Tattoos (Temporary)

What to do on an incredibly hazy, hot and humid summer day??

TATTOOS of course!

They are much easier than those darn permanent ones that never rub off, and they are virtually painless...well unless your Josh, and the mere touch of cold, wet water makes you scream!

I finally had to cut them both off from their addiction, other wise I would have lost them under all of those Thomas the Tank Engine tatoos.

Changes

Ethan finally had some OT yesterday. It had been three weeks since his last session due to circumstances. Boy, did he need his therapy. We can most definitely tell when he has gone without. Even Jessica, his OT can tell when he's gone without. We haven't been doing his Therapeutic Listening either...bad mommy...I just don't remember!

However, we are now going to have to prepare Ethan for a change. Miss Jess, as Ethan calls her, will be leaving Easter Seals. The change will happen at the end of August. We were hoping to help him transition to another OT that he's worked with in the past. Unfortunately, they are all booked up, and haven't a slot of time to put him in. So, not only will he not see Jessica anymore, but he may not receive OT there anymore.

That may be a problem for a couple of reasons...he loves to play in that room (and who wouldn't?? It's a child's play land!). He also has made a great friend with the receptionist, Kathy. I'm not sure if it's because she actually listens to what he has to say, let's him sit behind the desk with her, or gives him chocolate kisses when he comes out of therapy, (hmmm) but he will definitely miss seeing her as well.

All I know, is that therapy won't be the same without Miss Jess. She is absolutely awesome with him. You can tell she loves to work with the kids because they just love to be with her.

As we were leaving yesterday, we parted ways saying our goodbyes, as usual. Well, Ethan stopped dead in his tracks, said "hold up, hold up, wait a minute, I forgot something" and went racing back to Jessica to give her a big hug and kiss, and to tell her he loved her. Jessica and I looked at each other and without saying anything...just new that this one is gonna be tough.

Where's Joshua??

It never ceases to amaze me where this child will and won't sleep!

Can you find him??

Lazy, Hazy Days

Well, it's June...according to the calendar...and although I'm not one for heat and humidity and truly enjoy these cool nights, and breezy cool/warm days, it's kind of weird not to be sweltering in the heat! I think it was hotter in April!

Anyway, we've had some great days...and some not so great days. One of these great days involved a sand box out in our back yard, (courtesy of the Taylor children who have outgrown it...thank you!) Our kiddos are obsessed with it. We had a yard sale a few weekends ago, and the boys played in there for at least two hours...straight!!

Needless to say with a combination of copious amounts of sunscreen and bug spray, sand was stuck EVERYWHERE!! So, when we dragged them inside (with much wailing and grinding of teeth) we had to bathe them.

Out of that mess we got the Dynamic Diaper Duo!

To say that Ethan is obsessed with Veggie Tales Larry Boy would be a serious understatement. Morning, noon and night this child wants to watch either Larry Boy and Bad Apple, or Moe and the Big Exit. Both excellent videos that teach about temptation, (Larry Boy) and following God's direction, (Moe).

We've also had some not so good days. For instance; Ethan has recently become very sensitive to noises...especially loud ones. For any of you who know Joshua, this is most definitely a problem. Rebekah's cries don't bother Ethan other than he wants her attended to. Usually, (just like with the phone) along with Rebekah's cries I hear Ethan from somewhere in the house "Mama, your girl is crying", over and over until she has been attended to. But with Joshua's "noise" which is worse than the screech of the Ring Wraiths from Lord of The Rings, Ethan feels it necessary to either lash out physically...hitting Joshua over the head with a symbol for example...or verbally...yelling louder by singing the marching song of the "mob of angry Sporks" from the Veggie Tales video Lord of The Beans...(coincidence???)

Anyway, either action results in a much louder Joshua because, being a toddler, he can't have his needs go unnoticed, and therefore must get louder and more insistent. Let's just say, I've become a little sensitive to noises myself, and prefer to bury my head in a hole somewhere whenever possible.

The problem we have with these behaviors is that we don't know how to separate out 4 yr old behavior, SI Dysfunction, and Asperger Syndrome. We are hoping to have a Behavior Therapist come to our house to see him in this environment and help us out with discerning this. Until then it's difficult to "fix it" because if it's the first one, then there needs to be a punishment of some sort, if it's the latter two, then we need to do some sort of intervention and therapy to help prevent it in the future. My head spins every time Ethan does something because I never know if I'm overreacting, or under reacting. Should he be punished, or should it be noted and find a way to prevent it from occurring the next time? Sometimes I think it would be easier if he'd been my second child because then maybe I'd have an idea of what to expect. But then I think, all kids are different, even within the same family, so it wouldn't really matter anyway.

We've found ourselves turning more and more to God, praying, and really trying to Let Go and Let God, as a friend from my bible study said to me. It's hard to let go of that control and trust in God to provide us with the answers we so desperately seek. So, for those of you who have been praying for us...we thank you from our hearts. Please keep our family in your prayers, because it has helped get us this far, and for that we are truly blessed.

Big Brother Ethan taking care of Joshua at Spectrum Gymnastics during the Taylor birthday party.