Digging in the Dirt with Daddy......

Isaak is redoing the front walk and stairs, so he's been busy digging up the old stuff and leveling it off for a few weeks. Today, Connor decided that "playing in the dirt" looked like fun, so he asked to go help daddy. Here are my two boys, digging in the dirt. They're the cutest darn contractors I've ever hired! :)

April is Autism Awareness Month.......

The month of April has been designated as Autism Awareness Month. In an effort to spread awareness, I have been posting a new "fact" about autism daily on my Facebook page. I also wanted to do an awareness post on my blog, so here it is.

Here are some basic facts about autism:

• Autism affects 1 in 99 children;
• Autism is more prevalent in boys than girls, with one in every 70 affected;
• More children are expected to be diagnosed with autism this year than with AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined;
• Autism is the fastest-growing, serious developmental disability in the United States;
• The diagnosis and treatment of autism costs the nation roughly $35 billion per year;
• Autism receives less than 5 percent of research funding of many less prevalent childhood diseases;
• Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls;

And the most important fact of all is: there currently is no medical detection or cure for autism.

Some of the more common signs of autism in children are:

• No babbling or pointing by age 1;
• No single words by 16 months or two-word phrases by age 2;
• No response to name;
• Loss of language or social skills;
• Poor eye contact;
• Excessive lining up of toys or objects; and
• No smiling or social responsiveness.

A child psychologist I know likes to say that if you've met one child with autism, you've met one child with autism. While there are similar signs and symptoms, every child is different. That is why there is an autism spectrum. Many higher-functioning autistics are extremely intelligent, with IQs that are off the charts. Yet, they often lack the social skills to be successful and accepted by their peers.

Children are not the only ones with autism. Autism is a lifelong disorder. There is no cure. However, with the proper therapy and early intervention, children with autism can learn to cope and fit into society. However, a crucial part of acceptance is education of the general population about autism.

If you suspect autism in a friend or family member, there are places to turn to for help. Following is a list of places in the Greater Pittsburgh Area. If anyone would like places in their area, please let me know, and I will be happy to research it for you.

Autism Resources -- Greater Pittsburgh Area

1. Autism Center of Pittsburgh -- 412-364-1886 -- website: http://www.autismcenterofpittsburgh.com

2. Wesley Spectrum -- 412-831-9390 -- website: http://www.wesleyspectrum.org

3. The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers -- 412-885-6000 -- website: http://www.afit.org

Connor's new bike......

Connor got a new bike today. His other one was two years old and way too small for him. So we went out this afternoon looking to see what we could find. He told me he wanted a green or yellow bike. Well, I'd been in the stores recently, and hadn't seen anything in those colors that would even fit him. So color me surprised when we stopped at Dunhams and found this little green goblin on the shelf. We knew right then and there that this was the one. Luckily, it fit in the trunk of my car. Otherwise, Connor informed me he was prepared to ride it home. :)

We got him to get off of it long enough to adjust the seat and remove the training wheels. He's outside practicing on it with Isaak as I type this. So far, no major falls and boo-boos. Hopefully it'll stay that way.

Look Ma! No training wheels!

Connor has been working on riding without his training wheels for a few days now. I don't have the heart for it (mostly because I'd probably have a heart attack worrying he'll hurt himself!), so Isaak has been teaching him. They had been riding in the neighbor's yard for awhile, in case he fell, so he wouldn't get hurt. Today, they graduated to the road.

Here he is, peddling away on his bike.....no training wheels! I wouldn't have believed it unless I had seen it myself. I couldn't believe how well he was riding.

He was most impressed with his skid marks. Once he realized he could leave them, he left a few. :)

Everybody was Kung Fu Fightin'.....

OK, well not everyone is Kung Fu fighting. I'm not. If I tried, I'd probably hurt myself. But we just watched Kung Fu Panda the other night, and I have that song stuck in my head. So it seemed an appropriate title for this post.

Connor is on his third Kung Fu lesson and is doing really well. In fact, I am totally blown away at how focused he is and how well he listens to his instructor. If only I could get him to listen to ME that well! LOL! I guess if I started speaking only in Kung Fu terms, that might get his attention. :)

Here are some photos from his latest lesson. They are kind of blurry, but my phone isn't the best for photos.

Fun at the Science Center.......

So we went to the Carnegie Science Center on Saturday with my parents. Connor had a blast, but then again, he always does when we're there. His favorite place (as seen above) is the fourth floor, where the water tables and play set area is located. However, mommy can only take about 15 minutes at a time up there because the noise level gives me an utter migraine.

My dad got a kick out of the electricity stations. In the one above, you were supposed to grab the two brass knobs and watch the lightbulb light up. My dad thought it was hilarious.

My darling husband double-dog-dared me to get on the unicycle thingy they have at the SportsWorks building. If you know me, you know I hate heights. I never used to be that way, but all of a sudden, I am prone to vertigo. Riding in the back seat of a car makes me nauseous. But I wasn't going to not do this. I was double-dog-dared! So I did. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought. I didn't look down at all, which was probably the only thing that kept me from getting ill while up there.

My mom, pictured above, was trying her hand at using a computer to stop a nuclear submarine from "melting down" by making the necessary repairs. Needless to say, neither she nor I were able to do it. Sorry hypothetical ocean life in this game. We didn't mean to kill you. :(

And lastly, here is Connor and some random kid playing in the water. Pap was smart in not getting too close. Anyone who knows Connor knows that when he has water, you'd better watch out!

All in all, it was a fun afternoon. Tiring, but fun.

Bedtime stories with Connor and Gabe

Connor has recently started reading bedtime stories to our cat, Gabe. It's cute, because Gabe actually likes it. If he already isn't in Connor's room waiting for us during bath time, he wanders in the minute he hears us in there, plops his portly kitty butt down and waits for story time. Sometimes he even gets into bed with Connor and cuddles a bit afterward. Connor loves it. He's been trying to make nice with Gabe for two years. Tonight's selection was "Goodnight Moon," which Connor happily read to Gabe twice. Gabe gave it two kitty face rubs of approval when he was done. :)