Sunday 22 September 2013

Mixed up words!

I know it's been a while, the summer holidays came and went and I cannot lie; I am glad the children are back in school.

My little man is now in year 3 and already the school have concerns over him coping. He seems to have withdrawn a little, isolating himself from his peers. I am willing to bet that this is due to a change in class room, teacher and support. He takes a long time to get used to someone.

Tonight my man was looking at the puppy's teeth which are starting to fall out and be replaced with adult teeth. He had this overwhelming urge to touch them, fortunately our little labrador puppy is very used to this and just rolls over and lets him get on with it.

He turned to me and said "Mum, I thought this tooth was pointy. It's shark..." It took me a few moments but I realised that he still uses the word "shark" to mean "sharp". I do love these little blunders, but can't help but worry for him since he is already a target for bullying and his peers have all matured in both behaviour and speech. I guess I should just be happy that my little man is going to be "little" and innocent that bit longer.

Thursday 22 August 2013

Buttoning up!

It's been a while since my last post. I have had many, many appointments with my son and now with my smallest princess. It's the summer holidays, we've been on holiday, I've bought all the new uniforms and shoes and am now skint once again. The boredom is setting in amongst the children now as we struggle to find "free" stuff to do locally that doesn't involve large crowds and loud noises.

My son is struggling with his medication, it has completely removed his appetite and he has lost far too much weight as a result. He now has a repose on top of his mattress to prevent pressure sores. We are waiting for the paediatrician appointment that is coming up soon, I just know in my heart that this will mean another change of medication and the associated period of chaos whilst he adjusts to it.

Through all of this however, my son has not lost the ability to have me and everyone around him in stitches. We were sat in a local pizza shop waiting for his pepperoni pizza to cook (turned out he didn't want it anyway!), he saw a newspaper on the table and started gazing at the pictures. He loves watching the news, so I didn't give it a second thought...I heard him gasp and as I turned around to see what was wrong, I realised he was faced with the popular page 3 girls,  he blurted out "Oh my god! You can see her BELLY BUTTON!"

Have to say, I was not sure if my laugh was a nervous one, or a relieved one! He quickly flipped the page after double checking that it was indeed her real belly button that was on full public display.


Sunday 16 June 2013

The Funny Side!

I know it's been a while since I last posted. I have been on placement again and 13 hour shifts are just about all I can take right now.

It's Father's Day and as I picked my children up from their nan's house we were all chatting away and the topic quickly turned to food. My eldest daughter asked where they should take Daddy for his special meal and after going through some options she blurted out "Pizza Hut!". My son was looking out of the window and retorted very nonchalantly "It's closed, it's Pizza Shut!" and carried on looking out of his window. Myself and my husband were in fits of giggles at this off hand remark. My son hadn't realised he had cracked a funny with his play on words.

It's moments like these that make all of the meltdowns and headaches seem like a distant memory. My boy doesn't really talk or contribute to conversations, preferring instead to make noises, but on the occasions he does join in he drops a little nugget of hope for the future.


Monday 6 May 2013

Bank Holiday Chaos...

Today was the hottest day in the UK so far this year. I decided it would be nice to fill a small pool with water for my kids to splash about in. Sensibly my 8 year old and 4 year old daughters change into their swimming costumes and head outside. My son decided he would rather like to bathe fully clothed in the pool. He immersed himself and began thrashing about and squealing away happily.

He didn't understand that those clothes were dripping wet and he would leave puddles wherever he walked. He somehow managed to soak the back door step just standing there staring at his reflection in the glass...I decided he was not going to walk through the house with those drenched clothes, I would instead put them straight into the washing machine.

Telling my son these plans, he stands on the back door step glaring at me for a good minute or so and then piped up "It's the wet step" (referring to the sodden doorstep). "Why do I call it the wet step?" and before I could answer he had stripped all of the clothes off and launched them at me.

What would have been 1 person needing a change of clothes instantly became 2. Relishing in the freedom of being nude my son bounced into the living room, slipping on the laminate flooring. Like any mother, upon hearing the thud of my child's bony body hitting the deck, I turned into a superhero...racing to the scene ready to examine the wounds. I arrived to find my son in a heap on the floor...he is quiet..my heart in my mouth until I notice he is actually looking under the sofa at something. No injuries, I relax. My son gets to his feet and declares to me that the sofa has been moved because he could see the dent in the floor where it was before. He demanded I put it back there. To prevent a meltdown, I do.

The evening is drawing in and although the girls are ready to sleep, my son is not. He has been upstairs arranging his clothes, curtains, bedding and toys for the last 2 hours....I sense it could be a long night since he has school in the morning and this day has threw his routine out of the window.

Sunday 5 May 2013

Introducing Me...

Well I have such a hectic life, I decided it might be good to allow myself to sit down periodically and write about it.

I am a 26 year old mother of 3, I am happily married and have been for almost 8 years now! I was technically a "young mum", but I didn't fit the stereotype. My children mean everything to me, they pick my mood up when it's down and after a hard day at university they really know how to make me forget it all and get on with it. Sounds perfect? Right?

We were blessed with my first born child, a daughter. She has always been mature beyond her years, she's a keen learner and has a big personality. My second born child, a son was born a year after my first child. It was when he was only 4 months old I started to see a difference that did not fit "normal" patterns of development. As he grew it became increasingly more evident that something was a little off kilter. By the time he was 3 years old and in pre-school we were tearing our hair out. He required constant attention day and night, he didn't sleep much and had obsessions with cars that we just couldn't control. He started primary school and that is when the professionals stepped in and started to help us, my son is Autistic and has ADHD as well as the joint condition Joint Hypermobility Syndrome which he inherited from me :(

It's not all bad, he is the funniest little boy I have ever met. He doesn't say much typically, but when he does it is usually a fact or figure he has plucked out from watching the history channels. He doesn't like hugging much unless it is on his terms, but when he gives me a hug I simply forget all the struggle, sleepless nights and stress.

After having my son, a lot of people ask why I wanted another child...I can't answer that, but my 3rd child another little girl is just so relaxed and easy going. She seemed to just fit right in around my son's needs.

I want to try and document some of my son's "gold nuggets" a glimpse for those that have never experienced Autism. How amazing is it to get an alternate view on reality?

I hope you will enjoy reading!