Month: February 2008

baby surprise and other startlements

Posted on by Phoebe Gleeson

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Gloria models her Baby Surprise Jacket, made by Trishy.

This photo is from last week, when I went to go get out of jury duty. In Oklahoma you can call in and get excused if you’re over 70. Everyone else, no dice.

So I schlepped myself and G-Lo to the courthouse. (Well, my mom schlepped us actually, so we wouldn’t have to walk from a far parking place. My mom rocks!) Oklahoma has a great law exempting breastfeeding mothers from jury duty at their request, so I wasn’t worried, but still, what a pain. I got out of it but I have to go back in June to tell them, guess what, I’m breastfeeding. Duh. I think next time I’m going with a doctor’s note and WHO guidelines saying breastfeeding should continue through the first two years at minimum. Oh and a copy of the actual LAW because the judge seemingly hadn’t ever heard of it.

Here’s where I won’t let this devolve into a rant about that. ARGH.

a summation

Posted on by Phoebe Gleeson

Boy it’s been busy here. Not in the accomplishing big things sort of way, but in the constantly putting out small fires way. Whew.

In the last few days, Trixie turned 2. What an amazing thing that is. She’s so cute. If you haven’t read the story of her very exciting entrance into the world two years ago, please go read it. It’s entirely un-squicky too, no blood, I promise. She’ll be fêted properly on Friday, when she, my father (March 1) and I (March 2) will have a big ol Leap Day Birthdays Party. Whee!

Bede has been Mr. Sensory Seeker for the last week or so, which usually indicates that he’ll be making a huge leap in language, and he did. He correctly filled out some of the ‘tests’ in this book (like this one, only more complex) totally on his own. I had given him the book and said “Here! Fun! Words!” but no directions. He read the directions and filled out the tests, which I only discovered when I looked at it later. Wow.

Faith has been keeping a journal, which she let me read yesterday. I don’t know what I was expecting but it says things like “Today I held Gloria and she smiled at me! With Joy! She is so soft and I love her so much!” I’m still cleaning the spot where I melted right into the floor. Sigh.

Gilbert is marginally less whine-prone, for which we all are grateful. He enjoins us throughout the day to play fairy-tale games with him, mostly Jack and the Beanstalk and The Tortoise and the Hare. Mostly that means running around and pretending to sleep, for either tale. I’m usually the Giant or the Tortoise.

Abby has been on a crafting binge and has been writing how-to books. When she finishes I’ll transcribe them so you can learn from her technique. Topics include making tissue paper flowers, various peanut butter based treats, and sock dolls.

Someone with improper security clearance is in the bathroom. I must fly!

lost and found

Posted on by Phoebe Gleeson

OK, two Bede and language posts in a row, but this one’s priceless.

We were playing with the puzzle set Hala gave him for Christmas (his favorite toy) and we couldn’t find a “V”. We had looked pretty thoroughly and I said “Well buddy, it’s nowhere to be found.”

Bede responded with “404 Error File Not Found!”

Me myself and I

Posted on by Phoebe Gleeson

So Bede has the typical gestalt language acquisition traits of the autist. He asks for juice or cookies or DVDs by asking us if we’d like them. “Want see apple juice?” and when we say “Do you want some apple juice?” he says “OK! I get you some apple juice!” He says “Bye Bede!” when he says goodbye. Etc.

Today he used I to refer to himself, in a novel phrase: he said, to me as we cuddled, “I’m a cutie!”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Of Adam, language and communication

Posted on by Phoebe Gleeson

Adam is a little boy who reminds me very much of Bede. He’s about a year older than Bede, and he’s a hyperlexic autist too.

Adam’s mother, Estee, founded the Autism Acceptance Project. Today, her blog, the Joy of Autism, has a video post entitled ‘Adam Speaks.’ Adam is minimally verbal in terms of his spoken language, but all the years of soaking in text have come to fruition quite spectacularly recently, as you can see from the video.

As always, not being able to speak is not the same as not having anything to say. Mazel tov, Adam and Estee.

I knew this would happen

Posted on by Phoebe Gleeson

I went to the new yarn store with my mom yesterday. It’s lovely, and right next door to The Red Cup.

(As an aside here, Sean and I always say “Darn Red Cup, anyway!” due to their very odd hours. They’re never open when we go there. Which is, admittedly, not often at all these days. But I digress.)

So anyway, the yarn store. I didn’t buy any yarn, but I did buy an Addi Natura. I have resisted these needles for years due to the price – if I liked them I’d be looking at considerable expense.

I love it.

Did I mention they cost twice as much as the Clover needles I’ve been using? Of course they do. Argh.

Sleep it is a gentle thing

Posted on by Phoebe Gleeson

A new study has confirmed what the Gleeson family already knows: melatonin helps autistic kids sleep.

The study is the largest of its kind, looking at the medical records of 107 children with autism, ages 2-18, who had tried varying dosages of melatonin for insomnia. Twenty-five percent of parents reported they no longer had sleep concerns after using melatonin, 60 percent of parents reported the sleep problems had improved, 13 percent still had major concerns and only 1 percent (one child) had worse symptoms.  Only three of the 107 children studied reported mild side effects.

We’re in the 25% camp. Bede, who will be five next month, takes half of a 1mg tablet of melatonin every night and has since July of 2007 and I can say it has literally changed our lives. He used to be awake until 2AM or later four to five nights out of the week, still rising for the day around 8, with no nap. Now we give him his melatonin around 10:45PM and he is asleep by 11. Sean is the bedtime guy around here and it was like to killing him. No more!

finger-flick to Autism Vox

Dong ma?

Posted on by Phoebe Gleeson

So Sean and I are Browncoats. Sean would never say he was, he’d say “I enjoyed the canceled television series Firefly” or something like that. But me? I’m a Browncoat and proud.

I found this site tonight which has translations of all the Chinese phrases that are liberally sprinkled throughout the series. For a geek like me it’s pretty addictive!

‘Disorder, or Identity’ redux

Posted on by Phoebe Gleeson

There’s some pretty hefty critiques of that article I posted. I’d love to write my own but I can’t focus on it long enough to do so. So I’ll take advantage of the wonder of the hyperlink and just link to some (I’ll be editing this post as I get more):

Here’s a bit in the comments on the original post.

Here’s Amanda’s post on equality and extremes.

I scream, you scream…

Posted on by Phoebe Gleeson

We all scream for ice cream! Ice Cream for Breakfast Day was again a big hit.

It was a yummy morning for the Gleesons. Sadly I have no photographic record as both of my hands were in use holding Gloria (who prefers her ice cream un-iced and straight from the tap) and scarfing up my own eponymous meal.

In other news nothing much is happening beyond tending to the six. My friend Melissa came over on Thursday and swept my dining room and living room for me, which was WONDERFUL. I am able to keep up with the diapers and the other basic hygiene of the out-of-diapers crowd and well, that’s it. Housework is not even on the freaking stove, let alone the back burner. So it was so amazing to be able to walk around (for a few hours at least) on a crumb-free floor with all the laundry tamed too.

Gilbert is driving me up the wall with whiiiiiiiiiining. Everything he says is whined. Argh. Please pray for us. So far I have not said “Shut the f*** up do you hear me? You are melting my brain! STOOOOP IIIIIT!!!!” and I think I should get major points for that. Three year olds. I tell you. It will get better, it will get better, it will get better.

Oh, Faith and Abby want me to share their current favorite Internet activity: making Zimmer Twins movies.It’s pretty fun!