I woke up this morning to the sound of Alex talking. I quickly grabbed my camera and captured the moment.
He has been talking his own language for sometime now and it happens every time he wakes up in the morning or from an afternoon nap. I could not understand a word but it seemed to make sense to him. He says almost the same thing every time and when I took this video and playback to him, he will repeat after the video - just like when he hears himself sing in the video, he will sing the same song.
He has some imaginative play as well in this video. He lined up the planes last night before going to bed and when he woke up this morning, he played with them. First, he turn the propeller and then he make the sound of the aeroplane taking off and whoosh it about. Previously, he will make the sound and hold the aeroplane in front of his face - this is progress.
He also demonstrated fear while watching Thomas the Tank Engine on TV yesterday. I was ironing (only once in a blue moon) in the lounge accompanying Alex while he watch his shows. He was sitting on the sofa with a lot of cushions surrounding him (he likes his comfort) and then came the part when Percy met with an accident, Alex picked up the cushion and hid behind it and then peek to the side to see what happened to Percy. I have never seen him do that and it's comforting to see that he actually understand what is going on in the show.
More video from this morning to follow. I am so glad that he is progressing.
I have just started corresponding with another mum who has a two and a half year-old son with autism.
She said something quite interesting about the brain which trigger my interest to find out more about the brain and how to stimulate them to encourage speech and motor skills for Alex. Here are her exact words ....
"My cousin who lives in South Africa was born with ADHD (but not autism) 24 years ago - one of his most important treatments to get him talking (he had no words at 2 years old) was a combination of physical and occupational therapy. My uncle mentioned that it was the same side of the brain that deals with co-ordination that also deals with communication. He said by getting a child physically active and working on co-ordination, that side of the brain is getting supplied with more oxygen (which in turn aids the communication aspect). I wonder if there is some foundation in that. We bought Stephen a trampoline hoping that the exercise on that would increase oxygen to the communication side of the brain, and he's not doing bad with his speech though still doesn't make his own sentences using separate words."
Looking at the map of the left and right brain, it seemed that the right side controls the left hand and vice-versa. The speech and language area are on the left side of the brain whilst the music, emotion and repetitive behavior are on the right side. I could see the connection here, Alex prefers using his left hand (at least that's what I observed) more, hence, he is quite musical (he could repeat the song/music after hearing them once or twice), very very loving and very repetitive (action such as teeth-grinding, hand flapping/flickering) having saying that, he doesn't do them so often (or am I immune to them).
It's worth investigating and to learn more. I am being philosophical again here, but when you think about it, and think really positively about it - "when what seemed like a bad thing happened to your life, there is always a good thing that follows (blessing in disguised)".
A.S.D. may not be curable (because no one know what causes them, hence there are no cure) but we will not let this drag us down to the self-pity level. We will learn more and help our son to understand things at his pace - he will eventually get it.
Alex woke me at 5:30am this morning. He slept through the night on his own bed - yippee!
Since we are all awake this early, I thought I'll dress him up like a little cowboy he is .....
He will be cowboy Alex in nursery today.
Not much to report on his progress as he is pretty much the same but a little cheekier than usual. He wanted his father's attention more - the whole of last week and this week.
Yesterday, his dad was reading his magazine and Alex wanted to play trainset with him. He went to his dad, took the magazine away from him, gave it to me and then went back to his dad and pull him up and point at the train.
We were both "gobsmacked" and gave him this "surprised and horror" look - he just laughed so hard it almost brought tears to our eyes. This is how cheeky our little monkey is nowadays.
I would give anything to see that again - it does show you how brilliantly spoiled he is.
I'll update more in a few hours time - after this wonderfully spoiled cowboy is at nursery. Cheerio!
Finally, I get to sit down to update my blog. Alex is fast asleep and Jeremy's on night shift.
Alex did something new today. We were watching "Little Einsteins" with him this afternoon - if anyone has seen this programme before, you'll know what I'm talking about. But if you haven't, I will try to explain it to you.
When the Little Einsteins have a mission, they always go with their rocket. In order to get the rocket to fly, they will have to pat their laps to power up the rocket to 'blast off'. They always say help them to power up rocket and you are supposed to pat with them. Alex have never done this before - he has been watching this for sometime. Today, he just pat his lap when Leo (the character) asked him to. We were just so happy to see that and clapped with him and laughed.
He liked that and he laughed too.
My mum's having her hip replaced today. Got a text message from Adrinna to say that Mum's alright .... Hurray!!! I do hope that my mum would recover soon and able to walk again. She has been suffering and we all didn't want to see her suffer further and persuaded her to do the ops.
My Mum's strong and I have some of her in me. I know she will be OK and I am not worried.
It's getting harder and harder to update my blog now.
Alex is so full of life and so much fun to be with. Jeremy had taken one shift off from work to be with us - so, he had 12 days off in a row. Both Jeremy and I have been spending a lot of time taking him to Legoland and playing with him on the floor with Lego and play dough. Here's a summary of what's on last week.
Monday (9/7/07)
We went to Legoland for two hours in the morning and then bought him a box of Lego. Came home and Alex had his usual nap. While he was napping, Jeremy and I were playing with his Lego ... ahhhhhh brings back memories. Did you know? I have never owned a Lego set until now. I used to play them at my cousin's house but Jeremy used to spend hours playing with them as a child.
Tuesday (10/7/07)
Jeremy went to see the GP in the morning. He has been complaining about being constantly tired and woke up feeling tireder (is there even such a word?) than before he went to bed. Anyway, the doctor prescribed a painkiller and he has been feeling much better since. It's a combination of his shift, bad sleeping posture, stress, worries and pain. Poor Old Sod! As for me, the GP rang and spoke to me about my hay fever (I tell you, our GP is the best). Gave me a prescription and I have been taking them since. It's miracle pill and I can even go near the Dog.
Wednesday (11/7/07)
Same old same old every Wednesday. Alex goes to nursery and then we go to Family Support Group at Margaret Wells-Furby. But............. this week is a little different. I went to the school for a short presentation by the School Council and then join Jem and Alex at the Group later. The year 6 students wanted to show the Governors what they have done throughout the year and I must say, I am so proud of them. It makes you feel that volunteering and giving your time is all worthwhile. Great Job kids!
Thursday (12/7/07)
Alex went to nursery as usual - nothing much to report except he has been a mischievous little imp playing tricks on his carers and fed himself too. I went to the school for their year end Play - Robin Hood. It was performed by the year 5 and year 6 students - they were amazing. I cried a little but managed to hold them back. Extremely proud of them and yet, I cannot stop thinking whether Alex will be performing on stage when he gets a little older.
Friday (13/7/07)
Friday the 13th ..... and yeah ...... we went to the movies for the first time (what seemed like eternity). We made an arrangement with the nursery to put Alex there all day (pick him up at 6:00pm) when we need a break. The manager, Nathan was extremely kind and said Friday is fine but Wednesdays and Thursdays, we have to give ample notice as they are short of staff. So we tried him today. We went to see Harry Potter and it was a better one than the last lot as the kids are more mature now and their acting skills are slightly better. But we couldn't really enjoy ourselves as we were expecting a call any minute to say that Alex is in distress. But the call didn't come and we went to pick him up at 5:30pm. He was fine and even enjoyed himself. That's a relief!
Saturday (14/7/07)
Drama day. We had a scare and luckily it turned out alright.
We went to Legoland again today with Peter (Alex's Grandad). Barney, BJ and Baby Bop were performing at Legoland together with Bob the Builder and Sportacus from Lazy Town.
The place was heaving with people. We went there at 10:45am and we were already parking at the relief car parks and a long way to the entrance.
There is no way you could go on a ride without queuing for less than half an hour. We could have used the easier alternative - we could get an exit pass for Alex because of his diagnosis. Once you have the pass, you could just go to the exit and go on the ride without having to wait. But, we want to train Alex to wait and this is a good exercise. The pass is good for more severe cases but I think Alex is not at that stage and we want him to experience real life as there is no short cut in life and just because you have a disability, not everyone is that understanding.
It was hot and dry, we were walking about trying to find somewhere quieter - so we don't have to wait that long for a ride. Impossible!
Anyway, not long after lunch, Peter was feeling quizzy and luckily we were just outside the first aid room. He had a rest in there and felt much better after that. We decided to go home as there is no way we could enjoy ourselves with so many people around.
The security car came to get us from the first aid room and took us to the car park instead of walking for miles. We were told that there were 15,000 cars in the parking today and another 500 outside the park and people walking up hill to see Barney. Someone collapsed on the way up and needed emergency aid. The things people do for their kids.
Thumbs up for Legoland.
Sunday (15/7/07)
Not a good day. Alex threw up all day (projectile vomiting) because of yesterday's heat. Freaky weather I tell you. One minute it's wet like anything and the next it's hot like an oven.
Help .......... my nose is falling off!
Suffering from Hay fever all night last night and all day today. My nose's so tender I dare not touch it.
I love everything about England but I hate the Hay fever season. It never ever bothered me before until I got pregnant with Alex. As if childbirth isn't enough, I had to suffer every season now.
Looks like it's early night for me again tonight. I will post the videos and pictures tomorrow.
Happy Birthday to Peter (Jeremy's father)
The weather's fabulous today. After all that rain, it's about time Mr Sunshine make it's presence. We all woke up early today and had a big breakfast before we head for Legoland (again).
Busy day for Alex. Went to Legoland then to his grandparents' home and then to his Auntie Sue's house. Wow, need some time to catch my breathe just to say that.
Eventhough, this is the third time we've been to Legoland, this place still fascinate us. We went to few other rides that we haven't been to the last two times and still had a great time. This time, we took the camera with us -pictures and videos to follow. We deliberately not take his stroller with us hopeful that he would walk all the way. And he did with no complaint - just so proud of him.
Then, we went to his Grandparent's house for lunch to celebrate Peter's birthday. Alex spent most of his time outdoor exploring the garden. Then we went to Sue's house - a flying visit to see another Peter (Sue's husband) recuperating from his operation. Alex was so tired by now that he fell asleep on my lap. He slept all the way home in the car and then didn't bothered to wake up when we transferred him from the car to his bed. Poor little "babba" but he had a great day.
Everyone noticed the change in him. So full of energy and cheeky.
Finally, the day has arrived.
We waited for months to have this hearing test. Went to King Edwards Audiology Unit in Windsor today and I must admit, the staff and facilities are top notch. Can't say much about the Receptionist but the lady Audiologist was courteous and understanding.
The appointment was at 4:00pm and we got back to our car at 4:30pm. Didn't have to wait long and best of all, the car park is FREE. Most NHS Hospitals charge crazy fees and not enough parking spaces but there were ample parking bay here.
Started off with a few questions whether we have any concern with Alex's hearing and the answer was "NO" - we know he could hear but just to be on the safe side. The Audiologist took us into a sound proof room with some speakers. A few different sound was played on the left and right side of the speakers to determine if Alex could hear. I could barely hear some of them but Alex could. He looked at the direction the noise came from and as a reward, a cat will dance inside the speaker when he turned his head. He had so much fun and giggled every time the cat danced.
The Audiologist then took us to another room to have a good look inside his ear and to check if there were any infection. It all turned out in good working order and his hearing is perfect.
That's a load off my mind.
Everyday, Alex surprises me with something new.
We went to Sainsbury's today for a quick larder top-up. Because it's a "quickie", I took the small trolley instead of the regular giant sized cart. Which means - no child seat on the trolley.
Well, that didn't bother Alex at all. He helped me to push the cart around (he will not attempt previously) and he even helped me to load the cart. Yeah to Alex!!!
He was so pleased with himself that every time I said "Good Job", he gave me a BIG GRIN. He even waved to the lady at the Bakery section without being prompted, when she gave us our freshly baked Tiger Bread.
No tantrum at all throughout our shopping experience and I must say, I am soooooooooo proud of my Alex.
Old MacDonald had a farm ......
Now that I can drive legally, I thought I'll make a trip to Oxford to see Amelia with Alex. It was a really miserable day and was raining all the way to her place. The journey took slightly more than an hour and Alex had been fantastic. I had the Barney CD playing from the beginning of our journey from home and he enjoyed it so much. He even sang/hum to Old MacDonald and This Old Man. It was the first time he did that.
When we left Oxford at about 3:30pm, we took the M40 and there was an accident at Junction 4 - the queue was about 5 miles long and we were stuck for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Thank God that it was Alex's nap time. He slept the whole time when we were stuck and got up right after we passed the trouble spot. Looks like someone up there is looking out for me .....
