wonderful kid. It is the seemingly little things that add up to my thinking he has to be one of the best big brothers a little boy could have. Whether it is stopping what he is doing to help Thane for a moment, putting himself between Thane and the stone wall so he wouldn’t get hurt (and injuring himself a bit in the process), or sharing the last of his French fries, Braeden is an excellent nurturer.

I hope they always love each other as much as they do today!

Laughing at Life

Sometimes you just have to laugh – not that it is always easy to manage.

Today I was trying to run a little ahead of schedule. I had agreed to help out at Braeden’s school with Friday activities and take a bunch of kids bowling. I needed to get out the door, drop Thane off, and then go right to Riley.

Thane had other ideas. He had to have blue pants. He was not going to wear the brown ones in my hand. He needed round crackers in his snack, no rectangles. The mess I made while digging for denim overalls is unreal – and I ended up getting them out of the laundry! He wouldn’t wear his rain boots either. If I tried to force the issue he would have been puddle so it just wasn’t worth it.

Dropping him off at school went fine – he was happy to be there and ran in and hugged the first teacher he saw.

I went over to Riley and waited. The teacher told me it might be a little later than 12:45 – it was closer to 1 p.m. I think there actually were kids filling then entire age span of 4 years to 14 years. They all behaved very nicely – the older ones helping the younger ones and such.

I ran out toward the end to get Thane from school and then back to the bowling alley to take kids back to Riley. It was overwhelming for Thane, but he was very cute. He was jumping and flapping. He saw his big brother and shouted “Bwaden” at the top of his lungs. Thane got hugs from Braeden and one of his buddies, and then they tried to show Thane how to bowl. I should have had my camera!

It turns out that Thane is the perfect bowling partner – he doesn’t get in the way at all. He thinks the balls should be rolled right down the gutter, so he didn’t even really need his own turn. Every time he released a gutter ball he would jump up and down, flap a bit, and then clap his hands for himself. He was cheering the other kids too saying things like “Way to go!” It’s always interesting to me when he goes from a bear in the morning to a complete charmer later in the day.

What started out as a pretty crazy day was actually rather fun. It was nice to spend some time with kids from Braeden’s school – especially since I got some extra time with him! And it was nice to see that Thane handled being over-stimulated pretty well. When he is so happy and bouncy, he can make pretty much even the grumpiest grouch smile. He protested at first when we told him it was all done, but since all the other kids were getting their shoes on, he just grabbed my hand and headed for the door – calling for Braeden and his friends to come too. I wish it was always so easy . . . or at least predictable as to when it will be easy and when it won’t be!

Dramatic Change

We have another very dramatic change here. Braeden has gone from looking rather like a small teenager a couple of weeks ago:


to looking rather young again today . . .


Misty still loves him and recognized him . . . though there was a parade of kids at school saying "You cut your hair!!!"


Thane's got cut a few days ago, but it isn't half as dramatic!


I did tell Braeden it was rather nice to see him again, even though I liked the way it framed his face when it was long. It was a bit too much work for him to keep up with. I have to admit I had forgotten that his hair falls differently on one side than the other, so his hair never looks even in the front when it is short -- when it was long it wasn't as obvious because he would kind of part it there.

Now he's thinking of making it red -- blood red. A few years ago I think I might have objected, but I like that he is comfortable with himself and does what he wants. Independent thinking is good!

I'm Cute!?!

Thane walked into my office last night and said, "Mama, you're cute!" It totally threw me, but it sure made me smile.

Now we have a blue castle hanging from the ceiling in my office to go with the hammock swing . . . oh, and a ball pit in the corner. I think I understand why people have therapy rooms. Here, it is the whole house!

Such Progress

After watching several of the videos on What Kind of World Do You Want? I was debating compiling something similar about Thane. I was looking through pictures and videos of my family and what really stood how to me is how incredibly far he has come in the past year. He’s a huge argument, in my opinion, for that fact that diet changes can really change some children.

I wouldn’t say that Thane is “cured” of his autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, but the change is very dramatic.

Last year if a plane flew overhead while we were outside, he would run screaming and flapping his hands, maybe even start crying. This year he signs “listen” and asks us, “You hear that?”

A year ago he was a very sleepy little boy who was often cranky because he couldn’t get his point across. Now he is much more awake, much more cheerful, and his communication is light years beyond where it was. He spoke a 10-word original sentence! It wasn’t from some TV show or a line from a book, it was totally his. He was upset with big brother Braeden and he let him know it, and why!

He’s better able to comfort himself, or let others know what he needs. As parents, we had a sweet aw moment when Thane went over and just wrapped his arms around Braeden, and Braeden wrapped his around Thane and held him. Thane knew just what he needed for comfort and Braeden knew just how to help.

Blurry Days

I probably post too many pictures of my kids, especially since they are often kind of blurry, but I like this one I caught of Thane while he was asking (and signing) swing out in the front yard today.

Oh, and we tried out the $20 hammock chair from Nicuaragua last night. Thane liked it, other than finding it harder to get out of. Braeden and Dave like it too. I wonder if we will end up with hammocks hanging all over the house?!?

Potty PECS

I worked on picture schedules yesterday and only finished one for brushing teeth. This morning I made a new one for Thane using the potty:


The child appears to share a warped sense of humor with his family! He peed on the potty -- half sitting, half standing (I didn't even know how to begin drawing that!). Then he backed off and stuck his head in the potty. His whole head. In a potty chair! (Not a full-size toilet.)

Unfortunately, I don't have the "Parent's shouldn't laugh" thing down yet. He started trying to put his head in and I started cracking up, as did Dave. The more we told him no, the deeper he put his head, just tempting the pee to soak into his hair. Then he stood up dripping from his bangs.

So today's question is: Which is more warped? A) Sticking your head in your potty after peeing in it? or B) Mommy thinking she is very funny making a picture schedule with a frame for "no head in toilet," or C) The fact that Mommy looks at the joke schedule and thinks she left out pulling up pants and is having to resist changing it because it wouldn't seem as funny to her?

Or maybe it should be D) The fact that I actually did edit it some after I posted it!

Bye-bye Tomatoes

Our latest experiment has been tomatoes . . . they aren't in Thane's diet often, but I started getting suspicious of a reaction a month or so ago. So he has gone a couple of weeks without and tonight he had some tomato sauce. He got that slapped cheeks look and then was wiggy hyper. Braeden was kind of hyper too, but he often is extra active in the evening.

I spent a good chunk of today downloading software, finding pictures, editing pictures, and trying to create picture schedules for Thane. The only one I completed was for brushing teeth. I think Thane probably does get all his issues from me since it took me hours to get it just right!

Or so I though . . . until I printed it . . .

Take a Minute

This video made me cry. At least I hear an approximation of "I love you," but those charming kisses you see in the video are a rarity at my house. Someone posted that Five for Fighting is donating 49¢ to Autism Speaks every time the video is viewed. Pass it along!

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/213154

And if you want to see one more face of a child on the autism spectrum, scroll down . . . he's my very precious little boy.

Our Yard

All in all, things were pretty mild here -- not like the houses that fell into the sea!


Some tree limbs came down -- some had already been removed from the road by the time I took this picture.


The lower part of our lawn always becomes a bit of a pond for some part of spring.


Braeden took the time to make sure all skateboards, scooters, bikes, etc., were put into this plastic shed before the storm so that they would stay dry, but the wind sheared the top right off of it. It didn't just come apart, it isn't fixable so we have to figure something else out.


Thane was bothered by this. His playhouse flipped over, exposing a bunch of his trucks. All of his trucks that were on the porch were blown onto the ground. He handled it pretty well, but was definitely offended.

I have more pictures -- we have some broken fence, other of these plastic climbers that blew over, and some stuff like that. All things considered, we were very lucky!

Spring in Maine

Ahhh, it’s spring in Maine. We’re having lovely weather – rain and wind, and more rain, and more wind . . .

I got up yesterday and had scheduled some blood work for Patriot’s Day because Dave would be home from work and I wouldn’t have to take Thane in – the doctor’s office terrifies him! I did take Braeden and we headed into town, very slowly because we had to drive around downed limbs and such. There was no flooding on our road yet, but later in the day we were somewhat closed off at both ends.

There was flooding in all sorts of weird spots – places I haven’t seen flood in the 20 years I have lived here. I headed across Route One to go into town, only to have to turn around as the major route through town was closed off because of downed trees. I went to the next major road and turned, only to find that the Medomak River was at high tide and most of the road was submerged. I waited my turn and drove on the wrong side of the road where I could still see pavement.

After I finally was able to get to West Main Street, I got my labs drawn and headed to Newcastle – after confirming that the orthodontist’s office still had power. Downtown Damariscotta was blocked to traffic as bricks were flying off the chimney of one of the older buildings, so we avoided downtown completely.

It was Braeden’s first visit to the orthodontist. He is going to need braces, but it sounds like it won’t be as bad as we thought. They sometimes start young, but he got his teeth late and the orthodontist wants to watch his teeth and put in come spacers after some molars come out. It sounds like we’ll be going in every 6-9 months until he gets braces. He’s happy not to have them now!

We then called a friend of Braeden’s to see if we could grab him from Newcastle and take him home with us. We drove down toward Boothbay on the River Road and had to go around flooding, downed trees, and someone’s stockade fencing that collapsed into the road. We got there and a tree had fall across their driveway. We picked up the boy and left, getting home just fine. The only damage here is a roof sheared off our bike storage shed and our basketball hoop is face down in the driveway turnaround.

Our guest called home at about 5 to learn there was no power and the road to his house might be closed. Along with his parents, we decided it was probably safer and easier for him to stay here for the night. This morning we learned that his road is closed and his mother had to walk a mile and half out to get to work. I read last night that a lot of people down there way may be out of power for as many as four days. Not fun!

Meanwhile, Braeden continues to be in high demand. I was never so popular! It’s a scheduling nightmare! I agreed to have a child come here on Thursday since the mom needs to work, but now I have had two other requests for Thursday and some for Friday. It is supposed to stay wet all week, but the water is receding as far as the flooding goes.

The local newspaper says it is the worst storm since the 1998 ice storm. I found a couple of slideshows showing the storm and aftermath. More directly local is the harbor where we keep the Moon Rise.

Swinging Honey

The last home visit we had from one of Thane’s teacher included discussion of problems soothing him lately. It seems like we may have just been in a particularly bad cycle for some reason . . . anyway, we discussed how Thane really likes to be outside, and some of his meltdowns have been about having to go to school rather than playing in the yard. We already have a slide in our living room, but he has decided that swinging is great fun.

The teacher suggested that since we have exposed ceiling beams in our 1824 farmhouse here, that maybe a chair hammock would be good, so we got him one. My house must be an occupational therapist's heaven – trampoline in the library, slide in the living room, swing in the office . . . But Thane loves his new hammock!



After I took his picture a few times (hard to catch a swinging kid with a digital camera), he wanted to see me in the camera. He took it from me and was moving it around. When he couldn't see my face, he would ask "Where's my honey?" – too cute!

Easter

The boys have been cute today. Braeden was very patient with his little brother – he even handed over his entire bag of collected eggs because Thane really liked the bright eggs.

It reminded me that when Thane was only a year old he was so taken with the plastic eggs that he played with them for months after Easter. It’s kind of like the joke about toddlers preferring the box the toy came in to the toy itself. I remember thinking it was unusual, but looking back it is so much easier to see when some of the patterns emerged.

I watched Oprah’s show on autism – it’s autism awareness month – and found myself irritated that while it mentioned that it is a spectrum, there was no child whose disability is nearly invisible. It would have been nice to show that end of the spectrum. I recorded the MTV special, but haven’t watched it yet. I’m told that one shows more variety among the individual stories told.

We had fun doing our egg hunt at home. Braeden and Dave saw a movie together while Thane and I stayed home. Then we all had dinner together – sort of. Thane didn’t stay at the table, but he did join us for awhile. I not on my regular computer, but I hope to upload some pictures this week sometime.

The Trophy

I got a picture of the awards today -- Braeden is on the left, holding his first place trophy. The other picture is of him in one of his races. He's on the right in that one.

April Fools

Thane has decided that the big kid's playground is just right for him -- he completely ignores the area for little ones. He decided at the end that he prefers the tallest slide of them all, and circular slide. I thought his hair was pretty funny!

Pinewood Derby

The boys competed in the Cub Scouts' Pinewood Derby today. Braeden won overall for his pack, Dave won among the adult friends and family, and Thane was third among the children. Dave and Braeden also got "best shape" while Thane got "most aerodynamic."

One thing that is really cool this year is that Braeden, almost 9, really did most of the work on his car for the first time. He did all the sanding, painting, and even used a grinder on the axles. He was surprised to win, which also makes it nice.

I don't have any pictures of him and his trophy yet, but below is one of him racing. Braeden's in the gray shirt.

Rainbow Thaney

I was outside watching Thane, Braeden and two of his friends in the afternoon. I pulled a camera out of my tote and Thane asked me to "cheese Mist" -- the dog was outside with us. I took her picture, and then snuck a couple of the boys as well. None of them are really good pictures, but Thane was thrilled with the "cheese" below because it shows "Rainbow Thaney."

I learned about 10 days ago that he likes to line up his markers in the order of the rainbow spectrum and then color in order. Wednesday I learned that even if he doesn't line them up at school, he always chooses them in order. I guess it is a good photo in that it fits him . . . and that he loves it!

Spectrum or 3?

As much progress as Thane has made over the past several months, he still fits the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Thane has shown a ton of progress with diet modifications for celiac disease (gluten intolerance), and IgE allergies to wheat, milk and eggs. While I see all this progress, I don’t see it as the cure some people tout. It’s more like a tool that really helps open the doors to learning and developing, but it doesn’t eliminate all the behaviors. He still needs therapy to help him deal with his world more effectively. And can you be cured if eating the wrong foods sets you back for a week?

But since we all have sensitivities and quirks, the flip side is “what’s so different about him anyway?” Lots of us get side-lined by allergies and intolerances too.

I have had several conversations with other moms about how can you tell what is normal and what is a problem? Right now I feel like we’ve been having kind of an “autistic week” – well, make that two weeks. So I thought I would write about some of these behaviors.

Thane has been doing a lot of coloring. He gets out the markers, and lines them up on the table in the order of the colors of the rainbow. If he doesn’t find all the right markers, he’ll put a crayon out to hold that color’s space. Then he will draw with each color, carefully placing it back in line when he is done.

He does a lot of scripting – repeating stock phrases. He was rather wound up and was running in circles around a chair in the living room (stimming). He fell, and I said “Are you okay?” He replied “Yes.” Then he went back to running. The next time he fell, he stood up, said “Are you okay?” pause “Yes.” He ran some more and each time he fell he asked and answered the question. That routine has continued for days now, including the script.

At school, I have to pull to a side door where no other cars park. Thane wants to run around the minivan once before going to the door. Then he needs to try the door, say “Help! I stuck!” and have me open it. When I opened the door before this – I forgot the routine – he melted and threw himself on the ground screaming “No open door. No open.” We went back out, did the routine, and then he ran down the hall into class saying “Goodbye Mama! I’ll see you later!”

When I pick up Thane, I have to wait at the end of the hallway so he can run to me. He comes running to give me a hug with the biggest smile on his face. Then he asks “Where’s backpack? Where did it go?” We pretend to look under the bench, behind the bench, and then he says “Oh there it is! Look! Over there!” and then he runs to his hook and gets it down. There’s a routine there too. Then he wants to run around the minivan three times before climbing in.

Yesterday he didn’t wake up well from a nap and he cried awhile. He climbed into my arms and we sat together in silence for an hour. I had to hold him a certain way – he would rearrange my hand if I moved it. I understand that with his sensory issues, other places may hurt or tickle, but my wrist is pretty sore now. At the same time, it was nice just cuddling with him!

We’ve had much more trouble than usual this week with the order of things. Like my hand having to be in a specific place, I’ve been told what colors to draw with, where to draw what, and mixing it up at all has met with resistance. The good thing is that he usually recovers pretty quickly, but there is something that irks me about having to erase a circle on the upper lefthand corner only to replace it when he deems appropriate!

That whole “choose your battles” doesn’t work well here anymore. I’m suppose to try to interrupt his routines some according to the therapists, so I feel like we’re having little battles over things that really make very little sense to me. Last night it was juice. I got down a clear cup and poured some juice in it. Thane was angry about the color of the cup, so he was going to pour the juice out into the sink. I grabbed it from him because, to me, that is like pouring money down the drain. I just can’t do that. So I opted for the fit and keeping the juice. I put it back in the bottle and put it away. Thane didn’t get a drink until he calmed down, but he did get it in a red cup. In the end, I really only saved myself a few ounces of apple juice and had to put up with a tantrum because I had the audacity not to let him chuck it into the sink. It’s amazing how these things become so mentally exhausting!

We’re also at a stage where he wants to take several baths in a day. If he has a bowel movement, he almost always wants a bath afterward. On the one hand, he has such an amazing ability to get dirty, all these baths aren’t such a bad thing. On the other hand, baths require constant supervision in a small room where there is much of anything interesting for me to do. I have a couple of friends who don’t mind the interrupted conversation, and sometimes there is some laundry to fold, but overall it gets a bit tedious. I would rate it right up there with doing the dishes.

I’m positive lots of parents of normally developing children can see some of these behaviors in their own children . . . but many disorders are taking normal behaviors to an extreme. And Thane is only minimally on the spectrum.

Three seems to be a very difficult age for boys. I remember that with Braeden too, and I know a number of parents who say similar things. Those terrible twos were nothing compared to boys at age three. They have such a combination of energy, lack of fear, and desire to test anything and everything in their world – to mom’s total exhaustion! While there have been bumps in the road with Braeden in the years since that age, it hasn’t been the ongoing mental exhaustion. He can be rather intense, but overall he is a really wonderful, helpful, and well-behaved kid. I think maybe part of my problem is I am just feeling too old to go through having a 3-year-old boy again.

Mud Season

The temperature has really come up in Maine and all the snow is melting. Dave decided he better ready our Willy's plow truck to handle the forthcoming mud!

Merle the Squirrel

I just wanted to share the first piece of the Squirrelly award with anyone who might actually read this blog. I thought it was kind of funny . . . and Merle actually likes peanuts, so I had to buy a copy for both list friends who guessed that we would catch 10 flying squirrels by Valentine's Day.

Fear!

This is one of those things that I want to say, but have no idea who my audience should be . . .

Thane showed fear today! That may not seem like a big deal, but for a child who would just walk into the ocean or to the edge of a cliff, it was actually calming for my husband and I to see this today.

Dave and Thane were playing, and Thane ended up upside down with Dave holding his ankles. Thane look terrified and immediately wanted to right himself. This from a kid who likes to be tipped partially over to help him calm down. Maybe he will start to show some caution and we won't have to worry as much.

Thane also showed some anger today, which is something else I am not used to seeing in this form. He tantrums and throws himself at things, but this was different. I got a look that was like he was throwing daggers at me accompanied by those words any mother dreads hearing "Don't love you!" He was mad because I said he could not have any more candy. I said he had enough, I love him, but no more. So his reponse was that he didn't love me. Ouch! Combined with the look, I really did feel upset . . . though I guess I shouldn't have shown that.

Napping

I can't resist posting this picture of Thane at his most charming. He's getting good use of his trampoline in the living room!

2 for 1

"Hey dude, look! There´s a big glob of peanut butter inside that shiny box."

"Uh, I dunno dude . . . I´ve seen some friends get in there and not got out. Then . . . uh . . . then . . . then they d-dis-DISAPPEAR!"

"Yeah dude, I know what you´re saying. Maybe if we go in together - as a team - we´ll be okay . . ."

"For the love of peanut butter, dude, let´s do it!"

Flying squirrels number 7 and 8 now reside across the Kennebec in Augusta somewhere 30 or so miles from my kitchen.

Taking Prisoners

The night before last, I thought I saw something run through the kitchen. Dave wanted to know if I was sure, and I said no . . . it could have been my hair in my eyes as it was getting too long. Sure enough, a quiet little flying squirrel fell pray to one of our traps. It was transported roughly seven miles away. Not as much humor involved in this one.

Last night Dave heard another one in the kitchen and he was pretty annoyed. It is getting ridiculous – how many squirrels can we have here?

This morning, four and five were imprisoned after being enticed by the smell of peanut butter. For the longest time, we didn’t have peanut butter in the house. Should I blame Shaw’s for having a 3 for $5 sale to draw these critters in to my home?

After photographing the cute but pesky squirrels, we transported them about 40 miles away, over at least three good-sized rivers, maybe four. Maybe we should start painting toe nails or something to see if they are actually making back from their humane drop off spots. Is this what we get for having a heart?!?


"What happened to a fair trial?"


"I just wanted peanut butter!"


"Did you fail to notice? I'm cute!!!"

The Mocking Squirrel

The squirrel saga continues . . .

Dave returned home from transporting the squirrel across the river, through the woods, and into another town . . . He came into my office to tell his story, standing in front of a floor lamp that seemed to make him glow. Me, being me, could just envision how the man would look were he able to spread a glorious plume of feathers in the manner of a male peacock.

I told him of my post - he said it really wasn't funny . . . The traps were $104 with tax!

He sat on his laurels for a moment before heading into the kitchen. There on his favorite appliance - the television - sat the Mocking Squirrel! It looked at him as if trying to explain both that he, the human, caught the wrong squirrel . . . And he, the mocking squirrel, knew that I had purchased 6 jars of peanut butter
at the sale price of 3 for $5!

After the water pipe fiasco, annoyed human isn't sure what to do. He was so sure - being a logical engineer and all - that there could only be one . . . Untilthere were two . . . But WAAAAAH!!!!!!!!! Three!?!

Enter mocking almost-nine-year-old. "BOO!" Shouts Braeden as he jumps and throws his hand out toward mocking squirrel - who dashes into the living room and up the chimney. "See Dad? It's cool - they scare really easy!"

Me, being me, looks at the face of the adult male who is obviously trying harder than usual not to blow a fuse. I can envision the steam escaping from his ears so he won't explode, then forming a cartoon thought bubble over his head filled with symbolic censorship "@+!@#@@!!!"

With a big sigh, and peacock plumage totally retracted, adult male heads out into the cold to retrieve the "lucky" trap that caught flying squirrel #2.

A third peanut butter loving flying squirrel was caught and transported to the state capital where Dave works - released into the arboretum. Again, the practical engineer feels he has removed the last one, but I won't be surprised if the mocking squirrel is really still in the house.

Who will win? Man or rodent? You know, those little critters can be kind of squirrelly, LOL!