month for repairs

So August is almost done, time really flies by fast.
boy is with me today, he is absent from school because I think he has a case of "sore eyes", conjunctivitis. Yesterday it was only one red eye but now both eyes are red.

I've just been to the Farmer's Market to buy a pig's heart (s) yup . Very special trip to buy a heart of a pig. My daughter MaRey needed it for dissection in school tomorrow. So I got her 5 pcs just in case some of her classmates need extra. Last year it was catfish. They dissected a catfish in school, now it's a heart.

So now the boy-- has a whole day of no TV, no computer no DS Lite, No Game Cube, nothing to challenge his eyes so they could rest and him & I gathered all his Pyrate (Mega Bloks) toys so he can play with his toys and pokemon figs. I got him at least to practice his current piano pieces. The one on top is from Disney's Hercules, the song titled "Go The Distance".

The weekend after the last post was fun as my sisters-in-law's families and ours went to a "hot springs" resort for an overnight trip to celebrate my niece's 8th birthday !! (Yipee!) It was a good sharing moment. We were met there by their maternal aunt with her grown up kids and their families so it was really quite a treat.

When we got home , most of our stuff started breaking down in need of maintenance and repairs.

My computers are crap! It had a virus, it even transferred the virus to my camera, MeyMey's cellphone, ReyMey's mp3 & hubby's work laptop so all needed to be cleaned including my linux (fedora2), now that took time because since my OS has become obsolete, no more updated packages available for anti-virus-- I had to build from source--- Ok so a new clamav engine got updated and built and the linux got cleaned --

ReyMey's piano also got in on the action and required repairs, a string broke which need to be replaced so that's on order pending arrival Still the piano could be used in time for piano class yesterday, tuned-up, glued the white keys onto the wood, dampers fixed. Yesterday's piano lesson was a hit! Both ReyMey and the piano teacher were happy banging away.

My car's radiator required an overhaul as I had to put in water every 2 days or so and our lite ace van wiper motor jammed because the wiper switch went kaput! It also discharged the battery so there's a ground somewhere. All that rain made the vehicles water-logged.

My cellphone died. It has finally given up on me after 3 1/2 years of service so the search for a new phone is on! I think I've settled on a new one-- a TV phone Nokia N92 but I have to change mobile provider. I still would have preferred a PDA phone, buy hey TV on the go anytime anywhere sounds good also.

Have to stop as the boy is wanting attention.

oracio imperata we prayed for rain and it poured

The rains come usually from June to September but because the world has been experiencing strange weather, we here in the Philippines have also not been spared. June-July came by with no rains, come august our water levels are way down and fields have not been irrigated. Two weeks ago, we started praying for rain, the filipino catholic congregation, we were taught the "oracio imperata" and we all prayed fervently for rain.

After a week, we had rains, it poured and it poured and within a week the country has been visited by 3 storms all within one week, classes has been suspended wednesday thursday last week and this week again wednesday thursday and friday. My children have all been happy because they have no school, the downside is that the suspension has gone on and on that they are now bored witless at home. Brains overstimulated by electronics-- endless computering (is that a word), ds lite, game cube, TV, DVD watching, mp3 not to mention telebabad (very long phone conversations)

What can you make kids do on a long school break-- I wish I could make them help me clean the house from top to bottom but alas even I have have no such inclination. The weather is so pleasant that all you want to do at home is to veg (as in be a vegetable-- chill-- lay like brocolli).

I can't even make ReyMey do task, At least I was able to make him do piano practice for a bit. That kid is rusty, he only tinkers with the piano when the teacher arrives but apparently the teacher game him homework to memorize and practice 2 piano pieces.

The girls had been begging me to bring them to Metrowalk so they can buy DVD's as they have resorted to rewatching season episodes of "One Tree Hill" during this long unplanned no school week.

Tomorrow sunday we are scheduled to spend a birthday weekend in Pansol, Laguna. Ah at least it's "hot springs" hot water from the mountain it will be great to swim even if it's raining above ground. It will be my niece's 8th birthday celebration.

That sounds like another great weekend (Monday here is a holiday to commemorate Ninoy Aquino day) . ReyMey is already planning what to pack-- my portable DVD player with 1-9 series of Pokemon movies -- his new Harry Potter Order of Phoenix DS Lite game -- (the ates are also addicted to) their goggles-- one for each of them now instead of sharing -- and his new Ash Ketchum hat.

Should be great.

another developmental levelup to hurdle

While I am still struggling with the loss of 2 hours of speech/sped instructions from a really wonderful teacher, she left to work in greener pastures, T. Cathy Balmeo, off to Maryland USA to teach. It is indeed our loss and the US's gain but we had been blessed that for a least a short time 1 1/2 years she had helped in grooming ReyMey a lot. We are in her debt and we wish her well in all her endeavors.

Now as I was saying I'm still wondering how and who will replace her, waiting for our developmental pedia's advice, our doctor she got herself on sick leave. She had to undergo surgery hence our appointment last week was moved to the end of September :-( Sheesh what to do while waiting? I hope she gets well soon.

So here goes another event that I am not looking forward to, but I knew would happen -- something happened this week --his teacher during the parent teacher conference told us that she noticed ReyMey rubbing his private part while in class. err and it was understandably hard so can be seen through the pants. Which confirmed my previous day or two days ago sightingwhere he was rubbing it also through his pants in the car. I asked him then if it was itchy and he said no, I asked him if his underpants was tight or if he needed to go to the bathroom to pee and again he said NO. He removed his hands but after a while his hands come back to it.

So we talked about it-- he is the correct age and height so it's kinda dealing with something biological-- it was suggested we should send him to the comfort room/bathroom so he can do it in private. (I thought I would much rather he didn't do it yet to be honest)

So was he wanking or was it itchy but he didn't want to say yes?

I was still of the mind that it could be itchy so I cajoled ReyMey into agreeing to show it to me in the guise of checking if he washes it properly and true enough I could detect a slight inflamation. So off to the pediatrician we went. I'm so glad my pedia knows ReyMey since birth and they get along well. I learned a new word, prefuse. Prefuse is what she called that covering and when we pulled back the prefuse there it was slightly reddish. Whew what a relief, at the moment it's physical not biological but the time will come when we now have to explain why it grows big and hard in the morning when he wakes up --- why he should not rub in public -- all sorts of complications--- definitely new ground to cover. So off we buy bacterial cream & cetaphil.

Which brings us to just about this time that we also need to consider scheduling him for circumcision. There were times when I regret I didn't have it done to him when he was a baby and told hubby we'll wait till his 12 years old like what is normally done here in the Philippines (kind of like a rite of passage) . It would have been done and over with if we did it at birth but since we didn't well now we will just have to prepare him for next year. (I'm not looking forward to this) but first things first, let us see if behaviour dissappears when the itch disappears too)

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Today is the start of the premier league football season Whoot hoot -- I can watch football again on the telly. I just saw on the news that sunderland beat the spurs 1-0 I hope when the Reds play aston villa later we will win . GO LIVERPOOL!! Cheers!

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compromise

Until now ReyMey gets the urge to line-up his toys--(sometimes to battle he says but sometimes I think he just likes them that way, lined up.)

We have a lot of figurines, all sorts! From Mcdonalds happy meal toys to Disney characters to cartoon and movie characters you name it we probably have it. He still plays with the Narnia, Lion Witch and Wardrobe figs. He still idolizes Spongebob Squarepants and Mr Bean

We mostly have a lot because this is one of the ways I cheat & 'compromise'. ReyMey likes the idea of collecting and making the set complete so I use that desire to leverage whatever from Behavior correction to sleeping early to packing away toys and discarded clothes; reduce ice cream, cheese, pasta & bread consumption--- so we have quite a collection.




Let's see "meltdowns" that's the word most commonly used to explain highly erratic behavior of children . Like screaming their heads off just to get something when it's not allowed or sensory & input overloads, getting an answer wrong and being a sore loser (some other child wins) -- or just plain being a "dead weight " and laying on the ground or floor or wherever they are on that instant.

I have had my fair share of those incidents-- until now that he's 10 I still get meltdowns occasionally but now he would say "I'm sorry mum! I'm sorry! SMILE??" whereas before he would scream and I mean SCREAM his lungs out and writhe and cry.

Where do I begin, supermarkets? movie house? in the mall? school? the barber shop? the pediatrician? the roads?

I try and prevent meltdowns by looking ahead and if it's happening how do we cut it short without jeopardizing results of endless therapy.

Ok if this supermarket doesn't work out. Try a different one. Buy whatever he puts in the cart, make him tick off the check list, bother the cashier and let him scan some of the items, make him the bagger--

If he runs out of this moviehouse screaming -- next time try a lighter child friendlier movie, no digital surround sound/IMAX and watch off-peak hours-- less people-- and never run out of popcorn.

If He screams in a barber shop because of the razor--ok next time just use scissors and make it a short trip or try that shop that had kidde cars as chairs if it still doesn't work-- do mockups at home and let him do your hair too (trim a little, pretend razor with the tickling effect -- only if you're sure you are going to the parlour anyway for a trim later :-) hehehe) .

If Trips to the mall getting overwhelming? time to stop for snacks. or do the snack first and then do the errands needed.

To stop night peeing in bed -- count stars and for every 10 or 15 days straight no peeing he gets a special treat--extra TV hours, or a new book, spaghetti for dinner , computer time, sleepover at grandma's house.

I confess I resort to the oldest trick in the book, bribery. It gets worse, I then justify it as "compromise". Mea culpa, My Bad. But it really all boils down to him getting used to everyday usual activities and giving him a chance to experience a lot of it and get used to it and find enjoyment and fulfillment (well done!) in the said activity.

Like using just a small dollop of shampoo instead of using the whole bottle to wash hair everyday. Or closing the taps while brushing his teeth, brushing teeth properly for that matter or learning how to use toilet paper even if at first he uses most of the roll and still end up not cleaning his buttocks properly and clogs the bowl or remembering to flush the toilet and wash hands after. Like Learning to bake cookies and donuts or making a chocolate marshmallow candy or making origami stuff.

This "compromise" thingie, it worked for us.
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I never had a "leash" for young kids it was never sold here in the Philippines during that time. My sister-in-law bought one in the US to use on her kids 2 years ago but she never used it for long because she got either laughed at, scoffed or told off by lots of strangers-- not a pleasant experience. And ReyMey, he never had that "rubber band" instinct When he walks away from you he just walks on and on and on (like the energizer bunny) -- he leads we follow. He doesn't look back and if we don't follow he'll get lost. Hubby & I used to time how long it will take him to notice where we are and panic but he never did missed us and we run out of time following him.

Our government never issues handicap cards so we can park in the disabled parking slots-- you can only park there if you have a wheelchair (a must have accessory :-)) So yes we get incidents like hitting and denting the door of the car beside ours because he opens fast & hard -- or getting almost run over in parking lots because he dashes away as soon as he gets down -- or he would come out of the car and promptly squat & lie on the ground because he does not want to move.

ReyMey only has one awareness T-shirt "Dream, Believe, Survive" but it was a thank you gift giveaway given by the Autism Society of the Philippines last year because he participated in the Dinner /Talent show by playing 2 piano pieces during the Autism Awareness Week. Prints on t-shirt here on my side of the world is not relevant. Not a lot of people read prints on shirt you are wearing-- it's rude.

So his self-image it's just as it should be- he believes and has confidence in himself.