Turning four...

Lowell turned four on the 14th. He is doing so well. This was the first year he seemed to actually get that it was his birthday. That was so fun to see! He was interested in opening gifts for the first time ever. What do you suppose was in this GIANT box?
His very own tractor. How cool! He loves it:) He is doing extremely well with his new "all day" schedule. He is in the Autism Day Treatment program in the morning, same as usual. Now in the afternoon from 1-3 pm he goes to an integrated pre-school where half the class is "typically developing" kids and the other half is special needs kids. We have been getting glowing reports about him playing very well with the other kids, using lots of language and lots of great interaction. Yay! We are thrilled to hear that this is working out. He seems to be in a wonderful phase right now. Hope it keeps up! However tonight he had a terrible trip at the park as he was running up some stairs to go down the slide. He split open his chin. The cut does not look deep, but some skin was definitely shaved off and there was lots of blood. Ouch!!! He's a tough kid and handled it pretty well.

Did you all see the Oprah episode this week on autism? Lots of information from it is here.

Happy Fall!!

Moving into fall...

Hello again! Gosh I've had a hard time keeping up with this blog. I do want to say that I appreciate the comments from folks that happen to come across this blog and feel inspired to send me a note about autism. They've been through similar experiences or are currently going through them and offer their compassion and support. It really means a lot. Thank you!

After our summer trip to the cabin (see last post), Lowell had a rough patch. His tantrums grew very intense and he became very fickle about sensory issues. I had trouble keeping my patience with his hugely variable moods that changed at the drop of a hat. He wouldn't let us take his diaper off or put a new one one and he wouldn't let me touch him at all when he had a dirty diaper. His mood has definitely gotten better and more even, however the diaper issues continue. It's frustrating because we'd really like to start potty training Lowell and he seems to be ultra-sensitive with his bodily functions. As the summer draws closer to fall Lowell has gotten out of the August difficult period (same thing happened last year) and is delighting us with her verbal abilities. He is using lots of words spontaneously and appropriately and has developed quite a sense of humor. We also thoroughly enjoy watching him play with his side-kick kid sister. They are quite the pair! Interesting to read this post from a year ago almost to the day and we were experiencing similar joys.As you can see from these photos, we made it to the State Fair this year. It seemed pretty over-stimulating for Lowell and fans in the buildings really set him off, but he did really enjoy the tractors on machinery hill! He had to make sure his seat belt was securely fastened:) We feel it's a good exercise to expose him to some new experiences.

We're excited for our new schedule this fall. Chloe starts pre-school 2 mornings a week and Lowell continues the Autism Day Treatment program 5 days a week. In the afternoons he will begin an integrated pre-school through the local school district. We're hoping it's a good exeperience for him. I'll keep you posted.....

On October 6th the kids, Joe, my parents and I are all doing the Autism Speaks Walk Now for Autism here in Minneapolis. Here is our pledge page. If you feel inclined to make a donation to our team for Lowell, it would be much appreicated.

Happy Fall!