It's been a while, hasn't it?

 

It's been well over a year since I updated this blog, and for that, I am truly sorry. Life has gotten the better of me the last 13 or so months and I simply have not had time to share the way I used to. I promise to get back to updating. A lot has happened, so I'll start blogging about some of it soon! Just to give you a preview, I now am the proud owner of a diabetic, geriatric cat that requires daily insulin shots. I also have begun taking kung fu with my son, which has been interesting since I am not the most coordinated person. I have some new and exciting work clients and things are generally going OK right now.

 

Check in and let me know how you all are as well!

 

R.I.P. Auggie

Auggie, my mother-in-law and father-in-law's cat, had to be put to sleep yesterday. He hadn't been acting normal for awhile, and when they took him to the vet, discovered he had a large tumor in his stomach. On the vet's recommendation, they chose to put him to sleep so he wouldn't suffer.

We told Connor about it today, and he was heartbroken. We didn't see Auggie a lot (once or twice a year when we were visiting), but he and Connor were buds -- as I'm sure you can tell from this picture. Auggie isn't *supposed* to be on the bed......but he got away with it when his favorite buddy was visiting. :)

We're going to miss Auggie. He was a good kitty. Rest in peace, pal. I'm sure you're chasing mice in the great kitty afterlife. :)

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.