Friday, March 20, 2009
Obedience?
I try (feebly) to curb Joel's tv watching and computer game playing. Today after school and soccer I let him come home and watch an hour of tv. Then he had to turn it off. A few minutes after the tv was off I could hear Joel behind me opening the door to the basement headed toward the computer, so I told him in no uncertain terms that there was no computer right now. Probably less than ten seconds later I hear the basement door creaking open again. "Joel," I said, "You have to be obedient." His reply "obedient smobedient!" I loved it. He used his own language to mirror in different words a phrase that he has heard others use and he did it correctly. Yea Joel! Of course I won't be so happy if I hear my other children respond that way in a similar situation.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Autism Hurts
Autism hurts. It hurts when people don't understand. It hurts when parents you once thought were allies become opponents. It hurts when you feel alone. It hurts when you feel misunderstood. It hurts to feel isolated. It hurts to feel different. It hurts to be judged. It hurts to worry about the future. It hurts.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Snow!
We had a bit of snowfall today that stuck around for enough time to play. I asked Joel and Eli if they wanted to go outside and play, Eli said yes, but Joel said, "No, I'd rather stay inside where it's warm." Eli and I headed out and Eli had a grand time just going around the block. He loved that his shoes made Diego and Baby Jaquar prints in the snow. I figured out that he's so into the footprints because we've been reading "The Snowy Day" book by Ezra Jack Keats.
The snow was coming down in powdery little flakes and Joel loves to catch that type of snow on his tongue, so we headed back in to get him.
Laurie told me that as soon as Eli and I had gone outside, Joel climbed onto the counter and started rummaging around in the cupboards. Laurie asked him what he was doing and he said that we was going to make hot chocolate for mommy and Eli. So cute!!
Anyway we started bundling up Joel and Laurie decided she would get Cara's snowsuit on, and that they would come out too.
I managed to snag some snowpants for Joel and Eli last year off of freecycle, so they were extra warm.
They had so much fun throwing snowballs and making snow angels and just running around. It wasn't much snow, but they really made the most of it.
This past Christmas I realized I needed to make a stocking for Cara. My mom had given me my childhood stocking which was still in good shape, so I ripped the Amy off of it and put Cara's name on. When I went to hang the stockings up, I realized I had never made one for Eli either, I thought I had. So I told Eli, who can't read, that Daddy's stocking was his -- which he thought was great since Daddy's stocking is the biggest. I also hung up a cheapie stocking that we had used last year that had Eli's name in black marker on the back.
Well one day when Eli was playing with the stockings he noticed that the cheapie red one had his name on the back of it(he can read his own name), and he asked Daddy if that was his. Kelly said yes and Eli protested, "But it don't got no stuff on it!"
The snow was coming down in powdery little flakes and Joel loves to catch that type of snow on his tongue, so we headed back in to get him.
Laurie told me that as soon as Eli and I had gone outside, Joel climbed onto the counter and started rummaging around in the cupboards. Laurie asked him what he was doing and he said that we was going to make hot chocolate for mommy and Eli. So cute!!
Anyway we started bundling up Joel and Laurie decided she would get Cara's snowsuit on, and that they would come out too.
I managed to snag some snowpants for Joel and Eli last year off of freecycle, so they were extra warm.
They had so much fun throwing snowballs and making snow angels and just running around. It wasn't much snow, but they really made the most of it.
This past Christmas I realized I needed to make a stocking for Cara. My mom had given me my childhood stocking which was still in good shape, so I ripped the Amy off of it and put Cara's name on. When I went to hang the stockings up, I realized I had never made one for Eli either, I thought I had. So I told Eli, who can't read, that Daddy's stocking was his -- which he thought was great since Daddy's stocking is the biggest. I also hung up a cheapie stocking that we had used last year that had Eli's name in black marker on the back.
Well one day when Eli was playing with the stockings he noticed that the cheapie red one had his name on the back of it(he can read his own name), and he asked Daddy if that was his. Kelly said yes and Eli protested, "But it don't got no stuff on it!"
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas letter 2008
Hey all!
We thought we'd send our Christmas letter fashionably late this year so as to make a noticeable statement -- it wasn't that we were disorganized and behind schedule at all.
Our biggest most recent news took place in 2007. On December 6th we welcomed Cara Noelle into our home. She arrived six weeks early and weighed 5 pounds 4 ounces. Thankfully she was healthy as a horse. She's a happy little girl and I'm loving having another female in the house. She just turned one and among her first words are "Dora" and "backpack", and no I never let my children watch TV.
Eli, our child with the angelic face and demonic soul -- just kidding -- his face really isn't all that angelic (ha ha), is enjoying his first year of preschool. Tuesdays and Thursdays he attends a local program and another two days each week he and I participate in a co-op preschool. I get to teach him every fourth week and it's fun for both of us. And yes in case you were wondering, I keep him busy four mornings a week because I NEED a break from my precious munchkin.
Joel's becoming quite the little swimmer. Always afraid of completely submerging his head under water, he overcame his fear this past summer and is now happily paddling away as often as he can get to a pool. His current game show obsession is The Price is Right and he asked Santa Claus for the Wii version of aforementioned show. After finding and opening his new game he was immediately off to play it, his other presents no where near as paramount.
Kelly's busy working, working and working some more at Northrop Grumman. Still, in spite of his super busy schedule he still makes time to be a great husband and father. Cara has been our worst sleeper and it's usually Kelly that gets up to quiet her during her middle of the night crying jags. Thank you honey, you're the best!
I'm of course doing the mommy thing and I love my little rugrats in spite of their temper tantrums, potty accidents and bouts of the flu. They wear me out, but the sweet things they say and do make everything worth it.
Last summer, Joel picked a rose from the backyard, brought it over to me and said, "Mom, you're nice, you're beautiful and you're fantastic!"
I mean in what other job would I get such precious and loving feedback? Quite the perk!
Here's hoping that you and your family are happy and doing well.
Warmest wishes!
Kelly, Amy, Joel, Eli and Cara Ethington
We thought we'd send our Christmas letter fashionably late this year so as to make a noticeable statement -- it wasn't that we were disorganized and behind schedule at all.
Our biggest most recent news took place in 2007. On December 6th we welcomed Cara Noelle into our home. She arrived six weeks early and weighed 5 pounds 4 ounces. Thankfully she was healthy as a horse. She's a happy little girl and I'm loving having another female in the house. She just turned one and among her first words are "Dora" and "backpack", and no I never let my children watch TV.
Eli, our child with the angelic face and demonic soul -- just kidding -- his face really isn't all that angelic (ha ha), is enjoying his first year of preschool. Tuesdays and Thursdays he attends a local program and another two days each week he and I participate in a co-op preschool. I get to teach him every fourth week and it's fun for both of us. And yes in case you were wondering, I keep him busy four mornings a week because I NEED a break from my precious munchkin.
Joel's becoming quite the little swimmer. Always afraid of completely submerging his head under water, he overcame his fear this past summer and is now happily paddling away as often as he can get to a pool. His current game show obsession is The Price is Right and he asked Santa Claus for the Wii version of aforementioned show. After finding and opening his new game he was immediately off to play it, his other presents no where near as paramount.
Kelly's busy working, working and working some more at Northrop Grumman. Still, in spite of his super busy schedule he still makes time to be a great husband and father. Cara has been our worst sleeper and it's usually Kelly that gets up to quiet her during her middle of the night crying jags. Thank you honey, you're the best!
I'm of course doing the mommy thing and I love my little rugrats in spite of their temper tantrums, potty accidents and bouts of the flu. They wear me out, but the sweet things they say and do make everything worth it.
Last summer, Joel picked a rose from the backyard, brought it over to me and said, "Mom, you're nice, you're beautiful and you're fantastic!"
I mean in what other job would I get such precious and loving feedback? Quite the perk!
Here's hoping that you and your family are happy and doing well.
Warmest wishes!
Kelly, Amy, Joel, Eli and Cara Ethington
Monday, November 24, 2008
Pictionary, potty training Eli and cute Cara
I played Pictionary with Joel today. I love playing with him because I love seeing his drawings and his interpretations. Also if he doesn't know what something is, it's a good learning opportunity. Today he drew THE BEST ambulance complete with siren and cross. I was so proud of him.
I love the confidence he exudes when we play. "Mom I'm really good at this game because I'm such a good drawer." I so want that confidence to stay in his little soul and it warms my mommy heart to hear it.
He's also very into The Price is Right now. Kelly tapes it everyday and they watch it daily after dinner. When Joel's home he's yanking me around to play another Price is Right game. I love seeing his creativity when he incorporates the various pricing games to make them his own
He's continuing to have trouble at school keeping his hands to himself. I kind of blame the soccer camp I put him in last summer where he learned lots of bad habits. He does better when we've promised him a reward if he has so many good days total. So far he's gone to a haunted house, seen High School Musical 3 and is working on a trip to a water slide park with Daddy.
Eli is still such an adorable looking little person. A month or so ago I was teaching grace arts at Joel's school. Eli was at preschool at Emily Walsh's house and Katie Robertson was watching Cara. As soon as preschool ended Emily brought Eli over to Katie's house where Cara was. Katie's little boys kept telling Eli to look at the baby girl they were watching. When I picked Eli and Cara up and we were riding home in the car Eli asked me where Cara was. I told him she was right next to him in her car seat. "NO!" he shouted, "That's baby girl!"
Eli's potty trained, but he doesn't like to do anything on his own. He ALWAYS wants me to be a part of his potty experience and he won't poop in the toliet, but luckily he doesn't do it in his underwear either. He usally has a bowel movement after he goes to bed when he has his nighttime diaper on and Kelly almost always changes it. What a nice husband!
Cara's developing more and more into her own little person. She can stand quite well on her own right now and is mimicing us more and more. When I nurse her or feed her a bottle, she just squeezes her fist and signs "milk" over and over again. It's so cute!
She's definitely my worst sleeper though, she's still not sleeping through the night.
I love the confidence he exudes when we play. "Mom I'm really good at this game because I'm such a good drawer." I so want that confidence to stay in his little soul and it warms my mommy heart to hear it.
He's also very into The Price is Right now. Kelly tapes it everyday and they watch it daily after dinner. When Joel's home he's yanking me around to play another Price is Right game. I love seeing his creativity when he incorporates the various pricing games to make them his own
He's continuing to have trouble at school keeping his hands to himself. I kind of blame the soccer camp I put him in last summer where he learned lots of bad habits. He does better when we've promised him a reward if he has so many good days total. So far he's gone to a haunted house, seen High School Musical 3 and is working on a trip to a water slide park with Daddy.
Eli is still such an adorable looking little person. A month or so ago I was teaching grace arts at Joel's school. Eli was at preschool at Emily Walsh's house and Katie Robertson was watching Cara. As soon as preschool ended Emily brought Eli over to Katie's house where Cara was. Katie's little boys kept telling Eli to look at the baby girl they were watching. When I picked Eli and Cara up and we were riding home in the car Eli asked me where Cara was. I told him she was right next to him in her car seat. "NO!" he shouted, "That's baby girl!"
Eli's potty trained, but he doesn't like to do anything on his own. He ALWAYS wants me to be a part of his potty experience and he won't poop in the toliet, but luckily he doesn't do it in his underwear either. He usally has a bowel movement after he goes to bed when he has his nighttime diaper on and Kelly almost always changes it. What a nice husband!
Cara's developing more and more into her own little person. She can stand quite well on her own right now and is mimicing us more and more. When I nurse her or feed her a bottle, she just squeezes her fist and signs "milk" over and over again. It's so cute!
She's definitely my worst sleeper though, she's still not sleeping through the night.
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