An Advent Adventure

I can't believe how fast November flew by, and that it's now December!

Yesterday, after a busy and challenging week at work for me, I decided that this weekend would be dedicated to getting ready for Christmas.  To kick off our weekend, I took Ian to see "Arthur's Christmas" at Movieland Cinemas.  I couldn't tell him the title because I was afraid he would think it was Arthur from PBS.  When we got there, he thought we would be seeing a Thomas the Train movie since we've seen them there before.

Our favorite movie theater

First we bought our tickets ($17!) then a big tub of popcorn and a drink ($11!).  We got to our theater and found some seats and sat through about 15 minutes of ads and previews.  Ian made a big dent in the popcorn while holding on to his ears during the loud parts!

Before the movie started there was a very weird Justin Bieber music video.  But after that, the movie was great.  It was a little long, but Ian was a champ.  When it got to the end though, he jumped up and said, "See Pups!" so it was time to leave.


On the way home we saw a beautiful sunset and lots of Christmas lights.  He may not have gotten all of it, but I did and it was a nice afternoon with my little man.

Ian holds the prayer sheet during Communion

Today Ian had St. Giles' Gate and the lesson was about Advent.  The boys learned about the Holy Family and how Advent is a time of waiting for the Christ Child to come.  Ian was kind of fidgety, but he participated and was very quiet and still during Communion.

Tomorrow we will try to get our Christmas tree up and some of the decorations out.  Christmas is coming!

Another store "conquered"

This evening, on our way home from his music class, Ian and I stopped by BJ's.  We just joined this past summer, so he had not been yet.  I used to take him to Costco (which is very similar, but busier) when he was younger.  But the last few times we went he had a hard time with the long check out lines and the noise level.  BJ's is a nice alternative.  It's not as loud or crowded, and they even have self check-out that goes really quick.  After his initial reluctance to enter a new place, he relaxed and actually said hi to several of the other customers.  All in all it was a good experience and I think we can add BJ's to our list of Ian-friendly places!

An Up and Down Day

I could tell when Ian got off the bus that his day at school had probably not been a good one.  He was chomping down hard on his chewelry and he looked kind of frazzled.

The note from Mrs. Penrod confirmed my fears.  She said it was his first rough day of the year, that he was struggling all day.  Since she mentioned that he was covering his ears a lot, I gave him some Tylenol and some juice and let him chill for awhile.

But then he started giving me a hard time, and I had to break bad on him.  We had a little confrontation, and he finally calmed down and we made peace.  Then we went to music class.  I didn't realize until we were half-way there that I'd forgotten his afternoon meds.  Aaagh!  But he seemed to do fine in music class, even if he was a little more boisterous than usual.

So, on the way home I bought him Wendy's for dinner.  Rob had made spaghetti and I was fixing myself a plate as Ian was wolfing down his meal.  He saw the pasta and asked for some.  I put it on his plate and he ASKED FOR A FORK AND HE USED IT!  This is huge.  Usually he just picks it up and shovels it in, which is why he doesn't get pasta often.  But, he ate a big serving, all with the fork.  Now, he was still a mess when he finished, but I didn't care.  He ate something different with no bribery, and he used a utensil.  I'll take it!

St. Giles' Gate

The special needs program at our church started the Fall session yesterday.  This is a fairly new program, and so far we only have two participants.  Ian is one and Nicky is the other.  Nicky is at the other end of the autism spectrum, and I love having Ian interact with him.  Nicky  is a big brother at home, and even though he is younger than Ian, he applies that same dynamic with him.

Ian and Nicky after class in the Parish Hall

Over the summer one of the classes talked about Noah's Ark.  Ian was focused on "cats" and at the end of the lesson the whole class went to see the stained glass window by the front door.  Nicky was very excited to find a cat (or something sort of like one) in the window and to point it out to Ian.  It was so awesome!

While the boys are in class, Nicky's mom and I have a chance to chat and talk about the challenges we have with our boys.  Although the boys are in very different places, we share a lot of the same worries and concerns.  But we also share some of the quirky and endearing things they do.  I treasure that time.

Ian and Nicky

At the end of the class, the boys come out to get us and we all have communion.  It is a modified version, designed to be brief and meaningful to the children.  Instead of wafers and wine, there is homemade bread and apple juice.  Although Ian is not able to read along with the prayers, I am so impressed with how quietly and respectfully he sits.  I think he senses that this is a special time.  The priest and the teachers do an amazing  job with this program, and I am so thankful for it.  And I'm thankful that Nicky and Ian are now friends.

The Garden Center Trip

This afternoon, Ian and I did some errands.  The last stop was our local Garden Center.  I've been going there for plants, mulch, Christmas trees and produce since before I knew Rob.  It is family owned, and they are from Pittsburgh so we always have a good time talking about the Steelers.

Ian has been coming here for years too.  He especially likes Brian, the owner's adult son.  Whenever we turn into the parking lot, Ian yells, "Brian!"  But, in his typical fashion, he is too shy to talk to him much once we get out of the car.

Brian helps Ian in Fall 2010

Today it was a quick trip.  I knew I wanted a flat of pansies, so I was going to pick one and go.  But, I got started talking with Brian about yesterday's game and Ian made himself at home in his usual spot...in one of the chairs that the family sets out under the pergola.  They are always so nice to Ian without being condenscending; I love them for that.

This is where Ian likes to sit while I shop and visit

When it came time to pay, I noticed Ian getting one of the red wagons they have for customers.  I decided that I would put him to work.  I put the pansies in the wagon and said, "Let's take them to the car."  I gave him a minute to think about it, and he started pulling.  It wasn't easy for him.  The path was rocky, and there was a patch of gravel to go through that was a little tricky, but he did it.  At the car, he started to just drop the handle and get in his seat, but I told him to bring the wagon to the back.  He did, then again tried to bail and not finish.  I told him we had to take the wagon back.  I thought this would not be a winner, but surprisingly he headed back with the wagon.  It took a few prompts but he took it right back where he got it then came right back to the car.

This was last year; he's come a long way

I am so proud of this!  I think he was proud of himself too.  Little by little, I'm letting him do more chores and other things that will lead to a more self-reliant life.  He will always need some help, but I believe he will eventually be able to do a lot of things for himself.  I'm just trying to find the right time and right circumstances to help make him understand HE CAN DO IT!

Fourth Grade Begins

School started again on September 6.  This year, Ian is at a new school.  This is the third school he has attended since starting the pre-K program in 2005.  The good news is that he has the same teacher and now he is so much closer to home....literally across the street, and a few blocks down!

We went for the Open House the week before school started.  Ian had some initial resistance at the front door, but we worked through it.  We were very nicely met by one of the staff who walked us all the way to Ian's new classroom.  Along the way we met the principal, who was very cordial and welcoming.  Once Ian got in the classroom, he made a bee-line for all of his favorite books and made himself at home.  The room itself has undergone a remodeling and is very light and roomy.  There are two other classrooms for autism in the same hall, and at the end of the hall is a huge sensory/cool down room.  Mrs. Penrod told us they will even be bringing in a Wii for the kids to use in there.  As I was talking with other parents and the teacher, Ian made himself at home with some classmates and the aide.  I'm so happy that he is in a much better physical environment than the last few years.  Third grade was really tough for him (and everyone else) because they were doing construction right outside his classroom.  The teacher has already remarked that he is a totally different kid.

The first day of school was very rainy and wet and, as usual, all the buses ran late.   I always try to get pictures of him getting on the bus, etc. but that didn't happen this year.  I took a bunch of pictures inside and this was the best of the bunch.

This picture cracks me up because it is not a typical pose for him at all.  Usually he is very shy around the camera.  But maybe, just maybe, my little man is starting to come into his own and get some confidence.  We'll see how it goes.

Shaking and Blowing

Well, it's hard to believe that the second week of the school year is already over.  Things around here have been very busy since my last post almost a month ago.

The first big event was the 5.8 EARTHQUAKE we had here in Central Virginia on Tuesday, August 23rd.  Ian and I were having a quiet afternoon here at home.  I was upstairs on the computer and he was downstairs watching PBS Kids.  All of a sudden, there was a very loud rumbling that felt like it was coming from our basement.  (Keep in mind I'd never felt an earthquake before!)  My first thought, since we have natural gas coming into the house for our heating, was that the gas line was blowing up.  I ran downstairs, grabbed the phone and Ian, and was starting out of the house while dialing 911 (another first) when it started to dawn on me what was going on.  By then it was over, but I was pretty much a wreck the rest of the afternoon.  Rob was still out in Hawaii visiting Ashby, so it was up to phone calls to my sisters and Facebook to calm me down!  I mean really!  An earthquake here?  There were also 2 fairly strong aftershocks, one of which woke me up out of a sound sleep.  One more reason not to live in California....

The front page the day after the earthquake

Rob did make it home in time, however, for our next big event which was Hurricane Irene.  Although it was "just" a Tropical Storm by the time it came to Richmond, the damage was quite extensive around us.  Fortunately our house was fine, but a tree fell across the road down the street and we were without power for six days.  Naturally, it was the week before school started and I had job interviews and Ian and I both had dental appointments, doctor appointments, etc.  But, we managed to get it all done.  In fact, it was kind of nice to go to places with real lights and air-conditioning.

Ian handled the loss of electricity quite well, mainly because we turned the Trooper into a tv room by using our portable DVD player and the car adapter.  Our friend Erin had power and she was kind enough to share with us so we didn't lose all of our freezer food.  The generators around us roared, and the noise made it hard to sleep so when the power company showed up for repairs, we were all very happy!  There are still signs of damage around us, but things are pretty much back to normal.

Ian chills in his hurricane tv room!

Hurray, here come the power trucks!

Now that all that excitement is past, we're moving on into the 2011-12 school year.....