tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77759868940243849572024-03-05T05:40:40.909-06:00Cole and MeThis blog is a detailed account of what it is like to be the parent of an Autistic child. It's intended to be a quick snapshot at what our days are like, how special Cole is and the joy he's brought to our lives. I welcome your comments, questions and suggestions. Please don't hesitate to email me at: schusteds@comcast.net
Thanks for your support!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-14548423287117720172014-02-02T15:45:00.000-06:002014-02-02T15:45:05.827-06:0031x34 from 14Hello everyone!! Yes another blog post where the time is flying by faster than ever. I looked back on the date of my last post and around that time, my younger brother and his wife told our family they are having a baby... and all of the sudden, the baby is due next MONDAY! As we all know, life keeps moving and I don't know about you, but the older I get, the faster the time seems to go.<br />
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31X34 from 14... what does that mean? That is one way to quantify how much Cole has grown since last year. This past fall, I got spare clothes back from his school. I originally sent the size 14 jeans in September of 2012. Fast forward to January 2014 and he's gone through sizes 14, 16, 18, 20, 30x32 and now he's wearing mens 31x34 jeans. 5 sizes in 16 months. I can easily slip on his shoes to run and grab the mail and yes, I officially look up to him when he gives me those sweet kisses. (Did I mentioned he's only 12?) Crazy. Even those I cherished every moment with him when he was a baby, I have a hard time imagining him at just over 7 lbs. Now he weighs more than I do. <br />
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I'll give you an quick update on our family over the past several months. <br />
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PAT: He's doing great. He is very busy at Hartfiel. He's been in his role as President for over a year and it's going really well. I'm so proud of him. He started there 8 years ago in sales and has since worked his way up to President. I can honestly say I've never been around someone as driven as he is. He's always been that way. Ask my sister... Before we started dating at age 14, Pat came up to Tara and introduced himself. It went something (exactly) like this... "Hi, I'm Pat. I'm going to marry your sister one day.". Obviously the fact that it actually happened is quite amazing, but he has that attitude about everything he does. He sets his mind to something and he is going to do it. Period. Luckily for the boys and I, Pat is just as committed to us. I swear he must have more hours in his day. I don't quite know how he gets everything done with his job and still makes plenty of quality time for of us. He still manages to find plenty of time for coaching football, snowmobile rides, playing catch, bikes rides, wrestling around, boating and so much more. We couldn't ask for a better husband and father.<br />
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ME: Not too much is new with me. In my role as the household CEO I am kept incredibly busy as well. I wouldn't have it any other way. I am still teaching group fitness at the YMCA. It's a wonderful outlet for me and I love having a "job" that truly impacts people's quality of life. It was out of my comfort zone. I've never been one for getting up in front of a group of people. Teaching classes has completely changed that. I wish I would have done this years ago! <br />
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COLE: Besides growing faster than we can keep up with, he's a had a good year. He's in 7th grade now. If you were to see Cole in person, you would also hear how much lower his voice is getting. He keeps asking when he's going to get his other voice back. Yes, puberty is a tough thing to explain to an Autistic child. We literally take it day by day. Cole has crushes on girls. Although this is nothing new, he's always been a ladies man. Seriously though, we do work very hard with him to give Cole boundaries in this regard. He is a very touchy person and loves to touch necks. He even touched the neck of a nurse while my dad was in Mercy Hospital this past fall. The difficult thing is the more attention we draw to something, the more Cole tends to do it. It's a tough balance. <br />
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That brings me to YouTube. Good ol' YouTube. I swear if I had the time, I would make it my mission to mandate MUCH improved parental controls on YouTube. You can't even block a video on there- are you kidding me? I rant because YouTube is how Cole was introduced to a few swear words. We have our computer in our kitchen, facing out where we can see and hear what's going on. Cole was innocently watching a guy fix his lawn tractor. All of the sudden, the guy shouted, "oh shit, what the hell?". Our first instinct was to immediately tell Cole to watch something different. Bad choice. We should have ignored it. Instead, Cole got a reaction from us and took close note of what caused it. Now he's blessed with a much more colorful vocabulary and we have no idea how to stop it. It's making it hard to take him places because we have no idea what might come out of his mouth. And it's not just swearing. While learning opposites at school, Cole learned the opposite of skinny. You know where this is going. Yep, in public he will tell people they are fat. Not in a mean way, just matter-of-fact. There is nothing like checking out at SA with your perfectly handsome, normal looking son as he tells the cashier she is fat. Good times. At least it was Pat who was with him when Cole asked a man if he had a baby in his tummy. It's times like this when you realize just how severely Cole lacks social skills, empathy and theory of mind. We love him no matter what. And most often, Pat and I share our stories and can't help but laugh. <br />
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We took the boys to Chicago in August. It was Cole's first plane ride. He did fantastic on the plane. He even got to go into the cockpit to meet the pilot and wear his hat. He was patient in the airport and had great manners on the plane. Things even went well on the way home. Pat had to stay in Chicago for business, so I took the boys home alone. Cole did fantastic. It was like he was a diamond medallion member. Needless to say we are hoping to do it again and possibly go somewhere a little further this time. <br />
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We also had a few trips to the Noble Family Farm. This year, Cole got to ride Grandpa's 4-wheeler for hours and even visit another farm to pick sweet corn. We are so blessed to have the Noble Family in our lives. They adore Cole and treat him so well. Their kids are wonderful with him and the weekends at the farm are always some of the most fun we have all summer. <br />
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We went on our annual Cooney Family vacation to Cabin O Pines. This year, Cole insisted on staying the entire week. We were nervous, as he can get tough to entertain after a few days, but again, he did fantastic! He rode Grandpa's 4-wheeler a lot and spent time kayaking, boating and swimming. Pat actually got to spend a lot of time fishing and we had a huge fish fry late in the week. Cole was thrilled that his friend Alli was at COP this year. Alli is the girlfriend of Brittany's cousin, Coyer. (are you confused yet)?! She is a delight and has so much patience with kids. Cole adores Alli. He was excited when Alli and Coyer surprised Cole at the Twins game and they even stopped by for a visit this fall. He of coarse is constantly asking if she's going to be at COP this year! :)<br />
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You'll see a few pictures from Cole at hockey. The one of him alone is one of my absolute favorite pictures of our handsome boy. The other hockey picture is from a practice where Cole's barber, Jerry, came to work with him for the hour. He's cut Cole's hair since he was a baby and is so good to him. *check out how big Cole is compared to Jerry!<br />
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Cole's really into sending iMessages to Grandpa Denny. He's even learned how to send him videos. Cole will talk to Grandpa about his day, smile into the camera, tell him he loves him and send it off. Then he sits and anxiously waits for Grandpa to reply, which he always does! Technology is amazing!<br />
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CONNOR: Our wonderful, amazing, smart, kind boy. I know I've said this plenty but it should be repeated.. he is BY FAR the BEST brother on this planet. We could not have asked for a better young boy to be Cole's brother. He is simply incredible with him and often at times when Pat and I are about to lose our cool. He knows how to interact with Cole, how to calm him, when to give him space and how to make him laugh and smile. I've always worried that Connor doesn't have a neuro-typical sibling, but when I see the boys together it's obvious Connor doesn't see it that way. They truly love one another and seldom fight or annoy one another. They have their own language- literally. Cole can make funny sounds and somehow Connor has figured out a way to make those sounds part of the way they play. He's amazing and Cole loves him for it. <br />
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Connor is in 5th grade. Sniff sniff, the last year of elementary school. How can the boy I've been driving to and from school every day be ready for middle school? Connor loves school. He has a wide array of friends, great kids from wonderful families. He had fun playing football with the same group of boys. He loved having Pat coach him and bring out his aggressive side. He also played traveling baseball and will again this spring and summer. He still does gymnastics. He practices year around and competes during the winter months. This year we've been to Chicago for a meet and we travel to Las Vegas next month. This past weekend, Connor placed in all 6 events and won the all around for his age. We are proud of him. <br />
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Thanks for checking up on us. I'll try to post again soon with more than just a family update. I could write for hours on Cole's Autism and all of the things we go through, some wonderful and some really difficult. In the mean time, stay warm, cherish your loved ones and quality time with those you love. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGiZyt5idc9gSSVygW9_uUITXeYFlPdc5SNInKueId7uVDJ6D4P8vk-GUzOTjhGUUn2lc2sLsdC8HuUQt5Q9Sw98a9MNpMAKUCl3ZQZGHXxjjjl7uOzw9pbP43ZuymqmO6K3kE5bwEMv_/s1600/blog+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGiZyt5idc9gSSVygW9_uUITXeYFlPdc5SNInKueId7uVDJ6D4P8vk-GUzOTjhGUUn2lc2sLsdC8HuUQt5Q9Sw98a9MNpMAKUCl3ZQZGHXxjjjl7uOzw9pbP43ZuymqmO6K3kE5bwEMv_/s320/blog+1.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnZmXpzGbxuQqq7-BplYGplKVWg0EZEi7lgo1-QTn9aKIeu-sQGdSqktU5WnZCfMrmEGy77LYXcSTIwUdIz6G1NO29C6DEhPqXmKsTSi1gNuBHdrlV2LfsczVoeM5crhrlfJDWLOn6PMT/s1600/blog+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnZmXpzGbxuQqq7-BplYGplKVWg0EZEi7lgo1-QTn9aKIeu-sQGdSqktU5WnZCfMrmEGy77LYXcSTIwUdIz6G1NO29C6DEhPqXmKsTSi1gNuBHdrlV2LfsczVoeM5crhrlfJDWLOn6PMT/s320/blog+2.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtV_34kJNQxAlcwLanA9kswhao8pONMk8R-M19yL7jtVGqmdg_zARFxtx62XjCSHtTrc-zfJJoLm3ygZtdlYJ4v_4QPYd_l-avXcJOOhxt6vhhE1-LohgVqgCBFz7VOHqWlJZA4IfdRKFP/s1600/blog+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtV_34kJNQxAlcwLanA9kswhao8pONMk8R-M19yL7jtVGqmdg_zARFxtx62XjCSHtTrc-zfJJoLm3ygZtdlYJ4v_4QPYd_l-avXcJOOhxt6vhhE1-LohgVqgCBFz7VOHqWlJZA4IfdRKFP/s320/blog+3.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqa7e4r464e1WLYmIePW7rNM2wFVVVDqbM3VSu3iZNuaI9oAixP_EKnbL8wNNLEci6Nt84Lsg7B5KqUDXN-OFVo5fhYbShMemD6gtYreGTvdWJk7syozAxpgZwaXo-iZvIdzitdosuxV9/s1600/blog+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqa7e4r464e1WLYmIePW7rNM2wFVVVDqbM3VSu3iZNuaI9oAixP_EKnbL8wNNLEci6Nt84Lsg7B5KqUDXN-OFVo5fhYbShMemD6gtYreGTvdWJk7syozAxpgZwaXo-iZvIdzitdosuxV9/s320/blog+4.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4d9WLH89QStVM3RcshGfQ9Gl3hbpCiuIBJGhBxBTvZC4iSs3ACYt6Al867DPLDefoOoc8IZ8RpZ1RJLXvV6F5A2syasMWQsbM5plQMfJTsvf50arwxjNM9mRAonyEi7ZKxMlEGzKPF6Fw/s1600/blog+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4d9WLH89QStVM3RcshGfQ9Gl3hbpCiuIBJGhBxBTvZC4iSs3ACYt6Al867DPLDefoOoc8IZ8RpZ1RJLXvV6F5A2syasMWQsbM5plQMfJTsvf50arwxjNM9mRAonyEi7ZKxMlEGzKPF6Fw/s320/blog+5.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1Ns42RamvmujbwRyVfbO-T5bhJpSTz-QYVGharCp-fVp_tkWWEq4lYjynsZ_cIuU6bIV-1oWuWdrDaei2p5UM2y96AZBQezA8UDmod-O5H9bUyJwF6PzL_33sjtrfI_jLkjeBLhry4v0/s1600/blog+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1Ns42RamvmujbwRyVfbO-T5bhJpSTz-QYVGharCp-fVp_tkWWEq4lYjynsZ_cIuU6bIV-1oWuWdrDaei2p5UM2y96AZBQezA8UDmod-O5H9bUyJwF6PzL_33sjtrfI_jLkjeBLhry4v0/s320/blog+6.jpg" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-82720460185128382832013-06-26T15:55:00.002-05:002013-06-26T15:55:27.616-05:00Dream a little dream<br />
Dreams, we all have them. Not the dreams that happen while we sleep, the dreams you have for yourself, your children, your friends and family. For most people, the sky is the limit. I grew up raised by loving parents who constantly reminded me that I could do anything I wanted to do. How wonderful is that! Think about it.... we are born into this world with a HUGE blank canvas and it's up to us to paint it full of all the wonderful things life brings to us. <br />
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As Cole has become more vocal about his wants, needs and his dreams for his future, I'm realizing his canvas won't be painted with as many colors as most of us. What do I mean by this? For most, we have endless choices and opportunities in life. We can make it what we want. We are capable and God has blessed us with the skills we need to do these things. We have a gigantic Crayola crayon box full off beautiful colors to complete our canvas. For Cole, he was handed a crayon box without an array of yellows and purples (he doesn't like those colors anyway). Cole looks at his crayon box and he thinks it's perfect (which it is) but the rest of us look at it and see parts that are missing, opportunities he will never have. <br />
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I can't stress enough that Cole is very happy with the Crayon box given to him. He doesn't know anything different and in fact, he thinks he can paint the same canvas we have with the limited colors in his box. <br />
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Just yesterday, he told me he will drive my truck when he's 16. Why wouldn't he think that? He sees the neighbor kids getting their licenses and driving around. He knows you need to be 16 to drive. And he's 100% sure he'll be doing that. After all, he's been driving our lawn tractor for the last 6 years with perfection. Why would a car be any different? The reality is, there is a 99% percent chance he never will. Cole has very limited ability to reason, recognize safety issues, understand cause & effect; let alone sit through driver's ed training and pass a permit test. How are we going to explain this to him? Especially when he sees Connor drive. :(<br />
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And earlier this week, Cole and I had an interesting conversation. There is an adorable girl in his class named Megan. Cole adores her (see the picture of them at field day). Cole said to me, "You and Dad went to school together, right?". I responded, "Yep, we did." Cole replied, "You got married and have a house with kids. I will marry Megan and we will be together. We will have kids." And he jumped up and down in excitement. Of coarse that's what he wants to do, that is what mom and dad did. I know Cole can and will have a girlfriend. It's the house and kids part that breaks my heart. Again, the reality is Cole will never own his home and he won't be a father. Don't get me wrong, I pray every day for this not to be true, but acceptance is part of the "grieving" process. And if you recall, the day we received this diagnosis, the doctor said we will grieve this like the death of a child. He was right. You never get over it. You accept it but you don't get over it. <br />
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Earlier in June, Pat, Connor and I were up in Brainerd for Connor's 10U AAA traveling baseball tourney (they took 2nd- woot woot). We arranged for Cole to stay with family and at the respite house while we were gone. We had an awesome time and really enjoyed our quality time together. During one of Connor's games, the 12U teams were playing on the adjacent field. It happened to be the Blaine team so I watched a bit during our warm ups. It was fun to see how much bigger those boys were and how much more developed they were as players. Then it hit me... Cole could be one of these boys. And it was a huge reality check. We can't even bring Cole to watch part of Connor's games. And here are boys his age, pitching the ball 65-70 MPH and making diving catches in the field. Pat and I grew up as athletes. We can't help but wonder what could have been for Cole. At 12 years old, he's 5'6" and 130 lbs. He's been strong enough to carry me down the hallway for two years. His dad started 4 years as a D2 college football player. The doctors think Cole will be 6'4" and he is one solid, strong, intense boy. Imagine him on the football field or parking a baseball over the fence!!! We'll never know. He wasn't given all the crayons in his box so he could try.<br />
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That is what makes this hard. I wish Cole had the CHOICE in all of this. If he chose never to drive a car, buy a house, get married, have children or play in one sport I would be 100% ok with that- IF IT WERE HIS CHOICE. But it's not. <br />
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We wish more than anything that Cole had the biggest box of crayon colors in the world to paint his canvas with. We are doing everything possible to give Cole the tools he needs to add colors to his box. And thankfully, he's done very well so far. We started out 10 years ago (as of July 1) with what felt like a small handful of grays and black crayons. I still remember Cole getting M&Ms for just sitting in the chair at speech for more an 1-2 seconds, and the goal of getting him to say "I want" seemed like a pipe dream. With years of incredible hard work, Cole has added an array of beautiful colors to his palate. And the picture he's painting is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. <br />
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Here are some fun things I wanted to share- be sure to check out the video and attached photos. I think you'll have to copy and paste the youtube link.<br />
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* Cole had an awesome trip to the doctor this spring. He had to get caught up on immunizations. Cole was so brave and for the first time EVER, we didn't need 4 people to hold him down or sedation to give him shots. He said he was going to get shots like a big boy. And did he ever. The nurses came in, gave him shots in the arm. Cole didn't even flinch. Afterward he hopped off the bed and told them, "Thank you, I did such a good job!"<br />
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* Cole's dentist, Dr King, retired this month. Dr King has been outstanding at helping us get Cole through dental exams. It's taken YEARS. At the last visit, Dr King told Cole he was retiring. It took Cole a while to process this. After Dr left the room, Cole and I finished up and walked out. Cole was walking ahead of me and stopped at another patient. He tapped Dr King on the shoulder and said, "Cole's going to miss you. Can I have a hug?" Everyone around was smiling ear to ear. That's my sweet boy.<br />
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*We got all of the damage repaired in our home!!! For those of you who don't know, we received a one-time grant to repair damage Cole has done. This included new sheet rock (backed with plywood from floor to ceiling), a completely new bathroom, new doors (he had slammed them so much they opened into the hallway and had cracks), a special "calm room" in our basement for Cole and some other things. It turned out perfect! I put a picture up of what Cole's walls looked like when we took the wall padding down. WOW!! <br />
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*The video is of Cole at his spring concert. He loves being in front of a crowd and waved to everyone he knew. He even has a small solo. :) He sure looked cute in his back to the 50's clothes! Copy and paste the link, it's worth it!<br />
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgla6ZbBIy4&feature=youtu.be<br />
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*Finally, he got a new push mower. Sounds less than exciting, right? Not to Cole. You would have thought we took him to Disney. He is a grass cutting machine and when our push mower died, we had that new one in less than an hour. ;)<br />
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Thank you for reading my blog. My goal is to give you a snapshot of what life is like when you have a child with Autism. It's a complicated disability that affects nearly every aspect of both Cole and his family's life. We love him dearly and he brings us an immense amount of joy and pride. <br />
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I hope you never look at a box of crayons the same. And more importantly, I hope you use every single color in your box to paint your canvas. It's a gift that not everyone has. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNdpo6UBZfda7DiIl894tdsWxA1ypwh4aQ4E96-sPOwHfVN-0bMD7FSqus1pDJTxb6JnM4EQhGyDLAldmoQqQc4Ws0VMpBqrSbzhyK8LVfjx9TA_wVNCwCasQ6xPg79KK0g1NLsTwoHbC/s1600/cole+crushed+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNdpo6UBZfda7DiIl894tdsWxA1ypwh4aQ4E96-sPOwHfVN-0bMD7FSqus1pDJTxb6JnM4EQhGyDLAldmoQqQc4Ws0VMpBqrSbzhyK8LVfjx9TA_wVNCwCasQ6xPg79KK0g1NLsTwoHbC/s320/cole+crushed+wall.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzET-4IXbKOLXgHLjYJBGE5aonCkktCdPoidUYJXZx13H9AhDoQPb_h1cnHQshMXRHgbtTo_qp1_3vmALsTcJ-5V9VM8nfF7lFXAuHUka3wF-5XhdTIuM5tXGH2-GYAfDUG9ajnJ6Vj2o/s1600/Cole+field+day.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgzET-4IXbKOLXgHLjYJBGE5aonCkktCdPoidUYJXZx13H9AhDoQPb_h1cnHQshMXRHgbtTo_qp1_3vmALsTcJ-5V9VM8nfF7lFXAuHUka3wF-5XhdTIuM5tXGH2-GYAfDUG9ajnJ6Vj2o/s320/Cole+field+day.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3EjXqjy12mrbAzxjzZubVBEl4r0_qQEjZS5ZGiOO3l80ajx5hPr_qx7hUzYMBuGsRmsFpaQ0L5CZkKx9emqT-GKrYOntHolRs77oUrFAimvRvP-9RdeeY4pHGMT2NV7xiLicWfkZeVsd/s1600/cole+get+shots.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE3EjXqjy12mrbAzxjzZubVBEl4r0_qQEjZS5ZGiOO3l80ajx5hPr_qx7hUzYMBuGsRmsFpaQ0L5CZkKx9emqT-GKrYOntHolRs77oUrFAimvRvP-9RdeeY4pHGMT2NV7xiLicWfkZeVsd/s320/cole+get+shots.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NLm00ppdYDhlBR0s-X3wcAwPr5extcDhK9eK7BxRUFSODKp3l0yxQ7Qw6dL93yNeJaMMrTR0sOnIsHmjIZ5TUQC1XC9DjnMUKhsZtXl10frdrmU7WaMie1BEocMM32RkKYc2BwMU5A4O/s1600/cole+push+mower.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3NLm00ppdYDhlBR0s-X3wcAwPr5extcDhK9eK7BxRUFSODKp3l0yxQ7Qw6dL93yNeJaMMrTR0sOnIsHmjIZ5TUQC1XC9DjnMUKhsZtXl10frdrmU7WaMie1BEocMM32RkKYc2BwMU5A4O/s320/cole+push+mower.JPG" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qgla6ZbBIy4&feature=youtu.be"></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-73114936435921293602012-11-28T15:17:00.000-06:002012-11-28T15:17:03.446-06:00Some GREAT news!!!How is it that SIX MONTHS has flown by since I've posted??? And how do people find time to blog once a day, or even once a week!?! I have so much to update and I know I won't be able to fit it in, so I'll just have to post again soon.<br />
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Ever since July 1, 2004, the day of Cole's Autism diagnosis, Pat and I take things one day at a time. Selfishly I'll admit, it can be daunting to look far into the future and envision what lies ahead for Cole and ourselves. I try to spare myself the anxiety, stress and fear of the unknown. <br />
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Realistically, we are too busy putting out fires. We simply don't have the luxury to plan things far out, guarantee we can stick to commitments we make and 'going with the flow' is not part of our vocabulary. Don't get me wrong, we try very hard to make our lives as "normal" as possible, but we also know Cole's limits. Not everyone understands the decisions we make and that's ok. We are getting better at saying no sometimes, leaving events early or having 1-2 of us stay at home. We are figuring this Autism thing out as we go, and even though not everyone understands it, Autism is the filter for EVERYTHING we do and it impacts literally every facet of our lives. <br />
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I was looking on the MN Autism Society website this week. As I was scrolling through, I came upon this... "1 in 88 children being diagnosed each year, our quest to find what works for our one child seems as daunting as the autism-related Google results page. Often, the formula for more “good days” is found in a combination of therapy, social skills training, education on safety, and the commitment of a caring community." A few words caught my attention: more "good days". It brought me back to the day Cole was diagnosed. Our Dr told us our lives would never be the same, that we would grieve this diagnosis like the death of a child and the most important job we had been assigned was to advocate tirelessly for Cole. He was right about all three. <br />
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In taking things one day at a time, our mantra is to have more good days than bad. We use all of the tools in our arsenal but many days, it just isn't enough. Cole has other plans. Pat and I fight this "war" every day, as any parent would. At times it seems our plan of attack works really well and at other times, Cole drops a grenade and everything blows up. Lately we've been dealing with an increase in his aggression. It's happening at home, school and out in the community. Sometimes we can see Cole building and we know he'll become aggressive but other times, it comes out of nowhere. When Cole is in a "mood", Pat doesn't like to leave me alone with Cole. He's nervous Cole will hurt me. Cole is 11 years old but he's much bigger. He's growing out of size 16 jeans, wears a size 7.5 shoe and a few months ago weighed almost 110 pounds; most of it solid muscle. When you combine that with frustration, lack of coping skills and inability to reason- it can be really tough. We are working closely with school and an in-home Autism specialist to address his aggression and other behavior concerns we have. Pray for Cole. We need to get him back on track. He needs his troops behind him. <br />
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On the bright side, we received some fantastic news today. Cole's amazing Case Manager got confirmation today that next year our family will receive a one time grant to do up to $40,000 of environmental modifications to our home. This is HUGE!!! I will try to post pictures but many of you know the Cole has done quite a bit of damage to our home. We have a person who specializes in assessing the damage and designing modifications and/or repairs to prevent further damage. More news to come on this!!<br />
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Here's the quick update on our family and what we've been up to...<br />
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In September I went to Cape Cod with my mom, sister, sister-in-law and her mom/grandma. We rented a house for a week and toured the area. It was a wonderful time. We loved Cape Cod and thoroughly enjoyed our time out East. <br />
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We also went back to the Noble Family Farm this fall. The boys had a blast, as always. This time it was even more exciting, as we surprised Cole the morning we left with dune buggies. Noble's were having them repaired and we had them parked in the driveway to bring down with us. Cole's reaction is something I'll never forget. He was super excited to "drive fast and take chances".<br />
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Cole was thrilled when we bought a new John Deere riding lawn mower. He literally drove our other one into the ground. He loved going with Pat to bring it home. He got to see the back area of the store and the salesperson Mike gave him a baseball cap. And of coarse when we got it home, it was Cole who showed Pat how and what to turn on so we could get it off the trailer. :) I can't wait for tonight, the plow attachment came in so Cole will be in for another treat. Yes, he plows our snow, too!<br />
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He loves Zamboni's. I took him to open skate this past weekend. The driver noticed Cole and waved at him at every turn. The driver even turned on the lights and honked the horn. Cole thought it was the coolest thing ever. And again, he knew every move the driver was making... "it's time to use the board brush, he's got two more circles left, etc." <br />
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In October we took the boys on the Osceola train. It's a really fun thing to do with your family. The drive to Osceola is pretty and there are nice places to eat lunch. Cole loved snuggling with Pat on the train. We saw Eagle's nests, rode over a high bridge and ate treats. Cole improved significantly from the first time he rode. A few years back, he lost patience while waiting for the train and (in front of a crowd of people), started hitting his head off the hoods of people's cars. <br />
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The boys loved Halloween. Pat was out of town, so it was just me. Thankfully a few of my family members came over. We ate soup and got the boys ready. Cole was Batman and Connor was a zombie. Cole was all about the tractor and trailer. Grandpa hooked it up and off we went. Grandpa started out driving but after only a few feet, Batman took over the wheel. He navigated through the streets and only went to houses where he knew they did not have pets. Connor didn't complain one bit as he hung out with Cole while we passed a trailer full of the neighborhood kids. He stayed with his brother and only after Cole was ready to head inside did Connor join his friends. I didn't even have to ask him to hang with Cole. In Connor's mind, he was with his best friend and that was all that mattered. He's so good to him. <br />
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We enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving at the Schusted side of the family. Cole lasted about 4 hours, which was big for him. He loved helping Grandpa Al carve the turkey. Things ended on a sour note, as he got anxious toward the end and punched Connor hard in the back for no apparent reason. It left Connor in tears, with a big red mark on his back. Cole felt bad about what he did, so he ran upstairs and stared slamming doors, yelling, etc. Needless to say, we left after that. We are thankful he lasted for as long as he did. We got to catch up with family and enjoyed looking through the family tree album Grandma Schusted made for all of her kids. <br />
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As for the rest of us, life has been good and quite busy. Pat's job continues to go well. He's been traveling a fair amount to many areas around the country. We were excited to be invited to attend a Regional Leaders Meeting in Grand Cayman. Pat and I will go there for a week in February. We honeymooned there over 15 years ago and haven't been back since. It will be nice to meet some of the out of town people he works with and visit a place so special to us. <br />
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Connor has been doing great! His football team won their second consecutive championship game this year. Pat had a fun time being an assistant coach. Pat ran the defense. The team allowed only 41 points scored against them in 12 games, 10 of which were shutouts. It was great season. Now we're moving into the competitive portion of the gymnastics season (Connor trains year around). Connor moved up to level 6 this year. He's excited about the challenges that lie ahead of him and has been working hard to learn the advanced skills. When spring rolls around, Connor will play traveling baseball this year. He tried out, along with 35-40 other kids and made the top traveling team for the city of Blaine. 12 kids made it and he was one on them. We are very proud of him and look forward to that as well. Connor does very well in school and likes to work hard at it. He loves to read and excels in math. He also got invited to try out for a special district wide choir but couldn't due to his gymnastics schedule. Not sure where that talent came from, I can't even sing in the shower!! <br />
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I'm doing well. As I posted in my last update, I recently went through training to become a Group Fitness Instructor. It's so much fun and a great personal challenge for me. I'm teaching three formats at the YMCA: Bootcamp, Ripped (a weight and cardio class) and Latin Hip Hop. It's been a lot of work to get up to speed on three formats, but I love it! I wish I would have done it years ago. <br />
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Thank you for taking time to read my blog. It means a lot to me and I hope you come away with a better understanding for what it's like to live with and parent a child who has Autism. I also hope it put things in perspective and gives you an even greater appreciation for the little things in life. Happy Holidays and God bless.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhtwv2C1fI97rAbv7XGvLBhgOiuzdjuFXaagtCBLL9eh7TfqgRZ9n_bW-NIE0E63MEtCM7LVFqHwZPVpAFaw-urUYodNl7tv_gbfr2QpCc7QzWtVoEP0kAWTi67AguNQZBq6fO07fabKt/s1600/champs+fb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="200" width="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvhtwv2C1fI97rAbv7XGvLBhgOiuzdjuFXaagtCBLL9eh7TfqgRZ9n_bW-NIE0E63MEtCM7LVFqHwZPVpAFaw-urUYodNl7tv_gbfr2QpCc7QzWtVoEP0kAWTi67AguNQZBq6fO07fabKt/s200/champs+fb.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-57517899678926002352012-05-28T16:48:00.000-05:002012-05-28T16:48:28.951-05:00Cool stuff happening!!What a wonderful spring it's been!! The weather has been delightful and it's enabled us to get a jump start on all of the fun activities that come with the warmer weather. If you get one thing from this post, please watch the video of Cole on the boat. It's priceless. You may have to copy the url into your browser. Just look at how happy our boy is!<br />
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BOAT RIDE VIDEO:<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9eB3hI8FHU&list=UUPidCBg9jDknIsedb8GXEow&index=1&feature=plcp<br />
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Cole is absolutely pumped that spring is here! He has been spending hours outside- riding his new bike, mowing the lawn, watching the neighbors mow the lawn, taking trips down to Grandpa's to (you guessed it...) mow the lawn and he's already had a few rides on our boat. Cole is 100% an outdoor kid. He's happiest when he's outside, no matter what the weather and no matter what he's doing. It's been fun to see him greeting the neighbors as they walk by and seeing the gigantic smile on his face when Pat takes him for scooter rides. Cole has also become our personal weatherman. We've had our share of storms this spring and Cole is the first one to make us aware. He's come a long way. He used to be so afraid of storms. Now he has a little anxiety but he's more concerned about getting to the basement and finding candles, just in case. <br />
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As I said, Pat has taken Cole out on the boat a few times already. Pat took some video of Cole driving the boat- you have to see it. Pat has also been excited that Cole seems to be enjoying fishing. Just last week they went to Coon Lake and Cole himself caught 3 sunnies and a crappie! For those of you who know Pat, it had to be the highlight of the month for him. Another son who loves fishing! Now we just need the water to warm up a bit so we can start tubing and swimming in the lake.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJD0IcKQfHxLc6FeNbjOVq81kO1rGIeOUA24IpQDZGRXzjTyQOseF9Sc7ZSCJV9cudI9gypHMnrMeUaxETaaA-68VVIxDRq6YRcZtoAfxt2aneJk0OFkcLibkk4jdTzj3dmUmhDZZkS_xz/s1600/Cole+by+school.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJD0IcKQfHxLc6FeNbjOVq81kO1rGIeOUA24IpQDZGRXzjTyQOseF9Sc7ZSCJV9cudI9gypHMnrMeUaxETaaA-68VVIxDRq6YRcZtoAfxt2aneJk0OFkcLibkk4jdTzj3dmUmhDZZkS_xz/s320/Cole+by+school.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Earlier this month, Cole had his spring concert at The MAC School. Each grade (4-7) sang a song and then they all sang one together. Cole's class sang "Bare Necessities". We thought Cole might do pretty well, since he requested we put the song on his iTouch so he could practice. Cole did fantastic!!! He even wore a shirt with a collar and buttons! I'll put up a link to the video on youtube so you can check it out. It's amazing to see how great these kids do, especially when you consider they all have some form of Autism. I was so proud of Cole. In the past, he's been more concerned about the microphone and even goes up and starts making sounds into it. This time, he did exactly what he was supposed to do and he looked so darn handsome. It's moments like this when we know, without a doubt, that he is in the right school.<br />
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SPRING CONCERT VIDEO:<br />
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJfWVux2gBY&list=UUPidCBg9jDknIsedb8GXEow&index=1&feature=plcp<br />
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Cole was so excited for his Uncle Brendan and Aunt Brittany to move to their new home in Plymouth. I took Cole over to visit a few weeks ago. He looked inside for about a nano-second and immediately asked if he could mow. Lucky for him the grass was long and he got right to task. He loved having lunch at their new house and talks all the time about having a sleepover. He told me he's going to sleep downstairs with Connor and go to Skyzone... we'll see! Speaking of Skyzone (indoor trampline park), I took Cole to Zero Gravity yesterday. It was so rewarding to see he and Connor having a great time. Cole behaved so well. He fit right in and had a really fun time. He jumped and ran around, even asked me to video tape him. When he was tired, he would come snuggle me and tell me he loved me, then he was off to jump again. This was a true reminder of the dramatic progress he's made. The simple things that are easy for most families and finally becoming possible for us, and it's really exciting!<br />
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Another fun thing we did with Cole was the light rail. Pat took Cole this weekend on the light rail, down to the Mall of America. Cole loves both of those things. He knows the way around the MOA like the palm of his hand. The highlight from this trip was getting his picture taken with a few characters from Spongebob! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_yThjG-6CaaAI7ggDNJSF3tDiHQ4smTBOl7Bd0m8RYxhiOf4UvDOXinDRts6wUtGX_rfydtNzBIQ6K1j75ltJ-XCwfURJOXdl51Nr0OKbmPk4fPJcJSrKLjgzZVEE_PP0eTnD9WjpqKd/s1600/cole+spongebob.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_yThjG-6CaaAI7ggDNJSF3tDiHQ4smTBOl7Bd0m8RYxhiOf4UvDOXinDRts6wUtGX_rfydtNzBIQ6K1j75ltJ-XCwfURJOXdl51Nr0OKbmPk4fPJcJSrKLjgzZVEE_PP0eTnD9WjpqKd/s320/cole+spongebob.jpg" /></a></div><br />
As for the rest of us, things have been going well. Pat's job is going great and he's slowly not having to travel quite as much. The boys are really good for me when Pat's gone, but Cole of coarse prefers to have daddy at home with him. Pat has been having fun being an assistant coach on Connor's baseball team and teaching Connor how to pitch!<br />
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Connor has started baseball. His team is 3-1 and he's loving the challenges that 10U bring. The kids pitch, you can steal bases and the kids are hitting the ball harder. He's still doing gymnastics. This summer he will train for level 6, another step up from where he competed this past year. He had another great gymnastics season, placing 3rd in the state and 18th in the region, during his first year at level 5. He won state in both parallel bars and pommel horse. At regions, he was third overall in p bars!!! Not bad when over 120 kids competed! We love that he participates in something unique from many of his peers. And the sport provides him with so many great skills and personal development, discipline and work ethic. Connor had track and field a few weeks ago. It was a really warm day- over 90 degrees! It was so much fun to watch. I love the tug of war. Connor was jazzed. He wore his baseball gloves and if you look at the picture on here, you can see the intensity in his face. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasru70Ma-2U9qRD75GqDAICCWj6RnJG4x-jGLzEwSpR9Nwt0o958M7VPmRUOWDa6Pj4aICr6ZiboT02lyi8hO4Uhrq2XxluTkW_58Euobpo05i1wuovJq9pG_kQ54mzh_goOJiveeG0xU/s1600/Con+track+field.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="307" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiasru70Ma-2U9qRD75GqDAICCWj6RnJG4x-jGLzEwSpR9Nwt0o958M7VPmRUOWDa6Pj4aICr6ZiboT02lyi8hO4Uhrq2XxluTkW_58Euobpo05i1wuovJq9pG_kQ54mzh_goOJiveeG0xU/s320/Con+track+field.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I've been doing well too. I feel like I'm cramming to get tons of projects done before Connor is home for the summer. I can't wait for "100 Mommy and Connor Days". We have all kinds of grand plans and love having the summer to spend so much quality time together. <br />
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I have some exciting news. I made the decision a few months ago to become certified as a Group Fitness Instructor!! It's been something I've wanted to do for several years and like I told myself, "I'm not getting any younger". Just this past weekend, I completed both my Turbo Kick (kickboxing) and Hip Hop Hustle (cardio dance) training. It was rigorous and tough to do the trainings (9a - 5p) for two days straight. But I made it and I passed both! I applied at the Andover YMCA this week and hope to get the ball rolling soon. Now it's time to practice, practice and practice some more. Wish me luck!<br />
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Hope you've enjoyed the highlights of our spring. It's been great so far and we only hope the summer brings many wonderful memories. <br />
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<a href="http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJfWVux2gBY&list=UUPidCBg9jDknIsedb8GXEow&index=1&feature=plcp"><blockquote></blockquote></a><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-56348177684613640222012-04-05T16:29:00.001-05:002012-04-05T16:29:53.233-05:00Autism- the positive sideHappy Autism Awareness Month!! <br />
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I invite you to join me in spreading awareness about this mysterious disability. My hope is for you to pause a moment before making judgement on a parent or child. If you see a child acting in a non-neurotypical manner, please resist the urge to make judgements or assumptions and instead pause to consider it might be a family struggling with the numerous challenges of Autism.<br />
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This disability can be very daunting, humiliating, puzzling, frustrating, exhausting and sad. But it can also be rewarding, amazing, insightful, comical, empowering and joyful. I heard a great quote today from a girl on the Ellen Show, who has overcome many tragedies in her life... "There are tough things that happen in life. You don't always have a choice in many of them, but you do have a choice as to how you react and grow from them." You're right, if we could turn back the hands of time and change something so Cole would not have Autism, of coarse we would. But that's not possible. What is possible is the fact that anything is possible. Every day Cole does things that we never thought he would. Today he was trying to tie his shoes and learning about appropriate ways to show affection and who he can show affection to. Last week, it was learning to use hand brakes on his new bike. In a few years, maybe it will be making change for a dollar or reading a chapter book. Who knows....<br />
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We stay focused on the many blessings Autism has brought to our lives and doing everything in our power to make Cole's life the best and happiest it can be. And he IS happy. <br />
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Today during my visit to him at school, his therapist told me he is "the social butterfly" of the school. Cole knows everyone, and everyone knows Cole. He greets everyone he sees and has a nickname for each person. Usually he drops the first letter of their name, so Connor is "onnor" and cousin Cooper is "ooper". he he he. I just had a conversation with my Dad about this a few days ago. He was so proud of how Cole was able to attach the tractor trailer to his lawn tractor, mow the lawn and then back it up into the tight parking spot by the shed. My Dad wasn't home to see Cole put the tractor away and when he got home, he thought someone helped Cole put everything back in it's place. But no, Cole had done everything all by himself (park the trailer/tractor, put the key in the right place and lock up the shed)! Cole is so darn cute on that tractor. He wears his headphones for protection and gives us a huge smile and a big thumbs up. My Dad and I both agree that Cole is finding so many things he enjoys in life and he truly is a happy, happy kid. He is passionate about his interests and the people he loves. My are we blessed. <br />
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It doesn't help that Cole has the most incredible, loving and compassionate brother in the world. And honestly, that's an understatement. Connor is so proud of his brother. He's protective of him and at such a young age, already has concern for Cole's future. In fact Connor just told me a few days ago that he's going to live within one hour of Cole when they grow up, "so I can spend time with him and sleep in his bed with him one night every week." <br />
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I have one more story about Connor that I have to share. Last Friday, Cole earned a day at home from therapy due to good behavior. Connor had school that day, so it was just Cole and I at home. While Connor was getting ready for school in the morning, I asked Connor if he would like for Cole and I to come and have lunch with him at school. Connor was so excited in his response and immediately said, "YES!!!". I reminded Connor that Cole might have a hard time in the chaos and could act silly or inappropriate. I then asked Connor again if he wanted us to visit. His response: "Mom, he's my brother and I love him. I WANT him to come to see me at lunch. Can I ask him myself, please!?" So I let Connor ask Cole, hoping Cole would say yes. But he didn't. Cole takes everything so literal and when he earned a day off from school, there was no way he was stepping one foot into any school. Connor was disappointed and made me promise to keep asking Cole all morning. Sadly, Cole didn't agree. Maybe next time. <br />
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We've done some fun stuff this winter. In January Pat and I took Connor to Orlando, FL for a gymnastics meet and mini-vacation. It was Connor's first time in an airplane, so he was really excited! Connor did well at his meet and then we had a three days to spend at the parks. The three of us had so much fun. Pat and Connor went on tons of rides together and there were very few lines. The weather was perfect, so we got to swim and hang out at the pool as well. Connor's favorite park was Epcot. He loved seeing all of the different countries. We went there twice! While at Universal, we had to get our picture taken with the characters from Monster's Inc, one of Cole's favorite movies. <br />
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Pat and I took our eighth trip to Ixtapa, Mexico in February. We rented a wonderful condo right on the beach. It was such a nice week. We ate at fantastic restaurants, read books by the pool and walked the beach every day. We even ran the beach five of the mornings we were there and I took a 2+ hour walk with a group of people down to the marina to see the alligators. Pat went deep sea fishing. He lucked out and caught a huge sailfish. It was over 8' tall! We are incredibly fortunate to have this quality time together and to have family and friends who generously help out while we're gone. <br />
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The first night of our trip was a little stressful, actually quite stressful. It's a long story, but when we called home to see how the boys were, my parents said Cole was in a lot of pain from getting his finger nail slammed in something. Cole would not say what happened and none of the people who were caring for him that day saw what happened. We called again later in the evening and the situation had gotten worse. Cole's fingernail was completely black and it was red and swollen. We could hear him wincing in pain in the background. My parents were doing everything they could think of to help Cole. (he refuses to take medicine). Cole let them ice his finger and elevate it. And Connor lovingly convinced Cole to pout a Band-Aid on it. Cole NEVER wears Band-Aids!!<br />
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Nothing was helping and Cole was in a lot of pain. He kept crying and saying, "It's burning. My finger is broken." It was heart-wrenching for all of us. This went on for a few hours and finally my dad decided to take Cole to the ER. Only Cole refused to go. So my dad called a local police man who is also a close friend. The police officer came over at midnight and tried to calm Cole and look at his finger. He tried to convince Cole to take a fun ride in the police car, but Cole refused again. In the meantime, my mom called the nurse's line and they said if more than 1/2 the nail is black, he should be seen by a doctor. <br />
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The police officer suggested to have the EMTs come look at Cole's finger. There is no charge for an ambulance to come to the house. So that's what they did. At 12:30 at night, the ambulance shows up and checks out Cole's finger. They told my parents it wasn't broke and there was not much that could be done. It didn't help with the pain, but at least we knew it wasn't broken. That night, it took Cole a long time to fall asleep and he woke up several times throughout the night in pain. The next morning, he slept in and didn't leave for school until 10am. He woke up and said, "my finger is all better!". And it pretty much was. He ended up losing his finger nail, but took it really well. He's so brave.<br />
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We also had a successful trip to the dentist. For the first time ever, the hygi<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QpbtAN-J08&feature=youtu.be"><a href="http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QpbtAN-J08&feature=youtu.be"></a></a>entist was able to do 75% of a full cleaning on Cole's teeth! Cole actually cooperated and willingly went into the velcroe blanket. It took two people to do the cleaning and by the end Cole was frantically and aggressively getting out of the blanket, but it was a success. He thought the cleaning tool was like a zamboni on his teeth! Check out the video...<br />
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QpbtAN-J08&feature=youtu.be<br />
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There is so much more I could update but instead I'll post again soon! Please remember April is Autism Awareness Month. Like I said before, please find it in your heart to have more compassion and understanding for these wonderful people. They love life just like we do and want many of the same things, it just doesn't come as easy for them. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmTz5QtPNFPb0VUeP0AcUO8stljsAPE52TGY8CTUwTvdgd21lBbcxLtShvsVrdcFVsA8-8ykBDYU60hulWOZIkWdEjQGbNyvkVZrDAZ84Y6_nBqrKxwvQgFygaNqlMKwQKalbGcT1Cs6G/s1600/disney.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmTz5QtPNFPb0VUeP0AcUO8stljsAPE52TGY8CTUwTvdgd21lBbcxLtShvsVrdcFVsA8-8ykBDYU60hulWOZIkWdEjQGbNyvkVZrDAZ84Y6_nBqrKxwvQgFygaNqlMKwQKalbGcT1Cs6G/s400/disney.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-39572775602031587422012-01-14T19:43:00.000-06:002012-01-14T19:43:09.134-06:00retarted- what it really means<br />
I saw this article posted on a blog and had to share it. <br />
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http://phoebeholmes.com/2011/12/23/being-retarded/Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-18133809221273136622012-01-02T17:17:00.002-06:002012-01-02T17:17:27.230-06:00Peaks and ValleysSo much for honoring my promise to update more often. Yes, life once again has gotten in the way. Somehow, almost four months have flown right by. As the title of this entry suggests, we've had our share of peaks and valleys over the past few months. <br />
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Cole is doing great at his new school/therapy environment. He loves going to "academics" in the afternoons and still cherishes the one-on-one time with his therapists in the morning. We have visited Cole several times and he's worked hard to earn lunch visits from both Pat and I. Every time I visit, Cole is saying hi to all of the kids and staff. He has a nickname (one he's made up) for literally every person at MAC. And he also has a flirty way of tickling some of the female staff. When I was there, he went up to a gal and playfully tickled her elbow and said, "I'm getting your arm." He's very comfortable there and everyone lights up when he greets them. <br />
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One thing that's been a challenge is the rides to and from school. For some reason, Cole and another student on the van are not getting along real well. They tease each other, sometimes hit one another and often get loud and silly. It's been a challenge to say the least. Not to mention, the parents of the other child have called a few times to complain about Cole and how their child is reacting to the situation. It's hard because the other child is dropped off first, so by the time Cole gets home, he's calmed down and he's not emotional about anything that's happened. So we've tried REALLY hard to set up a reward system for Cole. We ask the driver each trip to and from how Cole has behaved. If he's "naughty", he does not get a tally mark and he loses a privilege at school. If he's good, he earns a tally mark toward a reward (lately it's been lunch dates and a visit to Santa). It seems to be working for the most part. <br />
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We had conferences for Cole a month ago. They could not have gone better. His teacher and therapists showed us Cole's report card. It was his first one ever, and he's in 5th grade. I've attached it to this entry so you can see how well he did. Of coarse it's relative to Cole and his goals, but we'll take the great progress and positive comments. When the teacher brought it out at the conference, I had to fight to keep my composure. I was SO PROUD of my not-so-little guy. There was a time when I never thought he would receive a report card, let alone one of this nature. I wanted to show it to the world.<br />
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They also showed us a lot of the academic work Cole has been doing. It's incredible. He's getting very high scores on his spelling tests, mostly perfect. He's reading and comprehending. And his math skills are significantly improving! He took a test on parts of the body and only got 1 wrong. It's so rewarding to see all of his hard work. And he's so proud of it. When he brought home his poster from when he was the Student of the Month, he went right into his room and pinned it to his wall. It's still there today. <br />
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The hard thing about transitioning to 1/2 day of school is that we've lost our in-home therapy sessions. It was at these sessions where we worked with a therapist on implementing Cole's behavioral plan, among many other things. Once a week we were given a lot of instruction, advise and help. Cole took it very seriously and now we don't have that anymore. Little things like cutting his toe nails, following through on stand up sit downs, wearing long sleeve shirts and doing academic work at home are all suffering. <br />
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We've seen an increase in Cole's aggression, non-compliance and silliness. We're trying hard to stay on plan, but it can be very difficult at times. He's getting so big (97 lbs) and strong (he can pick me up and carry me down the hallway). The change of seasons and even one day off from his typical routine can de-rail Cole for days. When you add this to the chaos of the holidays, it can be a disaster. As was Christmas Eve....<br />
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Christmas Eve was a valley for us this year. The day started out ok, but given the fact that we had absolutely no snow and Cole went through his list of normal home activities, his patience worn thin quickly. He was uptight all day, bossing us around, getting upset at the simplest thing and he was aggressive to all of us, including himself. Couple that with Pat and I trying to get ourselves ready, prepare food, pack up what seemed like 1/2 the house get out the door on time. <br />
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Pat left early with Cole and took him to get a treat at the gas station. The plan was for Connor and I to meet them at his parents (we take two cars so we have an "escape route" for when Cole needs to leave early). Pat got within 1/2 mile of his parents and Cole insisted on driving 20 minutes back home so we could all ride together. He was screaming in the car, kicking the seats and hitting himself. So Pat called me and turned the car around. We packed up the car, with Cole upset and controlling who drove and where we all sat in the car. We got to Pat's parents and Cole seemed pretty happy. He greeted everyone and we enjoyed some time before the chaos began. Once everyone arrived (there are 6 boys between the ages of 10 and 5), it got a little loud and hectic. As to be expected with six excited little boys and the adults prepping food and socializing. It's difficult to explain how and why, but Cole almost instantly got uptight and very short-tempered. He yelled a lot, threw things, made tons of demands and was very non-compliant. Pat and I literally took turns staying within a foot or two from him at all times. That meant virtually no adult conversations, missing the adult gift opening and laying on the floor with him in a back room of their basement. <br />
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All the while Connor is just settling into playing with his cousins and the new toys they received. They were excited and at times behaving as boy cousins do, there was some fighting and heightened voices, etc. This really upsets Cole. He wants Connor to play with him and when the cousins all get together, unfortunately Cole often gets left behind. And when voices get loud and kids act the way kids do, he gets even more upset. And so do we. It's hard not to and it's certainly not anyone's fault, but we are human and we too, have a breaking point. <br />
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So after trying hard to stay as long as we could, we quickly had to pack up our things, say quick goodbyes and head out. We tried to have Connor, Pat/Connor or me/Connor stay and get a ride home, but Cole threw a HUGE fit in the car at each suggestion. And I mean HUGE. You wouldn't believe it if you saw it. He was literally beside himself. So off we went, all upset, sad and disappointed. After Cole calmed down, the ride home was very quiet. I have to admit I was shedding some tears. Feeling sorry for myself or not, this just isn't fair. It's not the holidays I want for myself, my husband or my kids. And I'm not sure we'll ever find a solution. <br />
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As we were pulling into our development, Connor said to Cole in the sweetest voice ever, "Cole, you've done such a great job on the way home, I bet Santa will bring you a lot of presents." Then he asked me, "Mom, did I say the right thing to Cole?" Now if I wasn't crying already, this made it worse. How is it that we are blessed with a little boy who, after being hastily torn away from Christmas Eve with his family, is thinking more about his brother than himself or what just happened. I could only shake my head yes after he asked me twice. I was crying too hard to speak. <br />
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Christmas morning went pretty well. Santa brought lots of wonderful presents for the boys and Cole was really excited to play with his new toys. We made a nice breakfast and hung out for a while. But then again, Cole had gone through his list of things to do and was bored and full of anxiety about when people would be coming to our house (and we had 4+ hours to go!). So again he was very short-tempered, mad, mean and non-compliant. Again we had to take turns staying within a few feet of him while trying to get ready and prep for a house full of guests. At one point, I considered telling our family to go on without us and move it to someone else's house. Yes, it was that tough. But we powered through it and after people started to arrive and Cole's energy tuckered out, he calmed down and behaved quite well. He had a great time opening gifts and loved going ice skating on the pond with his family. He learned to self-regulate and although he didn't sit with us at dinner, we got to enjoy it uninterrupted while he played the Wii downstairs. <br />
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A peak happened a few days later when we went to Pinz with Pat's extended family. Again, we were expecting a tough go, so we drove separately. Turns out we didn't need to!! Cole did fantastic. He arrived with Pat's parents and after getting lost, we arrived a short time later. Cole was super excited to bowl with his cousins and talk to the other family members. He got excited at times, but he worked very hard so he could "earn" a game of laser tag. It was nice. Pat got to chat with his family for quite a while and I got to make a few rounds myself. Toward the end, we even stepped away from the bowling lane and let Cole bowl a few times by himself. He had a great time and loved playing laser tag. It was a huge success!! Just look at the cute picture of Cole with all of the 2nd cousins on the Niemczyk side!<br />
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Our new year was pretty low-key. We hung out at home with the kids and didn't do anything exciting. Cole was thrilled when we actually got a little bit of snow. He was out in full force, plowing the driveway and street. Then he came in and crashed. I don't think any of us made it to see the ball drop. Sleep is more important when you're oldest wakes up around 6am, firing on all cylinders!<br />
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I hope our Christmas experience makes you realize what is truly important about the holidays- sharing QUALITY time with your loved ones. Don't take it for granted if it comes easy to you and at your free will. Unfortunately this isn't in the cards for our family. Maybe one day it will be, but sadly these days are typically the toughest for Cole and us. I honestly would give back every single gift I received if I could have enjoyed the company of my family and had the pleasure to watch my boys play with their toys and cousins. <br />
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God Bless and Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-oV7OXXFyZ_cq0N8aBjXYeoMmMsTI6C3HENuhQXnoNnnid8D8ZGAP7noV0spSzUkBbeBUND1THB7sLRWD0GviiwfRduK3n-2Rp1ZkGgYhEArxwfOoNjM7h2kG6kJ2aywFgaOP0ZpXPzI/s1600/DSCN2718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-oV7OXXFyZ_cq0N8aBjXYeoMmMsTI6C3HENuhQXnoNnnid8D8ZGAP7noV0spSzUkBbeBUND1THB7sLRWD0GviiwfRduK3n-2Rp1ZkGgYhEArxwfOoNjM7h2kG6kJ2aywFgaOP0ZpXPzI/s400/DSCN2718.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-85287309045111103952011-09-14T12:22:00.001-05:002011-09-14T12:22:31.902-05:00Cole's school projectCole had his first EVER homework assignment last night! At school, he decorated an "All About Me" box. He put construction paper, glitter and all sorts of drawings on it. He task was to put things that he likes inside the box so he can show and tell about it at school today. <br />
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So we found a small John Deere tractor, put a chocolate chip cookie in a baggie, added in the empty Toy Story 3 DVD case and an empty package of "pink gum". I decided there are so many more things Cole loves that just wouldn't fit inside the box. So I went to google images and our photo library to put together a small collage of just some of the things Cole likes: bonfires, his green razor scooter, Nick Universe, a picture of him tubing and playing at the beach, an iTouch, a picture from a play date with his best friend, Marc, YouTube (a favorite pastime for Cole!), his team hockey photo and pictures of him at the Noble Farm and driving a pontoon boat. <br />
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I printed out the collage and Cole saw it. He was SUPER excited and rattled off everything on the page. Pat and I looked at one another, happy and so proud- for SO many reasons. <br />
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Most of all, because Cole has so many things he loves in life. He is such a happy fella and knows what makes him happy in life. This didn't come easy for him. It has taken countless hours of ABA therapy and hard work for Cole to learn how to enjoy age-appropriate activities. Just two short years ago, Cole was newly potty trained and still liked to watch Baby Mozart DVDs. Now we are able to reason with him and tell him he's too old for them. He knows that big kids don't wear diapers and they don't watch baby movies. He has learned to play his Nintendo DS and he navigates both the iMac and iTouch with ease. When kids come over to play, he can hang with them and play the Wii or other fun stuff. Up until the last 18 months, we never had kids over the play unless Cole wasn't home. Now THAT is progress. <br />
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Progress is not all about Cole learning to read, looking at me in the eye or learning not to make funny sounds at inappropriate times. It's also about him enjoying life and being happy. As his mom, that is what I care about most. I love that every single morning, he asks me to snuggle and "get my neckie". Even thought he's ten, he still lets him shower him with countless kisses and hugs every single day. Cole tells me all throughout the day that he loves me. He tells us he will miss us and always wants to know where Connor is at and when he's going to be home. He loves to have Pat wrestle and tickle him. The sound of his belly laugh is the best.<br />
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I love hearing him laugh at YouTube, or now even ask me to come in so he can show me the cool lawn tractor video he found. Just last night he called me in to show me a video. He said, "Watch Mom, they will get the Toro started. It will start soon." The tractor back-fired and Cole laughed and laughed and laughed! I love to see the boys snuggle on our big bed, ask for popcorn and lay together to watch a movie. A movie they BOTH enjoy. I love that Cole wants to help our neighbors mow their lawn- even if at times, he tries to do it when they are enjoying dinner on their deck. He knows their tractor is broken and he has saved them many hours by helping them out. I love that Cole can knows who sings songs on the radio. He hears one note and can tell me who the artist is. If he likes the song, he'll ask me to put it on his iTouch. His favorites come and go but he can always tell us what he wants to hear. And I love that for the first summer EVER, Cole wore shorts all summer long. He finally understands that it's more comfortable to wear shorts when it's warm and sunny. Now we're actually having a challenge to get him back to wearing jeans.... we never thought that would happen!<br />
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I could go on and on with things I love about Cole. And I could have added many more things to Cole's "What I Like" list. But there was a time when I couldn't write about all of this progress and I wouldn't have had many things to put on that list. As parents, Pat and I were simply overcome with pride last night as we listened to Cole chat about all of the things he loves, us included.<br />
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We are so blessed.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CJ1f0FqW7S52qG9IcCFZPNCMcmefT4nv44UANjdrn18UwjLDQOe3HjOc43eFLa8j4jZNWY60DldZtBr6_I0wiCcpHW_F5pugz-bB9ZLDAliLtMK1Yn_VRpBS3FY5hOCWXg70iQWa-p5k/s1600/Screen+Shot+2011-09-14+at+11.56.42+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4CJ1f0FqW7S52qG9IcCFZPNCMcmefT4nv44UANjdrn18UwjLDQOe3HjOc43eFLa8j4jZNWY60DldZtBr6_I0wiCcpHW_F5pugz-bB9ZLDAliLtMK1Yn_VRpBS3FY5hOCWXg70iQWa-p5k/s400/Screen+Shot+2011-09-14+at+11.56.42+AM.png" /></a></div><br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-66205919988169332632011-09-02T16:49:00.001-05:002011-09-02T16:49:43.704-05:00a new goalMy mom reminded me last night that it has been 5 months since my last blog post- WHAT... how did that happen? I can summarize it one simple word; LIFE.<br />
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I set a goal for myself to update my blog much more frequently. Selfishly, I know it will be a great tool to look back in the years ahead and accurately recall many of the moments along this journey. <br />
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A lot can happen in five months...<br />
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Cole has continued to make remarkable progress and is spending his last day at full time ABA Therapy today. He will start at the new MAC School on Tuesday. It will be 1/2 day of ABA therapy and 1/2 ABA-taught academics. We toured the school last night and Cole could not be more excited. It's very rewarding to move on to this next phase.<br />
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Pat has a new job! Congrats to him on his promotion to VP of Sales and Marketing. He has worked incredibly hard and I couldn't be prouder of him. <br />
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Baseball season flew by (Connor's team won the championship!) and now we are weeks into football. Connor's hair is now bright blonde- a sure sign summer is on the way out!<br />
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5 months ago I was nearly 30 pounds heavier. Yes, with the help of Weight Watchers, protein shakes, support from family and friends and countless visits to the YMCA, I've shed close to 40 pounds since January! Woot woot!!! Now my goal is to maintain, which is 10x harder than losing the weight. When you're trying to lose, you have the motivation of seeing the scale go down. Now I need the scale to say where it is. Wish me luck! <br />
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We've had a really great summer. We packed A LOT into those 10-12 weeks. Here are the highlights:<br />
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JUNE <br />
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Cole went to Camp Dodge. It was a camp for Autistic children that was held at a nature center/farm. He loved it and made a lot of new friends. He continued his full-time ABA throughout the summer and particularly enjoyed water days! We also met his best friend, Marc (a friend from MAC), at Como Town for a play date. It went really well and now we meet once a month. <br />
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Connor spent a lot of time playing baseball. Pat coached his team this year and they had a lot of fun. He also moved up a level in gymnastics and practiced 3 days a week, all summer long! He and I spent a lot of afternoons at Bunker Beach where we often met up with family and friends. Oh how we love that place!<br />
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As a family, we went down to the Noble Family Farm in Austin, MN. It was so much fun! We rode dune buggies, the 4-wheeler, moved the lawn and rode the big tractor. The kids all played in the sprinkler and also spent time swimming at the hotel pool. Cole loved going up and down on the elevators in the hotel! We are fortunate to be going back tomorrow for another memorable stay. <br />
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Sadly, on June 28th I lost my Grandma. She was 98 years old. It happened very quickly and although she was ready to go, we weren't ready to let her. I'm so thankful we were all there to say goodbye, hold her hand, give her kisses and be with her as she passed away. She was an incredible woman and the boys miss her terribly. Cole knows that GG is living above the clouds and he wants to go see her. I keep telling him he needs to wait for a really long time before that happens. <br />
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JULY<br />
We started out the month with both the Schusted and Cooney extended families heading up for a week at Cabin O Pines (COP). COP is the resort in Orr, MN which is owned by my sister-in-law's family. It's our second time up there and we all love it! It was really nice to have the Schusted's up there as well. We had remarkable weather and spent a lot of quality time at the beach, boating, fishing, playing yard games, going on scooter rides, biking, hiking and enjoying each other's company. Cole was there from Sat - Wed. He was really excited for the 4th of July fireworks on the lake and he loved having all of his cousins there to share in the fun! We can't wait to go back again next year.<br />
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Connor's baseball team played in the Tier II tournament. After only winning two games all year, they came together in the end (in that horrid 100 degree heat), to win the championship game! It was really exciting. Although I think the kids loved the water balloon fight and pizza party just as much as winning that last game. <br />
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Cole also closed out his baseball season. He played in the Miracle League again this year. It was great to see the progress he made from last summer. He really started hitting the ball hard. He thought it was hilarious to run to the base and purposefully fall as he approached the base. What a goofball! He also loved spending time on the boat and swimming in Coon Lake. He loved to tube behind the boat and tells Pat and I we are "too old" to tube! ;-) <br />
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AUGUST<br />
After a week of football camp, Connor headed up north with his cousin Max, to go to their first overnight camp. The boys spent 3 nights/4 days at Trout Lake Camp. It was amazing! They had a great time and can't wait to go back next summer. When I asked him what his favorite thing was about camp, he had one word: EVERYTHING!!!!!<br />
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The boys went to Target Field with Grandpa Denny and I. Neighbor friends of ours graciously gave us free seats right behind home plate. Connor and I went to the game right away and Grandpa and Cole showed up an hour later. It was really hot, but we had a lot of fun. Cole loves to ride the elevators. And after being there only one time before, he knew exactly where to go to find every one! <br />
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Pat and I had our 20 year High School Reunion in August. It's hard to believe 20 years have flown by. It's nice to have gone to the same high school. We have a ton of mutual friends and had a great catching up with them. It's incredible to reflect on how much our lives have changed since graduation... isn't it interesting where life takes you!<br />
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The highlight of the month was hands down my brother, Brendan's wedding. He married his wonderful wife, Brittany on August 27th. Everything about the day was perfect. Cole's in-home therapist and I did a lot to prepare Cole for the "dance party" portion of the wedding. We had him practice wearing his dress clothes and showed him several picture stories about what would happen that night. We knew the wedding would be too much for Cole, but we made plans for a PCA to bring him to the "dance party" and then back to the respite house. Like I said, it went perfectly. <br />
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The wedding was amazing. I had the once-in-a-lifetime honor of officiating the ceremony. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to marry off my younger brother to such an incredible woman. Cole showed up around 8pm. He had just enough time to make an ice cream sundae, take family pictures, say hello to everyone and check out the mansion. After that, it was time to watch the first dance and mother/father dances. Cole waited so patiently. Finally it was time to party. He walked right up to his cousin Elle, took her arm and brought her to the dance floor. The kids all had a ton of fun doing breakdance moves, handstands and even some gymnastics. Cole danced with Brittany. He held her hands as they danced but kept his eyes closed- not sure what that was about but it was super cute! When another slow song came on, Cole snuggled up to me and we shared a slow dance. It was the BEST. Shortly after that, Cole said he was ready to go. Pat walked he and his PCA out to the car, where we had a few presents for Cole. He did such a great job that we had to reward him!! <br />
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The entire wedding weekend was so memorable and fun. Brendan married a truly amazing woman and she has a wonderful family. I couldn't be happier for the two of them!<br />
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SCHOOL<br />
Cole is about to start SCHOOL!!!! He hasn't officially been in school for almost 3 years. He has been in full-time ABA therapy since January 2009. It is bittersweet for him to move on from MAC and full time ABA, but he is ready!!!! We are incredibly thankful to all of the amazing therapists as MAC, who worked so hard with Cole. They have done things with Cole I didn't know would be possible. In his last ITP (therapy plan), he had 17 PAGES off mastered objectives. That is incredible!!!! We will especially miss his lead therapist, Jen, who has worked with Cole from day 1. She has spent one day a week in our home for years and is responsible for teaching us behavior and discipline techniques which literally saved our family. When Cole started at MAC, Cole's aggression was so severe that Pat and I weren't sure how long we would be able to keep him in our home. Now the tantrums and aggressive outbursts are under control and only happen a few times a month. Jen treated Cole like he was her own. She was often moved to tears during our therapy sessions and told me she often wakes up during the night, thinking of new ways to challenge and help Cole. I'm not sure why or how we were so blessed to have her in our lives, but we will never forget or under-appreicate everything she has done for our family and son. <br />
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Last night we got to visit the MAC School for the first time. It exceeded my expectations more than I could have hoped for. The facility is beautiful. It's nestled among trees, plants and tons of flowers. The play area is all fenced in and there are three different play sets. Inside the school is beautiful. It's immaculate and painted in all kinds of vivid colors. There is a cafeteria, a gym, music room, library, OT/Speech rooms, Computer rooms and a WII ROOM! Cole impressed everything with his razor scooter skills at open house last night. He also remembered several of the kids from when he was at MAC Minnetonka. He went right up to them and started conversations. At one point, he held hands with Marc and led him out to the playground. This is where he needs to be. <br />
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In Cole's 5th grade classroom, there are 7 children, including his best friend, Marc. There are two "teachers" in the room. One is a special ed teacher and the other is a lead ABA Therapist. Cole will spend the first half of his day with the special ed teacher, focusing on academics. While he's there, supporting ABA therapists will be by his side (in place of a para). After lunch and recess, Cole will spend the afternoon doing one-on-one ABA therapy (like he's been doing for the past 3 yrs). Cole will only have 2 other kids with him during the academic and ABA time. That is a pretty amazing teacher to student ratio! They have two huge classrooms to use and areas for individual instruction if it's necessary. The classrooms have huge windows, so there is a ton of natural light. <br />
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Cole will start school on Tuesday. We are SO proud of him. He has worked incredibly hard for the past 7 years to get to this point. I'm thrilled for Cole. He will be in an environment where he will be completely accepted for who he is, he will receive individualized educational instruction and make friends who aren't going to care if Cole is more interested in knowing what kind of tractor they have vs what sports they play. <br />
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I'LL BE BACK<br />
Thanks for reading this monster of an update. I promise I'll be back more often. <br />
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Enjoy what's left of summer!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_8NTziJXZQYtDCmttVTgXr8kn6qSyg7oMEqduhEZtnGCfjdAUyqKKghGaNO0qUK4l1eigDY-7j0IfO-JBqOzFXwvVUp4YK9nyM4FzsiuKwDF3Z24ARl3jyOHwS1ZPXbKIxeJtd7duvbo/s1600/_DSC1422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="213" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir_8NTziJXZQYtDCmttVTgXr8kn6qSyg7oMEqduhEZtnGCfjdAUyqKKghGaNO0qUK4l1eigDY-7j0IfO-JBqOzFXwvVUp4YK9nyM4FzsiuKwDF3Z24ARl3jyOHwS1ZPXbKIxeJtd7duvbo/s320/_DSC1422.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-32798234079820236502011-03-30T12:46:00.006-05:002011-03-30T14:31:45.798-05:00So what should I say?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcL7PMvIOomoN1joOgf9viRB3LR3NIlhEFvz5xIbrBBNFbxOcl7qc7oo93wkJCIDC9Icl442RaD6ofBSpzjEoLFBIFSjYJnEiXZDpcaryAKC-0nkU-mQkfg2hW6yq21SPD5jL6n0sMJity/s1600/DSCN0213.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcL7PMvIOomoN1joOgf9viRB3LR3NIlhEFvz5xIbrBBNFbxOcl7qc7oo93wkJCIDC9Icl442RaD6ofBSpzjEoLFBIFSjYJnEiXZDpcaryAKC-0nkU-mQkfg2hW6yq21SPD5jL6n0sMJity/s320/DSCN0213.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589955392138966018"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXKO2_6sSGT7XuWaG_tUyf5hdQaINaZR57cTipYNOJiTkGPbo8oTN2QUr_SF5xQdG0fi9hyphenhyphenO2haFm5SiBajED2GgG1D08zLGH7GirwbfhyDF6vrcfiy0AEe9_Jc8d48xXHYr0_F05LvnN/s1600/DSCN0426.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFXKO2_6sSGT7XuWaG_tUyf5hdQaINaZR57cTipYNOJiTkGPbo8oTN2QUr_SF5xQdG0fi9hyphenhyphenO2haFm5SiBajED2GgG1D08zLGH7GirwbfhyDF6vrcfiy0AEe9_Jc8d48xXHYr0_F05LvnN/s320/DSCN0426.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589955386042824146"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRFKIXVxkwuzPjfgwaWk3U-e1xSy794S4cbg-UTXeIawWUpxTJbihISGQUzWlJKfxZYsKotAr7qYc63kZV75WyTHuTehlUVpqGRFDgQhKyp3Zaop-dE6_7wqK2Yd9AdNwUYSM86osdQGu/s1600/DSCN0174.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRFKIXVxkwuzPjfgwaWk3U-e1xSy794S4cbg-UTXeIawWUpxTJbihISGQUzWlJKfxZYsKotAr7qYc63kZV75WyTHuTehlUVpqGRFDgQhKyp3Zaop-dE6_7wqK2Yd9AdNwUYSM86osdQGu/s320/DSCN0174.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589955380305046514"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglt7PTTKi6g4fm5xunhwaE0iseyV_iXw5axGnhV-8IkyNk1iTVlKKmWlAYxgB8J4Ltjp8eU9Bq2lQvREbCO58bzdDYAB2FBm3srj1nA1zsBlxSvrPlRfd0m7K7s6GhQJ-RUDB9PgNb-vJS/s1600/DSCN0576.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglt7PTTKi6g4fm5xunhwaE0iseyV_iXw5axGnhV-8IkyNk1iTVlKKmWlAYxgB8J4Ltjp8eU9Bq2lQvREbCO58bzdDYAB2FBm3srj1nA1zsBlxSvrPlRfd0m7K7s6GhQJ-RUDB9PgNb-vJS/s320/DSCN0576.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589955369586319970"></a><br />I read the following Facebook status update recently from another Autism mom I know via FB. <br /><br />"I dislike when people tell me I have a special needs child b/c God knew I could handle it. BS...I don't have a special needs mom gene that makes this easier for me than it would be for the average person. That is just what people say to make themselves sleep better at night. I am just as selfish as the next person. I wish I had been given a special gene...it would make it much easier. I am the same as you."<br /><br />I couldn't help but read some of the responses to her posting. One of which was, "not being antagonistic at all-just really curious. What is the right thing to say?"<br /><br />It got me thinking, what IS the right thing to say and what do I think of her posting?????<br /><br /><br />Certainly I've had many people say things to me like, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle. There is NO WAY I could do what you do. There is a reason why God gave Cole to you., etc." For the most part I agree, God doesn't give you more than you can handle. Somehow, even on the roughest of rough days Pat and I manage to make it through. Dealing with Cole when he is struggling is incredibly difficult. Even our families are surprised at his behavior at times. And yes, there are times when I hear another parent say, "Oh, so and so had such a tantrum last night. It was awful." and I want to ask, "well, has so and so ever broken a window in your home, has she put her head through the sheetrock or punched you so hard it takes your breath away? Has your child slapped you so hard that your arm stings for the rest of the night and bruises the next day? Has he ever had to be carried out kicking and screaming from a hockey arena after throwing water bottles at the crowd, punching, scratching, hitting you and then slamming his head off concrete? Oh and don't forget the popped blood vessels in his face from screaming so intensely." Now THAT'S a tantrum. And yes, it's coming from a ten year old boy who has a disability you can't see. Imagine the looks you get from people. <br /><br />Autism is very humbling. But that's ok. I've gotten to the point where I can let the public tantrums, the nasty looks and comments roll off my back. I know I'm a great mom and Pat is an AMAZING dad to Cole. We are doing a fantastic job with our son and he is working incredibly hard to cope with the numerous struggles that come with his disability. And the people I love and care about most know that, too. I'm not worried about the lady who gave me a dirty look last night at Jam Hops when Cole continued to kick the indoor fence after I asked him not to several times. I am not a bad mom who does not discipline her children. In fact, I'm damn good at being a mom. I know that, my husband knows that and so do our families and friends. At the end of the day, those are the people I care about. They see how deeply we love our son, they know the mountains we have climbed, the hoops we've jumped through and the daily struggles we overcome. My energy is better served focusing on my family verses worrying about what some person at the gas station thinks.<br /><br />As I said above, many people have said, "I don't know how you do it. I couldn't." YES YOU COULD and you WOULD. It all boils down to one absolutely wonderful thing: unconditional love. I love Cole with every single cell in my body. It is this overwhelmingly powerful unconditional love for Cole that motivates Pat and I to make his life the very best it can be. It's that simple. We are not special people and we are not any better equipped to handle our situation that anyone else. <br /><br />SO WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO SAY?<br />That is a tough one. For me, it's not what you say but how much you cherish all of the little things. I see so many people who take the little things for granted: being able to take their children to another siblings hockey game, deciding last minute to go hiking in the woods, eating dinner together as a family, being able to change plans last minute and have your kids go with the flow, not seeing one of your kids in tears at family gatherings because the other child can't handle being there anymore, sometimes spending holidays alone because one of your children refuses to go at all, not having to play outside for 45 minutes in 8 degree weather because your child doesn't feel heat/cold the same way you do, having a home that will need $10K+ in repairs before you could possibly sell it, etc., etc. etc. <br /><br />For me, I want to know that you aren't taking your life for granted. I want you to know that taking your dog for a walk while your 11 and 9 year olds stay at home for 15 minutes is a privilege. Having the flexibility to go where you want to go, when you want go- even if it is running errands and going to 2 soccer games and a dance practice, is a privilege. Having a child that can function in a neuro-typical classroom and play regular sports/activities is a privilege. Watching your children learn and helping them with homework is a privilege. The ability to reason with and discipline your children is a privilege.<br /><br />Maybe a good response is something like, "You are doing a great job with your child. Kids sure have a way of making us cherish what really matters in life."<br /><br />ENOUGH OF THE SOAP BOX, what have we been up to?<br /><br />We are thrilled to see spring peeking around the corner. The sun has been out for the past several days and it feels great. I think we all have a little more pep to our steps these days. Pat and I just got back from vacation in warm, delightfully sunny Ixtapa, Mexico. We are so very fortunate to have wonderful family who help out with the boys while we take time for ourselves. This year, my parents and older brother, Sean, also were in Ixtapa. We overlapped by three days and got to spend some time together. The guys went deep sea fishing and had a great time catching lots of fish. We had some really fantastic meals together and loved watching the sunsets from their window-filled condo. Pat and I thoroughly enjoyed our time together and appreciate everyone who helped with the boys so we could indulge in some major relaxation!<br /><br />Cole had a great time turning 10!!! He loves to tell you how old he was in each year. He'll say, "Mom, how old I was in 2005? I was 4!!!". Language might not be perfect, but he's trying hard and selfishly I see that as him figuring out simple math. :-) We celebrated with a bowling party at Ham Lake Lanes. Cole loved bowling with his cousins and family. He also had a great time singing karaoke. He walked around with the mic and everyone got a chuckle when (as he was ready to go), he announced to everyone in the bowling ally, "This is Cole. The party is over. Bowling is closed. It's time to go." Did I mention we love his sense of humor???Although in his eyes, he wasn't trying to be funny. He was a man on a mission, after all, it was time to go home.<br /><br />The highlight of Cole's winter was him getting to ride on the zamboni during the U of M Women's hockey game!! For those who don't know, Cole is obsessed with zambonies. A friend from high school arranged for him to ride the zamboni between periods. He was thrilled. He waved to his family in the crowd and got excited when they announced his name on the loud speaker. He even wore his U o M jersey! Check out the video below.<br /><br />Connor had an exciting winter! He is turning into a fine gymnast. We were excited to travel to Iowa City in February for his first out-of-state meet. It was so much fun! Two weeks ago, Connor and his team competed in the MN State Gymnastics Championship. His team took 1st place and Connor was the top overall gymnast for all kids at his level!! Connor has developed into a real leader on his team who, even after being at home with Influenza for a week, said, "Mom I really want to try to compete. I'm not trying to brag or hurt feelings, but I usually score high and my team needs me." Needless to say, his team took 2nd that day and Connor again placed 1st in his age group! Connor also had a great time in hockey this year. His skating and stick-handling really improved and he scored a fair amount of goals throughout the season. Now we're moving on to baseball season. Pat is coaching him this year and Connor is excited to have a lot of his close friends on the team. <br /><br />We are so proud of Connor. He continues to be an empathetic, proud and loving brother to Cole. They have a ton of fun together and both have already been out riding their scooters and bikes! Connor loves school. He has a lot of friends and likes to talk to everyone. He's a great a speller, he's only missed 1-2 words the entire year!! He excels in reading and math and loves science, too. He's a huge snuggle-bug, just like his brother. And he's pumped that his bangs have finally grown out after he gave himself a haircut back in October!!<br /><br />Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope it gives you a snapshot as to what life is like when someone you love has Autism. And I hope it makes you cherish all of the little things in life and the freedoms and flexibility that come along with it.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxN85zSnNnF3jFVhsC_qbqKN9kHdXYVs2kiN-bA_Hyh3WNyJsAjhVzsdP7ipxVPwdq7BVcgUmvaHOeAH7tAYw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-42412186046061244072011-01-20T17:56:00.004-06:002011-01-20T19:37:34.423-06:00Can 2+ months really fly by this fast?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PuCBKfeIR6_oewG1evF7QjYV5AkR7zc708szBOFKlQ7D1Lt24lDd2i18YWU6d8ZbZqiKoKvT3dWB1uE5eYHipZ-pgYSbN0PFmog3eBi1OZGpYG5S6djQqt8koovPgxrXducXYoDvovMN/s1600/DSC_1151.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PuCBKfeIR6_oewG1evF7QjYV5AkR7zc708szBOFKlQ7D1Lt24lDd2i18YWU6d8ZbZqiKoKvT3dWB1uE5eYHipZ-pgYSbN0PFmog3eBi1OZGpYG5S6djQqt8koovPgxrXducXYoDvovMN/s320/DSC_1151.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564445527511002546" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6_lFOizPuWy43mFNhcw7p0ny_yNvtPSTCv0XEWVz9VjZM0HJM8H3RSt8nrYuWfnJnGf9pOJ5vDg-dXRHtp7Ot0p_b0jZsenwhal6YwIwPMlYEgzUXGolaj6zdm_aDAD3JmGhU5gSzkpY/s1600/DSCN3557.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-6_lFOizPuWy43mFNhcw7p0ny_yNvtPSTCv0XEWVz9VjZM0HJM8H3RSt8nrYuWfnJnGf9pOJ5vDg-dXRHtp7Ot0p_b0jZsenwhal6YwIwPMlYEgzUXGolaj6zdm_aDAD3JmGhU5gSzkpY/s320/DSCN3557.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564445518360356034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy634Pg0YmBAm2ZmOx6qG2u406QJ8srAJuTVWx9wzszZZj-3aYBBmsLtbHSCmgWEn2hV-YsiJed-GTHsD8cxq2_WSc6N6IJcskNLJ1wexXqTzPE52AJR86-Jeh7fefNQPJJa5TNXRGEQTN/s1600/blog+pic.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy634Pg0YmBAm2ZmOx6qG2u406QJ8srAJuTVWx9wzszZZj-3aYBBmsLtbHSCmgWEn2hV-YsiJed-GTHsD8cxq2_WSc6N6IJcskNLJ1wexXqTzPE52AJR86-Jeh7fefNQPJJa5TNXRGEQTN/s320/blog+pic.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564445513527568706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyqdnm3Wjz0mYvbsJ_lRWRFDca6Tj0KrzMOzGJxeMOI1TsDVDReFytjagOJtGpGFkGB0y5AfoaR4cCuLvbnzOv6R6wwQIW07l697nUHVyaP0Fd6TJql0OYOjlRVI4-2zmjtmJveDJWTs8/s1600/_DSC8706.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVyqdnm3Wjz0mYvbsJ_lRWRFDca6Tj0KrzMOzGJxeMOI1TsDVDReFytjagOJtGpGFkGB0y5AfoaR4cCuLvbnzOv6R6wwQIW07l697nUHVyaP0Fd6TJql0OYOjlRVI4-2zmjtmJveDJWTs8/s320/_DSC8706.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564445503444369634" /></a><br />Apparently yes, two months CAN fly by this fast! I knew I was a little behind on my blog, but I was blown away to see my last post was pre-Halloween! Maybe that's a good sign... winter is nearly half over already. <br /><br />But first let me back up a bit. Cole had a fantastic Halloween. He was thrilled to be Luigi from Super Mario. He wore that costume with so much pride and was even more thrilled when he saw a neighbor boy who was dressed as Mario! Cole got lots of practice wearing his costume. MAC had a Halloween party and he also wore it plenty around the house. Cole just couldn't get enough of himself, he was constantly checking himself out in the mirror. This was the first year Cole picked out his costume and wore it without hesitation. He did awesome while trick-or-treating. We pulled a trailer behind our 4-wheeler and had several of the neighborhood kids and family on it with us. Cole knew exactly what to do and loved running to the houses with his brother and friends. <br /><br />November is always a time to reflect on our blessings. We got some great news from one of Cole's therapists. His Occupational Therapist informed us that starting in January, Cole would no longer need OT services! This is great news. It means Cole has mastered nearly every objective in his therapy plan. The only things left are tying his shoes and clipping his toe nails; two things that are extremely difficult for him. I think back to where he started years ago and there are so many things he's accomplished: tooth brushing, buckling, zipping, snapping, holding a pencil, typing, clipping his finger nails and so much more. We also had a very positive and encouraging meeting at MAC for Cole's 90 day plan update. He continues to blow through his objectives and challenge the therapists to pave a different road for his therapy. It's so rewarding to look over the report which shows pages and pages of mastered objectives. And I love how dedicated the MAC therapists are at researching, brainstorming and challenging themselves to come up with countless ways to challenge Cole and increase his skills. We are blessed.<br /><br />December came and went in a flash. The boys loved all of the snow we got and had a blast playing outside. Cole was especially thrilled when Pat brought home a new snowmobile (new to us at least). I got part of Cole's reaction on video, but not all of it. He was over the moon and his grin went from ear to ear. Cole loves anything that goes fast and snowmobiles are no exception. Pat and the boys have had hours of fun riding the trails that are only a mile from our house. Pat's also taken them up to the ice fishing shack on Coon Lake. The highlight from that trip was when Pat got pulled over by the Sheriff. Pat didn't have all of the proper stickers on his snowmobile and got a warning ticket. Cole said to the guy, "Give him a ticket. We want a ticket!". He also asked to sit in his police car and go for a ride. Good times.<br /><br />Christmas was very nice. Cole did exceptionally well at Pat's parent's house on Christmas Eve. He loved sledding outside with his cousins and showed so much patience and good manners when opening presents. Cole had fun when we hosted Christmas day at our house. He loved brunch and opening more presents. It was so exciting for him- everyone went in together and got him a refurbished iTouch! We got him a custom skin for the outside that is John Deere colors and has a picture of Cole on a tractor. He loves his iTouch. He takes it with him on the transportation van every day. Cole can listen to his favorite music (Leona Lewis, Kelly Clarkson, John Mellencamp and holiday tunes), and watch his favorite movies (Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo). He's done very well following the laminated directions on his backpack that remind him to put his iTouch in it's case after every car ride. Never did I imagine we could give him this responsibility! Although we have staff, drivers and us parents who make sure it's in the case before the van leaves. <br /><br />Pat and I got to do something exciting. We got to travel to Dallas for a quick weekend trip. Pat's company has an office down there and we were fortunate to be invited to their holiday party. It was a lot of fun and really nice to breathe 60 degree air and soak in the sunshine. We spent some quality time with one of the other owners, ate at a true Texas BBQ and had fun shopping at a huge mall. We both loved the city and left wanting to go back again soon!<br /><br />Cole had a few extra days off over the holidays. As good as he did on the actual holidays themselves, there were a few really tough days as well. Cole gets extremely thrown off when even the littlest thing changes in his routine. He acts out by being defiant, aggressive and non-compliant. It can make those extra days at home unbearable at times. The good thing is that now we know what to expect and we mentally prepare for these tough times. <br /><br />January has been going well for us. Cole loved having his cousins Brady and Elle sleepover. Brady was first. Typically Brady will stay in Connor's room. On this particular night, Cole insisted Brady stay in his room. It's only fair, I suppose. It was really cute. Cole wanted Connor to sleep in his (Cole's) bed and Cole made a "sleeping bed" on the floor for him and Brady. He layered piles on blankets and placed two pillows at the top. Cole told Brady, "Cole's never slept in a sleeping bed. Lets catch some zzzz's." and when Pat told Cole he couldn't snuggle Brady, Cole turned to Brady and said, "Don't worry Brady, I won't bother you". Needless to say, when we checked on the boys ten minutes later, they were all sound asleep. The same thing happened the following night with cousin Elle. It's so nice to have Cole take part in activities that we used to only do when he was not around. :-)<br /><br />Cole had the stomach flu twice in the past six weeks. The first time, it happened on the night of Pat's company holiday party. He was pretty sick that day and I ended up staying home while Pat went to the party. The second time was just yesterday. Cole threw up a few times in the morning, but then started firing on all cylinders. It was like any other day. Cole was so proud to tell Pat, ""Daddy, I threw up in the bucket all by myself!!!!" And when he asked me for muffins, I told him he couldn't and that his tummy might not like it. Cole then pointed to his belly and said, "Tummy, you want muffins???" I love how literal he can be at times. <br /><br />I can't stop writing without some news about Connor. He's such a fantastic kid. He really is. Connor loves school, excels at it and has tons of friends. He still runs to me with a huge hug when I come in to visit him at lunch or volunteer in his class. He adores his teacher and loves to share what he's learning about. He's full of interesting facts, just like his dad. This winter, Connor is playing hockey and still competes in gymnastics. He had his first meet a few weeks ago. We knew Connor could hold his own, but he ended up placing in all six events and he took first place in the all-around, amongst 68 other gymnasts! We had so much fun staying in a hotel with his team and competing the next day. We are looking forward to traveling to Iowa in February for an out-of-state meet! Connor also has taken a liking to snowboarding. He's had a few lessons with Brittany's brother, Ross. Lucky for him, there are eight foot tall snow banks in our yard for him to practice on. At the last lesson, I was chatting with Ross and looked up to see my 7 year old riding on the chair lift by himself. That's our Connor. <br /><br />Connor continues to be an incredible brother to Cole. I always tell him that God placed him in our family for a reason and there is no one who could be a better son and brother than he is. Connor is so proud of Cole and likes to involve him in his play dates. They love to play the Wii together, wrestle, color and play outside. It's wonderful to watch.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-50981542047376493342010-10-28T13:40:00.006-05:002010-10-28T15:00:56.490-05:00Cool stuff going on<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFgE7g-qmDBZ3RKfpr0NJEEmHR623EXHnp16Cf7cd1lUPy8QwOrNUmMtDizNmc5YVy2kQk9TLUZYDqqJ14t_G-F1tacRLQUlZ693-Hkn7yaeqLOz1oYDVTFKq3rr7B_AKiI_SXAF8hmfl/s1600/safety+swim.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 273px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIFgE7g-qmDBZ3RKfpr0NJEEmHR623EXHnp16Cf7cd1lUPy8QwOrNUmMtDizNmc5YVy2kQk9TLUZYDqqJ14t_G-F1tacRLQUlZ693-Hkn7yaeqLOz1oYDVTFKq3rr7B_AKiI_SXAF8hmfl/s320/safety+swim.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533187034750067282" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RDLcdntRbKdriGggFd0lTu4II4VLr9rvZU5b5W4vss-Tvw10OB1FOdikk7U8mR3DuF0AmkdKHsSR6jtsRRFtovOHXMLyMxlxm9gqsfNyzh28E5wLKxtAuFYq66I_x6SgUkETODbbHfTG/s1600/open+skate.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1RDLcdntRbKdriGggFd0lTu4II4VLr9rvZU5b5W4vss-Tvw10OB1FOdikk7U8mR3DuF0AmkdKHsSR6jtsRRFtovOHXMLyMxlxm9gqsfNyzh28E5wLKxtAuFYq66I_x6SgUkETODbbHfTG/s320/open+skate.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533187029690617506" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTW1uj85RD9QPjJt0Kl6o-snHJj5wl-ZpNy3BRpjxUP_EbQ_60yifA2SinGIoIJRMcEKBVrIZdxNfXfRTEXtOUGu45R8N_SDYhDeQRcHlwmErfRSOye3guz1fm2i2hiy2W6Qx0MNI67Iqw/s1600/luigi+mirror.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTW1uj85RD9QPjJt0Kl6o-snHJj5wl-ZpNy3BRpjxUP_EbQ_60yifA2SinGIoIJRMcEKBVrIZdxNfXfRTEXtOUGu45R8N_SDYhDeQRcHlwmErfRSOye3guz1fm2i2hiy2W6Qx0MNI67Iqw/s320/luigi+mirror.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533187023000220338" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1b5ni7Y-xcNDtFRNd4Ub0Zg3UAnHXF-5nYNI6-qhXRSGQoKuBqFiKe9m0xrkGdwX0paX7o3ML52DU6dRR_QHdUNkDPyot-CQ9W_VyyLVEUTFAOat3EuO3Szd72RnhLUpEqv8PTYbmnzR/s1600/cole+great.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1b5ni7Y-xcNDtFRNd4Ub0Zg3UAnHXF-5nYNI6-qhXRSGQoKuBqFiKe9m0xrkGdwX0paX7o3ML52DU6dRR_QHdUNkDPyot-CQ9W_VyyLVEUTFAOat3EuO3Szd72RnhLUpEqv8PTYbmnzR/s320/cole+great.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533187022098604290" /></a><br />Cole has been slowly adjusting to the cooler weather and diminishing daylight. Not that he's fond of these changes, but he seems to be coping as best he can. Fall and Spring are the two most difficult times of the year for Cole. He struggles in the fall to let go of all the wonderful things that summer brings: endless tractor rides, short sleeve shirts, playing outside until 8pm, bike rides, scooter rides and other fun things. <br /><br />It takes quite a few weeks for Cole to adjust to playing inside longer, putting on a coat and waking up when it's still dark out. The last few mornings, Cole has told me, "Mom go back to bed, it's still dark out". Now only if he said that on the weekends, when he's consistently up and firing on all cylinders at 5:45am. These transitions seem easy and for some people, even anticipated. For Cole, these changes throw him off entirely. It affects his behavior. He's on edge, irritable and doesn't understand when you tell him he can't ride his scooter in the dark. His therapists at MAC work on getting him to wear more than one pair of jeans and long sleeve shirts. Cole is so resistant to these things that he checks his backpack each morning and tells me, "no jeans or long sleeve shirts in backpack Mom." I have to hide them inside when he's not looking or sometimes hand a separate bag to his driver, so she can give it to MAC. <br /><br />The other hard thing is the first few snowfalls. You know, the kind where it is snowing, but it melts when it hits the ground. That is the worst for Cole. He thinks he's going to get to plow snow with the tractor or at very least, shovel. He's ready to put on his snow suit, put the plow on the tractor and spend two hours moving the snow around. He doesn't understand that the ground is too warm. <br /><br />Thankfully, over the past 18 months, Cole has learned a lot more age-appropriate play skills. This helps tremendously in the cold weather months. He loves playing the Wii, his Nintendo DS and more recently, he loves my iPhone and the music it can play. Cole has his own special play list. He jams to music of all kinds. Right now he's into Katy Perry, John Mellencamp, Pink and the Gear Daddies. He navigates my phone with ease, puts on his headphones, sings, bops his head and shakes his hands to the beat. He loves music, just like his brother does. Cole will even look up the music videos or concerts on YouTube. He can point out John Mellencamp from other members of the band and find him singing the songs he likes. <br /><br />Cole continues to take private swim lessons at Foss. He is making so much progress. His instructor, Megan, is amazing with Cole. She's been working with him for almost two years and she knows him well. She understands how to motivate him, how to keep him from acting silly and more importantly, how to teach him to swim. We've tried other instructors and not one has been as great as Megan. Cole was thrilled last week when it was Safety Week at Foss. He got to put on a Foss sweatsuit and practice both swimming in the clothes and jumping off the sides. They walked around the read all of the safety signs. They talked about who Cole can swim with, where he can swim and what to do in an emergency. He loved it!<br /><br />Cole is SO excited to start hockey. We have him signed up for his second season on the Polar team in the MN Special Hockey league. He is waiting patiently for the middle of November, when he'll skate every Sunday. I took the boys to open skate last Saturday. We met Uncle Sean at the arena. They both loved skating with Uncle Sean. Cole's legs were a little wobbly at first, but he got back into it. I even saw him talking to an older gentleman and giving him a high five. Sean and I both saw it and couldn't help but smile. Cole still loves to skate fast and then fall down. The goal this year is to teach him more about where to shoot the puck and not to fall until after he scores a goal. We'll see how that goes! As much as Cole loves to skate, his favorite part is the zambonie. At open skate, he was asking the rink attendant if the zambonie was going to come out. It made his day when the black and gold machine revved up and made its way onto the ice. Cole waved in excitement and told me the "zambonie was mowing the ice." I guess that's one way to look at it!<br /><br />I have been looking for some homeschool activities that Cole can participate in while he's in therapy at MAC. We all feel it would be a really great opportunity for Cole. Not only will he get to do some fun activities throughout each week, he'll get the chance to socialize with and model after neuro-typical children. So far, we have him signed up for homeschool gym class at the YMCA, ice skate lessons, a monthly rock climbing group and I'm hoping to add either bowling or gymnastics! We are also waiting to see if there is a spot on the roster of a Special Olympics Floor Hockey team. I should find that out this week. I'm so proud that Cole has progressed to a point where these things are possible. What a gift!<br /><br />Speaking of progress, we just had Cole's annual assessment with MAC. Each year Cole is tested to see where he falls on the Autism Spectrum. It's a big undertaking. I fill out several questionnaires, Cole is observed and tested, I am interviewed, along with several of his therapists. We had a meeting this week to find out the results. Things went so well. Cole showed so much improvement over last year. He is continually moving toward the mildest area on the Autism scale. He still tests and functions in quite low percentages when compared to kids his age, but I don't give a crap. He's making TONS and TONS of progress and his Autism symptoms are slowly decreasing in intensity and severeness... what more can we ask for? He is talking more fluently, teaching himself to read, understanding simple math and having less aggressive behaviors. More importantly, he is happier and enjoying life. His frustration level is decreasing and he has the skills to play with kids his own age.<br /><br />MAC has been incredible and a critical part of his progress. His team of therapists are truly vested in Cole. His lead therapist came back from maternity leave last week. She told me at the meeting that while on leave, there was a chance she was not going to be re-assigned to Cole upon her return. She was so bummed out, that she immediately called her husband and then her mom to talk about it. She was devastated. Then a week later, she got her case load and Cole's name was on it. She called the office right away to confirm it and when they told her she would indeed still be working with Cole, she was elated. These are the type of people who work so hard on Cole's behalf. They are highly-educated, driven, passionate, caring and wonderful people. And we are so blessed to have them on our team. <br /><br />I hope you all enjoy a fun Halloween with your families. This is the first year Cole has showed true excitement for Halloween. For the first time ever, he told me what he wanted to be and helped me find the costume. It came in the mail last week and he was so excited. Cole tried it on right away and stood in front of the mirror, looking at himself, dancing in it and asking if he could wear it every day. It seems so simple, but this is significant for Cole. We know how much work and progress it's taken to get Cole to this point and Pat and I could not help but revel in it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-39896585577794033562010-09-17T13:03:00.009-05:002010-09-17T14:22:58.789-05:00a few firsts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAG2CE4PIf5Tb5VdMBUk5SvoqDff-cLeZYR5E3BGukFxTHa45ZUM_BngtdXPqVoaIVyc-gAwQ_GOYeecnGTVqDD7nbRAp0uveNhcFTy0BtuBV6zRbRFaKoh8qoLZM8avAkxocivlWE9jo2/s1600/on+horse.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAG2CE4PIf5Tb5VdMBUk5SvoqDff-cLeZYR5E3BGukFxTHa45ZUM_BngtdXPqVoaIVyc-gAwQ_GOYeecnGTVqDD7nbRAp0uveNhcFTy0BtuBV6zRbRFaKoh8qoLZM8avAkxocivlWE9jo2/s320/on+horse.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517960057512116162"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjJ409dI2qyZsdbhBcjXh-mqoFVDHle273iPcBuC6iVku90_VW1pFSOWBum5AM8yV2YLx-SCt7vatVTTJrvQPZ2K8Y0ljoFi3BQsilCq8gnfXuZ5Tz1-MXGp4alFB9rYVXHZK8XR3eb8C/s1600/make+friend.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 301px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjJ409dI2qyZsdbhBcjXh-mqoFVDHle273iPcBuC6iVku90_VW1pFSOWBum5AM8yV2YLx-SCt7vatVTTJrvQPZ2K8Y0ljoFi3BQsilCq8gnfXuZ5Tz1-MXGp4alFB9rYVXHZK8XR3eb8C/s320/make+friend.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517960049134615218"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ci_C64iBodM_OF5QCCAudZR4enzQKL2oyBI_0BpwHSG9puw71y60HJqppUnbfkypFbQrYwyEf2oyIdM4e8lv84n69nyCrxU89_-f5Oubp-QJxTesLaOEWUIcZCd-2662qSqyzIgyfmUF/s1600/set+up.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Ci_C64iBodM_OF5QCCAudZR4enzQKL2oyBI_0BpwHSG9puw71y60HJqppUnbfkypFbQrYwyEf2oyIdM4e8lv84n69nyCrxU89_-f5Oubp-QJxTesLaOEWUIcZCd-2662qSqyzIgyfmUF/s320/set+up.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517960036691309378"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEn9dAKmsHMB2eeSD7fBDq1N-hPIRA3HccNZciMAWnkmMszHCyGQHRMTVyV3qjO3KsjCUBCFxfSIKE1JCkmoY54Hi9LS0Egc2NlYgYYesZLYXYyHquiseFufvkZOCf0kvKc-pJ51YoGK3K/s1600/guitars.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEn9dAKmsHMB2eeSD7fBDq1N-hPIRA3HccNZciMAWnkmMszHCyGQHRMTVyV3qjO3KsjCUBCFxfSIKE1JCkmoY54Hi9LS0Egc2NlYgYYesZLYXYyHquiseFufvkZOCf0kvKc-pJ51YoGK3K/s320/guitars.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517960024528186306"></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZN-O51H5lpYx2ZecYtgm7QWHldXq26g7lKOFc4lxfn4_EzTqf4FjSS_HpKAiVAw3wX0HlSGlcj_BcdEXHpKN58JyuMNk3g1HdenMlLhW0rKSqKb9_yCgEQlXzKlUIcPq23wz57lj9GG-/s1600/camping.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYZN-O51H5lpYx2ZecYtgm7QWHldXq26g7lKOFc4lxfn4_EzTqf4FjSS_HpKAiVAw3wX0HlSGlcj_BcdEXHpKN58JyuMNk3g1HdenMlLhW0rKSqKb9_yCgEQlXzKlUIcPq23wz57lj9GG-/s320/camping.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517960017174032466"></a><br />It's hard to believe it's September. Although it was hard to miss it when, at 5:13am on September 1st, Cole ran into our room and excitedly said, "Mom, it's September!!!". I think he was most excited because to him, September means short-wearing season is done. No more mom sneaking shorts into his backpack for him to wear at therapy throughout the day. Yes, it is <span style="font-weight:bold;">that</span> hard to get him into shorts. In fact, I don't think Cole wore shorts one time this summer!! <br /><br />Now Cole is into one certain pair of jeans. He wants to wear the same pair every single day. I'm not sure why this is? So now I'm sending different style jeans in his backpack for him to wear at therapy. He is so smart, he even tries to look in his backpack before he hops on the van, to make sure there are no shorts or jeans in there. I have a separate bag with the jeans and luckily, the driver makes sure the "extra bag" makes it to MAC. Therapists want us to have Cole wear the jeans if he expresses interest in doing something. In other words, if he wants to play the Wii, he will need to put on different jeans first. We'll start this once he gets back from the respite house.. wish us luck!<br /><br />We've had a few exciting firsts with Cole over the past few weeks. It's so rewarding for us to witness his progress!!!<br /><br />The boys were invited to a birthday party last weekend for two twin boys who live across the street. The party was at Pump It Up, one of Cole's favorite places. Pat and I stayed at the party, in case things didn't go well for Cole. I'm glad we were there to see how awesome Cole did! Cole had so much fun. He played for the entire hour in the inflatable area. They turned off the lights, played music and gave the kids glow sticks. Cole thought it was cool. He even liked the "fighting" area, where kids had big inflatable "weapons" to hit and knock one another over. Cole played that with a few boys and laughed the entire time! Pat and I saw Cole (for the first time ever), go up to a child he didn't know. We couldn't hear what Cole said, but after a little bit of conversation, he turned to us and said, "This is my friend, Jack". Cole got a little too close for Jack's comfort level and he walked away from Cole shortly after their conversation. It didn't bother us, or Cole for that matter. We were so proud of Cole for trying to make a new friend. The time came for pizza, cake and presents. Cole found a place to sit amongst the group of kids. He was completely indistinguishable. If it weren't for one of the twins who said, "Cole has Autism", I don't think any of them would have known. Cole ate his pizza, politely asked for another slice and sang Happy Birthday just like the rest of them. He sat patiently for cake and brought his gift up to the boys without being told. He even let Connor run around and didn't need to be by his side the whole time. It was a huge success!!<br /><br />Later that day, Pat set up the tent in the back yard. We set up a nice fire and torches. The boys brought out their sleeping bags, pillows and lots of blankets. The three of them slept out in the tent and made it until 3:30am, when Connor woke up cold. Cole loved sleeping out in the tent. They snuggled close together and Cole kept telling Pat, "I love you Dad. I love sleeping in the tent.". Cole has been so verbal with his feelings. He is constantly telling us how much he loves us and he's always giving lots of hugs and kisses. We are so thankful to get that from him. <br /><br />Another first was Hippotherapy. Hippotherapy is Occupational Therapy that takes place on a specially trained horse. It is very expensive ($160/hr) and very hard to get into. I saw a neat program on the news and in July I put Cole on the wait list. It was supposed to be a year long wait, but we lucked out and Cole got a call two weeks ago. It was a mad rush to get all of the logistics worked out, but we succeeded. Cole's waiver program is paying for the majority of it and thankfully, the one time slot that was open happen to fit our schedule perfectly. <br /><br />He went to his first session on Tuesday. It was incredible. Cole walked in, put on his horse helmet and hopped on Dreamer the horse like he had been doing it for years. Cole was so happy, calm, talkative and cooperative. There are four staffers working with Cole and Dreamer. They walk around for about 5-8 minutes and then stop and do OT-related therapies while on the horse. They taught Cole commands for Dreamer and Cole was soon able to say, "Walk on Dreamer". He would wave to other people watching and ask to go faster. It was so amazing to watch and it makes me excited to see where he'll go from here. This session goes another five weeks. At that time, we'll need to get approval to fund another session. Each session is over $1000, so I'm hoping we can find a way to make it work. (see video below)<br /><br />Cole also had a ton of fun at Uncle Tim's Labor Day BBQ. Pat, Connor and Cole rode their bikes to Tim's house- something Cole loves to do. It's about a twenty minute ride and the boys love it. Before they could leave, Cole made sure to put three of our Rock Band and Guitar Hero guitars in the truck. He said he wanted to have a "dance party". Fortunately, Tim had everything we needed for this dance party! The BBQ is the perfect excuse to test out the Vikings tailgating set-up. For those of you who haven't seen it, Troy and Tim's set up attracts many people and puts the need for a downtown bar down to shame. Cole did so well. He lasted five hours and behaved really well. It was the first time I can recall where Pat and I didn't have to take constant shifts watching Cole's every move. Cole played with all of his cousins. They played baseball, ran in the woods, rode toy 4-wheelers and rolled down the hill. Tim let Cole drive his lawn tractor and after dinner, he turned on the music. Cole ran and got the guitars and went to town. Cole and the cousins jammed to music. Some of them sang into the mic, a few played guitars and some chose to dance around. I think Cole's favorite was singing Hey Soul Sister and playing guitar to 21 Guns. It was a fun party and we were thrilled to see Cole have so much fun with Connor and his cousins. <br /><br />Personally I had a rewarding experience with my blog this week. I heard from a mom of an autistic child who reads it. She reached out to me after having a really tough day with her son. We emailed back and forth and traded experiences and insight. She was very complimentary to me and shared how helpful she finds my blog and how much she appreciates my advice. It was nice to help her and feel like someone else benefitted from my past experience. As I told her, we're all in this together. <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw9tUPLwKJ5iHMPzZtDXVFLbxQ_Oh4wQ5eespLLcEIc9ip6ewwGOfPfpap-sLmbkeSkotwnaFTcfqe7FWU25w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-25547855143502674192010-08-03T14:29:00.009-05:002010-08-13T16:11:18.455-05:00Summer Fun!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDujUp9NyxL1OrtEjMLHJoYRIbeXNMQBZU5mFRvNRYow-RKyvEMN5WdnVT_BHFlSq51GpYcT1A2uKJQf4l8w5nzujjpGjrxRNi9P-WQ_6_9kSupGvf67IjiRChDbVNj4q0ifZl6SNwtm1/s1600/with+Sean+on+raft.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDujUp9NyxL1OrtEjMLHJoYRIbeXNMQBZU5mFRvNRYow-RKyvEMN5WdnVT_BHFlSq51GpYcT1A2uKJQf4l8w5nzujjpGjrxRNi9P-WQ_6_9kSupGvf67IjiRChDbVNj4q0ifZl6SNwtm1/s320/with+Sean+on+raft.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505003184761912002" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-z9ILEXoNBjhN3BoMBMHAAV8xVmb0w9oCuVyk4xLGw444n0iiaddk0XbzoFkQ1Kf6rkrdRNJJs41qQW2nuy1IOoODYr0dbGYv2wQjdILY-ThpkWiMMMi2drTwPKMBpH6JstYymFEOg6P/s1600/bears.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL-z9ILEXoNBjhN3BoMBMHAAV8xVmb0w9oCuVyk4xLGw444n0iiaddk0XbzoFkQ1Kf6rkrdRNJJs41qQW2nuy1IOoODYr0dbGYv2wQjdILY-ThpkWiMMMi2drTwPKMBpH6JstYymFEOg6P/s320/bears.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505003173498829266" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhNF1kPc4QPzDW8VSIDjOP_34SpIDkLppk2O1iDkQ53_Bao5m1v5nqxD6QNHrfefzbXgtPJtD6LsgHe4zIu_xSDd94umXK7AkO1vfwhdsPMs3PE72OgPkKhw7ccM1tlV92-BY5DgDJw2z/s1600/4+wheel.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwhNF1kPc4QPzDW8VSIDjOP_34SpIDkLppk2O1iDkQ53_Bao5m1v5nqxD6QNHrfefzbXgtPJtD6LsgHe4zIu_xSDd94umXK7AkO1vfwhdsPMs3PE72OgPkKhw7ccM1tlV92-BY5DgDJw2z/s320/4+wheel.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505003162468417810" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwH3n6JWuUzTzfw3PkCqrIxPujsUO6NprDCodMjg96M3uKvZSlsquLlv2DE8lLwRXq2IzWLV5ACoRkCtkBBTSsFoQSrBqtbZswDFvqGwKa-1Ud7DcQvW-jYpPg1MhFzgGXnINcrlanyzj/s1600/_DSC6811.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwH3n6JWuUzTzfw3PkCqrIxPujsUO6NprDCodMjg96M3uKvZSlsquLlv2DE8lLwRXq2IzWLV5ACoRkCtkBBTSsFoQSrBqtbZswDFvqGwKa-1Ud7DcQvW-jYpPg1MhFzgGXnINcrlanyzj/s320/_DSC6811.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505003154862445714" /></a><br />The Cooney Cabin vacation that Cole has been looking forward to for months finally arrived. Early in July, we traveled up to Cabin O Pines in Orr. It was our first visit to COP, and we chose it since my brother, Brendan's, fiance's parents own it (whew, did you follow that?). Oh, and don't worry, I'll get to the fiance part later.<br /><br />We did our best to prepare Cole for what the new resort would be like, to let him know what days he would be there and who he would ride home with. We had a picture schedule and a social story for him. All in all, it went quite well. He loved COP. There was so much to do. He rode 4-wheelers, went on boat rides, scooter rides and bike rides. He played at the beach, swam out to the raft and even jumped off. At night, he played his Nintendo DS and the Wii. We also took Cole to the nearby Bear Sanctuary. Cole liked it, although his favorite part was riding the school bus from the parking lot to the sanctuary. It was fascinating, as we got to see many wild bears in their natural habitat. At times, the bears were ten feet from the elevated deck we were standing on. Cole also loved going on the boat at night to watch the fireworks. It was so much fun!! We ventured out to the bay with many other boats and watched a fantastic fireworks show. Cole thought it was the coolest thing ever.<br /><br />There were only a few times when Cole struggled. One day, it was sprinkling on and off. That did not sit well with Cole. He gets REALLY mad when Mother Nature interferes with his to-do list. Cole was a man on a mission and the rain did not fit into his plans. He got quite mad and acted out aggressively & vocally, off and on throughout the day. Luckily the rain didn't last too long and Cole's spirits lifted. The other time he got upset was on Monday night. Cole knew he was leaving on Wednesday and for some reason on Monday he thought it was Tuesday. He got very sad and kept saying, "Cole doesn't want to leave. I'm staying at the cabin. I'm not going home with Daddy." After a while, Cole finally said, "I don't want to leave tomorrow." Only then did I realize he had his days mixed up. I instantly told him that tomorrow was only Tuesday and his attitude turned on a dime. He lit up, as happy as could be, and said, 'I'm not leaving tomorrow. I get to stay!!". <br /><br />Tuesday turned out the be an awesome day at COP. My brother, Brendan, proposed to his girlfriend, Brittany. It was so fun to be a part of the celebration and share the experience with both of our families. Brendan proposed out on the boat in the evening. The guys were out fishing, so us ladies were the first to hear the news- with the exception of Brittany's parents, who Brendan talked to ahead of time. It was fun explaining to Cole that Brittany was now officially his Aunt and that she and Brendan would be getting married. After the men came in from fishing, Brittany's parents and a few close family friends from the resort joined us in our cabin for some celebratory champagne. We could not be happier for the two of them and we are really excited to see Brendan joining such an amazing family. We look forward to the wedding on August 27th of next year.<br /><br />Wednesday afternoon came and Cole helped Pat pack up the boat. After another fun day in the sun and on the trails, Cole was ready to leave and didn't resist when it came time to pack up and leave. He cooperated really well, said his goodbyes and had a fun time playing songs from his iTunes playlist the entire ride home. Sean and Pat are saints for listening to about eight songs over and over and over and over. <br /><br />The weeks following the cabin trip proved to be quite a struggle for Pat and I. Cole's schedule was really thrown off, some of our PCAs were on vacation and Cole had several new therapists at MAC. All together, it was a recipe for some challenging behavior. Cole pushed every boundary he could, had some moments of tough physical and vocal aggression and resisted the discipline we have in place for him. Just when we start to question why we bothered going on vacation and putting ourselves through the aftermath, Cole started to improve. He got back into routine and realized that just because he was stretching his boundaries didn't mean he would get away with it. <br /><br />One of these tough times came at the Aquatennial Fireworks. Cole has gone to the fireworks with Grandma and Grandpa Cooney for the past few years. He loves the show and behaves really well. This year, the fireworks show was on the day he got home from the respite house. Pat took the opportunity to go fishing. I decided I would join everyone else at the fireworks. Cole was very excited. We took two cars and he happily rode with Grandpa. We walked to the area where he's watched the show in years past. It was about ten minutes before the show was to start and Cole asked when he would see dad. I told him, "Dad is fishing, you'll see him later tonight." From that point on, Cole wanted to leave. He asked countless times and we all did our best to distract him and tell him it would only be a few more minutes until the fireworks. It wasn't good enough for Cole and his patience ran out. Suddenly, in front of hundreds of people, he started screaming, kicking me, punching me, scratching me, biting himself, etc. It was terrible. I take that back, it was beyond terrible. I had no choice but to leave; for Cole's safety and my own. So I told Connor we had to leave and off we went. My Dad followed us to the car; with Cole still upset and causing a scene. I felt really bad for Connor, even though he left without one ounce of pouting or complaining. It broke my heart to take him from the fireworks. Thankfully, my Dad stayed about 10 feet behind with Connor and I was able to get Cole in the car and leave without him wanting Connor. Connor got the watch the rest of the show and spend the night at Brendan and Brittany's house. We got in the car and Cole was instantly a brand new kid; happy as can be, singing Black Eyed Peas and playing his DS. Me, well... I can't say I felt the same. It was one of those times when I wanted to scream, "AUTISM SUCKS".<br /><br />Thankfully we've had a really good few weeks with Cole. He's been into taking long bike rides to see his aunt and uncles. He's gone to the beach and on many fun boat rides. This weekend we are taking him to Bunker Beach and next week we head to the water park hotel in Otsego. I'm sure many of you saw the video of Cole singing with Tim Mahoney at the MAC fundraiser picnic. Again, he surprised us all and went right up the microphone and started singing with the band. He bopped along and sang background vocals. It was priceless and one of those times that make the difficult days disappear from memory. We are blessed that Cole gives us many of those moments. It makes it much easier to stay focused on the positive, where our energy belongs.<br /><br />Enjoy the rest of your summer everyone!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-66151480220327442482010-06-28T15:13:00.006-05:002010-06-28T16:56:22.647-05:00A great start to the summer!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4I0Ht-2rXa0cOzqjlIEL4eWrz7-xQK-k_fvUb201li_xaRiYMglT-iP7qhYHpEg-x3Ya5AEy6yVcmY7wdfFDQRWRvtmMSGbzSisI0pd6Qwmz52Uz_irr7wOwgo1dr3ieQlfH-n_ki1XtH/s1600/DSCN2390.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4I0Ht-2rXa0cOzqjlIEL4eWrz7-xQK-k_fvUb201li_xaRiYMglT-iP7qhYHpEg-x3Ya5AEy6yVcmY7wdfFDQRWRvtmMSGbzSisI0pd6Qwmz52Uz_irr7wOwgo1dr3ieQlfH-n_ki1XtH/s320/DSCN2390.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487944559882180594" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgy-DTgM_Yx4LoTzG-vSYRrReTAbsmkVgZ5uNU6brgl-a1cEx3GUVU0mk4quBZaPENnDZpvjtVmBFiQBg-AIvIjPsfb3shsz1oDqUvW1XL6gN3sdAACPeixQErSl86KqE-dP2R8-T-UFul/s1600/IMG_1822.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgy-DTgM_Yx4LoTzG-vSYRrReTAbsmkVgZ5uNU6brgl-a1cEx3GUVU0mk4quBZaPENnDZpvjtVmBFiQBg-AIvIjPsfb3shsz1oDqUvW1XL6gN3sdAACPeixQErSl86KqE-dP2R8-T-UFul/s320/IMG_1822.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487944546666097474" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GaCgyZcRf7OL_fuoFzLJvtXpW74KEDLVsREq8J074UiMkkxFjAmWkUCmNkP-BZSlUMKXAtPR2eURpF7ArlK0nFyvt5NrBif95ITajsrvv2G8QpuUzQescCMuInaqfCjK4QIkueDUspG2/s1600/DSC_0348.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GaCgyZcRf7OL_fuoFzLJvtXpW74KEDLVsREq8J074UiMkkxFjAmWkUCmNkP-BZSlUMKXAtPR2eURpF7ArlK0nFyvt5NrBif95ITajsrvv2G8QpuUzQescCMuInaqfCjK4QIkueDUspG2/s320/DSC_0348.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487944540570350178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OR36v8F3QRdVESY6a-PKdCSW6LNuzylfnpxwYA45lJZhcdw0k7xQrNE6QoQG8oGmP-P-IBVUD-S_drsHnKrapkLI-78L-AfMvWDMZqouf0eAecy3xiSXIw_EIEwphHNMbxQCkpy_Uuq2/s1600/DSC_0199.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OR36v8F3QRdVESY6a-PKdCSW6LNuzylfnpxwYA45lJZhcdw0k7xQrNE6QoQG8oGmP-P-IBVUD-S_drsHnKrapkLI-78L-AfMvWDMZqouf0eAecy3xiSXIw_EIEwphHNMbxQCkpy_Uuq2/s320/DSC_0199.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487944531211181746" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBhQD_dtFMRSCevE3tvp1JVrcPiL7G297Ic17Zc37YRMTwz6kJyykGahMutQFahfO-M3wGOhMmEvTAwe_AV6fnkDkP9Jhm6QFGcOg9wRH5eNfz1xtFYE-enX0nwtwEVey46yeTOxiyNMS/s1600/_DSC6428.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBhQD_dtFMRSCevE3tvp1JVrcPiL7G297Ic17Zc37YRMTwz6kJyykGahMutQFahfO-M3wGOhMmEvTAwe_AV6fnkDkP9Jhm6QFGcOg9wRH5eNfz1xtFYE-enX0nwtwEVey46yeTOxiyNMS/s320/_DSC6428.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487944520456920258" /></a><br />You can tell it's summer by the fact that it's been nearly 2 months since I've posted last! It's been a pleasant spring and summer. I hope you've all been able to enjoy it to it's fullest.<div><br /></div><div>Cole's summer is off to a great start. The highlight so far was the trip we took to the Noble Family Farm in Austin, MN. We were so thankful to be invited to the farm from our close friend, Jason and his family. Running a farm would be Cole's dream job and to say he saw a slice of heaven in Austin is an understatement. </div><div><br /></div><div>The ride down was a little hairy. It was only a 2 hour drive, but Cole's excitement got the best of him. Well that, and the rain. He struggled in the truck and screamed for it to stop raining. He would ask, "where is the farm?" We would reply, "we'll be there in 40 minutes." Cole would reply, "No, 4 minutes." I wish it were that easy. We made it and Cole was SO excited once we got there. The rain let up a little and he was amazed at the farm. We played for a while, riding the tractors, mowing the lawn, buzzing around on the go kart and checking things out. Then it started to rain. Luckily we were planning on staying at a hotel with a pool. We loaded up the kids and headed to town. Cole was equally as excited about the hotel. It was his first time and he thought it was the coolest thing. He kept saying, "We'll sleep HERE tonight." "Connor, I'm going to sleep with Dad, you sleep with Mom." He took it all in and loved snuggling on the "new" bed. Soon Jason and his kids arrived. Everyone swam for a few hours. Cole did awesome. It was loud in the pool area and there were a lot of energetic kids. Cole played it cool and blended right in. After a while we looked up and the sun was shining. So off to the farm we went.</div><div><br /></div><div>It only got better from there. Cole mowed every blade of grass at the farm. He was in heaven and the constant smile on his face gave me goosebumps. He interacted with the kids and took turns on all of the fun things to do. He got to ride a dirt bike with Pat. It was so fun to see. Cole desperately wanted to drive it by himself, like Breyden, but he settled for Pat's help. Cole even got to ride in an old-fashioned tractor. It worked perfectly and the guys needed to use its scoop for some heavy lifting around the farm. Jason let Cole and the kids come up by him and ride it around the farm. Cole got to ride it a few times and it was just awesome!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally at 10:30 we decided it was time to go back to the hotel. We got ready for bed and all was quiet in the room. All of the sudden, I hear Cole whisper to Pat these exact words, "Dad, thank you for taking me to the farm." It was music to our ears. </div><div><br /></div><div>We enjoyed breakfast at Perkins the next morning and loaded up our stuff. We headed back to the farm for a few more hours of fun and then Cole was ready to go home. It was a HUGE success. Words can't express how thankful we are to the Noble Family for giving us this wonderful experience. Cole talks about Jason's kids and asks to go back to the farm every single day.</div><div><br /></div><div>OUR GETAWAY</div><div>Last year we started an annual tradition of taking Connor on a fishing trip up north. While Cole was at the respite house this year, Pat and I took Connor to Ely and Biwabik. We had a fantastic time. Connor caught his first walleye! He thoroughly enjoyed his one-on-one time with us. We played games, fished, swam, ate, explored, snuggled, hiked and did so many fun things. We even got to tour the Soudon Ore Mine. It was fascinating. After a 3 minute steel elevator ride down 1/2 mile+ into the ground, we learned so much of what it was like to be a miner and how they went about mining the ore. Connor loved the experience and took it all in. He loves learning about things like that and takes in all the details, just like Pat does. They are so similar in that way. Pat is full of tid bits of information about a wide array of things and I can tell Connor is going to be the same way. It was hard to see the time come to an end, but we have next year to look forward to. It's so important for Pat and I to give Connor time all his own. He makes so many concessions and there are numerous things we can't take part in as a family. We try hard to give him unique experiences and our un-divided attention. He deserves it.</div><div><br /></div><div>MIRACLE LEAGUE and PLAY NET</div><div>Cole took part in Miracle League baseball this year. It was another successful season. He enjoyed playing on Thursday nights and met a lot of new friends. This year was the first time he didn't hit off the tee. We were so proud of him. He was especially excited to have Connor's help in the field on the last night. He is so proud of his brother and loves him so much. I love seeing these kids play baseball, no matter what impairments they might have. The league brings priceless joy to these kids and we wouldn't miss it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cole is also taking part in a play in the park summer "camp". He goes every Monday and Wednesday for 2-1/2 hours. Staff from MAC meet him there and work with him on his social skills and other objectives of his programming. Cole has done wonderfully. He walks up to the staff and says, "Hi, my name is Cole" when it's time to check in. I don't stay and watch, but MAC staff have said he needs minimal assistance to learn the games and blends in very well with the </div><div>neuro-typical kids. Pretty soon we are going to let him bring Connor as his guest. That should be fun!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>TUBING, TUBING, TUBING!!!</div><div>Cole absolutely loves our new boat. Pat has taken him out countless times. Cole has learned how to turn on both motors, hook things up and steer the trolling motor. He even helps Pat back the boat in by copying me as I tell Pat how many feet he has left in the garage. We've also been able to take the boys tubing a few times. The first time we went with Brendan and Brittany. We had a blast. Just yesterday we took Cole's cousins, Brady and Cooper, on the boat. Cole was really excited! The three boys tubed for a long time, laughing and bouncing about. After that, we took them to the sandy lake shore and played in the water for a while. Cole loves to go fast and smiles constantly. The faster, the better for this first mate.</div><div><br /></div><div>HARLEY RIDE</div><div>This past week, Cole took his first ride of the summer on Grandpa Denny's Harley. Right after he got his helmet, he ran to Grandpa and said, "Grandpa I'm scared." I think he was more excited than anything. Grandpa took him around the block and back to the house. That wasn't enough for Cole, he wanted a longer ride. So off they went, two peas in a pod. Cole loved the motorcycle and wanted to go faster than Grandpa would allow. It's fun to see Cole experiencing such fun things. He lives life to the fullest, that's for sure.</div><div><br /></div><div>THURSDAY, JULY 1st</div><div>This day will be bittersweet for our family. It marks the six year anniversary of Cole's Autism diagnosis. When I think about it, the only sad thing about it is looking back to that particular day and how profoundly sad, scared and alone we felt. Our family has come a long way since then and we have so much to be proud of. </div><div><br /></div><div>That night will be special for Cole. It will be his first experience at the new Target Field. A former co-worker of mine generously donated four tickets to our family. Cole is super-excited! He woke up this morning and said, "Mom, Thursday is July. I'll go to the city." He also says he's going to have a "fancy dinner in the city". I'm not sure how pizza and ice cream at the ball park qualify, but we'll take it. We are looking forward to this momentous occasion and hope it turns out to be a rewarding reflection on just how far Cole has come.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-45156155581929844192010-05-01T15:43:00.008-05:002010-05-01T16:40:26.896-05:00May is for Mother's Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Dx_i8mQKZgNCBhyphenhyphen_Tuss_fc-TuOcdqaGOEoEJqquMuU3-4OslSn-CTztYpbmBjKq25H_Rl24H2jS-gbhM-dGb92V-uc_J2cD8rodVkJEjjaBhEYkGBRkPI2ZuM8nfQn500Myl08fOYC4/s1600/kids.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Dx_i8mQKZgNCBhyphenhyphen_Tuss_fc-TuOcdqaGOEoEJqquMuU3-4OslSn-CTztYpbmBjKq25H_Rl24H2jS-gbhM-dGb92V-uc_J2cD8rodVkJEjjaBhEYkGBRkPI2ZuM8nfQn500Myl08fOYC4/s320/kids.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466417002781811842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWrCm7kYad1hlHwKI1_KiZNL37k9DOuebUS3heAXxWOu-I4xIuNIG7zGF5_5-A_ZHBMhvfq75TwKMEFMVgN7SmbMR9enEhScdncroz5GxgYWvpdAU9Xw0i0ywc2vOlMBvQZ6OsOQRcaXP/s1600/rock+band.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWrCm7kYad1hlHwKI1_KiZNL37k9DOuebUS3heAXxWOu-I4xIuNIG7zGF5_5-A_ZHBMhvfq75TwKMEFMVgN7SmbMR9enEhScdncroz5GxgYWvpdAU9Xw0i0ywc2vOlMBvQZ6OsOQRcaXP/s320/rock+band.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466416996788131218" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgz0rttUtvN2f0ZeoXxUOEEquU7ujyLmHIA8X4OY2QofFLVkUfEvJ4rZdhcZ8aV2JKn-ar_3NWlEDdgJEm41YGh-SF4Drk6bQT-jKBZD_YW1N3N22-XFfafOx3yCAOutSWhFQdRmDZoWVy/s1600/garbage.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgz0rttUtvN2f0ZeoXxUOEEquU7ujyLmHIA8X4OY2QofFLVkUfEvJ4rZdhcZ8aV2JKn-ar_3NWlEDdgJEm41YGh-SF4Drk6bQT-jKBZD_YW1N3N22-XFfafOx3yCAOutSWhFQdRmDZoWVy/s320/garbage.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466416986112736754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMPC4QncxhKX5mNe4b30cZlvyBqjmZZRkJHKhyphenhyphenB-IqBbkTZYnEdBtyBX03gEyVylL-qCuQLLE4XnTBgfmSQ_vx87xfWNExC8Uk8A2y53Xq-GhJZXbWi9JggbvrXBL5jpKgqYkFJ1auAgA/s1600/con+cast.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQMPC4QncxhKX5mNe4b30cZlvyBqjmZZRkJHKhyphenhyphenB-IqBbkTZYnEdBtyBX03gEyVylL-qCuQLLE4XnTBgfmSQ_vx87xfWNExC8Uk8A2y53Xq-GhJZXbWi9JggbvrXBL5jpKgqYkFJ1auAgA/s320/con+cast.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466416977414536834" /></a><br />Wow, it's May already. Although the weather we've been having makes it feel like it's May, in reality, it just doesn't seem possible. Connor told me this week he only has five weeks left of school. There is no way my baby can be almost done with 1st grade. I saw an old friend this week and he asked if Pat still had his job selling highway advertising signs. I can barely remember when he worked there. It was nearly ten years ago when I was pregnant with Cole... that makes me realize just how fast time is passing by. In a few short months, it will be six years since Cole's Autism diagnosis. So much in our lives has happened, so much has changed, goals are becoming reality, visions of the future are suddenly the present. <div><br /></div><div>I always wanted to be a mom. I knew I would love it. And it is by far the most rewarding, enjoyable and important job I've ever had. Connor made my day this week when he told my Mom that I do such a good job because I've had "lots of mommy training classes". It will be fun when Connor realizes years from now that children don't come with any kind of handbook. His comment got me thinking about how and why I parent the way I do. It was easy. I've had an incredible "mommy trainer". My mom did an outstanding job raising her children. She worked outside the home, always had dinner for us (even if she wasn't going to be home), our home was clean, she seldom missed any of our sporting events and even though she was crazy busy, it felt to me like she was a stay at home mom. She was full of good advice and loved each of us four kids unconditionally. Even now, I can count on her no matter what. Most of the time, she offers her help before the words come out of my mouth. She understands and praises the hard work I'm doing as a mom and tells me I'm doing a good job. I feel like she loves my children as they were her own and she's always listens to the countless "proud mommy stories" I share with her. I'm so fortunate to have such a wonderful mother and "mommy trainer". </div><div><br /></div><div>Cheers and Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms out there, who wake up each day and give all they have to make the lives of their children as pleasant and love-filled as they possibly can. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now for an update on one of my scariest mommy moments. As many of you know, Connor broke his arm in two places on Easter morning. He had surgery on it almost two weeks ago. The doctor made an incision and placed two pins to hold the bone in place. Connor got his permanent cast on Monday and the xray showed everything is healing well. We go back a week from Monday to possibly get the cast off and pins removed. Connor has been wonderful throughout the ordeal and hasn't complained one bit. He's very excited to get back to gymnastics and join his baseball team. As you can imagine, Connor has managed to have a lot of fun regardless. There isn't much that slows him down.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had friends in town last weekend from Sioux Falls, SD. Our friends came to visit with their two children. We prepared Cole as well as we could, but we just didn't know what to expect. The last time they were here (about 3-4 years ago), Cole got so worked up we had to call my parents and bring him there for the remainder of the weekend. This time, we did have a back up plan in case things didn't go well, but we didn't need it! Cole loved having our friends here. He talked with all of them and played with the kids throughout the weekend. The kids even put on a mini-Prom in the basement. Cole loved watching Pat and I dance in the basement and had a blast playing Rock Band with everyone afterward. Everything went so smooth and Cole was happy the entire time. You'll see the pictures I posted and how happy Cole was. The best part came when Jim said goodbye to Cole. Cole looked at him and said (without prompting), "You can come back any time". We were so proud of him. Cole has been talking about the Rysavy's every day. He wanted them to come back this weekend. It's a good thing they are coming in July so he has that to look forward to! </div><div><br /></div><div>Cole has been doing a lot of testing with our school district. He is being evaluated by a team of specialists to determine where the best fit is for him. The past three testing sessions have gone so well. All evaluators said he worked very hard and stayed on task. In talking with them, it seems Cole cooperated very well and they were able to get the information they needed. The only glitch we had was last Thursday. I was about to take Cole up to McKinley for testing, when Cole heard the garbage truck. He LOVES the garbage truck and seldom gets to see it. I tried to get Cole to leave, but I just couldn't make him get in the truck. He was so excited to see the garbage man and I wasn't going to burst his bubble. I called the school to let them know we would be late and we waited for a half hour until the garbage man made it through the entire neighborhood and finally arrived at our house. Cole jumped up and down and waved in excitement. It was well worth it. </div><div><br /></div><div>He is making progress every day. His speech is blossoming and his behavior is very manageable. Pat was in Toronto last week for work and I can honestly say it did not give me one ounce of stress. It has taken A LOT of time and hard work to get to this point, but we are here and it feels wonderful. What a wonderful mommy moment. Then again, I have many wonderful mommy moments. And I look forward to countless more.</div><div><br /></div><div>HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-47686272961293639272010-04-14T19:41:00.003-05:002010-04-14T22:36:18.894-05:00Lots going on!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwxVsFNyo3OtWOQEQyv2CfYZne-Rj8L5uOPZBG-P8X1RDvttV_dfGgfaeDIECHWeQUZ3j97WimtNPwdwT9vQc0S2GyHi9NVPXd7YKmdrYmmvW5IpchfXwTWcitj16cMiOAPwe6sZgmBTW/s1600/pump+kids.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwxVsFNyo3OtWOQEQyv2CfYZne-Rj8L5uOPZBG-P8X1RDvttV_dfGgfaeDIECHWeQUZ3j97WimtNPwdwT9vQc0S2GyHi9NVPXd7YKmdrYmmvW5IpchfXwTWcitj16cMiOAPwe6sZgmBTW/s320/pump+kids.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460201871575697074" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ApTkab1TiYX-sPKRT4ULGTh9im0P7rRBBdIXO3vKOhKYAEvuACaOoKGA-WQ6sTWRskOox7sIPhGlqNfjkbIlPcw8Al10A9-4XTUWWAzb4S8G8TieDWnKJoPqIOaleUE6UVY8SKb9rbER/s1600/ixtapa.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ApTkab1TiYX-sPKRT4ULGTh9im0P7rRBBdIXO3vKOhKYAEvuACaOoKGA-WQ6sTWRskOox7sIPhGlqNfjkbIlPcw8Al10A9-4XTUWWAzb4S8G8TieDWnKJoPqIOaleUE6UVY8SKb9rbER/s320/ixtapa.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460201869075503858" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0BXXiI2HwrGQvzynqZFMvJT3uynl4DqR_MoGoPohphoal-E5I9dLmKKMfNpDC3wpoSo2d5weyb1pg5ASQlvPOqZDBdVLJO-IbuBZbdsyQcpMKvO46-szFFfJtSjhw4iou0SDGCYghGec/s1600/cast.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn0BXXiI2HwrGQvzynqZFMvJT3uynl4DqR_MoGoPohphoal-E5I9dLmKKMfNpDC3wpoSo2d5weyb1pg5ASQlvPOqZDBdVLJO-IbuBZbdsyQcpMKvO46-szFFfJtSjhw4iou0SDGCYghGec/s320/cast.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460201858891927442" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtaUZFXJdYzq5y2c_aRZ1zzdtX9yyOMo76jiIld5mouDduN-OjYxI6qeEO9OfomyQKv-56kjKd0uJJUiwnuSh0nA5LXpKZmwqqSQPPkE_2BrviKhbByczZBGv4qbNObdGAqMBH8vK-kPc/s1600/boat.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtaUZFXJdYzq5y2c_aRZ1zzdtX9yyOMo76jiIld5mouDduN-OjYxI6qeEO9OfomyQKv-56kjKd0uJJUiwnuSh0nA5LXpKZmwqqSQPPkE_2BrviKhbByczZBGv4qbNObdGAqMBH8vK-kPc/s320/boat.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460201855219507874" /></a><br />It's been a crazy few weeks for the Schusted household! I'll start back almost a month ago...<div><br /></div><div>Pat and I enjoyed a wonderful time in Ixtapa. It was our sixth time there and we were fortunate to have my parents and six neighbor friends there with us for three of the seven days. Once again, Pat got to deep sea fish with my Dad and Santos. They had a successful day on the water and both caught a lot of fish. We had a fun time at the Emporio Pool with our neighbor friends. We are all so busy with our families, that it was nice to get quality time together. We spent the last four days of our vacation lounging around by the pool, taking in loads of sunshine and relaxing. The weather was perfect the entire week and we had countless delicious meals, as usual. </div><div><br /></div><div>The boys did quite well while we were gone. Cole came to pick us up at the airport with Grandpa Denny. He was so excited. Once he saw us and we left the airport, all of his emotions from the past week came rushing out. He cried, got angry and wanted "The Penguin Game". Cole was really out of sorts and it was pretty hard on us. We stopped at Target to look for the game; not having any idea what it was, a board game, a Nintendo game, a book, a movie?!? Even with the help of a Target employee, we could not locate the game. Cole was really mad. Pat had to carry him out of the store kicking and screaming. Luckily, once we picked up Connor and stopped to get ice cream, Cole settled down and life returned to normal. We've come to expect this from Cole. He does an amazing job while we're gone, but when we get home, he wants us to know it was not easy for him. </div><div><br /></div><div>Pat was able to search around the internet and find The Penguin Game. We ordered it from Amazon and had it delivered the next day, to Cole's surprise. He was thrilled and thankfully, the episode on the way home from the airport was all the rough behavior he had after we got home. </div><div><br /></div><div>We came home to incredible spring weather. As you all know, Mother Nature has blessed us this spring. Cole has been able to spend a lot of time outside, doing the things he loves most: riding the tractor, using the tiller, raking, riding his bike, etc. We've had so much fun with him and his mood has been really upbeat. </div><div><br /></div><div>The thing Cole has been most excited about is our new boat. We traded in the 16' Alumacraft in March and got a 20' Crestliner. Cole has been sitting in it while it has been parked in our garage. He's claimed his spot in the passenger side comfy captains chair. He loves to open and close the windshield and look in all the compartments. When he saw the motor, he told Pat, "Daddy the motor is HUGE!". As soon as the ice went out on Coon Lake we were there. Cole was beyond excited. He was moving his hands and the smile on his face went from ear to ear. I let him sit in the big chair and he loved it. We went really fast and he couldn't get enough of it. Needless to say, we've been out on the boat at least four times since, in fact, he and Pat are taking Tim, Max and Zack on a ride as I write this! We are so glad to have this boat. We spent a lot of time boating and letting the boys swim at the lake. Our old boat didn't have enough room for us to move around and now we have plenty of space and a big motor to push us around the lake. Soon it will be time for tube rides!</div><div><br /></div><div>Shortly after we got back from vacation, Cole went to his cousin Max's birthday party. It was at Pump It Up with about 15 other kids. We were not sure how Cole would react to this, but we tried it anyway. It went so well. We got there after Cole's swim lesson, so we missed some of the play time. At first, Cole was unhappy about this, but we asked the staff to open the play area and Cole was able to spend some time jumping around. Soon he joined the big group for cake and the birthday song. It was so fun to see him get excited and mingling with the kids. He sat amongst them like any other child and sang the birthday song. A few years ago we would not have attempted this, so to see it be successful was a proud moment for us. </div><div><br /></div><div>On Easter morning, the bunny threw us a curve ball. Connor fell off a plastic table as he was getting off our trampoline. He broke two bones in his arm. It took me a few minutes to realize what happened and when it did, chaos broke loose. Pat had to run to get Cole and I immediately packed up Connor and brought him to the ER. My Dad met me there and stayed until Pat arrived. Poor Connor did a number on his arm. He broke both the radius and ulna and he broke them bad. He was put under at the ER so the doctor could reset his bones. He was SO brave. We went to the specialist on Monday and his initial thought was that even though the bone was attached "by a thread", it would heal together and be strong enough for a full recovery. He left Connor in a splint/temporary cast for a week and had us come back in this Monday. Connor and I went in and they put a permanent cast on. After that, they did another xray and determined the bones were not lining up properly. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately Connor would need surgery the following day. So yesterday we took him to Mercy Hospital for surgery. Dr Pittman put made an incision and put two pins into Connor's bone to hold them in place. Connor did really well. He was scared and crying when he woke up from the surgery, but slowly the medications wore off and he was more like his old self. He has been taking pain medication and slowly things are getting better. We go back to see Dr Pittman on Monday and hope things still look good. If all looks good on Monday, the plan is to put the permanent cast on the following week. It has been an eventful 10 days for our family. Luckily Cole was at the respite house from Sat - Wed, so we were able to care for Connor without any interruptions. It's funny how things work out sometimes.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is so much more I could write about and I wish I wasn't so far behind on my blog. Sometimes life just gets in the way. I did get an email this week from a woman I've never met. She has been following my blog and asked for insight on a few things regarding her Autistic son. It was so nice to hear from her and more importantly to share our experience and hopefully have a positive impact on their journey.</div><div><br /></div><div>HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-21197287740399743432010-03-15T21:39:00.004-05:002010-03-15T22:14:04.349-05:00My little daredevil<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoszLgn-U-gR1SpE5KXrgA0cRimjhyxBhwfVgEcE9yA2xtAFpflKZE-90axpsbBfNIB8gCKJ0jFnfeI_mSWadKgPTi7WGXy211k6V1kC08Y5OvSz9I41Ajac-c6NfeHM_B2u49RZ9VG6sr/s1600-h/MOA2.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoszLgn-U-gR1SpE5KXrgA0cRimjhyxBhwfVgEcE9yA2xtAFpflKZE-90axpsbBfNIB8gCKJ0jFnfeI_mSWadKgPTi7WGXy211k6V1kC08Y5OvSz9I41Ajac-c6NfeHM_B2u49RZ9VG6sr/s320/MOA2.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449062583318334498" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFgy5cfx-GViRQDgfiJR-71gKGH8QNr8K9H12RPdS_iMko4fDbP8zqv7T4hQ1cGtKhkrOFXP6SWCWOI62Y_7NBglF9-SPnjG_Smtz0O2MiBW05zxUVsLvJxVzKAczhfls2Hs4WexZoiJB/s1600-h/MOA1.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihFgy5cfx-GViRQDgfiJR-71gKGH8QNr8K9H12RPdS_iMko4fDbP8zqv7T4hQ1cGtKhkrOFXP6SWCWOI62Y_7NBglF9-SPnjG_Smtz0O2MiBW05zxUVsLvJxVzKAczhfls2Hs4WexZoiJB/s320/MOA1.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449062573913211090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7Oxb16EAn21VBBgA0FzkNSdmlK8fzx_T4Bc9sUCKU17UEIFtIq2H2UClcHLIT3t-u2RWDCkT7wQ7vQnFIttW2Bk68s4cuafvAqMZYpoEbGYn34s4L4p419IdE1-WE0BlnSPjt7nsGAEG/s1600-h/dentist.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7Oxb16EAn21VBBgA0FzkNSdmlK8fzx_T4Bc9sUCKU17UEIFtIq2H2UClcHLIT3t-u2RWDCkT7wQ7vQnFIttW2Bk68s4cuafvAqMZYpoEbGYn34s4L4p419IdE1-WE0BlnSPjt7nsGAEG/s320/dentist.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449062561014772946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTR77E76sTGyR51OJMzkdleCNKJfZBfGEMAfjRvzuBa15mKZFNgmaYkmkkbjVlHmHZ9_3HAirODpRcGeOgcFIRzLitDmKPjTRcjHAJBjXdfi_u2BVNFkvXQTFDMj_OqDwK4_qHxB0c0mP/s1600-h/all+smiles.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTR77E76sTGyR51OJMzkdleCNKJfZBfGEMAfjRvzuBa15mKZFNgmaYkmkkbjVlHmHZ9_3HAirODpRcGeOgcFIRzLitDmKPjTRcjHAJBjXdfi_u2BVNFkvXQTFDMj_OqDwK4_qHxB0c0mP/s320/all+smiles.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449062547112936178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_1lXOyEUClvFUEE0muNMM96f6Pm3zDOkihZhNGZhsNHA4iWkL2CPqgUAO5Xgyny3Ja3v0kNSUBdkfVezCMTLKoysr3kjMhuqpe-0Nvb6q6hWEzLjmXIK9SlXZMEVhyphenhyphenrqfgH3xy-eVxfr/s1600-h/dentist+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl_1lXOyEUClvFUEE0muNMM96f6Pm3zDOkihZhNGZhsNHA4iWkL2CPqgUAO5Xgyny3Ja3v0kNSUBdkfVezCMTLKoysr3kjMhuqpe-0Nvb6q6hWEzLjmXIK9SlXZMEVhyphenhyphenrqfgH3xy-eVxfr/s320/dentist+1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5449062541410332578" /></a><br />Cole had quite an exciting Wednesday last week. The morning started off with a visit to the dentist. Part of me can't believe I'm actually typing this, but Cole had been looking forward to this appointment for months. <div><br /></div><div>For those who don't know, the dentist and dental hygiene have been one of our most challenging things with Cole. It is hard to put the intensity of his dental fear into words. We have tried medications, picture schedules, Velcroe body jackets, books, etc. to get Cole comfortable with the dentist. It got so bad that we couldn't drive down the road that lead to our former dentist and the last time we got Cole into the building, he was so full of anxiety that he smashed his head into the inner brick walls of the building. We lost all hope until we got the recommendation of Dr King. </div><div><br /></div><div>Dr King is a wonder-worker. Actually, the bulk of the credit should go to his amazing hygienist, Marlene. Wednesday was our third visit with Dr King. The first time, Cole went to the office and just looked around. He took a ride in the chair and that was it. At that time, the decision was made to put Cole under general anesthetic to clean his teeth and do any necessary work. The second time we visited Dr King's office, Cole got to perform a teeth cleaning on a teddy bear. He loved it and even sat in the chair himself. He let Marlene count his teeth and "polish" his two front teeth with her special tool. Dr King also got a quick exam in. </div><div><br /></div><div>This time around, Cole was super excited. He could not wait to work on the bear and turn up the music in Marlene's special room. When it was Cole's turn, he sat right down and Marlene went to work. He let her clean, polish and floss all of his teeth. We had to take a few breaks, but he made it. When Dr King came in, he let him examine his teeth. The only time Cole had anxiety was when it was time to paint his teeth with fluoride. He didn't like it at all and we had to restrain him slightly. It stressed him out, but in the end he survived and had white shiny teeth to prove it! When I think back to our troubles related to this, I'm amazed at the tolerance and progress Cole has shown. The true test will be in September when he knows what he's in for. He's already told me, "only bear in September, not Cole". Something tells me he will do just fine.</div><div><br /></div><div>That night, we rewarded Cole by taking him to Nick Universe at the Mall of America. Cole was beyond excited and so happy to have his family there with him. He, Pat and Connor went on almost every ride. It was so much fun to see Cole leading us around the park. He knew where everything was; from the Gatorade machine to the ferris wheel entrance and the mini golf course to Dairy Queen. It was like we had our own tour guide. The boys had a great time and I was amazed at how much they loved the "crazy" rides!! We would take Cole there a lot if it weren't so darn expensive- although it's worth it to see the grin on his face.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tonight we told Cole about our upcoming vacation. Pat and I will be leaving Thursday for Ixtapa. It will be our 6th year in a row. We are incredibly blessed to have wonderful family members who help with the boys while we are gone. They understand how important this break is for us and just how much we need a reprieve from our often hectic home life. Cole was quite sad when he glanced at his picture schedule. He crumpled it up and said, "Mommy and Daddy aren't going on vacation. They are not going on a plane." Tears came to his eyes and he was truly sad. Slowly, as the night wore on and after slamming a few doors, Cole came to grips with the situation and appears to be ok. As much as he adores his grandparents, this coming week will be hard for him. He'll miss us as much as we miss him. Keep him in your prayers.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-502632245829319312010-03-02T13:22:00.004-06:002010-03-02T14:04:43.427-06:00SURPRISE!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuigvzVlPlBlqDSXYYCvpKbIBrICvxORzPd2_H_0VikLZ08U3prs7p2Pon2taXLYD6jV8o4PLa19t9bZIsSIoArPzBTu9WsCXCD147BNoam1cOgRgHjOE4pVdtDKeZV85WRagqQ7TRQd3/s1600-h/snuggle.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuigvzVlPlBlqDSXYYCvpKbIBrICvxORzPd2_H_0VikLZ08U3prs7p2Pon2taXLYD6jV8o4PLa19t9bZIsSIoArPzBTu9WsCXCD147BNoam1cOgRgHjOE4pVdtDKeZV85WRagqQ7TRQd3/s320/snuggle.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444127783806404418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIcNKg81Ql_MxYQoRuFOflmYW7I4yJNLJMjAZSOZC8uVeqKKazlpPhrox7Rbp6aoHP_rH04_YTUwa_nCvcje7HV7E7dxIhA-DIldEWBBs7U6UAq2_lghrw73PwgguYdUBuMwMHCXr7uEI/s1600-h/cousins.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQIcNKg81Ql_MxYQoRuFOflmYW7I4yJNLJMjAZSOZC8uVeqKKazlpPhrox7Rbp6aoHP_rH04_YTUwa_nCvcje7HV7E7dxIhA-DIldEWBBs7U6UAq2_lghrw73PwgguYdUBuMwMHCXr7uEI/s320/cousins.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444127775976495442" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovkDhZi6tJx7ntT9QwRLL7kaZWyHgYdGxgVucfiYQ27guPbbgFBQHNRJeb5lNqIJ9OiKXxPkN6Mtiw2o2AebiRvfZYw8m0VhJARAKP_fUqE8UZ1-sdj8fO9weUH-iNKLTOFw23Hrdqnk_/s1600-h/boys+skate.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovkDhZi6tJx7ntT9QwRLL7kaZWyHgYdGxgVucfiYQ27guPbbgFBQHNRJeb5lNqIJ9OiKXxPkN6Mtiw2o2AebiRvfZYw8m0VhJARAKP_fUqE8UZ1-sdj8fO9weUH-iNKLTOFw23Hrdqnk_/s320/boys+skate.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444127765999140930" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1BgcUee1ZypzmL_lK6pZEMACySRGU3rv8sNtNcye83MvStVpwVy7lBACBYx3n1N69lqHKNZ3ZrHfubH3EQcejkLW6KIdANQV1Y1q1hBXlCdWMaAoI_Hz9lqIvvF4nA-F6f0QHvpTxrW9/s1600-h/candles.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 281px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1BgcUee1ZypzmL_lK6pZEMACySRGU3rv8sNtNcye83MvStVpwVy7lBACBYx3n1N69lqHKNZ3ZrHfubH3EQcejkLW6KIdANQV1Y1q1hBXlCdWMaAoI_Hz9lqIvvF4nA-F6f0QHvpTxrW9/s320/candles.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5444127757512708962" /></a><br />We have had so much fun with Cole over the past few weeks. He's been in a great mood and now that we've gotten over the hump with the increased difficulty of his stand up, sit downs, things have been going well with him. He is talking in more complete sentences and keeps surprising us with his progress. He shows us so much love and affection. We know he adores us and his brother, Connor. The two boys are the perfect match for one another. Cole has such strong admiration for Connor. He looks up to him and wants to be a lot like him. Connor is truly amazing with Cole. I wish there is a way I could give him the credit he deserves. Connor is mature far beyond his years and the intuition, empathy and compassion he shows for Cole inspire me. It's so wonderful to see Connor enjoy Cole's increased play skills. There are so many more age-appropriate activities they play together. They are great pals and have so much fun playing the Wii, sledding, playing games, wrestling, skating and doing homework together. The other day Connor said to me as the boys were playing at the table, "Mom, I just love Cole's smile. See, there it is again." I mean seriously, how many brothers say that about one another. And this happens nearly every day with Connor. He has the most positive, supportive attitude when it comes to Cole and his Autism. It's amazing... he's amazing.<div><br /><div>Cole turned nine on February 28th. I can't believe I have a nine-year-old. It seems like just yesterday when we were putting together his nursery and here he is wearing size 10 jeans and weighing over 70 pounds. Our journey with Cole hasn't been exactly what we signed up for. Someone said to me this past week, "it's like planning a trip to Italy but when you land, you are in Russia." It's still a wonderful trip, but it's not what you planned. In our case, we did spend close to 3 years in Italy and then one day, our tour guide said, "You thought you were in Rome? You guys have been in Moscow for three years. Does that explain why some things haven't made sense?"</div><div><br /></div><div>We hosted a surprise party for Cole on Saturday. He had absolutely no idea. It was the day before his actual birthday, so he wasn't expecting a party that day, nor had he asked about one. We had all of our immediate family over and waited anxiously for his PCA, Alli, to drop him off. We crowded into the living room, hidden from sight. Everyone, even seven little kids, kept very quiet as Cole came home. He walked up the stairs and everyone yelled, "SURPRISE!!!!". Cole's reaction was priceless. He covered his ears and looked very shy and excited at the same time. He kept saying, "Wow... wow. It's a surprise party for me!" He took time to process what was going on. Cole would walk into his room and talk to himself about what was happening and then he would come out and show his excitement to the crowd. This process took about five minutes. He had so much fun and was so proud to turn nine. </div><div><br /></div><div>We also had a lot of fun at hockey this week. Cole had practice on Sunday. He was so happy to have Connor skating with him. Connor did an outstanding job leading Cole through practice and the drills. It brought us so much joy to see them skating together. Cole is so athletically gifted and to see him skate so well after 6-7 times on the ice is impressive. Sadly the hockey season comes to an end next week. I'm in the process of signing him up for Special Olympics. I just need to decide which of the spring sports suits him best. In a few months, he'll also start Miracle League baseball and just this past weekend, the boys started an adaptive bowling league together as well. You can check out a neat video of Cole and Connor skating together at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-B2_Nfz1T0</div><div><br /></div><div>We are looking forward to this weekend. Cole will have his first "friend birthday party". We invited 10 kids to come celebrate at the bowling alley with Cole. I can't wait to see his reaction and to see the joy on his face. He might not have a lot of friends, but the ones he does have are kids he cares for very deeply. We are blessed to have some very special cousins and friends in Cole's life.</div><div><br /></div><div>Life is full of surprises. Whether you land in Germany when you thought you were headed for Peru or if a crowd of adoring people shout "surprise" to you, embrace life and all the unexpected blessings. We have been on quite a detour for the past six years and there have been countless things to be thankful for along the way. And yes, we'll get to Italy some day but for now Russia is where we need to be.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dw_1F67PfjnzqKFkNe2Iv-ADd7bQeUNaPi8Rx1cyCxt7roEI7gB-RAhiMEQ9DR5xbRTxk4whKGtpY9C5FI79g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-76364979488621003922010-02-07T22:12:00.004-06:002010-02-07T22:47:51.180-06:00Look what I can do!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGIwex7sXLEvL6Xj2HfjL-dbzLTiK4tTckgtPD1NeUh59pYX_fV7bqBzl8v2lRr3SZ8M5ds2yCDJ78bQsPasqYUuEWhLJS8bqEXDou5hyphenhyphenjOcYMwC1ubS2TtnP2PEWuNrLCa4z5HDnBLH_/s1600-h/cole+helmet.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPGIwex7sXLEvL6Xj2HfjL-dbzLTiK4tTckgtPD1NeUh59pYX_fV7bqBzl8v2lRr3SZ8M5ds2yCDJ78bQsPasqYUuEWhLJS8bqEXDou5hyphenhyphenjOcYMwC1ubS2TtnP2PEWuNrLCa4z5HDnBLH_/s320/cole+helmet.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435728588973802434" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyFdpwe3iSgD6CNfZQqc38g7HOurA4TCMKiHx_kn3-C9nSmdX0CHOCfj9oXmHxP2mbnC5YRo9sjZfkYg8YN6PSfZ3jWmY7UkrMegjmefWrJYwZtL26QsudjeE6YfDZPSAgk_PpAVI_-ac/s1600-h/cole+with+team.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnyFdpwe3iSgD6CNfZQqc38g7HOurA4TCMKiHx_kn3-C9nSmdX0CHOCfj9oXmHxP2mbnC5YRo9sjZfkYg8YN6PSfZ3jWmY7UkrMegjmefWrJYwZtL26QsudjeE6YfDZPSAgk_PpAVI_-ac/s320/cole+with+team.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435728585851973522" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWs7hkigFtV7ai6MalT-o3Q7ih-bV9qzGX1fuT5oAqvJz0KRhdcfxjEJDc164m8av5C-m9GTyqbkzILQ3LNOLDCB3MMRFdSL9euTaDUK2bCxlyKIrsegb2Mvu8mW36NdIpzTr_3BZo0ca/s1600-h/bday.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWs7hkigFtV7ai6MalT-o3Q7ih-bV9qzGX1fuT5oAqvJz0KRhdcfxjEJDc164m8av5C-m9GTyqbkzILQ3LNOLDCB3MMRFdSL9euTaDUK2bCxlyKIrsegb2Mvu8mW36NdIpzTr_3BZo0ca/s320/bday.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435728580374785042" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9HJe2NuUJ24ahCep8NmXeR2vq9HGqv1N_PcZhVg82TJF5GojnZIHffrUoFq5906WZstGSB4FT795RRfiHP7f7qVDQqf9v0eD14bpnARwJNYK8IzMOrgSm252sDgubjt2gyV_0a2ulo6w/s1600-h/game.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9HJe2NuUJ24ahCep8NmXeR2vq9HGqv1N_PcZhVg82TJF5GojnZIHffrUoFq5906WZstGSB4FT795RRfiHP7f7qVDQqf9v0eD14bpnARwJNYK8IzMOrgSm252sDgubjt2gyV_0a2ulo6w/s320/game.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435728574505387010" /></a><br />As the mom of a special needs child, I often need to remind myself of that reality. I see Cole as the little boy I adore and often look past his numerous challenges. I have to stop and tell myself that Cole has special needs. Yes, we live it every single day but at the end of the day, Cole is our son and the only thing that matters is our deep love for him. <div><br /></div><div>I do admit, however, there are times when I assume there are things he can not do. And most often, Cole is able to prove me wrong. I try to "let out the rope" and give Cole the independence and opportunity to do the things boys his age do. Many times I find myself overly cautious and concerned for his safely and well-being. </div><div><br /></div><div>A few years ago, an old school friend suggested we have Cole play in the special hockey league at Schwan's Super Rink. I quickly dismissed it. I couldn't imagine Cole learning to skate, let alone wearing the necessary equipment. Last year, Connor got skates for Christmas and began skating himself. Cole took interest to it and this year, we decided to give it a try. So every Sunday at 4:20, our family heads off to the Super Rink for MN Special Hockey. It has been the best experience. Cole LOVES putting on the pads and equipment. He has his own jersey (#19) and he loves going to see Coach Chris and his hockey friends. One week there is practice and the next is a game. It is so fun to see Cole skate around the rink. He skates really well and loves to go fast and slide on the ice. He's also known to shoot on his own goalie... oh well! It's so nice to have a safe environment for Cole and young adults with disabilities. Cole loves that we are there for him and he's made us very aware of that. It really made me stop and think. He wants affirmation and a sense of belonging just like we do. And it's our job to provide that for him. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cole is also learning some age-appropriate play skills. He's been playing his favorite game, Guess Who, with us. It's a game where he has to ask questions about our secret person to determine who our person is. He does an amazing job asking questions correctly and asking questions that allow him to use his deductive reasoning. He has beat me fair and square countless times. It's fun because Connor loves to play as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>We also had a close friend give a used Nintendo DS to Cole. He was so excited and with a little help from Connor, he figured out how to use it and now plays Mario Kart on the DS. It will be so nice to bring with us when we are out and about. The other day we brought Cole to Connor's hockey game. Cole got a little antsy, so we let him play the DS. It was nice to have something fun for him to do while watching the game. It also helps him sit still (and safe) in the truck. Thanks so much Mel!!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>He's also mastered Mario Kart on the Wii. With the help of MAC and Connor, Cole has learned how to play Wii games and now gets 1st or 2nd place in nearly every race he's in. The boys enjoy playing together and it's so nice to have an activity for him that other kids his age are playing. And it's wonderful to have something fun to do inside during these cold winter months!</div><div><br /></div><div>We are working on plans for Cole next school year. Right now, we are thinking he will attend McKinley (his home school where Connor goes) starting in September. He'll go there in the morning and then head to MAC for the remainder of the afternoon. Cole is SO excited to go to school where Connor, his cousin and friends go. Cole has never been in a main-stream school, so I think the part-time transition will suit him well. I'm starting the process of many, many meetings to get things underway. Lots of meetings, assessments, paperwork, more meetings and other important things. Managing Cole's care is a tremendous amount of work, but I get so much joy from seeing things fall into place for him. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cole is really looking forward to his upcoming birthday. He will turn NINE on February 28th. We are so excited for him. He loves birthdays and surprises. We are planning a family surprise party for him and I'm in the midst of planning his first-ever friend party. I can't wait for that!</div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of birthdays, I just celebrated mine this past weekend. I'm so fortunate for all of the people who came out to celebrate with me. We had so much fun at Tanners and POVs. I shared a picture taken at Tanners with a few of my high school friends. It was such a fun night and made turning thirty-something a little easier. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks for taking the time to read my blog. I even get requests and questions as to when I'm going to post another entry. I love to hear those comments. It's hard to know if people read this and to get feedback is very reassuring. Cole is so fortunate to have so many people on his team. We all have a part in helping him and it's paying off in a big way... after all, look what he can do!!!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-65542042354029710922010-01-07T18:00:00.003-06:002010-01-07T19:09:48.063-06:00Countless blessings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWYBAi3W-rvVx5J9UIJzpn6DV0ATD9uOUXINXNJj87XazTlbvyCEOXYwSmzIN2ibiv6nV8Kt4XoTwG7F732cWsBO4vbZLQ-2wm20DV9lyqxC4T4RsF_hx9N8IVGkv_xCuq9hPd9mNXl2m/s1600-h/Cole+excited+about+present.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWYBAi3W-rvVx5J9UIJzpn6DV0ATD9uOUXINXNJj87XazTlbvyCEOXYwSmzIN2ibiv6nV8Kt4XoTwG7F732cWsBO4vbZLQ-2wm20DV9lyqxC4T4RsF_hx9N8IVGkv_xCuq9hPd9mNXl2m/s320/Cole+excited+about+present.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424160497968467618" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HTMIGnJBnlZ8iXhW3pRnAwYblnk5MqjJc6nHvUOuVQ7p5eKtAsinbPMuYcnaqjpgrjWpOuTmdc-nK1-GczgsCBx7AifZnfm8Bb6eHqAwCAJDletK_TdmR-lMoM3qK_J6lOSfAF3NFNP3/s1600-h/plowing.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HTMIGnJBnlZ8iXhW3pRnAwYblnk5MqjJc6nHvUOuVQ7p5eKtAsinbPMuYcnaqjpgrjWpOuTmdc-nK1-GczgsCBx7AifZnfm8Bb6eHqAwCAJDletK_TdmR-lMoM3qK_J6lOSfAF3NFNP3/s320/plowing.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424160491915496994" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkSEC3MruT3wn-2-7hV6y0G62f4tAyicqvWhSeylvxQ_LSCVKO9E3x1T9yc6OzhmGWHHuqbvs-4NWS_TE9pQ6itoSKrT7ChFCnGxY4UIGQicvTliUN1_A9jDF2wguhF2RuGQCpuLACkN8/s1600-h/skating.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjkSEC3MruT3wn-2-7hV6y0G62f4tAyicqvWhSeylvxQ_LSCVKO9E3x1T9yc6OzhmGWHHuqbvs-4NWS_TE9pQ6itoSKrT7ChFCnGxY4UIGQicvTliUN1_A9jDF2wguhF2RuGQCpuLACkN8/s320/skating.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424160481780110914" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDzk8s1XdM_IHQolrqhudk-0Lqv36JmckLHnaFe-RbPm6yZkfDyfKPd4AkGk5rZY4XC0eGdpCxXt3nuRpSJDjqJvw5DkZsHyp181Ky4UApuQt3-ByQfLpMMHb0ALqF573wfTGattKPQbk/s1600-h/the+boys.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvDzk8s1XdM_IHQolrqhudk-0Lqv36JmckLHnaFe-RbPm6yZkfDyfKPd4AkGk5rZY4XC0eGdpCxXt3nuRpSJDjqJvw5DkZsHyp181Ky4UApuQt3-ByQfLpMMHb0ALqF573wfTGattKPQbk/s320/the+boys.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424160479886598418" /></a><br />I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. If you're anything like me, you love it while it's here but are just as happy to see it go. I like to get back into routine and reflect on the many blessings of the past year. <div><br /></div><div>I'm most thankful for is being able to stay home with my kids. Yes, they are both at school during the day, but managing Cole's care is a full-time job alone. I love getting the kids ready, seeing them off to school and working productively throughout the day until my loved ones get home. It's something I have longed for since Cole was born and I'm extremely grateful for the past 18 months. I haven't take one hour of it for granted.</div><div><br /></div><div>December brought a lot of fun to our house. As you know, there was a lot of snow over Christmas and Cole was in heaven. The boys and Pat spent countless hours plowing, shoveling, sledding and playing in the snow. Pat put the plow on our yard tractor so Cole could plow the snow. Pat would hop on his 4-wheeler and Cole on the "Husky". I'm not sure who was having more fun! Cole plowed our driveway (and the street) like a pro. During one snowfall, he was outside while Pat was working in the garage. Pat called me out to look at how perfect Cole had plowed the driveway. He had to turn the direction of the plow and everything. Pretty amazing!! I think I see a business possibility in Cole's future.</div><div><br /></div><div>Christmas went pretty well for us. The snow saved us to some extent. Cole had an outlet for those times when being inside was too much for him. He loved opening presents and tore them open as fast as he could. He got a new John Deere backpack that quickly replaced his old one and many other fun things. Cole understood Santa and was super excited to see he left lots of presents by the fireplace. He had a great time visiting Santa a few days before Christmas. He sat by him, rang bells and talked to him about Christmas. It sure made us proud.</div><div><br /></div><div>One great thing for Cole was learning to ice skate!!! His Aunt Katie took him to the Depot downtown where Cole skated for the first time. Not surprisingly, he picked it up with ease. After all, this is the boy who taught himself how to ride a bike without training wheels at age three. Cole and Katie skated for more than two hours and Grandma Eileen said she has never seen Cole smile so big. Just this week we signed Cole up for MN Special Hockey; a league for children with disabilities. He'll start next weekend and we can't wait for that.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are seeing a new challenge with Cole. It goes without saying that he adores his brother, Connor. Now Cole wants to be doing <i>everything</i> Connor does. And he wants Connor to do whatever he wants to do. There are a lot of things they love to do together: play the Wii, wrestle, sing, play Candyland, Lincoln Logs and go outside. But there are many times when Connor doesn't want to do what Cole wants him to do, or furthermore, it might not be possible. Connor has his own life, places to go and friends to play with. Cole doesn't understand that concept and it's bringing on some very challenging situations for our family. I've talked to Cole's therapist at MAC and she is brainstorming ways we can work through this. </div><div><br /></div><div>All in all, it's been a good winter and we're having a wonderful time seeing our kids enjoy it. It brings back memories of jumping off my roof into the snowbank with my siblings and skating in our backyard ice rink. It's so fun to be a kid and there isn't anything more rewarding than creating memories for your own children.. what a blessing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Check out these videos. One is of Cole skating and the other is from the our visit to Santa.</div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwQP8O9QN0doMSDN5cQcYeB-iuKtrXCbfq03xz-QhaDmppd359gXmf-TLUMsr_xDLjiVWmxqhj7XevpfF7gdA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzeXgCwy9oHtGlttQzToGSCm6JY7pauW329KHI4ljH2RZxZcAniVCXxBUYH93E2zrno_ewbB_8CAipnFPN8iQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-7309758317756915952009-12-09T21:58:00.004-06:002009-12-09T22:37:37.625-06:00So much to do, so little time<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYRh_lYM3R-6IeufOmeGlcM6qtJl5RNE213U0pT0MlbZYwZLOGNPrkVcoyBuXg7kanWhose70gBB3XkJ9f9jIAo0u1Mud2rNqlXG68EFxmdhmfsVBCHSHaP7nok-SGLuEm_t1cQZFBMbI/s1600-h/IMG_0051.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdYRh_lYM3R-6IeufOmeGlcM6qtJl5RNE213U0pT0MlbZYwZLOGNPrkVcoyBuXg7kanWhose70gBB3XkJ9f9jIAo0u1Mud2rNqlXG68EFxmdhmfsVBCHSHaP7nok-SGLuEm_t1cQZFBMbI/s320/IMG_0051.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413458761414518802" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoXXLFX4dHgL2AVWKdnczzi9LF2pu9Iy3RD7cRefGEo0gsX12dTNZsvErdjNSzm3jqjsUe5inhzwuOq0il03rL_AlK9WicGpghx0ZxR87N5Irl15FtB1pZc5xE3rwrXDovQ8c_S3rivH9/s1600-h/necklace.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCoXXLFX4dHgL2AVWKdnczzi9LF2pu9Iy3RD7cRefGEo0gsX12dTNZsvErdjNSzm3jqjsUe5inhzwuOq0il03rL_AlK9WicGpghx0ZxR87N5Irl15FtB1pZc5xE3rwrXDovQ8c_S3rivH9/s320/necklace.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413458750166133586" /></a><br />My last post was a month ago already. "Update blog" has been on my to-do list for weeks now. You know how this time of year is, way to much to do with not nearly enough time. So we prioritize and use our time wisely. And frankly, I can honestly say I have no guilt when things wait for tomorrow. I check off plenty each day on my to-do list and that is good enough for me. <div><br /></div><div>Cole has been doing awesome. For the most part, we've had a few really good weeks with him. He seems to be past the tough fall/winter transition and is now elated that he can plow snow with our tractor. Cole loves Christmas and this year he did an awesome job decorating the tree. He pretty much did it himself. He even brought a chair over so he could place ornaments on the top part of the tree. He was so proud, as were we. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cole is also doing great at swimming. After three years of private lessons at Foss, he is starting to catch on. He has come so far. Not long ago, half of the lesson was spent trying to get Cole to keep his goggles on for more than a minute and getting him used to putting his face in the water. Now he wears his goggles the entire lesson, dives for things under water, jumps off platforms and is learning all kinds of swim strokes. He still has a ways to go, but we are pleased that he is learning how to be safe in the water. That is what is most important for Cole. (see video below)</div><div><br /></div><div>Cole is also making progress with some of his activities of daily living. He is now brushing his teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. It has taken months and months of therapy at OT, but Cole is finally over his "Bear" non-fluoride toothpaste and he knows not to swallow the regular stuff. He is also doing a thorough job. I remember back a few years ago when it was nearly impossible to get him into the bathroom. Between teeth brushing and potty training, you would have thought our bathroom was a jail cell. He avoided it at all cost. Ahhh... progress!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>I have also been able to take Cole to the YMCA and put him in Kids Stuff! This is something we used to be able to do as a family, but for the past 3 years Cole has refused to cooperate. We worked on it for weeks with his therapist from MAC and just last week I was able to take him by myself! To top that, I also took him to Target without Cole putting every toy in sight into our cart. Target was something I avoided with Cole at all cost. He did not understand that he could not buy everything he saw and that you could not ride bikes in the aisles. Thanks to Jen at MAC for helping us conquer that as well! </div><div><br /></div><div>And to top all of this off, my Mom surprised me a few weeks ago with an amazing gift. At Cole's last benefit, the "team" went in and got me a gorgeous handmade silver Autism pendant. It is very special to me and something I truly cherish. A few years ago, my Grandmother gave me her wedding ring. It didn't fit and I'm not one to wear a lot of rings. My Mom had the idea for me to take the diamonds from the ring and put them onto the Autism pendant. My Grandma liked the idea and after a few months, I finally got around to asking our jeweler about it. My Mom went with me to meet him and I asked him to call me with an estimate. A few days went back and I get a message from my Dad asking me to stop by. I did so and my Mom brought a box for me to look at. I assumed it was something she purchased from the jeweler, so I was completely surprised when I opened it and saw my pendant with the diamonds from my Grandmother's ring!! It was <i>beautiful</i>. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful family and support system. Next to my wedding ring, the Autism pendant is the most precious piece of jewelry I own. It is sentimental for so many reasons and I'm so blessed to have been given it. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you all enjoy this busy holiday season. We are all time-pressed but I want you to take time to enjoy your family and friends. Focus on what is most important. Spend quality time with the people you love and don't sweat the small stuff... chances are it will still be there tomorrow.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy9bLfuPhhoVE3WqSC9b5eLGznp4gEhE3wMA_V0VyAo2O0wtQ37A0_4XkP202KSwtQRPDBWuiTFY81WgeN4Pg' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-35473972231737240642009-11-09T15:01:00.006-06:002009-11-09T15:55:38.929-06:00My pillar of steel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK130OIAKad258S0AyrLiR74AYJ3wBxG_kNfQTT1UYB106ZdU3_yg8ZgEmSNMMoyXDNwVcr1psKvO4hcTbplXK0F6lCT5ozsIwwI3PCwKYD6fJXFAdhCDy9M9rz15Ryic1zPuxqh7pic8S/s1600-h/on+trailer.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK130OIAKad258S0AyrLiR74AYJ3wBxG_kNfQTT1UYB106ZdU3_yg8ZgEmSNMMoyXDNwVcr1psKvO4hcTbplXK0F6lCT5ozsIwwI3PCwKYD6fJXFAdhCDy9M9rz15Ryic1zPuxqh7pic8S/s200/on+trailer.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402224693134223410" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnnzJDMinZkuub3i2RhVZ7UDkX25m7CzA6FHix8Q3RA6UM8tOZPolZZwJ2KNck0qaMj4xclo6s6hQ-b9q_deQSCLBFQuPNZWxCkzjYtLjwpRV8vAgONTPiCz-yntLdwCSjvJxR_2tqrgN/s1600-h/by+himself.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnnzJDMinZkuub3i2RhVZ7UDkX25m7CzA6FHix8Q3RA6UM8tOZPolZZwJ2KNck0qaMj4xclo6s6hQ-b9q_deQSCLBFQuPNZWxCkzjYtLjwpRV8vAgONTPiCz-yntLdwCSjvJxR_2tqrgN/s200/by+himself.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402224683058712066" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09u7dPg6L_7S6xjjptP04uXb0zXMxGN7otC-JZxPQp5qLvH2jUNElBDyKtvm1lS3bceFt-UuzDEhUzNCp6F0ZrSQPpubFckwULgmzZ_G2oibNI3rn9dfL8UUL9Yw1puSNwFqGfRYzbovP/s1600-h/cole+hallow.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09u7dPg6L_7S6xjjptP04uXb0zXMxGN7otC-JZxPQp5qLvH2jUNElBDyKtvm1lS3bceFt-UuzDEhUzNCp6F0ZrSQPpubFckwULgmzZ_G2oibNI3rn9dfL8UUL9Yw1puSNwFqGfRYzbovP/s200/cole+hallow.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402224681121977874" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKNsAEzUvRUG5fiCZ_zsEV_IvnBdMf-TGTsC9RdvuYlutPG5A3JfwNd-GWxiY5Nry9X6lg13DfDzntH29rQle-ltlukEWWpeXZhrgiJHK7HxW-9Mv6zRnjqGqkai27ejTUBI_XIKkH0CB/s1600-h/garbage.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKNsAEzUvRUG5fiCZ_zsEV_IvnBdMf-TGTsC9RdvuYlutPG5A3JfwNd-GWxiY5Nry9X6lg13DfDzntH29rQle-ltlukEWWpeXZhrgiJHK7HxW-9Mv6zRnjqGqkai27ejTUBI_XIKkH0CB/s200/garbage.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402224676887295202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUDiMu1MZnXKQT1QGDVZpTQqbEY5IyQXm8XJNzlBki6nfVmLoNGs4VTTKAkep4hdS88OlSRUc6kwmTqoaogR5ljyqKJ6Up8LBLmwXxUIWk_HdUKUByf-TkLVgeB0OF1iz4hKOXB0mArUH/s1600-h/harley+ride.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUDiMu1MZnXKQT1QGDVZpTQqbEY5IyQXm8XJNzlBki6nfVmLoNGs4VTTKAkep4hdS88OlSRUc6kwmTqoaogR5ljyqKJ6Up8LBLmwXxUIWk_HdUKUByf-TkLVgeB0OF1iz4hKOXB0mArUH/s200/harley+ride.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5402224670553599666" /></a><br />I've been reading a book written by a close friend of mine. It's a first draft and the topic is an autobiographical account of her experience with postpartum depression (PPD) and psychosis. I'm about 75 pages in so far and it's a wonderful book. It's already taught me so many things. It's given me a new found appreciation for colic and the downward spiral of PPD. <div><br /></div><div>My friend articulated with fine detail how severe her baby's colic was and how profoundly it impacted their ability to function. As I was reading this part of her book, I could relate really well to the feelings and situations that came from her baby's colic. They couldn't go anywhere, people looked at her with disgust and judged her parenting skills. They were highly sleep deprived and felt hopeless. You see, that is often how life is when you have an Autistic child. It's amazing how two totally different situations can manifest themselves in such similar ways. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I tried to understand my friends battle and its impact on her life, it made me realize that people probably think the same of me. It gave me an appreciation and new found perspective for how people must feel about our situation. My friend shared bits and pieces of her struggles with me, but at the time, I thought she had it completely together. Not only was I baffled to read about how deep her depression was, but how well she covered it up. I was one of the "over the moon with excitement moms" she loathed in her book. I could not imagine what it was like to live through that, just like people can't imagine what my life is like.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am blessed to have numerous people in my life who try very hard to comprehend what life is like for me, the parent of an Autistic child. But in the end, they aren't walking in my shoes. They understand, but only to a certain extent. And that's ok. I don't need them to fully understand... I just need them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Another profound thing I took from my friend's book came in a section where she talked about her relationship with her husband. At this point in her book, their baby was finally over colic and she was reflecting back on how they made it through to that point. She made the most amazing analogy. I tried to find it so I could write it word for word, but I can't seem to find the page I need. It went something like this, </div><div><br /></div><div>"Thank God my marriage is in such a great place. We were married for 4 years before we had kids. We truly enjoyed each other, traveled, laughed and had fun together. We had such a solid foundation before bringing someone else into our family. It's like we built a tower in the first four years. The situation with our baby gave us a run for our money. It tore away at the windows, stairs, carpet and all the other things that make a tower. But we weren't worried, for we had pillars of steel to support us. Anything could chip away at our tower, but it would never crumble." </div><div><br /></div><div>I've always wondered why I met my soul mate at the tender age of 14. Sure, I didn't know it at the time, but there was a reason why Pat and I have been together so long and why God brought us together at such a young age. We have pillars of steel. We worked on these pillars for almost 15 years before Cole came into our lives. We've been together for 22 of our 36 years. </div><div><br /></div><div>The statistics for divorce are upwards of 90% for parents of Autistic children. Yes, they are that high. It's stressful, challenging, daunting, financially draining and many other negative things. But it's also a beautiful thing to see your husband make your son belly laugh, to share stories of triumph, to know there is no other man on this world who could be a better daddy to Cole or a better husband for me. Pat isn't perfect, but he is perfect for me. We're in this for the long haul and we're in it together. Our pillars can hold anything, Autism included.</div><div><br /></div><div>*We hope you enjoy the pictures. Cole did awesome on Halloween. He rode in a trailer with his cousins and did a great job trick or treating. He went to the door, politely asked for treats and kindly said thank you when he was done. </div><div><br /></div><div>He also got two big wishes that came true. 1- while home sick last week, he got to see the garbage man take our garbage. We waited at the window for 25 minutes and Connor was late for school, but it was worth it. Cole beamed with excitement and laughed when the driver honked his horn and waved! 2- This past weekend, Grandpa Denny took Cole for his first Harley ride. We were so proud of Cole. He was able to articulate his feelings to Grandpa, "I'm scared Grandpa," he said. That is a breakthrough for him. Cole hopped on without hesitation and his smile could be seen from yards away. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-53613120071346285052009-10-26T14:50:00.004-05:002009-10-26T15:10:52.101-05:00Train and some other fun stuff<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPSM9plbacr1fslp8wtootpw9CVr3tZ009rKG0gHgZJIjXHkilFpmMuEV4IaAKFZVsaQIkTjTzyCKR9y8SxkNTcLX_8SHjD7iwzCpoMkYWTHz7ILMmN62yD9_QhgouAHAvInIHlyYWpik/s1600-h/_DSC2341.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAPSM9plbacr1fslp8wtootpw9CVr3tZ009rKG0gHgZJIjXHkilFpmMuEV4IaAKFZVsaQIkTjTzyCKR9y8SxkNTcLX_8SHjD7iwzCpoMkYWTHz7ILMmN62yD9_QhgouAHAvInIHlyYWpik/s200/_DSC2341.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397003163588273938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nqPWqGhWjuIZJJ4un8F7v52K3hn09kR8qn-xGwOtRnNdtwIuHTOXVrhPG5bbCN6DbWU9vQsXE4ncYMInlYlLihWAMSgHYsJTson2SOP4NQIU5M39AId1VLBxvlf28IlGpSdR5dCx95mO/s1600-h/IMG_1244.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5nqPWqGhWjuIZJJ4un8F7v52K3hn09kR8qn-xGwOtRnNdtwIuHTOXVrhPG5bbCN6DbWU9vQsXE4ncYMInlYlLihWAMSgHYsJTson2SOP4NQIU5M39AId1VLBxvlf28IlGpSdR5dCx95mO/s200/IMG_1244.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397003153658732610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_BQeFym13IW2jEzQLmIR0H-wmZ5nJWbQEDKcJi339vVZwLeb0WEvoTJ9qk4uSi2LL2SBCTMrLpHY1nvUvEgxhwbeLPaOcsU9CmRoFpFl9kUngeGcBoSEFi10wCAenlixPspOLFbK7-6G/s1600-h/DSC_0017.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5_BQeFym13IW2jEzQLmIR0H-wmZ5nJWbQEDKcJi339vVZwLeb0WEvoTJ9qk4uSi2LL2SBCTMrLpHY1nvUvEgxhwbeLPaOcsU9CmRoFpFl9kUngeGcBoSEFi10wCAenlixPspOLFbK7-6G/s200/DSC_0017.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397003151907144242" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTpSWc8ecgfZhfCuaAwrY3fRaKaIxE5bCrb2_PGvlUpir1iddr-IN1HL7axa6FNVsMQF5qgygD1I0TSlEZSzWv_1CEdWatqeMskQp-aUkP4vk_O0zl6sMq6Za0ddPCdpQezo11PZEM0bp/s1600-h/boys+on+tractor.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTpSWc8ecgfZhfCuaAwrY3fRaKaIxE5bCrb2_PGvlUpir1iddr-IN1HL7axa6FNVsMQF5qgygD1I0TSlEZSzWv_1CEdWatqeMskQp-aUkP4vk_O0zl6sMq6Za0ddPCdpQezo11PZEM0bp/s200/boys+on+tractor.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397003146092718210" /></a><br />Sorry it has been a while since my last post. As usual, life has been pretty crazy at the Schusted residence. We've been trying to enjoy the coldest October on record, I stress... trying. <div><br /></div><div>The change in seasons is hard enough on Cole, especially when it happens so abruptly. A few weeks ago we did get the opportunity to take Cole on the Osceola Train. We tried this a few years ago and it was very difficult on us. This year it was a whole different story. We came a little better prepared this time around. We chose a train route that was only an hour long instead of 1-1/2 hours. We also brought with us grandparents, as well as my sister, her husband and two kiddos. Cole was SO excited. </div><div><br /></div><div>He talked about riding the train for at least a week. He told everyone in sight. Finally the day arrived. He and Connor were elated to be able to ride with Grandpa and Grandma in their new truck. I think he just likes to call Pat and I from Grandpa's cool bluetooth phone in the truck. :-) We lucked out big time. There were only a handful of people on the train. It wasn't hectic at all to board (much unlike last time) and Cole seemed to have a better understanding of what was going to happen. He chose his spot right next to Grandpa. They snuggled, laughed and even got to lay their seats back and relax. We had snacks and hot chocolate. It was so fun to see how happy Cole was. He loved the train ride and thought it was so cool to have a lot of his family on board. We took turns walking around the train. Cole thought it was neat to explore. He got a kick out of the different train cars and looking out the windows. We just had so much fun! </div><div><br /></div><div>It was rewarding for Pat and I see the progress in Cole. After the last train ride, we both swore we would not put ourselves through that again. I had so much pride watching Cole laugh and smile on the train. He talked about what was happening, where we were going and he was so patient and well-behaved. Yes, the taste of progress is really sweet. </div><div><br /></div><div>The boys have enjoyed playing outside as much as possible this fall. Cole still is mowing a lot and lately he's been using Grandpa's tiller in our dirt. We've enjoyed some nice bonfires, too. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think Cole's highlight of October was his play date with Adam. Adam is a friend of Cole's that he met while attending Fraser School. Adam had an extra set of tickets for the Wiggles concert and he asked if Cole and a PCA wanted to go with him. Cole was really excited. He got home and told us how he got to give Jeff a high-five and that Jeff also gave Cole a thumbs up! The PCA said Cole did an outstanding job. He sat nicely for 1-1/2 hours and participated every time it was requested of the audience. </div><div><br /></div><div>The best part for me came from Adam's PCA. She used to work with Cole at Fraser Academy. She told our staff to inform Pat and I that "Cole is an entirely different kid. He has made so much progress and she was very impressed by his participation and behavior." As you can imagine, that was wonderful to hear! </div><div><br /></div><div>Keep up the hard work Cole. It is paying off BIG TIME.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like the sign Connor made for your room says.... "We love you Cole."</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775986894024384957.post-33272521979807431692009-09-30T13:47:00.006-05:002009-09-30T14:27:26.427-05:00Who gives a s#&t?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWU1gjUtxNfoyrZY2fBxdMjteCyOaYibTShMPh6k6ShbRam6zUmykt3oBxsayPceg9oGIAkl7_tbeBI3bPTN0-c8Q2KCj3Gcb4hOn6Y0xVzIdh5C4d3_2CjDnTWbXycMpbqDIGZTimbro/s1600-h/Cole+mowing+PS.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxWU1gjUtxNfoyrZY2fBxdMjteCyOaYibTShMPh6k6ShbRam6zUmykt3oBxsayPceg9oGIAkl7_tbeBI3bPTN0-c8Q2KCj3Gcb4hOn6Y0xVzIdh5C4d3_2CjDnTWbXycMpbqDIGZTimbro/s320/Cole+mowing+PS.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387342768331325394" /></a><br />I had an experience with Cole a few days ago that I knew would happen one day... he got teased. Didn't we all get teased at sometime in our childhood? I remember riding my bike when I was about ten and a boy in the neighborhood ran up behind me and whipped a handful of those spiky stickers into my back. It hurt like heck and all I could do was pedal faster. This is where my big brother and his friends came in handy... they marched over and told the boy they would dig a hole and bury his head in the dirt if he came near me again. Needless to say, the boy stayed clear of me from that point on. I have to admit, there are times I wish Cole had an older sibling who could look out for him and explain things to kids who are around Cole's age. It's not my place to and Connor is too young to be chatting with 4th graders about life with his Autistic brother.<div><br /></div><div>It was a beautiful fall day, one of the many we've had this September. Cole wanted to mow the grass and I chose to sit on the front step and watch. Cole was in his glory. He was mowing back and forth, laughing, smiling and doing his "I'm excited" hand gestures. I heard a group of kids coming up the block. It was a group of boys from the neighborhood who were maybe a year or two older than Cole. I saw one of the boys whisper something to one of the other kids while looking at Cole, and then they burst out laughing. My heart just sank. I'm not certain of what was said, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a compliment.</div><div><br /></div><div>What happened next has been on my mind for a week. I immediately looked at Cole, who was oblivious to the situation. He had a huge grin on his face, he waved at me and said, "Hi Mom". He didn't look up at the kids and just kept mowing. He had no clue what occurred and most importantly, he could have cared less. I thought, you know... that isn't a bad way to go through life. Honestly not giving a s#&t what other people think. How wonderful is that?</div><div><br /></div><div>How many people can truly say they don't give a rats a## what other people think of them? Think of how many times in your life you've been stressed, worried, scared, embarrassed, insecure, hurt or picked on. </div><div><br /></div><div>Is Greg going to like my outfit? Why did Debbie decide to go ask Sarah to the movie and not me? Why was Alex picking on me at the bus? Were people at the lunch table staring at me? What are people going to think of my presentation? If I could just lose 15 pounds. I wish I had as many friends as Kyle does. What are people going to think of my new hair color? Why did I say that to my boss? I'm not good at sports. My house is never clean enough.</div><div><br /></div><div>We've all been there and chances we are there every day, maybe multiple times a day. We are so busy worrying about what everyone else thinks of us, that we lose sight of what is really important. We cause undue stress and anxiety to ourselves. We are so hard on ourselves. </div><div><br /></div><div>Cole probably won't have much of that in his life. His brain isn't wired to think that way. He lives for himself and isn't caught up in how well he can throw a football or what type of shoes he wears. He's just Cole, take it or leave it. He could give a s#&t when kids ride by on their bikes and make fun of him. He's got bigger fish to fry (and lawns to mow). Think of how much stress he's saving himself. </div><div><br /></div><div>I think we could all learn from Cole. He's 100% comfortable in who he is. He doesn't know any better and frankly, doesn't need to. He's perfect just the way he is. He loves his family and HIMSELF unconditionally. I can't stop thinking about it, as I think that is one of the most beautiful and profound things he's taught me. </div><div><br /></div><div>Think about this. Think something positive about yourself. Don't worry if the neighbors get a new car and you can't afford one. Who cares if you got tongue tied on the conference call? Does it really matter if your daughter isn't the best skater on the ice? So what if your jeans are a little tight this fall. If we could all just be confident and comfortable with who we are, life would be much more pleasant. After all, while you're worried about what people think of you, they are probably too busy worrying about what everyone else thinks of them... so in the end, who gives a S#&t?</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6