Counting days

We're all very excited about hubby's impending arrival. Well, ok, he's not getting here for another week or so but we're still very excited.

The first part of our summer was a bit stressful but we're on the home stretch now. When hubby does get home he'll be here 24/7 until just before school starts. Have I mentioned lately that they'll both be in full time school???*grin*

We're also going on our annual holiday. I'm really excited and so are the boys. It feels like the first year we're really prepared AND the boys are old enough to be excited and moderately well behaved.

Oh, and the huge aquaplex with monster waterslide might be getting Patrick's heartrate up a teeny, tiny, bit.

Anyone have any tips for the drive? Games we could play perhaps? We're splitting it up into two days, but it's still about a 17 hr drive (split into 11hr and 5-6 hr). The boys are good travellers but still this is the part I'm most concerned about. Luckily we're in no hurry, so if we see something interesting we can stop and if they really need to get out of the truck we can definately accomodate that as well.

Out of the blue

I've been procrastinating about this post. Because I'm afraid I won't do it right. That somehow I'll fumble the ball.

In the truck a few days ago older brother, very quietly and someone bashfully, said to me "Sometimes I wish Patrick wasn't autistic."

I didn't know what to say. They have a great relationship. Older brother has definately had to grow up a bit sooner than his peers (and had to put up with a lot when Patrick was very young, we had no diagnosis, and we were trying to get rid of some really difficult behaviour) but they've both been really understanding of each other lately.

Upon further inquiry, he couldn't really explain why, except perhaps to suggest that things would be a bit easier if Patrick's brain was more like ours.

I mumbled something about how yes, it was difficult sometimes, but that we loved Patrick and we needed to be understanding about the differences......I tried to get something in there about how if it's difficult for us perhaps it's difficult for Patrick as well. I tried to validate his feelings, agreeing that yes, having an autistic brother was perhaps more difficult but that any younger brother would be difficult sometimes. It was a weak, badly thought out response.

I messed up. I missed the moment. So now I have to go back and talk to older brother again. I have to get this right. Any advice or suggestions from those dealing with NT siblings??? Help.

Movie Review

Our trip to the movie theatre was a resounding success.

WallE was sweet, funny, and quite poignant. The limp body laying accross my lap made it a tad uncomfortable, but the boys sat (mostly) and watched the whole thing. They were entranced.

I would definately recommend this movie. Just watch out for a couple of early scenes that required hands on ears (for one of us anyway).

On small step, er, giant leap...

Thanks to a recommendation by Maddy http://www.whittereronautism.com/ (ok, we all know I can't link to anything properly) I'm planning to take the boys, by myself, to see Wall E.

Should be an interesting afternoon. I'll be back to let you know how it went if I make it out alive. :)

Note: The last time we took the boys (we, as in hubby and myself) it went fairly well. The time before Patrick vomitted all over hubby on purpose and they ended up half naked in the truck while older brother and I finished the movie. I'm really hoping for a repeat of the 'went fairly well' version of events.

This will be the first time I take them all by myself. Two on one. That is all.

Update-Long Overdue

Sorry I've been missing. I was on crutches for my ankle right up until the family wedding we attended. The last post is a pic of my boys at said wedding.

I'm pretty much healed up. A bit of pain but I can walk no problem.

The boys are doing great. Swimming lessons are the bright spot in our summer. Patrick's main goal seems to be drowning, but so far the instructor has managed to prevent this. It's quite hilarious actually, all us adults watching and waiting for him to surface while in his mind I'm sure he's loving being under the water.

Something of note. We didn't use the word autism once throughout the whole wedding weekend. We didn't use it as an excuse, we didn't explain any 'behaviours'. We simply let Patrick be Patrick and, honestly, everyone else could take a hike. It was really nice. Sometimes it meant that a relative was talking away at him and he was staring in the other direction. Oh well. Sometimes it meant letting him spin out into the hallway. The bride and groom were both pleased with him. That's what counts, right?

It's not that I don't want to identify him as autistic. It's not that I want to ignore the autism. It's that he is who he is and who he is is wonderful. Obviously he has to follow basic rules of conduct for a 6 year old. It's just.....I'm tired of smiling wanely at a stranger and whispering about his label. Surely I'm allowed, when I want to, to just let him be a little boy in the eyes of others, right?

Best moment of the night....when Patrick insisted on dancing with his mommy. Warm breath on my belly, loving arms around my waist, beautiful face smiling up at me. Didn't notice the bruising on my toes until the next morning.

Many Treasured Things

Ouch and Thank Goodness

Well, I fell down the stairs and was absolutely sure I'd broken my ankle or my foot. Ouch. I managed to get the boys to a friend's house and get a ride to emergency. Not broken! But seriously hurt. So I'm on crutches and some lovely pain medication that somehow makes all my worries go away. Well except for the fact that I'm home for two more days alone before hubby (and his parents) show up for dinner Wednesday night. Did I mention my house is a mess because I was waiting to clean so the boys wouldn't mess it up again???

So I'm hobbling around cleaning and Patrick and older brother are both being extremely helpful. All I can say right now is that I'm sooooo happy we're pretty much out of the bolting stage.

Hopefully I'll be fine for the wedding on Saturday. Hubby laughed and said I was being naively optimistic.

I just wanted you to know...

"...that I love having Patrick over to play."

Said by one mom of two boys about the same ages as mine after a morning where she had Patrick over while I took older brother to get fitted for a tux. The tux is for a wedding where he is to be a 'ring bearier'. (I refuse to correct him, it's just too cute)

Anyhoo, it's nice to know that other people can, will, and do love my lovable son. *grin* It really put a smile on my face.

Happy Canada Day

A nice long, lazy day for us with a BBQ with good friends and capped off by heading into town (well, village?) to watch fireworks.

Patrick reminded me that fireworks are a "little bit loud". He seems excited and especially so because our friends bought the boys glow bracelets to wear tonight.

We just ended a game of Monopoly, more excitingly Sponge Bob Monopoly because it was just a bit too complicated for us right now. So back to Jr Monopoly we go. I'm just really glad they've decided they want to play, albeit with much loudness and rowdiness.

Off to make a potato salad, tell the boys to dial the noise level down six notches, and maybe get some laundry on the line?