Ian Lives Here

Easter Eggs

2011-05-07T11:22:00.000-04:00

Visiting With Santa

2010-12-10T19:10:00.000-05:00

Christmas Caroling

2010-12-10T19:09:00.001-05:00

Snow on Thanksgiving!

2010-12-10T19:09:00.000-05:00

Too Cute.

2010-11-15T20:20:00.000-05:00

Batman!

2010-10-31T10:27:00.000-04:00

Fun at the Farm!

2010-10-31T10:26:00.000-04:00

Ian and Titi :)

2010-10-10T22:56:00.000-04:00

Fall Fun :)

2010-10-10T22:54:00.000-04:00

Waiting for Pizza

2010-09-21T08:06:00.000-04:00

Riding the Rides :)

2010-09-21T08:05:00.000-04:00

Bee!

2010-09-03T22:20:00.000-04:00

A trip to the park.

2010-09-03T22:12:00.000-04:00

The Boardwalk - Ian and Jordan

2010-07-20T20:01:00.000-04:00

Ian and Luna at the Beach

2010-07-09T22:06:00.000-04:00

Rides at the Carnival

2010-06-22T19:48:00.000-04:00

Dr. Evil?

2010-06-22T19:47:00.000-04:00

My Daisies!

2010-06-22T19:44:00.000-04:00

Ladder

2010-06-11T21:24:00.000-04:00

Playing In the Water

2010-06-11T21:18:00.000-04:00

Strawberry Picking

2010-06-11T21:16:00.000-04:00

Thank you Shannon!

2010-06-11T21:15:00.000-04:00

Tonight, Shannon asked me to take pictures for her prom. It was so fun to break out my camera and take some shots of someone who actually holds still. She looks so pretty! :)

House Rules

2010-05-18T20:48:00.002-04:00

It took me 10 days to read the 500 pages of Jodi Picoult's latest book - House Rules. The main character is this book has Asperger's Syndrome. This is the diagnosis that I assume that Ian will have as he gets a little older. The book was brilliantly written, as most of her books are. I felt she really nailed the components of Asperger's and the effect that it has on families. Because she nailed the dynamics so well, it made this book extremely hard for me to read.

It makes me think about the future for Ian. We are working so hard now to prevent the bullying, isolation and anxiety that he might face; but will it be enough? It's one thing for a four year old to have a meltdown, but will it still be happening when he's 8, 10, or 18? It's impossible to know what the future will hold, so I will try not to dwell on it. I hope that what we are doing will be enough - enough for him to have friends, go to college, find love, have a job and live independently. The book was was a good reminder about why we are doing what we are doing. I'm glad I read it - I just wish I didn't make so many damn text-to-self connections to this book (a little reading-geek humor for my closing statement).

Bubbles.

2010-05-02T20:36:00.000-04:00

Ice Cream - Yum!

2010-05-02T20:34:00.000-04:00

Boardwalk

2010-05-02T20:32:00.000-04:00

Sesame Place

2010-05-02T20:28:00.000-04:00

Ian and Jordan

2010-03-21T21:33:00.000-04:00

Guitar Hero!

2010-03-16T21:55:00.000-04:00

Ian's Birthday

2010-03-16T21:54:00.000-04:00

One Picture: An Entire Life

2010-03-16T21:52:00.000-04:00

This picture seriously sums up life with Ian. :)

Duck Pond

2010-03-07T20:21:00.000-05:00

Spring

2010-03-07T20:14:00.000-05:00

Hey. It Snowed. Again.

2010-02-26T16:18:00.000-05:00

Snowy Day Part 3!

2010-02-10T23:23:00.000-05:00

Snow - Feb 2010

2010-02-06T21:47:00.000-05:00

A Few Christmas Photos

2010-02-06T21:41:00.000-05:00

Notes from a rainy sunday afternoon...

2010-01-24T16:20:00.000-05:00

1. If your thre yar old asks to make chocolate chip cookies it really means that he wants to eat raw cookie dough. Later he'll tell you that he really like the break apart kind better than the from-scratch ones you made today.

2. A bowl of shaving cream, some cars, a scrub brush and a sink can keep a kid occupied for a good 35 minutes. We call it car wash in our house.

3. Ian got this Smart-e-dog from his cousin. This thing is great and he's been playing with it all afternoon.

November Beach Trip!

2009-11-22T19:25:00.000-05:00

Please note the color order of the prizes in the last picture. :)

Playing in the Leaves

2009-11-01T22:49:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:31:00.000-04:00

Pumpkin Time

2009-10-30T15:11:00.000-04:00

A Few Fall Pictures!

2009-10-25T20:24:00.000-04:00

It's a Collection!

2009-10-25T20:19:00.000-04:00

Apples!

2009-09-27T20:45:00.000-04:00

Apple Picking

2009-09-27T20:43:00.000-04:00

Apple Picking

2009-09-27T20:41:00.000-04:00

Too Much TV?

2009-09-21T20:08:00.000-04:00

Rob: Ian, you're smart.

Ian: There's smart, and there's K-Mart smart.

Hmmm....

Kite Flying With Pop-Pop

2009-09-17T21:59:00.000-04:00

Sand Monster

2009-09-16T13:10:00.000-04:00

A Walk on the Beach

2009-09-16T13:09:00.000-04:00

Beach Pics

2009-09-14T20:01:00.000-04:00

Nerds on Vacation :)

2009-09-14T20:00:00.000-04:00

Boardwalk: New Shades and Presents from Titi

2009-09-14T19:59:00.000-04:00

Sunday at the Beach

2009-09-13T21:01:00.000-04:00

General Goofiness!

2009-09-07T20:03:00.000-04:00

Cupcake Kiss?

2009-09-07T10:19:00.000-04:00

Last Summer

2009-08-21T15:52:00.000-04:00

I found some old cell phone pictures. This is a cute one from last summer. My cell phone doesn't take a bad picture in decent light.

Ian in August

2009-08-11T22:13:00.002-04:00

Thought I would update you on how we're doing. We've had a good summer, with lots of beach going and pool swimming. Ian is taking swimming lessons and learning how to get around in the water. Ian still loves to play in the sand and run in the water. I'm really excited to go on vacation in September - 7 days of the beach in our backyard.

Ian is growing like a weed - I swear that child has grown several inches this summer. How, I'm not sure, since the boy lives on hot dogs and meatball soup. He talks non-stop, and uses words that some adults don't even use (not anyone who reads this blog, of course). He's big on transition words at the moment - last but not least, actually, apparently, etc. etc. etc.

I taught him a hand game from my youth, and he loves to sing it. Does anyone remember this:

I met my boyfriend at the candy store.
He bought me ice cream, he bought me cake.
He brought me home with a belly-ache.
Momma-Momma, I'm so sick!
Call the doctor, quick, quick, quick!
Doctor, doctor, will I die?
Count to five, and you'll be alive.
I said, 1-2-3-4-5. I'M ALIVE.

Anyone?

Anyway, onto the essential stats:

Food: Oreos
Movie: We are sort of off the movie kick!
TV Show: Max and Ruby
Game: World of Warcraft (my kid is a gamer-in-training)
Activity: Beach
Color: Green
Place to Go: McDonalds or Beach
Height/Weight: ??? 37.5 inches/37.5 lbs
Clothes: 5T shirt, 4T pants

New Ian-isms:

Is this a collection?
Are we in traffic?
BANISHED!
Is that my Mrs. Pevs?
Mom-mom, wear a pin tomorrow.

Water & Cake = Happiness for Ian

2009-07-19T21:55:00.000-04:00

Beach!

2009-07-19T21:54:00.000-04:00

Maybe TV isn't that bad?

2009-06-23T22:22:00.000-04:00

Ian picks up a lot of stuff from books and TV. He's famous for picking up phrases and using them in conversation (but apporpriately). For example, he'll say things like "last but not least" or "dead as a doornail" (from the True Story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf).

Tonight, Ian has a slight fever. He asked me if he was going to get the flu. I stopped and wracked my brain - had we discussed the flu? Where was that coming from? I asked him, and he said, "like Rosie". Then it hit me that Rosie, on Calliou, had the flu. He then told me that he would have to "stay in bed for a few days" if he had the flu, just like Rosie.

Wow. Too smart.

Messy, Messy

2009-06-19T22:23:00.000-04:00

Strawberry Picking

2009-05-23T23:33:00.000-04:00

He Wore a Hat!

2009-05-23T23:32:00.000-04:00

A Few Pics From Sesame Place

2009-04-25T21:44:00.000-04:00

Two of My Favorite People!

2009-04-24T22:30:00.000-04:00

Ian at the Beach/Boardwalk

2009-04-19T20:19:00.000-04:00

Things You Don't Think You Are Ever Going to Say:

2009-04-16T22:05:00.000-04:00

"When I go to the store tomorrow I will buy you a new block of cheese to play with!"

In response to Ian freaking out about the Velveeta cheese being in the refrigerator, this making it impossible for him to carry the big silvery block of goodness around the house.

:)

Happiness!

2009-04-16T21:13:00.000-04:00

This Kid is JUST like Ian...

2009-04-16T20:47:00.000-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

A Few New Ian-isms

2009-04-04T23:37:00.000-04:00

"I would like something to drink called milk"

"I'm going down to the rummage sale" (from Max and Ruby)

"I be a bad listener"

1 in 94 Boys Has Autism. Ian is one of them.

2009-04-01T21:55:00.001-04:00

From Exported Videos

A little tribute to Ian and the progress that he has made.

World Autism Day - April 2

2009-04-01T20:43:00.002-04:00

Last year I wrote about World Autism Day.

This year, Wubbzy has a PSA for you about autism:

This video from Autism speaks might make you cry (I did.)

I don't really know how to end this post, except to say that I wish I didn't have a personal connection and have to write this post.

Park Pictures

2009-04-01T20:41:00.000-04:00

Our FIsh Named Puppy

2009-03-19T21:21:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Ian!

2009-03-19T21:20:00.000-04:00

Spring

2009-03-19T21:18:00.000-04:00

Hey. :)

2009-03-19T21:17:00.000-04:00

Goodbye EI

2009-03-14T22:40:00.002-04:00

This week we had our last early intervention (EI) sessions. It really was sad, as many of the therapists feel like part of our family. It will be really strange not to have people coming in and out several times a day (my neighbors might think I sell crack...).

We've had many therapists over the last two years. We got involved with EI right after Ian's first birthday. It started with PT (Miss Sherry) and moved onto Speech (Miss Janice, and Miss Sandy), Occupational Therapy (Miss Kelly), and Developmental Intervention (Miss Jodie) which later morphed into ABA therapy (Miss Kerri and Miss Kristin).

I will never be able to say enough about the positive effects of early intervention. When I look back at all of the progress that Ian has made and how well he is doing, I am grateful.

Preschool starts Monday. Can't wait to see how that goes! :)

Time Stood Still (Sorta)

2009-03-14T22:38:00.002-04:00

Today we were at Barnes and Noble. Ian was "playing" at the train table, but he was really being a butt head. He kept stealing trains from the other kids. I kept trying to redirect him, but at one point he started pushing another little boy. I immediately walked over to give him a time out, when he let out that scream. As I knelt down to give him the death look I could feel the eyes of about 10 parents on me. It sucked. On the upside, I got him in time out, he calmed down a little, and apologized to the boy. I hope that's not a prelude to preschool.

My Big Boy

2009-03-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

Playing in Puddles

2009-03-01T13:48:00.000-05:00

Some Classic Ian

2009-02-28T20:56:00.001-05:00

A conversation at the grocery store:

Me: Ian, do you want pretzels?
Ian: Do we have waffle pretzels at home? (where did he learn that???)
Me: Yes.
Ian: Those pretzels aren't right. (forcefully) This is how pretzels should look (pointing to a bag of "regular" shaped pretzels.)

LOL.

Puts things in perspective

2009-02-28T20:48:00.002-05:00

This video is about Ryan Shultz. I taught with his mother for a while. The second that I watched this I started crying (just fair warning). If you are interested in learning more about Ryan's Quest, or donating to the cause, visit http://www.ryansquest.org/.

Put

2009-02-28T20:48:00.000-05:00

Snow Angels

2009-02-04T20:41:00.000-05:00

Ian loved making snow angels. He had to give them all eyes and a smile (bottom picture).

Playing in the Snow - Shoveling

2009-02-04T20:37:00.000-05:00

It Snowed!

2009-01-19T20:08:00.000-05:00

Kelli and Ian

2009-01-19T20:03:00.000-05:00

Ian and Mom Mom

2009-01-14T22:39:00.000-05:00

I'm Not Dead, Really

2009-01-14T22:28:00.004-05:00

I know you're mad. I know. I'm sorry.

I haven't picked up my camera in ages. I haven't blogged in a while. Christmas and life have been crazy. You know how it is.

What's new with us you ask? Well, Ian is doing really well. His speech has taken off and now he likes to talk endlessly about everything. It's really very cool. He's getting into the computer and likes to play World of Warcraft with his father. He can spout off a whole bunch of odd facts about trolls and gnomes and Malagos the dragon. He also really likes the train table that he got for Christmas, although we still seem to live at Barnes and Noble.

We're getting ready for preschool, although the exact location is sort of up in the air. :)

Let me give you a current list of favorites for Ian before I must go and do something for work:

Food: Who knows. I'm happy if he eats anything!

Movie: Wall-E (god how I hate Wall-E)

TV Show: Max and Ruby

Game: War (my mom is teaching him to play)

Activity: Play-Doh or Trains

Name for Things: Puppy (anything can be named Puppy)

Color: Green

Place to Go: Barnes and Noble or Red Robin

New Ian-isms:

Are you happy? (Lie if you aren't)

I no like that.

Can we watch the house with the wreath, the other house with the wreath and the dinosaur song, the long one, not the short one. (don't ask, it's You-Tube related)

Give me a choice. (In response to what do you want to eat, watch, do, etc.)

I want to cuddle. (my favorite)

Not sure...

2008-12-10T20:31:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if the purpose of the nativity is for lining up. What do you think?

Ian's New Bookbag

2008-12-10T20:30:00.000-05:00

Ian's New Family

2008-12-04T21:20:00.000-05:00

I was doing some Christmas card pictures for my friends and Ian decided to join their family for a while! :)

Wintercoat Smiles

2008-12-04T21:18:00.000-05:00

Our Life

2008-11-20T23:09:00.001-05:00

A Cool Blog

2008-11-10T13:16:00.002-05:00

You find weird stuff while you are bored.

http://madtedious.blogspot.com/

This is a cool blog by a special education teacher who works with children who have autism.

Nothing else has been funny about jury duty so far. I'm bored.

Blogging Jury Duty

2008-11-10T08:53:00.002-05:00

Since I am going to be at jury duty all day, I'm going to post a few tidbits of things that have amused me during my day.

1. When getting on the jury bus, I was asked to display my badge - because someone is going to try to sneak into jury duty?

2. When entering the building, a sign was posted near the metal detector that said, "no weapons past this point." Oh. Good thing I left my glock at home.

An Endless Timesink - Facebook

2008-11-09T17:12:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to take a moment to advocate for the endless timesink known as facebook. All the cool kids have a facebook page - don't you want one too?

You know you do.