It's a 50/50 kind of day.

We had one of our early morning trips to Duke this morning for OT and Feeding therapy.  G did really great in OT today!  He was a rock star.  Don't worry, I have pictures to share!  His favorite thing about OT is the lycra swing and the ball pit.  Heck, who doesn't love a good ball pit?  I often stare at it wondering what they would do if I just jumped in there and buried myself.  G tried an itty bitty piece of turkey bacon today.  After he stared at it and gagged for 30 minutes he tried a microscopic piece on a cracker mixed with some cream cheese.  I'm pretty sure he wasn't happy about it but he might have been homing the FT would leave him alone if he would eat it.  L touched sand for the first time today in OT without having a major melt down!!!  He even went back to it a few times to check it out again.  SUCCESS!

So, after OT was over, we had to rush and drive an hour home to meet the ST at the house.  They both have ST twice a week. Today was just G's turn.  He did AMAZING!  He's never said so much in his life!  He said cat and ice!  Ok, so it was only two words, but that's more then he's ever said in his life!  Still waiting to hear momma...maybe one day.  Have I ever mentioned  how lucky we are to have our ST.  She is amazing and absolutely loves my kids!  She's a momma herself. Her kids are lucky to have such an amazing momma.  She started going to L's preschool to help him transition since he was having a rough time.  She goes way above and beyond.

Why a 50/50 day if all these great things happened?  There I was getting the boys snacks ready when they got up from their nap, I glance over and the poop bandit struck again.  I guess G couldn't wait for his snack since once again he was munching on poop.  We do clothe diapers, duct tape, onesies, backwards pajamas and nothing works.  This kid is like a poop Houdini!  He hates wearing clothes and normally walks around pantless.  If he wants to be a streaker, more power to him, but FOR THE LOVE OF BABIES...STOP EATING POOP!!!  As I'm running around trying to clean him up and scrape poop out of his nails he was just laying there laughing.  Laughing that he ate it again? Laughing at my reaction?  Laughing just to laugh? Who knows.  Poop can be funny kid...just not when you eat it!                                                       

                                                   Above:G  Below: L

                               Above: G after he finally ate his turkey bacon cracker

Sweet Freedom! Oh wait...

Today I had a kid free day and went shopping with my friend JN.  We've been friends since 6th grade and we LOVE shopping together.  She stops me from spending so much and I make her spend more.  It's really the perfect balance.  It may appear that I spend a lot of time away from my kids, but I really don't.  It's a rare occasion that I ever go out without them.  The hubs is away a lot for work so when he's here, I try to get a break.

So, there I was driving on some back country roads with the sweet smell of freedom.  I was blasting my music, and it wasn't even Sesame Street or Word World!!  For a second I swear I was in a convertible with may hands in the air just like in that old Aerosmith video with Alisha Silverstone. Wow, I just aged myself.  Anyway, so there I was getting lost in the moment and then I looked around and realized, oh yeah,  I'm in my minivan... with two strollers in the back... and a handicap sign hanging from my rear view mirror. Ooooooh, that's right I'm just a mom on the run!  Once I got back to reality I started thinking about all the things I have to do for the week, and the thoughts of Autism jumped back in my head.  I feel like I can't really get away from it, well, except for when I think I'm Alisha Silverstone in that Aerosmith video.

Autism seems to follow me where ever I go.  I don't get a break from it.  I may get a break now and then from G&L, but I am constantly thinking of things I can do for them.  Did I miss something? Did they get Autism and SPD because I watched Sons of Anarchy one day while they were sleeping in there swings when they were three months old?  Was it the fertility drugs? That they are preemies?  That I love pink sparkles too much?  We'll never know.  Oh, there is that chromosome deletion that they think is part of the cause.  There are just so many questions that are unanswered and we'll never know the answers too.  I've read a ton of books, some good, some bad and some that I just think need to be burned. In either case, this is our life.  Don't get me wrong. I love our life. I love my kids, I love my husband and I love my dogs.  I wouldn't change this life for anything, I just wish that my brain could shut off now and then.

So in the midst of all the crazy things that swirl around in my brain, G tried to kiss me for the first time today!  It was the best thing ever.  He was either trying to kiss me or bite my face off, but I'm going with he tried to kiss me.  The kids who hates to snuggle and only wants to be held or touched on his terms, tried to kiss me!  I think it's enough to get us through the week ahead.  Tomorrow is a double header of OT and ST and then hopefully a nice long nap!

Three cheers to Saturday!

Oh what a lovely Saturday thanks to the awesome TC, otherwise known as our new babysitter.  The boys seemed to love her and took to her really quickly.  It's so nice to have a sitter you can trust.  She's the cousin of our original sitter LC, who the boys adore!  It must be something with their family.  We don't get to go out without the boys often so it was so nice to get out just the hubs and I!

We were able to go to our favorite restaurant in Raleigh.  I missed my sushi!!!  We walked around the Flea Market afterwards but I felt naked without pushing a double stroller with screaming kids with me.  I can only count on one hand how many times the hubs and I have gone anywhere without the boys in the last 2.5 years.  Not many are willing to take on watching the Twinadoes. Of course our date day had to end with a trip to Target to get diapers and wipes.  Whats a trip out of the house without stopping at Target?!?!?  I'm convinced there is no way to walk out of there without at least spending $100.  I'm sure I would have spent much more if the hubs wasn't there.  We also may, or may not have spent way to much money on buying the dogs all natural dog treats.  They better eat them!

Right now G&L are winding down for the night.  Soon it'll be bed time rituals.  In the mean time L is attacking the hubs and G is balancing a Sit - N- Spin toy with his legs, over his head.  He's always seemed to do everything with his feet.  He never held bottles with his hands, always with his feet.  Occasionally he'll drop something on his head, but it never stops him from doing it. These boys love anything that spins!  They can spend hours watching spinning balls, wheels, toys, themselves and especially things that normally wouldn't be something you would think about trying to make spin.  I think they could win an award if spinning was in the Olympics. 

This momma has to go get the boys ready for bed, cook dinner for the hubs and do some laundry.  Aaaaaaaaand....date day over, back to my normal domesticated life.

Here we are before leaving the driveway, on our way to freedom for 5 hours!  By the time we were on our way home I couldn't wait to see my monkeys!!

C is for cookie, or is O for Ookie?

HEEEEEEEEEEELLO FRIDAY!!!

Being a stay at home mom, I don't really get a weekend off from work, but I love that the hubs is home!  It's always nice to have an extra set of hands with the Twinadoes.  The hubs and I get to do something very rare this weekend.  We're going on a date!  I can't remember the last time we were able to go out with out G&L.  We love hanging out with them, but they are a lot of work and we really need this!!!  I'm tempted to say, lets just park somewhere and take a loooooong nap!  We're trying out a new babysitter so hopefully everything goes well. I trust very few people with the boys.  They are a lot to handle.  Any toddler is a lot to handle but add is Autism, SPD and non verbal and it turns into one big guessing game.

The boys did AWESOME in ST today!  They are both saying choo choo for train!  L said Ookie today for Cookie and then tried to eat the card with the cookie on it while sounding like cookie monster.  He also said ead for read!  I'm so proud of him.  G stuck with Choo choo, Oink Oink and I for hi.  I've been trying to teach them Ho Ho for when we go on the Polar Express in December, but so far no dice.  We still have a few months to work on it.  We thought G would never walk, and he walks (think Frankenstein) so one day they will perhaps talk.  G now grabs our fingers and drags us around to show us what he wants. This is a huge deal for him.  I love that he does it!  Sometimes he just drags us in circles around the room.  I'm pretty sure he's just laughing at us and thinking we are his puppets...I'll take it!

I was reading a few articles today that kind of made me mad.  One really struck a nerve.  I was about a family that couldn't deal with their child's screeching from Autism. SO, the sough out an ENT who preformed surgery on the girl to separate her vocal cords. This makes me sad.  As someone on my facebook page said, "What's next? Shock collars?"  It makes me sad, mad and outraged.  That amazing girl with Autism screeches for a reason, just like G does.  I would NEVER do anything surgically to him to make it stop. L spins in circles a good part of the day, should I tape his legs together so he can't spin? NO!  It's all a form of stimming. They do it because it feels good to them.  They have control of so little, if stimming makes them happy, stim on my little loves, stim on.

School, Books and Balloons OH MY!

Thank you Jesus...said the Jew (that's me)! L has been doing so much better at drop off for school.  He jumped into his teachers arms so fast I thought she was going to get knocked over.  He still does a bit of crying while there, but I'll take it.  At least he lasts the entire three hours now.  Today was picture day for him.  I was told he snuggled the photographer for a good ten minutes before he would let him take a picture.  Getting L to sit still for a school picture could not have been easy.  His speech therapist (who in my mind is one of the most amazing people to walk this earth) let him sit on her lap and she ducked out of the photo.  I can't wait to see how it came out.  I love that so many people love him.  The photographer said his mom used to work with kids with special needs so he totally understood.  L's teachers are so great with him and so patient.  He normally has meltdowns when it's time for chapel (it's a Baptist school) so one of the teachers stays in the classroom with him and works on activities with him one on one.  It makes me so happy that they didn't give up on him.  He's an amazingly smart kids, he just needs a little extra love to make it through the day.

G and I had a great morning together!!  We dropped L off at school, went to GNC, went for coffee (he had milk), and then went to a book shop with our friend K.  Her kids go to school with L.  They have a great children's area in the back.  The owner of the shop came back there and hung out with G for a little bit and was looking through books with him. This was a MUCH better experience then the library (we were asked to leave because of G's screeching).  G was actually pretty quiet when we were in there.  They have a little rocking chair that was the perfect size for him and he loved it.  After the the book store we went to the park.  Of course we had to go up and down the slide a million times, but it's totally worth it to hear his sequels and giggles.  We stopped at Kerr Drugs really quick before we went to pick up L.  An employee there (I wish I knew her name) was so sweet to G.  She was trying to talk to him but in normal G fashion, he wouldn't look her way.  She asked him name and kept calling his name and got no response.  So, I told her he has severe Autism.  She then told me she would be right back. She came back with a bright green balloon and asked me if he likes balloons.  HE LOVES BALLOONS!  Once he noticed it his entire face lit up and he started laughing and playing with the balloon.  She also gave him a little box of animal cookies.  This boy was in heaven!  What could be better then cookies and a balloon?  We get a lot of negative comments from people, but to the woman with the green balloon, THANK YOU!  Thank you for being so sweet to my baby and for making him so happy.  All it takes is kindness to brighten someones day. Here's a picture of G at the book store today.  We might have to get him a little rocking chair!

Things I often think about.

Things I often think about...

1) Will my children ever say "Momma?"
2) Will G always strip naked and eat his poop?
3) Why does G find drywall so delish?
5) Why don't more people wear hot pink?
6) I don't understand why people are scared of my children.  Arm flapping and screeching isn't contagious.
7) I hate when people say, "God doesn't give you more then you can handle."  God must have gotten me mixed up with someone else if that's the case.
8) Will my boys ever be able to live on their own or will they live in our basement, (um, I mean bonus room since we don't have a basement).
9) Will people ever accept people who aren't like them?
10) They should add hot pink glitter to all the roads.  It would make things so much prettier.
11) Decorating cupcakes is fun. I wish I could get paid for it.
12)  I wonder why L thinks Saltines can solve world problems.
13) Autism month is in April.  It should really be every month. Autism never goes away.
14) I hate IEP meetings.
15) What can I do to make sure my boys get all the possible treatments they can even though they are so expensive?
16) I love diet cherry pepsi...it's bad for me, I know.
17) I should use nap time to take a nap myself, but I'll research and waste time instead.

Me in a nutshell!

Who's the mom behind G&L? That's me! Even though my parents tell me I'm 35 I just turned 29 for the sixth time. I often forget how old I am. Then I see a bunch of teenagers or 20 something year olds and I quickly remember five more years and I'm middle aged, um I mean 29 again. Gone are the days of partying til 3am and then waking up at at 6am and heading to work just to do it all over again. Now it takes me a week to recover if I stay up past midnight.

I have a love of coffee that didn't start until after my boys were born. The NICU will do that to you! Had to stay awake somehow to sit there all day and stare at my kids sleeping. Even the hubs who hates "hot drinks" as my dad calls it, has started to drink that stuff! I love anything girly. Make-up, nail polish, clothes, hot pink, glitter and anything sparkly bring me happiness. My house is a mess, I live in yoga pants and tshirts since having the boys, but always have my hair an make up done. A girl has to feel pretty! Oh, and I still love Sweatin' to the Oldies work out videos and make the boys do them with me. I may or may not have the box set. I may be a Carolina girl now ( 11 years!) but will always be a jersey girl at heart.

I use way too many comma's when I write, have terrible spelling, and I love Hallmark movies. I learned how to be a fighter and such a huge advocate from my parents (thanks mom and dad)! Unbeknownst to most, I grew up with learning disabilities galore, hence the bad spelling and my inability to do anything besides basic math. If it wasn't for the hubs, I never would have made it through college algebra! I grew up shy and didn't come out of my shell til college, now if you ask most people, I don't stop talking.

It took us a while to get pregnant with the boys. Thank God for modern medicine or we most likely wouldn't have children. We had to fight to get pregnant, stay pregnant and fight for them to survive after being born prematurely. We will fight for them forever, be their advocate and beat up anyone who tries to put them down (well, maybe not beat them up, but let them know you don't mess with the Thompson Twins)! I aspire to be like my parents, they never gave up on me, and to this day even though I'm 35, oh I mean 29, they still haven't. Sorry little men, you're stuck with your momma for life!

That's me in a nutshell!

 

Welcome!

So, I finally have a blog! I'm more then just a FB page.  Even if no one ever really reads this, it will be my own form of therapy for free.  For those that are just finding this blog, I have amazing twin boys on the spectrum.  They are my heart and my life.  The hubs and I are so blessed to have them as our children.  I'm excited for you to share our journey of not just raising twin boys, but twins with Autism.