I was familiar with Temple Grandin well before little guy came home as I was going for my teaching certification. I was researching autism and came across her, specifically her relationship about how she relates her thinking to the thinking of animals, specifically herd bound animals like horses, cows, etc. Then I saw all the Emmy awards for the HBO movie "Temple Grandin", which I didnt even know existed until the other night, so I dug around through my HBO onDemand, and low and behold, there it was.
For those who are not familiar with Temple Grandin, you can get a full bio here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin
For those who want an abridged version, Temple Grandin was diagnosed at age 4 with Autism. She was mute, had very little social interaction, displayed "typical Autistic Behaviors" (ASD parents know exactly what that is), didnt play, etc. This was in 1950. It was recommended that she be institutionalized for the rest of her life, as she will never be able to speak, never be able to function in the world, etc. Well, with much hard work, dedication, the influence of the right people, and a Mom who wouldnt give up, Ms. Grandin went to school, college, received her Masters Degree, then went on to become a Doctorate in Animal Sciences. She is now a professor at Colorado State University working in the fields of animal behavior and autism.
I watched the movie last night and all I can say is "Simply Amazing". If you have an autistic child, or are a teacher who works with autistic kids, or just someone intrigued about the austism epidemic in our world right now, I HIGHLY recommend seeing it. The movie did a FABULOUS job of describing visually, how her mind works, as per her direct input. They covered self soothing behaviors (spinning, flapping, even the self created means of "holding time" that she used to calm herself), sensory overload, panic attacks that result from things being "out of line", etc. Her mother was such a HUGE influence and advocate for her as well, and it is shown beautifully in the film.
As I watched this last night, I saw my child. Or rather, I saw "inside' my child".
Albeit, his ASD issues are fairly mild compared to others, but they are there. I saw him, or rather, the inner workings of his mind as depicted in film, specifically the sensory overload, the panic, and even the thought process of how I believe he may think. HIS point of view about how he processes the world why he does what he does, and why things may set him off.
For those who are interested, here is a youtube link to one of her lectures....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn_9f5x0f1Q
Again, simply amazing...
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
More "Behaviors"
To continue on with my previous post about the inner workings of an autistic/ASD mind, here's how we play with blocks.
I opened the box of blocks and animals that we used yesterday to make "a farm" and he proceeded to dump and "organize" the pile as seen below. Before this, the animals were separated further from the blocks.
Then he pushes everything across the floor to another part of the room...
Then he spends the rest of "the playing time" shoving everything under the "workbench", behind it, etc.
After 10 minutes of "getting it right" he is done and moves onto the next "activity" - back to the rainbows....(before cleaning everything and putting the animals in the ziploc bags and the blocks in the box...at least there is ONE beneficial thing to all this).
"Finished Playing with Blocks" AKA "Push them under the other stuff", and yes, the dog was displaced 3 times during this....
We will do this probably 3 more times today if we stay in the house and not go out (like when it was raining).
I opened the box of blocks and animals that we used yesterday to make "a farm" and he proceeded to dump and "organize" the pile as seen below. Before this, the animals were separated further from the blocks.
Then he pushes everything across the floor to another part of the room...
Then he spends the rest of "the playing time" shoving everything under the "workbench", behind it, etc.
After 10 minutes of "getting it right" he is done and moves onto the next "activity" - back to the rainbows....(before cleaning everything and putting the animals in the ziploc bags and the blocks in the box...at least there is ONE beneficial thing to all this).
"Finished Playing with Blocks" AKA "Push them under the other stuff", and yes, the dog was displaced 3 times during this....
We will do this probably 3 more times today if we stay in the house and not go out (like when it was raining).
Living with "The Different Mind"
Yesterday (and today for that matter) I was really down in the dumps. Here is what I posted as my Status on Facebook:
It is so sad to me (like literal tears right now) that my son has ZERO inherent ability to play. Just gave him a box full of blocks and a bag full of little people animals, and all he can do is put them in a pile on the floor and push them around. I make a barn for him and all he does is shove all the animals in it. He... has no imagination. A child with no imagination is a tragedy.
Here are a few add-ons to I posted as well:
Its truly heartbreaking...it really is....I think about how when I was a child his age and how easy it was to slip into that world of imagination, to make something out of nothing, to be "in that world" for as long as you were allowed. Jack is literally void of that. It is so sad to know what he is missing...
....its just really sad to step back and see it in action...He has been doing play therapy for quite a while, but it still doesnt cut it, KWIM? Again, having to teach a kid how to "play" - its hard to digest...
I decided to snap some pics of the things he does to give folks an inside look into "his thought processes". He will be 4 in 2 months.
This is "Lining Up". Remember the movie Poltergeist? Remember when JoBeth Williams is in the kitchen and the chairs are "normal", then she does the dishes or something like that, and turns around and they are stacked up? I joke that I live in the Poltergeist house because everytime I straighten everything out and put it back in the right places, I turn around and see this. On a more serious note, he flips out if I change things back to the way they should be. It's sad. As I was writing this, he moved another ottoman into the room to fill the space between the cooler and the other ottoman.
And yes, the dog looks miserable because he is miserable. He can't move around this stuff and really cant lay down and relax with this going on.
"Rainbows"
There's 20 of them, and I probably make 10 a day. He knows ALLLLL of them. We spend the day with me drawing them, then us putting them in a bag, then him taking them out of the bag and scattering them on the floor (I didnt snap a pic but will), repeat bag/floor throughout the day. He takes them to bed and know when one is missing. Usually when they go over 20, I can thin them out and toss em, but I cant toss them all. Intermixed are projects from school that he made, and badly drawn animals, which are always, in this order: Peacock, turkey, chicken, duck, rooster, goose....repeat.....
When my husband comes home, he begins the process with him all over again...
This is how he plays with his cars. He doesnt shoot them across the floor, or make "vroom vroom" sounds, run them down tracks or ramps (we have them, he doesnt use them, and when he does, it is only after modeling and he will only do so for 5 minutes before reverting back to this). He shoves them under our subwoofer. The Mickey Mouse stethascope is in there too for some reason or another. The cars will make their way through the house by either being, here, or put in a bucket (where they are now), then sorted and organized into their carrying case, then repeated back to the sub woofer...
So there ya go....some insight into the mind of an ASD child.....
It is so sad to me (like literal tears right now) that my son has ZERO inherent ability to play. Just gave him a box full of blocks and a bag full of little people animals, and all he can do is put them in a pile on the floor and push them around. I make a barn for him and all he does is shove all the animals in it. He... has no imagination. A child with no imagination is a tragedy.
Here are a few add-ons to I posted as well:
Its truly heartbreaking...it really is....I think about how when I was a child his age and how easy it was to slip into that world of imagination, to make something out of nothing, to be "in that world" for as long as you were allowed. Jack is literally void of that. It is so sad to know what he is missing...
....its just really sad to step back and see it in action...He has been doing play therapy for quite a while, but it still doesnt cut it, KWIM? Again, having to teach a kid how to "play" - its hard to digest...
I decided to snap some pics of the things he does to give folks an inside look into "his thought processes". He will be 4 in 2 months.
This is "Lining Up". Remember the movie Poltergeist? Remember when JoBeth Williams is in the kitchen and the chairs are "normal", then she does the dishes or something like that, and turns around and they are stacked up? I joke that I live in the Poltergeist house because everytime I straighten everything out and put it back in the right places, I turn around and see this. On a more serious note, he flips out if I change things back to the way they should be. It's sad. As I was writing this, he moved another ottoman into the room to fill the space between the cooler and the other ottoman.
And yes, the dog looks miserable because he is miserable. He can't move around this stuff and really cant lay down and relax with this going on.
"Rainbows"
There's 20 of them, and I probably make 10 a day. He knows ALLLLL of them. We spend the day with me drawing them, then us putting them in a bag, then him taking them out of the bag and scattering them on the floor (I didnt snap a pic but will), repeat bag/floor throughout the day. He takes them to bed and know when one is missing. Usually when they go over 20, I can thin them out and toss em, but I cant toss them all. Intermixed are projects from school that he made, and badly drawn animals, which are always, in this order: Peacock, turkey, chicken, duck, rooster, goose....repeat.....
When my husband comes home, he begins the process with him all over again...
This is how he plays with his cars. He doesnt shoot them across the floor, or make "vroom vroom" sounds, run them down tracks or ramps (we have them, he doesnt use them, and when he does, it is only after modeling and he will only do so for 5 minutes before reverting back to this). He shoves them under our subwoofer. The Mickey Mouse stethascope is in there too for some reason or another. The cars will make their way through the house by either being, here, or put in a bucket (where they are now), then sorted and organized into their carrying case, then repeated back to the sub woofer...
So there ya go....some insight into the mind of an ASD child.....
iPad and Autism
So, as an attempt to "normalize" my son with his activities, we decided to take the plunge and get him an iPad. If left to his own devices, the boy will occupy himself with "inappropriate" activities. Not inappropriate in a negative or bad sense, but inappropriate to what a child should be doing at this age. He is a hoarder, stacker, liner upper, dump and filler, etc instead of a "player". Even though I am not thrilled about introducing "computer/video games" to him at such a young age, I figured that if he could do something like a video game, he would be engaging and learning, vs. spinning his wheels with unmeaningful activities. We first thought about using one of our old PCs for him to use, but as hard as we have tried, he cannot make the connection between moving the mouse, clicking, etc and its associating to whats happening on the screen. The same holds true for Wii, PS3, etc. He needs to be hands on in order to get it. As much as I would have loved to put a huge SmartBoard in the house, we neither have the money or the wall space! So we opted for an iPad.
Can I tell you it has been nothing but miraculous?
He can do it. He can navigate to find his "games", work within them, and close them out when he is done. He is following the directions of what "it" is telling him to do, and he can engage for a decent amount of time (like, long enough for me to crank something out!). He also can reciprocate his activities to "show" someone else how to do it.
When doing school work, one on one work, or even his own "play behaviors", he jumps from one thing to the other. It's like living with a whirlwind. With this he TAKES HIS TIME.
Off the "apps" we have installed, the best ones so far are the "doodle" apps (Cookie Doodle, Cake Doodle, and the lesser used but more parent enjoyed Jelly Doodle). Cooking and decorating cookies, cakes and jello without the mess is fine by me!!
Can I tell you it has been nothing but miraculous?
He can do it. He can navigate to find his "games", work within them, and close them out when he is done. He is following the directions of what "it" is telling him to do, and he can engage for a decent amount of time (like, long enough for me to crank something out!). He also can reciprocate his activities to "show" someone else how to do it.
When doing school work, one on one work, or even his own "play behaviors", he jumps from one thing to the other. It's like living with a whirlwind. With this he TAKES HIS TIME.
Off the "apps" we have installed, the best ones so far are the "doodle" apps (Cookie Doodle, Cake Doodle, and the lesser used but more parent enjoyed Jelly Doodle). Cooking and decorating cookies, cakes and jello without the mess is fine by me!!
Been a while...
It's been so long since I have visited my blog that when reading through the old posts, I didn't remember half of them happening! I have to write on a more regular basis because aside from the intelligence and articulation oozing out of my head in a steady flow as a result of being home full time raising an autistic 3 year old, I apparently am less intelligent because I do not take "the pill", as outlined on a feature seen on Channel 2 news last night. School starts back up again in two weeks, so I may be able to regain some of my sanity then.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Butterflies and Broken Legs...
It’s a gorgeous day and the husband is not coming home tonight until later because he is partaking in the manly ritual of the Fantasy Football draft, so I put out my options of things to do to occupy Jack for the entire day. Usually I keep him entertained (if that’s what you want to call it) until Steve comes home, then I take care of things that I can’t do with Jack around, especially with the broken leg. I decide to venture out to the Sweet Briar Nature Preserve in Smithtown. I went there about 2 to 3 years ago (pre-Jack) and it was pretty neat! There are trails through the preserve, perennial gardens, large birds of prey that are being rehabbed or just living their life there due to injury, goats, chickens, etc. Everything is free (almost) and the centerpiece of the establishment is a walk in, enclosed butterfly garden. When looking at the place online the last time I went, there was an admittance fee for the enclosure (maybe 2 bucks at most?), but when we went, there was just a “donation” jar at the entrance. I figured that it would be the same and I wasn’t going to throw another 20 in there like I did last time, and I didn’t have any cash, if I were to get cash, I would again have that same $20 bill dilemma. I said to myself that my last visit can grandfather me into this one.
So, I put the address in my Map App on my iPhone and drive on up there. We pull into the parking lot and I failed to remember that the walking paths are made up of small rocks. That’s ok though, I have my All-Terrain, 3 Wheeled Jeep Stroller! This will be no problem at all! I get everything together, strap broken leg boy in, give him his juice, and we are on our way! As we make our way into the park, we make our first encounter….the “other moms”. The particular place is situated in the center of a very affluent area. The Beamers and Mercedes SUV’s in the parking lot should have clued me in. As I approach the gaggle of “other moms” I can hear the loudening of husband bashing, spa mishaps, mani/pedi appointments, etc. As my vision becomes clearer to the scene, I get a good view of the strollers that cost more than my mortgage payment, each holding a frapa-crapa-latte-venti-soy-mochachino in the cup holder. Now, I will admit. I was not devoid of a drink myself. I had my DD Coolata, grape to be exact, perfectly planted in my super cool Jeep stroller. But DD Coolatas are like fancy Slurpees, so they don’t count as foofy in nature. No “other mom” encounter would be complete without children running all over and not listening to their mother’s wails to return. Ok….off to the butterflies…
We make our way through the perennial garden, say hello to a Bald Eagle, and come to a stop at the enclosure. Hmmmm…..no donation jar, but no one standing outside collecting money. I decide to make our way in, trying to navigate broken leg boy through the doorway and the plastic draped sheeting that is used to keep the butterflies from escaping. We are immediately met with butterflies coming in for a hello. Jack was cute, saying uh-fly and checking it all out. Then not two seconds after we are in and checking everything out, a squeaky little teenage girl comes over and apologetically says that I can’t bring a stroller in. I just point at his leg and she gives an astonished “oh!” We were told to just be really, really careful navigating through, to which I agreed and assured. Then I was told “Oh, and you can pay me too”….ummmm….ok? I fumble through my pockets knowing darn well I have no money while cast boy is pointing with excitement, and even say that the last time I was here there was no one collecting money, so I was unsure about what the deal was. Anyway, I wasn’t going to bust the poor girls chops, and Jack was very pitiful with his “Bye uh-flies” as we left.
Ok, what to do now? I decide to take us down an adjoining path that brings us to a large, open field. Hey look! Butterflies! Free Butterflies! Well, moths….white moths….but the kid doesn’t know the difference. I decide to head left towards the rest of the enclosures, but realize that the end of the path culminates with a “natural staircase”, otherwise called a steep hill with logs dug into the ground to provide some leveling and traction. Ummmmm, yeah, not good for a stroller, even my All Terrain 3 Wheeled Jeep Stroller. So I do a 180 and head follow the path that leads to the woods. Let’s see how that goes.
We pass our “Free Butterflies” again, and approach the dark and densely wooded area and I become pleasantly surprised that there is a very well kept, wide and flat trail, complete with benches and little informational displays about the tree types, wild life, etc. Alright, this is cool. Let’s see where it takes us.
So we stroll, and stroll, and stroll, and we are really enjoying ourselves. We wanted to see butterflies, but Jack was just as happy to say hello to every bird, squirrel, and any other critter that would pop out along the way. The path was nice and cool due to the trees shielding the sun, and the ground was well kept and flat. Then it ended. Literally. The path I was on stopped right next to someone’s backyard. OK? Ummm, where to now? I turn around and see a sign at where we just exited, and discover that this is a Long Island GreenBelt Trail, a series of hiking and running trails across Long Island. I was kind of surprised at the condition of the trail because the Trails I have been on in the past are not as defined as this was. Instead of going back the way we came, I decided to take the path that branched off at the entrance. I didn’t feel like listening to Jack scream about doing the same thing again (God Forbid), plus I assumed everything was similar to where I just was.
I was wrong.
So we start venturing out and begin to parallel a salt water marsh. OOooooh! Hey Jack! Look at the birds. OOOOUCH! God Damn Mosquitos!! No! No Jack! I am not hitting you! Uggg!
Ok, gotta get moving….I was now too far back from going to the familiar trail, so I keep going. Then I come to a “Natural Staircase”. Yup. The kind I avoided at the get go. Well, rather than going through “West Nile World”, I navigate Jack down the path, bonking him in his stroller at every “step”. He thought it was great. OK. At least we didn’t have to go up it.
So we keep going and again come to more salt water marsh, as well as some other “hikers” who were giving me a weird look – “Why is that nitwit in here with a kid in a cast in a stroller?” – then I find out why. The path, that was actually still somewhat flat, is now a bumpy, jagged mess of fallen logs, tree roots, and rocks. OK, do I go back up the “natural staircase”, or do I go across “the speed bumps.” The speed bumps are straight. Oh, and thanks for the sign describing the area as “Fallen Logs and Tree Roots”. Again, Jack finds this great. Thank God I was wearing a sports bra.
Ok…. “natural staircase”…. “West Nile World” … “Knobby Ground Land” … now what….yup…uphill staircase….but not just any natural staircase, twice as big as where I came down, complete with it’s own set of knobby tree roots, and “steps” spaced maybe 3 feet apart. Oh, and did I mention that the incline looked like it was a 75% angle.
So, I hunker down over the handle of the stroller like a mountain biker getting ready for an uphill competition. I get a running start and BAM! Hit the first step. The Jeep Stroller makes it over! Ok, next Step. BAM! Success. I try for the third step, get my momentum and run up towards the next obstacle. BAM! Handle Bars to the boobs! Ugggg! Momentum lost. Pain. Ok, time to re-evaluate.
Now being on the incline and situated between steps, I wouldn’t be able to get the momentum, so I decide to tilt the stroller back and try that way. Oh! It works! Wait, how did I get wet? Ok, let me try it again. Over! Great! Wait, why I am wet? Oh crap! My Coolata! At this point, Jack is uncontrollable with laughter. He is loving this. I am glad HE is having a good time. Alright, I need the Coolata in case I never made it out of here and I start to dehydrate, but I have no other place to put it than where it was in the cup holder. I guess I will have to sacrifice the potential life saving nourishment in hopes of reaching civilization.
UP.STEP.BAM.WET. UP.STEP.BAM.WET. UP.STEP.BAM.WET. UP.STEP.BAM.WET.
I finally get to the top, but had lost half my drink, was now covered in wet purple, and was on the verge of wheezing. “Mommy? Mommy? More? More?” Oh c’mon, bite me kid!
At the top of the hill there was a small sign on a tree with the number 5 on it. I wonder what the numbers mean. Ok….off we go. We encounter more of the same, almost in the same order, though not as severe. At the top of the next hill is the number 4. Oh! I hope this leads to humanity! More paths, more obstacles, more numbers. As I pass the sign with the number one, I see it. A clearing up ahead. What’s that? Are those voices? Oh! That building! I know that building! We made it! And we made it with our All Terrain 3 wheeled Jeep Stroller! Take THAT $800 Bugaboo Frog Stroller!
I will post the conclusion tomorrow!!!
So, I put the address in my Map App on my iPhone and drive on up there. We pull into the parking lot and I failed to remember that the walking paths are made up of small rocks. That’s ok though, I have my All-Terrain, 3 Wheeled Jeep Stroller! This will be no problem at all! I get everything together, strap broken leg boy in, give him his juice, and we are on our way! As we make our way into the park, we make our first encounter….the “other moms”. The particular place is situated in the center of a very affluent area. The Beamers and Mercedes SUV’s in the parking lot should have clued me in. As I approach the gaggle of “other moms” I can hear the loudening of husband bashing, spa mishaps, mani/pedi appointments, etc. As my vision becomes clearer to the scene, I get a good view of the strollers that cost more than my mortgage payment, each holding a frapa-crapa-latte-venti-soy-mochachino in the cup holder. Now, I will admit. I was not devoid of a drink myself. I had my DD Coolata, grape to be exact, perfectly planted in my super cool Jeep stroller. But DD Coolatas are like fancy Slurpees, so they don’t count as foofy in nature. No “other mom” encounter would be complete without children running all over and not listening to their mother’s wails to return. Ok….off to the butterflies…
We make our way through the perennial garden, say hello to a Bald Eagle, and come to a stop at the enclosure. Hmmmm…..no donation jar, but no one standing outside collecting money. I decide to make our way in, trying to navigate broken leg boy through the doorway and the plastic draped sheeting that is used to keep the butterflies from escaping. We are immediately met with butterflies coming in for a hello. Jack was cute, saying uh-fly and checking it all out. Then not two seconds after we are in and checking everything out, a squeaky little teenage girl comes over and apologetically says that I can’t bring a stroller in. I just point at his leg and she gives an astonished “oh!” We were told to just be really, really careful navigating through, to which I agreed and assured. Then I was told “Oh, and you can pay me too”….ummmm….ok? I fumble through my pockets knowing darn well I have no money while cast boy is pointing with excitement, and even say that the last time I was here there was no one collecting money, so I was unsure about what the deal was. Anyway, I wasn’t going to bust the poor girls chops, and Jack was very pitiful with his “Bye uh-flies” as we left.
Ok, what to do now? I decide to take us down an adjoining path that brings us to a large, open field. Hey look! Butterflies! Free Butterflies! Well, moths….white moths….but the kid doesn’t know the difference. I decide to head left towards the rest of the enclosures, but realize that the end of the path culminates with a “natural staircase”, otherwise called a steep hill with logs dug into the ground to provide some leveling and traction. Ummmmm, yeah, not good for a stroller, even my All Terrain 3 Wheeled Jeep Stroller. So I do a 180 and head follow the path that leads to the woods. Let’s see how that goes.
We pass our “Free Butterflies” again, and approach the dark and densely wooded area and I become pleasantly surprised that there is a very well kept, wide and flat trail, complete with benches and little informational displays about the tree types, wild life, etc. Alright, this is cool. Let’s see where it takes us.
So we stroll, and stroll, and stroll, and we are really enjoying ourselves. We wanted to see butterflies, but Jack was just as happy to say hello to every bird, squirrel, and any other critter that would pop out along the way. The path was nice and cool due to the trees shielding the sun, and the ground was well kept and flat. Then it ended. Literally. The path I was on stopped right next to someone’s backyard. OK? Ummm, where to now? I turn around and see a sign at where we just exited, and discover that this is a Long Island GreenBelt Trail, a series of hiking and running trails across Long Island. I was kind of surprised at the condition of the trail because the Trails I have been on in the past are not as defined as this was. Instead of going back the way we came, I decided to take the path that branched off at the entrance. I didn’t feel like listening to Jack scream about doing the same thing again (God Forbid), plus I assumed everything was similar to where I just was.
I was wrong.
So we start venturing out and begin to parallel a salt water marsh. OOooooh! Hey Jack! Look at the birds. OOOOUCH! God Damn Mosquitos!! No! No Jack! I am not hitting you! Uggg!
Ok, gotta get moving….I was now too far back from going to the familiar trail, so I keep going. Then I come to a “Natural Staircase”. Yup. The kind I avoided at the get go. Well, rather than going through “West Nile World”, I navigate Jack down the path, bonking him in his stroller at every “step”. He thought it was great. OK. At least we didn’t have to go up it.
So we keep going and again come to more salt water marsh, as well as some other “hikers” who were giving me a weird look – “Why is that nitwit in here with a kid in a cast in a stroller?” – then I find out why. The path, that was actually still somewhat flat, is now a bumpy, jagged mess of fallen logs, tree roots, and rocks. OK, do I go back up the “natural staircase”, or do I go across “the speed bumps.” The speed bumps are straight. Oh, and thanks for the sign describing the area as “Fallen Logs and Tree Roots”. Again, Jack finds this great. Thank God I was wearing a sports bra.
Ok…. “natural staircase”…. “West Nile World” … “Knobby Ground Land” … now what….yup…uphill staircase….but not just any natural staircase, twice as big as where I came down, complete with it’s own set of knobby tree roots, and “steps” spaced maybe 3 feet apart. Oh, and did I mention that the incline looked like it was a 75% angle.
So, I hunker down over the handle of the stroller like a mountain biker getting ready for an uphill competition. I get a running start and BAM! Hit the first step. The Jeep Stroller makes it over! Ok, next Step. BAM! Success. I try for the third step, get my momentum and run up towards the next obstacle. BAM! Handle Bars to the boobs! Ugggg! Momentum lost. Pain. Ok, time to re-evaluate.
Now being on the incline and situated between steps, I wouldn’t be able to get the momentum, so I decide to tilt the stroller back and try that way. Oh! It works! Wait, how did I get wet? Ok, let me try it again. Over! Great! Wait, why I am wet? Oh crap! My Coolata! At this point, Jack is uncontrollable with laughter. He is loving this. I am glad HE is having a good time. Alright, I need the Coolata in case I never made it out of here and I start to dehydrate, but I have no other place to put it than where it was in the cup holder. I guess I will have to sacrifice the potential life saving nourishment in hopes of reaching civilization.
UP.STEP.BAM.WET. UP.STEP.BAM.WET. UP.STEP.BAM.WET. UP.STEP.BAM.WET.
I finally get to the top, but had lost half my drink, was now covered in wet purple, and was on the verge of wheezing. “Mommy? Mommy? More? More?” Oh c’mon, bite me kid!
At the top of the hill there was a small sign on a tree with the number 5 on it. I wonder what the numbers mean. Ok….off we go. We encounter more of the same, almost in the same order, though not as severe. At the top of the next hill is the number 4. Oh! I hope this leads to humanity! More paths, more obstacles, more numbers. As I pass the sign with the number one, I see it. A clearing up ahead. What’s that? Are those voices? Oh! That building! I know that building! We made it! And we made it with our All Terrain 3 wheeled Jeep Stroller! Take THAT $800 Bugaboo Frog Stroller!
I will post the conclusion tomorrow!!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Pee Face...
So I decide to take hobbled cast boy to the Holtsville Ecology Center today to spend some time outside on this beautiful day. For those who are not familiar with the location, the Ecology Center is a free, town run park/zoo. There are picnic tables, play grounds, a 1.2 mile walking/jogging path and a zoological section that houses goats, llamas, ducks, miniature horses and ponies, chickens, emus, cows, etc. It also provides a home for wildlife that has been rehabilitated and cannot be re-released: Bald Eagles, a gimpy footed Turkey Vulture, some falcons and owls. All in all, it’s a great place to go to have some fun and kill some time. You just have to ignore the methane vents found among the scenic foliage. Yep. It used to be a landfill.
On this particular day, I decided that it would be safe enough for little guy to be chauffeured in his stroller since the air was cooler and the breeze was nice. I wouldn’t have to worry about his cast sweating and getting stinky. I try to stay away on the weekends to avoid the crowds, so I assumed today, a weekday, would be fine. WRONG!!!! Since Jack was systematically listing the animals he was going to see in the order they are located: goats? Ducks? Geese? Birds? Llamas?....you get the idea, I couldn’t leave and disrupt all his categorical work he had visualized in his head.
We pull into the parking lot and I get him situated and we begin our trek into the “zoo”, again all the time, listing what he was going to see in his “matter of fact, but emphasizing each word as a question” way. The wall of people began at the entrance where the goats were. The feed dispensers are opposite the coral, so people were walking back and forth. “FROGGER”. That’s what it was, and I was the frog trying to get past the cars going back and forth. I jigged and jagged, stopped, timed the next sequence of food gatherers, then made my way to the lily pad on the other side. Do you think people would make way for a broken kid in a stroller? No. I guess we get bonus points for finishing the harder level.
So we now move around and pass the Nigerian dwarf goats, who are not as grubby as their counterparts in the other pen. (They are not allowed to be fed). One little guy was sticking his head out as if to say “Hey Jack! Good to see you again! What happened to your leg?” I maneuver over to the goat as best I could with the stroller, and allow Jack to say hi. No sooner than I say “Hey Jack! Say Hi!” another mother pushes right in front of us and props her maybe….16 month old daughter….right in front of the goat’s face. Did she notice that she almost pushed another kid out of the way by means of his cast? No. Did it bother me? No. “Why” you may ask. Well I will tell you! The goat that she so readily plopped her kid in front of was a buck, or unfixed male goat. I believe the woman even said “Oh look at the Billy Goat!” Being a goat owner myself, I can tell you that bucks grow nice, cute Billy Goat goatees. What do they do with these facial hair growths? They pee on them and the surrounding areas of their face so they can attract the ladies. He was nice a wet too. There’s a reason why Jack talks to this goat from afar….
Believe it or not, this is still just the beginning of our madcap adventure…stay tuned for more tomorrow! Can you say “Out of control, 5 year old bicyclist?”
On this particular day, I decided that it would be safe enough for little guy to be chauffeured in his stroller since the air was cooler and the breeze was nice. I wouldn’t have to worry about his cast sweating and getting stinky. I try to stay away on the weekends to avoid the crowds, so I assumed today, a weekday, would be fine. WRONG!!!! Since Jack was systematically listing the animals he was going to see in the order they are located: goats? Ducks? Geese? Birds? Llamas?....you get the idea, I couldn’t leave and disrupt all his categorical work he had visualized in his head.
We pull into the parking lot and I get him situated and we begin our trek into the “zoo”, again all the time, listing what he was going to see in his “matter of fact, but emphasizing each word as a question” way. The wall of people began at the entrance where the goats were. The feed dispensers are opposite the coral, so people were walking back and forth. “FROGGER”. That’s what it was, and I was the frog trying to get past the cars going back and forth. I jigged and jagged, stopped, timed the next sequence of food gatherers, then made my way to the lily pad on the other side. Do you think people would make way for a broken kid in a stroller? No. I guess we get bonus points for finishing the harder level.
So we now move around and pass the Nigerian dwarf goats, who are not as grubby as their counterparts in the other pen. (They are not allowed to be fed). One little guy was sticking his head out as if to say “Hey Jack! Good to see you again! What happened to your leg?” I maneuver over to the goat as best I could with the stroller, and allow Jack to say hi. No sooner than I say “Hey Jack! Say Hi!” another mother pushes right in front of us and props her maybe….16 month old daughter….right in front of the goat’s face. Did she notice that she almost pushed another kid out of the way by means of his cast? No. Did it bother me? No. “Why” you may ask. Well I will tell you! The goat that she so readily plopped her kid in front of was a buck, or unfixed male goat. I believe the woman even said “Oh look at the Billy Goat!” Being a goat owner myself, I can tell you that bucks grow nice, cute Billy Goat goatees. What do they do with these facial hair growths? They pee on them and the surrounding areas of their face so they can attract the ladies. He was nice a wet too. There’s a reason why Jack talks to this goat from afar….
Believe it or not, this is still just the beginning of our madcap adventure…stay tuned for more tomorrow! Can you say “Out of control, 5 year old bicyclist?”
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