Dear Noah.......FLUSHING BOY.......

Friday afternoon we went to see grandma C. because your grandma L and aunt Becky were also there for a visit. While there you suddenly announced to Aunt Becky and myself that when you became an adult you would be known as "THE FLUSHING BOY!" Your plans are to drive and stop at rest areas and FLUSH the toilets. We then talked about if you could DO that all the time as an adult...or HOW one might be able to get away with doing that all the time and not get into trouble. Your aunt Becky suggested you could be a janitor.....because then you could clean the toilets and flush them all you wanted!

SO you of course were like "YEAH YEAH YEAH ...that is what I will do.....I can be a SUBSTITUTE janitor and just fill in every once in awhile!" I think that might be a good solution to your problem of getting away with flushing toilets a lot in public.

I know you want to do much more than just being a janitor all the time......but it was cute to hear you calling yourself the FLUSHING BOY.

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Also during our visit today.....any time you heard a little cuss word slip out you came running to tell me......my uncle Mike said "hell" and you came over to me and whispered....."he just said hell!"......then when your grandma C. said "son of a gun!" you came to me and said "grandma just said son of a gun!".....same for when grandma L. let "shit" slip out.....and "sucks".......you announced then that probably someone was going to say the F-word next! I said let's HOPE NOT! NO one did and that was the end of the cussing.

You were also very concerned when you saw my uncle Mike light up a cigarette and start smoking. You said "Mommy Mike is chewing tobacco!" I explained to you that he was SMOKING a cigarette and not really chewing tobacco. You said "oh but he shouldn't be doing that....it can cause pneumonia!" Over and over you kept repeating it to me.....you were very worried. You said that you saw it on the side of a cigarette pack...on a show you and grandpa L had watched the other night when we stopped there for a visit. That the surgeon general says it is bad for you and the package says all the things it can cause and all the bad things in the cigarettes.

You really retained a lot and it has made you VERY aware of the dangers of smoking and what can happen....including lung cancer. The fact that you have had pneumonia and remember how bad you felt.....also helps make the dangers of this all so very real. I am THANKFUL you watched the show and LEARNED and RETAINED all those facts about smoking and this is one case too where I am so thankful you are SUPER SENSITIVE to the smell of cigarette smoke and cannot stand it. I am pretty certain you will avoid that bad habit in your lifetime!

We had a great day. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous! VERY early fall-like..nice...not very hot and no humidity! You also enjoyed checking out the cats at grandma's house. We took along Opie and he visited with Tom and then Tom's girlfriend cat and 2 of her kittens came over...they nursed while there....it was all so sweet....








but grandma C. is not too thrilled....


And I love you my little flushing boy!

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah.......I was able to find a SONIC patch so far.....

apparently they did come out with Sonic backpacks and shoes and all sorts of things back in SONIC days....hard to even find them on Ebay now.

I CAN and WILL paint you up a cool backpack if we cannot find one before school starts.....I can also iron on this SONIC patch onto a blue bag or black one. We WILL work it out.
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You are going to be 10 years old in December. You do not eat any vegetables......maybe a micro bite of carrot occasionally....so small even a mouse would probably pass it up. You call this 1/8th of an inch or 1/16th of an inch and if we measured it....you would be correct.

I still offer vegetables to you....but other than French Fried potatoes or hash browns from Burger King or McDonald's or Ore-Ida frozen ones....you do not eat any vegetables. NO green ones for sure.

Same for fruit. You will eat bananas in Gerber Stage 3 baby food occasionally. NOT real bananas. I did finally...FINALLY get you to eat apple slices......what progress! SO now you DO and WILL eat apple slices for a snack. I told you it is important to have at least ONE healthy snack every day.......and we can move it up from there.

I am so thankful you will eat the apple slices.

SO here you are....no veggies or fruits.....no bread other than Fazoli's garlic breadsticks of frozen Texas toast garlic bread......NO OTHER kind of bread will you even look at let alone eat.

Same for crackers.....you used to eat CLUB crackers but now you avoid crackers.

SO your main diet consists of Kraft macaroni and cheese....pizza when we can get it...chicken nuggets or my grilled chicken.....some French fries occasionally....spaghetti sauce only and garlic toast....black cherry Kool-Aid...your frozen hashbrowns and apple juice or apple slices.....milk and cookies (ONLY homemade M&M.....Pillsbury chocolate chip that you bake...or my homemade gingerbread cookies or Pillsbury gingerbread cookies with icing....)and an occasional frozen Popsicle...only the kind in the plastic sleeves not on a stick. RARELY will you eat Ruffles potato chips or Goldfish crackers......only multicolored now where before you never ate the green ones...

The ONLY candy you eat and rarely now are PLAIN multi-colored M&Ms.....no holiday colors.....and Hershey kisses. YOU SOMETIMES now will try a small sucker. I do not remember the last time you had any candy. Grandma sends a bag home every so often but you don't eat them from the bag. We instead bake them in cookies.

When your school has a special party and they bring in food....it is rare there is something there you can eat or drink. I try to always bring in something or donate something that you can also eat......so you can be a part of the group experience of sharing food with your classmates. MOST times though I just make sure you are fed before going and tell you it is okay and you can have something again afterwards....when you are back home. To just drink water while there...and you do and you do not really seem to mind.

IN fact Mr. Noah.....in actuality now......you are pretty good about things like that. What used to totally upset you or would most other people....you can see past it and not let it bother you so much. I think it does affect you though. I know in your after school group you were attending last fall you EARNED attendance for the end of year party.....and you requested Pillsbury refrigerator chocolate chip cookies for YOUR special treat. We were specific to the instructor...telling her it was the ONLY kind you would eat.....and the instructor like everyone else we know.....kept saying "oh I will do my best" and yet she failed to deliver the goods. This was to be your reward....and I had asked that something OTHER than food first of all be used for a reward....I do not believe in using FOOD as a reward for anything.

BUT it was a TREAT they said so I figured she would surely do the only cookies you would eat. It was just YOU and one other little boy who earned attendance at this party. Are you telling me this program could not afford ONE package of cookies to bake? I even offered to bake them and bring them in for you to share.

We show up that night....I made sure you had something to eat JUST IN CASE ---I went over verbally in the truck with you that it would be OKAY if we walked in there and you did not see the cookies you wanted.....to not get upset...it would be OKAY....we would do something special when we got back home. The other kid wanted ice cream.....something you would not eat.

We walked in...and what did we both immediately see on the table? CHIPS AHOY chocolate chip cookies. I saw the look on your face.....but you did not cry or make a peep or even complain. The instructor thought for sure I guess she could convince you to EAT them anyway.....but see...they don't GET that. Cause you won't. It is a smell thing....a TEXTURE thing...and getting you to transition to something like that would not happen instantly. So you did not get a treat. The instructor probably took the cookies home with her....and I vowed to NEVER allow that to happen again. Next time I will make SURE they do for you what they promise to do for you when you have earned it...or else I WILL provide what is needed. This group just got a grant for their after school behavioral group sessions and the goal this year will be based around NUTRITION.......getting kids to eat right and better snack choices, the human body. All the kids this year for snacks will have healthier choices....so this may be a good way for you to TRY some new things. Before all you ever got while there was water......because they never had anything else you would eat.

sigh.....

I know your particulars with foods never really bothered me....a couple of times it may have been a bit inconvenient....but I have adapted long ago and now while we may sometimes sit at the same table for a meal......we NEVER eat the same thing at home. I always prepare a meal for ME and an entirely different type of meal for you. I don't know it any other way...and am used to it. I don't try to force new things down your throat because I know when you are ready you will come around. I do continue to offer you new things...and one day you do eventually try something and realize you like it.....or can handle the texture or smell. When we go to a family event I plan ahead and take the foods you will need in order to sit down and eat a meal with everyone else. It is always different from what everyone else is having. Down to the dessert.

I never thought it required a lot of time and patience to do this until I used to have to go through each macaroni noodle searching to make sure there were no SPLITS in the sides of the noodle. Back then if you found a Kraft macaroni and cheese noodle with splits in them if you tried eating them you would gag and spit them back up.

I think then I realized most people would never do such a thing for anyone. NOT that it makes me special....I am not special. I am just your mom and I love you.

MOMMY
XOXOXO

Dear Noah....you can be so polite.......and what will we do for school lunches this year?

I was doing my exercises today and you had to come out and ask me something....so you said "Mommy I hate to disturb you while you are doing your exercises but...."

You blow me away sometimes with how grown up and polite you can be.

I am already thinking about school lunches for you this year. Last year you ate leftover Domino's pizza EVERY DAY of the school year. EVERY DAY! I know you are limited in what you eat....and this sometimes goes in phases.....but I cannot imagine you being able to do that every day again of this coming school year. We tried to treat your school lunch as more of a midmorning "snack" as you really ate a meal AFTER school.....(a SUNCH as you call it.....half an early supper and half a late lunch). Then you do not have another meal. So you mainly eat breakfast.....have a snack......do the sunch....and then MAYBE sometimes another snack.

BUT...when you do the "snack" lunch at school and then eventually tire of the pizza and stop eating it pretty much altogether and only eat your cookies and milk for dessert....you sometimes (I think) just don't have sufficient energy reserves from a good food source in your system to properly handle a school day.

You have made your rounds with food. As a baby you did actually eat baby food fruits and veggies but no meat. That would make you vomit. As you got older the textures of the veggies or fruit gagged you..or the smell did.....so you refused them and you gravitated to the meat and bread. You ate toast with butter....but ONLY a specific type of margarine.....Blue Bonnet.....anything else you could smell and taste the difference and then you would NOT eat it. The bread also had to be a specific type of bread....(Orowheat buttermilk white bread I think it was) NO substitutes or you would NOT eat it and you would have a meltdown if someone tried to make you eat it. You would eat my bacon...then that stopped and you switched to precooked Oscar Mayer bacon strips.....you used to eat Pillsbury frozen pancakes but never my homemade pancakes. You WILL eat pancakes at restaurants.

You used to eat pork chops....now do not. You tell me maybe you will again when you are 30. You used to eat beef on pizza sometimes but now no. I for one do not encourage beef or pork so I don't care if you ever eat those again. You tell me maybe you will try a hamburger when you are 39. Ketchup at 25. You have specific ages for trying things in your life.

You used to eat ONLY BANQUET frozen chicken nuggets....NOTHING else. NOW you will NOT eat anything like that....only fast food chicken nuggets. RECENTLY I did finally get you to try my GRILLED chicken breast which you actually LOVED..so now we have that as a choice.

You will eat macaroni and cheese but it has to be ONLY KRAFT macaroni and cheese..cooked just right...not too soft and not too uncooked....and NO SPLIT NOODLES. IF anything is even remotely off...you will not eat it. (I remember going through the boxes before dumping the pasta into the boiling water...sifting through the noodles to make sure there were no split ones...and if there were....pulling them out and tossing them into the trash.)

Same for frozen French fries....they can ONLY be Ore-Ida and they can only be baked for so long. Too brown and you will not eat them. Too under-baked and you will not eat them. Finding your required state of perfection in foods for eating is sometimes hard to accomplish.

You used to eat my spaghetti but now will ONLY eat the sauce. NO pasta....but you will eat Garlic Toast (specific kind only) and dip it in the sauce. YOU WILL eat at Fazoli's however and the spaghetti there. Also the ziti.

You do not eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or bologna or any lunch meats or things like that. You will only eat Ruffles potato chips and not very often. I cannot send the spaghetti sauce and garlic toast to school and have you eat it hot and fresh like you have to have it. Same for the mac and cheese..which has to be cooked just so and I have to add extra cheese to it. So that leaves what options?

Leftover cold pizza. AND it took me a long time to get you to be able to eat COLD pizza which is the only way we can send the pizza to school and they do not apparently let any of you kids warm anything up in a microwave.

I have already sent an e-mail to the principal asking about this and if I could perhaps pick you up for lunch a couple of times per week or some type of alternative from time to time so you won't get burned out on the repetitive lunch. Although the repetition of meals never seems to bother you. You can have Ore-Ida hash browns every day for breakfast and never tire of them. Same for pizza......

We will work it out....so no worries. What used to seem like such a hard thing to do in regards to feeding you has actually become pretty easy. You actually require very little...and never seem to mind repetition of meals. You are easy to please as long as what I give you is one of the foods you can eat!

I love you Noah.....very much!

Mommy
X0X0X0

Dear Noah......striking differences in your emotional maturity......compared to your peers.....

becomes so noticeable in specific situations. These are things I try to avoid worrying about and feeling anxious about.......nonetheless things I do think about and wonder how they will play out as you get older and your peers are so much more emotionally ahead of you.

For example....when out school shopping for supplies and backpacks and lunch bags...since you cannot find anything with SONIC on it.....(and I said I could paint one on a plain bag of some kind)....you still gravitate toward the very sweet more "toddler-ish" items. You have twice grabbed a DORA THE EXPLORER lunch bag and I had to tell you while I did not mind if you chose that one.....your peers and other boys might unfortunately make FUN of you for your choice. If you were still homeschooled that bag would be fine....but out in the real world.....it was unfortunately a different story.

SO the second time when we were out looking you found a DIFFERENT Dora The Explorer lunch bag.....and you turned to me and asked me "How about this one mommy? Would kids make fun of me if I took this one to school?"

I felt so bad for you.....and I so wish to avoid all the HYPE and crap that goes along with this big game everyone has to play in life. BUT I told you it was a great bag but yes....unfortunately your peers (especially the other boys) would probably make fun of you if you took that to school. So you put it back on the shelf.

Part of me feels like I am stifling you from being true to yourself... while the other part of me knows I am probably teaching you the ins and outs of being like your peers...and what is socially acceptable for someone your age..etc....but it does not detract from the difficulty of it all.

You have a ways to go yet as you are still emotionally behind the game compared to your peers but you are slowly catching up. It is MY goal you will be more than ready and equal to your peers by the time you are in high school for sure....preferably junior high.

I just wish everyone could truly be themselves in the world and not be subjected to ridicule or judgment so quickly. Even at your age.

I love you Noah.....

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah......school is coming up!

Today I decided we better bust butt and do some reviewing and additional learning before school starts again on the 26th of August. We had a great day today in homeschooling reviewing math (addition, subtraction and multiplication), practicing your writing skills to strengthen your hand muscles again and learning new spelling words. We also worked on a story and comprehension. For the first day of a vigorous review you did very well, sat very well and were very excited about the whole process.

I am hopeful this year will be another success for you in school....I know you are looking forward to it!

Where has the summer gone??

It stormed a lot last night and today. Looks like it will rain again. I am thankful for the rain as it has been so dry outside. Mr. Hawk has been spending time in our backyard trying to get himself some lunch or dinner. I tried to capture his photo today but he was too fast or hidden in the leaves in the trees. Maybe another day. Of course when he was in plain view on the fence and I did not see him in time to grab my camera....I missed that opportunity. He was HUGE though.

I love you Noah! It is really incredible to me to see how far you have come over the past few years.

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah.......Jesus painting from grandma C.

She gave us a painting of Jesus with children some time back and then grandma and grandpa L. were going to toss the frame into the trash......we hauled it home.....and voila! The painting fits nicely into the frame and looks like it was made for it!

You wanted it close to your room but not actually in your room so we hung it outside your door in the hallway....

We are getting stuff ready for a garage sale on the 15th......I took you to hear the siren being tested today at the National Guard......then to see grandma C. and grandma and grandpa L later. On the way to hear the siren being tested at noon you came out wearing old stereo headphones on your ears....saying that they should protect your ears from the sound. NO prompting or suggestions on my part.....you thought of that idea all by yourself and it was brilliant!

We had a busy day and I love you!

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah.......

Yesterday morning you slept in a lot longer than usual. I found myself wondering if you were still alive....or if you died during the night. I remember the first time I wondered this same thing......when you were but 8 weeks old and it was the first time you slept straight through the entire night...10 hours of sleep! I woke up panicked...as we all slept in for a change.....and I was worried surely something must be wrong.

I went into your room to find you smiling back at me......just waking up for the day.

Now your body is on such a set schedule...you wake up like clockwork pretty much the same time every day. So when you don't ...I really wonder if something is wrong. I imagine this is natural for moms....but I figured by now that anxiousness would have long ago passed.

But I don't know....maybe it never will.

I am not sure why I sometimes get filled with sad thoughts about you.....feelings of loss....while you are here. I try to make my brain focus on all the good things and the fact that you ARE here. I wonder if it is normal to have these thoughts sometimes....and I am not sure where they come from.

I do know I cannot imagine my world without you in it.

I love you Noah.....to the moon and back again....forever I will.

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah.....after watching the closet scene from this movie........

DIARY OF A MAD BLACK WOMAN

you said to me " That is not a very effective way to clean your closet....by tearing up your brand new clothes!"

I thought that was hilarious....and so well-said. I was watching Diary of a Mad Black Woman again last night and you happened to walk in when the women were in the closet ripping up the clothes. Before I had a chance to change the channel you made the comment above to me.

I love you Noah. You are growing like a weed this summer!

Mommy
XOXOXO

Dear Noah.......our new library......

is really nice. It is much larger and the kid section is HUGE!!!! One might say they have really catered to the kids and I think that is great! The kids have the newest section and so many more books to choose from ...plus cozy reading areas and play areas.

Here you are in the reading/play area testing out some activity centers.



It has been super hot..today we should get some storms. HOPEFULLY.

We bought school stuff yesterday. You are excited about starting school again.....I am trying to cram some homeschool in the next few weeks......and I also am anxious about you this year as you really won't have someone assigned to you.....not that you did before either.....but in essence you did because someone was always with you.

NOT sure how that will be handled this year as I STILL feel you need that......but you will only be in an inclusive classroom with everyone else and a regular teacher and extra teacher to help kids (including you) who might need it.

I have to say my anxiousness is warranted....and I still feel you will need a parapro to help...and I really don't think they plan on doing that this year. BUT we will see how it goes and surely this inclusive teacher is also like a parapro.....but more skilled to be able to also teach.....we will see......and I will see how you do and how things go. Or maybe they will also HAVE a parapro in addition to the extra teacher. THAT would be best!

We will then meet up for another IEP meeting in 30 days after school starts (Aug 26)if we can make it that long......and go from there.

I LOVE YOU!!

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah......our trip to Muncie, Indiana to see 26 model homes!

You have been waiting for this day......Monday we decided to take a trip to Muncie, Indiana to see 26 model homes.......and you had a ball! It took about an hour or so to get there........and about 1 hour and 45 minutes to go through all 26 homes.

I am so thankful we are both feeling better!

Here you are in one of the jet tubs in one of the many homes we looked at.




I love you Noah....it will be fun to see where my next day off takes us to!


Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah.......you are still running a fever and your throat is really sore.....

We both took a nap Thursday afternoon which was nice. Then you wanted me to try a new recipe from your Rachel Ray cookbook. Of course this would be just for ME to eat...not you....as you would not even think of eating it. BUT we decided on making this:

Spicy Chicken Tacos...




and I do admit they were very good although I did change the recipe a bit. Here is the recipe:

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (once around the pan)
1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into very small cubes
1 small onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup tomato puree
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin (I left this out)
handful of coarsely chopped Spanish olives with pimentos (I did not use so many)
a handful of golden raisins (I also left this out)
coarse salt to taste
8 jumbo corn taco shells or flour tortillas for soft tacos

Toppings:
Shredded cheeses, onions tomatoes, lettuce, avocadoes

Heat a big skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and chicken and cook till chicken is brown. Add onion and garlic and cook till onion is soft. Add tomato puree, and spices and olives. (raisins too if you are adding them). Bring to bubble and reduce heat to keep warm till ready to serve.

Toast/warm taco shells according to package instructions.

Scoop filling into shells or tortillas and top with your favorite toppings.

AS Rachel would say.....YUM-O!!!

Update........

you got up at 4:45 am....needing something cold for your throat. AND more Motrin as you still had a fever but it was much lower....only 100.4.

SO you had 2 Popsicles and Motrin and back to bed you went.

Problem is...now it is only 6:30 or so and you are BACK UP again....thinking you should be up for the day. This is when I try to get a lot of work done while you sleep....so far my starting work at 4:00 a.m. is not really going very well......

Wonderful.

I can tell you are sleepy and tired and still not feeling well....but you failed to follow instructions to only lie on the sofa quietly and watch TV as you were harassing the cat. Now after RE-instruction you are lying quietly on the sofa watching cartoons.....very sleepy-eyed.

I hope and pray you can fall back to sleep for a couple more hours...though you did go to bed a lot earlier than usual (but have still not had your 9-10 hours of sleep yet)

Dear Noah........I hope you feel better soon!

We both went to the doctor yesterday. We both have swollen glands in our necks but yours are much worse than mine. I honestly think I am finally getting better so that is probably why.....and I am an adult. My ears are getting better now but you have otitis media. This will only be the second time you have had any issues with your ears. Our throats are both still pretty red but again yours worse than mine.....and mine is looking so much better than it had. My sores are all gone now I think and I can actually swallow decent. You on the other hand......cannot. You have a fever.....I don't. Last night before bed it was over 102 again. I hope the Motrin kicks it out of your system.

The doctor thinks we both now have sinus infections .....but I really don't think so. I mean NEITHER ONE of us have any nasal symptoms or sinus pressure or symptoms. NO blowing of our noses at any time.....you are not coughing so much at either time. I did cough a lot though. I know we have had postnasal drip....at times.....but little and I know that is what can make the throat sore. But this seems more like a virus or something we picked up.....and then it went through the different stages trying to get out of our system. You had pink eye early on.......then I got it WELL AFTER you had yours......my symptoms affected my ears.......but then finally started to feel better. Your symptoms you had before are all back again in full force.....and now they are affecting your ears. I was dizzy for 2-3 days or so...now you are really dizzy...but I think that is because your ears are messed up. I do still cough up stuff.....you don't.

Anyway..she put us both on stronger antibiotics for TWO weeks. I am already thinking about calling back today to ask for a different antibiotic for you. She gave you a generic form of Bactrim DS and I have heard and read horror stories about it. It is sulfamethoxazole & trimethoprim and well....I don't think I want to subject you to those possible side effects. Why can't we stick with plain old amoxicillin since we know it works for you and you can handle it well? The generic Bactrim contains sulfa and I am allergic to sulfa and I am just not comfortable giving it to you. PLUS the dosage is in question. She is wanting you to take 3-1/2 teaspoons twice per day which seems pretty high for a dose. I just don't feel comfortable so I am going to call and request amoxicillin again. Your rapid strep in the office was negative but you have ALL the symptoms of strep and amoxicillin would kick that better than Bactrim would.

SO anyway......you feel pretty crappy. I feel better than I have in 4 weeks finally....I just hope I did not give all I had back to you.

I guess our house is a house of sickos for right now. I love you very much and I do hope and pray Noah you will feel MUCH MUCH better today when you wake up!

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah.......you are sick......sore throat and fever again.....off to the docs we will go today!

You woke up complaining it was hard to swallow again.....and your throat was sore. I also thought you felt like you had a fever and you do. Over 100 degrees already.

I am still not completely over whatever it is I have had....and now you have what you had again....so we are BOTH going to see the doctor today. I know with your heart issues you have to be careful with infections especially ones they said in the mouth and throat....so you will need antibiotics I am sure.

Anyway....I love you....hopefully we will both feel better really soon.....but I have been saying that now for 4 weeks.

Mommy
XOXOXO

our pumpking patch today after tremendous severe thunderstorms last night.......so MANY blooms!

Today after a lot of rain last night the pumpkin plant is doing very well. SO MANY new blooms opened up and more green leaves. CLICK TO ENLARGE....this was taken through our kitchen window but is actually pretty clear.....

Dear Noah.....you had 2 spells yesterday with your heart......

out of the blue ....you came rushing into my office last night to tell me your heart was pounding really hard and you thought you were having a "spell." You told me to put my hand on your chest to see......and man......your heart felt like it was going to pound right out of your chest and you had only been sitting before that.

SO we got that heart recording device the hospital gave us to use and recorded your heart sounds to send to the hospital today. You had an episode before that while we were at Goodwill but I forgot to carry that monitor with us. I need to remember to bring it with us everywhere we go....but I have been only using it here at home.

SO from now on it goes wherever we go.

This episode took a long time too before it ended. I was not sure if I should keep recording or not. It only can hold 3 one-minute recordings at a time before sending them in.

SO anyway....I will call this one in today and we will go from there.

I love you Noah! Your heart sounded funny on that machine!

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah......a great buy at the Goodwill Store!

CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENLARGE


Here is a pic of you and Opie enjoying the new set!

Yes.....we found a Thomas the Tank Engine/type activity table....complete with tracks and bridges and signs.....games on the other side include checkers, chutes and ladders, and a place to build Legos.....for....... $4.49!!! You have always wanted one of these....but to be honest....they are just so expensive.....and you have always had a bed you could never roll anything under......but for this price.....and the fact that I can roll it into a hallway closet or somewhere.....WE GOT IT!



I love you....and we also were able to find a nice floor lamp for our living room for 6.49! YEAH....now we have PLENTY of light in there!

I love you Noah.....it was fun having you over for a sleepover in my room this weekend!

kisses!

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah.......our small pumpkin patch is coming up nicely!

First of all thank you to all who are keeping Noah in your prayers. I appreciate that and appreciate my mom passing the word along on her blog which drew many of you to here to read about my son and some of the issues he is facing. I really feel all will be just fine but still appreciate all the prayers anytime any of you feel like offering any up.
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Noah! The 2 pumpkins we set outside earlier this year to decompose naturally in the far backyard are now a new pumpkin patch! The seeds from the prior 2 pumpkins after they deteriorated took root and have grown into a nice (yet small) pumpkin plant with many flowering blooms on it! Providing the squirrels do not eat the small blooms or pumpkins as they come on....we will have some nice pumpkins coming on soon enough! The plant has MANY flowering blooms and some not yet opened. You are excited about this and seeing the progression of growth.

Last night you had a sleepover...in my room....you seemed to sleep really well and so did I. I soak up as much as I can from all the good moments we get to spend together!

I love you!

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah........your cardiology visit.......

First of all Noah I am SO PROUD OF YOU! You did so very well for the EKG AND echocardiogram of your heart today! YEAH!!!!!! Here is a photo of you having your EKG done.....and you laid so still and did not scream and cry and have a fit like the first time 4 years ago.


The doctor today did also hear the murmur.......but she also heard this click/sucking sound and said the fact that you was born with low muscle tone...made her concerned there could also be something wrong with your heart.

So they did an EKG...that was fine.

They did an echocardiogram......and that showed your AORTIC VALVE was not right. There are supposed to be THREE leaflets in the valve to allow blood to flow to the aorta and out to the body. You only have 2 ...she said it looked like 2 of them had fused into one so you were probably born that way.

This means blood is not getting pumped to your body like it should all the time....and sometimes it leaks blood backwards.......etc. She also said that usually someone born with this will have tissue in the aorta itself that will not be right....which means it could eventually NARROW or BULGE OUT.......and that could cause problems. I don't need to mention that the AORTA is the biggest blood carrying artery in the body.

Anyway....we don't know if these are new symptoms for you....or something you were born with, for sure. We don't know if it has progressed or is the same and considered stable for now. They sent home a heart monitor thing I can put over your chest to monitor your heart when you have one of your spells where you say your heart is "pounding" in his chest. We do that if that happens for the next month, recording the beats on a special gadget they loaned us for a month and we call in the recordings.

You go back in 6 months for another ultrasound of your heart. If it looks the same we will monitor your. You will have to be monitored forever however....this will just determine how often. If things are not the same, we will tackle things I guess if and when we have to.

This will have to be monitored....because sometimes it can worsen....and this means surgery to try to correct your valve OR valve REPLACEMENT......and if the aorta itself becomes narrowed or bulges outward...she made it sound like there may not be much they could do for that other than trying to send a balloon via angioplasty up in there to open it up. Not sure if they can do anything if it bulges out..especially where your would be located...that then is considered an aortic aneurysm as far as I know.....and sometimes they can operate and fix it...other times not and you just live with it. This is right up inside your heart....right past the aortic valve....so that is different than when it is an abdominal aortic aneurysm. (She said this would be one of the most serious type of surgeries on the heart....and if Noah did develop a bulge/aneurysm and it ruptured....he would bleed to death instantly and die). Hence the monitoring.

I have some research to do on my end and more questions.

I am not sure if this means OPEN HEART surgery could be possible one day or if they could do it all via like angioplasty..some valve replacement surgery no longer requires open heart. The LOCATION of this may require it though...again I am not sure. I will ask questions and do more research and find out. IF you ever have to have a MECHANICAL valve you would then have to take blood thinner medication the rest of your life. If a tissue one....you could avoid that. Time will tell...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What bothered me was the doctor kept reaching out and touching my hand and asking me if I was OKAY.....like why? Is this really really horrific news? BAD long-term outcome? Noah has no restrictions now...he can be as physically active as he wants..etc.

If he were to worsen it would be noticeable by him being more fatigued by exercise....which already happens...........shortness of breath or chest pain.....and fainting...because blood would not be getting to his body like it should.

SO.......we are finally home. My throat is sore......I still need to do some work after I make Noah some cookies. I did not do but about 1-1/2 hours before we had to leave this morning. We ran into construction at least 5 times......we still got there in time though.

I am going to pray for you Noah....please pray for him too. I am going to pray God will heal your heart and make it like new again.....so it will work well and be fine forever! You also HAVE to keep your mouth and teeth very clean.....any bacteria or sore throat viruses that travel into your system could settle in your heart causing endocarditis....not a good thing. They do not recommend antibiotics prior to dental procedures anymore she said...or put someone like you on antibiotics long-term...because of the side effects from the antibiotics .....they are greater than the helpfulness of the antibiotics in preventing damage to your heart.

so anyway.......

I love you Noah....forever I will!

mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah...today is your cardiology visit!

more on this later!

Miracle Run.........on My Lifetime

Cast

* Mary-Louise Parker as Corrine Morgan-Thomas
* Aidan Quinn as Douglas Thomas
* Zac Efron as Steven Thomas
* Bubba Lewis as Phillip Thomas
* Alicia Morton as Jennifer Michaels
* Jake Cherry as Young Steven Thomas
* Jeremy Shada as Young Phillip Thomas

Not sure if anyone has seen this movie before or not. I think it actually came out in 2004. BUT My Lifetime channel on cable is airing the movie. It was on last night and will be on again today Eastern time from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. If you would really like to see a movie about autism in children and then young adults......I would watch it. I tried to stay up last night to see the entire movie but fell asleep and missed the last hour or so. I will have to watch it again today which I WILL because what I saw was a really good movie.....and did show what it can be like trying to raise a child or 2 with autism. Some classic characteristics are portrayed pretty well I felt and it is based on a true story. Here is a synopsis:

In a flashback, a single mother, Corrine Morgan-Thomas (Mary-Louise Parker) drives her five year old twin boys Steven (Zac Efron) and Phillip (Bubba Lewis) to the doctor's office and learns that they are autistic. Phillip simply repeats what he hears others say, while Steven is completely nonverbal. After leaving the clinic in a very upset mood, she takes the boys shopping for groceries. Her visit to the supermarket is not a pleasant one, as her two boys begin screaming throughout the store and Phillip wets himself, causing others to stare at them. Upon learning about their disability, her live in boyfriend leaves because he knows raising special needs twins will be difficult.

Corrine then moves with her boys to another town and enrolls them in a public school. Their classmates are puzzled by their strange behavior, as well as their teachers. Corrine is then told at a meeting by the principal as well as several psychiatrists that they are not fit for public school, and that they will be sent to a special school. The local mental? hospital then sends a learning therapist to their house in order to teach the boys basic language skills and prepare them for normal society.

With his help and support, Phillip's vocabulary expands, and Steven says his very first word, "pizza". After he is done with teaching the boys, the psychiatrist moves to another city to work with other families (ONLY because FUNDING was cut off). Over the course of several years, the boys flourish verbally, socially, and academically.

However, some of their autistic characteristics still remain, as they have somewhat nasal, robot-like voices, engage in self-injurious habits, and are very sensitive to loud and sudden noises. They also have an obsession with Rocky from the Rocky films. On their first day of high school, Steven develops a crush on a girl named Jennifer (Alicia Morton). While chatting with Phillip in the bathroom, Steven talks about Jeniffer and says "Maybe she'll be my girlfriend." Another boy, an older boy with long hair mocks Steven and pushes him, causing both of them to start screaming and crying. Corrine is called to the school from work by their special ed teacher, and convinces the boys to come out of the bathroom and go to lunch.

At lunch, Jennifer decides to sit with the two boys. Steven sees several joggers outside from the hallway and decides to join the cross country team. Before the race, Steven sees Jennifer kiss another guy, an Asian boy with a Mohawk. Steven is hurt and confused. Corinne finds Steven sitting down on the grass looking sad, and she finds a love poem in his hands that Steven wrote for Jennifer. Then, Steven realizes he has to move on. He wins the first race he runs in and Phillip gets into a special music school by playing his newfound guitar talent over the phone. Corrine then finds The Miracle Run Foundation for research into autism. Steven gives a speech about how his mother helped him and his brother with their autism.


OKAY I changed the parts in the above where they called the kids MENTALLY ILL and the hospital they said was a MENTAL hospital where a PSYCHIATRIST was sent out to work with the boys. I think they got that wrong as we know autism does not automatically equate mental illness at all and if I remember correctly the therapist was not from a mental hospital or a psychiatrist.

Anyway.....the movie was actually pretty decent and I felt it portrayed some common characteristics of kids with autism very well. AND some of the experiences the mother experienced, also pretty common, were also very well portrayed. So you might want to give it a watch today if you have the channel and can see it.



AND actually if you do not have My Lifetime....you can apparently see the entire movie right now on YOU TUBE...... starting at this link and then start with Miracle Run PART ONE...there are 9 parts to see the entire movie....but it is worth it.

Miracle Run on You Tube

here is a trailer from a fan



Here is what the twins look like now:




For more information on the Miracle Run Foundation please go here:

Miracle Run Foundation Info

Noah and cousin Audrey dancing......part 2

Noah and cousin Audrey dancing......

Dear Noah.......sorry I still feel pretty crappy.....

I know it is tough for you.....cause I don't feel like doing anything more than the basic stuff and even that is hard for me right now. Today I had to take a long nap after mowing......I think I had pinkeye and mowing did not make my throat/chest/cough feel any better. It really exhausted me.

Here is a clip of you at grandma and grandpa L's in their backyard.....and noticing NEW GROWTH which you said they would be "excited about!"



I love you Noah.....hopefully tomorrow I will feel even better yet.

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah......you and Audrey Sunday the 6th of July.....

Dear Noah.......Springfield, Ohio

Well we decided to take a trip to the Antique Malls in Springfield, Ohio on Monday. I took you to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then we began our journey.

I have to say you were very sweet yesterday and we had a good time visiting the malls. You picked out a school bus at one of the malls.....I got a Bible.

We stopped at Grandma C's house on the way back home. You helped water the flowers before going inside last night once we got home. All in all a pretty nice day though the weather got pretty hot and muggy during the daytime.

I cannot believe it is the SECOND week in July already. I need to crack the whip on some home school studies or you won't even start anything before school resumes at the end of August!

I love you Noah.......your cousin Audrey DID come to spend the day Sunday......but ended up missing her mother about midnight that night...and wanted to go home. You had a very difficult time handling that.......but you did finally calm down and went on to bed while she waited for her mom to come pick her up and take her home. You were sad because you think of her as your FRIEND and really wanted to spend the day with her on Monday going to the pool, etc. We will have to see how things work out another time.



Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah.....

Civil War Section at Woodland Hills Cemetery, Dayton, OH

Last Sunday we went to my parents' house for birthday celebrations for me and my sister. Her birthday was June 27 and mine July 5. We try to cram several birthdays onto a holiday when we can. That morning started out rough.....I got upset about the cat doing something here in the house. I admit I screwed up and cussed......and this upset you.....and you said some things to me that really surprised me and hurt me.....such as you wish you had a gun because you would kill me if I said another bad word.....etc. What does one say to that? You lost it......I mean lost it. So we were not going to go.....I figured you needed some cooling down time....and then I realized it was mostly me that started it all to begin with....you were only getting upset because of my yelling and occasional cuss word (IN MY BEDROOM with the door closed).....and you were afraid you were going to miss out on the party and seeing your cousins.etc. SO I decided to go after all....

We had a long talk before we went......and we went over everything.....and the only reason I am rehasing PART of it here is to there will be documentation of this for you or anyone else going through something similar one day. I know kids say things when upset they do not always mean....and as they get older and wiser they regret some of those things....so I am really trying to not take it personal anymore and I think I did finally successfully get past that!

I did take off Friday the 4th and today the 5th for my birthday......so we could spend time together and so special things. Your cousin Audrey was to come over on Sunday and spend the night into Monday......but I went and got sick.....so we have not really been doing anything or going anywhere.

we DID make it to Cracker Barrel on Monday after my doctor's appointment....and then to Woodland Hills Cemetery and then to your cousin's house....and you got Domino's pizza for supper...something you have not had now for at least a month.

I thought it was sweet when out of the blue you walked back into the kitchen to tell me THANK YOU for getting you the Domino's pizza.....all without any prompting on my part.

I love you Noah.....I feel bad for you that I feel like crap and cannot do anything with you after all these past couple of days. I got some medicine today so hopefully I will start to feel better soon!

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah.......it has been quite emotional around here lately.....

I will post more about it later....but you have had a very trying past few days.

Still love you......

Mommy

XOXOX

Noah talking about his pinkeye coming back a week or so ago......

Noah you are a trip.

I love you!

Mommy
XOXOXOX

one of Noah's favorite activities....

update on Noah not having surgery.....

We get to the hospital.....Noah is registered....placed into a room and being prepared for surgery. I had asked all along that he be re-evaluated by his doctor/surgeon to make sure he needed the surgery because I still felt he did not but the doctor/surgeon was not to re-evaluate him till the morning of surgery!

I have always felt since Noah WAS BORN with descended testicles that he did not have the diagnosis of undescended testicles but instead "retractile" testicles which is defined here:

Retractile (hypermobile) testes are descended testes that easily move back and forth between the scrotum and the abdomen. Retractile testes do not lead to cancer or other complications. The testes usually stop retracting by puberty and do not require surgery or other treatment.

Anyway....last year when Noah saw this surgeon he performed a test on Noah and at that time Noah's testicles remained UP more than down...though they did make an appearance from time to time. BUT because they did not stay down during that test....the doctor diagnosed him with undescended testicles. I remember pleading with him on this and asking how could he be born WITH descended testicles only at 5 years of age or so for them to have rolled back up inside? I asked him if we could wait until PUBERTY because maybe since Noah was slow to develop in some other areas involving muscle tone he was just SLOW to develop there and would catch up? This doctor/surgeon really felt it necessary to perform a bilateral orchiopexy and drop those testicles down into place and seal off the inside so they could not roll back up inside anymore. If there were hernias inside (which I also felt Noah did NOT have) he would also repair those at the same time.

Noah was originally scheduled for surgery last November. I canceled it because he had just started school and was doing so well that I hated to yank him for that and have him miss.....etc. I rescheduled the surgery for yesterday, June 23, 6 months later.

DURING that 6 months Noah and I prayed about this. I really felt that he would CATCH UP and his testicles WOULD drop down into place and be down more often than not. During the month of May Noah's testicles WERE DOWN the entire month.....and he, for the first time, was AWARE of them on the outside of his body.....and would make comments if anything banged into them.

However at the end of the month and a few times of being banged around......they seemed to disappear back up inside him and remained up more than down again. BUT I noticed Noah also had the ability to make them go up or down using his own muscles...something he could not do before and I guess something most men cannot do on their own according to the surgeon yesterday. I suggested to Noah that he practice that movement as often as he could to strengthen his muscles there and we continued to pray for God to allow Noah's body to be the way it was meant to be and everything to be okay so he could avoid surgery.

We got to the room yesterday and Noah was admitted for surgery. We were there about 3 hours before the surgeon finally came in to examine him before surgery. It was during that exam he determined that Noah's testicles were indeed DOWN and stayed down during his exam....so he did NOT have to have surgery after all as he had "retractile" testicles. He stroked the inside of Noah's thigh and said "see" and his testicles rolled up inside him and then came back down. I said well Noah can do that on his own without anyone's help or stimulation and the surgeon said "oh no he can't" and I said "yes he can!" and he argued with me a minute and I finally told Noah to show the doctor and to suck those testicles back up inside him and then drop them back down.....and just that fast Noah lying there spread eagled for the doctor rolled his little testicles back up inside his body and then let them back down when I told him to! haha..The surgeon was stunned and could not believe Noah could do that especially on his own!

BUT to make my very long story short Noah will NOT require surgery on his testicles.....so that is great news and a happy ending!

They DID hear a heart murmur on his exam which a long time ago they had heard.....so he will need to see another cardiologist again for some tests and a check up. The last time he had the murmur the cardiologist in Colorado after testing said he did not hear it and he was fine...etc. Two doctors yesterday heard it so we will go for an evaluation.

Otherwise ...Noah is home and happy he is home and not had surgery.

We appreciate all your thoughts and prayers!

We will not be charged for anything according to the hospital yesterday when I called.

Dear Noah.....you DID NOT have to have surgery!!!!!

More on this in a bit! BUT Noah did NOT have to have surgery because as I have been trying to tell the doc all along...he has RETRACTILE testes instead of undescended.....so the surgery was canceled today after the surgeon examined him!

YEAH!!!!!!!!

I will post more later.....just did not want anyone to worry or keep wondering!

We thank the Lord..literally!

Dear Noah.......surgery day is coming up fast!

you are a little anxious and scared you said about your surgery on Monday. That is totally understandable!

You have been super sweet lately....and yesterday when I went in to finally try to take a short nap because I had been up all night the night before working.....when I asked you what you wanted you said "just to tell you I love you."

THAT was incredibly touching......and maybe because of lack of sleep.....not sure....I could have bawled my eyes out. BUT instead I grabbed you and asked you if you wanted to snuggle up in bed with me which you did.....for about 3 minutes......but you snuggled up tight!

You have been requesting to do all these things for the LAST time you say...then quickly add "before your surgery." I have to say you saying it the way you do freaks me out.

SO....Noah and I welcome all prayers for his surgery on Monday. I pray all goes well too and he will do well and be even better and stronger afterwards very quickly.....because I cannot imagine life without him in it!

I LOVE YOU NOAH WESLEY!

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah....you at the pool........

Y

Dear Noah.....you completed the surgery tour.....

We finally DID successfully make it to the hospital last night for your pre-surgery tour. There was a nice-sized group.....and you did very well. At the end you all got certificates of completion and a mask and hat to take home.

Once back outside in the parking garage you let loose....and started making all your loud sounds.

We stopped by Grandma L's house because she had a special surprise for you. Since you were little you have always LOVED to push things.....like mini shopping carts.....strollers.....mowers....anything. You especially like strollers but now your toy one is just too short to do it comfortably. I understand that PUSHING is one of your sensory needs and it soothes you. Grandma L. decided to buy you a BIG umbrella stroller to push around....so we stopped by to pick that up on the way home.

Here you are with your new wheels:



AND today was another gorgeous day. I have been out of work more than with work....so I decided to take a break and mow..then weed and trim and water the flowers and feed the birds and wash the car and take out the trash and get the mail and show you what one of those Maple tree seeds look like once they take root...I also showed you our pumpkins coming up out back where we sat those 2 pumpkins from the year prior....

THEN you wanted to go to the park and FLUSH TOILETS....PLAY in the bathroom. I cannot say too many kids want to do that! SO I took you today. You flushed all 3 of the men's toilets and urinals over and over again while I sat outside waiting for you. ONLY of course after making sure the bathroom was empty. There is a vent on the outside I can yell through to tell you when enough is enough...and you stop when I tell you to. So while the other kids were playing at the play area....you were happily flushing away inside the restroom.

You saw a jogger at the park. A man. He had no shirt on. You have remarked on this before...telling me how you just thought it was GROSS and WRONG for a man to be IN PUBLIC without a shirt on. Today you asked me "men who run with no shirts on are drunk right?" I almost busted out. I asked you "what?" and you asked me again. I told you "no....most men who run without shirts are probably just hot and definitely not drunk as they are trying to take care of their bodies by running and staying healthy." You said "well maybe only ELDERLY gentlemen are not drunk" (because this one was an elderly man). You also told me you think sometimes they just don't wear shirts to show off and you think that is wrong in public.

On the way home..you told me you wished you were already 31 years old. When I asked you why you told me "because I would already be alone and I could stay at the park in the bathroom for as long as I wanted flushing the toilets."

I said "oh you wish you were older and living on your own so you could do whatever you wanted when you wanted for as long as you wanted." You said "yes."

I quickly reminded you that even then.....there would be times the flushing would have to stop ....you might need to go somewhere else ...you might need to go to work.....and if others saw you at the park...as an ADULT man flushing toilets over and over......since most adult men do NOT do that....they might wonder why..and find that strange.

I don't think you really cared. Your toilet obsession is at an all-time high.

You have made a couple of other cute comments lately....but for the life of me......I seem to have misplaced those thoughts. So I will get back to you on that!

I love you Noah. Your surgery is scheduled for Monday at 11:30 a.m. tentatively.....we must be there by 9:30 a.m.

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah......emotional days for you lately......

I am not sure what is going on inside your body and mind.....all I know is you have been pretty emotional lately. I won't rehash everything over the past couple of weeks here again..suffice to say you cry at the drop of a hat....have a semi-fit....sort of get over it...and within a short time it can happen all over again. VERY similar to how you used to be when you were very young....been awhile since I have seen with such regularity.

BUT we are now hopefully reaching a steady calm in the stormy seas.....as we cut back a bit on some of the activities outside the home and do a few more just you and me within the home and out in our environment. I have realized I cannot take you to the pool and then somewhere else in the same day...it is just too much.

We did go to the pool the other day. One of your classmates from school was there and he was so excited to see you. The two of you had such a good time. All in all the day was a great one...with great weather and good times in the pool.

However later when we headed to the hospital for your presurgical tour....we never made it because of a closed highway and wrecks and construction and well...crap.

This upset me and you.....so we headed to your aunt Angela's house earlier than planned ..or event #3. You cried almost the entire time there about something. Needless to say we all learned a valuable lesson. You can only do so much in one day before it is oversimulation to the max........I need to keep my cool as I am setting an example for you on how to HANDLE stress in a positive way.....and keeping things simpler works better for us all.

Here are some pics of you and your bud Cameron at the pool!

Dear Noah.......you wanted me to make a recipe from your Rachel Ray cookbook....

you picked a meatless recipe with lots of veggies and brown rice which I love.....so....here is the result. Of course I condensed the version down for just ONE serving...instead of 4....and made a few modifications.....but it was YUMMY or YUM-O as Rachel Ray would say!

You could basically probably use any rice stuffed pepper recipe...but then pour taco sauce over it before baking.....for a simpler faster version...

Southwestern Style Stuffed Peppers

Dear Noah.......you and cooking.......

You seem to be feeling a little better.....your eyes look better. However yesterday you also made a lot of noises and laughed a lot watching videos which made you have coughing fits...and because you were so LOUD you ended up where your throat was sore again last night and you had a difficult time swallowing.

I did hear you play some pretty songs on your piano....one sounded very Oriental...Chinese......and I tried to get my camera in there to record it before you stopped.....I only caught part of it but it is below.....and then I realized I was holding my camera SIDEWAYS when recording.....so the entire film is sideways.......

oh well.

You brought out your Rachel Ray cookbook last night....wanting me to skim it to find something NEW for me to cook for.......me.

You found a recipe for me to try today and left your cookbook on the kitchen counter turned to that page.

I love you......you are very sweet.

Mommy
XOXOX

I will post that clip in a second......having problems with Blogger's video uploader.....as is typical

Dear Noah......well..you are improving a bit......I think...

You are still coughing....a lot....your pinkeye is a bit better but also spreading to the left eye...but they both do not look too awfully bad.

You do seem to sleep better I think at night....the Zyrtec does absolutely NOTHING for your symptoms. Good ole' Claritin still works better.

You have been grumpy....I know because you don't feel all that well. You are also concerned about not being able to go swimming for awhile.....because of being sick....pinkeye....

anyway....you will get better.....sooner than you think! I pray for you every night and day.

I love you Noah...even though you were quite sassy and mouthy with me today!

Mommy
XOXOX

Dear Noah......you are sick.....

I had to take you to the doctor's yesterday and to the ER this morning because while the doctor yesterday thought you just had allergies or hay fever symptoms....you seemed to get so much worse overnight. You have had symptoms now since last Thursday....I think it is much more than allergies or hay fever. You now also have pinkeye.

So.....it has been something...but you now have antibiotics. I am tired because you have not been sleeping at night well at all...which means you come to me.....and then neither one of us gets any sleep.

Today I am also trying to work now while you play on your computer or rest.....but I am not doing very well. I just really need to take a nap but that is just not possible right now.

Your surgery is scheduled for June 23. Providing you are well enough.

I love you....I pray you start feeling better really soon.

OH......you do look cute with your hair cut short again!

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Autism Awareness....

HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE.....


I found a fabulous autism site the other day where you can purchase products for autism awareness. MOST of the products are made by people on the spectrum and ALL the orders are filled by people on the autism spectrum. They have lots of valuable information as well.....

I am not one to wear jewelry but you can also purchase keychains or hang these things from your purse or car rear view mirror.....etc.

I found this site the other day when I was doing some autism awareness research and they are one of the first autism awareness beaded items I have seen that actually had an excellent way to show awareness......I don't know...I just liked them a lot and found their site and items for sale very very nice and helpful.

If you are interested go check them out here:

LUCAS WORKS

LucasWorks was started by Lauren Padgett, mother of two terrific children, one of whom (Lucas) is autistic and mentally retarded. Lauren and her husband, Alan, saw the need for both autism awareness and daily living products to help Lucas, and the eventual need for Lucas to have employment. They decided to put these ideas together, and LucasWorks was born under the philosophy, "It works for Lucas and it gives Lucas work!"

As parents of a child with autism, Lauren and Alan were dismayed to discover that many of the products that are supposed to help autistic people are mainly focused on either medical or educational settings. Like many other parents, it was on the home front that they were seeking help.

So they began to devising their own items to help Lucas if they couldn't find anything on the market. The LucasWorks "Apparel Indicating Weather Thermometer" was born this way, and it is indeed the first product of its kind, hence the patent. The "Child's Placemat", that shows children how to set a table correctly, came along the same way, and we're working on some other things that we hope you'll like, too.

Lauren has years of experience working on behalf of children, especially those with disabilities. Among other advocacy efforts, she has Co-Chaired the State of Delaware's "Partners' Council for Children with Disabilities" (PCCD), and served on the PCCD's Professional Development, Family Involvement and Inclusion sub-committees.

Lauren has also devoted time to serving on the Delaware Autism Program's (DAP) Strategic Planning committee, the Kent County DAP site School Improvement Planning committee, founded the Staff and Parent Autism Resource Center at Lucas' school, and is serving her 4th year as Chair of the Kent County, DE Autism Program's Parent Advisory Committee. She is a member of the Autism Society of Delaware and the Autism Society of America. Of course, that's all worked in around the needs and schedules of Lucas and his brother, Robert!

All of LucasWorks' products either promote autism awareness or help those with autism. By focusing on these lines, we are able to spread the word about autism while offering items to help those dealing with this disability.



This is Lucas, the inspiration behind LucasWorks. Lucas thinks Deep Thoughts and works hard to understand life. He has a great sense of humor, and loves to hang out with his big brother.

Dear Noah.....you still don't feel all that well....

You have been fighting off some sort of sore throat....where you act like it really hurts to swallow......and you cough off and on. No fever really....though the first day you did have one when you first woke up....none since though.

This is similar to when you had pneumonia.....but you thankfully do not appear that bad...but with possible surgery coming up I need to make sure you are healthy and stay healthy. I cannot believe the hospital has not called us yet wanting you to come in for a check up BEFORE surgery....and no one has contacted me yet to confirm an exact time.

I was hoping and praying (and still am) that your testicles would STAY DOWN like they had been for a few weeks....so you could avoid surgery. Now some days they are not always present again. SO you will need to be re-evaluated for sure.

I may call today to see if you can get in to see your family doctor for a check up and he can also examine you down there and then I can always call and make a follow-up appointment with the urologist for another check.

Meanwhile you have been tossing and turning at night.....severely.....not sleeping well.....so you naturally want to share that misery with me I guess because you have been wanting to sleep with me or have me sleep with you. Then I don't sleep well if at all....no wonder all I did yesterday was sleep off and on pretty much all day......

Today I am fighting off a migraine and whether you are totally up to it or not we HAVE to go to the store today. We cannot put it off any longer.

It has been super hot here....something in the air I think may have set your allergies/sinus symptoms off.

I love you Noah.....we are going to plan some field trips for this summer too!

Today I will probably cut your hair....and you really need a bath!

Mommy
XOXOXOX

Dear Noah.....your last day of school....

was good.....but as the day progressed and you realized what was really happening.....you did become sad and when you walked out at the end of the day you were really crying hard.

I sort of knew this would be the outcome...but you snapped back pretty quickly realizing that while you would miss everyone a lot....you would get to see most everyone again in August.....and that we could enjoy the summer together.

I felt really bad for you though.

Once we got home I started sifting through the entire STACK and piles of school stuff you had brought home. I was so impressed. I had NO idea they taught you so much in school this year because all I saw throughout the year were tiny bits and pieces in your homework. FINALLY all the larger missing pieces were there and it all made sense.

I got to see so much of your work..things YOU ALONE worked on .....and ways you EXPRESSED yourself. I had often wondered when you were younger if one day I would ever get to see or hear you express yourself. IN ANY fashion.

WOW was I stunned. I sat there crying as we went through your stuff. I found a POETRY BOOK....a book filled with things you drew and cut out or wrote yourself. I had no idea you could or were doing such things until I saw that.

I read some short stories you had written and TYPED. Discovering how you THOUGHT and how you PERCEIVED and your mind worked just amazed me. I was speechless.

I immediately wrote a huge thank you e-mail to all your teachers and the principal....thanking them for not giving up on you and for teaching you so many wonderful things.

Because you have had this experience in a public school and it was successful this time round.....you have grown so much as a young boy. You have matured. You are much more self-confident and willing to try new things. You are becoming your own very distinct person....

and I love you even more.

Mommy
XOXOX

(TODAY FRIDAY (seemed like Sat!) you are not feeling all that well. On the way home from Grandma C's house last night you had a really bad headache...and I had to pull over so you could vomit. ...today you are taking it super easy...and only eating Popsicles though you say you feel okay...just not yourself. I think you miss school and have told you I am redoing my schedule yet again so I can spend more time with you during the day to work on school projects here at home again and to do MANY field trips.....)