Is He Just Bad?

I don't like to introduce my child, either in person or in conversation, by stating he is autistic.  I feel that it is only one part of who he is and does not need to be mentioned any more than his obsession with Legos or trains need to be mentioned.  But just like Legos and trains, it does come up sometimes.  And when it does I have often been asked if I am sure he is autistic, could he just be bad.

This is where I take a deep breath and remind myself that I am a civilised human being.  In my mind the answer goes something like this:

I Blew His Mind Away

The other day my son was sitting at my desk, next to the kitchen, as I was preparing him a sandwich.  He began singing a song about the months of the year that I remember singing in Kindergarten so I joined him.  His little eyes lit up and we sang the rest of the song together.  When we were done he asked me how I knew the song and I told him that I used to sing it in Kindergarten too.

3 Years, 12 Months!

I know, it's been 18 days and no big birthday post.  It's just not happening this year, much less than last year.  It's just too hard this year, I cannot accept it.  From his fitting into 4T pants, to him insisting he is 5, to this sudden expanded vocabulary and expressiveness.  It's just too much.  I need my baby!!!!!!!  Or get knocked up again... but that's a post for some other place.

Anywho, here is the synopsis of the celebrations:

Missing Out

Every day I feel like I put down to bed one kid and get a whole different one the next day after work.  I'm missing out on so much and it makes me real angry.  Every day I'm told of the new things he says and does and tries and I don't get to experience them.  He is like a one hit wonder, he'll say something or do something once and then you won't hear or see it again for a long time.  And what's worse is that I can't even say it's all for a better future.  I'm at a crappy job earning less than most high school drop outs.

I look at this little person, A PERSON, and I don't recognise him.  I had a baby, I strapped in a baby into that car seat not too long ago.  Where did this little person come from?  Who is this?  I don't even recognise him anymore.  He does things and says things that are totally strange to me, completely unlike who I had with me before.  He is practically a stranger sometimes, at that really saddens me.

This really bites, and I am unhappy.

Potty Training - First Two Weeks In Review

Tomorrow (today, I guess, judging by the time) will be the first day of the third week of potty training.  While I have been making regular posts on how we are doing (click 'Potty Training' under labels to the right for the play-by-play), they have been focused on the details of actual potty training and not on how this is affecting us overall.

Painting Fun!

The latest creations from my little artiste!  Don't look too hard, it's abstract art :P

This started as the Island of Sodor.  The green is the island

and the blue is the water.

The Play Kitchen

I just spent about 30 minutes picking up various play kitchen accessories.  And while this is not the first time, and not going to be the last time, I find myself thinking about why I got him this kitchen and (the very few) critics of my decision.  As I pick up I do not mind one bit.  It's one of those things that was a great decision.  Now let me tell you why (because I need positives today) :-P.

While I don't want to raise my kid genderless, I do believe in not holding him to his perceived gender.  He does have the boy trains and trucks and dinosaurs but he also has the girl baby doll with bottle.  He talks about castles and is currently obsessed with the colour pink.  The kitchen seemed to me pretty gender neutral.  Go to any restaurant and you'll notice most of the cooks are male.  On TV most chefs are male.  And if cooking was really such a 'girl' thing then men living alone would starve.

His kitchen

Kids Say The Darnest Things!!! (Except My Own)

I need to start with a disclaimer: I am not judging the parenting of anyone.  The things I have observed are not 'bad' just interesting.

Of all my friends on facebook between 70%-75% of them are parents with kids of various ages with 60 of those having kids the same age as mine (give or take a month or so).  So I get to see a pretty good sample of what other kids the same age as my own are doing and, for the most part, they're doing the same things as mine.  One thing that is not the same is some of the things these kids say or talk about.