Trying Something New

As I've posted before, my son has Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD. To keep him focused and earth-bound, we rely on medication until he grows up, gets to know himself and physically/mentally matures enough to learn to handle himself.

From kindergarten through second grade, MLB has taken Focalin, a stimulant used to treat ADHD.  It's worked very well, but has left him with a blunted appetite.  He's more than a bit undersized for his age.

I gave him a "vacation" from his meds this summer and he didn't do half badly.  Bouncy, of course, but more social and less anxious. Every now and then I'd give him some Focalin if I feared he'd be socially inappropriate or would drive someone nuts.  But, when I did give him his meds, he'd become "zombie like," and withdrawn.  He'd seem shy and reticent.  He responded like this even on very low doses, like 5 mg or a half of a 5 mg tablet.

Poor kid has always had what I've called "anticipation anxiety."  If he knows something is coming up, he'll get all twitchy.  Most kids do, but they don't get so excited that they hide under tables or wipe their faces off on their mothers' shirts.  Whether it's waiting for a special day to arrive (field trip) or an uncertain sort of day (cleft clinic), he's a handful and not at all calm.  I finally figured this out when he was three, so we refrain from telling him much until the last possible moment.  Yes, talking about something before it happens makes for better transitions, and is encouraged for his "population," but his preemptive moodiness drives us nuts.

With the start of the school year, I thought some changes were in order.  I did my research and MLB's psychiatrist agreed with my request.

First off, Focalin is no longer his primary ADHD medication.  We have him started on Strattera, an SNRI (Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor.)  Works like the antidepressant SSRIs except on norepinephrine, which seems to have some effect on ADHD.

MLB has responded well to it; he's not sedated, and if he gets derailed, I can redirect him.  It is one of those things that is a constant value in his system, so if we're late with it on a day, or he's over whelmed, we can still give him a bit of Focalin.

Ah, if he's overwhelmed, that's the rub.  Even with his ADHD manageable, he still has his anxiety, and poor social skills to express it.  Which leads to that goofy behavior (made worse when he's tired.) While SNRIs were developed to treat depression, SSRIs are still more effective for depression and the attendant anxiety.  So, after more research and concord with the doctor, we've added Zoloft to the regime, as well.  We've only been on it a few days, and it can take up to six weeks to see full benefits.

Cross your fingers for this.  Meanwhile, some more art!

Another One BITES the Dust

Why my son's loss of a tooth is a blog post is because I'm five years behind with doing any scrapbooks.

This is a virtual Post-It Note.  (I wonder if I should try to get these pages in that nifty aqua?)

Maybe more than a week ago, MLB excitedly let us know he had another loose tooth.  When asked it if was "top or bottom," he said, "Top."  (Figures; he's lost all of his lower incisors already.)

Now, because of his cleft, his top incisors are a bunched up mess.
I can sort of tell which are the secondary, I think one of the primaries is embedded in the roof of his mouth and the other primary never developed.  You could also swap the words "primary" and "secondary."  Even the orthodontist can't tell which is which, and looking at an x-ray of the upper dental arch, we find it's hard to tell which adult tooth will push out which baby tooth.

But the one he proudly wiggled for us was on the right side, overlapping another tooth.  It might be the primary.

Note that I said he proudly wiggled it.  This whole time it's been loose, I think he's actually been worrying it.  It's winter, his lips are dry, so he picks at his lips.  Which is a good time to worry a tooth.  Just a few days ago, since he hadn't said anything more about the tooth, I asked him if it was still loose.  More wiggling.

Today.  Field trip to Grissom High School to see the student theater perform "Alice in Wonderland" in an adaptation just for the elementary set.  Less violence and absurdity (let alone the whole "eat & drink" references that convince so many that Lewis Carroll was a drug pusher,) and more friendliness and morals.  I established a habit, back in kindergarten, of going with him on field trips.  I think he's old enough and socially comfortable enough to go by himself, but he likes to have me along, so I won't squander an opportunity to be there for him.  It's also nice to hang out with the other moms and dads; these kids will be together for a long time.

It's the usual: get to school (just at 8 a.m.,) check in, wait for the buses (which all 4 were on time for once,) load up all the 1st and 2nd graders and those parents riding the buses (which was most of us,) leave school and arrive at GHS, get our bus number and unload (#10-- MLB keeps track,) and get seated.  We were early for us, so the kids got to socialize before the play began.  MLB kept asking for a tissue to blot his nose (weird winter weather means early allergies.)  When the play began, MLB was fidgety; the sound was too loud, which has happened at every field trip show because I don't think the students on the sound board realize that a lot of short elementary students do not absorb sound as well as tall adults and that the kids are better behaved than you would expect.  As usual, MLB was much happier sitting in my lap so he could hide his face during the parts he doesn't like or have me help cover his ears when it's too loud.

He also kept asking for a tissue.  During the second scene, he put his hand out and said something.  I thought he was asking for a tissue.  He shook his head and said something (remember, the sound is VERY hot.)  I'd seen his hand at his lip, and as I'd given him lip balm earlier, I asked if he needed it again.

"No, it's out."

???

"My tooth."

Well, it sure was, there in his hand.  I luckily had an empty pill box with me, and I safely tucked the tooth away.  I gave him a tissue anyway, and I was surprised to see that when he dabbed his "window in his mouth," that there was some blood on the tissue.  He might have noticed that, but I didn't say anything.  No sense in creating alarm where there is none.

Then he went back to watching the play.

During intermission, I encouraged him to tell his seatmates, and to also tell Mrs. Seibert.  All the kids wanted to look in his mouth, of course.  I looked, too.  OK, seeing a bit of bloody pulp where his tooth had been was kind of gross, but the other kids were suitably impressed.  The second act of the play was quieter, and by his posture (still in my lap) MLB showed great interest in the conclusion of the play.  After the play he said he was interested in getting his picture with the Cheshire Cat.  (Played by the daughter of his 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Stegen.)  I tried to get a picture of him with her, but then ALL the class wanted their picture with her!  I've got a group picture, but you can't see that he's standing beside "Chessie," because he's the shortest kid in his class!

I was somehow able to get a picture of him with her, too.

On the bus home, he shared a seat with two of his buddies, "H" (who's also in Sunday School) and "J" (who's a reading partner,) and all three of them goofed off.  Well, H & J were goofiest, but MLB was not aloof.  His teacher tells me that most of the kids like MLB and either want to partner with him for lessons or make the effort to comfort him when he's upset.  The way they all like him and take care of him, even though he can act "different," makes her all misty-eyed, too.

Maybe our "normal" might get closer to the norm, yet.

Pulling Out Carrots

My son is a genius, not to brag. He's also got ADHD and Asperger's.

Doing math homework? Done in under 5 minutes.

Doing his sentences and questions for spelling? Can take all week.

Despite being as skinny as a supermodel, he is getting bigger; if I want him to settle down to do anything after school, I have to use 10 mg of his ADHD meds. That only helps collect his thoughts; the next trick is to persuade him. That's where I've made the discovery that "carrots" work if he's had enough meds. And the carrot's big enough.

Last Monday, I told him he couldn't write a note to the Tooth Fairy until he'd finished his homework. Even though dinner was done & we were winding down for bed, he pulled out his binder and blew through the spelling words. The next day, I told him we couldn't ask our neighbors to come over to play unless he finished his homework. "Not fair!" As usual, I reminded him that it is "fair" and it's not hard, but that the problem is that writing sentences isn't his favorite thing to do. Bim-bang-pow! Done, and done.

2nd graders tie-dye shirts to wear on field trips; I helped on tie-dye day. I wanted to match, but I forgot to bring my family's shirts. So, he helped me pick out a kit at Wal-Mart to use at home.

Today was tie-dye day at home, IF he finished his homework. "Not fair!" He'd written all of two sentences when Scott arrived at 5:30 with the pizzas. "When can I finish my homework????" After dinner. He ate one slice of pizza. "Now can I do my homework?" Done in less than 15 minutes, and ready to dye.

"Can I finish my dinner now?"(nom-nom-nom) Sigh, I'll take what I can get. Now to dig up tomorrow's enticement.

Little Things Count

MLB is about to lose another tooth. This is significant. It'll be his fourth tooth gone.

It'll be the first tooth we parents can anticipate.

That tooth is so loose, it's almost lying sideways across his emerging primary incisors.

MLB is preparing for his first sacraments of Reconciliation and Communion this year, so I'm trying even harder to get him to pay attention to & participate in Mass. We use the "Magnifikids" weekly missalettes, but he is more interested in working the puzzles than following the Mass. Today he refused to stand for the entrance hymn and came close to pitching a fit if I didn't give him a pen right then & there for the puzzle. I had to whisper to him that the right thing to do was to participate in Mass, not do the puzzle; I told him that he was mad because I was telling him to do the right thing and not letting him do what he wanted to do. I told him that it's the same way God is with us; He tells us the right things to do but we want to do our own things, even if those aren't right, and we get mad. That got MLB's attention and he stood up. MLB loves God and wants to please Him. When MLB returned from Children's Liturgy of the Word, he asked what time would Communion be? (During my contemplation after receiving Eucharist is when I allow him to do the puzzle.) I told him there is no "time" by the clock, but a proper order, and he needs to follow along, again, in the Magnifikid.

Preparing a child with autism for anything outside his immediate focus of interest and outside of his comfort zone is not easy. The sacraments are important, so there is always this onus weighing subconsciously in the back of MLB's mind. He is a bit more aggitated in his behavior this year because if it.

I pray, often, for God to help him prepare this year. God reminds me that even I didn't really comprehend the importance of my first sacraments at that age; I just knew the basic facts, the prayers I was required to memorize. Funny, but I remember another third-grader & I once referring to the consecrated host as our "Good Pill," since as we got further away from Sunday, our behavior seemed to get worse. How childlike.

God tries His best to reassure me that everything, especially my son, is in His hands. He assures me that He is with my son in ways I won't perceive. I must continue to instruct my son, be a good example for my son and pray for my son. He'll do the rest, to bring the Wisdom into MLB's heart that growing in God will bring, just like in today's first reading, Wisdom 6:16, "For (Wisdom) herself searches everywhere for those who are worthy of her, benevolently appearing to them on their ways, anticipating their every thought."

So after the Agnus Dei and while the extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist are preparing to distribute Communion, MLB whispers to me. "What?" I ask, "Your shy poof?" Whisper. "Your shoe is goop?" It's not easy to hear him, as we sit right by the choir & the piano.

"My tooth is loose."

Well. God is with him.

Chore List

My son, as I mentioned, has Asperger's and ADHD, as well as being an elementary-age boy. Thus trying to get him to do anything can be a chore. To help him learn to help himself, we've set up a chore list with specific self-care tasks like "Eat All Your Lunch" and "Give Yourself a Good Bath." We are trying to motivate him to be a better & more independent person. If he does a task, he gets a small star; if he does a week's worth of that task, he gets a smiley star. For every increment of 8 smiley stars he gets (there's only 8 lines on the chart,) he gets a reward. He's allowed one "off day" for any task.

It's going pretty slowly.

But it seemed to me, that if I'm going to challenge him to be a better person here at the start of school, I should challenge myself to be a better person, too.

So I got myself a chore chart. Made myself a list of things I ought to do everyday, but am often unmotivated to do. Same rules for me, too, with stars, smiley stars, 8s and rewards.

After the same three weeks, I'm only one smiley star ahead of my son. Not that this is a competition.

When I started thinking about using my chore chart as a post, I realized that all these things are things I can do to help combat my depression. Well, new habits are just as hard to break in as old ones are to break out.

Tired

Good day on the whole, even though I felt like I was chasing my fanny all day. MLB had a quick & satisfactory visit with his psychiatrist. First thing in the office & he wanted to be weighed & measured! (Just call him "Numbers.") He's up to 41 pounds & 45 inches, give or take. So he's growing OK for a kid on ADHD meds, and behavior is as good as it can get even in a non-ADHD kid, so we'll stay the course. Husband has sinus infection-- no surprise there. Wonder if my "allergy head" will succumb next. Fall Parent/Teacher conference went well; again, MLB is doing well in class & is making great progress on social & behavioral goals. I learned more about the AR Reading program & his goals; we also discussed maybe having his eating a satisfactory lunch tied into his behavioral rewards. At tech rehearsal, again there was ego & drama, but no one was killed or maimed, we all wore costumes, we found a few more lines & put them in the right order (they found us a great dinette set,) and we might get our pictures in the paper this Thursday. We'll see. Oh, and DLG didn't climb anything today

Over & out.

Friday Favorites: Snack-cake ERVs

This week I volunteered to be in charge of the "Special Snack" for my son's autism resource class. Since they were learning about emergency responders like policemen & firemen, I thunk-up some ERVs from snack-cakes. (The hardest thing was brain-storming what to use as wheels.) I have been told that the kids loved making and showing off their creations today. Not that artistic pride got in the way of eating their ERVs. This might not be an engineering marvel, like a space shuttle, but it's also a proud Huntsville creation. I hope you like them, too.

Snack-cake ERVs

(Emergency Response Vehicles)

Ingredients for each ERV:

White or vanilla frosting
1 Twinkie or other oblong snack-cake
4 Junior Mints
2 Reece’s Pieces (or other small, round candy)

in yellow or orange

1 Berry Candy (or gumdrop-like candy)

in red or blue (or two)
Red or Blue sugar sprinkles
(can omit if using red or blue frosting)

Step 1:

Unwrap, then lightly frost top & sides of snack-cake.

Step 2:

Attach 4 Junior Mints to frosting as wheels, using 2 per long side.

Step 3:

Attach 2 Reece’s Pieces to frosting as headlights, using both on one short side.

Step 4:

Lightly sprinkle with red sugar for a fire truck or with blue sugar for a police car; or leave plain white for an ambulance. (Can omit sprinkles if using red or blue frosting.)

Step 5:

Attach 1 Berry candy (or 2) to the middle of the top of the cake as the emergency light. Use a touch of frosting if needed.

Emergency Response Vehicles can be additionally decorated with candy strings, piped icing, alphabet cereal, etc.

Friday Favorites: MLB

I don't mean Major League Baseball, although that is fun & a (mostly) respectable sport that doesn't seem to last all year long. (Go Braves!)

MLB = Mommy Little Boy = my son.

I've sort of introduced my son via his room, his quirks, his observations and his diagnosis, but he's really a neat-o kid who has a lot to offer. Usually. In my blog & FaceBook, I refer to him as "MLB." I want to keep him anonymous for all of the usual reasons. "MLB" is actually his idea. His baby sister just ADORES her father (& big brother); she's also cute (as is her big brother.) Her daddy had been calling her PYT (pretty young thing), but then when it was obvious she has been "Daddy's Little Girl," he changed it to "DLG." ("Are you DLG?!?!?" giggle-giggle!)

So, brother pipes up with "I'm MLB!"

?????????

Oh!

And so he is.

May is his birth-month, and since you've only seen one picture of him from Easter, here's a few more to catch you up:

This one of my favorites! His smile goes from his toes to his hat! I got lucky snapping that one with a non-digital camera. He's about 3 months old here and he's wearing his first baseball outfit (given to him by Trish W. when he was 3 days old). Of course, that's Daddy. Oh, that quirk to his smile? MLB was born with a complete unilateral cleft-- except for that anomalous band of skin under his nose. A month later we would begin a 3-month series of corrective operations.

MLB is 9M here, and cutting his first teeth. He's now six months past the repair of his lip & his scar has healed to almost unnoticeable. The palate was repaired in November. What I wish I have is a fish-face picture; once the palate was repaired, and he could create negative pressure, he was making kissy-fish faces all of the time. And demonstrated he no longer need help with his bottles, thank you.

A few months past his 1st birthday. MLB is having too much fun at the Hubschers' Fourth of July party. He's just a swangin'!

MLB is waiting to go to MMO. He's 2 and it's August, so this is his first day. The boy is very smart: see how he's matched up each letter with its corresponding number, using his magnetic letters & foam numbers? We didn't teach him that. See how he's quirky: the series had to start with "1." ("0" = "10" here.) Not long after this he further demonstrates his intelligence & quirkiness: he recites the alphabet "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXZY" because, we deduce, that he doesn't like endings, so if the "Z" doesn't come at the end... He also boycotts the use of "zero" for about six month since it's "nothing." Did I mention he soon became a self-taught reader & obsessed about numbers & math? By age 3?

MLB is 3 years old & ready to party! (Homemade cake, can you tell? But he wanted balloons. 3 candles + 1 to-grow-on.) He's just blown out the candles, with Paw-paw's help. In a minute, he's going to stick his fingers in the icing. With Paw-paw's help. (Funny, every time I stick my fingers in the food for a taste, my Daddy smacks MY hand. Still. How come?)

Another favorite, this time mid-May at 4yo. MLB & his Daddy before a baseball game. MLB loves sports because sports are full of numbers. As a toddler, he'd watch games on TV with his dad to see the players' shirt numbers and the score. Since baseball is just et-up with statistics & the use of numbers in all aspects of the game, he likes baseball. Not that we have a problem with that.

When MLB was 4 1/2, we welcomed a baby sister (remember, DLG?). He likes her a lot, and was very anxious for her to arrive. We told him it would be in January. By the time New Year's Day was over, he was demanding to know where was his sister! Here, she looks very startled that her newly minted 5-year-old brother wants to hold her after a birthday dinner.

Still five, but now it's August. His first day of Kindergarten at the elementary school he'll be at through 5th grade. This is actually monumental. He loves school & the other kids, and does not cry about being left. But after all the problems we'd had in previous years in trying to find him a "school" program, and having to change because of his ADHD & ASD, well, it's nice to be "home."

And now the picture from Easter. For once, he's the only one looking anywhere near the camera & not goofing off. He'd be glad to tell you exactly how old he is here, but it's not quite six & I think I'll keep the exact date fuzzy as well. But he doesn't look much different right now-- except right now he's in shorts, a t-shirt and peanut butter. (Sigh.)

So, there was my favorite son. And only one, so I can't lie.

Happy Friday Favorites!

And Hillary over at The Other Mama has had some exciting spring additions, too! She's now on WordPress, and next week will be the grand opening of her on-line store, Mint Julep Monograms! (Link to link soon.) I know you'll be charmed by MJM; I've already got 2 orders in with her, and I'm plotting more. Which says something since I'm not a monogrammed/personalized kind of gal....

Friday Favorites: It's Out There

I almost named my blog "My 'Normal' Is Not Normal," but I was afraid I would attract the so-called "undesirable elements." (I've seen some of the freaky search terms that have tapped some other blogs I follow. Eww.) But really, my normal way of relating to my son, and thus my family & my community, is not normal. And it is far closer to normal than the lives of many of his peers' families.

As you may have noticed two weeks ago, I mentioned that my son has been diagnosed with ADHD and Asperger's Syndrome. If you don't know, Asperger's is a form of Autism. It is considered mild, and those that have it are often considered better able to express themselves, to interact with others & to be receptive to new experiences than those more severely afflicted autism.

It is still autism.

And it's not easy. Until this year, I found myself constantly apologizing for my son's behavior. Or lack of behavior. We were "kicked" out of 2 pre-schools because of his behavior, which was rather mild, considering. But from age 2 to 4, he needed constant redirecting. He needed patience and constant interaction if he was frustrated and acting inappropriately, sometimes hitting. He needed understanding & a safe place when he would "overload" in a sensory-auditory way and cover his ears & cry. As a little boy, he had special needs, but also a need to have friends, to play and to belong. Honestly, we almost got kicked out of MMO, as well, but then his regular teacher Miss Emma returned from personal leave & championed for him. Bless her! She is wonderful, and understands that kids are kids, and some more-so than others.

No one knows why some kids have autism. They are looking more and more at genetic links. He has one cousin who is autistic. Some other family members, in hindsight, seems to have autism-like behaviors & beliefs. They are looking at auto-immune triggers, which would explain why some kids "get" autism after immunizations. My son seems to have a strong immune response. But then, I think he was born the was he was, the way God made him. He always seemed to "run away" from the doppler & ultrasounds while I was carrying him. He would "shut down" when he was held by strangers as a newborn. He hated tummy-time, and most TV programs, and had a hard time being alone or in the dark. At about 7 or 8 months, he stopped holding eye-contact with me. I'd ask, "Is my son OK? Does he have autism?" and I was told I was just worrying: little boys who like car-rides, like to be held by their moms, will eat different foods and are self-taught readers by age 3 aren't autistic. I did have the city school system test him at age 3, but all I got was a generalized diagnosis of PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder). I was given the impression that he was different but that he was too young, too articulate & too social to diagnose for sure if he had autism. Maybe he'd out-grow this.

ARGGGGGGG!!!!!

So this is my "Friday Favorite:" That my son and his autism are out there, in the open. When we were asked to leave the second preschool (where he'd made tons of social progress,) it was on the basis that my son had a diagnosis of PDD and that PDD is on the autism spectrum and the school was not able to handle "special needs" kids. What?????? So I had him re-tested at age 5 through the city schools; based on reports of his behaviors from the preschool & me, they concluded that he did seem to carry a diagnosis of autism, specifically Asperger's. Testing by a private psychologist confirmed it in writing, along with a diagnosis of ADHD-combined type.

Finally, we were getting answers as to why my son was friendly, but didn't seem to have friends. Why he could play, but not very well with others. Why he was creative in an innovative way, but not in an imaginative/artistic way. Why certain things really bothered him to a freaking out point, but not others. Why he could just fixate on needing things "a certain way" to the point of hysteria if we didn't comply. Why he had a mania for numbers.

It's just him. His own, usually sweet, often special, self. Which has autism.

I apologize less. It's not my fault. I didn't raise him wrong. If anything, my "controlled chaos" has helped him be better able to adjust and be flexible. And I anticipate situations that could bring out the worst in him, and mitigate the circumstances.

He's on Focalin for his ADHD, which helps immensely with his thought-process & his behavior self-perception. He is becoming more aware & responsible for his actions, albeit a few years behind his age-peers.

He is in Mrs. Bowling's wonderful special-ed class just for autism at Challenger Elementary. It's a "safe place" when he's out of sorts. It's a place where he can step back and learn social-stories and develop an intellectual idea of sympathy, and an intuitive empathy that he seemed to previously lack.

He's done so well in his personal growth, that he spends all day in his regularly assigned kindergarten class, and his classmates are glad to have him around. (Gosh, I'm crying as I type that part.)

He is doing just as my husband and often said was our hope for him-- finding his own special place in the world. It's not the idea of "normal" we'd envisioned, but we're growing and adjusting, too.

April is "Autism Awareness Month." ("A" for April & Autism; you can remember that.) The logo for many autism groups is multi-colored puzzle pieces, because it is a spectrum disorder (from mild to profound) and, well, we're still putting all the pieces together. But with lots of support & understanding, we'll help everyone with autism find his or her own special place. Some say it's under-diagnosed because of a lack of awareness; some say it's over-diagnosed because it's trendy. I say I'm glad it's diagnosed, I'm glad that the treatments run the spectrum as well, and I'm glad I have a chance to make you aware.

In less that an hour, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle will be at my son's school to officially proclaim April as Autism Awareness Month in the City of Huntsville. Tomorrow, my family will join hundred of others at the Annual Walk for Autism. Will you wear some blue to shed a special light on this, too? (Bonus-- blue is my favorite color.)

Friday Favorites: Once a Month

Just once a month, in just one room of my house, I get THIS:

A nice clean room.

We're talking floor swept, bed made, clothes put up, no paper piles, things dusted, everything just-so clean. I wish I could claim it as my room, but it's not.

It's my son's.

Poor kid, MLB has been afflicted with ADHD and Asperger's, so he has a hard time concentrating long enough to play with one toy or.... he obsessively fixates on one thing. He doesn't have the focus to clean up without someone riding his hiney, nor a clue why it's necessary to clean up. On top of that, he is loved by a pair of grandmothers and a bunch of aunts who find all sorts of gifts to show it. (Paw-paw & the uncles wisely stay out of it.) So my kid has a ton of stuff!

I know, I know, I know....

To help him & my sanity, I clean up his room completely once a month while he's at school or at my mother's. I'm not just talking the pick-up he's (supposed) to do before bed. I'm talking that get the broom & duster, use-it/lose-it overhaul. Once a month I swap out toys. (Cool lamp, huh? Got it at my church's rummage sale.)

The day my son took 6 different puzzle boxes and dumped all the pieces in a big pile on the floor, putting together none of them & leaving me to sort through them during a power-outage? That was the day I decided he had TOO much & it must be hurting his brain to decide which to play with. In between stuffed animals, toys, crafts, books & geegaws, I was able to fill up twelve (12!) 50 qt. bins, and still leave him 2 snugglies, 60 of his treasured books, Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, Play-Doh, musical instruments, Thomas the Tank, and a dozen other things little & big. The rest get rotated out every month. Keeps his room cleaner and keeps me saner. Gives him something to look forward to and gives me an easy (sneaky) way to cull out toys he's outgrown. (Bless them, my folks let me store all 12 in their basement. I need a basement.)

Yeah for just 1 day a month! 'Cause the rest of the time it's THIS:

Now head back over to The Other Mama to see more "neat" things in today's Friday Favorites.

Substitute my "MLB" for "Michael"

It's almost as if Lynn Johnson sat in on our IEP meetings! (For Better or For Worse, 02/24/2010)