Only Child?

Today Michael went and did laundry with me. I usually don't take him. Today he was pretty good. He was actually playing with a 1 1/2 year old girl. They were laughing and joking around. The baby's mom came up to me and said "does your son have a younger brother or sister?" "No, why?". She said "because he plays so well with my daughter".

Wow. Never got that reaction before. I was so proud of Michael. I also changed the schedule today and he didn't get upset at all.

This morning was open house at summer school. I saw Michael in OT with 2 other special needs kids and in his summer school class. He did very well. The class had about 10 kids (9 boys and 1 girl). They all had some type of disability. One kid had Downs. Most of them talked. But, I wouldn't say they are a talkative group. One kid saw me and asked "are you Michael's mom?" The teacher said the two of them played together in the after school program. It's called SAIL. It's like a social skills thing.

The landscapers came today and put in a million bushes and a few trees in front of the building today. It was cute. Michael touches his chest and says "They are putting in bushes for ME". They look great and the building doesn't look like a dump anymore. FINALLY!

Construction

It seems like a lot of things are under construction at the moment.

First, our apartment building. They came and tore up all of the trees and bushes, pulled off all the siding, put in new windows and then put up new siding. Michael found this whole process puzzling. Strange men around, banging at 7am, garbage everywhere... He couldn't even play in the backyard because of all of the nails and broken glass. It's been about 10 days so far. I can't wait until they are finished. Michael tells the men (who don't speak English) to "clean up the mess". Gotta love it.

Next, Me. I've started on a new healthy path (we're not calling it a diet). But, I bought a Vitamix blender to make smoothies. I got a ton of organic fruits and veggies. Best part if Michael's helps me. I cut up everything and he puts it in the blender. Then I let him power it up. He won't drink the juice, but I got him to eat bananas, carrots, lettuce & celery. He used to eat bananas when he was like 1 or 2 years old. This is a pretty big deal. He gagged on the celery, but didn't throw up. In the past he couldn't eat these foods- he wouldn't even touch them. I'm excited. We keep telling him "we're eating new foods". I think it helps that we are both eating new foods. Michael even gets upset when I don't make a plate of new foods for him while making a smoothie. My goal is for him to drink the smoothies in the near future.

And lastly, Michael. We got his tests results back a few weeks ago and he has yeast and bacteria problems. Many children with autism have gut problems like these. We added some yeast and bacteria fighters to his supplements. Olive Leaf, Grapefruit Seed Extract and Monolaurin. If these don't work, we'll going to try a prescription that is stronger. But, I'll like to try the natural stuff first.

The hardest part has been Michael's stims. He's been stimming a lot lately. He's also been rubbing his mouth, like he is nervous. Extra stimming is a sign of yeast problems. So, it makes sense.

Michael also started summer school on Monday. He goes for about 3 hrs a day. I'm not sure exactly what class he is in, but he's not in the autism class anymore. I need to go to the school this week and check out the situation. He was definitely happy to get back to school.

Oh, another thing we changed is Michael's diet. We cut out french fries, cereal (corn), orange juice and rice milk. That is about half his diet. We added Pear Juice. I'm also working on the whole "new foods" project too. LOL. We haven't had this much change since he was 3 and we had him start eating meat and took out gluten/casein & soy.

With all of this going on, Michael is still doing well- talking more everyday. Michael got the best compliment this past week. Three different people said Michael was the "happiest kid with autism" they had ever seen. He dressed himself today- even picked out his own clothes and they matched (kinda). I think if we can get the yeast & bacteria under control, which will result in less stimming- we'll be right on track. Wish us luck.

Praying for Clear Skies

Saturday Michael wanted to go to the carnival across the street. We only have to drive by it once. He knows what days it's open by reading the signs. We thought Saturday afternoon or evening would be good because Michael's Dad was in town for the weekend. Well, it pretty much rained ALL day Saturday. Michael got very upset. I made the mistake of letting him see the weather report on the computer. It showed showers all week. He kept saying how he was never going because it was going to rain everyday. I'm writing down new schedules, explaining to him plan "b", etc.. doing everything I can to distract him. The only thing that worked was to yell at the cats "Kirby, you cannot go on the Ferris Wheel". Michael thought that was funny.

Anyway, Sunday comes and we are praying for clear skies. Right around 5:30pm when we arrived, the skies opened up. It was beautiful. We also met friends there- so Michael had 2 other boys to go on rides with. One has autism, the other Aspergers (which is like autism but with typical speech).


We were there for over 2 hours. Michael had so much fun- so did we (the parents). The boys were great and playing so well together. Most kids with autism like carnivals because they like to spin around. They also like the speed- it's like it feeds something in their brain. All I know is Michael loves rides, has no sense of fear and the best thing to do is get a pay-one-price wristband- because he doesn't know how to stop.

I'm so happy we can find places that are local. So many people have to take trips to Disney to entertain their kids. All Michael needs is $15 :)

Field Trip

There is this place called the Long Island Game Farm. I remember going as a child and getting chased by deer and goats. It's grown alittle bit in the last 30 years. They have a giraffe, lions, monkeys, etc. It's like a very small zoo. The 1st graders from Michael's school went last week for a field trip. I went along with some other parents. We had 8 adults and 6 kids. LOL. Michael did great (as usual).

They have a merry-go-round too. I don't know why on earth there are no seatbelts or straps on the horses- but that's another story. I felt so lucky to have that day with Michael and his classmates. He was reading the signs. On the way out Michael yells "goodbye Long Island Game Farm started in 1972". He also got to take the big bus home. I've never seen him on one before- he takes a mini-bus to school.



We have Michael's CSE tomorrow where we will decide on what classroom he will be in during the summer and fall. I'm sure it will go well. This summer was not what I expected, with my mom getting sick, so I'll just take whatever they want. Part of me want to buy an SUV and just drive across the country with him.... maybe next summer.

Field Day

Well, I missed the first half of Field Day because i was looking up cancer stuff online. I heard Michael was looking for me. Never heard that before. I made the second half and took some pictures and video. Michael did great. I mentioned in the other post how he fell asleep during chelation. Well, that night he had a fevor. Next day- woke up fine. hummmmm? Don't know what that was about. He rarely gets a temperature- maybe once or twice a year.



Oh, btw- we added a new ingredient to Michael's chelation. phosphadityl choline. I've noticed Michael's speech has improved since we started it. I mean, his language is constantly improving, but the last few weeks I've seen a jump in his skills. No side effects- again. Well, one day he couldn't poop, but we just added more Epson Salt to his bath water.

Back from Chicago

I got back from the Autism Conference in Chicago on Sunday. I met a lot of new people, make some contacts, picked up alittle information. But many of us who have attended this conference in the past found it hard to learn something new this year. I did decide to do a test to check for viruses and yeast. I met a Dad whose child is recovered from anti-virals and nasal MB12 spray. Anyway, it was a long weekend- lots of information, not much sleep and was more of a "working vacation". I was glad to get home and see Michael on Monday.

I went to pick up Michael from my parents that morning and my mom was headed to the hospital. I didn't think it was serious- but then everyone was talking cancer. Pancreatic cancer- the worst type. Ugh. I know this is an autism and chelation blog- but my mom getting sick really affects our lives. My sister and I have been trying to figure out where to send her. There are so many different hospitals and doctors. This reminds me of the early days of autism- looking up things on the internet. I have to say though, so many "online friends" have been helpful- sending me names and phone numbers. Or just general encouragement. It's so important to reach out to people online- be it autism or cancer. I love reading message boards. Real people talking about their experiences. I learn so much from them.

Anyway, Michael continues to do great and I'm so incredibly thankful for that- especially with my mom sick. I was crying the other morning and Michael told me to "take the sad face off" or "sad off my face". I don't remember. A lot is a blur this week. But, he did say something like that. He also said "no sad face, like Michael" and smiled. I wish that smile could cure my mom's cancer.

We went to chelation and Michael did great. He actually fell asleep and took a nap. He had field day today and was very tired. I'll upload the photo later- it's pretty funny.

Well, basically life really sucks for my family right now- and will probably get worse. I wonder how all of this will effect Michael. He doesn't really understand death. What 7 year old does? But, I'm going to talk to the school psych. to find out what I should say to Michael. My parents have been so supportive of Michael's road to recovery. If you are reading this, please pray for my mom and my family. We are still waiting to do a biopsy and know everything for sure. Thanks for listening :)

All 4's!

The school has this system. Everyday he gets a number 1-5. 1 is horrible behavior, 5 is "couldn't be better". Michael actually gets 3 numbers a day: Behavior, Academic & Social. Lately, he has been getting a lot of 3's with some 1's & 2's. We had some problems last month where he was making fun of other kids or getting other kids in trouble. His speech & occupational therapists are supposed to give him numbers too after every session.

I've gotten into this habit of opening Michael's backpack when he gets home and checking the numbers. If they are good, I make a BIG deal out of it. Sometimes we use the numbers as a reason to go to the gym or the park.

Well, this week Michael got all 4's. He hasn't done that in months. On Monday his teacher wrote "Amazing today! Great Behavior". She also said how he went to the other building (the school is actually 2 buildings- an old and a new) and did wonderfully with a class of typical kids. That's very exciting to hear since he'll be in that school next year.

The best comment he got was from his speech therapist:

"Such a great week!! I am so proud of Michael. We had a fire drill today, so speech was 10 min. late to start and R & B (the two typical kids who join him in speech once a week) had computer lab, so they couldn't come. I spoke to Michael about it, and asked him what we should do and he INDEPENDENTLY said "It's OK. We can do something else". His sentences have been fantastic and his grammar/syntax continue to improve. Way to go Michael!"

OK. Maybe his good behavior has something to do with the fact that he's planning on going to Adventureland on Friday (amusement park). He loves rides- things I wouldn't even go on. But, it's a great motivator.

Also- I'm going to Chicago for a couple of days for the Autism One Conference. I explained to Michael when he's leaving and coming back and that he can call me on my cell phone if he wants to talk. On Monday Michael was talking to himself and me going to Chicago and he said "I will miss you". Shocked, I asked him "will Michael miss Mommy or Mommy miss Michael"?
(sometimes he says a question because he wants YOU to ask HIM- like "do you want juice?")

He said "Michael is going to miss Mommy". WOW. He has never said those words in his life. I've gone away about 4-5 times where the trip was 3-7 days long. He rarely cared that I was gone or showed a reaction when I returned. How bittersweet it is to know that now he will be sad when I leave.

Another thing I noticed this week. He's been playing in the backyard where there is a tennis court. A lot of the neighborhood kids play there- riding their bikes, throwing balls around, etc. Michael has been asking to play there after school. I watch him from our deck. He's interacting, following the kids, sometimes talking to them. He's still not communicating on a typical level- but he is trying. And it's nice to see him play with a group of kids, since he is an only child.

The Body Boogie

Michael had a concert this week and he did great. Again, needed very little help. Compared to years past- he is getting better and better. Chelation went great again today. When Nick called Louise to help him Michael yelled "Louise" too. Then Michael said "she's on the phone" and asked me to help him.

Check out in the picture how cute Michael is sitting. He sat like this for most of the time and enjoyed the show.

Again we are very happy with the way everything is going. The only part of his life that isn't improving is his eating habits. But, hey- if that's the worst thing. So, he eats the same food everyday. He's kicking butt with everything else.

Like my Dad says "he's the best". Here is a picture of my parents, who came to see Michael. It was also my Mom's Birthday- Happy Birthday Grandma!

"Happy Mother's Day" Never Sounded So Good

What a nice Mother's Day I had. I met Michael Sunday afternoon at my sister's house. My parents had him overnight because I videotaped a Bat Mitzvah in NYC on Saturday. They actually took him to church Sunday Morning. My sister said he sat REALLY good for about 30 minutes. I take that comment as saying after the 30 min. he was difficult- which is understandable. I'm surprised he lasted that long.

Anyway, I get to my sister's house and Michael runs up the stairs- looks right at me and says "Happy Mother's Day". He had such a big smile on his face. He was so proud of himself. It was the best gift ever. So many parents NEVER hear their child talk.

Michael spent the rest of the day hanging out and playing with the kids. There was a 4 yr old, two 8 year olds and a 13 year old. The "gang" played tag & duck, duck, goose. I watched them for a little while in the front yard. Michael stayed away from the road and followed along- taking turns. It was great. He was the best I've ever seen with this group of kids. Two are his cousins.

When Michael was little he used to go downstairs and just line up cars for hours. When he was 3 his favorite thing was to sit in his cousin's room and watch the celing fan. Today he played, ate lunch, sang Happy Birthday to my Mom... doesn't that sound pretty typical to you? It was great- the best present ever!

This Time It's Bowling

You know how I keep comparing Michael to past experiences and see a big difference? Well, a couple of weeks ago I took Michael to a bowling party for his cousin. It was at the same bowling alley where Michael was in a league one summer. Probably 3 years ago when he was 5. We lasted about 4 weeks then. Michael was running ALL of the place- onto the lanes, trying to touch the pins, sliding on the oil... it was horrible.

I grew up in a bowling alley, bowled 6 days a week, competed on the high school team, when to state tournaments. I even coached bowling after I graduated college. I take bowling very seriously. I even went to "bowling camp". Yes, there IS a professional bowlers camp- lol.

I always wanted to have kids and teach them how to bowl. That's why I was so excited when Michael was 5 and he started a league with a neighbor. But, he got so overwhelmed and out of control. The situation was actually dangerous. We never tried again.

I kind of expected Michael to be better at the party, because he's been adjusting so well to everything. He was GREAT at the party. All typical (non-autistic) kids. 25 of them (yes, it was crazy). Michael waiting his turn, threw the ball himself and he was very excited.

He also did this thing where he was hanging out with some other boys by the video games- pretending to play them. It was really nice to see.

The only bad thing was all of the kids pretty much ignored him. One kid sat down next to Michael and pushed his food away and make a face (after trying to steal his seat beforehand). Michael was washing his hands in the bathroom at the time. No one really talked to him, noticed him, played with him, etc. Sometimes when Michael would say or do something "odd" the kids would rolls their eyes. I really DISLIKE (because I don't want to use the word "hate") when children act like that. I don't care that they are 8 years old. I saw the same thing with some friends from out of town.

It's like there is a this HUGE need for people, including kids, to understand what autism is. My son is TRYING so hard to fit in. He's trying so hard to talk and communicate. I guess it's just the age old problem of accepting people. Kids in wheelchairs, with no hair, who talk funny, etc..... They are all kids. What are other parents doing to teacher THEIR children how to be compassionate? I doubt very much. They are busy playing video games and soccer.

With the amount of kids with autism (around 1 in 150) you would think EVERY child in America (or at least Long Island) knows someone with autism. Seriously, I can't drive more than 10 miles without seeing an autism awareness ribbon on someone's mini-van (it's always a mini-van-lol).

I know Michael is doing his part. He goes to the park near his school and sees kids he knows. They have always been so kind and understanding. I really do credit the school for educating them. I hope this continues in the future. Next year Michael is moving into a new classroom. It will be up to 15 kids, not 6- like he has had for 5 years. So, now he's be with non-autistic kids. I really hope that the students AND the teacher will understand him and see what a different person he is. And that being different is ok. We are all different- no one is the same. NO ONE!

Sprout Film Festival

Today Michael and I drove into NYC to see the Sprout Film Festival. They show movies 2 min-2 hours long that are about people with disabilites. Some are even made BY people with disabilites. I went to this event about 4 years ago and it's very inspirational.

This was the first time Michael & I went into NYC by ourselves. We went to Manhattan in July 2001 with Michelle. Then last fall we took a trip into the city with our friends from Nigeria. Last year Michael and I went to a Yankee game & a concert in Brooklyn. But, we never went into Manhattan by ourselves.

I told Michael beforehand, so he knew where we were going. He was pretty cool with it all- except the movie bored him alittle. Then when I said we were going to leave, this guy asked me to take a picture- but I had to wait until some people were done answering questions. So, basically Michael was running around, getting upset. It's so hard to "change the schedule" with him.

We got to meet Chris Burke, who has Downs and starred in "Life Goes On". I used to love that show. He was very nice and it's great to see someone with a disability who is so successful and independant.

I'm glad that we went. Michael and I had fun. He said he wanted to visit NYC again. To find out more about the film festival you can visit http://www.gosprout.org

The Amazing Race

Michael and I participated in the "Amazing Ridge Race" on Thursday Night. It was like the tv show- basically a savenger hunt. Michael did great- following along and saying hello to his friends in the hallways. I glad we did it.

I took some pictures of Michael when we got home. This one I just love. The trees and flowers are blooming and are so colorful. For this picture I asked Michael about one of his classmates. The two of them are very silly and sometimes get in trouble together. Which of course, Michael thinks is FUNNY as heck. All I have to do is mention the kid's name and Michael smiles. BTW- speaking of other kids, I think for the summer Michael is going to spend half the day with his regular ABA/Autism classmates and staff. Then he'll go to the camp for 3 hours. I still have to work out the details. I'm not totally happy with it and hoped that the school would have an appropriate class for the summer. And now I have to pay thousands of dollars for camp too. I don't HAVE to send him to camp, but I think he would get soooo much out of it. The poor kid is an only child. Sometimes he plays with the kids in the neighborhood, but they can be alittle "wrong". The other day they were shooting BB guns. Holy crap- I don't think so. Don't even go NEAR my kid with one of those guns. I'm hoping we find some more positive roll models for him.

The Greatest Haircut in the World

On Thursday Michael and I are going to participate in the 1st grade "Amazing Ridge Race". Honestly, I have no idea what it is, but it about students pairing up with a parent and having a competition. Like the basketball tournament, it's for mostly typical kids and Michael will probably be the only one with autism participating. He's mainstreaming more and more- it's so great to see.

Anyway, I decided today to get Michael a haircut. We love his long hair and curls, but it gets alittle "bedheady". We walk into our usual haircutters. Michael sits in the seat, asks for the timer, sets it and tells MaryAnn she has 18 minutes. I ask Michael if he wants MaryAnn to use a buzzer or scissors. Michael wants scissors.

Ok- let's go back in time, so you can understand the importance of today. We used scissors for the first 3 years or so. By the time Michael was 2 1/2 he HATED to get his hair cut. It would take 3 of us to hold him. He was scream and cry. After about a year of that, someone suggested giving him a buzz cut. I thought the buzzer noise would drive him crazy (which it did), BUT it was so quick. A big improvement over the scissors.

Eventually Michael got used to the buzzers. I would say about a year or so ago he would sit nice for his haircut.

But now that his hair is longer, buzzers don't really work. So, today when he asked for scissors I was surprised, because he has NEVER liked them. But, today, for some reason, he sat PERFECTLY. He even tilted his head up and down when MaryAnn asked him to. He kept saying to her "you have 12 minutes... you have 10 minutes". When paying I said to MaryAnn "Miracles DO happen". Of course on the way out he tried to touch the fire alarm- but hey, you can't ask for everything.

Green Eggs & Ham

Michael has this new thing. He takes 2 books, hands them to me and says "storytime". Then he calls the cats over to hear Mommy read a story. It's so funny. He NEVER wanted to me read books to him before. NEVER. He has tons of books. For a while he would stim off of them. This is a picture of Michael when he was around 3 yrs old flipping thru the pages of a book

Yesterday, Michael started making piles. He put 2 books on the bed and said "These are for Dr. Imam's office." Then put 2 more on the table "These are for Friday" "These are for Saturday" and so on. This morning he comes into bed with a book and asks me to read. I got thru half of it and he says "we'll finish the rest later". It really is an amazing thing. Not only does he enjoy me reading the books- he reads them too.

Michael reads the "Sam I Am" part of Green Eggs & Ham. And I read the other part "I would not eat them in a house...". I know he picked up this habit from school. They have library and storytime. It just finally clicked.

Also, Thursday we did another round of chelation. Michael did great. He sat fine, was laughing, telling the other kids what to do- typical Michael. He got alittle upset when I couldn't get wireless on the laptop, but there nothing I could do. I guess that is his biggest problem now-a-days- the anxiety.

I had his school meeting Thursday also. We set up everything for the fall, but not the summer. So, i'm meeting with the director of special ed tomorrow. Wish me luck. I hope I get the right placement for Michael. One thing his speech teacher said, which I never heard before-- she said that when Michael is with 2 typical kids in speech, he acts wonderfully. He takes turns, doesn't get in trouble, behaves, etc. I was thinking that is the perfect reason why he needs to go to camp this summer (with typical kids). Let hope it works out.

Also today (a lot going on) we got a urine metal test back. Michael dumped twice as much aluminum as last time. His mecury also went up. I was surprised. It's a good sign- the chelation is working.

Saturday we are going to get the bi-monthly blood work done. I'm not worried about that stuff anymore. He sits so nicely for it.

Ok- it's almost 3am and I should get to bed. Again, we are so happy with the way Michael is progressing. He's the only kid in the school program who is moving up. When he was 2 1/2 and dx with mild-moderate autism, couldn't talk, play, look you in the eye, pay attention, didn't sleep thru the night, etc... I never thought we would be at this point at 7 1/2... Moving up to a 15-1 classroom, going to a typical summer camp, winning MVP of the basketball tournament, singing in concerts, making typical friends, going to Yankee games and rock concerts, etc. It makes me say...

"I do like green eggs and ham!"

A New Day

Well, the big storm is over, pretty much. We had a lot of rain and wind all night. On Sunday, Michael kept saying "Mommy and Michael are staying home another day". We also stayed in on Saturday while I got work done.

Spending so much time with him lately I've really had a chance to see how much he is improving and how well the chelation is working. And no side effects too. He likes going, his veins/arms look fine, he sleeps well, he's not in any pain- except for 5 seconds once a week. Giving a kid a vaccine is just as much pain, if not more. All his levels (kidney, liver, etc) are normal. And when we had him tested for metals 4 years ago (these results are not on the blog) he was very high in arsenic, alumimum and lead. So, there definitely was a reason to chelate a child with heavy metal problems- regardless of the autism.

So, I feel good about the whole process. I see my son getting better and better everyday. EVERYONE who knows him sees this- it's not just me, some "angry mom" trying to make myself feel better. MY kid is feeling better. My kid is happy. My kid can now express himself and share and make friends and ask for things he wants. It's changing every part of his life- for the better. And what is so great is that I live in a place, a country, a state, a world where I have the freedom to chose what my child is going to eat & drink, what religion my child is going to be, what baseball team we are going to support and I get to chose his medical treatments. I feel so blessed that the people who really matter- my family, Michael's dad, his family, my neighbors, my friends, Michael's school- they all support Michael in different ways and they are sooooo happy for him. They were there when he sat in a room for 2 hours and looked at a ceiling fan. They were there when we had to leave the Circus with him screaming bloody murder. They were there when he would line up cars and trains obsessively. Some were even there when he got up every night from 3am-6am for the first year and a half.

Go Michael & Go Yankees!!!

My photographs & videos

Needless to say that if ANYONE takes my photographs or videos from this blog, my myspace page or my youtube account WITHOUT my permission, you will be held accountable. Just because I post something online does not give you permission to publish it else where. Consider this a warning. I've already taken action.

Plus, any negative comments about me, my child and how we live our lives will NOT, I repeat will NOT stop me from doing anything. You are sad people with no lives who are the real victims. I feel sorry for YOU.

I only hope the hatred you feel for yourself is not projected onto innocent children anymore. God help you.

-Christine

Virginia Beach Trip - April 2007

Last week Michael and I drove down to Virginia Beach. We went last August a few weeks after starting chelation. It was nice to see people who hadn't seen Michael since then- because they all saw his progress. We visited with friends, ate out a lot, walked by the oceanfront, went on a ferry ride and took a nice walk on the farm where I use to work.

Michael handled himself pretty well. We just had one bad experience where I tried to give Michael a new food and he threw up. So, the sensory thing is still there :)

Another change we saw this week is Michael has been bringing books to me and asking me to read them. He never did that before. Books were things to stim off of or color with crayons. He even sat there and listened to the whole book. Today he brought a Dora book to me and where she says "help me by calling the tiger" Michael called the tiger. I've never seen him do that. He does it with the tv show once in a while- but never with a book.

Catching Up

Some days it's hard to figure out if Michael is progressing. Kinda of like- you can't see the forest for the trees. Today wasn't one of those days.

We missed last Friday's chelation session because of an ice storm. So, today I took Michael swimming at the gym. We used to go once a week before he started chelating. We haven't gone since August and that was his birthday party.

The pool is very big with 4 lanes. Many people do laps. Sometimes it's a challenge because Michael thinks it funny to go into other people's lanes. Of course today there was an aquafit class. Usually about 5-6 older, less active women jump around the pool with an instructor. In the past, Michael would distrupt the class- screaming and yelling. You won't believe what he did today.

Michael joined the class, followed the instructor and even counted down the exercises...5, 4, 3, 2, 1. When the girl said "keep going", Michael would yell "keep going". Everyone laughed. He did this for about 10 minutes. I just sat back and watched.

Then Michael comes over to me and wants me to do some laps. Ok. So I do some laps. Then he starts swimming (with a lifevest) next to me, in the next lane. We are having a race. And another. And another. We raced for about 30 minutes. He has NEVER wanted to race before. I can't believe we did it for so long. I talked him through it. "Michael is leading, Mommy is trying harder. Michael touched the blue first- he wins. Good job. Michael is in 1st. Mommy is 2nd. Michael is the winner."

I let him win a lot of times- trying to build his confidence. But, I also let him lose- so he learns to be a good loser. Or at least to not have a melt-down when you lose.

Then Michael started narrating for me. "Mommy is catching up!". It was so cute. One time we reached the wall and I won. I said "who's the winner?" and he said "Michael". I couldn't disagree with him. He is the winner- always!!!!

Oh another thing I noticed- he didn't run when out of the pool, he only tried to play with my hair once and he only tried to stim off the water drips once. He used to do those stims (hair and water drips) for most of the time he was in the pool.

You're Too Loud

Wow. What a week we had. Michael did a lot of things to surprise me. First of all chelation, got the needle on the first try this week and he sat still the whole time. He's been doing really well lately.

We had some visitors this week. First our old neighbor from Virginia, Joe. He's not my neighbor from Virginia, he's my neighbor from Virginia. OK. I need to be more specific. When I was a teenager Joe and his family lived across the street from my home in Rocky Point, NY. They escaped to Chesapeake, VA with their 3 small children around 1988. I went down to visit them a few times and liked it, so in 1993, I moved to Virginia Beach (next to Chesapeake). Then in 1999, I moved back to NY.

I guess I can credit them (among others) with the whole "autism experience" I had while living in Virginia. I worked with ASD kids as an aide, babysitter and therapist. That whole experience prepared me for my life with Michael.

Anyway, it's fun to visit Joe and his family in VA with Michael because everytime we go Michael is at a totally different stage. Last August we went and they saw such a difference in him (I think I posted about it back then). Well Joe spent a few hours with him Friday night (after the chelation appointment) and said that Michael seemed to be talking more. And he was impressed with his spontanious outbursts.

At one point we were all sitting around the table talking and Michael comes in the room with his finger in the air. He points to each of us and says "Mommy, Grandpa, Grandma, Joe- You are too loud". It was so funny.

Then on Saturday (the next day) Michael's Dad came from California to visit.

We were sitting down at the table (again) and Michael comes over and starts eating his food with a fork. He has NEVER done that- especially with a metal fork. He narrates the experience. "First you pick up the fork and then you poke the food like this...". He takes a bite and says "scrumpeous". don't know if I spelled that correctly- I never use that word.

There are just a few example of the things he has said this week. I'm finding he is really speaking full sentences and answering my questions very nicely. Oh ya- and he played dice for about 30 minutes with my family. He was keeping his own scare too.

Also, his behaviors have been better the past few weeks- thank god. It's always better when Spring comes along.

Overall- we are still very happy with the IV chelation treatments and overjoyed at the progress Michael has made since August.

Thanks everyone for reading our blog. :)

The Pledge

Michael, 7 1/2 years old, says the Pledge and sings a few songs on the loud speaker at Ridge Elem.