Check out my tats man!

So Josh goes through tattoo waves. When he is on one, he wants to put them on all the time. I don't feel like there is any harm so I let him have as much fun with them as he can. Right now he is on one. For a week he has been putting on at least 5 a day. Luckily, many of them are mostly gone the next day. This was only a few days into the week. I told him he could put them where ever he wanted, he pointed to his eye lid. Okay, anywhere but there. And this is what he came up with:

He has been flashing everyone (even the bus ladies) so he can show them off. And yes, he is flexing his muscles in the mirror pictures.

Halloween night: "I am glad that Trevor and Gavin are here to say "trick or treat". Sometimes people are not so nice when Josh doesn't say it." "Well next year you should just dress him like a mime, then no one would expect him to say anything!" "I am not sure about a mime, but maybe Charlie Chaplin..."

I wasn't able to get this out of my mind. If Josh were to dress up like Charlie Chaplin he should know who he is. And why shouldn't he? Charlie Chaplin is a very funny man who does not speak. Would silent films interest my son? Josh is so funny but he has only seen people who are funny with what they say. He needs to see how funny people can be even when they don't talk. And maybe if he sees this, he will want to do this! And silent humor is universal. He could make friends with anyone. And everyone loves a funny person, he would be able to make friends easier! By doing this, I am helping him build on a talent that he already has. Why haven't I done this yet?

So I showed him a clip of Charlie Chaplin on youtube. It was okay. He did laugh but he seemed like he didn't appreciate it totally. So then we looked up Mr. Bean. Josh didn't just laugh, he literally howled with belly laughs. At the end of every episode he would intently sign more over and over again. I have done this a couple of times with him now. I think we will start by just watching, then talking about what makes him so funny. Then is practice (if he wants) making faces in the mirror, using our body to express what we are feeling in a humorous way, fake falls, etc. I am pretty excited about this. So much of the time I feel like we are just trying to survive. Survive school, the house, responsibilities, each other. When we do take a break from surviving and actually live, it often includes rough housing, playing music together, dancing and singing, when what maybe I should be doing is introducing him to ways that he can use his differences to really shine. I feel a new need to hone his particular gifts into something he can use in the future. Mr. Bean may seem like a strange way to begin doing that but I feel like it is the perfect fit.

Here is our favorite episode so far.

Halloween! 2012

Here are some pictures from the Halloween party. For some reason, I never remember to take pictures so there are not many but oh well. I am a peacock, Josh is Spiderman, Tyler is Clark Kent, Chantelle is beautiful, Melissa is an owl, and Kristi is Dr. Who.

And here are my Halloween nails, inspired by Dexter, which have nothing to do with a peacock.

After the party, I was cleaning up when I noticed that Josh was in the other room with a bowl and 3 rolls of tape. He had broken a bowl and had taken the responsibility to tape it back together. Luckily it was a cheap bowl and it was so cute that he tried to fix it that everyone just laughed.

Josh got to help carve his first pumpkin this year. He still wasn't strong or careful enough to do it by himself obviously but he came up with the concept, Tyler drew it, and they both cut it out.

My actual peacock makeup for real Halloween.

Happy Halloween #1

I will be posting many pictures but for those of you who do not follow me on facebook, here is a very amusing song for your Halloween:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lB6QskwcktM

Listen and laugh

Christmas List

Christmas list


>>> = gives to

Carrie >>> Joey
Gary >>> Chantelle
Bekkie >>> Tyler
Joey >>> James
Allan >>> Richard
Stacy >>> Branden
Amber >>> Jeremy
Branden >>> Carrie
Richard >>> Gary
Abby >>> Katie
Katie >>> Abby
Tyler >>> Amber
Chantelle >>> Ali
Jeremy >>> Allan
James >>> Stacy
Ali >>> Bekkie



Christina >>> Wyatt
Sabre >>> Paxton
Thor >>> Beckett
Trevor >>> Sabre
Gavin >>> Olivia
Josh >>> Trevor
Olivia >>> Kysa
Kysa >>> Josh
Paxton >>> Christina
Wyatt >>> Gavin
Beckett >>> Thor

Getting ready for Halloween

We are getting ready for Halloween already. I believe that Halloween should last at least one entire month. Josh chose his costume.

Josh is afraid of everything this year (did I tell you guys about the zombie mask and my accidental scarring of Josh?). He also believes that sometimes I am a vampire. Sometimes he points at my teeth and insists they are vampire teeth. Other times he thinks they are normal. So our house is pretty tame this year. He is afraid of blood, bugs, bats, rats, but interestingly, does not mind skeletons. In fact, he has been hiding toys under his pillow to sleep with and this is what I found under there this morning:

Very weird what does and does not scare this kid.

The funny and the fury

My little boy is so funny. He has such a great sense of humor and is such a tease I wonder what he would say if he could. Recently, I will ask him, "Josh, I am missing something" and pucker my lips innocently, "what could it be? I am missing something". And he will kiss me. The other day I said it, "I am missing something Josh, what am I missing?" and he turned to me with a mischievous grin and tapped his temple. I immediately started laughing and tickling him. "You think your mother is missing her brain?! I'll show you!" So you see, I have been feeling great because he is so funny and wonderful. At the same time, children have been noticing that Josh is different and have began talking about it. This is especially frustrating because to me I am seeing how wonderful and fun he is and this is the time that they are singling him out and labeling him. There have been good and bad times with this but I am trying to make them better. One boy (about 7) watched us while we were in line at a store. Eventually he looked at me and asked, "Was your son born like this?" It kind of hurt because I thought we were "passing" as normal. But I was so proud of that boy. He asked the right question, and after he got his answer he continued talking to me, treating us as he would have anyone else. I still cried later, but this sort of thing is hard not to cry about even when it is good. Then yesterday, we were heading into a store and a group of people were selling things outside of the store. A little girl (about 8) yells, "I know him! I know that boy! He goes to my school! He's one of the handicappeds!" It stuck with me during the whole store. I was annoyed by everyone and everything. The bagger bagged our bananas and canned soup together so by the time we got them into the car they were bruised. I left Josh in the car with Sharon to go complain about it. I was so bugged I couldn't let it go. Sharon had the car outside the store. I had to walk by the little girl and by the time I had the door handle in my hand I knew I couldn't let it go. Barely aware of my choice I realized I was walking towards the girl and suddenly I was kneeling in front of her. "I know you are young and do not know when you say hurtful things sometimes but you are NEVER to call my son handicapped again. If I called you by something you didn't do well it would hurt your feelings right? So when you call my son by what he doesn't do well it hurts his feelings. Do not call him handicapped okay?" I tried to finish by telling her she needs to call him by his name but her father was looking mortified by now and asking her what she said and I felt my face crumpling. So I walked to the car, crying about an 8 year old. Not my proudest moment. But honestly, my son is really amazing. Why can't everyone see it too? He is more than his diagnosis. And why does it bother me so much? So petty. More lessons in patience and loving others. It is funny that my mother always said that was something I am good with and yet I have to learn it over and over. Practice makes perfect I guess.