Long long time

It's been almost 5 years and a lot has changed in that time.  We have moved, the oldest is driving, we have changed the way we eat and I lost my father.  I also forgot we were able to take a trip to Tasmania which is the highlight of our travels. 

I don't have much time now, but I will try and summarize everything that has happened over the past 5 years in future posts.  I plan to touch on our move, my father, our diet and our trip to Tasmania among other things.  Each one is quite a story in of itself.  I will also talk about how each child has grown as we have had some interesting times with each one of them.  Well, until next time.... -Jim

The mixed emotions of raising an autistic child

My middle son Thomas is autistic. He is now 5 and making great strides, but he still has his eccentricities. I love him and his eccentricities to death, but sometimes they can make for awkward situations. Any parent of an autistic child can most likely relate to the following story. This occurred just a few hours ago.

My wife and I had a block party at the house, and Tom was behaving very well. He was playing by himself, as always, and running around saying whatever came to mind, often repeating it several times. I am sure it was apparent to a few of our neighbors that he was "different" for a 5 year old. Well, a few minutes after everyone finished eating he was playing again in the backyard. I look at the other end of the patio; the first thing I see is his tool is out and his pants at his ankles. I know exactly what he will do, fertilize the grass. I run over telling him to pull his pants up with a look of shock and embarrassment on my face. He slowly obliges, but one of our neighbors then blurts out, "Wow, that is big." Huh?

At this point, on top of the shock and embarrassment, I am trying to hold back laughter because her comment was innocent (knowing her well). The whole setting is almost surreal. I take care of Tom and run him into the bathroom where he does his duty, hand washing and all. I am now proud of him that I can hurry him a bit out of his element at times, and he responds like any 'normal' 5 year old.

What is the moral of the story? I really have no idea to be honest. I guess it would be more tolerance if anything, just for one another. I love Tom for who he is, and when he does these inappropriate things it is out of complete innocence. When he does something implulsive like this, there is never a nasty thought. He never wants to hurt anyone, and you can see how helpful he is. I just wish he could express himself better so everyone could understand him better. He alone has changed my outlook on life. If someone gets the better of me, or wrongs me, I don't feel vindictive anymore. I am just more cautious, but that the same time, I will live my life the way I want. My wants are simple, to have enjoyable times with the family. Thank you Thomas, I hope you understand how you have touched me.

This sucks

My favorite show will likely get canceled a second time. Yes, that is right, my gut is telling me that Jericho will be over after the next 5 episodes. None of my friends watch it, and I can't understand why. Most watch Lost, which I never really got into. Maybe because I think of Lord of the Flies or something like that, deserted island, etc. It has already been done, but Jericho was a fresh idea. I guess myself and many of the other fans will have to hope one of the cable networks picks it up. This is the only show, I make sure I watch or set my DVR to. I have never been like that, even with Seinfeld or any other TV show.

I have even gotten my wife into the show, and she is really enjoying it. I just hope it doesn't end, but I will enjoy the ride as long as it lasts.

Stuff

It's been a while since I have written something here. Reminds me of my buddy Jason from NY, who started his, and didn't get too far along before he stopped. He is hilarious with his take on things, and with his little one now 6 months old, it will be interesting to hear his take on baby suicide watch. Speaking of that, we are almost out of that now. A is doing well, we just wish he would talk more. He does talk sometimes, asking "What's that?" and "Water (wawah)" while shaking his cup. He may be a little behind on his speech so we will be getting him checked out here in a couple months, especially after our experiences with Thomas.

Speaking of the Tornado, he is doing so much better. The audiologist with the school district did his hearing test a couple weeks ago and said he is a totally different kid. Very talkative, much more engaged, answers questions and follows directions! Well, we have been seeing this for a while, but it is very comforting when other people see this as well, especially those that deal with kids with autism. We are cautiously optimistic that he will eventually be able to support himself when he is an adult. There are a lot of clues and potential with his actions of late, so we just have to continue his therapy and work with him. Also, he knows how to play board games now!!!!! We can play Candyland and he knows what to do. This is a HUGE step! He is also getting better and actively learning Playstation too. Next, we will probably get him to play Chutes and Ladders in a month, which is slightly more advanced.

As far as Christian, well, Chris is Chris. Very forgetful, and he needs to work on that because it reflects in his schoolwork. Up and down constantly. He is very smart, and it is extremely frustrating to us because he can do anything he wants if he puts his mind to it. The problem is, he doesn't think he is as smart as he is. We have to get him to believe in himself more and I think things will improve.

As far as the Super Bowl, I kind of wanted the Pats to win, but to be honest, I HATE both teams. The only reason I kind of wanted the Pats to win was because of Brady, a Michigan Man. Eli is a whining baby and that will never change after what he pulled with SD. I just hope Belisuck gets what is coming to him.