Meeting Brian Wilson and We're Go for Township B-Ball

So I got to see Brian Wilson at the Keswick last night--AND I got to meet him. This is my fourth BW concert and IMO the best one yet. He dedicated his second set to playing That Lucky Old Sun in its entirety, and all I can say is wow.

This is really not the venue for BW, but I did meet him, and partly got to tell him what SMiLE meant to me, but the woman I had asked to take the picture started freaking out that she didn't know how to use my camera. SO I spent my Brian meet and greet time talking her off her ledge and then lamely apologizing to Brian and thanking him for his patience.

I'll upload the pic later.

But the meet up with the other fans beforehand was nice. I made and met a couple new friends, and my only regret was that Andy couldn't join me--he would have liked it.

Nic's b'ball coach just called and practices start next week. He has three friends on his team, which is good. I think this might be a good experience-I'm hopeful.

That had to hurt

So I get G's eval back from Kennedy-Kreiger. Footnotes version: he is in their autism sibling study, and this is his five year eval. The paperwork came back and: What a kick in the teeth. His IQ scores are low average (84) His fluid reasoning skills show borderline delay. His adaptive behavior composite was worse--communication domain puts him in the 8th percentile; daily living skills 5%, socialization, 8%; motor skills 1% (1%??? holy sh*t); adaptive behavior 3%

I know what I know about G, but ugh, this hurts.

Minor consolation, I missed his vocabulary and reading mastery sections. Full disclosure--he is not reading yet, but he's trying very hard to get the hang of it--I suspect dyslexia, actually--anyway, his picture vocabulary is at the 7 year 6 month level--oral vocabulary, grammatic understanding and sentence imitation are at 4 year 9 month levels. Relational vocabulary is under 3. Grammatic completion is at 3.

He's actually at K readiness for letter ID, word ID and word attack skills.

So it's not all horrible, but the IQ and daily living scores are depressing.

I have to finish up--have to get a draft out of here of my article because I have to leave here no later than 4:30 am for Pittsburgh...

Myriad of Goings On

Well, things roll on. Was officially kicked to the curb yesterday. Finished two BI assignments, now I need to do a draft of my Life Sciences article, then off to Pittsburgh for another training.

Feeling a bit dicombobulated. G had a rough night last night. I was in meetings most of today. Tomorrow, I'll be a cleaning, writing and organizing maniac, then out the door 4 am Friday for my flight....back at 10 pm. Or later.

Want to write a little about G's first day. I spent alot of that day with him in my lap, propped up against my knees. He looked at me with the sweetest little face (not much changed really from that first day, except now he is so much lighter). With his thick black hair, ruddy skin and cobalt eyes, he was my little (not so little, really, 22 11/2 inches and 10.1 lbs at birth) Tecumseh.

I remember thinking I didn't know him like I knew Nic. Nic was my 24 hour occupation for 9 months plus 3 years and eight months. So preoccuppied was I with son 1 that I felt like I needed to get up to speed with son 2.

I loved that little guy. I remember reading the nurse's logs (he spent most of his time with me, but because of some complications at birth, more doing with his size than anything) they wanted to observe him. Uniformly, every one agreed he was beautiful. And quiet. And alert.

And five years later, he is still these things. And much more.

Reflections

It started in the wee hours of the morning today. I woke up around 2:30 am when G decided to wander in like a little ghost and clamber into bed with me. For some reason I was knocked sideways in time and found myself in Robert Wood Johnson Hospital early one morning while the night nurse bought Nic in.

I couldn't bear to be apart from Nic when he was first born--when I spoke as I reached from him for the first time, the expression on his face as he opened his eyes and LOOKED at me with that unmistakable expression of recognition--that "Oh, it's YOU!" And knowing pretty much from that moment on that there was something exceptional about him, that would require all the stewardship capability in my arsenal to protect him...

But I'm getting away from that night in the hospital room. I reluctantly let Nic go because I was so sleep deprived and exhausted, and I passed out into a dreamless sleep. I stirred, thinking I should call the nurse to get Nic, but here was the nurse, wheeling Nic in, handing him to me while he rooted and called for me, his mouth a smudge in the near darkness.

I keep coming to that moment, like a tape loop, Nic in the air, perfectly swaddled, mouth open, coming into my arms, knowing that my life is forever changed, and moved to tears, without really knowing why.

linkorama

still waiting for this video to get posted, so I'll put the link here:

http://dvideography.com/client/VC2008/

Two Chores the Kids Like

We bought a new washer and dryer in August--our dryer died and the washer limped behind it. So, we (not wanting to make this purchase again any time soon) picked the front open model washer and the dryer to go with. The boys are like a pair of cats (my lion and kitten) sitting in front of the washer and watching it go.

I try to run it when they aren't around.

But Nic likes to load and empty both the washer and dryer, and he's gotten good at both. I'm learning to let him help when he insists on it. And it's good he's starting to insist.

The other thing is raking leaves--he actually came out and grabbed a broom out of my hands and started pushing them to the curb on Sunday. As soon as he got off the bus yesterday, he grabbed a rake and went to work.

Kind of cool.

Gabe and he got into a leaf fight, and they tried to engage the neighbor kids. Who were promptly ushered inside by mom, but who cares, their loss. It was really pretty cool to watch them running around together, laughing, having a good time.

The next two weeks are going to be crazy busy. Need to get to work.

Random Thoughts While I Bird-dog My Third Grader into Finishing Homework

Yay, he's almost done, and it's only taken an hour and change today. Ordinarily it can take anywhere from 30 to 120 minutes (most of those 120 minutes are spent whining that he can't do it and it's too hard--then he finishes in 10. But anyway.)

Still working through something that happened quite a while ago. Suffice it to say that what goes around, comes around. But I have to make my peace with the fact that I may never see it.

And that the damage done me that last go-round gives evil people the last laugh.

Is it coincidence my little one just climbed into my lap?

There are things he can't fix, but he tries his best to heal.

And she who resembles a witch has created a different sort of hell for herself. Ugliness goes to the bone.

Just desserts.