Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  I hope everyone had a great day yesterday.  We had a very nice day with my parents and sister.  The kids really enjoyed all the fun new things they got, and Peyton got to experience her very first snow.  We got about 3 inches of the white stuff before it stopped falling late yesterday afternoon.  Justin had to go back to work today but was able to sleep in this morning and go into work a little later thanks to the snow.  Texas doesn't exactly have to deal with this very often so we depend mostly on the sun to help make driving conditions better.  It has already started to melt today but by tomorrow with a high of 50 degrees in the forecast the snow will be a distant memory by tomorrow night. 
 
Christmas eve day since my parents were in town we had the opportunity to go out and get some family pictures.  I was so excited with how everything went and we got some great shots of the four of us.  We even got one with everyone looking at the camera!  I have put off getting our family picture taken for a while now and I think its because I was scared.  I kept thinking that the whole process would be to difficult for Jack to handle.  Would we be able to get Jack to sit still and/or look would he even look at the camera.  Would we spend the entire session chasing after him or would he have a meltdown...I could go on but will spare you my crazy mothering woes.  I still haven't gotten over all my fears when it comes to hiring a professional photographer for a family photo shoot, but I am very happy at how our armature session went.  We have a really good camera and with all the technology available I have been able to play around with our pictures and I think they look pretty good :-)
 
Today we got out of the house for a quick trip to Wal-Mart (the one with a McDonald's inside) and me, Jack and Stacey had some lunch and picked up a few random items, while my mother stayed at home with Peyton so she could nap.  We also did a little cookie decorating with Peyton this afternoon which she had a blast doing.  I am trying to pump myself up for tomorrow because it is day one of Potty Train.  I have been  preparing myself by talking with Jack's teachers and ABA therapist who has set up a very specific plan for us to follow so I am trying to remain positive.  I will be sure to keep everyone posted on his progress.  I hope everyone has a great rest of the week! 

Merry Christmas!

I have been anxiously awaiting my parents & sisters arrival. We are looking forward to spending some time with everyone. We are sad Justin's parents & grandparent weren't able to come but his grandpa is recovering so we hope to find time to see them when everyone is well.

The picture I posted was made by a fellow warrior mom who's blog & FB page I follow. It is a very good blog that I would highly recommend

http://lookinginlookingoutourasdfamily.blogspot.com/?m=1

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Getting ready for Christmas...

As you know from my last post we still hadn't gotten around to decorating the inside of our house.  It was partly due to our busy schedule and by the time the kids went to bed we would discuss putting the tree up, but would wind up not wanting to get up from the couch :-)   So, I decided while Peyton took her nap on Wednesday and I had some extra time and energy, I would put up the tree and lights.

 

Now the only thing we need to do is finish putting on a few decorations and get out the other holiday decor for the house.  I am hoping that we might find time to do some of those things tonight or over the weekend.  Peyton loves the tree and when ever she comes into the room if the lights are not on she will point to the tree and say "oh no! It's off!"  It is possibly the cutest thing she has done.  The only thing that Jack has noticed so far is the lights.  Since he enjoys to be visually stimulated sometimes he likes to inspect the lights very closely.   Last year his favorite activity was taking off the decorations so it will be interesting to see how both kids react once we add the ornaments.

 

I finally got Jack off to school this morning after we decided to just let him sleep in after a long night of being up for a few hours in the middle of the night.  Peyton didn't sleep very well either and passed out on the floor around 10 this morning after we got back home from dropping him off.  I was the lucky one because Justin slept with the monitors last night since I had an early workout this morning.  Hopefully I can repay him the favor by letting him get a few good nights sleep this weekend.

 

My newest workout adventure is from a recently purchased Groupon.  It is for two weeks of unlimited classes at a Boxing place located very close to our house.  I have taken 4 classes so far and am really enjoying it!  I have never taken a boxing class before, but am having a blast and I find it very therapeutic to get in a good workout and punch a bag, lol. 

 

I am not really sure the last time I gave a good over view of the progress Jack has made, so here is a little update on how things are going for our little man.  Since he started working with his ABA therapist this summer we have seen good improvement with his language.  He has been working on learning to use his words functionally and to communicate.  We have also seen improvement with his receptive language.  He can follow some simple instructions and he seems to understands more of what we tell him.  Jack is not yet able to tell us verbally how he is feeling and will not spontaneously tell us what he needs or wants, but one of the things autism has taught me is there are many ways to communicate and you don't always need words (of course they would be very helpful at times).  He has learned some basic questions and responses such as "What is your name?" "How old are you?" and " Where do you live"  He does a good job with these but we still have to make sure we have his full attention and if there are any major distractions in the area it can still be a challenge.  He must learn new skills in a one-on-one setting, but once he has the skill he has been able to generalize those in controlled small group setting and/or with us here at home.  He really enjoys school and loves working with his ABA therapist Jessie who he sees twice a week at home and at Social Group which he attends once a week.  We just had his yearly ARD which was to update his IEP goals.  We have been able to increase his goals and add a lot of new goals for him to work towards.  Jack enjoys the consistency of his busy schedule so I am hoping that the time off school won't be to hard on him.  We are looking forward to having our families in town for about a week and he will attend his Social Group for 5 days (2 the week of Christmas and 3 the week of New Years) which will provide him with some structure during the holiday break.  I feel very lucky that we were able to see Santa, but we are limited to how many Holiday activities we can do.  Jack has many sensory needs that are ever changing which and make going into new and unfamiliar environments unpredictable and difficult at times.  We try very hard to expose him to thing children his age would enjoy, and sometimes it works out great and other times it does not.  Since the weather has been so nice I have been able to take him to the park to play which he has really come to enjoy.  Justin also thought that since he really loves cars he took him to a car dealership one Sunday, when they were closed, to look at all the cars up close and he loved it!  Jack really has fun going to Target and has come to expect a new car with each and every visit.  So if anyone is looking for all the hot wheel cars in Texas you will need to come to our house :-)

 

Its hard to sum up in words everything that is happening these days but hopefully this gives everyone a pretty good glimpse into how things are going here at the Griggs house.  I really hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and if I don't have time to post again before Christmas, a very merry Christmas!

 

Here is a little poem that I found last year and thought I would share again, I hope you enjoy it!

 

An Autism Christmas Poem

 

Twas the Night Before Christmas
And all through the house
The creatures were stirring
Yes, even the mouse

We tried melatonin
And gave a hot bath
Asleep early for Christmas?
...an unlikely path

The children were finally
All nestled in bed
When visions of Christmas
Ran through my OWN head

Did I get the right gift?
The right color and style?
Would there be a blank stare
Or even, maybe, a smile?

Friends & family come
But they don't understand
The pleasure she gets
Just from bending her hands.

"Just make her stop it," some say
"Just tell her "no",
“You must learn to be tough.."
On and on they go...

We smile and nod
Because we know deep inside
The debate is moot
Let them all take a side

We know what it's like
To live with the spectrum
The struggles, triumphs
achievements and regressions.

But what some don't know
And what some don't see
Is the joy that we feel
Over simplicity.

She said "hello"!
She ate something green!
She looked me in my eyes
She did not cause a scene!

She peed on the potty!
Who cares if she's ten;
She stopped saying the same thing
Again and again!"

Some others don't realize
Just how we can cope
How we bravely hang on
At the end of our rope

But what they don't see
Is the joy we can't hide
When our children with autism
Make the tiniest stride

We may look at others
Without the problems we face
With envy, with wonder,
Or even distaste,

What we want them to know
What's important to see
Is that children with autism
Bring simplicity.

We don't get excited
Over expensive things
We jump for joy
With the progress work brings

Children with autism
Try so hard every day
That they make us proud
More than words can say.

They work even harder
Than you or I
To achieve something small
To reach a star in the sky

So to those who don't get it
Or can't get a clue
Take a walk in our shoes
And I'll assure you…

That even 10 minutes
Into the walk
You'll look at us all
With respect, even shock.

You will realize
What it is we go through
And the next time you see us
I can assure you

That you won't say a thing
You'll be quiet and learn,
Like the years I learned to
When the tables were turned.

~Christine Muczyk

 

Jack's visit with Santa

Since Justin and Peyton are out of town visiting Auntie Joyce and Uncle Michael this years visit to see Santa was just me and Jack.  This is our second year but we have started attending events put together by an organization called especially needed  They host events for the special needs community.  They do events for Fall and Easter but the visit with Santa event is my favorite.  I made our appointment for 9:30 this morning since Jack is a morning person and he is much more easy going at this time of day.  This year the event was at a church in Frisco.  They had Mickey and Minnie Mouse to great us as we walked into the room (which is the part I know Peyton would have probably enjoyed) and Jack was all giggles when he saw them.  They were waving at him and he just could not stop laughing and smiling.  He was laughing so loud everyone in the room was looking in our direction, but at least it was because he was deliriously happy and not having a complete meltdown.   He kept waving and saying bye-bye to them both, and was even brave enough to give Minnie Mouse very quick and somewhat hesitant high-five. 

Once we made it past Mickey and Minnie we had a few minutes to wait until it was our turn to see Santa.  The room was really nicely decorated and they had hot chocolate and cookies for the kids, but even though Jack will eat the occasional cookie he wanted nothing to do with the food table.  We finally got our turn and Jack was very excited to see the tree and Mrs. Claus, but when we got closer to Santa he started to get a little nervous.  I sat down with him and since he gets all excited and happy when anyone says: "say cheese" they were able to get a really great picture!

 

 

We had to wait again while they processed and printed out the pictures, so Jack was able to run around and explore the room.  He some how made his way back on stage with Santa and Mrs. Claus, but since they were taking a short break he wasn't holding anything up or getting in any ones way.  He started climbing on chairs and was much more interested in Mrs. Claus then Santa.  She was talking with him and asking about Matter (who was on his shirt)  He smiled and was having a great time and of course was in constant motion. 

 



I am so proud of our little man he has come such a long way in the past year.  The picture turned out great and I am so thrilled they caught him when he was looking at the camera and smiling!!!  I think this may have been the moment I had been waiting for to truly get me excited about Christmas.  I now feel like I am ready to put up the tree and start decorating the inside of the house :-)

I hope that everyone has a great weekend and...only 17 more day's till Christmas!

December is here

I hope that everyone has been enjoy December. The weather here in Texas has been sunny and warm the past week so the kids have continued to enjoy playing outside, sometimes in shorts and t-shirts :-) They keep predicting cooler temperatures to come, but we haven't seen them yet. Personally I would be perfectly happy keeping the current temperatures as they are, but I know many people I know want the cooler weather to make it's appearance so it starts to feel like Christmas. We have been keeping busy as usual between Jack's school and therapy schedule and I Peyton and I finally made it to a play date this morning. It was nice seeing our friends and hopefully we will be able to start participating again more regularly. Justin got some Christmas decorations put up on the outside of the house but we still haven't gotten around to decorating the inside yet. The inside decorating will have to wait another week because Justin and Peyton are leaving tomorrow evening to take a daddy-daughter trip to visit Joyce and Michael in Champaign, IL. While Jack and I are going to have a fun mommy-son weekend here which will include a visit to see Santa. I will miss my little lady but I know she will have a blast visiting with her aunt and uncle and she is very excited to meet and play with there dog, Barnaby.

This past weekend Justin and I had a very rare but exciting opportunity to have a date! We have found a wonderful girl who works at Fossil who came over to watch the kids while Justin and I went out to have lunch and see a movie (Skyfall which was terrific). We don't get many opportunities now a days to get out, just the two of us, without the kiddos. We usually try and find time to have a date night when we have family in town, but this was one of the first times we left the kids with a babysitter. Finding a babysitter is a very big step for any parent and since our families don't live locally we had always discussed how it would be nice to find a babysitter so we could have the occasional "date night". Finding a person who you trust is hard enough but finding someone who will understand and is willing to watch a child with autism can make the search even more difficult. I have always had a hard time leaving the kids with anyone, which I am always told is a normal mom reaction, but I do realise it is important to find time to be a couple. So I am very grateful we have found someone who the kids really enjoy being with and who we can trust.

I hear Peyton waking up from here nap so I will have to sign off now. I hope everyone has a great week!
   

Thanksgiving Vacation turned out to be a "stay-cation"

Thanksgiving vacation started a little early when I got a phone call from Jack's teacher telling me Jack needed to be picked up from school because he was throwing up :-(  I had just gotten Peyton down for a nap so I was very lucky that my wonderful neighbor Jessica was home.  She came over and sat at the house while I drove up and picked Jack up from school.  There had been a stomach bug going around so I thought that is probably what he had caught. I brought him home and we had a very eventful afternoon.  Since nothing seems to slow this boy down, I spend the first few hours chasing him from room to room holding a trash can.  Since the poor little guy couldn't keep a single thing down he finally ran out of gas and I got him settled in our bed with his three favorite movies (Cars, Cars 2 and Matter's Tall Tails).  Justin slept with him in our bed over night and in the morning he stayed home to take him to the doctor to find out he had Strep.  Since he wasn't able to keep anything down they had to give him a shot of antibiotics, which works well for us since he doesn't do well take oral antibiotics.  Justin brought Jack home and then took Peyton in to be tested.  Her rapid strep test came back negative on Friday and we did all we could to keep the germs at bay, but come Monday poor little lady started running a fever.  We called the Dr. and started her on an antibiotic.  At this point we were still planning on making the trip.  Her only symptom was a fever and Jack was feeling much better.  I was hoping we had caught it early and after a couple days of antibiotics  she would be up for a long car ride.  Unfortunately, Tuesday night before bed she started throwing up, so we decided it was best to cancel our trip.  Traveling with two kids 4 and under is hard enough to try and do it when both are sick/ recovering from being sick.

I was really sad about not getting to see my folks and sister, and I think Justin could tell, so he suggested I just take Jack and go for two nights and he would stay home and take care of Peyton.  I debated for a while but thought that might not be a bad idea, so I packed Jack and I a bag and we started on our drive to Springfield.  About 45 minutes into our drive I realized that Jack, who is usually always excited to be in the car, wasn't not going to make it 7 hours in the car. We also ran into a nice traffic jam that sealed the deal, so I turned around and headed back home.  Everyone was so understanding but after the "we're not going, we're going, we're not going" emotional roller coaster I was exhausted so it was best we stayed home.  We hadn't planned on being home so Justin went to the store and since all the turkeys were frozen solid he got us some really great steaks and lobster tails for us to make Thanksgiving day.  We still made mashed potatoes which is Justin's favorite part of Thanksgiving and I made my mom's crescent rolls, which is mine.  We didn't have any left overs to enjoy over the weekend, but I think we are going to make a turkey this weekend to satisfy our turkey craving :-)

Jack and Peyton are finally feeling better.  We spend a majority of our time at home since both kids were recovering from Strep.  Its never easy to be pinned up in doors for such a long period of time, so we ended up watching a lot of movies, oh well.  Jack did discover he is a Harry Potter fan, which makes his mama so proud, so it wasn't just a week of Cars movie ever made :-).  We finally made it out of the house Friday afternoon and took a trip to downtown McKinney for there Dickens of a Christmas celebration.  Peyton enjoyed a fun trip to the candy story and even talked daddy into a new Elmo doll which is her new favorite toy.  It along with her night night blankets much always come with us.  Justin also was sweet enough to watch the kids Saturday afternoon while I got out and had lunch with my friend Kara and got to go see the move Breaking Dawn 2.  It was a nice Thanksgiving break, but Jack was very happy to go back to school Monday morning.  He had a great day both there and in his ABA session. 

We are planning to try and decorate the house for Christmas this weekend.  We will be hosting Christmas this year and are looking forward to seeing both sets of grandparents and Justin's grandparents (Jack and Peyton's great-grandparents) at the end of December.  Until that time we have several weeks to prepare and do our Christmas shopping.  Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and has a wonderful week!

It's already November...

The past week I have been telling myself to get on the computer and update the blog, but as you can see I have been a very good procrastinator :-)  The Griggs family has been very busy the past few weeks, so I will try my best to cover all the important things that happened.

Halloween 2012:
Since Halloween this year fell in the middle of the week we kept things pretty low key.  We picked the kids costumes out a few weeks prior.   Since Jack still doesn't shown much interest and still lacks the verbal skills to help pick out his own costume, we decided that this year he would go as a Fireman and Peyton (since she is in love with kitty cat's) could be the cute little kitten he rescued.  I have a feeling my pairing might have not been as obvious to everyone else, but I still found the idea really cute!  Jack had a full day at school and had his usual Wednesday ABA therapy from 3-5, but once I got the kids fed and Justin got home we took off on a trick-or-treating adventure around the neighborhood.  Peyton wanted to walk all by herself and Jack was less interested in collecting candy and more interested in inspecting each and every car (and there licence plate) we passed.  We didn't visit to many houses but still ended up with a decent amount of candy. Peyton was a little scared of a few of the costumes we saw, but the highlight of her night was when she meet a  family walking around with a bulldog.  She was so excited to see that dog Justin said he had never seen her or any other child so excited about a dog, it was really cute.  Once we made the loop around our neighborhood Justin was able to transition Jack from walking/running around the neighborhood to going for a car ride to pick up some dinner for me and Justin, while Peyton and I went back to the house and handed out candy.  She enjoyed running to the door every time the doorbell would ring.  It was a great night and the kids and us were exhausted by the end of the night.

 

 

 

Color Run



I had a really fun time doing a color run with my friends Celina and Erin.  It was an off road 5K that included some obstacles and various people trowing powdered color on your while you ran.  It was a really fun event and if anyone ever has the change to sign up for one of these I would highly recommend it!  I didn't do a ton of running preparation, but ended up finishing in 33.55 minutes which is my best 5K time so far.  

Weekend with Grandma
This past weekend Justin's mom was able to come down and visit.  We had gotten to see her a few weeks ago when we went back to St. Louis in September to celebrate her birthday, but it had been a while since she had come down to see us here in Texas.  I think she really enjoy all the quality time she got to spend with Jack and Peyton.  She flew in on Thursday morning and had to leave to go back home today.  She was a big help around the house and was able to do some baby sitting for use while she was here.  She would stay with Peyton when I had to take Jack to school and therapy and I even got to do some kid less running around and had lunch yesterday with a friend.  Saturday night Justin and I had been invited to a fund raising event for the Notre Dame school in Dallas, which is a school for children with special needs.  It was a incredibly fun night, and since we don't get to many nights out together without the kids it was fun to get all dressed up a have a night out as a couple :-)  ( I tried to post a picture but I was having trouble so I will try and post the picture of us all dress up later)

I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that Thanksgiving is just a week away.  Jack will be off school next week and we are doing to driving up to Springfield to spend the holiday with my family.  I will post again when we get back and hopfully have some cute Turkey day pictures to share. 

Have a great week and a wonderful Thanksgiving!