Bus Update

As of Monday, Jimmy is back on the bus. They have new driver who will be picking him up at 7:57 a.m., with him arriving at school at about 8:15. It only took a month, but I am glad it is finally straightened out.

After all the grief I have given them, I bet they don't mess with his bus route next year. :-)

Jenny McCarthy is on Larry King Live

I am going to record it. I bought the book. She is a believer in mercury, which isn't something I necessarily subscribe to. She does GFCF, which I am seriously thinking about pursuing. It scares me because I don't know where to begin or what Jimmy would actually eat, but I am starting to think it is worth a try. I just caught him pooping in the bathroom sink.

Poop factory

Yes, we are back to playing in it. It's like he is fascinated by it. He even took off his pants and pooped in Buster's water. The bathtub is popular as well. I don't get it. He sometimes get multiple baths a night to address the problem. I am upstairs with him right now for his second tonight. He pooped in the first one.

I am getting good reports from school however, as well as his therapy sessions. I guess to some degree home is better, but this whole poop thing does get me down.

I got my foot checked today. I pulled a tendon. Mercifully, it doesn't require a cast. I have special inserts for my shoes however for the next several weeks. I can also go back to the gym, though I am limited to low impact like the bike and the elliptical. But at least I can go. I hope to end this cycle of getting injured handling Jimmy.

Before I go, a hot stock tip - invest heavily in the company that puts out Clorox Wipes. I go through a ton.

My heart nearly stopped...

I dislike George Bush - here is another reason. He make a comment that was misunderstood, leaving everyone thinking my hero, Nelson Mandela, was dead. I know I am a dork for saying Mandela is my hero, but I think he is a beautiful, beautiful man who survived a great deal and never gave up, no matter how bleak the circumstance.

Maybe I will buy her book...

I generally don't read autism books - it's not exactly leisure reading for me - but I just might pick hers up.

McCarthy calls Carrey 'autism whisperer'

Jenny McCarthy worried about finding a good man after her son, Evan, was diagnosed with autism two years ago. Then Jim Carrey came along. "Beyond doubt it was written in the stars that Jim and Evan were a pair," the 34-year-old actress tells People magazine in its Oct. 1 issue.

"He's actually helped Evan get past some obstacles I couldn't. I sometimes call him the autism whisperer. He speaks a language Evan understands, and Evan feels safe with him."

McCarthy and Carrey, 45, went public with their romance last year. Though she's in love, McCarthy has no plans to marry the twice-divorced actor.

"There will be no certificate," she says. "It goes far deeper than that. Jim came into our life with an open heart and open arms. He's learned a lot about autism. He listens. The power of listening. It can move mountains."

McCarthy and film director John Asher filed for divorce in August 2005, after six years of marriage. Earlier that year, Evan, now 5, was diagnosed with autism.

McCarthy, who starred on MTV's "Singled Out," details Evan's progress in her new book, "Louder Than Words: A Mother's Journey in Healing Autism."

She says Carrey was curious about Evan — in a good way. But she was nervous about introducing them.

"He was intrigued," she says. "He asked questions. Still, it took me about a few months to bring Evan over."

Okay, so I got behind again...

Jimmy is now being taken to school. After demanding a solution to the bus situation late last week, Jimmy rode the regular ed bus on Friday. It was a disaster. He wouldn't stay in his seat, he melted down completely, and he was pretty stimmy for the rest of the day. After that, the school system agreed to have someone meet Jimmy at 8:05 at the building. Yesterday went off without a hitch. Theoretically, they have an additional bus driver starting in October, so the drop offs aren't forever. It's just a shame that it took this long to get resolved.

Yesterday, we also had our FAPT team meeting. They are continuing consult and direct services for another 90 days. I am pleased about that. I also found out why our caseworker over at the Community Services Board hadn't responded to my e-mails regarding getting a psych eval for Jimmy so I can get him on the DD Medicaid Waivers waiting list. He left abruptly. Nice to know. At least now I have another contact to get going with that.

That's the brief version. I have finished with the last class I am going to take for a while, so I should have time to recommit myself to my blogging.

Today's pickup time...

8:26 a.m.. Not once did the school bus pick him up in a timely fashion. Jimmy was late to school every single day.

City Districts Open with Few Problems (unless your kid is special ed)

The reporter who covers the local schools is great, but in this case, I think she has been misinformed. I have heard rumblings on the local autism listservs about school districts being short drivers - regular ed students are seemingly given some sort of priority in terms of students. Their routes are the first to be straightened out and their buses arrive on time. Special ed students, on the other hand, are the last priority for pick up and arrive to school late. Jimmy has not been picked up before 8:30 this week - the same time that the tardy bell rings at his school. I am furious - it's almost like he isn't given the same instructional time as other students because of his disability, that because of the serious nature and the need for him to ride a bus with an aide, the school system doesn't really care when he shows up. No one person has said that, but that is how I feel. It is my understanding that nothing will change for us until they hire another driver (they are down two now in Manassas Park.) Why should he lose out on his education because he rides a different bus?

I know the natural solution would be to have my husband drop him off. The kiss and ride isn't equipped for a child who does not separate well and can't walk to the door by himself. Moreover, most schools have a holding area for hundreds of students until the bell rings. Jimmy couldn't function there either. So Jimmy misses instructional time and my husband gets to be late to work everyday until this problem is solved. I wonder how long his boss will tolerate that.

I have jumped the shark..

I have a minivan... a Dodge Grand Caravan. 2007 - we got a great deal on it. I can separate the boys now and they sit far enough back that they can't kick my seat. I am not looking forward to the payments or the car tax, but this vehicle will see Jacob into middle school - as long as no one else hits me.

I am a minivan driving mom. I have joined a sorority of millions. Eeek. I'll try to post pics tomorrow.

Jimmy had his first day of school today. The teacher reported that they spent the day getting to know each other. Nothing else remarkable to say... except he read me a Mo Willem book. I turned the page and he read. It was so neat.

Catching up...

I haven't blogged much this week, with the accident and work...

Last Sunday, my BFF T took me to the Indigo Girls. It was a great show and just fun to hang out with her. She only lives an hour away and I am embarrassed that I never seem to find the time to go and see her. Actually, going to her house is one of the few relaxing outings I can possibly make. She has three kids and has known Jimmy since the beginning, so I never have to explain. That means a lot to me. I respect her, her intellect, and her wit. Okay, maybe she is a little bit of a smart ass, but that's not a bad thing. Her youngest starts kindergarten on Tuesday. I can't believe so much time has passed...

We have started the car shopping process. I test drove two cars today. We are going to shop tomorrow while my mom is here to watch the boys and again on Monday if we have to. I hope to have the rental back by Tuesday, rolling into the new school year in a new ride.

I am such a sap...

I just watched a few minute of Titanic. You know, towards the end, as the boat was sinking. I couldn't bear to watch it. It's a movie, you know.

Meeting this morning...

I am scheduled to meet Jimmy's new teacher this morning at an early meeting. The timing is horrible as I have so much going on at my school, especially trying to ready a new library for Tuesday. Hopefully it will be brief. I just want everyone to meet everyone else before the first day. I know he has already met the teacher and I have been told they interact well together. Right now, I am debating dragging him along to see for myself, but the reality is that I am trying to foster communication between the adults. Your non-verbal child is never going to tell me how is day is, so I need to feel like I am informed. I don't want another incident like the Rifton Chair.

Lots of stress...

I hate bad drivers, insurance companies, and car salesmen, in that order.

Jimmy had a huge meltdown tonight. I haven't even started the new medication with all of the added car drama, but I am concerned. He didn't want to be in our bedroom, didn't want to be his, cried for a good 40 minutes. I wish I understood what plagued him sometimes.

We have doctor's appointments Wednesday afternoon and I have a transition meeting with the new teachers and the therapist early Thursday morning for Jimmy. I had to ask for it, but it really should be standard. Yes, they have active construction going on and had to cancel "Meet the Teacher" night for parking concerns. But what parent in their right mind would send their non-verbal child to a teacher they have never met? I just can't.

The death of my car...

It is with great sadness that I announce the death of my 2001 Ford Focus wagon. It was taken from us prematurely by a person who failed to slow for stopped traffic. This is the second time in a month that we have been rear ending in stopped traffic by someone who seemed to be talking on a cell phone at the time of impact. The first one was a $550 repair bill for a slow speed impact in Jim's car when we came back from Texas. This impact was not at a slow speed from what Jim told me. In this case, the driver was cited by Fairfax County Police. My car was pushed into the vehicle in front of it, so there is front and rear damage as well as airbag deployment. I think the bill from this will more than likely total me out. Jim and Jacob were on their way to meet Jim Sr. for a train show at the Dulles Expo. As you can tell from the photo, Jim was hurt - he has a burn from the airbag deployment as well as a sore back and neck. Jacob seems okay, but he is sore as well. He was scared crapless when the airbag deployed. Both went to the emergency room and both will be going to the doctor again this week. It could have been so much worse, though, but it makes me sick that they hurt and had to go through something like this.

Okay, okay

Yes, I am still alive. I have been overwhelmed with life and work, especially some things that are going on on-the-job. But I am still here.

We have a nice visit on the Hill with one of Congressman Wolf's LAs. She knew very little about autism, so for an hour I shared with her my experiences with Jimmy. We had to keep off the Mr. Wolf's desk, so eventually we let him watch TV. He had a very nice flat screen in his office, where Jimmy watched Sagwa and Barney. I asked her several questions about the Combating Autism Act and the money from it. I hope she tracks down an answer, those I know that the wheels on the Hill grind very slowly. It was gratifying to just get time with someone like that.



I couldn't get him not to squint, but at least he looked at the camera.

We have our rescheduled doctor's appointment today for Jimmy. I got a note in the mail confirming the appointment for Rockville. Since I was told that it was definitely Fairfax, I was concerned. So I called the doctor's office. She breathlessly called back to tell me that there was a glitch and that all of the doctor's patients were scheduled into Rockville by mistake and it was indeed Fairfax. I was the only person to pick up on it, so she had to now call all his patients to clarify. My good deed for the day. Apparently, however, Children's Hospital's office manager is Howdy Doody. I have not been in a single department there where the office wasn't a mess.

Watch this space...

I owe you a post. I have been so busy with life and work, I haven't gotten a chance to do it. I promise later tonight.

Dining out with Autistic Kids

An article I can related to...

More Sesame Place pics...

Dancing with SuperGrover...


What can I say... Jacob likes to boogie!!!

Zoe!!!!

We love Zoe!

An interesting article about IQ tests...

...and autistics. Of particular interest to me as I have to get Jimmy tested to get him on the list for DD Waivers.

Mr. Kirkland Goes to Washington

Jimmy and I are taking a little trip in the AM to Congressman Wolf's office to meet his new healthcare staffer and talk about autism. Pics tomorrow...