Adventures With Two Boys

Your son has Autism

2010-11-04T12:07:00.006-04:00

PDD-NOS These are the words we heard yesterday as we sat across from Ryan's wonderful psychologist. And even though these were the words we expected and wanted to hear, it was still a very emotional day.

We have always felt Ryan was on the Autism Spectrum but could never get a clear cut answer. We had a not so pleasant experience at one place, where we were told, after being in the office for 15 minutes "your son just has a speech delay and I have no idea why your pediatrician referred you here". We knew our son and we knew there was something much deeper then "just a speech delay". We didn't stop there. A year later, we sought a private psychologist. After testing, she said I see what you see but on paper, he isn't qualifying for a diagnosis. We were ok with this as at the time. We didn't need a diagnosis but wanted peace of mind. Ryan was getting all of his therapies paid for through the county funding.

We were placed with a service coordinator to oversee all of our services and to make sure all of our paper work was in order to have everything paid for. When she was here for her yearly visit in February she mentioned we could hire a behavioral therapist if we thought we needed extra help. We did and that is how we found our psychologist, Dr. Janet and our wonderful behavioral therapist, Kate. We then signed up for a social skills class for the summer and sent Ryan to summer camp at Easter Seals so that he would continue to be in a structured environment.

Eight months have passed and we have seen tremendous growth in Ryan. The tantrums are now minimal and much easier to deal with. He used to reach his "point of no return" as we call it, several times a day. Now, it's down to once a week. We still have moments, every day, but we are able to bring Ryan back down much easier, before he reaches this point. Kate comes to our house once a week and works with me on Ryan's behaviors and how to help him cope easier. We use picture schedules and try to redirect him.

Over the summer, Dr. Janet really got to know Ryan during the social skills class and then started the testing in October. As we walked into her office today, we weren't sure what to expect. We were already thinking about next year when Ryan is supposed to start Kindergarten but we aren't quite sure he is ready. And the thought of putting him in a classroom with 26 other kids, makes us very nervous. If we didn't get a diagnosis, we were considering holding him back a year in hopes that his social skills and speech would be better.

As we heard these words from her, the tears started down my face. All of those emotions that I felt over the past 3 years when we first noticed symptoms in Ryan came back and all of the frustration of not knowing (even though we did). I wasn't sad though. I was relieved. Relieved to finally have someone say what we have felt all along.

This opens so many more doors for Ryan. He will continue to get all of those services he needs and we will be able to work more with the school district to make sure he is in the right spot. Our goal is a smaller special education classroom and some mainstreaming, possibly with an aid. We also have the option of looking at other schools that help kids with Autism and learning disabilities. It is good to have options.

Ryan's prognosis is great though. We will continue to do everything we can for him and make sure he gets the best education he deserves.

We are so incredibly grateful to all of our friends and family for all of your support and continued support.

Trick or Treat 2009

2009-10-30T09:05:00.007-04:00

The boys went out trick or treating last night. They had so much fun. We had a Star Wars theme this year (yes, again). Ethan picked out Jango Fett at the store and Ryan decided he wanted to be Star Wars too so he got the hand me down Darth Vader costume. Ryan was totally into it this year, said Trick or Treat at every house and even remembered to say thank you too. And a big thanks to Uncle Justin for coming over and handing out candy so that we could all go out together.

Here are some pics:

Tonight is a big night as well. Greg and Ethan get to go to their second BlueJackets game this week. Another friend has free tickets and asked them to go so I decided to do something fun as well. I am taking Ryan to see the Disney Mickey Mouse show.

I hope he loves it and I can't wait to see his face light up.
Here are a couple of pics from Ethan & Greg's trip to the BlueJackets game. They had a suite! Talk about spoiled!

Run for Row 2009

2009-09-01T10:34:00.010-04:00

Most of you that I met some of my best friends on a mommy message board. We all met while planning on our weddings on theknot.com and made our own little board later. Last November I made this post about my dear friend Andrea. She lost her husband, Matt, in a horrible accident at work and we all rallied around her in support. A couple of weeks ago the company that Matt worked for held a memorial 5k to raise money for trust funds for the kids. I was so glad I was able to go. There were about 20 of us that were able to make the trip and we had the best time, all while holding Matt, Andrea and their children, Jacob & Sydney, very close to our hearts.

We made a pit stop first, to pick up our friend, Wendi, and party with Hair Razor. We had a few shots and partied like rock stars.

Saturday morning we made the trek to Buffalo where we met up with the rest of our group. It was so great to see everyone again and to give Andrea a great big hug. Saturday night Andrea threw a party for us, complete with awesome food and an open bar. I still don't know what she was thinking, giving us an open bar, the night before the race.

Sunday, was the race & walk. I was able to do some of it but had to call it a day because of my back/leg issues but waited at the finish line to cheer everyone on.

Monday we made our trek back to the Buckeye state but not before some tearful goodbyes.

Andrea is doing wonderfully though. She has to be one of the strongest, thoughtful and inspirational women I have ever met. Her strength is admirable.

I promise to put a real blog up soon.....

2009-09-01T09:59:00.002-04:00

but if you could help us out for a minute, that would be great!
I never enter in photo contests but Ethan's pic was chosen as a finalist to win a birthday party at Coco Key Water park.
Here is the link: Photo Contest

At the bottom, click where it says vote. Ethan's is the top picture. Click on the little dot on the left side to check mark it and then cast your ballot at the bottom of that page. His really is the best picture.

Back to school blog coming soon!

"Kelly" Camping 2009

2009-06-12T21:51:00.005-04:00

We had our annual Syferd camping trip last weekend. Because of Ryan's graduation, Ethan and Greg headed up Thursday and Ryan and I drove out Friday morning. The boys loved the beach and the little wading pool. Ethan loved cooking with daddy and looking for firewood. Ryan wasn't as excited about that but he did love to walk up and down the steps to our cabin and look for rocks.

And you might be asking why it's called "Kelly" camping. Well, I am not a big fan of nature or sleeping on the ground. I am also not a fan of critters in the middle of the night coming up and stealing all of our food. So we compromise. We get a cabin where I can have a bed and running water (ie. shower & FLUSH toilet) and Greg gets the big fire pit where he can cook all of our meals. See, it's a win win for me! Greg is so awesome camping too. He does everything, including the dishes! It's a little vacation for me.

Here are some pics:

Ryan in the wading pool:

Ethan driving the boat.

Taking aim. Greg took him the naturalist center for an archery class. He loved it and was really good at it!

Ethan driving the boat and my new favorite picture of him.

Ryan having his turn driving.

And one of the many, yummy things Greg made in his dutch oven.
Caramel Apple Crisp

Our Graduates

2009-06-04T20:20:00.005-04:00

The last week has been very busy. We feel incredibly blessed that both of their teachers were fabulous. First, Ethan graduated from Kindergarten. He is so excited to go to first grade and get to play on the big playground AND eat lunch at school. I don't think he realizes just how long the actual school day is but hopefully he will adjust. Here are some pics from Ethan's graduation:

Getting his diploma from his teacher. She was so wonderful for Ethan. So sweet & calm. I was always amazed at how well all of the kids listened to her.

High five from his teacher

Ethan and I (and some tears)

Tonight was Ryan's graduation from early intervention. He was pretty overwhelmed by all of the people invading his playground but he was very happy to receive his present from his teacher.

Ryan, with his teacher, Miss Lisa. We are so sad that Ryan won't have her a teacher anymore but he will have her for summer camp. I know I will be a crying mess on Ryan's last day of camp. She has been such a blessing to us.

Our graduate

Reading his music card from Grandma (with the kitty cats)

It is so bittersweet. I want my babies to be babies forever but I can't wait to see the wonderful, young men they will become.

Better watch out for mama bear.

2009-04-27T20:11:00.003-04:00

I have a new pet peeve. People that are impatient towards buses.

First, some background. Both of the boys started riding the school bus this year. Ethan gets on at the stop at the corner and then is dropped off at home. Ryan is picked up and dropped off at home. I walk him out, the bus driver walks him to his seat and gets him buckled. Same with drop off, the driver unbuckles him and I wait at the bottom of the bus for him. Ethan gets on and off by himself since there are no buckles (and why is it that there are no seatbelts on a bus?).

Since Ryan is buckled into a car seat, it takes about 1-2 minutes to get him adjusted and for the bus driver to walk back to her seat, buckles herself, shut the door and turn off the lights. I can't tell you how many times people wait at the bus, honking their horns because taking 2 minutes to make sure children are safe & secure is too much to ask. There have been 4-5 times where his bus driver has taken down license plate numbers because they have ignored the red lights & stop sign, paused and then just kept on going. I hope they got a big fat ticket.

So today, I am outside waiting for Ryan to get home. I hear his bus coming and walk down towards the street. I see the bus coming, slowing down, yellow lights on. She comes to a stop in front of our driveway, red lights & stop sign on and then I see a old, beat up, black full size van (if I had the license plate I would post it) coming from the opposite direction, completely oblivious to the bus that is stopped. The bus driver is totally on top of it though and doesn't open the door. I then walk in front of the bus and start yelling at the driver. Hello!! Do you not see the big, bright red lights flashing? He said they were yellow when he passed and that he didn't have to stop. Yellow or not, ever hear of slowing down and yielding to protect our children? Are you in that big of a hurry that you can't slow down and yield to the bus? The lights were on so slow your ass down.
So about 10 minutes later, I see a lady walk up to the door and ring the doorbell. I get up to answer and she says she was in the passenger side of the van that I yelled at.
Uh huh. Your point?
Well, you really scared us when you screamed at us.
You were supposed to stop, dumbass. (Ok, I didn't really call her a dumbass to her face but well...)And I didn't scream, I yelled. I am trying to protect my child and get him on and off the bus safely. I don't care if I scared you, at least then you stopped.
Well, the lights were yellow. And we were distracted looking for a house number. (She then tried to apologize but really, there is no excuse.)
No they weren't and I hope the bus driver got your license plate number and called it in. And if you are distracted enough and don't see or acknowledge a huge bus with bright red lights, then you shouldn't be driving.

I then shut my door.

And I just love it how the man who was driving didn't have the guts to come up and confront me himself or even try to redeem himself to apologize.

Now, I really try to be a nice person and generally, I can be a nice person even if I don't like you (don't tell anyone my secret). I can put up a good front. But, when you mess with my kids or their safety, you better believe that mama bear is gonna come out with claws on.

Now, I am just hoping we don't wake up with our house tp'd or egged.

New habits

2009-04-15T12:53:00.002-04:00

Last night, I did something that I haven't done in a very long time. I am finally taking matters into my own hands and doing something to make myself feel good. (Ok, get your mind out of the gutter.)

For only the second time since we got it at Christmas, I got on the Wii Fit.

I did a little aerobics

and a little hula hoop (and now my hips are sore)

And a whole lot of running

I know I need to get healthy but there is a little motivation as well. A very good friend of mine lost her husband last November and the company that he worked for is holding a 5k run in August. All of the proceeds will go towards a trust fund for her kids. I have never, ever been a runner, in fact, I would say I hate running but even if I walk, I will be crossing that finish line in memory of Matt, all while holding Andrea, Jacob & Sydney very close to my heart.

Happy birthday to my big boy!

2009-03-23T10:32:00.001-04:00

It is so hard to believe that six years have come and gone. He is such a good boy and I can't wait to see what the next year brings.
Happy birthday, Ethan!! We love you very much!

Houston, we have a problem.

2009-03-22T20:45:00.003-04:00

Ethan had a friend sleep over last night and I got them all ready for bed. I was in my bedroom and hear the toilet upstairs flush, at least that is what I thought it was. I figured someone must have gotten up to go potty and went back to bed.

Fast forward to this afternoon. I was out at the grocery store and Greg was home with the boys. Ethan had gone upstairs to go to the bathroom and told Greg that the floor was wet in the bathroom and he fell. Greg really didn't think much of it and thought there was probably a little puddle from where someone spilled water from washing their hands. He went up to check and the entire bathroom floor was filled with water. It was leaking into the carpet in the hallway and into Ryan's room. He got the carpet cleaner out and tried to suck as much water up as he could. He put some towels down to try and soak up the excess. He figured out that something (gasket? something) broke in the toilet tank and the tank must have been overflowing with water all night. Can't wait to see the water bill but we thought we thought that was the extent of it.

We head back downstairs and Greg stepped in a puddle of water on the carpet in the hallway just before walking into our bedroom. Huh? How the heck did this get here? Look up to the ceiling and there are no visible water marks and we couldn't figure out where the water was coming from. Ok, maybe it was just a spill but that was wishful thinking. Greg explores some more and sure enough, the ceiling in the laundry room which is just next to the water spot, is water marked. And it is gross. This spot is yellow, like dark yellow. I am freaking out at this point because none of the other water spots on the ceiling are yellow. Just this one spot and of course it is the biggest spot at about 3-4 feet long. So we are assuming the water is leaking from the bathroom, onto the ceiling of the first floor and down through that common wall. We get as much of this water soaked up and get another fan to try to air it out to dry.

We will have some work ahead of us but I am just hoping it is no more then a little paint. That I can handle.

Very exciting news!!

2009-03-20T20:15:00.002-04:00

For over a year now, we have been paying for Ryan to receive private speech & occupational therapy. Luckily we do receive some coverage through our insurance company for OT but we only get 20 sessions a year. Speech has been completely paid for by us as our insurance company will only pay if there is an Autism diagnosis. We have been paying about $400 a month for over a year for Ryan to go to these therapies. Seeing how much Ryan has come this year has been well worth every penny but we have definitely been feeling the pinch of having that money gone every month. We were getting very worried that if something didn't change by the time our 20 OT sessions were up, that we would have to cut speech or OT and we really, really didn't want to do that. He needs both so badly but there was no way we would be able to afford to pay out of pocket for both.

Our prayers were answered today. Ryan was approved for funding through the county. This means the county will pay for ALL of his therapies. ALL! We are beyond ecstatic about this because paying for all of these therapies is obviously, quite expensive. I went in expecting them to pay a portion so when he told me they would be paid in full, I about started crying and leaped up and hugged the man. But, I contained myself.

We are so excited for Ryan because he can continue to make headway with these therapies. We feel so incredibly blessed to have these funds available to us.

Ethan's bowling party

2009-03-18T12:33:00.003-04:00

We had Ethan's birthday party a little early this year. With his birthday falling on spring break, I was worried that some of his friends would be going away so we had it a couple of weeks early. He had so much fun! Here are some pics from the day:

So sad...

2009-03-12T13:13:00.003-04:00

Today was supposed to be Ryan's first field trip with his class. I had arranged for my mom to come down during naptime so that I could take Ethan, Ella & Si to meet Ryan's class at COSI. Around 10pm, I hear Ry coughing & gagging and knew it couldn't be good. Sure enough, he had gotten sick and was running a low fever. My poor baby. I got him all cleaned up and brought him down to our room where he tossed and turned all night. Neither of us got much sleep.
This morning, he is much better but not well enough to go on his field trip. I had to break the news to Ethan and while he took it much better then I thought, he was still sad. Nothing a little Wii time with mommy couldn't handle though.
I still can't decide who was more disappointed though. Ethan or me. I was so looking forward to getting out of the house and doing something really fun with all of the kids. Ryan's teacher told me they are planning another field trip to the zoo so I am hoping I can bribe my mom to come out again then.
Now, we just have to hope Ethan (or Greg or I for that matter) get it. We have Ethan's birthday party at the bowling alley on Sunday so I am hoping we all stay healthy!

Ryanisms

2009-02-27T13:32:00.002-05:00

Ryan has been so funny lately. He is really trying to engage others in playing. His favorite thing to do when he gets home from school is to go upstairs with me to wake up Silas so they can play. The first words out of his mouth are always, "Come on Silas, let's go find the cat". They then go around the house to see if they can find Scout. Usually, Scout is asleep on the couch but they go around pretending they can't find her. So cute. Yesterday, Silas was down here eating his snack and Ryan was upstairs. I see Ryan peek his head over the banister and yell "Come on Siley J, let's go find the cat". Silas scarfs down his snack and runs upstairs. Their friendship is just so cute.

Ryan has FINALLY given up his binkie. Greg put him down for a nap one day and decided no binkie. And it worked. He has asked for it a couple of times since then but I just remind him that he is a big boy and doesn't need a binkie anymore.

One of Ry's last days with his bink. And yes, he was carrying around 2 in his mouth.

Next up: Sippy cup & Potty training! Uggh!

Ethan's first BlueJackets Game!

2009-02-27T13:15:00.004-05:00

We had a ball! The Columbus Bluejackets Foundation is a huge sponsor of Easter Seals where Ryan goes to school. His teacher called me one day and offered us 4 tickets to see a game. I was blown away! We had awesome seats and free hot dogs, popcorn & drinks. Here are some pics:

Kickoff! HEHE Ok, I know it isn't a kickoff but I am so not a hockey follower and can't remember what it is called.

Stinger!

And a hockey game isn't complete without a good fight.

Hot dogs

Aunt Aunt Amity enjoying some popcorn.

Call me a sap but someone proposed to his girlfriend at the game. I couldn't help but get teary.

KOZYPAL Sale!!

2009-02-27T12:15:00.003-05:00

Trust me, you need one of these. We love our Kozypal and it is still in great shape 5 years later. Kozypal is moving and has EVERYTHING marked down 50% off! Such a great deal! Go visit Kozypal!

It's been a while!

2009-02-27T11:14:00.002-05:00

And I don't really have a good excuse. We have all been sick. Ethan has had strep throat twice, which resulted in him having to get a very painful shot in his butt. He limped around for 3 days and he did have a pretty nice bruise because of it. Ryan also had strep but he was a good boy and actually took his medicine when mommy told him. It's amazing that he won't eat protein but the boy loves his medicine. Greg was also very sick while I was on my girls weekend and then I came back with a sinus infection. To say I am ready for spring is an understatement. I can't wait until our house is semi-germ free and we can get outside!

This time tomorrow....

2009-02-05T13:42:00.003-05:00

This time tomorrow, I will be in NJ visiting some of my bestest friends. We are all sprawled out all over the country but we always try and make time for each other. I didn't think I would be able to go this time but Greg, the wonderful husband that he is, surprised me and booked my ticket as a Christmas present. Ya, he earned some major brownie points.

I will be seeing them....

And about 15 others.

Doing a little (ok, maybe a lot) of this

A whole lot of this

And maybe doing a little of this,

And hopefully Ryann won't be doing this since she is our navigator.

An update on Ryan's school.

2009-01-26T15:20:00.001-05:00

We went over the MFE (multi-factory evaluation-I think?) results and his IEP (Individualized Education Plan). We are so grateful that he got in. Our only concern was that he didn't qualify for speech. Gathering from what the therapist and other psychologists said during the meeting, it seemed everyone was surprised that he didn't qualify but on paper, his score was too high, by about 5 points. They said they can't retest him for 6 months which would put us into June and no one will be there but they agreed to bring him in 2 weeks before school starts and retest him in August. We were very relieved. We thought we were going to have to fight for this but were very relieved that they agreed to this and that they really seem to have Ryan's best interest in mind.

We had the option of going ahead and starting him at the preschool but decided to hold off since he is at Easter Seals. So we are going to keep him at ES and he will attend the summer camp there and then start fresh at the preschool in the fall.

Death by Chocolate

2009-01-25T19:57:00.002-05:00

A new version of death by chocolate. Pure heavenly bliss. I demand you to make these.
Photo courtesy of Betty Crocker.
For more decadent pictures, visit Bakerella where I got the recipe.

The Golden Arches

2009-01-23T13:10:00.002-05:00

On Fridays, I usually take the boys out to lunch. It is the one day that we can get out of the house, so when Ethan gets home from school, we head out. Ryan loves McDonalds french fries and has come to recognize the golden arches just for those. Anytime, we drive by he begs for french fries and since he is lacking in the food department, we usually give in and run through the drive thru for some delicious fried potatoes.

Today, we are driving to our favorite place and Ryan spots the golden arches.

"Look, Mommy! It's the french fry house!"

Ethan and I had a good laugh.

Who knew french fries, had a home.

Go get yourself a KozyPal!

2009-01-21T18:29:00.003-05:00

So one of my bestest friends started her own business several years ago. She is so incredibly talented. She makes cart covers so your little ones don't get all of those icky germs that are all over those grocery carts. I have one of the original KozyPals and even though it has almost 6 years of use, it is still in great condition. The best part? Melissa is doing a giveway! Everyone loves free stuff! Go shop here or go visit her blog here.

100 Things

2009-01-21T09:36:00.003-05:00

My friend, Melissa at Mama Loco, posted this over on her blog today and I thought it would be fun to do too. Feel free to copy it and post it to yours as well.

Bold whatever you have done.
1. Started your own blog.
2. Slept under the stars.
3. Played in a band.
4. Visited Hawaii.
5. Watched a meteor shower.
6. Given more than you can afford to charity.
7. Been to Disneyland.
8. Climbed a mountain.
9. Held a praying mantis.
10. Sang a solo.
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris.
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch.
15. Adopted a child.
16. Had food poisoning.
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty.
18. Grown your own vegetables.
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France.
20. Slept on an overnight train.
21. Had a pillow fight.
22. Hitch hiked.
23. Taken a sick day when you're not sick.
24. Built a snow fort.
25. Held a lamb.
26. Gone skinny dipping.
27. Run a marathon.
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice.--Does the Venetian hotel in Vegas count?
29. Seen a total eclipse.
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset.
31. Hit a home run.
32. Been on a cruise.
33. Seen Niagra Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors.
35. Seen and Amish community.
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to truly be satisfied.
38. Seen the leaning tower of Pisa in person.
39. Gone rock climbing.
40. Seen Michelangelo's David.
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt.
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant.
44. Visited Africa.
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight.
46. Been transported in an ambulance.
47. Had your portrait painted.
48. Gone deep sea fishing.
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person.
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling.
52. Kissed in the rain.
53. Played in the mud.
54. Gone to a drive-in theater.
55. Been in a movie.
56. Visited the Great Wall of China.
57. Started a business.
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia.
60. Served in a soup kitchen.
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies.
62. Gone whale watching.
63. Gotten flowers for no reason.
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma.
65. Gone sky diving.
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp.
67. Bounced a check.
68. Flown in a helicopter.
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial.
71. Eaten caviar.
72. Pieced a quilt.
73. Stood in Times Square.
74. Toured the Everglades.
75. Been fired from a job.
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London.
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle.
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person.
80. Published a book.
81. Been to the Vatican.
82. Bought a brand new car.--well, I was with Greg when he bought his. ;)
83. Walked in Jerusalem.
84. Had your picture in the paper.
85. Read the entire Bible.
86. Visited the White House.
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had Chicken pox.
89. Saved someone's life.
90. Sat on a jury.
91. Met someone famous.
92. Joined a book club.
93. Lost a loved one.
94. Had a baby.
95. Seen the Alamo in person.
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake.
97. Been involved in a lawsuit.
98. Owned a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee.
100. Read an entire book in one day.

Happy Birthday to my baby boy.

2009-01-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

Today, Ryan turns 3. I can't believe my baby is 3. It seems like yesterday I was pregnant and trying to wait patiently for his arrival.

We are so incredibly proud of him. (Although today, after many tantrums, we were caught wondering if this cute, little boy would make it to his 3rd birthday.) He has come so far. Less then a year ago, he was only saying a handful of words and was having a lot of trouble communicating with us. We still have our struggles but he has come so far. I do wish we had made more progress with his eating but I know, in time, he will over come his struggles. Since Ryan won't eat it, instead of cake, I am making him banana pudding. We will do presents & pudding and then have a joint party for the boys later in the month.

My last belly picture

New baby

Ethan meeting his new baby brother

About 6 months

First birthday (and the only time he has ever eaten cake)

Second birthday....such a Grandpa's boy

So excited to meet Mickey Mouse!

First time on a boat

First day of school

Christmas 2008

Fun at school

Happy birthday, Ryan!! We love you so much!

Poor EE

2009-01-16T10:46:00.002-05:00

It's been a while but things have been crazy around here.

Last week, Greg took a day trip to take his friend Steve back home. He was only gone 24 hours but we ended up with an ER trip.

Tuesday night, Ethan went to bed with no issues. He woke up 2 hours later, screaming that his stomach was hurting. It was so bad that he was keeled over in pain and wouldn't walk. I ran up to him and carried him downstairs to our bed. It was so hard to see him in such pain. I called Uncle Justin to warn him that I might need his help to come over with Ryan, who thankfully slept through the whole ordeal. Ethan fell back asleep in my bed but the whole time was moaning. I called the on call doctor but after 20 minutes of waiting, I asked Uncle Justin to come over and off the ER we went. I threw Ethan's shoes in my bag and tried to bundle him up since it was cold & raining. Luckily, the roads hadn't frozen just yet.

I hate going to Children's ER. It isn't in the best of neighborhoods and you never know how long you might have to wait. After finding a parking spot, which seemed to take forever, we made it into the ER. We checked in and signed some paperwork and we sat in the waiting room where we proceeded to witness a mom, either totally strung out on drugs or booze, run over my foot with the wagon she was pulling her daughter in. She couldn't walk a straight line if she tried.

Finally it was our turn. Ethan was feeling a bit better by this point but they diagnosed him with severe constipation. They gave us some meds that Ethan didn't like so much and told us that if he didn't go by tomorrow to call the doctor.

The next day came and went and nothing. I will spare you all of the details but we had to take some drastic measures and I had to call in reinforcements (Grandma with the kitty cats) to come and help me. Luckily, that did the trick and Ethan even got some money from Grandma for being so brave. He quickly stashed it in his ATM machine he got from Santa.

Not Me Monday

2009-01-12T11:07:00.004-05:00

I decided to steal this from my friend, Cammie at House of No Sleep, whom I am sure got it from another blog she stalks. I am hoping to keep with it every Monday.

I did NOT drive in the ice on Saturday because I needed my coffee fix.
I did NOT watch crap tv including Rock of Love Bus, The Real World & The City.
I did NOT give in and give Ryan back his binkie when he wouldn't stop screaming.
I did NOT not do the laundry because I needed a nap.
I was NOT in a bad mood all weekend.
I did NOT look forward to sending the kids back to school.
And I did NOT start a countdown for my girls weekend in NJ.

2008 In Review

2009-01-03T09:44:00.003-05:00

We have had a lot of highs & lows in the Syferd household this year.

January was full of sickness. Ryan started receiving home visits through MRDD. Greg and I, along with our friends, Justin & Leigh, went to San Francisco, and Ryan turned 2.

In February, I got to visit my bestest friends in Houston, Ethan had his blood drawn three times in three hours, Ryan started speech therapy, and we started the Autism evaluation process for Ry.

In March, we took a fabulous family trip to Disney World. We rented a gorgeous house and Ethan got to celebrate his 5th birthday with the big Mouse.

April was the month of the shingles, Migraines & ER visits. It sucked.

May brought a great camping trip, Ethan's almost broken arm and his last day of preschool.

In June, Ryan started summer camp at Easter Seals, big boy bed, lots of fun in the sun and unfortunately, lots of sickness too.

July brought the start of a second opinion on Ryan for Autism and farewell to the Stills.

August, Ethan started Kindergarten, first stitches for Ry, and a girls weekend at the Jersey shore for me.

September brought the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, Ryan's first day of school & bus ride, and the Walk Now for Autism at Ohio State.

October was filled with fun Halloween activities, flag football and Ethan's first trip to the school office.

November brought wonderful friends to Ohio for a visit but it also brought horrible tragedy and heartbreak.

December was filled with holiday cheer and we found out that Ryan qualified for the special needs preschool that we wanted him to go to next fall.

Happy New Year! We hope this year brings lots of happiness.

Someday, this will be funny

2008-12-26T22:07:00.002-05:00

I told Greg I wanted to buy the boys a trampoline for Christmas, mainly for Ryan. He loves to jump and it is always very therapeutic for his sensory needs. They do lots of jumping during his therapy sessions. Last year we bought a blow up Diego jumpy house that broke within 2 weeks so I knew I didn't want to go that route again. I searched and searched for the perfect one and found this trampoline. It has a handle bar and it plays music and it had a volume control. Perfect!

It arrived in a very thin box so I knew there was going to be lots of assembly involved. I warned Greg and told him I wanted the trampoline and easel put together for Christmas Day. Greg's friend Justin decided to come over and help. Ethan had just gone to bed and I was nervous he would hear us so instead of taking everything over to Justin's house, they decided to put it together in our bedroom.

Leigh and I sat with some margaritas, just listening to the obscenities coming out of the bedroom (keep it clean, this is a family blog. ;) We knew to just stay out of the way and let the men be men. Finally after an hour and a half, it was put together. Fabulous! Now I can get the rest of the presents that were hidden in the closet out and set it all up. Greg picks up the trampoline, only to find it wouldn't fit through the door. Knowing how long it took to put the stupid thing together, we tried for 30 minutes to get this sucker out of the door but it wasn't budging. We decided to take the door off of the hinges because it would surely fit through the door frame. After getting the door off and proceeding to pull one of the hinges out of the door frame, we realized it was still not going through.

So, Leigh and I decide to take a look and realize there were 2 long screws holding the handle bar onto the frame of the trampoline. If we just loosened these and bent the handle bar down, it will go through. Sure enough, 10 minutes later, the trampoline was in front of the tree.

So husbands, listen to your wives. We usually have a simpler solution. :)

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T21:36:00.008-05:00

Christmas has come and gone and we are all extremely tired but thankful that we didn't have a repeat of last year's Christmas. The boys have loved all of their gifts. Ethan loves his new Wii games and the Battleship game. He already beat Greg at it! Ryan loves his Little People race track and both boys love the trampoline. Best purchase, I mean, best present Santa could have ever brought!

Our favorite quotes from the day:
Ethan: "I can not believe my eyes" when he opened his Battleship game.
Ryan: "Oh my goodness! Wow!" at just about everything.

Later in the day, Greg's mom, sister & grandmother came over, along with Aunt Leigh & Uncle Justin. Greg made a fabulous feast with ham, dressing, glazed carrots, bread pudding and I made my cheesy potatoes.

Both boys had a great Christmas and we have one more Christmas to go at my parent's house.

Here are some highlights. And yes, Ryan has a sucker in just about every picture.
Just after Santa arrived:

Ethan with one of his favorite presents

Ryan, checking out his trampoline

The aftermath

Christmas # 2

Greg and I decided long ago not to exchange gifts this year. We decided cards were it this year, as neither of us really needed anything. As the day went on, I had given up hope that Greg had bought me a card so I decided to give him mine. A little bit later, he came clean and gave me a beautiful and very sappy card. I loved it. It was perfect. We were hugging and he told me there was something else written on the back of the card. I look and there are two 4-digit numbers. I immediately knew what it was. Flight numbers. I burst into tears because I wanted this so badly but didn't really think it would fit into our budget this year. He is sending me on a weekend to visit some girlfriends in NJ in February. These are my mommy message board friends. We are truly like sisters and I miss them so much and can't wait to see them!!

All ready for Santa!

2008-12-24T20:14:00.004-05:00

Well, almost.
The boys are so excited. We put out food for the reindeer,

picked out cookies for Santa,

had our annual picture taken in front of the tree with our matching jammies on,

and even left a carrot for Rudolph to enjoy all to himself.

Now for the hard part. Getting them to go to sleep!

OH MY GOODNESS

2008-12-18T15:23:00.004-05:00

OH MY GOODNESS is the phrase of the day. I will get to that in a second.

I am sitting here, overcome with emotion (yes, again) at the incredible generosity of people in this world. I just came home from Ryan's Christmas party at school. Some very special person made a donation so that all of the kids at the school would receive a gift from Santa.

I got there a little early and although Ryan was clinging to me for dear life (he doesn't do well with changes in his routine and me being there was a big change) he showed me how he sang the days of the week & months of the year. I had no idea he knew those but I am told he tells his teachers, every day, what day it is. I was amazed.

After a couple of songs & books, Santa finally arrived. He was fabulous. He was patient and kind and let the kids come to him when they were ready. I wasn't too surprised when Ryan wouldn't sit with Santa but he was so happy to get the big present Santa had for him and of course, the one thing Ryan was waiting patiently for, the Candy Cane. We had to open the candy cane right away and he thoroughly enjoyed it as we watched the rest of his friends sit with Santa. For once, Ryan was patient.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Santa and open our presents. "It's a box!" "I wonder what it is" "Oh Wow" Ryan was excited. He received a huge Mr. Potato Head set and a new Diego video, a little Christmas tree notebook & chocolates. With his hands over his cheeks (think Home Alone style), he kept yelling, OH MY GOODNESS. Then he walked over to his friend, I, looked at his present and said OH MY GOODNESS. He continued around the room to each of his friends. It must have been Ryan's phrase of the day. He was very excited to receive his present but he seemed so happy for his friends as well.

I wanted to get a small gift for each of Ryan's classmates. We bought books for everyone and made little goody bags. I would hand him the bag & book to hand to one of his friends and he would say Oh MY GOODNESS and then pass it on. So incredibly adorable.

Today was the first of many Christmas' Ryan will have and it just makes me so excited. To see the excitement in his eyes today makes me even more excited for the big day.

Ethan's Gingerbread House

2008-12-17T15:09:00.002-05:00

I bought a gingerbread house kit (ya, I don't make homemade gingerbread) a while back and Ethan has been begging to make it. We finally had some extra time this afternoon (the laundry could wait) before Ryan got home and we had so much fun. There was icing & candy everywhere but he was so happy with the final product.
So.....drum roll please.
Ethan's first attempt at his very own gingerbread house.

Budget Friendly Gifts

2008-12-10T11:00:00.003-05:00

In order to stay budget friendly this year, I tried to come up with an idea for a gift for the boys' teachers that wouldn't break the bank. A friend of mine told me about these adorable M&M jars and I knew that was what we had to do.

First, you separate the M&M's by color. You don't have to do this but I think it looks so my prettier.

Then you layer each color of M&M's in a mason jar.

We still have to decorate them and attach the poem. Cute, yes?

Poem:
How do you say thank you, to someone so sweet?
You take the colors of the rainbow and add them to a treat.
GREEN is for the inspiration you give to me each day,
BLUE is for your patience in showing me the way,
ORANGE is for your warmth and your caring style,
YELLOW is for the way you can always make me smile,
RED is for my heart that you have touched this year,
Thank you for celebrating all the colors of my rainbow.
Your guidance, love, and friendship have surely helped me grow.

Unofficial results

2008-12-08T18:34:00.003-05:00

Ryan had his evaluation at the preschool today to see if he qualifies for services. He cried when I left the room but overall did great.

The good news is that he qualifies and he is in the school. He can start as early as January 14th but we are going to wait to decide. We love it so much at Easter Seals that I would hate to disrupt Ryan's world any more then I have to. This will be a very hard decision for us. Obviously, we will do whatever we think is best for him.

The bad news is that he didn't qualify for speech, which is the one thing we thought would get him in. I am shocked and not really sure what to think. I won't get the official, written results until January but that fight that I was so hoping I wouldn't have to do, might just have to happen.

So now I am in advocate mode. I guess it is time that I open up that huge book on Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that has been staring at me. I need to be sure I am aware of all of Ryan's rights and our rights as his parents.

Anyone BTDT? Any advice?

Breakfast with Santa

2008-12-08T09:53:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, we had breakfast with Santa at Ethan's old preschool. Ethan was very excited to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas this year and we got to enjoy some yummy pancakes. Don't my boys look adorable in their matching sweaters? Yes, I am "that" mom. :)
Here are some pics. Sorry they are a bit wonky. Still trying to figure that out.

Ethan & Santa

My big boys

Ryan wanted nothing to do with Santa this year but we did catch this great pic of him

Then we came home and decorating our tree. Now if only I could keep Ryan out of it.

Ryan's big day

2008-12-08T09:49:00.002-05:00

Ryan has had a couple of big days and has another one ahead of him today. He has his evaluation at our school district to see if he qualifies for services. If he gets in, he will stay at Easter Seals for the rest of the school year (because we love it there so much) and then start at the special needs preschool in the fall. I just can't see him in a typical preschool yet and I know he needs this. I am prepared to fight for my boy if I need to but I am hoping it doesn't come to that. At the very least, they should provide him with some therapies, speech and possibly occupational therapy. Wish Ryan luck!

2008-12-03T14:39:00.002-05:00

Christmas Countdowns at WiddlyTinks.com

Easter Seals

2008-12-02T12:30:00.002-05:00

I have posted in the past about the school that Ryan attends. He goes to Easter Seals. Ryan has been blessed with fabulous teachers & patient therapists while attending there. We have been so incredibly happy with the progress that Ryan has made and I know that Easter Seals has been a huge part of that. He has learned his colors, letters, numbers, counting, shapes, etc. He learned that he can do the things I always knew were in him. He learned that he doesn't always need mom right by his side. He continues to work on playing with his friends and learning to taste new foods but I know his teachers & therapists are by his side, encouraging him.

All of these services have been free to us. I am not 100% sure where they get all of their money (I know some comes from the county MRDD funding) but I know they rely a lot on donations. If you are looking to make a donation this holiday season, I would ask that you keep Easter Seals in mind. They have been such a blessing to Ryan and to our family. Donations can me made online here.

If you are looking for another way to donate, they also have a Christmas tree set up in their lobby with items written on ornaments that they are asking for. A lot of families at Ryan's school are struggling right now and need a little help so they are asking for these donations to help them through this time. Things include diapers, wipes, toothpaste & canned food.

I am filled with happy tears right now as I just learned that some very special someone (or company) has made a very generous donation to Easter Seals so that every child will get a gift from Santa. I know a lot of the kids in Ryan's class will not get a Christmas so this was a huge thing for them and I know all of the teachers are so appreciative.

Thank you to Easter Seals for making a difference in my child's life. I can't thank them enough.

I've been tagged!

2008-12-01T16:40:00.003-05:00

I have never been tagged before.
Okay, so I wanted to do a meme.....and if I tag you below you better play!!! Post this on your blog, answer and then tag 5 other people.....ready....GO

1) Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both

2) Real tree or artificial? Artificial....I have never, in my 32 years, had a real tree.

3)When do you put up the tree? Usually the first full weekend of December

4)When do you take the tree down? within a few days of Christmas

5)Do you like eggnog? ewww

6) Favorite gift received as a child? My Cabbage Patch doll, Darcy. My mom still has her.

7)Hardest person to buy for? This year Ryan! We have everything already so it has been hard coming up with new and exciting things for him.

8) Easiest person to buy for? Ethan....anything and everything Star Wars

9)Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I wish I did

10)Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The granny panties my neighbor gave me when I was about 12. She had the best of intentions but not the gift I was expecting.

11)Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story

12)Favorite Christmas song? Jingle Bells

13)Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home! Sometimes we head to my parents but it is only about a 35 minute drive

14)Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so

15)Favorite ornament theme or color? no theme but we have burgandy & gold ribbons & bulbs on it with other ornaments thrown in.

I am going to tag.....

Christa
Annette
Lauren
Amy
Stacey

It's getting cold out there!

2008-11-25T15:29:00.008-05:00

And thank goodness flag football is over. We were blessed with great weather, up until the last 2 weeks. Then it was freezing. The kids didn't seem to care though. I had the occasional complaint from Ethan but he went out there and ran his little heart out. Here is his official football picture.

Ethan really loved football, much more then I expected. Now he says he wants to play tennis. I have no idea where that came from.

Since Ryan goes to school in the afternoon, I make him lay down for some rest time in the morning before the bus comes. This is how I found him today.

Me thinks he has been building too many forts with his big brother. He worked hard at it though. He pulled all of his blankets & stuffed animals off of his bed and used his very own KozyPal cart cover as his pillow.

Last week, Ryan & Silas had the whole house to themselves, for a couple of hours. I was finishing cleaning up the kitchen and they went upstairs to play. They were being way too quiet and as I went up to check on them, I could hear giggling and chattering. I have always said that Silas & Ry have their own language. Silas speaks very clearly and Ry is trying very hard but Silas always seems to know what Ryan is saying. He is such a smart boy. Anyway, I thought for sure they were up to no good but I found them, in the fire truck tent, reading books. They looked so adorable together. When I first walked in, they were sitting side by side but I think I spooked Silas and he quickly went to the other side of the tent.

Greg and his friend, Justin, have a competition going to see who can get to the most Apple stores. Silly, huh? Well, I decided that since I knew neither of them would most likely get to the one I was at, I had to take my picture to prove it. So here I am, at the Apple store in Buffalo, NY. Take that!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hug your loved ones a little tighter tonight.

2008-11-15T17:03:00.003-05:00

I belong to a mommy message board. It consists of about 100 women, scattered across the country. Most of us met while planning our weddings on The Knot. We have several get togethers throughout the year and my friends that came to visit last weekend, are all a part of this board.

We received some horrible news today. One of our friends lost her husband. He worked with heavy machinery and there was a horrible accident. I never met him but I know he was a great husband & father. He leaves behind his wife, Andrea and two young children, Jacob & Sydney. I know that our little community will stand by her side and help her through this. Please keep her family in your prayers & thoughts.

ROW - Matthew R. Suddenly, November 15, 2008, beloved husband of Andrea R. (nee Gordon) Row; loving father of Jacob W. and Sydney R. Row; dearest son of Roy and Virginia Row; dear brother of Gregory, Jeffrey, Christopher (Wendy) Row; survived by many nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held Wednesday at 11 AM at the KENNETH HOWE FUNERAL HOME, 64 Maple St., East Aurora. A reception to follow at Wales Center Fire Hall. Flowers gratefully declined. Memorials to Wales Center Fire Dept., 12300 Big Tree Rd., Wales Center 14169.

I am so thankful for being able to make the trip to be with her. There are 9 of us that are going to be there, to hug her and help her through this.

My smart 2 year old.

2008-11-13T12:23:00.002-05:00

Click here to see a video of Ryan. If you can't make it out, he starts off counting in Spanish, singing Row Your Boat and then counting in English. This all from a boy who didn't say any words 10 months ago. He will be three in January.
Ry Video

A whole lot of everything.

2008-11-10T12:35:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since I blogged. The boys are both very much enjoying school. Ethan had his last football game yesterday and has the playoffs this weekend. It was freezing and he was just running around, trying to keep himself warm.

The boys went to visit Grandma & Grandpa over the weekend. A few of my girlfriends came to visit. We had the best time and Greg was the best husband ever. I "kicked him out" to his best friend's house on Friday night and he showed up Saturday morning waiting to take our Starbucks order. He was our chauffeur Saturday night and drove us around. Sunday morning he ran out for another coffee run and Panera. He even slept on the floor in the basement on Saturday night so we didn't have to kick my sick friend out of bed. (And she had a bug, not because she drank too much.) He was so awesome and didn't complain too much about being outnumbered. Although, I am pretty sure he had just as much fun as I did.

Here are a few pics from the weekend:

Cammie & Ryann at dinner Friday night

Scoutie made a new friend

Going out Saturday night: Ryann, me & Amy

Me, Ryann & Amy

Our attempt at a group shot. This was Sunday morning. We were exhausted, not drugged.

Another great weekend, with great friends. I miss them already. And I realized that I love to play hostess. It actually gets me to get my house clean.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T15:34:00.004-04:00

Sorry about the weird formatting of the pics. I will see if Greg can fix that later.

Here are some pics from Trick or Treat night!
Ry the monkey. This is the costume that Aunt Leigh made for Ethan a couple of years ago. I was so excited that it fit Ryan so perfectly.

Ethan with our neighbor

Even Greg got festive and pulled out his Superman costume.

My money is on Darth Vader

Warning: Lots of bragging inside below.

2008-10-31T14:42:00.003-04:00

Ethan came home from school and was all excited to tell me that he got a certificate. We were in a hurry and I didn't think much of it and of to lunch we went to meet some friends. When we got home, he showed it to me. My boy was Student of the Month. This means that his teacher thinks he is the best student ever.....ok, I might have made that up but a mom can dream. This does mean that his teacher thought he completed all of his assignments to the best of his ability, helped another student in need and put forth a constant effort to improve academically. I asked him if he knew what the certificate meant and he didn't really get it so I explained to him that his teacher thought he was doing his very best at school and was a nice friend to his classmates. I think he got it. Greg and I are trying to come up with a reward for him for being such a great student.

Ethan can be very shy so I was very nervous when he first started school. I thought for sure he would be "that kid" crying and me having to push him on the bus. That first day he got on the bus like he had done it a million times before. His confidence & maturity have far exceeded our expectations and we are only 2 months into school. His teacher has always had glowing things to say about him but I was really reminded with how great of a boy we have when he brought this home today. We are just so proud of him.

And I can't brag on E without mentioning Ryan. He is doing great. He absolutely loves going to school and is always running out the door when I tell him his bus is coming. He is only 2 and recognizes most of his letters & numbers and can now count to 20 in English and today he surprised me by counting to 10 in Spanish. I had no idea he knew that. I think I have Dora & Diego to thank for that one.

So that is enough bragging. We are just so incredibly proud of both of our boys.

Some random pics

2008-10-18T13:21:00.002-04:00

Ethan, Ella & Jack enjoying the nice weather.

Ryan, just after a hair cut

Ethan, showing off his Star Wars Lego creation

How Ry prefers to wear his hat, borrowed from Si

Ryan & Silas--fun in the sun

Fall zoo trip

2008-10-18T13:15:00.002-04:00

We went to the zoo with our neighbors. She also watches kids in her home so between the two of us, we had eight total. It was crazy but we had so much fun!

The clan

Ryan

Xanis--Justin & Leigh's nephew

Ethan--He looks so big now

And our attempt at a group shot

Pumpkin Patch 2008

2008-10-18T13:10:00.002-04:00

We went to the pumpkin patch with Ethan's school this week. Ethan & Ryan had a great time! Poor daddy had to go out of town that day though.

Ethan with his bff, Alex

Beautiful fall scenery

Ry in the corn maze

Our attempt at a group photo

Ethan with his pumpkin

Ethan was sent to the office and other ramblings....

2008-10-09T11:01:00.003-04:00

So my sweet baby boy was sent to the office yesterday. I know, I was as shocked as all of you reading. My sweet baby boy can do no wrong. ;) But, it wasn't because he was in trouble but because he had a bloody nose. I got a call yesterday and it went like this:
hello, Mrs. Syferd?
Yes
This is so and so from Beacon Elementary. Ethan was in the office and I needed to call and let you know.
OMG, what did he do?
Oh no, he is fine but he had a bloody nose on the bus.

And he is fine. He does have a blood clotting disorder so anytime he bleeds, they have to call me in case I need to bring in his medicine. Luckily, it stopped on his own and all was well.

Yesterday was just one of those days where nothing could go right. The bee guy came again and said well, we might have to take your house apart to find the nest. Ok, not going to happen. Spray it again and we will make do. We did patch a couple of small nail holes in the wall and we haven't had any more in the house. Yay!

Ryan had a day yesterday and not a good one. Luckily, these days are few and far between but it was one of those times where I felt like there was nothing I could do to help him. And truly, there wasn't. He just needed to get out his frustrations and since he doesn't just come up and tell me that his skin is itchy or that his tag is bothering him or that he didn't like the way Ethan came up to play with him, he just has to vent in other ways. He just cried and screamed and kicked and about 45 minutes later, came out of his room and declared himself a "nice boy" again. I was so happy to have my nice boy back.

I did get some great news though. One of my very bestest friends is coming to visit in November. I can't wait. The boys are going to Grandma's (right mom?), I will kick Greg out to Justin's and we will enjoy a girl's weekend. I am so excited!

Bees, bees, everywhere.

2008-09-25T09:08:00.004-04:00

So we had a little excitement in the house. Yes, bees! We have had our windows open a lot since the weather has been so nice and I have noticed a few bees in the house right by my bay window. I didn't think much of it since we have a small hole in one of the screens and just thought they were getting in that way. Well, when I noticed that I was still killing bees and my windows haven't been opened, I knew we had an issue.

I took the kids outside to play a couple of days ago and saw where they were getting in. There is a small roof on our bay window and they were getting in through one of the grooves on the roof. Great. I sat and watched for a few minutes and probably saw 10-15 bees come in and out. I knew we had a bigger problem and it certainly wasn't something I was going to mess with. I called around to a few places and found a recommended local place with a good price. I finally got a hold of Greg and he said he wanted to see if he could take care of it on his own. I tried to explain to him that I would be nowhere outside when he did it and I would not get the stingers out of the stings that he would inevitably get. (Ok, I would but I didn't really want him to take care of it. I just wanted to "call the man".)

One of the great things about technology. Video conferencing! So I took my laptop outside and held it up to the bay window, where Greg immediately saw how many there were and said, "umm ya, just call the man".
The guy came over and had this huge injector looking thing and sprayed a powder in the hole. Ya, that really pissed the bees off. About 50 or so came swarming out. He had to do that 2-3 times and sprayed them as well. Almost 48 hours later, the bees are gone! Thank God! Anyone that knows me knows that I hate bugs, especially bees & ticks. Ewww.

So does anyone know which classic tv show this quote is from? "just call the man". Hint: It is one of Greg's all time favorite shows and we watch it every night.

Ethan's first heartbreak.

2008-09-23T12:27:00.001-04:00

So Ethan is super in love with this little girl McKenzie in his class. He came home the first day and she was all he talked about. Mommy, she has yellow hair and it's long and she is really cute. He says they play together at recess and they sit together on the bus on the way home.

So today, he comes home and is in a really bad mood. I can't figure it out. I ask him if he had a bad day at school and he said no, school was fine. Finally, I asked him if McKenzie sat with him on the bus and he just burst into tears. He said McKenzie sat with Caden on the bus today and they didn't want to sit with him in seat 1. :(

My poor baby. I am sure, the first of many heartaches. Of course, mommy made it all better with pb&j & pink (strawberry) milk.

Walk Now for Autism!

2008-09-20T11:00:00.005-04:00

We are very proud to be taking part in Walk Now for Autism. We have often wondered if Ryan is on the spectrum, so raising money for other kids battling this disorder if very close to our hearts. One of my very good friends has a daughter on the spectrum and they have helped her so much. She and her husband are wonderful advocates for their daughter and are always doing everything they can to help her. So we are walking in honor of Hallie. Please visit this link and make a donation. Every penny helps!

Please read this heartfelt letter from a wonderful father fighting with all he has to help his daughter navigate the spectrum.......

Hallie and Noah are the light of our lives. But unfortunately, we have been fighting to get our little girl back from Autism. We have financially bankrupted our family to provide the services that our daughter needed. She still needs speech to give her a voice. She still needs to learn better social skills. She still needs special education to help her understand her math and reading homework. She still needs to see a psychologist to help her understand all the pieces to her puzzle. She still needs Occupational Therapy to help regulate her sensory surroundings. And the list goes on. All of these services have paid off. Hallie enjoys soccer and we were told she would not play groups sports by the so-called experts. She is beginning to laugh at the appropriate time and is beginning to eat a variety of foods (if variety includes all forms of chicken nuggets!). And yes, she has a voice. But we still have a lot of obstacles to face and we wake up every day not knowing how Autism

Walk Now for Autism is our chance to make a difference in the fight against autism by raising money for autism research and heightening public awareness. Please join me in my fight as I raise $500.00 to help fund essential research. I will be walking on October 12 and would like you to support those affected by autism. You can donate to Walk Now for Autism and join my team online through my webpage at www.walknowforautism.org. Donations can also be mailed to Autism Speaks using the donation form located on my page or send me a check made out to Autism Speaks. My team name is Buckeyes for Hallie; please note this on your check and the donation form.

Sincerely,
Chris (Hallie's dad)

Update on my neurologist appt, night out and Hurricane Ike aftermath

2008-09-20T10:41:00.003-04:00

Well, it is not good news. There is surgery in my future, hopefully not in the near future though. I have 2 small herniated discs but I also have arthritis as well. Not a good thing to have both. Since I am not in pain now, my neuro said we can wait on it. I am scheduled for some physical therapy and a follow up with him in 6 weeks. We are hoping this can be put off for a year or two. There is absolutely no way I can have it now. I still lift Ry a lot and between Ethan's school, Ryan's school and the kids I watch, there is just no way. If I have more pain, I can get more injections. There is no cure for this other then surgery but we are hoping to prolong it as much as possible.

I went to a Pampered Chef party last night. So much fun. We saw all of the new gadgets PC has to offer but it was so nice to sit back, drink & eat with some new friends. I had a great time. Thanks Christa for inviting me! And it was nice to come home and find both boys all snug in their beds.

Wind Storm of 2008: Update! We were very lucky. We lost a few shingles but though for sure we were going to lose our birch tree next to our house. It was strong though and stayed put. We never lost power but about half of our neighborhood did. Our immediate neighbors lost power and we have an extension cord running to their freezer so they wouldn't lose all of their food. We offered our oven & stove and we even had another neighbor come down to do some laundry, after much coercing from me. There were even extension cords running across the roads. Probably not the safest thing but it was nice to see our neighborhood come together and help those in need.

The boys both missed a couple of days of school but Ethan was very happy to be back. Ryan had some adjustment issues and cried for the first time while getting on the bus. He just didn't know what to think but I was told once he got to school, he was in a great mood and his teacher said she would have never known he was upset.

Now we are ready to root on the Buckeyes! Hopefully they will do better then last week!

Hurricane Ike & Go Bucks!

2008-09-13T10:28:00.005-04:00

Before I wish the Buckeyes luck, I need to take some time to remember my friends battling Hurricane Ike right now. I have been in contact with a few of them. Their families are safe but are worried about what they might go back to. Many prayers for all of them for minimal damage and an easy cleanup.
Melissa, Lauren, Stacey & Bre: You are all in my prayers. Love you girls!

Buckeyes:
Lets all hope they can pull this one off and not play like they did against OU. Go Bucks!!

Ryan's first day of school!

2008-09-08T14:12:00.005-04:00

I am so proud of my boy. We have been talking a lot about him going to school and riding the bus like a big boy. All morning, he would play and then ask "bus". He was so excited. The bus was late, as expected for the first day, but all of Ryan's friends came out to see him off. He had quite the send off. The biggest his bus driver has seen! There were about 12 (adults & kids) out there. Everyone was excited for Ry.

I carried him on the bus and he waved and said hi to everyone that was already on it. His driver took us back and showed us his seat, complete with his very own car seat. We got him all buckled in, took some pictures and he waved goodbye to me. I walked off the bus and joined his crowd to wave goodbye. He did so well. I am so proud of him. Then of course, I cried and got some hugs and encouragement from our neighbors.

I had to take Ryan's supplies over to his school after the bus picked him up. I wanted to get in and out of there before he saw me. Mission accomplished. But all of the teachers were waiting in the waiting area for the buses to arrive and his teachers from summer camp were there. The tears started again and I got my more hugs & encouragement. I am not sad for Ryan because I know he is going to get to school and have so much fun but, it is hard to watch another one of my babies grow up.

And onto the good stuff. Pics! And please excuse his hair. He is way overdue for a hair cut but I have to wait until his stitches dissolve.

Another installment of, are we doing the right thing?

2008-09-05T13:10:00.002-04:00

Ryan starts school on Monday through Easter Seals. It is at the same place he went to over the summer and we both absolutely fell in love with the place. We were very fortunate that this was his placement again since there are about 10 schools throughout the city. Anyway, he got an afternoon spot and because of me having to be home to get Ethan off the bus and the wonderful kids I watch, I have to send him on the bus. I just saw the bus drive by (I am guessing for a trial run to see how long it is between houses) and I just got this huge lump in my throat. How on earth am I going to put my 2 year old on a bus with strangers? He has come a long way as far as speech but he doesn't know how to convey his feelings or emotions. He just cries until we figure it out.
I know this is the absolute best place for him, it just sucks that I can't go out and buy a mommy mobile (aka mini van) so I can transport everyone to take him, which would suck anyway but still.
And I know deep down that riding the bus is nothing. We are very fortunate that he is healthy and is making huge strides in his speech & sensory issues but being a parent is so hard sometimes.
His teachers seem to think the first few days will be hard but after that he will love riding the bus. I will be the one buckling him in on the bus every day so I know he will be safe and won't be running and jumping on every seat while the drive is yelling at him. I can just picture that happening. Ry would have a hay day.
Any parents BTDT?

Busy weekend & lots of updates.

2008-09-01T20:15:00.003-04:00

We had such a busy weekend! We are all exhausted.
Friday night, the boys went to my parents and Greg and I went to dinner with one of Greg's work friends and went to a wine tasting party. It was a lot of fun and we got to try some yummy wine. The boys had a great time and Ryan is such a Grandpa's boy. I am not sure what it is but Ry is totally attached to him.
Saturday was a great day as the Buckeye's kicked butt! Our neighbors had an all day party so we watched the Buckeyes, had some drinks, put the kids to bed and had some more drinks. It was a great night!
Sunday & Monday were spent cleaning & shopping.
PSA: If you have never had a Whole Foods burger, go and get one now! They were on sale this weekend so we bought a ton and they are the yummiest burgers I have ever had.
Ethan is sick. He has a bad cold, complete with a fever, cough & runny nose. We are going to see how he is Tuesday but he might have to stay home from school. He is not very happy about that.
Ryan's new teacher is coming over for a home visit this week. I am very excited to meet her.
And speaking of Ryan. We feel like he is making wonderful progress. As I sit here writing this, he is actually playing with his brother! Ethan made a tent with his blankets and he and Ryan are hiding under it. I am sure it won't be long before Ryan decides to pull it down and anger his brother. But it is nice to actually see him interacting with Ethan. We have waited a long time for this.
I go to the neurologist on September 19th to talk about my back. I am very interested to hear what he has to say and maybe a tad nervous too.
Greg is having some back issues too and is deciding if he should be heading the doctor to get it checked out.
Hopefully we will all stay healthy for a while!

Everyone could use a laugh, right?

2008-08-27T13:55:00.003-04:00

Ethan, Greg and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the Olympics this year. Ethan was totally into it and keeps asking when he will get to see the "lympics" again.
I came across these on another website and thought they were funny.
And since this is a family blog, I feel the need to put a disclaimer. The following might not be family friendly. ;)
Enjoy!

I don't know if they are true, but they're still funny.

Here are the top nine comments made by NBC sports commentators so far during the Summer Olympics that they would like to take back:

1. Weightlifting commentator: 'This is Gregorieva from Bulgaria. I saw her snatch this morning during her warm up and it was amazing.'

2. Dressage commentator: 'This is really a lovely horse and I speak from personal experience since I once mounted her mother.'

3. Paul Hamm, Gymnast: 'I owe a lot to my parents, especially my mother and father.'

4. Boxing Analyst: 'Sure there have been injuries, and even some deaths in boxing, but none of them are really that serious.'

5. Softball announcer: 'If history repeats itself, I should think we can expect the same thing again.'

6. Basketball analyst: 'He dribbles a lot and the opposition doesn't like it. In fact you can see it all over their faces.'

7. At the rowing medal ceremony: 'Ah, isn't that nice, the wife of the IOC president is hugging the cox of the British crew. Oh my God, what have I just said?'

8. Soccer commentator: ' Julian Dicks is everywhere. It's like they've got eleven Dicks on the field.'

9. Tennis commentator: 'One of the reasons Andy is playing so well is that, before the final round, his wife takes out his balls and kisses them... cut! cut!... we're live? 0h my god!

I guess I am abnormal.

2008-08-27T09:27:00.003-04:00

Tell me something I didn't know. ;) I got my MRI results back yesterday and the results weren't good. I have degenerative changes in my lower lumbar spine...whatever that means. I am now being referred to a neurologist. Just another appointment to work into the schedule. I am not sure what they will tell me but I do know that I absolutely do not want surgery. I will have to see what my options are but at this point it sounds , from the wonderful world of google, that some physical therapy might be in my future. And another appointment to work into the schedule.

Ryan is doing wonderfully. He did discover his stitches yesterday and was trying to scratch them. I think I scared him when I yelled NO but anything to keep those stitches in his head until it heals because holding him down, is not something I want to relive again in the near future.

Ethan is doing awesome at school. He absolutely loves going! Yesterday was the first day I had to wake him to get ready but after some quick complaints of his belly hurting and some yummy Lego waffles & banana for breakfast, he quickly got dressed and raced outside to wait for the bus with his friends. I am sure we will have a day or two where I am pushing him out the door but, I am so thankful he has had such an easy transition.

Another day, another doctor...

2008-08-25T14:02:00.002-04:00

This morning started like any other. The boys got up, ate breakfast and it was time to go out and wait for the bus. Ryan is still having some issues adjusting to his brother being gone and was a real pill all morning. He asked to color, we colored then quickly changed his mind. We played cars, then quickly changed his mind. He asked to paint so I got everything out for him and apparently in the 10 seconds that took, he changed his mind and decided to throw the mother of all tantrums. He slammed his head back and normally when he does this, he just hits the carpet and he goes about his business. Well, today he was a bit too close to the sliding back door and slammed his head on the frame. I realized the back of his head was bleeding and took him into the kitchen to see how bad it was. It was bad so we made some calls (had to make sure someone was here for Ethan to get him off the bus & tried to get a hold of Greg to meet us) and headed to the ER. He did a lot better then I was expecting but it was still no fun having to wrestle him down so the nurse could stitch him up. He ended up with only 2 stitches. I think we might have had to knock him out if it had been more.

Ethan's first day of Kindergarten!

2008-08-20T10:03:00.004-04:00

And before anyone asks, yes his mommy was a crying mess. I did wait until he was out of sight.

All of my nerves were for nothing. I was up half the night, thinking about this day and thinking about how grown up he is. He has been so excited all summer about going to Kindergarten. His best friend is in his class as well and he was very excited to ride the bus with all of his friends. I thought for sure he would be excited until he saw the bus and then turn around and grab onto my leg. But, much to my surprise, he got on the bus like he had done it a million times before. I was so proud of him.

Here are some pics:

Update: He had a great day and can't wait to go back. He goes again on Friday but I think next week will be the real transition when he has to go every day.

MRI anyone?

2008-08-15T21:40:00.002-04:00

So, I took the boys to the ball pits (Galaxy Games & Golf) on Monday. I felt like I had pulled a muscle in my leg. As the week went on, it got worse. My left thigh was totally achey and the back of my leg was numb and felt like it would give out at anytime. I went to the doctor on Monday. The doctor said he wanted to do some x-rays on my back. I quickly corrected him and told him it was my leg and not my back. My back feels fine! But he explained that the pain I am describing usually means there is something going on in my back. Great. Turns out, he was right. I have a bulging disk in my back. I have to have an MRI on Wednesday to see how bad it is. The good news is that they gave me a steroid shot and I feel much better today.

Next week is crazy and will be very emotional.

Monday--Ella & Si will be back from vaca. Yay! Then we have Ethan's open house at his school. He will get to see his classroom and meet his teacher.

Tuesday--Ryan has camp.

Wednesday--Ryan has camp and Ethan has his first day of Kindergarten. They do a staggered start so only a third of the kids will be there. Then I have my MRI.

Thursday--Ryan's last day of camp and then Greg and I see the neuropsychologist for her results from all of the tests she did with Ryan.

Friday--Ethan has school--the first day with all of the kids and Ryan has speech therapy.

My biggest boy is starting Kindergarten and Ryan is having his last week at camp. His teachers have been wonderful with him and he just loves them and the best thing is that I know they love him too.

Some updates

2008-08-08T16:05:00.003-04:00

I can't believe summer is almost ever. Ethan is very excited to start Kindergarten but I think he is most excited about riding the bus with his friends. I just hope the first days go smoothly. He can be very shy so I am afraid I am going to have to push him on the bus.

Ryan will also start riding the bus this year. We were very relieved to hear he did get a spot at Easter Seals (through Franklin County MRDD) starting in September. This will be at the same place he is now and he may even have the same teacher. The only draw back is that he got an afternoon spot so we will have to rearrange his schedule. If we gave up this spot we weren't guaranteed another one so we will just make do. I imagine the first few weeks are going to be hard on him (and us) but we will just figure it out as we go.

We have also been visiting with Dr. P, his new neuropsychologist. He loves her. She describes him as "inconsistent". The first day he saw her, she thought maybe Children's was right with their first diagnosis but throughout the appointment he started showing more and more signs of Autism. The second visit, he was perfect. Then last night, was more like the first. Showing little signs. She did lots of testing as well as giving his teacher and I some paperwork to fill out. She will look over everything and score the testing that she did and Greg and I meet with her in two weeks to go over the results. Of course, I am dreading it. We know Ry is far behind (Autism or not) and that is never an easy thing to hear. It is nice to see so much improvement in him though. The therapies & summer camp have been worth every penny.

Saturday is my birthday! The big 3-2 (shh, don't say it too loud). Greg and I, along with Justin & Leigh are going out for dinner and hopefully to see some 80s music. Thanks to Grandma (with the kitty cats) for agreeing to babysit.

And poor Ethan. Ella (his bestest girlfriend) is on vacation. She has been gone all of 24 hours and he is already missing her and asked to call her during their 12 hour car ride. Good thing we have lots of fun things planned next week.

And Happy Birthday today to my oldest nephew, Matt! Everyone stay off the roads. He turns 16 today!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Jersey Shore Girls Weekend

2008-08-04T21:29:00.003-04:00

I went away with some girlfriends for the weekend. We had the absolute best time. I just love them. Lots of smiling, laughing, fun times, a little too much drinking and lots of tears at the end. It was so nice to get away for a while and spend some time with a few of my best friends. We can't wait to do it again!

Here are a few pics from our weekend:

Ryann, Steph & me

Lauren--such a gorgeous pic of her
All of us, Steph, Melissa (our photographer), me, Ryann & Lauren
Lobster anyone?
Lauren & I
Ryann & I
Steph & Melissa
Lauren--our virgin gambler
We had a gorgeous beach!

Update on Ryan's first visit with the new psychologist

2008-07-25T10:33:00.002-04:00

I took Ryan to meet Dr. P last night. He did great. He played with blocks, trains & puzzles. He was very good but she saw some of the things that we see in Ryan. He showed her how his mind goes a mile a minute and how he doesn't adapt to change. She pulled out a testing book with pictures that Ryan had to point to when she named them. Each page had 4 pictures on it, each with a very small number below it, labeled 1-4. Ryan was so fixated on the numbers that he couldn't point to what she was saying. She would turn the page and he would point to the number 3 and say three, instead of pointing to the ear that she said. She tried another book where he had to say what was on the picture. Horse, zebra, house, etc. All very easy things that Ryan knows. Again, he found the very small number on the page and couldn't concentrate on the task.

At the end of the session, she said words that I have been waiting to hear from a psychologist. "I see your concerns" Huge sigh of relief and maybe a few tears. That is all we ever wanted. I don't care what the diagnosis is (well, I do but it doesn't matter at this point). I just want someone to see what we see and to listen to our concerns. Other then our wonderful pediatrician, we have never felt like our concerns were being heard. Finally, we have found someone who will listen.

Another doctor to the list

2008-07-17T09:16:00.002-04:00

But I think we might have found a good match. We started the process for a second opinion on Ryan. The psychologist met with Greg and I to go over Ryan's history and our family medical history. I think I love her, hopefully Ryan will too. We go back next Thursday so Ryan can meet her and she will start the process. She said it could take 4 sessions or up to 12 and it will just depend on how cooperative Ryan is during each one.

I am relieved to have found a psychologist that actually sat down and listened to everything we said and really understood where we, as his parents, are coming from.

And my kids see way too many doctors & therapists. I think between the 2 of them, we now have 12. No wonder our flexible spending money is gone!

So long to the Still family....

2008-07-14T21:44:00.003-04:00

Or more like see ya later. I hate goodbyes! Our good friends, Steve and Faith, are moving to Illinois so Steve can go back to school.Greg and Steve have known each other since high school and little Steven has become another member of our family. The boys and I are going to miss him so much.
We threw a party for them, complete with a Luau theme. They had lots of family and friends come and wish them well in their new endeavor.
The guests of honor:

The cake:

The cupcakes--Thanks Leigh for helping with them!

Before the big party, some of them decided to go play paintball. They came back and said they had fun but don't think they will be doing it again anytime soon. Here is Greg's best battle wound. Ouch!

Memory Lane Blog Game

2008-07-11T22:25:00.001-04:00

Memory Lane...the tag that gets everyone involved

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!*

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

*I reserve the right to delete any offensive, mean, untrue, embarrassing, incriminating, unflattering, humiliating, this makes me look like a dork/a$$/b*tch/lush comments ;)

Ryan's first day of school

2008-06-24T13:13:00.004-04:00

So this was Ryan before we left:

And this was Ryan when we got to his classroom

We walk in and Ryan exclaims "Oh Wow". Everyone laughed and thought it was adorable. He walked in like he had been there a million times before. They have a great set up. A pretend play area with a kitchen and toys, fine motor area with puzzles & crafts and Ryan's favorite, a Little Tikes climber & slider, complete with a small ball pit. As soon as Ryan saw that, he was off and running. They also have a great playground that is completely fenced in and they have a door from their classroom to go out. I stayed for about 15 minutes so I could talk to his teachers. I told him goodbye and off I went to spy on him through the one way mirror. He did start to tear up once he realized I wasn't there anymore but his teachers said he did great for his first day. He did cry off and on throughout the day but as long as he was interested in what they were doing, he was fine.

Here are some other pics from my short visit with him:

And his first masterpiece from school:

Tomorrow is the day.

2008-06-23T20:29:00.003-04:00

Ryan starts at Easter Seals tomorrow. He will go three days a week, for 3 hours in the morning, for the next 9 weeks. During the summer, it is mostly a structured day camp with teachers that work with special needs kids. We are hoping we can continue this placement in the fall where he will also receive occupational & speech therapies, as well as the structured teaching setting.

My nerves are shot though. I was packing his new little Diego backpack with his clothes and snacks and I couldn't hold back the tears. He is so young. How do I know he won't cry for me the whole time? How do I know that one little kid won't come up to him and totally set him off? How do I know we are doing the right thing for him? Deep down, I know this is the best thing for him. All of his teachers & therapist tell me that but it is very hard not to be there, to hold him when he needs me. He seems to adjust to adults faster then the kids so I am hoping he bonds with one of his teachers quickly.

I am expecting lots of tears tomorrow, from both of us, but I am hoping Ryan has fun. I told myself I am not allowed to cry until I get back to the car. The good thing is that Ethan also has vacation bible school this week so I will have a couple of hours to compose myself.

Our baby isn't such a baby anymore.

2008-06-22T21:55:00.003-04:00

Ryan has decided it is time for a "big" boy bed. He has climbed out of his crib a couple of times when I had put him in there for a time out, so we knew it was getting close to time to move him. When he decided to climb out and come down to our room at 5:30 yesterday morning, we really knew it was time to move him out of the crib. I went out and bought him a new toddler bed, something I said I would never buy but we just didn't think Ry was ready for the BIG big boy bed. I completed the ensemble with the very loud and bright Diego bedding that I knew Ry would just love.
So here is a pic of my "baby" in his new bed.

Fun in the sun!

2008-06-20T13:53:00.003-04:00

These were taken last week (when we were all healthy). Ethan, Ryan, Ella & Silas LOVE the Slip & Slide. So much fun, on a hot summer day.

My sick boy

2008-06-20T13:51:00.002-04:00

Doesn't he look so sweet when he is sleeping!?!?!

Here we go again...

2008-06-19T18:39:00.003-04:00

Now a stomach virus has hit our house. We went a whole 2 days without one of us having something. Ryan and I both have it and I am waiting on Greg and Ethan to get hit with it.

And another x-ray

2008-06-16T16:03:00.003-04:00

This time for Ryan.
Ryan and Ethan were playing in our bedroom last night and Ethan jumped off the bed which of course, made Ryan jump also. Screaming ensues and he refused to walk on his left foot. This morning, it was very swollen so off to the doctor we went. She examined his foot and sent us over for an x-ray. After several hours of waiting for the results, it is good news! It is not broken! She thinks he over extended a muscle or tendon in his foot, just like Ethan did with his arm.
So, we have had our fair share of possible broken bones and sicknesses so I am expecting everyone to be healthy and in one piece for the rest of the year!

And now I have bronchitis....

2008-06-08T18:09:00.003-04:00

I have been getting worse since going to the clinic on Friday and decided to head to Urgent Care this morning. I have bronchitis. He said, if I am not careful, it will develop into pneumonia but we are hoping the new, very large antibiotics will kick it. If I am not feeling any better in 2 days then I need to call my regular doctor. But, I think the new meds are already working. I have been out of bed for almost an hour. I don't think I have lasted more then 5 minutes the last few days.
And the boys all have something too. Poor Greg has been such a trooper. He has not been feeling 100% either but has taken complete care of the boys since Friday. Ethan & Ryan both have coughs and runny noses but we are hoping it doesn't get worse for them.

Apparently, I missed the memo

2008-06-06T20:41:00.002-04:00

on everyone staying healthy. I started with a fever on Thursday and it just got worse. By Friday morning, I couldn't breath and my whole body ached. Greg stayed home and I went off to the Minute Clinic at CVS. Very bad sinus infection. I got some antibiotics, mucinex, more tissues and sprite and have been in bed all day. Thank goodness Greg was able to stay home today.

For those following the saga.....

2008-06-03T22:46:00.002-04:00

We decided to go ahead with a second opinion on Ryan.

I know something is "off" with him and I just don't feel like it is just sensory issues. He flips out at anything new especially people & places. He flips out when someone comes too close to him. We actually had to leave a birthday party at a park because a little kid got too close to him and he reached his "point of no return" as I like to call it. His language is developing but he is still not putting two words together on his own. Some kids hand flap. Ryan does this thing with his hands when he gets nervous. Greg and I call it the Mr. Burns (from The Simpsons) look. And his new favorite thing is to line up his cars on the table. He screamed today when I moved one, picked it back up and put it back where it was.

The "not on spectrum" diagnosis has never set well with me and this weekend I really realized it. I had to take him to urgent care for what I thought was strep (test came back negative so we are thinking hand, foot & mouth). The doctor was great with him but Ry screamed the whole time. New person, new place, screaming ensues. I expected it and explained everything to the nurses. The doctor was examining him and asked if I had any other concerns. I knew he was referring to Autism and told him about our experience. He was very receptive. That was the push I needed. I needed someone else to say hey, this isn't a typical reaction without really saying it, kwim?

So I called another place and they told me they work closely with the doctor's at Children's and told me to wait until he is three. Why on earth would they tell me that? Everything says, don't wait but they are telling me to wait and see if "he comes out of it". We have been in OT & Speech and he hasn't come out of it.

One of my friends recommended a private psychologist who diagnosed her daughter and I called her and got an appointment for July 9. She has come highly recommended by several parents so I already see a good fit with her.

I was looking through our paperwork from our original Autism eval and going through some of the numbers and how they scored him. When they went through the forms that I filled out, he scored "average". Not average, typical 2 year old average but on the spectrum, middle of the spectrum, average. They scored Ryan a 4. Anything over a 6 is on the spectrum. The doctor made it seem like Ryan was as far from the spectrum as a typical 2 year old with a speech delay could be.

This is hard. Some days, I really wish there were a manual on parenting. I have never doubted my decisions as a parent until Ryan came around. I guess he is just keeping me on my toes. :)

June will be known as.....

2008-06-01T11:47:00.003-04:00

Everyone in the Syferd household staying healthy!

In the month of May, Greg hurt his back, I had shingles and a migraine that landed me in the ER, Ethan *almost* broke his arm and now, starting last night, Ryan has a really high fever. He is acting fine though but last night it was 103.5 and this morning it was over 102. He doesn't have any other symptoms so I am guessing it is one of those wonderful kid viruses that they all pass around.

Hopefully, Ry will be better in a couple of days and we will have a nice, healthy month!

E's arm

2008-05-28T17:29:00.002-04:00

Ethan's arm is NOT broken!! Yay!

We saw the Orthopedic doctor and he did more x-rays and he didn't see any sign of a fracture or the fat pad that the hospital saw. So no more splints or slings for us! Well, at least until the next possible broke bone.

Home from camping with just one broken bone.

2008-05-26T15:35:00.005-04:00

We made it home from camping but we had an ER run in the middle.

I went and picked Ethan up from school on Friday and his teacher said he had a great day until he fell off the monkey bars. He cried and said his arm was sore but she was able to move it without much complaining from him. We noticed that he was favoring it but we went ahead with our camping trip. All day Friday and into Saturday morning, Ethan would barely use his arm. We decided to take him to the ER to get it checked out. They did X-rays but couldn't see a clear cut break but did see a fat pad which could mean there was a break on the other side. So they fitted him for a temporary cast and a sling. Ethan did great up until he realized he was getting a cast. I think he realized he wouldn't be able to use this arm for a while. Nothing a trip to "the little store" (the small camp store) couldn't cure. We have orders to see an orthopedic to see what they suggest. I am hoping to get an appointment Tuesday or Wednesday.

But, we still had a great time camping. Ethan got used to the sling very quickly and didn't let it get in the way of having fun.

Here are some pics:

Pictures!

2008-05-23T07:49:00.004-04:00

A very good friend met us at the park and took some pictures of the boys. Here is the sneak peak. I love them and can't wait to see the rest!! Thank you so much, Jessi!

A Better Understanding....

2008-05-20T14:40:00.003-04:00

I came across this article & short video (thanks, Carrie!) and thought it might give you all a better understanding of what Ryan goes through on a daily basis. Ryan had a lot of the same issues as this little boy. Gagged on foods, hated grass & sand, and now he hates tags on his clothing. He has come a long way but we still have a long road ahead of us.

Insurance really sucks sometimes.

2008-05-20T10:17:00.005-04:00

Last week, I got a bill from Children's Autism clinic for $212. Wondering what was going on, I made some phone calls. It turns out that our insurance denied the claim because it was billed under "family psychotherapy" which falls under mental health that is applied to our deductible. This particular bill was for the last appointment that Greg and I went to, without Ryan. We were to get the results from all of the testing they did on Ryan to determine whether or not he was on the Autism spectrum and to see where he was developmentally. We met with the psychologist for about an hour to discuss his findings and to discuss our concerns.

So after many phone calls to our insurance company, it was determined that the doctor's office would need to re bill the appointment using a different code. They didn't see any reason why it shouldn't be covered since the doctor only gave us the results on the previous appointments that were covered in full. So I called patient accounts who then told me that it was up to the doctor. It took many calls, over several days, to get to the right person to relay the message onto the doctor. He called me back and explained the situation and said they had run into this a couple of times and he would work on it and see if he could bill it under a different code. He did say it could take a while for it go to through but he or his secretary would be in touch.

He also asked about Ryan and how his progress was coming. It hasn't been good. When we first started speech, we noticed a huge improvement in Ryan and then it was like he hit a brick wall and his tantrums have become more frequent and longer in length. And I am not talking about typical 2 year old tantrums. Those I can deal with. It is the sometimes hour long tantrums that result in Ryan going to his crib, until he calms down. He kicks, bangs his head, sometimes for no apparent reason. Sometimes, it is because we can't seem to figure out what he wants in time before the meltdown. When he starts to get fussy, we ask him what he wants and I still feel like he doesn't always know how to answer that question. We have to go down the list of things....Ryan do you want to eat, play, drink, outside, etc. He won't just come out and tell us what he wants and that is all very frustrating for all of us. One step forward, 2 steps back.

The good news is that Ryan's teacher through MRDD noticed his tantrums and how hard it is to get him back down. She is bringing a behavior therapist with her next month and she will be able to come once a month. I am hoping she can give us some suggestions on how to deal with his tantrums. Right now, we ignore it as much as we can and put him in a safe place (crib) when he is in full on meltdown mode.

Party in Ryan's crib

2008-05-14T07:46:00.002-04:00

Ryan decided he didn't want to nap yesterday. I tried for an hour and half with no luck. He was, surprisingly, in a good mood the rest of the night (except for the moment he plowed into my head with his). I put him to bed at 8 and he was up at midnight, 2 & 4. At 2, he decided to scream and cry and kept throwing his binkie out of his crib for 30 minutes. Once he realized I wasn't going to keep coming back in, he decided he would go to sleep. He was really mad about something. Now it is 7:50 and I will have to wake him soon so we can get ready to take Ethan to school. Coffee anyone?
Greg was out of town last night so he must have realized daddy wasn't going to be around.

It's been a long 10 days....

2008-05-06T20:42:00.003-04:00

So, you all know I was diagnosed with the shingles. The good news is they are better! I had some mild pain and lots of itching, but for the most part, I had an extremely mild case. Thank goodness!

Thursday night, I started with a headache. That got worse. Friday, I had to call Greg home early. Saturday morning, I was in urgent care where they gave me a shot of Toridol and some Midrin for at home. The dose for the Midrin was as follows: 2 pills the first dose, then one pill every hour but take no more then 5 pills in a 12 hour period. By hour 4, I had taken all 5 pills with zero relief. By 9pm, we were in the ER. The pain & tension was now throughout the left side of my head, left side of my face through to my neck. I couldn't function because it was so bad. By 9:10, I was hooked up to an IV with some more pain meds that left me feeling very loopy and not in a good way. I actually refused a second dose even though the pain was not completely gone because it made me feel that out of control. We came home around midnight where I slept for 12 hours. Woke up, sent Greg out for my prescription of Hydrocodone and was back in bed an hour later. By 5pm, I was feeling a bit better. I could at least function and took the kids outside. Monday came around and I at least felt good enough to take care of my boys by myself. I was still a bit dizzy and still had some pain but it was manageable. So I went to my family doctor and he thinks I had a combination migraine & tension headache. The meds that I received in urgent care & the ER were migraine specific so they weren't going to touch my tension that was in my head. He, of course, asked about my stress level, just like he did when I went in for the shingles. So I need do something about my stress level. Still trying to figure that one out though. I am still not totally convinced that I might have TMJ or something along those lines since it was only on one side. So I will be getting that checked out at some time too.

And poor Greg. He has been such a trooper but I felt terrible because Saturday was his birthday. The big 3-5. I really wanted to throw him a huge party but he said he didn't want it and I guess it was a good thing I didn't plan a party since I have been so sick. I did get him a kick ass birthday present though. A brand spankin new Nintendo Wii. The boys love it. Greg loves it and I love it too! I can see us spending a lot of time playing it.

Ryan had OT today where we introduced his new feeding program. He had some transition issues, at first, as he always does with something new but to say it was a success would be an understatement. He ate yogurt. YOGURT! Now, yogurt might not be such a big deal to some of us but this is HUGE for Ryan. He has never touched or even looked at, anything wet or mushy, since his wee days. This is huge progress! I was so proud of him!

Feeling down?

2008-04-30T15:17:00.002-04:00

Check out this video. Sorry it is not of the boys but, I guarantee it will leave a smile on your face.
The Laughing Quads

One more pic....

2008-04-29T21:04:00.003-04:00

This was the funniest thing. We had just watched the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and decided it was time to call it a day. It was very crowded at this point, so we decided to load Ethan in the stroller as well. He was out within 5 minutes. Ryan realized he was asleep and decided it would be a good idea to try and wake him up and hit him with his binkie, repeatedly. Poor Ethan had no idea what was going on and never woke up.

I miss Disney...

2008-04-29T20:39:00.005-04:00

Actually, I think I just miss my kids. Since I came down with the shingles, my parents offered to keep the kids for a few days so that Greg could still go to work and I could rest and recover. They have only been gone 24 hours and I have to admit, the quiet has been so nice, but I do miss them. I finally uploaded the pictures from Disney World from my camera so I thought I would share a few.

Ryan

Ethan

Aunt Amity, Goofy & Ethan

Ethan & Xanis (Aunt Leigh & Uncle Justin's nephew)

OutRun Autism 2007

2008-04-29T20:29:00.004-04:00

My friend, Gini and I, along with our kids, decided to do the OutRun Autism fundraiser this year. And no, we didn't run. They had a 5k race and a one mile fun walk. The kids got about half way through and decided they would much rather play on the playground with Gini's husband then to continue the long and treacherous walk with us. I have to admit that it was nice to go for a walk and have an adult conversation! Here are some pics from the walk. This was their biggest turnout yet!

Shingles

2008-04-25T17:18:00.004-04:00

I have shingles. This is so not something I thought I would experiencing at age 31. I thought only old(er) people got this.

I noticed, what appeared to be a bug bite, on my left breast on Monday. As the week went on, the redness around it, kept getting worse. I also started having some pain in my breast and it radiated through to my shoulder and today it decided to go down my arm as well. I went to the doctor today and he mentioned shingles right off the bat and once I mentioned the pain in my breast, shoulder & arm, he knew that is what it is. The good news is that we caught it early. He said if I had gone in a day or two earlier, it probably wouldn't have been able to diagnose it. The bad news is that I am very contagious and the pain will get worse and the bumps will most likely scar. He game me a medicine to try and help it from getting worse, along with a steroid. If I am in pain next week, I need to go back to try and manage that.

So stay far, far away from the Syferd house this week. I hear I am in for a long haul. Good thing we didn't have any big plans this weekend!

Update: So I am contagious but I can't give shingles to someone else. I can only spread it to those that have not had the chicken pox yet. So if you have had the chicken pox, come on over and party. Ok, not really. I am in bed, in my pajamas and I just took some meds. The pain is getting worse and I just have this feeling I will be calling the doctor later for something stronger.

I really hope I never have to call 911 again.

2008-04-23T14:49:00.002-04:00

We went down to the park after lunch and there was another woman there with about six kids. We got to chit chatting and she said she babysat also and that this was her first day with 2 of the kids. A little while later, I hear her yelling and I thought she was yelling for some kids in the field. Then she yells, do any of you know anything about seizures. I run over and there is this little 3 year old boy, seizing. I called 911 (thank God, i remembered my phone today) and they told us to keep him comfortable but not to prevent him from shaking at all. His seizure went on for at least 3 minutes. A long time for such a little guy. The fire truck and ambulance got there and they did take him. He did have a fever but only 101 and this was his first time having a seizure.

As all of this was going on, I look up and this other little boy was backed into the corner, just bawling. It turns out that Mason is his little brother. So I picked him up and carried him over to the bench and sat with him. He just kept asking me when his brother would come back. I think he was afraid that his brother would go to the hospital and not come back.

I can't get this whole scene out of my head. That poor little boy laying there without any control over his body and his big brother watching everything. I am really hoping we see them again so that I know that little Mason is ok.

So please, say a prayer for Mason, Hayden and their parents. I can't even imagine getting a phone call like that and hope I never do.

Ryan's words

2008-04-20T21:48:00.002-04:00

When I was putting together Ryan's food list, I thought it would be fun to do a word list. He is talking so much now that I want to start keeping a list of his progress.

Mommy, Daddy, Ethie (Ethan), hug, car, truck, bus, jump, baby, eat, drink, cereal, chip, book, play, please, baba (binkie), NO, shoshoes (shoes), bowl, swing, slide, Santa, color, light, tall, bubbles, up, down, open, covers, Grandma, Grandpa, water, bath

animals & their sounds--cat, goose, duck, horse, cow, pig, fish, penguin, tiger, bear, monkey, dog, bird

He knows all of the Little Einsteins, Backyardigans, Dora & Diego characters. Not sure if that is a good thing though! He knows Mickey & Snoopy too. :)

Seeing this list, makes me so proud for all of the hard work Ryan has done and so thankful for early intervention. At his two year appointment in January, he said maybe 5 words and signed another 5. Now we are well over 50 and counting. I am just so proud of both of my boys. Ethan loves to teach Ryan new words and, when Ryan tries to say it, Ethan always says "Good job, buddy!". They really can be sweet....sometimes. :)

Ry's Foods

2008-04-16T15:24:00.002-04:00

In order to start this new feeding program with Ryan, I had to put a list of his preferred foods. I thought some of you might find it interesting to see what he actually will eat.

Crackers--goldfish (pizza & pretzel flavors only ), wheat thins-any flavor; won't touch a plain Club or Ritz cracker
Sun Chips--any flavor
raisins
dried fruit made by Gerber toddler
pretzel sticks--must be sticks or the little ones in the chex mix bags
cereal--Cheerios--any flavor, especially fruity cheerios, mini wheats (sometimes)
juice boxes at room temperature
milk, must be warmed
Little Debbie nutty bars--peanut butter bar covered in chocolate
Teddy Grahams--any flavor, especially chocolate
Gerber Puffs--any flavor
French fries
Veggie flavored chips
Veggie straws
red licorice
fruit snacks--gummies

Yes, that is it. No meats, no cheese, no protein other then milk. It really is amazing that he weighs almost as much as his big brother. We have been trying to limit his milk intake and offering more juice or water but it is hard some days because I know he depends on it sometimes.

A new philosophy....

2008-04-15T16:16:00.002-04:00

So Ryan had a great session today at Occupational therapy. His therapist introduced a new swing that Ryan (and Ethan too) absolutely loved. She attaches the platform to the rope on the ceiling and puts a huge inflatable tire on the platform. The best thing about this new swing is that it also bounced, similar to a bungee apparatus. Ryan LOVED it and this was the longest he has ever been on a swing, other then at the playground. He loved the swinging, loved the bouncing and loved sharing it with his big brother.
We moved into the food room and Ryan has not been making much progress as far as food goes. That is the one thing I really feel like we have not gone anywhere with. He still has problems even looking at new foods, let alone eating them. The last few sessions (and therapy times at home) he screams and cries until we take it away or he throws it. I mentioned another approach that I had learned about at the Columbus Speech & Hearing Center and lo and behold, Kathleen, our beloved therapist, is also trained it this philosophy and is willing to work one on one with Ryan. It is called SOS, Sequential Oral Sensory, developed by a psychologist named Kay Toomey. You can read more about it here. So I really feel like we need a change as Ryan has been doing the same food therapy since October and we have made very little progress. We will be trying this new method and then possibly doing it with a group using peer models.
And unfortunately, we have to start cutting back on how often we go to OT. We will now go twice a month instead of 3 times. Our insurance only covers 20 visits and that is quickly approaching and unless someone is willing to give me an extra $600 a month, we just can't swing paying for it out of pocket. We have had great progress as far as sensory integration that I am really ok with it and know that Ryan will be getting OT when he starts at his school in the fall.

The results are in...

2008-04-02T19:49:00.002-04:00

Greg and I met with Ryan's psycholgist today to go over the results from the testing they did. Overall, Ryan scored borderline below average on most everything developmentally. This was no surprise to us. Right now, he does not see him on the spectrum. That is good news but deep down I am not sure I totally agree with it. After I voiced my concerns about Ry possibly being on the spectrum or possibly found to be at a later time, he agreed to see us in June, just before Ryan starts school. Then we will meet again after Ryan has been in school for a month or so to see how he is doing and to make sure we are moving in the right direction. My biggest concern right now is his lack in creating social bonds with his peers. Even with Ethan and the kids I watch, there is no reciprical play and most of the time he goes off and does his own thing. We are hoping that by exposing him to other kids, he will learn to cope and learn how to play as a typical two year old. He is fine with most adults so I am hoping he can start a bond with his teachers pretty quickly.

Right now we are just going to keep doing with what we have been doing for the last 8 months. Occupational therapy 3 times a month and speech weekly.

All in all, we are ok with all of this. Diagnosis or not, it doesn't change any of the therapies that Ryan is already receiving.

Thank you to everyone for all of your support throughout this whole process!

We are back!

2008-04-01T19:21:00.002-04:00

Although it would have been nice to come home to some SPRING weather. We left Florida and it was 75 degrees, sunny and absolutely perfect. I was ready to jump out of the plane with the pilot came on and said it was only 35 in Columbus.

I promise to write a huge post about our trip. All in all, we had a wonderful vacation. The boys were great, well for the most part, and Ryan exceeded our expectations. He did wonderfully the whole time and only one major meltdown.

In the meantime, here are a small handful of the 2000 (yes you read that right) pictures that Greg took during our trip.

Greg's pics

Mickey here we come!!

2008-03-22T09:40:00.001-04:00

We are off to Disney today. Everyone have a great Easter weekend!!

It's been a rough week.

2008-03-19T22:29:00.003-04:00

Good thing we have Disney World to look forward to, otherwise, I think I might be locking myself in a closet.
Ry has a sinus infection and has just been in the best of moods (note, sarcasm). He has been a real handful lately and I fear he is regressing a bit in his progress. He had 2 great therapy sessions this week and his MRDD teacher comes tomorrow so that is good news.
I am also pretty sick myself. I went to the doctor today and I have a throat & sinus infection. I am on an antibiotic, decongestant & a nasal spray. I just pray that it all clears up before we are on our flight on Saturday. I have heard that flying while sick is no fun at all and I really don't want to experience it.
But the worst news is that, what I thought was an allergic reaction on my face, is really a fungal infection. All together now.....EWWW! Ya, it's pretty gross. Greg's mom was kind enough to get me a gift certificate to a spa for Christmas that I have been saving and decided to use it last weekend. I got a facial, manicure & a pedicure. A few hours after my facial, I started with a weird pimple-sized bumps on my face but they were water filled. There weren't a lot and they were on just two areas of my face so, at that point, I wasn't too concerned and just thought it was part of the process. By Sunday, it was spreading and it itched like crazy and I knew this wasn't part of the normal process. I was then on the phone with the spa and they had me come in and the esthetician that I saw thought it looked like an allergic reaction. So I had the doctor look at it today since I was in there for my cold symptoms and he said it is not allergy but fungal. I never, ever thought I would get something from this place. This is a very reputable spa here in Columbus. (If you want to know which one, just email me.) So I have a call into the manager and am expecting reimbursement for the facial & my medical bills. I am so not happy. And of all times. Hopefully it will be cleared up in a couple of days so that I don't have to walk around Disney World with a bag over my head. Good thing I have pretty fingers & toes now.

I am so proud of my little guy.

2008-03-10T16:29:00.002-04:00

Ryan had another assessment at the Autism clinic today and he was so good. He had a small 5 minute meltdown when they first started but came around very quickly. Greg stayed in the room with him and the aide and I watched through the window. I was such the "soccer Mom", cheering him on as he completed a puzzle or pointed to the right picture in the book. I was just so incredibly proud of him and excited for him to show how much he has improved. He showed them all of his new tricks like pointing to things in a book and picking things out and all of his new words. I think the psychologist and the aide were both pleasantly surprised at how much Ryan has come around this past month. He is trying to talk more, is having less meltdowns and when he does have a meltdown, he usually recovers within 5 minutes. He comes up to us and just starts gabbing and we can pick out words here and there to try and make sense of what he is trying to tell us. He still has some troubles with being social with his peers but we are confident that starting him in a special needs school this summer as well as continuing it in the fall, will help tremendously.

We will go back in a couple of weeks to go over all of their results. The psychologist did repeat today that he didn't see enough symptoms to diagnose him with Autism. He is developmentally delayed and has some sensory issues.

I feel like we are starting a new chapter in this journey. Ryan has come such a long way and will continue receiving therapies. I am so glad we decided to start this process early, rather then waiting. Starting early intervention with Ryan is probably the best thing I have done for either of my boys. Our goal is to get him caught up to his peers by the time he starts Kindergarten and I am confident we will reach that goal.