An exhausting New Years Eve lol

So tired today! Richy decided to sleep from 10pm til 2am and stay awake until almost 7:30am. we slept til about noon time. I'm not sure if we're going to make it til the ball drops! I just hope he becomes tired  tonight. 

Do you have a New Years Resolution? I think mine will be to start attempting to go to bed earlier. lol. 

Richy's been telling me to "shut up" often and I'm not liking it one bit. He's always polite with pleases and Thank You's but this has got to stop. I don't want him to go to school telling his teacher or anyone to "shut up" and I have been trying to teach him that.. those words are NOT okay. Does any of your  kids have gone through this stage? 

Hope everyone has a nice night tonight. I am signing off... One tired MAMA

Great IEP Meeting Yesterday with his Teacher and team

So yesterday, We had our bi-monthly meeting with his teacher and IEP Team and I must say, I am very happy with Richy's progress =) . I already knew he was doing well, especially a difference even at home.  He can now spell his name verbally (Richy) and it was so awesome when I heard him spell it. 

Me and his father took Richy with us to his meeting, and the teacher showed us how he can also read the word "run" ! and as he read the word "run" he began to run in place. I just sat there and smiled. 

Seeing Richy making progress along with behavior, is amazing. His speech and occupational therapist absolutly love having him in class with them. They said he is so full of energy and character and just always so happy lol. 

The one thing they are concerned about for him is his grunting/stimmulation because he does it to where its very harsh on his vocal chords, so we're working to gether to try and get him to ease on it and they recommend me taking him to his pediatrician or specialist to make sure no damage is being done as we try to get him to calm down with it. 

They say he does it out of sensory which is normal with Autism of course. We are very proud and happy parents =)

You have what it takes to sell Avon

You have what it takes to sell Avon: It's more than selling beauty. It's earning money by simply making connection and letting your personality shine. Learn more today.

He's starting to go to bed on his own! Some Updates too!

I just wanted to share, that 4 nights in a row, he has started to finally attend to his bed at night saying "night night?". Normally, I have to have him on the couch and watch tv until he falls asleep or even rock him sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I love helping him fall asleep but at 5 years old, He's starting to just get a bit to heavy. lol. 

Since it's been a bit about updating, Richy  has been doing farely well with many things.. He is overcoming the potty, even at school. He may not poop in it yet, but he will pee.. standing up! He is successfully able to go to school in big boy underwear now. He has his accidents here and there, but it's definitley not as bad as it has been, and we just do night time pull ups for the nights. 

Richy does still refuse to try to write on his own, Much of his work is hand on hand action. He really just doesn't like writing, but we're going to continue to keep helping him. The funny thing about this, Is he was on the "paint" program and actually drew the letter "C".  I actually emailed his teacher to tell her because I was so excited! 

One tired mama

So I know I haven't updated in a while.. it's just been so tiring! I love my son to death, but his sleeping patterns....blah!  for the past 2 weeks he's been waking up anywhere between 1:30am and 4am.. and he stays awake all day, goes to school ect. 

I wish I had his energy. School is going pretty good for him. There has  been only a few issues with him hitting but it has gotten better. We're going to be having a meeting soon to talk about how his progress is. I can't wait to see how he's doing and discuss anything needed with his teacher and IEP team. Right now it's 6:40am, hes been up since 4am. I am so exhausted. 

~One..tired...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

My Article about Toys AUcross America finally got published!

I am soo Happy today! I worked on an Article for Toys AUcross America to help get the word out about them and I finally got it published on Yahoo! Voices!  I am so happy I feel that I finally made a wonderful accomplishment emotionally and supportedly! 

http://voices.yahoo.com/toys-aucross-america-amazing-boy-aspergers-12272825.html?cat=72

Fundraiser for Toys AUcross America- Sending toys to Autistic Children All over the U.S!

Hello everyone ! I just started running a fundraiser for a wonderful cause called "Toys AUcross America" which you can find them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ToysAUcrossAmerica?ref=stream&hc_location=stream

This cause is... A wonderful dad and his eleven year old boy with Aspergers, have been sending out toy trains and cars to children with Autism all over the United States up on their request. 

I have been talking with the dad for quite some time now, and I really think what they are doing is amazing and beautiful, Giving kids big smiles on their faces and parents are so thankful. 

I am running a Fundraiser until 9/25 to help raise money to cover the costs of the shipping fee's since we know it can be quite expensive, and as much as he has been shipping them out, it truly adds up. 

So my Avon Online Fundraiser is http://trisharoberts.avonrepresentative.com/online_event/view.php?rep_spnsr_evnt_id=421394

I am willing to donate 25% of my own personal earnings to Toys AUcross America 

If you would like to help, Please make sure to use the Promotional code: AFTAUA so it may be linked with the fundraiser, and please share with family and friends! 

Thank You everyone for your loving support and if you have any questions, Please don't hesitate to ask away! Have a blessing day

Something about Stimming

Stimming... Something that majority of Autistic children do. There are different ways such as verbal stimming, physical stimming. What does your child do? 

Stimming is shown to be a way of a child to express their excitment over something. For an example: Hand flapping or clapping, making noises as they are getting happy with something. 

Sometimes it could be a child going in circles, jumping up and down.  My son does the hand gestures as well as the noise he makes, almost like a unique way of growling. Here is an example of a way my son stim's playing with the camera on a cell phone lol. At least I know he is happy! 

On that note... My son is done with Summer school! His last day is today which is wonderful. Can't believe he will be going to Kindergarden in Sept! But he does love school. 

Not to shabby of a day!

So today hasn't been bad at all. Richy had a great day at school and enjoyed some water playing! Each day is different, he has his good and bad days. Mostly good at least!

He was up at 5:30 this morning (I really need to start going to bed before 2am) and the morning was a little rough. Surprisingly even after school he wasn't acting out. Normally when he gets over tired.. his behavior changes. He can become..very resentful. 

Don't get me wrong, he had some moments, but nothing compared to other days we have had. He fell asleep tonight by 9pm. Earliest in a while! I just hope he doesn't wake up at 3am. 

What do you do to calm your Lo down around bed time? I normally shut Richy's Laptop off at 9pm unless he does it before me, and we lay on the couch and watch T.V until he falls asleep every night, it's a now routine for us both. 

A Special Post tonight

Good evening everyone!  Not to much has changed lately with Richy, He did have a mishap on the bus, hitting himself and trying to dig himself.. it is the first time he's ever done that, and I am hoping the last. 

Tonight, I really would like to share a special Facebook page with everyone. A wonderful dad of a 11 year old boy who has been sending out toy trains to all over America to Autistic Kids and it's really starting to become known and I absolutley think it is wonderful!   His boy has decided to donate his trains, and they have been mailing them together and it's just very touching. 

Please visit his Facebook page which is called "ToysAucrossAmerica" to learn more of how it became! 

Direct Link: https://www.facebook.com/ToysAUcrossAmerica?fref=ts

Bad on the school bus

So apparently today, I was getting Richy off the bus, and for the first time, they had  a lot of trouble with him. They said he wouldn't stop trying to dig himself in the face and eye, and he kept putting his fingers down his throat and hitting himself in the head. 

This is the first time he has ever done this on the bus. Nothing bad happend at school, so I am not sure what happen. =(  When we got home he has been acting normal, So maybe it's just a bad day on the bus or maybe he's just in his moods? I don't know. He hasn't tried making himself puke in a long long time, So i am not sure where it started today. =(   The bus's Aid had to sit next to Richy the whole time and hold his hands so he would stop. 

Thank goodness tomorrow's Friday and I hope it's a better day. 

Oh what a day!

It's been a tiring day. Richy was up by 3:45am!  Don't get me wrong, He was up and happy, but he just wouldn't go back to sleep and he ended up going to school and I had to keep him up until he passed out by 7:30pm. I am hoping he doesn't wake up so early and hoping he'll sleep through the night until at least 6am and i'll be happy.

Does your child/s have sleeping problems from time to time? I took him for a nice walk after school though, so I am hoping it helps him sleep better, I know for many kids, fresh air can really help them out. 

Oh what a day!

Today's been a bit of a long day. Richy decided to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, but on the good note, he fell back out around 6:30 and was able to sleep for an hour before school. 

His teacher said he was a little grouchy today, but not to to bad. He was good today after school, went to bed around 9:30, woke up around 10:30 crying and screaming for a half an hour. I think either 1...he had a nightmare, or 2... something was hurting, possibly gas. He hasn't done this in a long time. It's okay though, he's in my bed with me tonight. Hoping he will sleep better. Tomorrow's a new day! 

He loves his pillows lol

Good morning!

So this morning was a really good morning. Richy ate his breakfast very well before school, Sometimes he has days he doesn't eat much then he's starving by the time lunch time in school. 

While we were outside waiting for the bus, He got to smell flowers and watch a lady water her flowers, he got so excited over it. =) 

I am so happy he is participating in this summer school program. He is starting to realize each morning, that he is going to school, Absolutley loving the school bus. One thing I notice on how we communicate, he likes to talk sort of using himself as third person, For an example, He will say something like, "Richy going  school"?    Or  "Richy eat nummy"?   Does anyone elses children do that? 

3 words put together is the most he will use, otherwise a lot of his speech is 1 word at a time and most of the time people can't really understand him unless they really know him since he doesn't pronunciate very well. I think after school, Think I will take him swimming =) He loves to swim. He loves water, as long as you don't dump it on his head. 

Richy finally got his hair cut a couple days ago. Something I hate doing, but needs to be done. I believe due to his sensory, he absolutley HATES..his head touched, especially getting hair cuts. We can't really take him to a barber shop because he screams and cries and fights. Last time we have him a hair cut, it took about 4 hours and 3 people. This time it only took maybe an  hour to an hour and a half. We tried to do it as quick as we could. Thank god neighbors didn't think we were hurting him. lol. 

Sometimes in stressful situations, and as overwhelmed as any parent may become, Just have to try and think of being in your child's shoes and try to feel or think the way they do. That's what I do all the time with Richy, When I see him doing things that a lot of kids don't do, or see things he gets excited over that some kids wouldn't care so much for, I always try to think in his mind, why or how it's so exciting. As long as he is happy and healthy =) 

A little tired today but it's okay!

Richy decided to wake up around 6:30 this morning, and it's my fault for staying up late watching Nip/Tuck lol.  He hasn't been to bad today, Ate a good breakfast and I think I got him obsessed with Popcorn. (Always wants it)

We get to go shopping today to buy Water shoes for him for his summer school, They are doing a week when they will be playing in water lots which im very excited for him, he loves water.. for the most part. He does hate when you dump water on his head, but usually in time, he will get his head wet on his own.  I want to get his teacher a Thank You present at the end of this summer program because he won't have her following September. Any Ideas? 

I will put it is from the both of us, mainly Richy. She has been so great with him and he adores her. 

Besides buying water shoes, I'm not completely sure what we will do today, Looks like it's going to rain. It's Sunday so maybe a bummy day will be nice for the both of us. lol.

A little bit about myself

Well hello everyone! My name is Trisha. I am 26 years old from New York. I am a proud mother of my beautiful son Richard (4 yrs old) who was Diagnosed with Autism in December, 2012. 

I have had so many people ask me, Why I never got him diagnosed at an earlier stage. As much as I have read, many get tested at a younger age.  Richard is my one and only son, and as a first time mom, I have never seen anything that I never noticed or picked up on. You and I both know, Kids are pretty silly even as babies, So who would know? When my son was around 2, Is when I started noticing he has a speech delay. But I didn't think Autism, I thought just maybe he was a little behind. He's always done hand flapping since he was a baby, and I just thought it was really something some kids just do when they're so happy!. 

Every time I have ever questioned anything... I was always told "He's just a boy, He's just a child, He's just a kid" "He'll learn, they all learn at their own paste"  Richard is a very hyper but healthy and happy boy. I love him to death and nothing will ever change that. 

Maybe in the back of my mind, As long as he was Healthy and happy, I was happy. I decided to take him to the doctors when I have had more than 1 person ask me if he was Autistic, or what's wrong with him?.  It sort of started to get to me and then I started questioning my parenting wondering if I was just doing something wrong. So at the age of 4.. I took him, He was Diagnosed with Autism on December 11th, 2012. 

Did I cry? I did. Did I blame myself once in a while? I sure did. Have I ever looked at him completely differently? No I did not. He's Autistic, But he is still Richy to me and always will be. I see Autism, as something they are, something that's not a disease. He is in Pre-School now and receives great services. He has 5 days of Speech and 4 Days of Occupational Therapy. 

It's so important to stay positive, not only for your kid/s but for yourself too.  When I started doing my research on Autism, I told myself, This is my son, this is who he is, and it is my job as a parent, to help him progress, help him gain, and love him unconditionally. He may learn differently, but it is okay. He is Unique. He's my life. 

This blog I will be sharing any experience I personally have with my son in hoping to help anyone struggling, or just to relate to other's out there. Thank you for stopping in and reading, and I hope you stay with us to share our every day experience and journal posts of life every day. Stay blessed and Stay Positive.