tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43199878666484566832024-02-19T13:22:39.067+10:00Autism AffectsA Blog from a parent of an Autistic child.
The joyful ups, the disenheartening downs, and the days where it's just all too real.KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-13457773781482761462011-08-31T17:11:00.000+10:002012-11-15T17:11:57.579+10:00On Hold - we are growing upJust a 'last' post, for a while at least, Jono is getting older and we are finding our lives more enriched, less stressful and as a family we are coping better and better. The rollercoaster is still there, but less highs and lows. Thanks for reading, I may open for more chapters down the road, but for now at least.. it's time for a break. Love to all.KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-60280418591906214102011-08-21T17:59:00.003+10:002011-08-21T18:12:24.581+10:00Autism means Literally...I had forgotten how much Jonathan takes things literally, until recently.<br />
I had asked him to change the TV volume, to number 40.<br />
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He jumped up quickly to fix it for me, and accidentally overshot, he ended up at 44. I told him this was fine, but no he had to lower the volume back to the number I had asked for, because that was 'right'.<br />
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Mind you, this is also a good source of humour.<br />
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The other day there were many rainbows around, and Jonathan asked if he could go to the rainbow.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZIsIXoPNDFCy4m0vvyVdhG2VjqgQEkHrAaFGJZhXUedb4FVR6HeWlMKPJr40F2vToDeSiDP0gA3FUyqx5c-j1bkQpXS6_2Ch1CsRWW5eO9pczI7A2aqKiV4K7B7UNmfudBj-dBlf2j7h/s1600/exploding+rainbows.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZIsIXoPNDFCy4m0vvyVdhG2VjqgQEkHrAaFGJZhXUedb4FVR6HeWlMKPJr40F2vToDeSiDP0gA3FUyqx5c-j1bkQpXS6_2Ch1CsRWW5eO9pczI7A2aqKiV4K7B7UNmfudBj-dBlf2j7h/s320/exploding+rainbows.png" width="320" /></a></div>I offhandedly replied, no we can't go to a rainbow, our eyes would go on fire and our heads would explode.<br />
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I didn't think much of this, and said it in jest... he took it literally.<br />
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After 10 minutes of giggling at the image he had conjured in his head, he asked again, "Can I go rainbow?"<br />
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This time the rest of the family picked up the response and played with him.<br />
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3 days later we lost interest in the rainbow, but the whole family enjoyed having something to interact and verbally play with Jono together.<br />
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This has now expanded to other things, he asks a silly, but genuine question... we respond with complete silliness and he collapses in a pile of giggles. <br />
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KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-24159547693804107972011-08-12T19:24:00.000+10:002011-08-21T18:03:02.902+10:00What's this word say?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeITZNXIIfPx2_zegGy2BbG3IRsVZenMm37dqQBOG0iLplwqP-kVXcVA8D9f3giXRbFuJbA07qXnrYM6H1vzOHzCeqIzyqns1ZDvjr5PywNM4E7DfRSFXvQ_yD8qb32PSdXMvdWTY7bB6K/s1600/sky-tv-remote-l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeITZNXIIfPx2_zegGy2BbG3IRsVZenMm37dqQBOG0iLplwqP-kVXcVA8D9f3giXRbFuJbA07qXnrYM6H1vzOHzCeqIzyqns1ZDvjr5PywNM4E7DfRSFXvQ_yD8qb32PSdXMvdWTY7bB6K/s320/sky-tv-remote-l.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Jono has recently developed a great interest in words... again.<br />
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He doesn't want to read books - they belong on the bookshelf, but he does want to know what words are.<br />
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We recently got Sky TV which allows us to record shows, live pause, rewind and so on. Jono figured this all out very quickly, and takes care of the controller for us all. <br />
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When there are ads on TV he constantly pauses it (as this is where the most words are) and asks... in a loud voice... "MUM... WHAT'S THIS SAY?"... I check the TV, read him the words, and then he lets the ad move forward... as soon as there are more words, he pauses again, and loudly requires my attention again.<br />
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Some of the words he knows himself and will tell them to me, he is growing agin in his learning and I am proud of him and his progress.<br />
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<br />
Gone are the days of wondering if he will speak, now we are simply wondering if he will start reading books happily without tearing them up :)<br />
<br />
KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-58659737447507199162011-06-27T19:04:00.000+10:002011-06-27T19:04:10.315+10:00Clouds in New Zealand!We are getting into winter, and the foggy misty mornings are now commonplace here in Auckland.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkXJapDlEjRb-NnEWx29pqyyq9vjmpwDQ1NXNe2O6JTZWDBa8d7G58Dwfbmr3NBVW_jwUvQ7LZbmx5jVM4MLp10Y5CvZtoAjyEXRV7j-msqiS1KqCvKy90ZINoQG1DLXaBNeCmNpcYWt7/s1600/IMG_5013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPkXJapDlEjRb-NnEWx29pqyyq9vjmpwDQ1NXNe2O6JTZWDBa8d7G58Dwfbmr3NBVW_jwUvQ7LZbmx5jVM4MLp10Y5CvZtoAjyEXRV7j-msqiS1KqCvKy90ZINoQG1DLXaBNeCmNpcYWt7/s400/IMG_5013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Jono, is all his wisdom and expanse of the english language calls it clouds. Whenever it's a foggy morning and we are heading to school, he says "Mum Look! The clouds on the ground!"<br />
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I think it's lovely, he is finding his way to explain things in a fashion that we understand.<br />
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More recently, we had some Subway for dinner. I got a salad bowl, with hot teriyaki chicken. The top of the salad bowl has a clear lid, and once closed the steam from the hot chicken gathered very quickly at the top. <br />
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Jono pipes up from the back ground. "Mum look, clouds your dinner!'<br />
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So cute!!KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-39127611871594316882011-06-02T18:20:00.000+10:002011-06-02T18:20:14.472+10:00Mobile Phones Cause Cancer...and Vaccines Inflame AutismOk... here we go, down the path of things I have choose to not take too much notice of because of the way people discuss it.<br />
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This week the World Health Organistion has admitted that phones cause cancer. Excessive use, of course, and they don't understand how it happens... but it's finally been admitted.<br />
<br />
Last week I saw a video and chatted with Laura Colby <a class="tweet-user-block-screen-name user-profile-link" data-user-id="13235072" href="http://twitter.com/#%21/AutismSolutions" title="Laura Corby">@AutismSolutions</a> on Twitter about the link between Vaccines and Autism.<br />
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I have somewhat refused to chat or research much about it as I know for a fact there is the genetic tendency for Autism within my family as there are many members through many generations who exhibit this.<br />
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But... I have never heard a doctor say that the brain of Autistic people can have Neural Inflammation caused by the ingredients in a vaccine.. or that we should test people for allergic reactions to the chemicals of the vaccines rather than blindly give them to everyone. Until this video.<br />
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See from around 2 minutes 30 seconds if you don't want to watch it all.<br />
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Finally the medical community is speaking out.<br />
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Did the vaccine cause my sons Autism, I still say no... but did it inflame the situation?... Well, that's a whole other question, which may never be answered in my lifetime.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Au4H24JwdUs?rel=0" width="425"></iframe>KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-23690151959484230412011-05-26T19:07:00.000+10:002011-05-26T19:07:50.242+10:00Cupcakes!!CUPCAKKKEEESSS!!!!!<br />
Made by Jono.<br />
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I managed to get one to eat ;)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zQYNfRpW7vZxLM5eQwTlH8MLo73Yna_bjYnDzZS0buamcAVv92S9qRkEAwtda-yvyHshJh0HsEMUKIBNObCCLWgPyAARNSn3gnNZYo8mf6h0u7OepAFSUGfj4-aH68zmjnUkHlBbIGos/s1600/IMG_1090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_zQYNfRpW7vZxLM5eQwTlH8MLo73Yna_bjYnDzZS0buamcAVv92S9qRkEAwtda-yvyHshJh0HsEMUKIBNObCCLWgPyAARNSn3gnNZYo8mf6h0u7OepAFSUGfj4-aH68zmjnUkHlBbIGos/s400/IMG_1090.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-38873355916942610782011-05-18T20:03:00.001+10:002011-05-18T20:07:17.236+10:00Can I Cuddle a Koala?The other day after school, Jono hops in the car and says to me almost immediately.<br />
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"Mum, can I cuddle a Koala?"<br />
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I thought that school may have been learning about Australia, or watching a video, or talking about going to the zoo... or something.<br />
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So I repeated it back to him to make sure I had heard him right, then asked him "Where is the koala? Is it in a Zoo?"<br />
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"No Mum"<br />
<br />
"Is it in Australia?"<br />
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Slight exasperation "No Mum"<br />
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"Where is it then?"<br />
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Shoving it into my face to be sure I could see it " This one!"<br />
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After that he attached it to his school bag and it has stayed there ever since.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Q23uHacPSTVd15Zwwrxp1Dv5p0kP4Od-qjFAC9s1PjM6gNDdGaWe0XGA2yq0xM3KNx7PN6NupRIdRaXvrohCvTtR0IOVORKuP7SRsdCdEIU0xZPIPcY6a-KY9Z-U15p4i-uhNv7hDb4o/s1600/IMG_1087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Q23uHacPSTVd15Zwwrxp1Dv5p0kP4Od-qjFAC9s1PjM6gNDdGaWe0XGA2yq0xM3KNx7PN6NupRIdRaXvrohCvTtR0IOVORKuP7SRsdCdEIU0xZPIPcY6a-KY9Z-U15p4i-uhNv7hDb4o/s400/IMG_1087.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-27754997678270271402011-05-07T15:45:00.000+10:002011-05-18T20:12:06.501+10:00You NEED spices when cooking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4VXgIdcB-avUAkvefCmOH5ZYIZ9Tf0jSS5hSC1H1f1fuoNVIk6-LStH9rv8IDWC-6ruRDamvjJbVHwqBPv6mdIuDk5VuosY2fB_AXIoEbeLOWr07ST_93i7GNd4gJ82Ascx7UhKPcNP6/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-05-17+at+5.43.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4VXgIdcB-avUAkvefCmOH5ZYIZ9Tf0jSS5hSC1H1f1fuoNVIk6-LStH9rv8IDWC-6ruRDamvjJbVHwqBPv6mdIuDk5VuosY2fB_AXIoEbeLOWr07ST_93i7GNd4gJ82Ascx7UhKPcNP6/s320/Screen+shot+2011-05-17+at+5.43.52+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>Like... <i><b>NNNEEEEEDD!!</b></i> <br />
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Jono enjoys helping me cook, sometimes he listens to what I am saying and does what I asked and we have a lovely flavourful meal.<br />
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Often he will go and add spices when I am not looking - I may simply have my back turned for a moment, or be washing up, or talking to one of the other kids, but I have learned to only have a few spices out at a time, for a very short time - and then QUICKLY put them away!!<br />
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The other day I was cooking a chicken dish, frying it up int he pan, with onion, curry powder and some other spices in olive oil. I turned my back, and found my container of Curry powder was empty... and <u><i>all</i></u> in the pan!<br />
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I managed to drag out a lot of the excess, and ended up actually giving the chicken a light wash through in a strainer. It was still very tasty, and only slightly spicy.<br />
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One day, we will learn how to measure and taste while cooking ;)KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-89186733103895674192011-04-15T20:07:00.001+10:002011-04-15T20:07:53.859+10:00I Made It!Today was the last day of school before we start the Easter holidays, Jono had a half day and Rob and I had a chance to go together to pick him up.<br />
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As soon as he got in the car he had one of his pieces of art he had done at school, and... he wanted to tell us about it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMd-8BbIFRDNb5qnxO1_bunRYovX8CIyrzxhmfLrhQ542jvFN5zpRIDuusaQAowO4-k7OTGoeJUUXk-PYYfSiYzrSFQzNWe3JDfSeVBi1t2Ja3x53mmIT8Pc5RoIFULfLkP3QXhi_QO3wv/s1600/IMG_1064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMd-8BbIFRDNb5qnxO1_bunRYovX8CIyrzxhmfLrhQ542jvFN5zpRIDuusaQAowO4-k7OTGoeJUUXk-PYYfSiYzrSFQzNWe3JDfSeVBi1t2Ja3x53mmIT8Pc5RoIFULfLkP3QXhi_QO3wv/s320/IMG_1064.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The convo went along these lines.<br />
Me: Jono, what's this?<br />
Jono: I made it!<br />
Me; What's this one<br />
Jono: a Flower... on a Easter egg<br />
Me: And what about this?<br />
Jono: A chick!<br />
Dad: Is it a dog?<br />
Jono: (grin in voice) No Dad.<br />
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Too cute!!KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-62443927164016997302011-04-07T14:26:00.001+10:002011-04-13T17:13:53.592+10:00What is this Daylight Savings?Since daylight savings has finished here in New Zealand, we have noticed some distinct advantages, and some disadvantages.<br />
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The sun is now actually up in the mornings, instead of waking up to pitch black, which is a real plus, there is also some fantastic opportunities for moonlight photos... :) <br />
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However, Jono has no idea that the time has changed... and as such, his body clock also hasn't changed.<br />
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Let's go through a typical morning.<br />
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6:30am - Alarm goes off<br />
6:31am - Hit snooze<br />
6:32am - Start dozing.<br />
6:34am - Jono throws our bedroom door open, races in and deposits an animal on our bed.<br />
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If it's the dog, she races for our faces wagging her tail madly, while Jono pronounces "She so wiggalish!"<br />
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If it's a cat, they still come for the face demanding that we pat them / rescue them from the mad child that dragged them into the room.<br />
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After fending off whatever animal has arrived, and gaining full consciousness in moments, Jono then asks loudly "Mum, can I watch TV?"<br />
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Now, we don't watch TV on a school day, so he is happy with that answer, but the whole sleep in opportunity has been destroyed... and he does this on a weekend as well!!!<br />
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I hope his body clock catches up to things soon, especially as we are about to be on holidays and a sleep in past 6:34am would be wonderful!KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-43952375302506742462011-03-22T14:40:00.000+10:002011-04-13T14:40:51.654+10:00RegressionBacktracking a little here.<br />
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One of the major considerations with moving to another country was whether Jono would regress at all.<br />
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We decided that if we returned to Australia after 18 months, and he is the same as what he is now, that it was a risk we were willing to take, to give all the family the opportunity to live in another country.<br />
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For the first 4-5 months everyone settled in very nicely, and we established routines that worked, as well as having the chance to go exploring around a bit of the country.<br />
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We thought he was coping very well and we wouldn't have problems, he grew a little but no regression.<br />
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Then we hit a bumpy 2 weeks, reflecting now it wasn't an issue, but at the time we were fairly concerned. <br />
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He started to talk less, interact less, obey less, have less interest in us as a family and communicate a lot less overall. We spoke with the school if they noticed anything, but he was still too new for them to know him that well, and they had only noticed a few minor things.<br />
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Mind you, it took us around a week and a half to notice it ourselves, and once we started talking to the school and got some interaction going, he pretty much 'snapped' out of it. He started growing again, interacting again, and even talking more than before.<br />
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Perhaps it was 1 step back for 2 steps forward? Perhaps he just needed a break? Perhaps the impact of the life change had finally hit?<br />
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We really have no clue, but the fears of regression are now gone, even if (when) he does regress, he has shown us that he comes back stronger, and that a good thing for us to take note of for our own lives :)KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-81984845708062083712011-03-12T19:08:00.000+10:002011-03-17T19:09:23.858+10:00Sentence StructureJono is coming into his own with language at the moment, we are getting less babble and more real words. He is even thinking about his words, and the way they fit together to make sure they sound right.<br />
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A few weeks back, Rob was with Jono in the car heading towards home. There is a large amount of roadworks near our place as they are building a new motorway. As they got the that stretch of road jono turned to Rob and said "They...<insert for="" pause="" thinking="" time="">... they fixing the road". Rob turned around and said "yes Jono, they are fixing the road"<br />
</insert><br />
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When Rob was explaining it to me, he added "I was so excited, I wanted to talk with Jono about it for hours."<br />
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It's amazing what an impact simple things can have on those around us :)KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-36765569078648125402011-02-16T18:09:00.003+10:002011-02-16T18:11:31.183+10:00We hate PlanesOr so we thought...<br />
<br />
so here we go, the story about the planes. Before moving to NZ, we decided it would be a good idea for me to at least come to the country once and see the land, the housing, the schooling, check out the teachers, and the special needs system. I'd spent 2 months researching on line, but it was time for some eyes on the ground.<br />
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In order to make the special needs case more evident, I was to take Jono with me. Rob was already in the country on business, I had arranged babysitting for the other two, and Jono and I were packed and ready.<br />
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We arrived at the airport, parked the car and checked in. We went through customs, got something to eat and went to the gate our plane was at. Jono was comfortable, relaxed and happy. We had been talking for weeks at home and at school with social stories, videos and pictures about going on the plane - and every time he said "I don't want to" We thought that he would be fine once he got on the plane, but we didn't realise just how much he really didn't want to get on it.<br />
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We walked down the airbridge, and turned the corner to the final section to walk onto the plane - around 20m worth... and it was enclosed with glass. The moment he saw the plane through the glass it was over.<br />
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He started to stress and panic, and stopped walking saying 'I don't want to'. He lost it, I lost it, I attempted to forcibly carry him on board, and it was unbelieveably overwhelming. I had every member of staff from the plane bring out everything they could to attempt to coax him on board and it was just not going to happen. I even rang Rob who was in NZ in a meeting and asked him to help talk Jono onto the plane.<br />
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20 minutes later - defeated, bawling, screaming, saying it wasn't fair (and that was just me) they unboarded our luggage and we exited the walkway. I took some time to calm down and assess the situation. Then started the phone calls - Grandma to babysit Jono, new ticket to get to Auckland, refund on unused tickets, madly drive home, re-pack, get Jono settled and get back to the airport in 4 hours for my next flight.<br />
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I arrived at 11:30 at night to a husband with flowers and a balloon. the next four days were intensely busy and we decided we would move countries.<br />
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The next trip across was the actual move, and we decided to take no chances with Jono and actually gave him some drugs to knock him out before getting on the plane, and board him on a wheelchair so he would not notice as much. The moment of the deep snores from his mouth 5 minutes before taking off was pure bliss for Rob and I. We got him on board, and then he woke up, after only 20 minutes of sleep, but he coped, and we all made it together.<br />
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The next flight was back to Australia for Christmas - again he didn't want to go on a plane, but we realised it wasn't the plane so much, it was being all together as a family that mattered - which compounded the problems for the first flight. We got some very light herbal lollies to help him relax, and that was all he needed.<br />
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The next flight, was heading back to NZ after the holiday, and he was happy - no herbal lollies, no drugs, and none of the I don't want a plane, just I'm going home to New Zealand, and I'm with my family.<br />
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We get him the wheelchair for each trip - as it anchors him, and is familiar now, but amazingly, he wasn't worried about the plane, just where his family was, and where his home was.<br />
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Now... if only he could have told us that in the beginning ;)KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-83225304517902933782011-01-28T15:59:00.002+10:002011-02-19T18:53:20.800+10:00We love BabiesWe especially love to wake up babies, by singing to them... this does not please their parents.<br />
<br />
I have no clue where this comes from, but Jono is currently FASCINATED by babies. The time it takes to go shopping is currently completely dependent on how many prams and babies we see along the way.<br />
<br />
I'll give you a typical scenario.<br />
- Jono sees a pram, with a cover over the top and 'must' see what is inside.<br />
- He sprints off at a mad rate of knots and lifts the cover to see the baby<br />
- If there is no baby, he looks around for the baby, or returns to us<br />
- If there is a baby, he opens his mouth and starts going "La, la, la, la, la ,la, la" in a scale, loudly, and repeats it as many times as possible until he gets in trouble.<br />
- Rob or I come up to the group and apologise, explain he loves babies and tell him it's not ok and we walk off.<br />
<br />
Most times, the parents are ok, sometimes they are not. Once... so far, a parent has pushed Jono away with exasperation.<br />
<br />
The one time where the mother pushed him, he was coming up to the baby for the second time, and she was overtired with her new born. She gave Jono a shove with a loud "Excuse Me" (which he now repeats when we are at the shops).<br />
<br />
I didn't see her push him, as I was putting our groceries on the checkout and went to explain he is Autistic and just loves babies and I apologized. Around 5 minutes after that she was at the checkout with some lollies and apologizing herself, saying she had looked after an Autistic child in the past and should have realized.<br />
<br />
The best outcome we have had so far though, we were at the local swimming pool and he went to a ladies baby 3 or 4 times. I managed to catch him each time but the mother looked a but distressed. Finally he got to see the baby and started singing, but this time it was a different song. "Mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble, mumble do, I looove You", and he repeated it 4 times, because that is how he has heard the song sung.<br />
<br />
I've attached a youtube of the song, coz I cannot get across what he was trying to do in text, and it was pretty much this loud and sung with the same gusto :)<br />
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHm_icqR4GY<br />
<br />
Ahhh babiesKarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-64987679331910372702011-01-18T18:08:00.000+10:002011-01-18T18:08:08.800+10:00So we moved country...Six months ago, we moved to New Zealand from Australia, and have settled very well into life in Auckland. There is an long back story involving research, schooling, housing and much much more... this I will be touching on in later stages.<br />
<br />
It's been an amazingly busy time, with many ups and downs... especially with plane travel. I started another blog with information about what we have been discovering here as a family in New Zealand at http://discoveringnz.blogspot.com.<br />
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I have reached a stage where I will be updating more here again, as there is a heck of a lot to share, and I honestly have been way to busy to put any of it here on this blog. I hope everyone is well and have had a great Christmas, and New year, post some more soon :)KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-26261726446639233232010-05-04T21:06:00.002+10:002010-05-04T21:09:44.103+10:00We are still aliveHello folks, I haven't updated in a long long while, we have been travelling well, and involved in many numerous activities, from jet-skiing to going camping overnight and toasting marshmellows on sticks, we've almost bought a house in another suburb, then changed our minds and decided we will move countries instead. We are madly renovating to get our house on the market, and have loved having a swimming pool for last summer. We are all well, and jono is going beautifully at school.<br />I'm not sure when I will next write some, but wanted to let people know we haven't dropped off the face of the earth completely... just been very busy and loving life.<br /><3KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-79310422229885394332009-09-15T19:11:00.005+10:002009-09-15T20:17:11.028+10:00Where's Tv Mum?Yet another TV Episode, it's part of the furniture, it's 'meant' to be on the cabinet, when you get home form school, you turn it on... then go outside and play... but it's still meant to be there, and if anyone tries to turn it off... well.. then you complain, loudly!<br /><br />Actually, there's two recent TV tales to tell.<br /><br />Firstly, with the recent renovations, we have had quite a few power tools and such around the house. We've been laying pavers with much much help from some friends, and one particular weekend was at the stage of cutting the pavers to fit in the little odd sections. The tool we were using was a wet-saw, which had a hose attached at one side and then power one the other side. We had attached a plastic bag over the power cable to protect it form water getting in, but... it wasn't completely water-tight.<br /><br />After around an hour or so, the power to the entire living area of the house failed.<br /><br />Jono knew what needed doing, so he grabbed my hand, lead me out to the power box outside and told me to fix the switch (yes, he has seen this before... but only the once or twice) I flicked the switch, and the TV started back up... he was fairly distressed at this stage, but once the power kicked back in he started to settle. Unfortunately... the TV didn't stay on (neither did anything else).<br /><br />More tears, and grabbing my hand telling me to fix it... I went back to the swicth, tried again... and the same problem. Ok... so I start pulling devices out of the power to try and stabilise the circuit, unplugged the microwave, the kettle, the computer, the amplifier... none of which was helping at all. Then we realized.. the wet-saw! We went out and unplugged that, and a whole heap of water came out of the cable - luckily we had the safety switch built in.<br /><br />So we turned it all back on and plugged it all back in, and showed Jono that it was now working, in response to which he held on to the top of the TV, gave it a hug and collapsed in a pile of tears - oh the drama and terror was over!<br /><br />The second tale... again a problem with the TV. Daddy had taken the TV for a work conference, to use for displaying computer software on a large screen. He left the house before Jono was awake, so Jono didn't see it leave, however, when he got up he noticed. After he woke he came downstairs to get ready for school and saw it was missing. He said 'where's TV mum?' and I couldn't explain that it was gone for one day and coming back.. so I said it was missing. His solution? 'RT Edwards Mum!'... Yes honey, we can go get a new TV from RT Edwards.. but we have to wait until Daddy gets home tonight. This was acceptable and we got ready for school.<br /><br />When we got home in the afternoon, he went to turn the TV on before he headed outside to play, forgetting what we sorted out in the morning, and no matter what I said, he just got upset, more and more upset. So we rang Daddy, we told Daddy 'TV Gone, RT Edwards', and Daddy talked with Jono until he calmed down. After that he was all happy, and when Daddy got home that night with the TV, life was all good again.<br /><br />Habits, Routine, things have a place to be, and when they aren't there it just doesn't always make sense.KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-37983117034907435162009-08-22T10:16:00.001+10:002009-08-22T10:16:29.105+10:00Simpsons... on... Mummy?I haven't been aware just how much Jono really is aware of routine, if we go for a drive he's pretty relaxed, doesn't need to know where we are going. We don't have a regular day for shopping, we don't have regular after school activities, we mostly let things flow on the weekends and he's ok with it.<br />This week, not so.<br />Generally we have channel 10 on in the evenings, and he has recently let us know that simpsons is on at 6:00pm, he points to the clock and says the time, and settles in to watch out of one eye while playing on the computer. <br />This week Sarah has had an ear infection and wasn't allowed to swim, so she's been watching some other shows in the afternoon while the boys have been in the pool.<br /><br />One afternoon she watched her show right past simpsons time and Jono wasn't watching the time. At 6:30, when Sarahs show finished, he came to me with the tv controller and asked 'Simpsons... On... Mummy?'<br /> <br />I looked him in the eyes and said ' no honey, it's too late, simpsons is finished' <br />At first he didn't seem to understand what I was saying... Then it started to dawn on him. I could see his face as recognition happened, his eyes went downcast, his mouth fell open and his face fell through the floor.<br /><br />We spent the next 30 minutes to an hour in tears of dissapointment and frustration. I asked him if he wanted me to get simpsons from the video store (as if we need any more in our lives) but that didn't make sense. <br />He paced the back yard, yelled at the dogs, cried and eventually settled. Then he spent the rest of the night saying 'Simpsons on tomorrow'<br /> <br />Poor boy, routine... In tv at least, obviously matters to him. The next night there was a double simpsons episode, and life was good again. KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-84206320798812724662009-08-13T15:21:00.005+10:002009-08-13T15:31:34.967+10:00When I grow up....Jono has been doing a great amount of drawing at night-time again. We leave him in his room at bed time, but are ok for him to wander around a bit and 'do' stuff, he often doesn't settle down for sleep until around 10:00pm or so, but he generally stays happy in his room, prancing, drawing building blocks and the occasional 'yelp' of joy.<br /><br />So, lately he's been drawing a range of things that 'could' be what he wants to do with his life. over a few nights in succession.<br /><br />He Loooooves cooking, and cooking shows, and the recent Masterchef series has been on a bit at home and he's seen a few shows. around 2-3 nights after the show finished he drew a picture from it... it took a few days to realise what he had drawn, but I asked him a lot of thinhs, finally coming to 'is it clothes?' and got an ecsatic yes. He drew the masterchef apron, with the symbol, and with someone's name on it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3_VAkkqew2PjLlkIjNis8BCeaUDswXzKqYhZZdBtErQREhcQ400KSyrDM_H_ttvbXAwGUuoHznRaGk4A-9XosWcgBlovodntjIE1N6MDlf4k8XYNuWiI7jvzj-sGBVotZ9bLp4iiWA7t/s1600-h/SANY0399.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf3_VAkkqew2PjLlkIjNis8BCeaUDswXzKqYhZZdBtErQREhcQ400KSyrDM_H_ttvbXAwGUuoHznRaGk4A-9XosWcgBlovodntjIE1N6MDlf4k8XYNuWiI7jvzj-sGBVotZ9bLp4iiWA7t/s320/SANY0399.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369315453076690738" border="0" /></a><br />The next night, he drew this...<br />His fascination with space continues, will he perhaps help building a new colony on another planet? Or maybe this is evidence of aliens building pyramids?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonYDRofCu5J40osw9xlk3vsJIZGlBTmyZ2NeigTeTFhUDbngMicShSKzq60PDVNz5m2VCON1MNier8Bl_hm-7xiMQ1o9dWDN-8oIluHRutZryACiHi3A0c2YTK3LfM7ypfJza6PgJTsWG/s1600-h/SANY0408.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonYDRofCu5J40osw9xlk3vsJIZGlBTmyZ2NeigTeTFhUDbngMicShSKzq60PDVNz5m2VCON1MNier8Bl_hm-7xiMQ1o9dWDN-8oIluHRutZryACiHi3A0c2YTK3LfM7ypfJza6PgJTsWG/s320/SANY0408.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369315810042378818" border="0" /></a>then the next night, he drew this... perhaps he simply wants to be a weatherman.<br />It's not raining at the top, but yes it's sunny in the middle, and it will be raining down south.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6QXkECDNXnY_fVff-8Wkz6y-ERJ3yzlbaNePzxzXze-rVIkDcsnRpwNBeSsJVX3QTIuUyIX18SOLJHPfD-2Fu2EZ2uaXhrhhclgVUxdoRZXqlOzWjNKAkjMj1fU_GjSC1ZwWSeQF0IzvG/s1600-h/SANY0398.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6QXkECDNXnY_fVff-8Wkz6y-ERJ3yzlbaNePzxzXze-rVIkDcsnRpwNBeSsJVX3QTIuUyIX18SOLJHPfD-2Fu2EZ2uaXhrhhclgVUxdoRZXqlOzWjNKAkjMj1fU_GjSC1ZwWSeQF0IzvG/s320/SANY0398.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369316185156235618" border="0" /></a><br />It's interesting to see all this coming out of his head in a way that makes sense to us as well as to him.KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-37666683081688434872009-07-03T17:00:00.004+10:002009-07-03T17:50:42.096+10:00Clothes OptionalWe've been getting on with the pool and it's really looking great, so pleased we are making it happen, and the kids are completely loving it... especially water / tactile boy who is constantly 'going swimming'.<br /><br />So far, the concrete shell got made, and then we had a week of rain, so we've had a decent 'puddle' in the bottom of the pool for the kids to splash around in. As it's school holidays I bought a remote controlled tank that transformed into a boat of sorts, and can also spurt water at people (I pity the dogs).<br /><br />I thought the boat thing would help the kids to play 'with' the water without getting 'in' the water... I was wrong.<br /><br />Jono would go outside each morning, undo the temporary pool fencing, clamber on down into the pool and sit on the bottom dangling his legs in the puddle. Then he would through rocks and dirt and leaves and sticks in... then he started to take his clothes off.<br /><br />One afternoon, we'd had workmen during the day fixing the pump and the pipes, they'd packed up and left for the day, or so I thought. I was in the kitchen fixing some food and from the corner of my eye I saw what looked like paper being thrown out of the pool, as I watched another piece got thrown. Being fairly sure the workmen had left I went out to check. The items I thought were paper were actually Jono's shirt and shorts, and he was knee deep in the pool. In the middle of Winter!<br /><br />5 minutes later, his little sister throws abandon, caution and warmth to the wind and is in the water with him. I gave them both a few minutes, then dragged them into a warm shower to add some colour back into their cheeks.<br /><br />Since then, he's been doing the same thing most days. I get the feeling he'll be the same when we actually fill the pool. Water babies!KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-69915123577279342762009-06-12T11:35:00.015+10:002009-06-12T12:21:04.990+10:00Mum, Look et dis!We,ve been doing some rather major renovations of our house lately.. specifically building a pool in the backyard. I honestly didn't realize just how much mess and dirt and mud there was going to be. We've asked them to do some extra landscaping work while the excavator has been on site so I feel that every single part of the house has been trashed. <span style="font-style: italic;">*hums to self.. it's only temporary*</span><br /><br />Co-incidentally Jono has been getting us a lot more involved in his world lately, he will call out for someone to look 'et dis' (at this) and point, sometimes we have no clue what he is looking at sometimes we can guess it, occasionally he will give a description, which often goes along the lines of 'mumble, jumble, gargle, wargle, TRUCK'. ahh... he saw a truck. Then we can ask questions like: What colour was it Jono? and he will answer, it's a white one.<br /><br />We are up to 4-5 word sentences that are impromptu, structured by him and make sense. It's wonderful! So... back to the pool. This next part I'll be doing in pictures, as I simply cannot describe this.<br /><br />Firstly, our yard kinda 'before' we started all this.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKUsyR4gj9_-JGrcpPM6xC26qWJgs4V64qe8F2S5bZR9YCfn9ggs7-4T4mXYIyqTTkQNo7OYjz-cF9gX4t0foHcSqKbW_xAwleP7p7t0gPH_py5pF5nYtJ2S0pIS1l1b1txVNjYggeGK6/s1600-h/SANY0094.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKUsyR4gj9_-JGrcpPM6xC26qWJgs4V64qe8F2S5bZR9YCfn9ggs7-4T4mXYIyqTTkQNo7OYjz-cF9gX4t0foHcSqKbW_xAwleP7p7t0gPH_py5pF5nYtJ2S0pIS1l1b1txVNjYggeGK6/s320/SANY0094.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346251441733044738" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Next, our yard part way through the leveling of the land.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUrZj0saumBTLeUHSu7eB21t_2kANDTXtDS53_mlPDvjFQpA17N4CYdFI_0GiJAKXOVahrnc9eYa8XQMchg34dprhphrY273kryDaU8MMWyNPIcH19z6YwMRFnVzxcfV3mlATQqfxS5CA/s1600-h/SANY0170.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUrZj0saumBTLeUHSu7eB21t_2kANDTXtDS53_mlPDvjFQpA17N4CYdFI_0GiJAKXOVahrnc9eYa8XQMchg34dprhphrY273kryDaU8MMWyNPIcH19z6YwMRFnVzxcfV3mlATQqfxS5CA/s320/SANY0170.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346251781384924802" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And... here's a mud puddle that grew in the corner.... Yes, that 'is' Jono walking near it to go to the swingset on the top terrace... no he didn't fall in it, on this day. However...<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7PyPozv5j34bJ-FlUkkHqUswqf3yo_pgXwHykbf5TdJWWX0Y8x3O1ZCABR2sYzVQPI1cN5RgeWEDtcW86KtbD_MGenduzfLpSg8qlAgdU_uc1pme-Fygsq0NB-Eaczm7vCJGoXGWoC3t/s1600-h/SANY0019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7PyPozv5j34bJ-FlUkkHqUswqf3yo_pgXwHykbf5TdJWWX0Y8x3O1ZCABR2sYzVQPI1cN5RgeWEDtcW86KtbD_MGenduzfLpSg8qlAgdU_uc1pme-Fygsq0NB-Eaczm7vCJGoXGWoC3t/s320/SANY0019.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346252377457105970" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />One of the morning we were madly running to get out the door to school, all the kids were dressed, and I was getting the last things into their school bags so we could get out the door. Jono was in the backyard on the swing (which he loves) and I thought he would have no problems staying clean.<br /><br />I told the kids, 2 minutes and we are leaving.. and the next thing I hear is a little voice at the back door "Mum, Look et dis" I can hear a grin in the voice so I go to check it out. I wasn't prepared. He had slipped and fallen in to the mud puddle, and was thrilled!! At first I raced him to the shower, then I stopped grabbed the camera and took photos with him laughing the whole time.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiui5wTNelQ9Oj5Yxg2gHLvIqoqn9s_mNPDpMaXTllbwYXdozDcVHtykY1wu1lSR7FM5ueAopbhSTD1zx5klnKfZ_aDcYPbc5MOs-nPvpoJPowMv_ckuaxyv8tk9PtU0mfQEvvr10gPhBT/s1600-h/SANY0010.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiui5wTNelQ9Oj5Yxg2gHLvIqoqn9s_mNPDpMaXTllbwYXdozDcVHtykY1wu1lSR7FM5ueAopbhSTD1zx5klnKfZ_aDcYPbc5MOs-nPvpoJPowMv_ckuaxyv8tk9PtU0mfQEvvr10gPhBT/s320/SANY0010.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346254514011298834" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I marched him back outside quickly for a few more photos. So I didn't have even more mud through the house. Daniel grabbed my phone and took some photos on there as well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiCrFuFGURQo2DoSGbniXJ5e4fJIe0Jm2infs-b-Wh-1e1c-LMd8sfja6iMGuxMWoksRsiPE6yp2cSoBodz97N6eFEeMw_bJ7w8Rhf79-Zuz-HIrLQHbHuG10eJ9C9oKbiQ2JEY3lvy0v/s1600-h/SANY0014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiCrFuFGURQo2DoSGbniXJ5e4fJIe0Jm2infs-b-Wh-1e1c-LMd8sfja6iMGuxMWoksRsiPE6yp2cSoBodz97N6eFEeMw_bJ7w8Rhf79-Zuz-HIrLQHbHuG10eJ9C9oKbiQ2JEY3lvy0v/s320/SANY0014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346253738646461154" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Amazingly, we still made it to school on time!KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-1560653819071374892009-06-02T16:02:00.006+10:002009-06-07T05:54:53.422+10:00Dance like you are 'unaware'Many of us have heard the adage: "Work like you don't need the money, Love like you've never been hurt and dance like no-one is watching."<br /><br />There are many forms of the quote these days, and it's hard to find the 'true' source, some attributing it to Irish Proverbs and Mark Twain. Regardless, the heart of the message is one I find inspirational... live for the now and don't allow yourself to be held back by others.<br /><br />Recently I've been having a few discussions with people along these lines. We've talked about how people feel a 'pressure' to fit in, which can cause some of them to behave differently. The outcome of this is that many <span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">adults wonder who they are, and what happened on their life journey to become someone they are not</span></span>.<br /><br />For people with Autism the pressure to fit in may be a heavier weight than the rest of us. The humming, pacing and flapping that many Autistic children do is often frowned upon by society. I'm fairly certain that Jono is completely unaware of the looks we sometimes get from people when out at the park or at the shops... I notice it though.<br /><br />He usually hums when moving, walking should somehow be accompanied by noise... wether it just 'feels' good, or it's now an ingrained habit I am unsure, but one thing I am sure of I is that as he goes on in life people will ask him what he is doing, make fun of him for doing it and at times demand him to stop. People will be people.<br /><br />Currently his brother and sister will mimic him at times, and he gets annoyed with them. Which again I am unsure, it may be that he realises they are 'making fun' of him... or that he doesn't want someone else doing it becuase it is 'his'... or perhaps he doesn't like it being brought to his notice. Until they bring it up though, he is largely 'unaware' that he is doing it.<br /><br />So where does the dancing come into this? My daughter will dance along to a song, and suddenly notice people are watching and get embarrased and stop. She tells me she is worried what other people will think of her. I tell her don't worry, because they are all worrying what other people will think of them.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUB2MBiDhy1RdCqt-Qyv2T6NVg01yuyHqeryEt2zlW8S4VFHWvBIQUneCBjUHqf0JjrplN5QjaUkHDEL2sHygoN_7zWJ8USJn2kry6qZIWe46m38yqgl2MR5LfaI1jJLJy5vf4t9cg28c/s1600-h/dance.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 236px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUB2MBiDhy1RdCqt-Qyv2T6NVg01yuyHqeryEt2zlW8S4VFHWvBIQUneCBjUHqf0JjrplN5QjaUkHDEL2sHygoN_7zWJ8USJn2kry6qZIWe46m38yqgl2MR5LfaI1jJLJy5vf4t9cg28c/s320/dance.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342613581115242658" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's a big lesson to learn, especially for one who is only 6 years old.. but I hope she gets it, I want all my kids to get it. This is one lesson Jonathan can teach all of us.<br /><br /><br />He doesn't hold back. He doesn't feel judged. He isn't aware of others looks, and he is just comfortable being himself.<br /><br />This week in your life,<br />Dance... like you are 'unaware'.<br /><br />Update: The day after I wrote this, I had a 'sleepover' at my Mum's place, helping her with something. I left my place around 7pm, wearing a trackpants, long shirt and a fluffy polar fleece dressing gown, as I knew we wouldn't go out anywhere. On the way home the next morning, I stopped at a petrol station... and 'almost' took off the dressing gown so I could appear more normal. Then I remembered this, and left it on because it was warmer, who cares what people think!! It was a good feeling :)<br /><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:tahoma;font-size:85%;" ><b></b></span>KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-52047550399061007472009-05-24T18:50:00.006+10:002009-05-24T19:14:42.812+10:00Gluten Free doesn't have to be boring!Even though at the moment we are very 'relaxed' about being GF and CF in our foods, we find that overall they increase the health of every member of the family when we do have them. Some foods I simply haven't changed, we still drink soy milk, we have rice biscuits and so on.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6CRS6xTa-XrchdZE2_koehKLVbKU-BxK82yP5FqFazMS5lBOJyW_MmUTnzLaZxL1CzRmtNvM1-CYss6R6yNzNvt7fGZF2sEKSNCkaxSKuiBpYYDUy4xnn7xXclBL28v5IRjKRWU7VKtp/s1600-h/P1010228-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6CRS6xTa-XrchdZE2_koehKLVbKU-BxK82yP5FqFazMS5lBOJyW_MmUTnzLaZxL1CzRmtNvM1-CYss6R6yNzNvt7fGZF2sEKSNCkaxSKuiBpYYDUy4xnn7xXclBL28v5IRjKRWU7VKtp/s320/P1010228-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339311771609887618" border="0" /></a><br />Recently I explored into different ways of making fun foods that suited the gfcf diet and found a few. One which we particularly love from <a href="http://www.rainbowfrenzy.com/?p=201">www.rainbowfrenzy.com - the Rainbow Cake</a>.<br /><br />For this one I simply use a gf buttercake recipe mix and colour each portion with vegetable colours. We've also made them as cupcakes, it's a lot of fun to make and makes the fairly plain but tasty recipe just that little more interesting.<br /><br />It's also great to get Jono into the kitchen and creating, he enjoyed making these cakes as it was just so different to what we have done before, and he enjoys playing with the colours as we go.<br /><br />Another great place for GF recipes is <a href="http://www.omnomicon.com/pancakes">omnomicon</a>, the recipe she's got here for the pancakes simply looks amazing, and can be adapted for gfcf very easily. (of course, don't make cheddar ones, but just plain ones if cheese is not on the diet... or change to a soy cheese).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfynyHyHO1I2iSdWp4qCLkU488mdL9KXrBiehv_wRWOmfQbFAziVFpmWfdPPRw1NjYPQXXmPaLLk8kKDpZ_WKyJZOah_t3XTJ-sKGcEoU6lyaJQhK8yhio2z5hKBcugH0YSrNpL1uSWP7S/s1600-h/pancakes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfynyHyHO1I2iSdWp4qCLkU488mdL9KXrBiehv_wRWOmfQbFAziVFpmWfdPPRw1NjYPQXXmPaLLk8kKDpZ_WKyJZOah_t3XTJ-sKGcEoU6lyaJQhK8yhio2z5hKBcugH0YSrNpL1uSWP7S/s320/pancakes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339313664764575602" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Another great recipe place is <a href="http://glutenfreemommy.com/">Gluten-Free Mommy</a>, this site is a wonderful range of recipes, from breakfasts through to dinners, even multi course meals! In planning dinners week by week this is a great resource for trying a few new recipes to introduce to the family a few new flavours and interests while finding favourites, or new twists on favourites.<br /><br />If I try something and it doesn't quite work for some reason... well, I have 2 dogs ;)KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-61860390092208772672009-05-24T18:36:00.003+10:002009-05-24T18:49:42.428+10:00Pasta TricksI'm trying to do a bt more planning ahead with our weekly meals, and decided to go with the 'pasta' night. I'd found a spinach and ravioli stir through sauce that I wanted to try... but wasn't confident how the kids would go with it. So I made a lightly curried meat and beans to go with it... and debated on keeping some pasta plain in case they didn't like the sauce, but decided to go with the sauce and just see.<br /><br />When I served up I was very pleasantly surprised by how much everyone loved it... it got devoured! I got Daniel to grab the pot and bring it to the table so we could dish up seconds, which we all enjoyed.<br /><br />Jono enjoyed it so much, he wanted thirds.. and the pot was a little too far to reach, so he stood up, got up on his chair and climbed across the table to reach it. He stayed kneeling on the table and started dishing himself a spoonful, and then another, and then another... all of a sudden Rob grabbed his plate and dished himself jono's spoonfuls onto his plate. Jono grabbed a fourth spoonful and as he lent over his plate to place it on he realised the rest was gone!<br /><br />He laughed, a little... 'haaa ha', and went right back to dishing up more pasta!<br /><br />Rob got his extra, Jono got his extra and we all had a laugh with him at the pasta disapearing off his plate ;)KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4319987866648456683.post-72333796516332468462009-05-10T06:33:00.007+10:002009-05-10T07:40:41.438+10:00Happy Mothers Day! (did you bring a tissue?)For all the Mums, New Mums, Older Mums, Multiple Mums, Adoptive Mums, Mums-to-be, Grandmums, and just the nice lady that all the kids call Mum... HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!<br /><br />It's 6:30am here, and I'm the first one awake, I've grabbed my laptop and headed downstairs, it's quiet, the birds are in the backyard on the trampoline, the sun is just getting over the hills and the birdsong is ringing in my ears. I have a cuppa, a water, and am keen to get into my home gym and move my muscles. My children all wanted to sleep together last night so I have 3 kids in the one bedroom, mattresses on the floor and general chaos... they love it.<br /><br />Yesterday I thought of getting gifts for my children to thank them for making me a mum, for it really has given me so much to be a Mum...to do a reverse Mothers' Day, I ran out of time but the sentiment is there, perhaps this post is my gift :)<br /><br />My life before kids was a world of difference to what it is now. I have 3 children, which is enough a challenge in it's own right. I had then close together, around 22 months apart, so my oldest was five when the youngest was born, when you are at home, with no car and no friends nearby... this is also a challenge. My second child is Autistic, and yes of course this is a challenge.<br /><br />Being a mother of a special needs child is definitely a greater challenge, as the 'book' really doesn't have much information covering these type of situations. The needs that occour are different and the ways to handle them depend a lot on how you are within yourself. Are the rewards greater? You know what, Im going to say not really... it's just that you become better tuned at looking for them, and you celebrate the smaller things with more intensity than what perhaps you usually would.<br /><br />I still remember when Jono was first able to feed himself by himself with a spoon. No, he wasn't holding it right, no it wasn't tidy, but by joves he could do it, he was around 3.<br /><br />I remember him getting on the internet and downloading and installing games on to the computer, without help, when he couldn't read, and couldn't talk enough to ask us for help, he was 5. We were amazed about this for years.<br /><br />I remember the first time he came home from school with a piece of paper with his name written on it, it was crude, it wasn't all the letter, but it was his, he would have been 6. Just this year he chose a pair of sneakers to wear on his feet rather than sandals all year long, the confining space on his feet didn't worry him as much, he's now 8.<br /><br />I've had more than one person comment lately how well I do with Jono, my level of patience, the way I handle him, the way I comfort him. I thank them for the comments, but that has been 5 years in the making. The person I was when I found out about his condition, is a completely different person to the one I am today... and I am grateful.<br /><br />I am grateful for the lessons to my own heart about what it means to be a Mum, to any child. I am grateful to have Jono in our family, and that we have all 'had' to learn to be more patient with each other. I am grateful for all my children, and I hope they never feel like we 'play' favourites, but that we are treating each one as individuals. I am grateful for my husband, and for his family with their unity and the complete acceptance and love they have for us. I am grateful for my family, my Mother and my brother and the amazing childhood and great childhood memories I have with them.<br /><br />And I am grateful for <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">my</span> Mum, and the positive heart she always taught me to have, the acceptance of my self and the 'healthy ego', to do more, to try more, to be different and to not be afraid of it. I so hope I can impart that on my children.<br /><br />So, Happy Mothers Day, to all Mums! May you celebrate your motherhood, in all it's 'glory' and be a better person because of it.<br /><br />I have to share this, I found it this morning and it's just inspired me so much, I feel it's relevant to every child, to have a mother with this kind of heart, and if you aren't that mother yet, give your children time, they are working on it :)<br /><br /><p style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-6780-Baltimore-Family-Examiner%7Ey2009m5d8-Happy-Mothers-Day-to-the-mothers-of-special-needs-children"><em><blockquote>A PERFECTLY BEAUTIFUL SON</blockquote></em></a></p><blockquote><p><em>A little boy was feeling sad. He had been born with a disability that made him walk, talk, and move differently from other children. The little boy was sad because some of the kids in the neighborhood had been making fun of him. His mother took him by the hand and led him to the full-length mirror she kept in her bedroom. </em></p><p><em>“I’m crippled and useless. The kids say I am.”</em></p><p><em>“You’re my perfectly beautiful son.”</em></p><p><em>“Mommy, how can you say that when you know how I look?”</em></p><p><em>“You’re my perfectly beautiful son. You look like your daddy. You’re lucky, my pet. He’s handsome and strong. Can’t you see? You belong. Be proud, my beautiful son.” </em></p><p><em>“My feet drag on the ground. I fall down all the time.”</em></p><p><em>“You’re my perfectly beautiful son. And when you fall down, you get right back up. You’ve never stayed down and I know you won’t now. Get up, my beautiful son.” ... <a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-6780-Baltimore-Family-Examiner%7Ey2009m5d8-Happy-Mothers-Day-to-the-mothers-of-special-needs-children">continues</a><br /></em></p></blockquote><br /><a href="http://www.examiner.com/x-6780-Baltimore-Family-Examiner%7Ey2009m5d8-Happy-Mothers-Day-to-the-mothers-of-special-needs-children">You can read the rest here, at the Baltimore Family Examiner.</a>KarenDFrancishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18177762743585811620noreply@blogger.com2