Better Pics ... I Hope ....

OK, yesterday during the boys therapy I crawled out the window again to get better pictures of my quilt.  Let's see ....

OK, a little better.

I definitely need help with pictures .... must consult Sister.

Oh, and why finish one completely before you start another?

 

This is my layout for the next Old Red Barn quilt-a-long - Zig Zag!  Perhaps just the rough layout.  I think I might mix up the dark reds to make it wider and of course the light reds to make it longer. 

I have something called 'fear of points'.  That is fear of making exact points when I sew the half-square triangles together.  We'll have to see how that goes when I get to that point.

I am also trying to finish up the coins quilt I made for the boys.  I'll try to get a picture of that one today.

Therapy is getting better.  Yesterday there was very little protest when they were doing stuff.  That equals much less screaming.  As the boys hate having anyone tough their heads, one of the therapy items is daily brushing their hair.  We are seeing definite progress in that department.  After their bath last week I was able to brush their hair without shrieking ... there was only minor wincing.  Yes, they need haircuts, but here they are.

Nate

and Josh.  That day they LOVED having their pictures taken!

More later.

H

I Suck!

I suck at taking pictures.  Nothing like 'them'.  They pick up one of those disposable cameras at Wal-Mart and take world class pictures.  By them I mean my sister Cindy, Heather and Karen T.  It is like they are gifted. 

Here is my example.  Since the boys are in therapy, I am locked in my quilting room for 3 hours a day.  Even though that sounds heavenly, hearing their protests is NOT heavenly.  I digress ... I am not normally a girly girl.  Pretty sure that is why God didn't give me girls.  Wouldn't know what to do if I had a girl offspring that wanted something pink and frilly.  Anyways, in my fabric hoarding obsession, I have acquired some pink flowery fabric (usually in a bulk box on e-bay).  Didn't know what to do with it but decided this Old Red Barn Quilt Along would work.  Yes, I started late but this is what I've got so far.

This is the picture as I took it.  Up on my design wall.  Minimal natural light.  Looks dark to me.

Here is the same pic using the magical 'insta fix' button on the software program (remember, I don't even know how to text so don't expect me to know all those fancy function names and buttons).

Huh.  Doesn't look that much better to me.

Oh, and I've already started on their next Quilt Along.  Quite excited.  More later.

H

Enuf is Enuf!

Seriously!  This is a new day!  The sun has risen!  Life is different now!  And this will be my story.

I'm sure I'll offend some.  Tough. Don't read it.  I'm sure some will laugh!  Great!  Some will cry!  Fantastic!  I'm always looking for others who are ugly criers like myself!

I'm gonna say what I want, when I want.

Starting now:

Today I have a very serious situation.  I need to know how many coats of nail polish you can apply to your toenails without someone noticing.  I'm not talking consecutive coats.  I'm talking one coat, wait 3 weeks, apply another coat to cover up the part where the toenail has grown out, wait another 3 weeks, apply another coat, etc., etc., etc.  Does Guinness keep a record of this?  I should call them.

Josh.

It's been an interesting week.  Josh has a new game.  It's called, crap my pants, strip buck naked, and run around the house.  He did it once Friday and twice yesterday.  Takes me back to the 70's when I was young and saw streakers skiing down the ski hill in Smithers.  As if living in Smithers wasn't damaging enuf for a young person.  Needless to say, today we are watching him like a hawk.  So far, so good.  But I'm not goona turn my back on him .... yet.

I feel strong.

Strong.  Full of hope.  Really nice ... missed that feeling.  Yesterday for supper our "best man" was here.  With his wife.  And their baby who will be one next week.  Aila.  Beautiful little girl.  They will be having another in about 7.5 months.  Congrats to them!

I say 'best man' cause he was both of ours best friends when we got engaged.  I actually called to tell him and asked if he would be my maid of honour.  Apparently everyone else thought best man would be a better fit.

He works in Calgary for the school system as a counsellor.  Something like Grand Master Counsellor though.  Don't remember his exact title.  Even if he was just saying it to be polite - he said the boys were very a-typical autism compared to the autism he has dealt with in Calgary.  He said he saw so much hope and promise in the boys ..... even if he was just saying it to be polite ... which I don't think he was ..... cause he ain't that polite .... which is why I love him dearly.

H

EIBI Day 2

Early Intensive Behaviour Intervention (EIBI).  Big words.  Means 'what we gonna do to get 'em caught up".  It started yesterday.  The boys met Kim & Gillian.  At the end of the 3 hours my nerves were shot.  The boys cried and screamed and fought them.  Most of the time, it seemed.  And this is only building rapport.  I know the screaming will happen.  They need to push through to show progress.  But the screaming/crying grates on my nerves AND breaks my heart at the same time.

Kim & Gillian have been here for 7 minutes and NO crying.  NO screaming. 

Cross my fingers .......

H

Down and UP ..

On Monday we were to have a 'Follow-up Conference' with the Child Psychologist.  You gotta wonder who makes up these terms.  The "Conference" was to include him and us.  In my world that would be a follow-up meeting.  We really didn't know what he wanted to talk about.  Was he going to say, "Woops, I was wrong, your kids are fine!", or perhaps "Hey, we should get together some time and go out for dinner!".  We didn't try to even find a babysitter, Randy said I should just go.  At the last minute I called my niece and went to pick her up.

Our 'conference' was for 2:30pm but I didn't get my niece back to our place to get Randy until 2:25pm.  By the time we got to the Doc's office, it was 2:50pm.  By 3pm I asked if the good Doc was in the office.  The receptionist said he was talking with someone.  He finally came out at 3:10pm.  40 minutes late.  We felt special.

Went into his office and he says he just wanted to make sure we were getting services.  We were a little dumbfounded.  Being part of the Canadian medical system, he KNEW that there was currently a waiting list of 1 year for government autism services.  I told him we went private and were having our first team meeting tomorrow.  He did the head tilt/bob.  He did that a lot.  The only good that came out of it was that I was able to get the anger I felt about our speech path out of my system.  Basically, "yes, I know she WROTE that she referred us for an autism assessment last year, THAT ISN"T TRUE". Head tilt/bob.  He forgot to say, "tell me about that ....".  When I was done he covered her ass and his.  More head tilt/bob.  The whole meeting was 15 minutes and we left.  Complete waste of our time.  Hopefully he felt good about it.

YESTERDAY!!!!

Had our first Team Meeting.  Shawna (did I mention she was sent straight from Jesus?) was amazing.  She shows up with two large tote bins and two small tote bins.  One for each boy (already a new pattern emerging - one for EACH boy!!!!!!).  Her title is Behaviour Consultant.  Again, did I mention she is straight from Jesus????  She brought along Kim and Gillian.  Again, one behaviour interventionist for EACH boy!!!!!!

We then proceed to go through the Intensive Behavioural Intervention Plan for EACH BOY!!!!!  Very detailed.  Huge binders.  Tons of check-lists.  And the plans were different for EACH boy because she believes the boys have DIFFERENT strengths and weaknesses.  Did I mention the Jesus thing???!!!?!?!?!?

The boys were napping so we got through a ton of info.  I asked how long it would take to get through the plan and was told that the whole plan would be covered EVERY DAY!!!!  Hello!!!  Jesus strikes again!!!!!

So for today, Thursday and Friday.  Kim & Gillian will be here, splitting their time between the boys, just getting to know them.  Playing with them and building rapport.  BUILDING RAPPORT PEOPLE!  Not just showing up, staring at them and telling me what to do when they are gone!!!!  Then starting Monday, we put the plan into action.  The girls will be here Monday to Friday, from 9 am to noon.  AND THEY ARE GOING TO HELP START POTTY TRAINING!  Hello!!!!  Can't deny Jesus on that one!!!!!  Hello!!!!!!!!

Here are pics of Nate and Josh on the scooters that my Mom & Dad got them for their birthday.  Yes, they were a little big, but Josh jumped right on when Randy finished putting it together.  Of course, he had to take his puppies for a ride too.

H

Where to catch up .....

Found this the other day.  Actually on Saturday morning.  The morning of the boy's 4th birthday party.  Their actual birthday was on the 2nd of July, but we couldn't get everyone here until Saturday.  After I found this and read it, I cried for 2 hours straight.  Couldn't stop crying.  It is so how I feel.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

By Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

So please don’t begrudge us if we talk of Holland. We thought we were going to be in Italy …. with you. – H.