Noah update

Noah's progress in the last few months really has been so phenomenal that I can't NOT post about it. The kid is now speaking in small sentences ("Need help", "More ice", "Go in the water", etc). A year ago, he had an extremely limited vocabulary. It's been amazing to watch him grow.

(Swimming at a neighbor's house, and he's now tall enough to touch the bottom!)

His interests are also broadening as well, and he's able to tell us about them. He's taken an interest in sports. He's not really competitive, but he really loves baseball and bowling right now. He prefers to pitch to us rather than hit, which is fascinating to me. Normally kids like to be the one batting all the time.

He's also recently become obsessed with bowling. I have Calliou to thank for that actually. He fell in love with an episode where Grandpa takes Calliou bowling. And while I can't stand the whiney kid, I'm kind of excited it spurred an interest in Noah. He actually asked to go bowling and has asked to go back almost every day since. I'm so so glad the bowling alleys in our area do free kids bowling in the summer. Perfect timing!

I had no idea bowling alleys did this now (or maybe they always did?), but they have ramps for kids, mostly for the really little ones or those with special needs. Noah still has low muscle tone in his arms, so after he starts to get tired, he'll use the ramp. Still uses those muscles, but the ball doesn't stop midway down the lane. haha.

And of course, we've been doing lots of swimming and water fun. There's an aquatic center nearby that has a cool outdoor playground pool. Noah loves it there! My sister came with us last time to help me out. We decided she'd be a lot faster getting to him if something were to happen. lol.

People keep asking me how Noah's been handling the pregnancy or if he seems to understand there is a baby coming. We've talked about the baby a few times, especially now that the crib is set up. I'm not sure how much of it he gets, but I've learned not to underestimate his comprehension of things. Brad and I realize that he can take in information in one quick glance and remember it forever, whereas most people need to think about it first. This is one reason we're very cautious about what people say in front of Noah about autism and his development. We actually have made the decision recently not to allow him to be around a particular person anymore. Every time she's around him, she picks him apart... his diet, his mannerisms, etc. The fact that I haven't strangled her yet, given my insanely hormonal pregnant state, is nothing short of a miracle. So yeah, no more of that. 

I do think Noah is at least picking up that something is changing. He's become incredibly clingy to me, bursting into tears when I have to leave for a Dr appt or just to get my hair done. I had to go to the OB last week, and Brad had an interview to go to. My sister came over to stay with him while I was gone, and she said he watched me back out of the driveway then bawled his little eyes out. Ugh. Mom guilt, anyone??

I totally get this is a phase and most likely being triggered by all the changes going on. But it still stings.

The good thing is that the tears don't last long, and he's happy once I come back. It'll be interesting to see how he handles my attention being divided after the baby is here. I'm also a little worried about being in the hospital for a couple of days. I know he'll be fine, but I can't help worrying about him just a little.

The good thing is that we live so close to family, and it's going to be a team effort taking care of him. My mom, stepdad, and little sister will be staying with him. But my dad and stepmom will be helping out too. And hopefully this go-around will be much smoother than it was with Noah. With Noah, I was in the hospital for four days. This time, I'm hoping I get to leave as soon as possible. :)

Things I've learned from both pregnancies

Missed me? ;)

Honestly, I feel terrible for not documenting this pregnancy much. But frankly, there's not a whole lot to really document. Everything has been pretty smooth sailing other than some pregnancy induced RLS and some heartburn. Other than that, it's been pretty uneventful (not that I'm complaining!).

Life has been a whirlwind lately. Brad has started a new side job/hobby that's bringing in a bit of extra cash, and I've been working like a crazy woman with photography gigs. Not to the point where I'm overdoing it, but definitely enough to keep me busy.

Anyway, in an effort to document something... and to empty out my brain a bit... I thought I'd list out some things I've learned from both my pregnancies so far. Yeah, some people don't like lists, but whatever. The school nerd in me, who actually enjoyed outlining papers, prefers a list sometimes.

Things I Learned from Two Pregnancies:

1. Each pregnancy (and subsequently, kid) is different. If I'd decided whether or not to have more kids solely based on my pregnancy experience with Noah? Yeah, he'd probably be an only child. I gained a ghastly amount of weight with him (at the end, it was over 60 lbs). So far, I think I'm around 25 lbs with this one... and I'm 7 months. So normal weight gain, minimal swelling, and still have energy (despite not sleeping well sometimes).

2. Throw out the scale. That bathroom demon was actually gone before I got pregnant this time around. We have a new scale, but I refuse to step on it. I remember how depressed I got watching the numbers go up when pregnant with Noah, and I would beat myself up for not keeping my weight under control. This time, I only see my weight if I decide to look down at the OB office. Otherwise, I figure they'll let me know if they're worried. As long as I'm feeling good, eating well, and staying as active as I can with a growing belly? There's not much else I can control.

3. Be prepared. And by this, I don't mean it's imperative that the nursery be perfect by D-Day. I mean, get your necessary crap together. Buy a nursing bra (didn't do that with Noah, and it sucked). If you want a cute "going home" outfit for the baby, figure it out before you hit that 40 week mark. Do your research on breastfeeding if you want to give it a go. It didn't work well for me with Noah, and I think it had a lot to do with the fact that I was so sick during and after delivery. My blood pressure was dangerously high for a good 2-3 weeks after delivery. I also didn't know what I should be eating, drinking, wearing, etc. The lactation consultant at the hospital was terrible. So yeah, I'm giving it another go. If it doesn't work out again, I refuse to panic or beat myself up about it. But I do feel like I'm better informed/prepared this time around.

4. This may make me a shallow person, but it's really important to me to feel pretty (or at least almost human). I swear maternity clothes make me look a good 15-20 lbs heavier than I actually am. I'm wearing a lot of light, open blouses with regular tank tops underneath (just in a larger size). I could live in  my maxi skirts, and I only have like two pair of maternity pants I'm willing to wear. At the hospital, I'm also refusing to feel so frumptastic. Last time... again with the sick excuse... I was stuck in that awful hospital gown for 3 days before they finally unhooked me from all the machines and let me take a shower. I felt so terrible, I didn't care what I looked like. I mean, I sort of did, but figured it was a lost cause. I used the hospital soap, wore oversized sweats, and went home wearing the hospital "underwear"... if you've used them, you know that's a very loose term. This time around, I'm buying myself some travel sized Bath and Body Works stuff to take with me. I'll still take maternity clothes, but the cute/comfy stuff. All of this may make me shallow, but honestly, the littlest things make such a difference for my mood. Even if I just smell nice, I instantly feel so much better.

5. Other kids keep you from gaining a ton of weight. I swear I'm so busy with Noah that I'll have days where I know I probably didn't eat enough calories. Of course, I'll also have days where I would love nothing more than to completely raid the Krispy Kreme and steal all their glazed doughnuts. Because Brad has been so busy with work related stuff, getting decent workouts in with Noah has been tough. But I'll get on the trampoline with him and walk around in circles. It's a great leg workout, and there's no risk of falling since it has a net around it. Plus Noah doesn't care if I'm not actually jumping. He's just happy I'm there.

6. Having another of the same gender has allowed me to shop for more fun stuff. :) I think everyone and their mother gave me onesies at Noah's baby showers. Nothing fancy, just your basic Carters type stuff. So that's covered. Now I get to shop for adorable outfits that frankly serve zero purpose other than just looking cute.

7. It's fun to keep the baby's name a secret. We told people what we're having, but we've decided to hold off on sharing the name. I love hearing all of the guesses. Brad's coworkers are starting to place bets on it. lol.

8. Labor isn't any less scary this time around. Even though I'm excited to meet him, there's still that looming, "I have to do that again..." Yes, I have a better idea of what to expect, which helps. The good part is that, since this is my second, people aren't telling me their horror stories this time around.

9. Having an awesome support system is... well, awesome. Our buddy Chase will be staying at our house with Noah, with some of my family coming in to help him during the day. After I come home, my parents have already agreed to take Noah out for me once a week. My dad has already claimed Tuesday evenings. lol. This way, Noah gets out of the house, and I get some one-on-one bonding time with the new little guy. And since I'm homeschooling, this will most likely continue. We're making this a family affair... everyone gets to contribute to his education, even if it's little things like writing words in the sandbox at my dad's or my mom taking him to the local kids' museum.

10. It is what it is. I'm refusing to stress. Noah's birth (actually, just Noah in general) taught me that things don't always go according to plan. In the end, as long as I have a healthy baby boy to hold, I'm good. ;)

things going through my head

I'm realizing it's okay just to write when I want to. It doesn't have to be another to-do on my checklist. That's kind of the point anyway, right?

***

Sibling Day was yesterday apparently. Which for kids from divorced/blended families, it makes things a little complicated.

I have one full brother, two stepsisters, and one "half" sister. The stepsisters and half sister are from different sides of the remarriages. I grew up with the stepsisters before our parents were both divorced. There's lots of history. So what do I post? Do I do two posts... one with one side, then another with the other? Do I photoshop them all in one picture? Which side do I include my brother in?

I'm pretty sure no matter how I worked it out, somebody's feelings would be hurt. So I just didn't post anything.
Seriously, it shouldn't be this stressful. lol

So here. Me with my brother and little sister:

 

And an old one of me with my stepsisters:

 

 

There. Happy (day after) Sibling Day. ;)

***

I've gotten to the stage in my pregnancy where I'm don't-take-no-crap-from-nobody mom. If only this had kicked in a couple weeks ago when I was feeling judged/pressured/bullied about an issue regarding Noah (I'll get to it in a minute).

I got this way around this time with Noah too. I actually yelled at my boss at the time. *hangs head in shame* In my defense, everyone else there always wanted to. She could be pretty mean at times, and we would all just take it. But add in some good 'ol pregnancy hormones, and it was enough for me to walk into her office and let her have it for embarrassing me in front of my coworkers. And of course, that night I was appalled at myself and apologized. lol.

Anyway, I can feel it happening again. Thankfully, this time I'm prepared. I could feel myself getting super angry with Brad over something stupid a couple of days ago, so instead of losing it, I just walked away. Ten minutes later, I was good.

Pregnancy is so weird sometimes.

***

Facebook is starting to irritate me just a little bit. It may be related to the above mentioned hormones. But I swear, people are so quick to hand out advice that they often don't even read what was written in the original post. And then I get all embarrassed for them when they sound goofy.

Then there's the issue of random people wanting to be friends with me. We have a mutual friend in common, so therefore... we must be friends too! It's very strange and puts me in an awkward position. I don't want to be a jerk and not add them, but I also don't feel comfortable becoming friends with people I really don't know. So I have about 15 people just sitting in my "request" box.

***

This baby is a break-dancer. Or a gymnast. Something along those lines. The kid is busy. I could feel him moving really early on this time around (at 15 weeks), and he hasn't let up since. It's kind of distracting when you're trying to carry on a normal conversation with someone while having a tiny person doing somersaults and kicking your ribs.

Speaking of which, I'm officially 26 weeks as of Tuesday. That means next week? I'll be in my 3rd trimester. This pregnancy is flying! Ask me in a month or two though, and I doubt I'll be feeling the same way. ;)

***

So the thing that got me all anxious and weird? Our decision to homeschool Noah.
His speech therapist, who works for the local school system in addition to private therapy, asked me about it and then put all this pressure on me. I literally left there feeling so defeated, anxious, and freaked that this was going to make things weird from now on.

When most people decide what to do with their kids' schooling, it's really not a big deal. The most you really have to deal with are nosy friends or opinionated family members, right? But when you have a special needs kid, suddenly you feel like you have to explain every little decision to everyone, including people who only see him for 30 minutes a week. And I don't even mean schooling... I'm talking diet, therapy, sleep, discipline... the list goes on. But telling people who work for the school system that you don't plan on putting them there? Yeah, that doesn't go over well.

Then you're made to feel like an idiot. Or a bad mom. Or that you can't do it. I think visions of me in a jean jumper, Noah churning butter, and staring blankly when "outsiders" talk to us must be racing through their heads.

Here's the thing. I don't hate schools. I don't hate teachers. I'm not anti-school at all! In fact, as a kid, I really loved school. There are some amazing teachers out there... I'm friends with lots of them! Teachers who are amazing with kids, special needs or not. I know the school system can be an amazing resource. I know plenty of kids benefit from it. But I also knew two years ago in my heart of hearts... that gut mom-instinct.... God was telling me to homeschool Noah. I could give you statistics, countless stories, and about a million other reasons that factored into our decision... but at the end of the day, it's because I know the One I need to answer to is the only one that matters. How do you explain that to people? That God has made it clear, and I need to listen.

I have a friend that gets it. She's one of the coolest people I've ever met. Her son has high functioning autism and her daughter has a sensory processing disorder (among a couple other things). I went to her for advice/encouragement. She totally got it. She told me how God made it clear, despite what she wanted to do, that her son needed to be in the school system. So she obeyed. It hasn't been easy, but she knows she's following His will. Her daughter, however? God made it clear that she was to be homeschooled.

Again, how do you even explain that to people? I mean, people who are believers will usually get it. Or at least, try. But people who aren't? They'll think you're crazy. Or at the very least, wrong.

So yeah. That's where I'm at. Knowing I'm doing the right thing, yet being made to feel like a terrible mom for it. Such a strange place to be.

But hey, if that's the worst that's going on? I think we're doing alright. ;)

Christmasy type things

I know, I know. This break has gotten a little ridiculous.
And I have good reasons, but I'll get to those later. Right now, I desperately need to do a Christmas recap! What better time to do that than on the weekend when nobody's reading blogs. ;)

So, Thanksgiving. Yeah, it's been that long...

We kept things simple this year and only went to my grandparents for lunch. Noah has been doing such a fantastic job at big gatherings. If it gets to be too much for him, he goes upstairs to the little game room to play where it's quiet.

Also, you'll notice in some of these pictures, Brad shaved. It was a temporary thing. A friend of ours posted some old pictures of him from high school, and I was all, "Aww, I miss his face!" So when he came home one day from work, I told him I missed his face. He went straight to the bathroom and shaved. That was our deal in the beginning. He would only keep it until I was tired of it (his rule, not mine). Anyway, the beard is back now, but it was nice to change it up for a week or so. I hadn't seen his face since the beginning of summer.

Brad's work schedule... as you can imagine in retail... has been pretty crazy. Lots of 7 day, 14 hr shift stretches. But we keep reminding ourselves of all the time off he gets during the rest of year. We still manage to make Christmas memories, and Noah is so laid back that he's happy to go along with whatever. Another plus side to Noah... no whining and begging to do certain activities. He's happy wherever we are.

Noah also isn't very crafty. He likes to paint, but that's about it. So I spent a couple hours baking and decorating sugar cookies... for him to spend a total of 10 minutes on them. Oh well. His favorite part was eating the cookie dough and sprinkles. lol

Our little town had their Christmas parade a couple weeks ago. It's so cute to see who and what makes it into the line-up. Random tv newscasters, a group of kids from the elementary school, high school bands (that aren't even from our county, lol), the beauty pageant winners, and of course the Shriners in their mini cars. Noah's favorites were the police and firetrucks, the Shriner cars, and the bands. He spent a lot of the parade with his ears covered, but I expected that. It's a lot to take in for a sensory kid, and he did so well. And when it got to be too much... instead of melting down... he grabbed our hands and let us know he was ready to leave.

We also went to the Billy Graham Library, which has turned into a new tradition for us. Last year, we didn't do the horse and carriage ride because it was so busy. So this year, we picked a week night that Brad was going to be home, and it couldn't have turned out more perfectly. They have shuttle buses to pick guests up at one of the parking lots and take them to the library. Noah LOVED it. I knew he would, since he loved the one at Biltmore so much. He also loved the horse and carriage ride. He kept watching the other carriages go by and saying, "Horse!" It was so cute. The lights were beautiful, and they give everyone big blankets to use for cold nights (which it was!). The only thing missing was some hot chocolate, but I didn't want to risk spilling any on Noah. :)

My dad's birthday is the week before Christmas, so we always do something for him. This year we just went over there for dinner... and some music. ;) We have a very musical family. My dad plays the drums and guitar, my brother plays the drums, my stepsister plays the piano, my mom sings and plays the piano... so we have lots of instruments for Noah to explore. He's taken a really huge interest in music lately, which came in handy for Christmas ideas.

CHRISTMAS EVE...
Christmas Eve is always spent with my side of the family. It just keeps Christmas Day from getting too hectic. It's so nice having my whole family in one place, but it makes it tough to run from house to house. This just lengthens the celebration a bit and prevents Noah (and us) from getting overwhelmed.

First up is my dad and stepmom. They were awesome and got him therapy type toys... a mini trampoline, a bean bag, puzzles, etc. He's LOVED them all. That trampoline has definitely helped us out on these freezing cold days!

 
After my dad's, we head on over to my mom's house... which is like five minutes down the road. My grandma (aka "Mamaw") spends the night with them on Christmas Eve, and my brother's girlfriend (who we love) was there too. At first, it was all a little too much for Noah. Lots of food prepping, noise/talking, my stepdad making a fire... and the iPad wasn't picking up their Wifi. So we had a good 30 minutes of on and off meltdowns. We put him in their home office, figured out the internet situation, and he eventually was able to chill out. Those moments don't happen all that often, thank goodness. I'm just thankful my family, including my 83 yr old grandmother, understands.

It turned out to be a really fun night. Lots of laughing, good food, and a surprise for my mom.

 (Me, my brother, mom, and little sister)

 Why is my mom so surprised? Because this is what she opened...

Yep! We're adding another little Kemper to the family this summer! I had already told my dad at Thanksgiving, only because I knew he'd notice something was off about me. I didn't touch any of the food, and you do NOT pass on my family's Thanksgiving food. haha

But more on the pregnancy later. ;)

CHRISTMAS DAY...

Our morning was pretty low key. We got Noah up at a reasonable time (he likes to sleep like a college kid), and I even had time to make us breakfast.

For lunch, we headed to my grandparents' (on my dad's side). I didn't get too many pictures of Noah opening gifts there, because frankly, it got too hectic. It's too hard helping him in the chaos and also take pictures. Eh, it is what it is.
He had a blast though. This was the first year that Noah really got into opening presents with everyone without running off. So that part was nice. We also celebrated my dad and uncle Bob's birthdays.

Oh, and I finally got out of 2003 and now have an iPhone!
Seriously, you have no idea how badly I've been wanting one, mostly so I can document on instagram more. It's also extremely hard to take selfies with Noah (since I'm never in pictures) with a big ol' rock of a camera.

Brad also got me a kitten. He really was the cutest thing I think I've ever seen. Unfortunately, he was also the most badly behaved one. He was a rescue kitten who never had a mom/litter to teach him how to play appropriately. He wasn't mean... but he was constantly biting us. It was awful.

So after talking to the vet, she offered to exchange him for two extremely awesome lap cats. They are the most perfect, loving, well-behaved cats. Meet Bruce (the black one) and Louie. :)

I know a lot of people hate cats, and I get it. They're not for everybody. But I love them. I love the sarcastic looks they give, the goofy personalities, and the "I don't need you 24/7 to be happy" part. haha.

And THAT was our Christmas. *breathes*
Now I feel like I can move on...

Have a happy weekend!!

***

ps. I haven't read blogs much either, so if I haven't been commenting, that's why. I don't know what was wrong with me. Just needed a break I guess.

Friday Randoms

I'm really glad my husband doesn't get all weird and macho about things. Like he didn't care one bit when I told him I wanted to get Noah a play kitchen. He doesn't care that Noah has been watching Angelina Ballerina clips on his iPad. Or that Noah found a red crayon and pretends to put lipstick on himself and me. lol. Frankly, I think if his favorite color happened to be pink, Brad really wouldn't care. I love that about him.

***

Speaking of ballet... you guys have to watch this.

In the beginning of the video, a guy named Silas Farley is talking. And while it seems silly to be all, "I know him!! I know him!!"... that's totally what I'm doing. I was/am good friends with his oldest brother (who played pro basketball in Europe) and have known his family since I was little. I give his momma hugs regularly in the hallway at church. His other brother? He started as a freshman for Notre Dame's defense (football) last year. Clearly, this family has zero talent. haha.
Anyway, I just think it's super cool to see him being so successful, especially knowing his family had very humble beginnings. And I remember him being the only little boy in our church's dance ministry. See what happens when dads don't get hung up on stereotypes and instead encourage their kids' talents? They end up being amazing. 

Also, families like theirs sometimes make me feel like this...

via

 ***

I've decided that I have zero problem being thankful and also celebrating Jesus' birthday simultaneously. I also don't have a problem if people like to be thankful and celebrate Jesus separately. So stop peeing on my flowers.

Somewhat related: If you move down South, please don't make fun of the rest of us for getting excited about a few snow flurries. Also, don't whine and complain about it. That's like me moving up North and making fun of everyone for wearing flip flips in 50 degree weather. You know, "because y'all don't know what real heat is!"
You could be stuck in your house for a week if you were back up North or West or wherever you're from. I think you can handle maybe 24 hours of Southerners losing their ever loving minds over the pretty white stuff. Let us build our snowmen from snow dust (hey, we're resourceful), stock up on milk and bread, and pull people out of ditches with our big trucks. We'll calm down eventually. :)

***

I took a brain test last night. Apparently, I use both sides of my brain equally. Which really, that kind of makes sense. Sometimes I have a hard time tapping into the creative side of my brain, and other times I can't seem to be logical if my life depended on it. So basically, I'm constantly on the verge of an identity crises. ;)



That's all I've got.
Happy Friday!!

Noah update

I really can't even begin to tell you guys how amazing Noah has been doing lately. And this has a little to do with my blog quietness. He's just so BUSY. He wants attention 95% of the day, and honestly, after trying so long to get him interested in being social? I don't mind one bit. He doesn't just want me around. He wants to play games with me, jump on the trampoline, give me kisses, have me tickle him, sing songs... it's just so amazing.

 

(he thinks it's hilarious when we take turns spitting water out at each other)

His vocabulary is taking off like crazy. He can now tell me what he wants regularly. Earlier tonight, he looked at me and asked for, "Cheese"... enunciated perfectly. He's making correct associations. Pictures aren't always necessary. I can say, "Okay, we have to go bye-bye", and he will respond with, "Shoes on!" While shopping at Target, he will clearly ask for "cookies", "cwackers", "apple", "Na-na", or my personal favorite "gweeps" (grapes).
He's now pretending to go potty. He'll sit on the potty, with his clothes on, and say "Potty". Needless to say, I think it's time. We're heading to Lowes soon to get one of those fancy dual toilet topper things, because he's too big for both of the potties we've bought already.

If he wants me to jump with him, he signs jump. He can say slide, swing, and outside. He can tell me if he wants to watch "George", "Tos" (Thomas), or "Tiguh" (Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood).
He does a TON of scripting, which is where he recites favorite clips from shows he watches. Sometimes it takes me a little while to figure out what he's reciting, which is kind of fun. :)

One of his favorite phrases is "Oh no, makin' a mess!" Wonder where he got that from?? (<-- sarcasm font).

Seriously, I'm not even sure I can remember everything he says. Words are just flying out of his mouth now. And so much credit goes to his speech therapist we've had since June. She's tough on him, but so awesome. I tell her all of the time that I know she doesn't always get to hear how much he says when we're with her (because she's making him talk vs him offering it up on his own), but that all of her hard work is showing up at home.

Speaking of his therapists....

He made them cry Tuesday.
Like tears streaming down their faces crying. I had told them a few times how he could sing and sign "Jesus Loves Me", and they finally got to see it. His OT felt it the most I think though, because she's been with him for over a year now.
She saw him when he barely acknowledged our existence. She was with him when he didn't even respond to his name. She knew him when his vocabulary was less than 10 words. So as he sat in front of me, concentrating very hard on following the signs and attempting to enunciate every word, she just couldn't hold it back.

He's come so very far in such a short amount of time.

And then she proclaimed for the second time in two weeks that she's convinced I will be a speech therapist or OT one day. haha. I just told her that the only reason anything I try ends up working is because he's mine. I know how he thinks, what makes him laugh, how to motivate him, when to push him, when to hold back. And really, he's such an amazing kid. I always worry people think I want a ton of praise when I brag on Noah. Because really, it's all him. His personality is just so sweet and silly and bubbly. I would love to live in his world for a day. It seems like a very happy place. :)

In the pictures above, you can see his OT on the horse swing with him. That woman, you guys. She has been a Godsend. She has worked for the past year on building his muscle tone, increasing awareness of his own body, and other sensory issues he's had. And because of her?

This is happening...

I know it probably doesn't look like a big deal, but I've been waiting for the big kid swing transition for a long time. He just didn't have enough core strength to hold himself steady. Now I can walk away, and he stays put, totally happy to hang on.

He had his (very late) well check on Monday. He's 48.8 lbs and 3'7" tall. So 97th percentile in weight, and 94th in height. Told y'all he's a big kid.

We saw a new pediatrician, and he is absolutely amazing. Amazing doesn't begin to describe it honestly. He was able to get a "high five" from Noah when he walked in. He's patient and calm, and I know Noah senses that. I don't feel rushed when I ask him questions. When I explained how the last ped labeled Noah as obese, his eyes got wide and he responded calmly, "That seems a bit presumptuous to label him at age 3". He went on and on about how, yes, Noah is a bigger kid. But that he's clearly healthy. We'll obviously need to watch what his weight does as time goes on, but as of right now, he's fine. He explained how kids on the spectrum are almost never in the middle... they're usually on the skinny side or heavy side. That for reasons doctors aren't fully aware of yet, their metabolisms are different and could be because of any number of things (including being low tone). When talking nutrition, he recommended going to Earth fare. Earth fare!! And to see if I can get him to eat tofu since he doesn't like meat.

And then as we were talking, he said words that were music to my ears. He said the words, "He seems pretty high functioning to me."
Noah's diagnosis says he's severe. I'm pretty sure it was so he could qualify for more services through the state, however hearing a medical professional confirm what you already hope in your heart is true? Cue happy dance.

Socially, he's doing so so well. He loves attention. We've gone to a couple of bigger parties lately, where other kids were there, and he was right in the middle of the action the whole time. At one point, his friend Jackson was wanting to ride in this little push car thing. Noah wanted to ride it too, but I told him he had to wait, that it was Jackson's turn. So he proceeded to push Jackson all around the yard instead. I couldn't believe it. No tantrum. Nothing. Just "okay, then I'll just push him"...

I'll stop here, because I know I'm just gushing at this point.
I guess we're just in a really good place right now, and it has me all kinds of excited at the moment. Had you asked me last year if this is where I thought we'd be? I would've been doubtful. I honestly had no idea what to expect. So yeah, I can barely contain myself when I get going on everything Noah has been doing lately.

I just love this kid so much I could squish him.

Halloween

Most of you know how I grew up not trick-or-treating or celebrating Halloween in any way. However, as the years have gone by, I'm fine with letting Noah go. My only rule is that he can't be anything scary or evil... but we haven't had to worry about that. Brad, who grew up celebrating all things Halloween, even refuses to let Noah go to the scary looking houses and avoids the scary aisle at Target with him. It's really cute actually. And of course, Noah doesn't quite "get" the concept of Halloween. So it's a non-issue.

So anyway.
The night before Halloween, we carved pumpkins. Noah, being a total sensory seeker, actually doesn't like the feeling of pumpkin guts. So I let him paint his instead.

Afterwards, he decided to do some pumpkin bowling. He set up his paints on the floor, and tried to knock them over with his pumpkin. Obviously, that proved to be a tad difficult, so I got him some TP to knock down. He plays pumpkin bowling every day since. I'm worried he's going to be really disappointed when his pumpkin starts rotting.

That night, after Noah went to bed, Chase insisted we watch a scary movie. I hate scary movies, so we compromised. We watched the 1931 version of Dracula, which turned out to be more funny than scary. Seriously, if you want a good laugh, go watch it. It was great.

For Halloween, Noah was Bob the Builder... he makes a good one, don't you think?

The other neighborhood kids loved it and would walk around singing the theme song when they saw him.
Noah did okay trick-or-treating. He's not a big candy eater, and he couldn't figure out why we were ringing doorbells and NOT going inside. Made NO sense to him. lol.

But he was awfully cute...

 Happy Wednesday! ;)

31

I recently celebrated my 31st birthday. Which is weird, because I swear I'm only 25. Ha.

I had these big plans to meet up with friends at a local (huge) corn maze... at night with flashlights. I just knew it would be so much fun and was looking forward to it for weeks. Only for Noah to get strep throat the day before.

womp womp.

So yeah, we of course cancelled it and spent the weekend trying to figure out how to get Noah to actually swallow his antibiotics instead of squirming, crying, and spitting it out (we eventually opted for a shot instead).

But it's okay. I think I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that birthdays don't like me. Last year, if you remember, was probably the worst birthday ever. Nobody was around to go out with me, and I had a miscarriage at 10 weeks. We tried to make the most of it and go to the beach, but Noah refused to sleep the whole weekend. That and he pooped all over Brad in the ocean. Super fun.

However, I ended up spending my birthday with those most important to me. On my actual birthday, Brad cooked me an amazing dinner. Chase also came over and brought cupcakes from a local bakery. While we were hanging out upstairs later on, he went downstairs and came back with a cupcake, candle, and sang happy birthday to me. I swear sometimes guys really do make the best friends.

The next day, we went to my grandparents for dinner with my family. Chase came too and got a few family pictures of us. I'm trying to be better about asking people take pictures with me in them. Sure, there are bound to be blurry ones, but I don't even care. I've been documented in moments with my family, and that makes me really happy.

So no, my 31st birthday wasn't quite what I'd pictured, but it was still perfect.

Fall Kick-off

I swear, I was trying so hard not to let the hot weather here spoil my fall fun and make me think it was never going to get here. I mean, 90+ degree heat in October is just wrong.

But thanks to a tropical storm, last Monday brought cooler temps and happy vibes.

So on to what we've been up to...

(which I kind of feel is starting to become a little redundant to blog about since I post pics on FB... but whatever).

A little over a week ago, we took a little day trip up to the mountains. Which is weird because technically, we had to go down to SC, then back up to NC. Apparently that was the quickest route.

Anyway... Brad, Chase, Noah, and I decided to go apple picking. There's an amazing farm in the mountains that, according to every (local) friend I have on FB, is the place to be. The only down side was that it was hot. But other than that, I think it was the coolest apple orchard I've ever seen. Watching Noah and taking decent pictures is proving to be a very difficult feat lately, but I did the best I could. This kiddo is b-u-s-y.

The place had three rules:
1. No eating apples in the orchard.
2. No throwing apples.
3. No riding on the wagons.

The only rule we didn't break was the third one, and that's because we didn't grab a wagon.
But at least the one doing most of the rule-breaking is really cute... and can't read.

The guys tried to give me a hard time for dragging them almost two hours away to trek through the mountains picking apples that we could've just as easily bought at the grocery store.
And they have a point.
But dangit, I was going to have my perfect Fall apple-picking memory even if it was unseasonably hot and out of the way. And so what if someone spotted a bear hanging out near the Jonagold trees. Or that Noah had a fit on the mountain because I wouldn't let him run into the woods.

The guys may have had a fun time picking on me, but I think they were surprised at how fun it actually ended up being. Especially when all the really good apples were up high, and they had to figure out how to get them down.

We went home with an insane amount of apples, some apple-cinnamon butter (which btw, you paleo peeps should make... no added sugar, and it's amazing), apple jelly, and apple cider doughnuts. I'd never actually had apple cider doughnuts before, and I'm glad they only seem to exist in remote areas, because I could've devoured that whole box. Thankfully I had three boys to fight over them with, so I only had two. :)

The whole day was awesome. Definitely worth it. And the apples were way better than store bought. Even the guys had to admit it.

Our church recently had a big "Family Fun Day". We didn't get to go last year, because it was all rainy and Brad had to work. So I was really excited about this year. They have an enormous field for soccer, relay games, etc. Noah's obviously a little too small for all that, but they had some big blow up slides and bouncy houses for the little guys.
Any time we go anywhere crowded, I usually put Noah's autism shirt on him. It's amazing how people are immediately so sweet and patient with him once they see it. The girl at the top of the slide helped coach him up the stairs, and in order to get him to go down the slide, she counted down 3-2-1-GO. Worked every time.

He's getting so so good at waiting in line (which he really doesn't like), taking turns, and learning to be patient. He still gets annoyed when he has to do it, but he does it regardless. I'm so proud of how far he's come even in just the last couple of months. And no, I didn't hold him in line the whole time. lol. Just long enough to help him wait and go over the whole "First her turn, then Noah's turn" routine.

I usually come prepared with snacks for Noah at events like this, since I know he won't eat meals like BBQ or mac n cheese. However, when the three of us adults went through the line separately, we all grabbed Noah a bag of his favorite chips, not realizing the others did too. Yeah, he's not spoiled at all.

 

I love seeing how Noah handles himself now when there's too much sensory input for him to deal with. Instead of having a meltdown, he calmly finds a spot to chill for a little bit. Some days he's all about being in the middle of the action and plays with the other kids, and other days he needs to just hang out on the sidelines.

As long as he's having fun, that's all I care about. :)

Happy Monday!