Sooner rather than later.

Last Tuesday, we received a note from Alex's teacher. She wanted to see us and asked for a convenient time. I was really worried and asked Jeremy to ring Mrs Dunham to find out what it's all about because the end of term review was scheduled for end of this month.

Mrs Dunham said that it's nothing to worried about and that she wanted to find out from us if we have any objection that they keep Alex a little longer in Rainbow. The teachers and speech therapist feels that he is not ready to join the bigger class in January due to his lack of speech.

The meeting was yesterday. I went to see Mrs Dunham and Becca (ST) alone as Jeremy had to work. The meeting was not as what I expected as it got a bit heavy towards the end. I came out feeling rather stressed and confused as I haven't had enough sleep for two days. (The sudden change of temperature caused some discomfort to Alex, sniffing all night long. Hence no sleep for Alex and mummy.)

I brought to Becca's attention last term that I suspect Alex has Apraxia of Speech. At the time, she felt that it was too early to diagnose Alex for Apraxia.

In our meeting yesterday, we discussed that Alex is way behind his peers in expressive speech and fine motor movement i.e. writing, drawing, cutting, pasting etc.

They suspect that he may be Dyspraxia and Becca asked if I have any objection if Alex were to be re-assess for Apraxia.

I can't really remember how the whole conversation came to a hint that suggested Alex may not be Autistic as he is far too social for an ASD child. Of course the teachers cannot say for sure as they are not trained to diagnose any disorder. However, they have seen and taught many children within the spectrum and could see Alex being the odd one out.

Becca feels that Alex wanted to talk and communicate unlike a typical Autistic child. She noticed that when Alex wanted to say a word or repeat a sound, they seem to jumble up and turned out a different sound - a typical example of Apraxia.

If Alex is diagnosed with Apraxia, he will need more Speech and Language Therapy. The teachers suggested a school which they feel is more appropriate for Alex as Rainbow cannot offer the type of help he required. Although we have concerns for sometime that Alex may not improve in time for mainstream school, my heart sank. 

The school that they suggested is an independent school in Surrey that specialise in communication and speech. Our Local Education Authority will have to pay for the fees which means we have to review his Statement for Special Education sooner than expected. It would be more appointments, more assessments and perhaps we have to fight with the LEA for our rights to send Alex to a fee paying Independent school. I heard from other parents that it would be a hard and long road. Just when we thought Rainbow was the answer .....

I guess telling us now is better than having to complete 6 terms in Rainbow and still no improvement. 

I am grateful to the teachers for making an effort to find the right help for Alex, it shows that they care.

It looks like for the next few weeks or months, I will be very busy visiting different schools and taking Alex to assessments. 

No time to wait and see. It's now or ......

What's the worst thing that can happen if you are contented with life?

As I was flipping through a Business Franchise magazine this morning, I realised that ..... even if you have money to invest, your Franchisor may not want you. They look for people who have a strong desire to succeed and to make more money for themselves and eventually the Franchisor.

All of a sudden, I realised that I no longer have the desire to make loads of money or to make enemies. I am way too contented with my life and having a roof over my head, food on the table and a healthy close-knit family is all I wanted in life. I have been searching almost all my adult life for that missing puzzle, what do I want in life? I've finally found it. 

The worst that could happen is no Franchisor or company looking for employee with a desire to succeed would want me.

Cheeky little devil.

If there's nothing interesting on television to watch, there is always Alex Green and his cheeky antics.

Two days ago, Jeremy gave Alex a bowl of grapes for snack. He finished his share and continued to watch his "Bob the Builder". I felt peckish and decided to get myself some grapes as well. I walked past Alex with my grapes and he followed me to the dining room. He look at me with the cheekiest smile I have ever seen. He look at the grapes and then took one and looked at me. 

Well, being a good mum as I am (ahem), I nodded indicating that he can have one. He sat on my lap, and as I was doing my work on the laptop, he took another and another until there was two left. I was about to reach for the grapes and realised that the bowl now contained two grapes and before I could say "Alex", he took both grapes, one on each hand. He put one in his mouth and gave a wicked laugh while holding the other one. I said "Can mummy have that please" he quickly put it in his mouth and laugh again. My God .... I have a very cheeky devil here and I just could not help but laugh. I guess I should teach him some manners here and laughing doesn't help but encourage him further.

Logically, I should not encourage him by laughing but he is rather funny. He is a child and all children should have fun. It's not an offensive behaviour and I guess I could leave it till he is a bit older. But then again, if an older child did the same thing, it would have been deemed rude and an unacceptable behaviour. I guess I have to start teaching him what is acceptable and what is not .... before it's too late.

So, why do society have different rules for different people?

I have my lovely son back!

Thanks to everyone who wrote to me after my last blog to encourage me to persevere. 

I had such a pleasant day with my boy yesterday, despite his dad being at work all day. Just mummy and son spending the first half of the day at home and then later at his grandparents' home.

The morning started wonderfully with Alex waking at 5am and said "bye bye" to daddy before he left for work. Alex came to my bed and stayed with me until 7am (I actually had a 2 hours 'laid in') ..... unheard of!

Had breakfast, he played with his train set, I ... on my laptop and then watch a bit of recorded Greys Anatomy. Sat down and played 'Number' flash card and learn to write the number '1'. Alex knows his numbers 1 - 9 but his concentration level is slightly better than the memory of a goldfish. After 2 minutes of counting, he started to go 'silly' by purposely giving me the wrong answer and laugh. Had to wrap up as when he is in such a 'silly' mood, it's no point carrying on.

We had lunch at home, then we left for his grandparents' place in Langley. Spent about three hours there, I decided to reward my son for being so good all day. We went to McDonalds for dinner (actually, mummy's being lazy and rewarding sound far much better).

On our way to McD, we passed the hospital that Jeremy was born in. Alex said "Ma ma .... dada born". I was surprised at what he said. We told him every time we pass the hospital that his daddy was born here. This is the first time he said it to me and use the word 'born'. Although it isn't very clear but I know what he was saying.

We had our "dinner" and got home around 5:45pm ...... way past his shower time (normally at 5pm). Alex was itching to have his shower. I said "wait, mummy need a rest first OK?". He ran upstairs and started to make noises in the bathroom .... oh oh .... I know that noise .... he's up to no good.

If there is one thing to get mummy and daddy to move their butt? Make noise, lots of them and see the running.

He was in the bath tub and smiled at me. He wanted a bath instead of a shower and asked for my private bubble bath stash. As usual, mummy give in and watch her son smiling and kicking water. Alex had such a great time in the bath and asked to go to bed at 6:30pm.

Well, I am so well rest now .... Alex woke up at 6am and let me lay in till 7:00am.

What Big Picture?

When you have been sleeping well for a certain period of time, being waken at wee hour of the morning for a whole 5 days and maybe counting ... you can't really blame me for contemplating to give up.

Now ... what am I talking about? Oh yes ..... Alex .... I AM NOT giving up on Alex but the supplement that supposedly able to help him develop his speech and improving his EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient). 

According to Sue, my sister .... this supplement had helped children/adult with various disorders such as Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Apraxia and many other condition related to the brain and nervous system.

Marcus, my nephew who was diagnosed with Apraxia has been taking this supplement for the past three years. Everyone has seen great improvement in him especially on the behavioral aspect. Trixie, my sister, his mum is now promoting this supplement to many of her friends.

According to Sue, a few of her clients who have Down Syndrome and Autism benefited greatly from this supplement. The Autistic child who can't talk and very withdrawn can now talk fluently, the child with Down's can now hold a pen and write properly.

Now ... that's the big picture but the down side of this is ...... there will be a period of adjustment. I do not know for how long but Alex will go through a period of difficult times. 

I started giving Alex 2 IQ/EQ tablets and 2 Haliborange Omega 3 capsules on Sunday, 14th September at 8:30am. He woke up at 6am his usual time. He was very cheeky and loving that day. Now that's a good thing. Went to bed at 6:30pm (about usual time).

Monday, 15th - woke up at 3:15am .... singing his lungs off, went to the toilet and used the watering can to wash my toilet bowl. I had to wake up and clean after him (which means, I was up and about from 3:30am) He ran away laughing and thinks it's funny. Very emotional all day .... a "No" would be the end of the world. Tears, tantrum, hyperactivity and a complete nightmare child compared to my usual loving, wonderful little Alex. I gave him the supplements at 8am. He went to bed at 7:30pm.

Tuesday, 16th - woke up at 4:30am ..... again singing his lungs off and went to his playroom and played for a bit. "Stimming" more than usual and stomping his feet on the floor. Very emotional again. Can't remember what he did but Jeremy gave him a light pat on the backside to tell him off, the world came to an end for Alex. He ran to me and threw himself at me. In the past, he would show no emotion when he was being told off or having a light slap on the backside. My God, what did I do to my child? I had to persevere! Went to bed at 7pm.

Wednesday, 17th - Woke up at 5am .... singing as usual and talking to himself in his usual funny language and making train sounds. Emotional, hyperactive, "stimming" and went to bed at 6:30pm.

Thursday, 18th - Woke up at 3am .... usual singing and talking. Played in the Garden all morning while his dad is weeding. Very cheeky and mischievous like a little imp. Went to school, came back, asked for a bath, kicked water in the tub and wet the whole bathroom, went to my bed and played for 30 minutes and fell asleep on my bed at 6pm. A better child but I am hoping that he will revert back to his normal sleeping pattern ... 6pm to 5am.

Friday, 19th (Today) - He woke me at 3:15am, singing out loud, came to me at 4am, asked to go to the toilet and then hijacked my bed. While he is still sleeping soundly on my bed, I am sitting here updating my blog.

It's as hard for him as it's for me. I don't know what it's doing to his brain but I am hoping this adjustment period will end NOW and I can have my lovely child back plus saying a few more words.

I will keep giving him the supplements and keep updating my blog on his progress and if this works for Alex, it may be an answer for many other Autistic individuals and their families.

No Venture No Gain ..... *sigh* .... I need my zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Firemen ....... something about men in uniform.

Alex and I had a fun day out (more like mummy had a fun day) yesterday. We went to Slough Fire Station to have our car washed. My friend, Gaynor's husband Steve works there and they have organised a Charity Car Wash with the proceeds to National Autistic Society.

"I drove 20 miles to have my car washed" I told Gaynor "and this better be good." She laughed and show me where to go. There were quite a few cars there going through a manual car wash system (he he he). When you drive thru ... the first thing is a FIREMAN with a small hose washing the car down and then drive to the next part ... more FIREMEN ... at least 6 of them shampooing the car and rub down the tyres. Next, another FIREMAN with a BIG HOSE washing off the soap and suds. Finally, get the car dried up by another FIREMAN. 

I am feeling hot just writing this (he he he) and it was quite an experience. Well, of course writing this is all a joke as no one is as good looking as my dearly beloved (gagging ... I know ... just in case he is reading this).

After the car wash, I asked Gaynor if Alex could have a ride on the fire engine and she shouted for Steve to take us for a tour. Alex went onto the truck and Steve let him wear his helmet. It was all fun but Alex was a bit scared of the height and kept calling for me. We left the fire station and went to see Grandpa and Grandma, 5 miles away in Langley.

Alex hummed Fireman Sam tune all morning since I told him that we were going to a fire station. When we drove past our local fire station, he asked "Ma ma?". I had to tell him that we are going to another one and he then sat quietly and enjoyed the journey. 

Alex has a very good understanding of everything and is very observant. Nothing passes him without him acknowledging them. Jeremy and his father, Peter are worried that Alex may not talk as they can't see how. His grandmother and me on the other hand, are not worried and know that he will eventually talk. Men have no patience.

I still haven't heard from Rainbow if Alex is moving to the morning class. If he does, he will be with Holly, Joseph and Callum (all his friends).

Things are once again back to normal.

Alex is settling in well at Rainbow. He comes back with a report from school everyday informing us of his activities for the day. He has been very vocal and learning to write numbers and letters. This week's number and letter are '1' and 'S'. 

My friends' children Lia and Tomas joined Rainbow on Monday. I haven't had a chance to speak to them yet but I think Rainbow will help them as much as it helped us.

Now that Alex is settling in well, I am itching to do something with my free time. Last week, I went to a Franchise Show in Reading and found one really interesting business. The set up cost is low but there is a monthly fee to pay irregardless if you make money or not.

I know I can make it if I am prepared to put time and effort into the business, but something has to give and I am not prepared to sacrifice the time with my family. My priorities have changed and I know my sisters will say that I am mad. Why on earth would I not want to make more money when I have the opportunity?

I have done the putting all my time in making money and I have also made some money during those days. Having money and no time for your love ones? Is it really worth it? 

Things happen for a reason and there will always be something else that may eventually be right for us. I know what my priorities are and just have find something that will work around them.

School's finally back .... YIPPEE!!!

Haven't been able to update my blog because of the school holidays. It's a total shock for me, Jeremy and Alex .... six weeks is way too long. All routines down the drain and my housework piled up to my neck.

Yesterday was the first day of school and the three hours that we have without Alex was mainly spent on ironing and clearing the garage. We could not get anything done with Alex around as he demand for our attention - constantly. I do not like the idea of putting him in front of the TV all day but sometimes, things need doing and it's not that easy.

Anyway, back to normal and I hope to be able to update my blog regularly.

The teachers told me that they may want to change Alex to the morning session and that is a very good idea. I could structure his day better with this new arrangement if they decide to go ahead. I miss taking Alex to Legoland and if he is back to the morning session, I could take him to Legoland after school.

Alex has been saying a lot of  "Air Con Duct" lately. A new word for him which he use quite often.

The stairs and escalators has been a problem for Alex lately. It all started two weeks ago, when he first refused to go on the escalator at IKEA. Then when he got home, he refused to go up the stairs. He cried - massive tantrum and insist that we carry him. It's putting a lot of strain on our back and we cannot keep carrying him when he want us to. 

It's not always a problem for him ... yesterday, he went up and down the stairs no problem but then this morning, his phobia came back. I don't know if he is trying it on us or he is really scared of the stairs but we have to ride this through.

Kids .... it's one thing after another.

Is he clever or all four year-old do it?

We do not have any other four year-old to compare to but as parents, we always think our children are better than others. 

As usual, Alex the Gannet has been searching around for snack. I gave him a pack of chocolate biscuit in the box. Normally, I would pour the contents into a bowl. This time I decided to let him try eating from the box. The opening was a bit small and I know he would struggle. I just let things be.

A moment later, I heard him running to the kitchen and searching for something. I went to the kitchen and saw .........

Alex trying to pour the content into a bowl ...... what a clever boy!

So, is he clever or just like any four year-old? Either way, I am ecstatic!

Eeyore at home.

We have a donkey at home and his name is Alex. Every time we say "No" or "Wait", Alex will make this sound "Hee Haw ... Hee Haw". We can't help but laugh.  

School holidays is driving us mad especially me. Feel really bad when I put him in front of the television. We go out as much as we could but I am running out of places to take him. Everything cost money and it's hard to justify spending any. 

Food prices are getting higher despite the supermarkets "lowering" their prices. Things that we normally buy don't go down as we eat lots of fresh cooked food. I could see reductions in ready meals, canned food or supermarket own brand items but they are not the things that we eat or buy.

Two weeks to Autumn term and will be celebrating when Alex goes back to school.

Be prepared.

I have been doing a lot of thinking about Alex's future. How my son can learn to be independent, self sufficient and be a responsible person. I found the answer ... or least for now.

I want him to join the Scouts when he is old enough but wasn't sure if the scouts would accept children with ASD. Deep down, I know Alex will learn life skills, make friends and many more if they do accept him. I decided to find out more.

I googled for "Scouts for Autistic" and surprised to find an article by the Scouting magazine from America and other Scouts organisation websites. I read the article and yes, my instinct hasn't failed me.

This article confirmed everything I believe, http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0609/a-boys.html and I decided to write an email to the Scouts in my area to find out if they will accept Alex when he turns six.

30 minutes later, I had an email from the Scouts and it read:

Hi Christine,

I need to know a bit more before I can assist you.

I need to know what area you are from as there are many Scout Groups around, some do take special needs children and others don't, this can be for a very wide variety of reasons ( see below for an idea ) that would need to be considered / taken into account when your son is old enough to join at six years old.

To give you an idea of reasons mentioned above.
Size of Beaver Colony ( how many members ).
Number of leaders / adults.
How many other special needs children already in the Colony.
Leaders views and expertise in working with special needs children.
Past experience with special needs children.
Your sons specific special needs.

The list would probably go on but don't let this put you off.

Could you please let me know the following and I can work from there

Sons name
Date of birth
Address inc postcode
School ( intended )

Hope this helps.

I replied with all the details required plus a little bit more about Alex being high functioning.

When I checked my email this morning, a reply in my Inbox almost brought tears to my eyes, tears of joy and appreciation.

Yes! Alex will be accepted if we decide to go ahead. I spoke to Jeremy when he came back this morning and I replied with our decision.

As it's not well publicised that the Scouts accepts children with special needs, many parents are not aware of this. It would be good for children with Special Needs to participate in mainstream activities and have a balance in their life.

Parents are often afraid that their children will be excluded in mainstream activities, hence they put their children in special camps for special needs. I am not saying it's a bad thing but children have to learn to adapt in real society and learning young would be an advantage.

We are not always there to hold their hands. Sometimes they fall, they have to learn to stand up and keep going.

The Messenger in making.

Alex is not always a "pain in the butt". He is one extremely helpful boy and a clever one too.

I took him to Sainsburys yesterday for weekly shopping and he was very good all the way till the end until he saw the checkout. I had to turn into one last aisle by the checkout for air fresheners and this boy is like "a dog with a bone", he just won't stop .... going on and on about getting into the car.

Anyway, we got home. I unloaded the shopping bags from the car and left them in the hallway when Alex decided to help me take them to the kitchen. He dragged them (very heavy) along the hall and into the kitchen. He gave me the sweetest smile when I said thank you.

He helped me unpacked and then put them away into places he can reach. Not much later, I heard him in the bathroom upstairs and I went to check what the commotion's about.

My boy looked at me and smiled, he said "Ma ma" and pointed at the counter. He put his Dad's shaving gel he found in the shopping bags next to the old one.

What a smart boy!

This morning, while Jeremy's in the toilet doing .... his No.2. He shouted "I can't find a pencil .... I want to do my Sudoku". I was still in bed and called for Alex. "Take this to Daddy" giving him a pencil. He took the pencil to his Dad in the toilet.

Yeah ... looks like I have a little slave now - he he he

A Gannet at home.

Alex has been eating non-stop and I wonder what next.

The weather is not getting any better and I ran out of outdoor places to take him. I don't really want to take him to indoor playgrounds because of his fear of noise, echo and my fear of him getting something from other kids.

He is very much home bound these few days and he eats because he is bored. He still watch Bob the Builder and he still comes to me (what seemed like every 5 minutes) for snacks. It's one thing after the other and I am getting weaker by the minute.

He still goes to bed at six-ish and wakes at 5:00 in the morning. And this time, he wants me to be awake too. I am totally lacked of sleep. I have no will to live ..... ha ha ha

I just hope school starts tomorrow!

Friends of EarlyBird

I set up a group for families who have attended the NAS EarlyBird Programme about two months ago. We meet on Fridays every two weeks.

Last Friday, we had a great turn out, a new family joined us for the first time. Cara* and her husband Brian* and their three sons, all autistic. (as I am not familiar with them, I have changed their names to protect their privacy).

You would think that having one autistic child is bad enough but with three? I totally admire them as a couple and a family unit. Their first born who share my son's name is on the other end of the spectrum. I would not say that he is severely autistic but then again, observing him for about 45 minutes, I could gather that he is hard work.

Alex is a 5 1/2 years old, non-verbal child that can only sign "more" for everything. He has a tendency to run away without notice and his parents had to be very very aware of his whereabouts. He has no eye contact and when I tried to talk to him, he shrugged away and back to his own world.

Their second son, was recently diagnosed with ASD and he is on the mild end of the spectrum. Both Cara and Brian thought that their second born was neuro typical until six months ago, he was assessed and diagnosed. I didn't manage to get much information from Cara as she was busy going after Alex and I doubt she had anytime to herself.

Their youngest is 24 months and they suspect that he is on the spectrum too. He is very very much hard work and the temper tantrum is .... well, I must say that, his parents are Saints.

Looking at Cara and Brian work as a unit makes one admire their courage and patience.

I told Jeremy about them when I got home and I could feel the tears rolling down my cheek. We are so lucky that our Alex is so loving and cheeky .... always receiving hugs and making us laugh. I cannot bear to think what it feels like to have three children, in their own world and not even a hug when you are at the lowest.

Cara and Brian is a true example of what a family or a couple should be. They work together despite all the bad things thrown at them. They still manage a smile and a laugh in the very short time we were together. I hope I will see them again.

He is getting increasingly frustrated.

Alex was trying very hard to speak this morning. He wanted to say bye bye da da car. What came out was "Bye bye dada ...." and repeat the whole thing again for several time. I could tell that he wanted to say bye bye da da car but when he try to make a sentence, he stuttered. Towards the end, he was in tears out of frustration and still no complete sentence.

Watching him getting frustrated made me sad but I know that this is progress. It shows that he wanted to talk and that he wanted it to be perfect.

Both Jeremy and I asked him to calm down and speak slowly by breaking down the sentence into three parts. To Alex, breaking it into three part is not a sentence and he continued to try and still couldn't get it right.

He is also getting very teary lately .... especially when we say "no" to him. His expression changes from a smile to a frown and tears in split second. It would be easier to give in to his every demand but I know better. If I allow this, he will know that he can use tears to get what he wanted and our lives would not be worth living (sigh).

Is there a funny side to this?

We are back!

You may have guessed that I've been away. We took Alex to Warwick Castle and Drayton Manor over a four-day weekend. All I can say is ..... you could never ask for a better child than Alex. He was so good and considering that he is a child with ASD, he certainly cope well with changes.

We stayed in three different places, two hotels and a night at our friends home in Newport. Ate in very noisy restaurants, lots of walking and driving.

Everything went wrong from the beginning of our holiday starting with Jeremy making a mistake with his hospital appointment. When we planned the holiday, he said that his appointment was at 9am. So, we decided to leave for Warwick Castle right after his visit to the hospital. The night before, he said he made a mistake and it was 11:30am.

On Friday morning, at 10:45am, he said "Oh God ... my appointment is at 11am." We had to rush out the door and luckily, we made it in time for his appointment. Then, we realised we forgot to take Alex's letter from his doctor to get an exit pass at Drayton Manor. By the time we got everything sorted, it was already 1pm. I felt like killing someone as it was so stressful.

We realised that all our holidays starts with stress and then we needed another holiday to get over the first one. Thankfully, we all enjoyed this one.

We got home on Monday night and Alex went straight to bed after his shower, both Jeremy and I hit the bed straight after.

Tuesday morning, laundry ..... what joy! Wouldn't it be nice that we don't have to do all these after a holiday?

In the evening, I went to my friend Gaynor's Charity Curry Night in aid of National Autistic Society at another friend's restaurant. I helped her arrange this with the restaurant and she did the rest. Jeremy did not come with me as he had to babysit Alex.

Alex said "Goodnight" to me before I left and when I got home, he was fast asleep and looked like a cherub. I walked in at midnight and Jeremy was waiting for me, reading in bed.

Jeremy asked how my night was and I told him that I enjoyed it very much. We raised quite a bit of money and he said that he was very proud of me for helping Gaynor.

It was nothing, really. I was just helping a friend who is doing this for good cause. Gaynor gave up smoking at the beginning of the year and then train everyday to prepare for a 10 days trek across the Sahara.

So, in comparison, organising a curry night is just ......

Anyway, Alex came to me first thing in the morning. Gave me a big hug and kiss as if he hasn't seen me in years.

I like that feeling and may consider doing it more often.

Warwick Castle - Day 1 (what's left of it)

Alex ... posing (I wished) it was just pure luck I captured this

Beautiful castle and we loved it. It would be even better if we packed a hamper for a picnic.

The main attraction for the castle this season. A trebuchet.

You can see what I meant by pure luck if we need a proper photo of Alex. As soon as he sees the camera, he'll say "Cheese" and looked away or run away. I long for the days where he smiled to the camera with his loveliest smile.

Day 2 & 3 (Newport)

Stayed at Tammy and Simon's home for a night and then went to the Canal (about 15 minutes) for a walk. Left at about 1pm for Tamworth.

We had a great time with Tammy and Simon. Drank wine and chat while Alex slept upstairs.

Day 4 (Thomas Land, Drayton Manor)

Although Alex had an exit pass, we used it only on one or two rides and queued for the rest. When the staff saw us queue, they came to us to let us know that we can just show up at the exit and I told them that we are aware of that but we want Alex to learn to queue.

It was a good day out and Alex loved it.