Brother-Sister Cuteness

My son recently has been saying “happy!” trying to ensure my daughter and I are happy…all the time, in the cutest way! If he thinks either of us are sad, he simply says “Happy”. If we don’t tell him that we are happy, or look happy after that, he says “Happy please.” If that doesn’t work, he’ll say “Mommy happy please” and give me a huge smile. His smile just lights up the room!

Yesterday my daughter was home from school because she wasn’t feeling well. In the evening, she was looking very unhappy because the tylenol I had given her had run out. Poor thing. My son noticed, went over and told her “Happy”. She couldn’t even fake it. So he said “Happy please” and then leaned over and gave her a kiss to help her feel better. I also gave her the next dose of tylenol.

Shortly thereafter, my daughter mentioned that she was starting to feel a bit better. I told her that was good, and that the tylenol must have started working. She said it was getting a kiss from her brother.

So much cuteness!!

Emergency Barbie “Surgery”

My daughter is home today from school with a cold. We’ve had a pretty quiet day, with her resting and getting better so she can return to school tomorrow…until we had to perform an emergency “surgery” on one of her Barbies. This Barbie lost the lower half of her arm a while ago but the temporary splint we had made from painter’s tape just didn’t hold up so, out came the duct tape. My daughter hummed and hawed between the bright pink duct tape and the patterned purple and teal duct tape…which she eventually chose saying the Barbie preferred patterns.

It was touch and go for a while there, but both Barbie and my daughter are doing well, post-”surgery”.

Organizing the #Craft #Clutter

With the Christmas tree and decor gone, I’ve been able to start organizing certain areas around our new home that were driving me crazy because they weren’t organized properly. So, one afternoon, my daughter and I took some time to organize a bookshelf with their crafting items.

Before:

After:

Everything is clearly labelled now, and although my son and I continue to “discuss” where the little drawer unit with pencil crayons, erasers, pencils, etc actually goes (he believes on the floor around him while he’s on the ipad, which for some reason he prefers to use on the floor as well, sigh), everything goes back where it’s supposed to. What a concept!

 

The only things I bought were the 3 large green containers for a measly $8 each. I had everything else lying around.

My Kids Are Crowding Me Out!

 

My daughter has wanted to go to sleep in my bed each night for a month or so now. When I went to bed, I would carry her into her room and she would resume sleeping there. Occasionally, she would make her way back into my bed overnight and I would wake up with her elbow in my face or something similar.

 

Last week, my son started leaving his room after going through the bedtime routine to fall asleep in my room too. When my daughter goes to bed (about an hour after my son – even though they are twins, I want to make sure she and I have some special mommy-daughter time every day, especially if my son’s needs have been very high that day), I have to half wake up my son to take him back to his room. The first two nights, I picked him up out of my bed and carried him but he’s a VERY tall 7 year old and therefore too heavy for me when he’s asleep too.  My daughter then goes to sleep in my room and again, when I go to bed, I have to carry her to my room.

 

The last couple of nights, they have BOTH climbed into my bed overnight, on either side of me. I wake up throughout the night with either my son stimming beside me on my right, or my daughter elbowing or kicking me on my left. Both are cuddling into me and very quickly, I overheat because they are both little furnaces. All I want to do is kick the covers off but I can’t because then they’ll get cold so I do this gymnastics kind of thing and pull the bottom of the covers up without waking them up, and have my feet escape.

 

I finally got lovely beds for each of my kids but haven’t been able justify spending the money on buying myself a real mattress. My parents were very kind last year and bought me a beautiful dark wood with leather headboard bedframe and boxspring. They knew that mattresses are very personal and what is comfortable for one person is not comfortable for another, so they left that to me to buy for myself. My kids both have comfy and well supported beds now but apparently my daughter prefers my bed because it’s “soft and comfy”. Not sure why my son is preferring my bed.

 

Please understand that one of the benefits of being a single parent is being able to sleep wherever you want in the bed. If you want to sleep on one side, that’s fine. Sleep on the other side, that’s fine too. If you want to sleep diagonally across the bed, no one’s there to make you move. If you kick off all the covers, only you (and the cat) get cold. Now I’m stuck, sandwiched between two smaller beings than me, and somehow they are both taking up half of MY bed, and yet I’m stuck in the middle with less than my share of MY bed.

 

Perhaps I’ll just move to one of their beds when they make their way to my bed each night. Musical beds sounds like fun!

The Guilt of Extra Curriculars (post on SpecialNeeds.com)

A new post I wrote for SpecialNeeds.com:

Last week, my daughter had her first knitting class and she LOVED it!

Until now, my kids have only attended classes or groups if they are offered by groups that can manage my son’s needs. My daughter has bugged me for years about joining swimming, gymnastics, knitting, etc classes. Each time, I would tell her that I would look into it, and hope the topic didn’t come up again. I grew up doing A LOT of extra-curricular activities: ballet, skating, soccer, band, orchestra, etc. I was never home directly after school other than to grab my skates.

In reality, so many thoughts went through my head each time she asked about extra curricular activities:

• How can I afford extra curricular activities on my single income?
• What other costs will be needed (uniforms, team snacks, etc)?
• Are you going to stop growing for a couple of months so we can maybe get through one season in the same pair of footwear/clothing?
• Who can I trust with my wonderful child?

The biggest barrier though was: What will I do with my son…

Read the rest of my post here:  SpecialNeeds.com/GuiltofExtraCurriculars

 

My daughter’s inspiring me…with her knitting!

With us being settled into our new home, I wanted to find some classes and programs for my kids to join. It’s a bit harder to find for my son because of his additional needs, but I continue to look. My daughter has been asking for many different types of classes…the type seems to change every week. I discovered that the Kiwanis Club has knitting classes for kids, and that they are actually offered for kids her age.

 

She had her first class last night and, to my wonder and surprise, she knitted a fingerless glove for herself…in 2 hours! She wants to make another one so she has a matching pair.

 

 

 

 

Fingerless gloves are on my “to knit” list…especially since fracturing my wrist as the cold Canadian winter that has finally hit is making the fractured spot ALWAYS freezing.

 

So proud of her, and she’s inspiring me that it may not be as hard as I thought it was when I read some fingerless gloves patterns.

#Autism at the grocery store

Borrowed from Single Mothers Who Have Children With Autism‘s Facebook Page. I absolutely love this! My daughter will tell people “My brother doesn’t talk. He has Autism” when people we don’t know ask him questions and he doesn’t answer. I do have to remind her though that if we give him enough time, he will answer. People always smile at this interaction.

“As we queued at the checkout the whispers began,
I could see the finger pointing from a lady and a man.

My little boy was stimming, flapping like a bird.
I suppose to those unknowledged it really seems absurd.
…
‘What’s wrong with your Son?’ they eventually asked.
I was taken aback but my Daughter answered fast.

‘Nothing’, she said, ‘he’s Autistic that’s all,
he’s unique, he is perfect he will never be cruel.’

‘Come on little brother, let’s have some fun,
let’s stim together,’ she said to my Son.

Then they both flapped their arms and jumped really high.
I honestly thought they were going to fly!

I was overwhelmed with pride as I watched them both stim.
I hadn’t realized just how much she loved him.

Relief flooded through me as I know when I’m gone
My beautiful Daughter will protect my amazing Son.

The whispering stopped and they quickly walked away.
Looking very guilty and embarrassed I would say.

The lesson I learnt as I stood in that line
is be proud of your children and all will be fine.”

~ Written by Karen Martin

Our Christmas Memories

This year, my kids were with me for Christmas Eve and most of Christmas day. It was lovely waking up with them and seeing the gleam in their eyes when they saw all the presents under the tree.  My daughter wanted the “job” of handing out presents to everyone, which she did enthusiastically. She also volunteered to “help” everyone open their presents, whether we wanted her to or not…but that’s all part of the excitement of being a kid at Christmas!

My son wasn’t interested in the presents. He was more interested in his iPad so, note to future self: hide his iPad the night before Christmas so he can enjoy opening his presents, then he can have his iPad. Poor little guy started getting sick later that day so he hasn’t played with or used many of his presents but they are waiting for him when he gets back to his usual self.

My favourite part of Christmas this year though was when my stepdaughter came to visit. She gave my daughter a big doll house (her mom even had to drive her rather than her taking the bus to get here because it’s so big!). It was wonderful listening to them work together at setting it up. Then the two girls went outside to play in the snow, throwing snowballs, and building a snowman and fort. They even “tricked” me by calling me outside. Thankfully, my stepdaughter suggested I wear my winter coat when I came outside. As it turned out, my girls had made some snowballs to throw at me and, when my back was turned, they threw a shovel-full on me…witnessed (and laughed at) by one of my neighbours too.

Christmastime is all about family memories.

Pre #Christmas Fun!

Some pics from our Pre-Christmas activities:

My daughter‘s handprint mitten ornaments, painted completely by her.

My son‘s handprint mitten ornaments, red is painted by him. I painted the borders.

Cookies decorated at my son’s IBI therapy Christmas carol-singalong. My son decorated the one on the left; my daughter, the one on the right.

My daughter on the City’s merry-go-round in the Holiday Train display they hold every year.

My son HUGGING Santa!!!! He initiated the hug!!

It’s been an amazing pre-Christmas time, and we still have a few more activities planned.

Even more thankful today (#Connecticut & #China)

My daughter crawled into my bed at some point overnight, which she does often…just because. I woke up to her telling me my son’s light was on. “No worries honey, just go back to sleep.” Next thing I know, she’s climbing out of bed and telling her brother “Time to go potty but quietly. Mommy’s still sleeping.” My heart was swelling. How amazing are my kids?!!

 

After yesterday’s travesties in Connecticut and China, I’m even more thankful that my kids are home this weekend, safe, healthy and their only concern is what time we are going to the mom’s group Christmas party we are attending today. We will also be baking after the Christmas party, decorating the house for Christmas, and cuddling up to watch movies.

 

These plans seem so frivolous compared to what I can only imagine the families and communities in Newton, CT and Chengping, China are going through but honestly, I don’t want my kids to know what happened. My daughter already worries so much about natural disasters so, if she knew that other kids her age were brutally sent to heaven, I think that would be too much for her.

 

So, we’re going to continue on with our plans for the day, and enjoy eachother’s company, while I smother them with hugs and kisses all day long. Blessings to all those affected, and peace and strength to the entire community.