March Madness?!

Crazy Weather: Crazy Kids: Crazy Busy!

(Crazy Mommy!)

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Early in the month, some unseasonably warm temperatures completely melted the piles of snow we had. Then, on one Saturday night, we got an unexpected snowstorm and a couple inches of lovely packing snow. The next morning, Daddy and Andrea worked together to build the "cool" guy pictured above.

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In mid-March, our big upstairs TV suddenly died. Let me tell you, it was a crisis. I dragged the old 32", 500 lb. monster (or so it felt!) upstairs and hooked it up, after one day without TV. I managed to last almost 6 days before we went to purchase a new TV. The new TV also needed a new stand (different style--a new plasma TV now). We cleaned up our old A/V stand to use in the basement. Kevin, being Kevin, immediately discovered that he fit quite snugly in the old A/V stand when the doors are closed!

Now this is an entertainment unit with built-in entertainment!

Ryan also enjoyed the transition from old to new TV. Unfortunately, our new TV stand puts everything right on his level, and we can't put the doors on it because the remote control won't work through the doors. Ryan's not into it constantly, thank goodness, but we do have to watch that little monkey. He likes to press the buttons on the DVR and pat the top of it, because it's warm on top, and well, just because he can!

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I went a little overboard with the bubbles the other night, but Ryan thought it was great. Now that he's sitting well on his own, and crawling around, he enjoys playing in the bathtub and splashing in the water.

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In general, Ryan's a happy little guy. When he's not sick, he's quiet but cheerful. His favourite thing to do, though, is watch TV. His favourite shows are Dora, Mickey Mouse, Bear in the Big Blue House, and Franny's Feet. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is still the favourite, I think. One day, I caught him watching a certain episode where things were extra silly, and he was laughing like crazy!

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In terms of RYAN, there is so much going on: plenty to update, and plenty of issues yet to be resolved. One good thing is, he's crawling! He mastered crawling this month. He loves to explore, and plays really well on his own with his toys.

I especially like the video above because we caught one of those unexpectedly funny, good-timing moments. In the first part, when we ask Ryan, "You gonna get that truck?" it sounds like he says "No" quite clearly!

He also has good posture; considering his low muscle tone in other areas, his helpers can't believe how he sits up so tall and straight. He also enjoys daycare.

Other items:

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  We got his hearing tested, and Kevin's, too. Both boys have hearing in the normal range, though Kevin has one ear stronger than the other, and Ryan has fluid in his ears. Ryan will probably be referred to an ENT for follow-up, but I think it's just that he's had so many ear infections lately.


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  Ryan is still eating only stage 1 baby foods (pureed). He will also only drink from a bottle. We will be getting a feeding assessment with a speech pathologist and an occupational therapist within the next week or so. They are concerned Ryan might develop food aversions because of the way he gags whenever we try to give him textured foods, and they want to check if there's any physical reason why he has trouble with textures. He also needs to learn to hold and maneuver a regular cup--most babies his age are moving on to this step.


• Another concern we have for both boys right now, and the one that causes me the most worry, is the issues with their communication/social development. They would like to do a psychological assessment on both boys this summer (Kevin will be 4, and Ryan 18 months, so data would be clearer). We've seen a lot of improvement in Kevin's communication skills, but he still gets irritated by noises easily and screams his frustration a lot. He is also still showing a preference for individual play, and some unusual, repetitive behaviours during free time. Our Resource Consultant threw around the word autism a bit, but made it clear that she wasn't saying he did/didn't have some form of autism. She also made it clear that Kevin is a child who doesn't exhibit any obvious signs, and is very high-functioning, so he wouldn't need an educational assistant in the classroom: probably just some accommodations. We have actually scheduled a school meeting for Kevin on May 2, where we will meet at the school with the potential teachers, etc. to discuss Kevin's strengths and needs. Oh, and Kevin has moved up to the final room at daycare. He is loving being in the "big-boy" room, so that's a good thing.


• However, it seemed to me that they were even more concerned about Ryan's social skills. Ryan is not really speaking yet, just like Kevin was at his age. He is still babbling mama, dada, nana, baba like he was at about 6 or 7 months old. What is more concerning, though, is that we've noticed Ryan rarely makes eye contact with people. Even if you get right in his face, he tries to look past or away from you. He also does not seek out interactions with others. He will sit and play by himself for hours on end. He is also addicted to TV when he's not engrossed in his toys. He doesn't try crawling up to Mommy or Daddy or the kids to get attention. He rarely responds if you call his name; you might get a passing glance. He usually just cries when he needs something, although he does babble and smile to himself. We do get him to laugh at some things he enjoys (like Andrea's hula-hoop, or during tickles). The speech path. told me to start getting in Ryan's face, even if he doesn't like it, and that does happen: often when you get down on his level, or near his face to talk to him, he will try to lean away from you. He often pushes Andrea away when she gets on his level and tries to play/talk with him. They were throwing around the word autism for Ryan, too.


• At this point, they had a few suggestions until we can do more investigations, especially for Ryan. Like I mentioned, they want us to really get in his face, even if he doesn't like it, to get him used to that kind of social interaction. They also suggested I make an "experience book" all about Ryan that I can read with him. I just finished that yesterday. It's all pictures of Ryan doing familiar things with familiar people, told like he was saying it: "I like to watch TV," "I love toys with wheels," etc. They also told me to sing a lot with him (which I already do), but to really personalize it with his name and routines. This has been working well during meals: I noticed he's looking me in the eye more, and seems to be paying more attention to the process of eating.


• Finally, they want us to take another Hanen communication course for the boys, especially Ryan. We took the Talk 2 Me course about 2 years ago for Kevin, but I guess this is a different one specifically designed for parents of children with social communication difficulties. It was designed with the parents of autistic children in mind (damn, that "a" word again, but nobody is confirming a "label" for the boys just yet).

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Furthermore, it's tax season. Daddy is crazy busy at work. Mommy just finished her first block at work, survived exams and final reports, and has begun the new block with lots of stress, but thankfully, only a few minor headaches. There is just so much going on in my head. I just got back to work in January, and I'm already looking forward to summer vacation!