Kids Helping Kids, Tic Relief, and My Love For Chemicals

This week has been a good week. I've been down hard with the flu. The silver lining of the flu is why it's been a good week....I've been upstairs in bed for 4 days has made me realize that all our hard work has paid off. Without mom, they can take care of themselves. They've made themselves eggs, cereal, and heated left overs for dinner (DH at work). Sydney said Leo helped her pour the milk....Showered themselves without complaining (they usually do), and remembered to pack snacks for the next day. My DH can make lunches and get them to the bus in time. I guess if I die from this flu everyone will be just fine!

It all started downhill after I threw up in the car on the way to pick up the kids AND A PLAY DATE from school (our bus is allegedly, and I say allegedly, too small). Did I mention it was a busy road and I had to quickly dart over to the side? (I know, insert violin music here). The mom picked up Leo and his friend and had the play date at the other house.

I'm finally turning a corner thanks to my homeopathic remedies - I think perhaps they've shortened it a bit (4 days?). I usually don't "do" the flu, so I don't know if that's short or not. I was really sleepless and in pain for those days. But, the BIGGEST thank you goes to my NEW BEST FRIEND AND ADDICTION.....Gatorade (insert "Hello Darkness My Old Friend"). Chemicals rule man! I got teary when my last bottle of the blue one (yeah, way natural), was gone. I do love Fruit Punch & Berry though I have to say. Without the chemicals, sugar, and oh yeah, the electrolytes, who knows where I'd be. Those Excitotoxins will be hard to get out of my tastebuds, but I'll worry about that later. I love Gatorade and who gives a shit! But seriously, is there a healthy alternative? Please let me know if you have one!

To my relief I found a remedy to really work for Sydney's mouth tic. Incredible! There's just a tiny hint of it when she eats, but other than that it has disappeared. Two for Homeopathy for this week. Sydney was so happy, as the tic was really bothering her. My normal onslaught of immune boosters didn't nip it in the bud like it did last fall. It is a different tic I believe associated with Fifths Disease. I've posted about the kids' reaction to strep as facial tics before, and the mouth tic for Syd has been around for a few weeks.

My conferences were scheduled for yesterday. I didn't cancel, hoping I'd feel a bit better since I just didn't want to wait to hear how Leo was doing. After all, I've been waiting for 3 years for this moment. The conclusion of this marker year. Will he need services in the near future? So I busted out the Vitamin I (Ibuprofen), and threw back three, and took a shower. I felt pretty good, just clammy, so I went on to the conferences. DH was away.

Sydney's conference was first: Everything was great across the board. A good student, a good listener, ahead academically. I asked the teacher about her attention since she seems a little disorganized for her age. She said she is a little messy, stands up for cutting and gluing, etc. Teacher said, "Interesting to see in a girl. You really don't see that." In my mind I shouted "It's totally normal when you are wired like our family is!" She goes on to tell me she recently partnered Syd with a girl that is a little behind the class. The teacher says, "She gets to play "teacher" to her. She's very helpful and patient with her." I was pleasantly surprised to hear this. She doesn't show a lot of patience at home, and she's all about chatting away with her friends. I'm very proud of her, she's becoming so mature! But my DH pointed out how she grew up with therapists teaching in the house. That's been her example her whole life.

Insert nausea and constant sweating for Leo's down the hall. Everything was great across the board here too. Doesn't seem ahead academically, just a 3rd grader in the top groups. I don't want to say the n word, it's just to foreign to me. Normal? I don't know. Nothing to say about the standardized testing or anything else. His handwriting great (still amazing to me since he could barely grasp a marker at 4). Socially, great, although he has to "watch the chatting". She went on to say she moved his seat because of the chatting (my frightened little boy who feared other kids).

She moved his seat next to a boy she says needs a lot of support and that it's been working out nicely for both. Leo gets to help out his friend when he needs it. "Leo is a very good example for Marshall, a kid that needs extra help", his teacher says. "Leo is always there for him, saying positive things. He is always reaching out to others to help at any time. He has such empathy for others, a very sensitive boy. And, he never seems to have a bad day."

Such nice things to hear about kids, let alone your own. So both my special kids are helping their friends in class. I couldn't be happier right now.

Goodbye To My Rabbit

One of my bunnies, Brother, died suddenly yesterday. I'm very sad. I'm not sure how he died, but I suspect he ate something poisonous (they roam wild for part of the day) or that he caught a virus that attacked his nervous system.

Brother leaves behind Sister to eat the left over broccoli and apple cores by herself. She'll live a sole bunny existence, tolerating the dogs, the cat, and the various kids that visit her.

Brother and Sister together symbolize my duplicity on my blog - my private life and my Autism Advocacy life. Kind of weird that one side has passed. Am I jinxed?

Certainly, both sides of my life are alive and doing well - I'm working a lot on my writing goals and maintaining my main website. Things have calmed down a bit since the Jenny McCarthy 'explosion' that was my inbox. I'm back to a regular number of people asking for advice on how to get services or a dx. I'm grateful to the media that so many people have confirmation of Autism, hope, and some ideas that may work for their child. Funny writing grateful and media in the same sentence.

The kids are doing well, no issues so far this year and they both have very good teachers. This fall I'm focusing on my daughter's health - she's been presenting some minor facial tics (occasional eye blinking and grimacing) which is quite scary but not surprising. We have her on a detox/supplement protocol designed for her "environmental Tourettes."

For now, I don't have to worry about Leo since he's probably the healthiest in the bunch. I have no reason to complain, my job is so much fun, and my fall routine isn't too hectic. Of course, there's always Parent/Teacher Conferences mid-November. Leo says he still does the 'talking-out-of-turn', so we'll see what his teacher says. Ironically, he reports he doesn't do it in math class (a different teacher), when that was his topic that caused his excitement last year.

So we have just one bunny left. We'll enjoy her, but we'll certainly miss the most mischievous one, our Houdini bunny that could escape almost any pen.