Bring on the LEGOS

Doug just got off the phone with the Lego folks. He has accepted the position!!! He will be flying to the Boston area on or around May 12th for two weeks. He was told he could be there for 5 days and come home for the weekend or just stay straight through. He's thinking he'd just stay straight through and if he gets the weekend off he can go see his family. He really wants to go see the nephews!!! Of course I am not so sure of two weeks home alone with two children--yikes!! So if anyone wants to come visit Arizona between May 12 and 23 let me know!!!

Yesterday we had an appointment for Airen at the Developmental Pediatrician's office. We saw someone new, a nurse practitioner (NP) and we really liked her!! Airen was having a blast building Star Wars ships from blocks. His imagination is just amazing and the NP was amazed at his language and imagination. He did have a meltdown during the appointment. He is used to being in the same playroom each appointment but this time we were in a different room with different toys and he was really upset about that. He quickly pulled it together though and things were fine.

Today Airen has field day at school. Pretty much the preschool-second grade students will be taking part in all sorts of fun obstacle course type activities. Airen said it was going to be good day like when we went to the butterfly garden!!! He's so sweet!!

Lego Store

Today Doug had an interview with Lego Store. The interview lasted from 8:30am until 2:30pm. Well around 5:30pm he received a call offering him the position of store manager. When he left the interview he was told he'd hear by week's end. Never figured we'd hear this fast. The job will be more money for us and health benefits would start on day one. We both are excited about the opportunity. Doug is going to call the person back tomorrow to speak to him some more about a few details. The want him to start May 7th then have two weeks of training. Of all places the training would be in BOSTON!! Nothing like going back home for job training. I want to know the exact dates of training especially since we have Mara's first birthday planned for Memorial day and his parents will be here for the birthday and into June to visit. I am so excited yet nervous. Doug is so happy at Barnes & Noble that I'd hate for him to leave but the fact that Doug loves Legos and the money are huge factors in the decision to go work for them. I will write more once we know what is going on.

Mara still has a yucky belly. The rash she's had since Saturday is kind of here and there. Tomorrow Airen has an appointment with the developmental pediatrician. These are usually big appointments and we get a lot of information about Airen's progress and things we should be working on.

I think I am off to have a wine cooler. Talk tomorrow once we know more.

Butterfly Garden

Airen's favorite butterfly

Butterfly on Mara's bonnet




Yesterday morning mom and I took the kids to the Desert Botanical Garden. They have a butterfly exhibit going on now and we wanted to check it out. We weren't too sure how Airen would react but much to our surprise he had a blast. It is this greenhouse type building with beautiful gardens and butterflies everywhere. Airen had so much fun looking at the list of butterflies and finding them throughout the garden. Mara had one land on her bonnet and another on her fingers. So awesome. We probably spent about an 45 minutes to an hour in the garden and then Airen told us he had enough so out we went. I was very proud of him and how much fun it was for us all.

Score one for the mommy!!!

First off I need to thank Naw for coming to sit with the silly kids while we attended this meeting. When Doug and I left Mara was grouchy crying cause of the teeth coming in and Airen was having a screaming fit over who knows what.

I am just ready to jump from my skin I am so proud of myself. This morning Doug and I had Airen's transition to kindergarden IEP meeting. I was nervous going into the meeting as I was told to expect the team to want to cut some services and not even consider other things I wanted in his IEP. We took our home occupational therapist (OT) with us and I am so thankful she was there. The preschool team and the elementary team were present. Well let's just say the elementary team was NOT prepared and had not done any reading of the IEP that was prepared by Airen's teachers. When they told us that Airen's OT services would be CUT I really thought our home OT was going to jump across the table she was that upset. I too was upset and calmly voiced my concerns and issues. The preschool team was getting very upset because the elementary team was pretty much setting Airen up to fail in the kindergarden level. It was then suggested we add the OT on an ''as needed basis''. NOT HAPPENING. I know what ''as needed'' means and that wording would not be on our child's IEP. We got to discussing a few other issues and they also started to take the ''let's wait and see'' approach. Again NOT HAPPENING!!! When it was all said and done I got what I wanted. What I wanted includes Airen having a paraprofessional aide in the class with HIM to help keep him on task and to help with any meltdowns that make come up. The aide will also help with the toileting issues. We are lucky because the school principal is also the district representative so the aide for Airen got approved on the spot!!!! Again I am just so shocked that things got approved and it looks like the teams are taking this momma serious!!!

Could she be getting teeth?!?!?

So this afternoon Mara put something in her mouth (big surprise right?!?) and I had to go digging for it. Well on the bottom it is very sharp. Feels as if two teeth are about to cut through. Would explain the cranky, clingly baby girl I've had today. She's also been feeling warm to the touch. Finally my 10 month old is going to get teeth!! Of course Doug says he's not getting excited till he sees those pearly whites!!!

It is time to give little one some tylenol (in hopes of it helping her to sleep) and get her to bed. Doug is off tomorrow and we are going to hopefully go look at a car. I also want to see about putting Airen in big boy undies for the day but we will see what kind of fight that brings. Poor kid just does not get the whole I feel I need to potty therefore I need to go to the toilet. Another joy of a child with autism.

Good night to you and good night to you. Sleep tight to one and all!!

Consignment sale update

So I finally got my check from the consignment sale. Drum roll please....I made $200 selling the kids clothes and some toys. I am very pleased as the average consignor made $125. They will be doing the sale again in the fall and I already have boxes of stuff at my mom's so I will just have to start tagging it for the sale. I have also been putting stuff on craigslist and making some cash. Speaking of craigslist I need to go relist some of my ads and put up a few new ones.

I spent yesterday going to a new Goodwill and found some great bargains for Mara. She got a ton of fall clothes for only $1.00 a piece. I also got us a really big George Foreman grill for $16. We'd been looking to get a new one but the $50 price tag was not too nice. So for $16 I am happy and cannot wait to use it tonight to make burgers and grilled veggies on it!!!

Yesterday afternoon I stopped at my old office to see some friends. It was quick stop and I still got to see many friends. Mara was such a flirt and so happy with everyone. Of course they all asked when I was returning to work there, I told them NEVER!!! Being home with my little ones is far more rewarding then any paycheck ever will be.

Still waiting for my dear east coast friend to get in touch with me. Taxes are due today so I am sure I will hear from you tonight or tomorrow!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy birthday wishes go out to my mom and my cousin today!! Airen and I made Naw a cake and took it to her earlier this afternoon. Airen ate the icing and that was all he wanted. When you ask Airen ''how old is Naw?" His response is "she's two fives and I will be one five on my birthday!!" He is too funny.

When the kids and I got home this afternoon I was getting the van unloaded and I went to unlock the door. I couldn't find my keys. Back the the van we go and I empty out every bag I have with me. At this point I am not sure if I even took my keys from the house this morning or if I possibly left them at my parents. I call mom, who is at a dinner party and she just laughs. I then call Doug because that is the only other option is driving to Tempe to get Doug's keys. He is just laughing at me and I am sure his co-workers got a good laugh. The keys were finally found at the BOTTOM of the diaper bag. When they got thrown in there I do not know. Of course Airen would have liked to go to daddy's store but I am glad I didn't have to make that drive. Score one for the scatterbrained mommy!!

Not too much else going on around the crazy Arizona Fortunato house. Doug is working till midnight tonight and tomorrow night. Please no hit and run accident either night.

NEWS?? What NEWS???

To one of my longest and dearest friends back east...(YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!!)

You leave me a message that you have news for me but leave me hanging. I have been searching all over looking to see if I have a phone number for you, I DON'T. My wonderful husband is laughing calling me NOSY. Yes I am nosy but I want to know the NEWS. If you are reading this, check your email and call me!!!

Rant over, you may all return to your regularly scheduled and hectic lives!!!

Goodbye Saturn

So this afternoon I went to gather the rest of the stuff from the Saturn and said goodbye. This would have been the first car we purchased and paid off. Oh well time to move on and find a more reliable inexpensive car. We did get more money then we were originally told and if the idiot who hit us comes forward we will get our $500 deductible back. In the meantime we are on the lookout for a car. Of course finding time for Doug to look at cars has been fun with him working.

Mara just ate her first popsicle and is now upset because its gone!!! Airen on the hand is on his second popscicle.

Went out with my parents and the kids to the outlet mall only for it to last in one store. Airen had a meltdown and that was the end of it. One of these days I am going to learn and just go shopping alone with no kids. I also need to see about getting little business cards about Autism so when this does happen I don't get the looks and the rude comments. Instead it can become an educational experience about Autism.

Total lose

So the Saturn has been deemed a total lose. Bye bye Saturn, hello looking for another car. Of course with what we will be given I am not sure what kind of reliable car we will be getting. Thankfully my dad is searching for us.

We got the trampoline put together last night. This morning was like Christmas for Airen. He was so excited!!! After school he was out on the trampoline having a blast!!!

Still no word on the car

I spoke to someone at State Farm yesterday afternoon and they still hadn't sent out a rep to look at the car. I was hoping to hear from them this afternoon but no word. My guess is the car is going to be totaled out. I just want this all over with so we can move on and find another car for Doug to drive to work. My dad has been searching for reliable, reasonably priced cars for us and has found a few good ones. We just need to see how much the insurance is going to give us.

Dad and I just got back from getting a trampoline!!! I am so excited for Airen. He is going to be having so much fun. I found the trampoline on craigslist and the family wasn't too far from mom and dad's. It was so easy to take apart and I cannot wait to get home and get it together. We just need to see about getting a mat to cover the springs and an enclosure. Those are my next purchases. Those will probably cost me more then the trampoline did!

Heard from an old high school friend today. She had her baby a month before Mara so we were comparing notes on our kids. She also told me that another high school friend lost her mother a few weeks ago to a sudden heart attack, she was only 56 years old.

Total lose or able to fix???

The Saturn got towed this afternoon to the body shop. The person called this later this afternoon asking how many other accidents the car had been in previously? Guess the body shop guy had a little trouble believing the front and back end damage were from the same hit and run accident. We spoke to the insurance and they are going to the bodyshop tomorrow to determine if they are going to repair it or total it out. Again not the outcome we were hoping for as I am sure the totalled out amount won't be much. Doug and I have been searching on craigslist hoping to find a resonably priced car for him to drive to work. I also have dad searching to see what he can find. Just really bites because we just put over $700 into the car to get it running perfect and now that money is down the drain. Doug is hoping that since we did just do a big service to the car that the insurance will put that into consideration when they total it out. My guess is they won't but we will talk to them tomorrow and get a better idea of what is going on. And to think the last payment gets sent this month also. Isn't that how it usually goes? You pay off a car and it dies????

HIT and RUN

I managed to get both kids in their beds asleep before 9pm last night. Great I can get to bed early and get some sleep as Doug works till midnight. Well at about 12:15am Mara woke hungary. I got her back to sleep and Doug is calling telling me he was just hit. A hit and run accident. Thankfully he was okay and only the car has lots of damage. He called the police and DPS showed up and luckily Doug got a look at the license plate and color and type of car. DPS was able to match the plate with someone who lives about 15 miles past our house. Now the trick is that this person has insurance. We filed a claim with the insurance first thing this morning but being Sunday there really wasn't much they could do. I am sure my wonderful agent will be calling me first thing Monday morning. My parents are nice enough to let us borrow one of their cars. I am hoping the repair shop can just come tow the car as Doug said the alignment is really messed up now too. Plus we just had all the repair work done two weeks ago and a new radiator and the coolant light came on last night. We are hoping there is no damage under the hood. Again never a dull moment in our house!!

We had a rough few hours this afternoon with Airen. I just wish we could figure out what triggers the meltdowns. I was so upset and exhausted from fighting with him that I finally took Mara out in the stroller and just sat outside crying. It just breaks my heart that I cannot reason with him during a meltdown. Today's was because I told him to get dressed so we could go get Naw's car. I keep telling Doug one of these times the police are going to show up at our house. Anyways. I am off to get showered and head to bed.

What a day

Happy Saturday one and all!!

This morning I was up bright and early and hit a community garage sale. I was happy I went. I got Airen a big bin of Legos for $1.00!!! Got big bag of wooden trains and track for $3.00, bins with locking lids for the Legos $.75 and a bunch of fall outfits for Mara at $.25/outfit!!! Later in the morning I picked up mom and we went to Goodwill. It was half price day and I was hoping to find summer clothes for me and the kids, instead Doug got three pairs of Dockers pants for work. Then Airen had a few meltdowns.

Airen's parent teacher conference Friday went very well. He is making a lot of progress in the classroom. We are looking at the full day kindy right now but at his transition meeting April 18th there will be a lot of issues to be covered. Airen is one that is very sensitive and if someone scolds him publicly he gets embarrassed. He is also still not potty trained. The last few nights he's really been trying to go on the potty so that is good. I just wish it would happen already.

I "think" Mara is finally on a sleep schedule. The last week she's slept at least 5 hours straight then up for a feeding then back to sleep for at least another 2-3 hours. Some mornings she will wake at 5 am so she ends up in bed with us, usually cuddled up with daddy.

Tomorrow Doug is off and Airen will get to go to respite/habilitation. He's excited as he gets to play with his friends and jump on the trampoline. We are still on the lookout for an inexpensive one but so far all we are seeing is $250-300 and that is more then I am willing to pay.

I am off. Airen is in Mara's room entertaining her while she's in her crib. So much for her being asleep early tonight!!!

TGIF!!!

The title says it all. I am so glad we are at the end of this week.

This morning my mom will be coming down to sit with the kids while we have a parent teacher conference. Pretty much a quick thing as I am in contact with his teacher on a regular basis on things. Yesterday he had his ''extra'' OT at school and he was not happy. This therapist does not like to work with the preschool children. Every Thursday he has his ''extra'' OT and every Thursday he comes up telling me he colored AGAIN. I told him to just tell the teacher he does not want to color. He didn't color Thursday, instead they worked on cutting and gluing.

On April 18th we have a transition to kindy meeting at the school. This meeting will be a big one with lots of folks from the special ed program and the regular ed teachers and principal and therapist. This meeting I am not looking forward to because we know they are going to push up to enroll Airen in a full day kindy but we do not want to do that. We know he's academically ready but socially and maturity wise he's not. If they want him full day then I want him to have an aide. There is no way my son will be able to focus in a class of 30 students with ONE teacher. He will be too distracted and over stimulated. We are still working on things for other districts and I am waiting for a call from the department of education.

I got a list for approved summer camps for Airen and made a few calls. Let me just say SCARY. My son is 4 years old and what some of these camps told me they do I was shocked. One camp takes the kids to the movies once a week, to the pool once a week and then to either Wal-Mart or Target once a week. NOT HAPPENING with my child. The woman had the nerve to tell me to let go already when I said I didn't think her camp was for us as my son drives only with our family and only goes to the pool with my family. Another camp on the list has a reputation of near drownings of children while in their care and parents weren't notified till weeks later of the situation. Again not with my child. I am waiting for a few to call me back.

Mara has been all over the place. She has been putting herself in a standing position and letting go for the last week. She gets up and looks around then lets go and laughs. Its too cute. She has this small wagon that she spends lots of time sitting in. She likes it when brother pushes her back and forth in it. Airen brought home a balloon from school yesterday and she spent awhile yesterday just laughing at it and hitting it. She has also discovered her voice. Out of nowhere she will just start screaming. Not a gentle type scream but a blood curdiling scream that hurts the ears. She screams then stops and laughs. Poor Airen gets so upset and runs to cover his ears.

Well Mara is finally content in her crib asleep so I am heading back to my bed. Till next time!! Have a great one!!

World Autism Day

Today is World Autism Day. Throughout the day on CNN they will be featuring information and specials on Autism. Check out their website http://www.cnn.com/ for a bunch of new stories.





What is Asperger's?

Asperger's syndrome is a developmental disorder that is part of the autism spectrum.



Symptoms include:
* Engaging in one-sided, long-winded conversations, without noticing if the listener is listening or trying to change the subject
* Displaying unusual nonverbal communication, such as lack of eye contact, few facial expressions, or awkward body postures and gestures
* Showing an intense obsession with one or two specific, narrow subjects, such as baseball statistics, train schedules, weather or snakes
* Appearing not to understand, empathize with, or be sensitive to others' feelings
* Having a hard time "reading" other people or understanding humor
* Speaking in a voice that is monotonous, rigid or unusually fast
* Moving clumsily, with poor coordination
* Having an odd posture or a rigid gait


Source: MayoClinic.com





Autism Warning Signs
Alert your pediatrician if you notice these signs in your baby
By Babytalk


Here, a list of possible warning signs for autism that your doctor may use to determine if your child's development warrants further testing.

Remember: Don't panic if your infant exhibits a symptom or two on occasion, but do alert your pediatrician if you notice any of the following:

By 2 to 3 months, your baby isn't making frequent eye contact.

By 3 months, he isn't smiling at you and the sound of your voice.

By 6 months, he doesn't laugh or make other joyful expressions.

Around 8 months, he isn't following your gaze when you look away from him towards something else.

By 9 months, he hasn't begun to babble.By 1 year, he isn't consistently turning to you when you call his name

By 1 year, he shows a general disregard for vocalizations (ie, lack of response to his name), but has a keen awareness of environmental sounds.

By 1 year, he isn't engaging in back-and-forth vocalizations with you.

By 1 year, he hasn't begun to wave bye-bye.

By 1 year, he isn't "following a point" (looking towards something you point at).

By 16 months, he has no words.

By 18 months, he isn't pointing to things that interest him.

By 24 months, he has no two-word meaningful phrases.

At any time, he shows a loss of any of his previously mastered skills.

April is Autism Awareness Month

April is Autism Awareness Month!! Tuesday April 2nd is world autism day. Over this month you will probably see more and more information and links as autism is something dear to my heart!!