Early Intervention

Okay, welcome to another venting blog entry. Recently all I want to do is write a blog entry regarding all of the fabulous progress Hartley has made in school but time always escapes me. Well, that and the weather has been so nice that we've been outside every chance we get. 

Disclaimer before I write this: I truly am not writing this to attack an individual. My purpose in writing this is to set the record straight so to speak.

I was hosting Patrick's playgroup at my house this morning when one of moms asked me an interesting question. 

She started talking about some local politics that would affect the county school budget drastically. She said she heard that the "free preschool" might be cut, and that it would be an obvious place to cut back. Now, I'm going to be a stickler here and correct her - let's call this "free preschool" what it really is: special education preschool aka early intervention services for special needs students. Ok, I'm going to be a bit snarky in this because it was highly inappropriate for me to be snarky with this woman in a room filled with toddlers. Let me start by saying I haven't received any information about special education preschool being cut but how do you think I would feel at the prospect? My daughter is flourishing because of these early intervention services, that I happen to think will literally change her life. All of the light I see in my daughter's eyes and all of the communication this service has made possible for my beautiful little girl - how do you think I feel? And I'll even say this, I know we probably have it the best of all the families that would be affected. Our daughter has high functioning autism. If need be, we can afford to send her to private preschool (though finding a fit as good as her current school would admittedly be very hard to come by). But for the families out there who aren't as lucky in these aspects as we are, it would be devastating, catastrophic. 

She couldn't get past the "free" aspect of this preschool. Taxpayers paying to help these children, who have done nothing but merely designed a little differently. Now, in my immediate family we were not affected by special education services; my siblings and I didn't need them. However, my parents raised us to be helpful and accepting of others. They raised us to believe that even if something doesn't directly affect you, you should help others where you can. So honestly, having Hartley brought this cause closer in to my life but my beliefs on this are not because I have a child who has been diagnosed on the spectrum. I'm actually surprised that people who having opposing beliefs to mine have brought them up to me because it is a very personal, very sensitive subject to me now. And this is pathetic but when I spoke to this woman, I had to try to not cry. 

I explained to her that these services will change the lives of many of these children. Early childhood development is so important. My mom who was a teacher for many years always reminds me that the years children don't remember, 0-5 years, are actually the most crucial to their development. I'll admit, before Hartley started preschool I had days where I wondered if she could learn social skills. That lead me to worrying whether or not she could ever go to college, get a job or live independently. I always tried not to get bogged down in those feelings of uncertainty but they would creep in. Other moms were worrying about vegetable-eating, sharing and time outs. And I'm over here breaking out at the thought of my daughter not going to college or getting married. I know that was dramatic of me because she was only two but I didn't see her "getting better". Thanks to special education preschool, these teachers, this county - I believe the sky is the limit for her. I see my daughter walking around in her doctor dress up outfit performing check ups on all her family members, and I think, "maybe she'll be a doctor someday". And when I say it out loud to her - I believe it. 

This mom mentioned people taking advantage of these services and these tax payer dollars simply because their children "talk late". I explained to her that it's not easy to receive these services. Another mom chimed in, "there's an interview, right?" Ok, well I didn't even go into detail. You can read this blog if you want to know how easy it is (read: I binge ate Chinese food, drank lots of wine and barely survived that shit). I did mention to them something I didn't even really address at the time: it was the most stressful period of my life to date. And I know that's not just me being weak because Brian affirmed to me that it was extremely stressful for him, too.

I didn't feel like having this conversation but what I said to this woman was this: I think any parent of a special needs child would rather pay money for preschool and have their child get to develop typically. I love my daughter fiercely, and I would much rather pay a few grand for preschool and never have to worry about her struggling or being teased. And like I said, she's high functioning. She's high functioning and hell, last summer I would've paid those preschool thousands just to have someone guarantee that everything would be okay for her. I don't know - saving money on preschool I guess is nice but I definitely wouldn't choose for Hartley to need it. I am, however, beyond words happy that it's there for her because she needed/needs it. 

I wrote this to get it off my chest. I get that many people can't empathize with something they simply don't understand. But I want to say this in case anyone is receptive to hearing it: I believe in early intervention. I believe it is changing my child's life. No need to ask me where I fall on this issue. And if you don't agree with me, that's fine, but you don't ever need to let me know :) 

Happy 3rd birthday, Hartley!

Whenever Hartley's birthday rolls around I always reflect back to her actual birthday, the day she entered this world. She was a 7 pound peanut with a set of lungs and loads of sensitivities, and I was an overwhelmed new mom who was usually feeling exhausted or defeated. It's funny, I think my friends miss their children's earliest days when their birthdays come. And while I would enjoy a sniff of one of Hartley's old dreft-washed itty bitty sleepers, on birthdays I genuinely find so much joy in how far we have come. I think about how she went from feeling like a teeny stranger who often felt impossible to read to this little girl I feel like I know better than anyone else in the world. 

This past year from 2 to 3 was my favorite, and it was also the one where she made the greatest leaps and developed even more personality. Our bond strengthened, too.

Hartley at her third birthday is so caring and sweet. She is wonderfully spirited and quirky. She is sensitive and intelligent. Her teachers have said she is so enthusiastic, that she always tries so hard. They've said she's very willing to learn, she's nice to her classmates, and that she's a pleasure to have in class. My mom says to know Hartley is to love her - and I think that sums her up perfectly. She is a very special little girl; Brian and I are such lucky parents. 

This past year the things I'm most proud of are her growing as a protective and helpful big sister, and her doing phenomenally in preschool. 

When Patrick was born, Hartley really didn't pay attention to him but over this past year their relationship has blossomed so much. I sometimes just write down the things she says to him. They make my heart swell. The other day we were on the driveway using sidewalk chalk and drinking juice boxes, and Patrick's juice started to make that empty slurp sound. Hartley got up and walked over to him and asked, "more juice, bud?" Or today I asked her to share her markers with him. She handed him a red marker and said, "here you go, Patticks. You have red!" She'll retrieve his sippy cup for him when he throws it from his high chair tray, and she'll take bits of her snack and place it on his tray to share with him. If he starts crying, she'll come let me know or she'll walk over to tell him, "it's okay". The other day he started to cry and she asked him, "what's wrong, bud?" For a little girl who is just learning to use conversational language and to see that she is channeling it to her brother first has been incredible. As she finds her voice more, I realize how kind her little heart is. 

And how well she has done in preschool simply amazes me. There are certain parts of development that come naturally to other children that are challenging for Hartley. So five mornings a week she goes to school and learns. They do learn through fun, playful activities but she also meets with a speech therapist and does certain exercises pretty intensely for a child her age. She tries so hard, and it shows. Every single day she has gotten a smiley face for behavior. I see how kind she is towards the other children in her class, all children of different levels of abilities, and it makes me so proud. 

A little bit about her at 3. 

She has just now started answering questions, and she's told me her favorite color is pink.

She loves art: painting, coloring, glitter glue, beading necklaces, chalk. She actually is becoming a talented artist; she draws figures with heads, facial features, bodies, and sometimes arms, legs and ears. 

The activities she's done this past year are swimming lessons, music class, ballet, and basketball. She liked all except swimming lessons. She likes the pool, but mainly just getting in and out of it and playing with pool toys. 

She loves to play outside; she continues to be a very active kid. She likes being read to. Her favorite books are the Olivia books and a new Peppa the Pig Valentine book my mom got her.

She has lots of different interests from dress up to sports to cars to princesses. Her favorite movies shifted from Frozen, Tangled & Little Mermaid (last Fall) to Cars and The Peanuts Movie! She likes Sesame Street and Paw Patrol.

She sleeps in a big girl castle bed.

She is a picky eater but has a sweet tooth! 

She loves letters and numbers. She is starting to write letters and can spell her name. Her memory is incredible; I'm constantly floored at how she can hear a song or book a couple of times and memorize it. 

She loves her friends. She actually calls everyone a friend, which is just the sweetest. 

I wish I had the time or the words to really capture her but I feel like anything I can write would fall short. There aren't words to do her justice.

To Hartley on your birthday, 

You are an incredible little person. Your dad and I are so proud of you and so lucky to call you ours. You have taught us that there is overwhelming beauty in uniqueness. Always keep your kind, quirky, fun personality. Remember that you are strong, capable, and beautiful. Continue to be a person who thinks of others. And keep your enthusiasm for learning because I know with that, you will be unstoppable. 

We love you, forever & always, our sweet Hartley Glenn.

Life Lately

If you're reading this, thanks for sticking through my last venting blog entry. I love my children so much, truly to the moon and back and then some. With that said, I still have days where they drive me crazy. I'll actually go ahead and say it - I'm an extremely patient person, kind of a requirement if you are going to survive spending 24/7 with a 2 year old and a 1 year old. But I have my days, especially in January, my least favorite month of the year. I genuinely don't want my blog to sound like a complain fest but there's some cathartic about blogging your honest thoughts and feelings. There's something oddly liberating about admitting to the world that you are an imperfect human who gets frustrated. 

Just wanted to say that. It was one of those blogs where I hit publish and then immediately texted Brian like, "wait, did I just do something really bad?" He's totally a biased person to ask because his response is always, "Nope. It's honest." 

I'm here today to actually talk about the kids and how much they are growing and changing. I can't help but be so proud of them. It's cliche (and I've said it many times before) but this is my favorite age so far. No, it's certainly not without challenges or bad days but the kids get more fun by the day. 

We are in this whole new phase of a sibling friendship slash rivalry. It actually took us a long time to get to "fighting", I think. I think this is because Patrick has been so easy going that he used to be willingly dominated by Hartley. But not anymore. He is becoming a toddler with his own idea of what he wants now. They fight over things like toys but also attention. Also, gone are the days of giving something to Hartley and not to Patrick. Like juice boxes are a "big kid" thing in my house because they can be so messy but Patrick now has to have his juice box, too. The rivalry/fighting is a hard thing but if I'm being honest, a lot of the time I let them kind of sort it out on their own. I definitely intervene if it's big enough but I also want them to learn how to work through this stuff without me constantly playing referee. 

Another thing we're currently working on in our house is self-care. Now, people are going to read what I'm about to say and laugh, and I totally get it, you are free to LOL at this. A big thing is walking. Yes, both of my children, and this is fueled by rivalry, are only wanting to be carried. It's straight up crazy. For a few weeks there I was carrying each down the stairs one at a time, same with to the car. Finally, my body started to ache so badly that I decided I couldn't do it anymore. At almost 1.5 years old and almost 3, they are totally able to walk so I'm trying to give in to the carrying thing less. 

For Patrick, that boy just loves, and I mean LOVES, being a baby. He loves to be picked up and carried. Of course, then Hartley wants it because Patrick is getting it. And let's get real, while I often think of myself as a mini pony, I can't carry 70 pounds around. And I also can't take two trips to the car or up and down the stairs all day.

I'm also trying to get them to come and sit on our entryway bench to have their shoes put on; I was getting so tired of chasing them around in the morning and tackling them to get on their shoes. Wrestling Patrick is like wrestling a wild boar. The kid is crazy. I'm working on them walking to and from the car, only lifting them and fighting them when I need to buckle them into their carseats ;)

Hartley I've actually started unbuckling and letting her slide herself out of her seat when I unload. I've just been trying to get her more self sufficient and trying to save my back. 

I've also been working on getting Hartley to help with certain things. Cleaning up goldfish she spills, we're at like a 10 percent success rate on that ;) I'm trying to have her take off her own coat if I unzip it. I actually hung a couple hooks by the door so I'm going to eventually have her take down and hang up her coat. She can put on her rain boots, and sometimes even on the correct feet! It's seriously the cutest thing ever to watch her walk around with her shoes on wrong. She's so proud of putting them on, and it's the sweetest thing. 

Other big things she's helping with is sometimes bringing Patrick a snack or finding her drink cup. "I go get it, Mama!" I've actually gotten to have her help carry in groceries a couple times recently! 

I'm sure a lot of these things are tiny for kids her age but it's been hard not jumping in to help her with everything and watching her have to try to do things on her own a little bit. But once she gets it, she's so proud, and it's always worth the frustration and tears we see along the way.

And while I love that my baby boy loves being a baby, I'm having to push him a little, too. I'm finding that to be hard. More often than not I think Patrick is my last baby so I want to prolong his babyhood as much as I can. But truth be told, I'm physically starting to not be able to carry him as often as he'd like. There's a gigantic part of me that just wants to tell him to take as much time as he can growing up but at the end of the day, my body is saying it can't do it. 

I also thought for a bit that Patrick's growth had slowed but it hasn't. Being around friends from his playgroup or other toddlers at the playground, I realize he is still massive. The kid is a beast. He still looks like a gigantic baby as opposed to having that little boy toddler look. It cracks me up. What we must look like together, my 5 foot 2 self carrying around the world's largest 1.5 year old. 

He is a total mama's boy. He just started giving me kisses right on the mouth. Those big ol slugs come at me nice and slobbery, and he blurts out a loud "MWAH!" He loves to clap and make music. He likes being read to. He's learning new words little by little bur in true boy fashion he's not in a rush to talk. He mainly says, "car" "bus" "mama" and "bub gup" (that last one means the show Bubble Guppies). He's actually got a minimum of a dozen words but he mainly says those four! We'll be driving down the street and it's all "CAH! CAH! CAH! BUH!" from the backseat. He calls out every car and bus he sees. It's ridiculously cute and silly.

He loves Pete the Cat. My dad actually calls him Pete the Cat sometimes. I bought Patrick a Pete the Cat Valentine book that came with paper Valentine's in it. He loves giving his mom Valentine's. Today he'd hand me a slobbery valentine and shout a demonstrative, "HERE!" The book also came with a poster; so shock of the century, Patrick's first poster is not a Celtics or Patriots one, it's of a groovy beatnik Cat ;)

He is now in a forward facing car seat. I know that's probably a horrific thing to many modern moms but the kid couldn't fit backwards anymore, and I could've lift him into the backwards car seat anymore so it actually had to be that way. 

We are pretty much down to one nap a day unless he's having an off day. We are trying to kick the bottle but he loves the bottle so it's been a struggle. 

Ok, I was going to write a boatload about Hartley because all of a sudden starting yesterday she's had an incredible language burst but I have written too much already! But in the next few days I plan on a serious Hartley update. I actually just scheduled her next meeting with her developmental pediatrician for March so I'm actually going to be making more of a point to chronicle and record her development leading up to that. Sometimes I get into those appointments and feel like I should've written more down to "present", so my goal is to be more prepared this time :)

Thanks for reading another crane babes novel. Happy weekend!

My Non-Sleeping Beauty

So I really haven't blogged this January. For the most part I've been in this very good, healthy zen state. Not because life is perfect. Every single one of us has already had a cold in the 19 days that have made up this year. My kids fight like cats and dogs... daily. And my healthy eating is sabotaged every other day by the energy slump that accompanies being a stay at home mom to two toddlers. But almost every day I've found something to be grateful for. I've been able to see the bigger picture. I've genuinely enjoyed my days.

But today I'm coming on here not in my positive, zen state. I'm coming on here for a moment to vent. To clear my mind of the jumble that's being floating around. And hopefully once I've purged these thoughts, I can take a deep breath and just move on. 

Before Hartley was diagnosed with ASD, I once saw a meme on Facebook that got me thinking. It was a cartoon a friend posted of a skeleton in a rocking chair that said, "me waiting for my ASD child to fall asleep". At the time, ASD was on our radar for Hartley. I never knew there was a correlation between autism and sleep disorders. The cartoon actually prompted me to research. What I came across is that it is believed that up to 80 percent of children on the autism spectrum suffer from sleep disorders. I remember reading that and thinking it was just another thing that supported the possibility that Hartley had autism. 

I can't tell you how many hours I've researched how to get a baby/toddler to sleep. If that number was actually put in front me I'd probably want to cry at the amount of life I've wasted. Napping has been a problem for Hartley literally since infancy. Eventually her doctor told me that Hartley (when she was a baby) could have 1 "morning nap" and 1 "afternoon nap", in which she'd spend a quiet hour in her crib for each. We actually did this all the way up until she was 18 months old, which is when I had Patrick. 

There were days as a baby where she didn't nap. Usually she'd nap for one of the hours and not the other. Regardless, I did get a "break". 

The older she got the harder naps became and the harder it was for her to fall asleep at night. 

Nothing works for her. You name it, we've tried it. Lavender room spray. Lavender Oil in her bath. No screen time for several hours before sleep. A white noise machine. Only calming books. A strict routine. Laying down with her. 

Some days she doesn't nap and she still stays up until 10 or 11 pm. Some weeks she'll only nap once (they are supposed to still be napping daily at two years old).

And for a long time I thought I was okay with it. Yes, I'd prefer to have a child with fantastic sleep habits (like Patrick actually!) but it isn't in the cards for me so why dwell? I actually came to this realization a while back, some people's parenting lot is harder than others but if you think about it that way all the time, you'll drive yourself completely mad. So I decided to try my hardest to kick the green eyed monster me who was envious of all the people who had children who napped - even though she still comes out every now and then. 

A few days ago Hartley didn't nap. Instead she tore out all of the pages in the Olivia Fairy Princess book I had bought her for her second birthday. She ripped out all the pages and tore them up into tiny little pieces. Brian wasn't happy but I just wanted to maintain my January zen so I just figured we'll buy her a replacement once she learns not to tear up books, whenever that may be. I tried to get her to clean it with me but I ended up crawling around on the floor by myself picking up all these scraps of paper and stuffing them into a trash bag. It hurt to shove the adorable turquoise book cover - this was not a remotely green moment - in the bag but what's a Mom to do, right?

Yesterday afternoon, my zen January streak ended. That woman who calmly crawled around searching for paper scraps was gone. This woman who'd played the Pollyanna game for several weeks just didn't have it in her anymore. 

It was another day of Hartley not napping. Now, not napping is annoying, but what I hadn't mentioned is that when Hartley isn't remotely well rested, she is on another level. The vast majority of things she says are just non sensical. She has these super hyper spells. She simply can't focus at all. She's extremely fragile. I mean, the kid has a meltdown if you ask her to take a bite of her pizza dinner. And after a few hours filled with crying, hitting her brother, gibberish, screaming - I just put her upstairs in her room, and I called Brian crying. 

I swear, 98 percent of the time I'm this woman who loves that my child is "quirky". I think it's wonderfully endearing that she says it's Christmas on a random Tuesday or tells me "Happy Mother's Day" in January. I laugh about the fact that we listen to the same song over and over again every day in the car (The Peanuts Movie song that Meghan Trainor sings - Better When I'm Dancing). I even have thought about how cute it is that my daughter likes to sleep with random objects in her bed or lines up her fruit loops. 

But the past couple no nap days, I'll admit I've thought - I'm not cut out of this. My daughter is almost three and I just want her to rest so she can focus and learn. I want her to get that sleep that helps her grow and develop. I desperately want us to get to a point where I can ask her a question and have her do more than repeat the last couple words back to me. 

And I know very well that it could be worse. That thought even makes me feel even guiltier! Because some mothers have kids that don't talk at all;  they would kill to be in my shoes. But at the same time, I know most mom's of girls my daughter's age can ask them a question and get something. And the vast majority of the time, I can't. And on the days she can only bounce off the walls and speak extra oddly, I just feel like we are climbing the steepest mountain in the world. 

She's getting better and better with her social skills and her language skills but wow, none of that progress is without work. None of it happens without some amount of struggle. 

I've become this woman who is almost always okay with that. I actually shock myself at how much I genuinely don't care that my child is developing a little differently or a little behind the curve. The other day when her teacher said Hartley's not at a point where she's ready to start potty training, I actually felt relief! I actually thought, oh the joys of not having to race to hit these milestones because we get to do everything at our own beautiful pace. 

But sometimes that woman is nowhere to be found. 

I'm writing this not to say, "woe is me". I don't feel that way. But I write this to purge my negative thoughts. To spew them out of myself so I can clear my head and rally on. To get back to my January zen. Because apparently coffee and wine can't fix everything, and some how this space seems to help me. 

Today is the third day in a row where Hartley won't nap. It will surely be another long afternoon of jumbled speech and walking on eggshells. But now that I've emptied my frustrations, I feel like I can do it. I can calmly and patiently make it until Brian comes home with a fresh amount of patience and sensitivity.

Starting 2017

Here we are - 2017. How is that even possible? I still see Lifetime movie descriptions with original air dates of the early 2000's and think, "oh good! A new one!" 

Even though time seems to just go faster the older I get (I'm assuming that due to the relativity of it to my life), I'm very happy for it to be 2017.

I actually hung my 2017 calendar a week before the new year started. I actually am fortunate not to be someone who had a bad 2016; I've addressed it on here as a "growing" year. But I'm one of those people who loves the restart button, the idea with a new bit of time, anything is possible. And how 2017 is my year to just be. Just exist and honestly, take a little better care of myself.

Brian and I recently talked about the tremendous amount of change we've undergone in the last handful of years. I feel like we've done it all: two moves, a couple promotions for Brian, big house renovations, fertility treatment, two pregnancies, two babies. He said how finally this year would finally be our year to just focus on health and happiness, which has me so excited about this year. 

I have some resolutions. The first three days of the new year I was a dieting queen but then today happened, and the carbs came right back to me. But my new way of looking at things is that there will be days like this, and that's okay as long as they are the exception and not the rule! While I genuinely love raising my babies, waking up sick myself and then having two babes with fevers and the snotty nose works isn't the easiest of days; if a frozen pizza lunch helps get us through, then so be it. In 2016, frozen pizza became a crutch more often than I even care to admit. This year I'm trying to reserve it more for the "survival days". 

In a little over a month, Hartley turns 3, and Patrick will be 1.5. While they are tiring, I'm pretty in love with these ages. I can't get over how Hartley has become so engaging: pointing things out to me and asking me questions. While every mom I know seems to be saddened by their child aging, I've just found myself relishing in it. I love watching her grow and learn and seeing her personality develop. I've said it before and I'll say it again - she truly is the sweetest kid. I've been sneezing up a storm today and she never lets a sneeze go without saying, "bless you, mama." Today we were watching Frozen, and Hartley turned to me with a concerned look on her face and said, "oh no, Anna's sad, mama." I'm actually floored at her starting to express such sweet, genuine concern for others. To anyone afraid of the "terrible twos", I'll say I've actually really loved two. There can certainly be tantrums but getting to watch your toddler develop into a little person is so amazing and rewarding. 

Now I will say with Hartley I was not a fan of the 15-18 month age range. This might have had something to do with it being sweltering and me being very pregnant. But it was an era in which her little body could physically get into so much trouble because her brain wasn't listening to me at all. So I've basically dreaded this chapter with Patrick. And honestly, it's been a fun chapter for me! This is the age where you really get your exercise but he doesn't run half as fast as Hartley did at this age, and he actually does listen to "stop" so it feels like a breeze in comparison!  He interested and curious when it comes to his surroundings but by nature he's a little cuddle bug so he's easy to reign in. Pick up a stack of books to read and put that boy in your lap, and he's happy as a clam. He is very much Hartley's shadow. He wants to do everything she does but the problem is the kids tries to eat EVERYTHING. With that said I feel I can safely say that Crayola is as non-toxic as they claim to be. 

2017 I have all these goals and ideas in mind. I actually bought myself a really pretty notebook so I can take to listing everything. A lot of the goals focus on me. Not just losing weight or exercise but taking care of my stress levels and mental/emotional health. I feel like that's all pretty connected. I decided to quit the bs of resolving to be a better mom. I'm not a perfect mom but I'm a really fantastic mom to my kids, and I actually think the area I need to work on is remembering myself from time to time. 

My 2017 victories so far: we made use of the 1 truly gorgeous day we had by spending family time outside at the park. I'm 3 for 4 for healthy home cooked dinners; 1 of those meals I was finally able to closely replicate my mom's curried shrimp recipe (I botched the hell of it in 2016!). I used our newly fixed elliptical during nap time (pre being sick). And today when everyone was sick and I felt like a miserable crab, I actually found the reset button: I put Patrick in his crib, put the tv on for Hartley, and I took a quick, hot shower. That was me breathing and restarting with a better attitude, focusing on a lazy day with my babies, and it worked! I know my successes are little ones and I know somedays won't be reset button salvageable, but I'm happy about 2017 so far. I'm very excited to see what lies ahead for my little family!

Also, I was really missing my shows, and I'm really happy they're back. Let's get real, The Bachelor makes Mondays better. And I need This Is Us in my life. 

But Happy start of 2017 to all! The best is yet to come! 

A Very Crane Christmas

We're driving home from Sesame Place, and Christmas feels officially over. I always purposefully "start" Christmas around Thanksgiving so we don't feel like it came and went too quickly. We actually did our first Christmas thing, Meadowlark Walk of Lights, a week before Thanksgiving because we had a day in the 60's, and I knew we had to take advantage! 

I don't know if I have the energy to write out details on all of the Christmas things, nor do I think anyone has the interest or stamina to read that long of an entry. I'm going to try to remember and include as much as I can though. 

So a laundry list of how we celebrated. Please excuse the choppiness but here it goes:

We walked through Meadowlark's Walk of Lights (twice, actually). This was such a big hit with Hartley, our Christmas light aficionado. Patrick got to walk a bit the first time we went because it wasn't crowded but on Christmas Eve Eve he enjoyed it from his wagon. 

We went to the Reston Holiday Parade the day after Thanksgiving. It was absolutely fantastic! We sat on the curb in a little section right before the route officially started. It was perfect because we still got to see the parade pass through without it being super crowded. Plus all the performers hooked Hartley up with candy ;) This year's parade was actually ranked in the top 10 in the country! 

We took the kids to Cox Farms to meet Santa. Of course, in true Crane fashion, the picture didn't do the experience justice. Patrick was cool with it but Hartley really loved meeting Santa. I was so proud when she said (completely unprompted), "Merry Christmas, Santa!" That was the kick off to hearing her sweetly say those words all month long. 

We went and bought our tree at the same lot we went to for Hartley's first Christmas. We attempted decorating it together. Hartley's speciality was just placing ornaments on top of branches, and Patrick's was taking them off the tree. They really loved playing with the strands of lights so we kept one off the tree for the sole purpose! They hung around outside with us when the strung the lights on the house. And every evening Hartley would ask to go outside to see them. 

We read Christmas books. Patrick's favorite was Pete The Cat Saves Christmas, and Hartley's was 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. We watched Christmas movies (I watched the Hallmark ones almost nightly). Patrick's favorite was Elmo's Countdown to Christmas, and Hartley's was Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas. Hartley did lots of cute holiday crafts in school. She was a pro at singing Jingle Bells (that was probably my favorite thing this Christmas). 

Hartley and I hosted some friends for a gingerbread house making play date. Hartley loved decorating and eating. Afterwards she kept talking about "Gingerbread man's house". Patrick enjoyed eating pieces, too. The kids went to my parents house to decorate their felt Christmas tree and to decorate Christmas cookies. 

We celebrated Christmas over several days. Christmas Eve Eve with my side of the family. We did present opening, pizza, and a stroll through Meadowlark's Walk of Lights. Hartley lucked out with her aunts and uncles taking turns holding her hand or hoisting her up into the sky. Christmas Eve we did Brian's side of the family for present opening and dinner. Then Christmas morning we hosted my parents, my sister, brother in law and niece for Christmas brunch. I was actually really happy to get to host Christmas morning because pajama brunches are my favorite holiday tradition! Later on in the day, Brian's friend/Patrick's godfather came to visit, and it was really nice to see him. 

The morning after Christmas we went to Maryland to see my grandparents. After Hartley was born I decided doing the shuffle to Maryland on Christmas Day was a little too much for us but I love our tradition of visiting them around Christmas. The kids relish in all the individual attention, and my grandparents really light up seeing the kids. 

Then the day after that we left for Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA. They decorate for the holidays for their "Very Furry Christmas" and do all sorts of neat little events. It was a fabulous trip that couldn't have gone any better. Even though we took three successful little road trips earlier in the year with the kids (two to Ocean City, one to Raleigh), trips with a 2 year old and 1 year old can be a little unpredictable. But it went better than I could've imagined. 

The kids loved Sesame Place. They enjoyed meeting all the characters; Elmo was the most popular. They loved all the Christmas decorations (they do a little Festival of Lights at night). They loved watching a live Sesame Christmas musical. But the part that most surprised me was how much they both loved the rides. I thought Hartley might be scared or Patrick would just be too young. But nope! Hartley begged to go on the rides again and again. By the end my head was spinning!! Patrick was also so brave and smiley. It was so funny to see my one year old in the mix with all the big kids on the rides! Who knows if it was even really allowed but he sat in his own seat on Oscar's Trashcan Rocketship ride! He cracks me up with how much he wants to keep up with Hartley and do whatever she does. 

It has been a fantastic Christmas Break, and it's still not even over yet. Tomorrow is actually my day to catch up with friends & family without the kids in tow, which I'm looking forward to.

I hope everyone else had a Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday Season! As we wind down 2016, I hope everyone is able to count their blessings from this year and get excited for 2017. The best is yet to come!

What Autism Looks Like

I saw an info graphic on Facebook the other day that I shared, and it got me thinking about a blog entry I've really been wanting to write. Please keep in mind what I'm about to share is pretty personal to me so please bear with me and understand I'm not speaking collectively, these are my own thoughts.

Back when I was in school, there was no such thing as the autism spectrum. There were kids who were autistic, and there were a couple "subsets" so to speak of autism. But when you thought of a kid with autism you thought of a child who was pretty severely impaired socially and cognitively, maybe not even speaking at all. 

Well, in recent years, this definition has changed. Autism has become a spectrum that encompasses a group people with a wide range of strengths and weaknesses of different measures in various areas. I read a quote once that I loved. It said, "if you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism." I think if there is one thing that all people should understand about ASD, it's exactly that. 

Hartley is often very difficult to describe or explain to people. She is not severely autistic. In fact, if you met her and weren't familiar with how other kids her age act, you might not even really notice that she's atypical. 

I've had people ask me how or when I knew that something was different, and that's actually something I've wanted to share for a while but haven't been sure quite how to say it.

If you read my blog regularly, you might remember how this process all got started. Shortly before Hartley's second birthday, Brian took her to the doctor for a cold, and the doctor mentioned Hartley's language was "behind". In hindsight, this wasn't the most accurate way of describing what was going on. At the appointment, Hartley was jargoning, the fancy autism community lingo for speaking in gibberish. It's more atypical than it is "behind". 

But that is what basically got the ball rolling. From there she was evaluated by the county to see if she qualified to receive speech therapy services. Then shortly after the speech therapist began working with her, our service coordinator said we should look into having Hartley evaluated for special ed preschool. They would go on to suggest that Hartley should also see a developmental pediatrician. Her regular pediatrician referred us to Children's hospital. The school system said that Hartley qualified for services under the label "developmental delay" but they also strongly felt she could qualify under the "autism" label. Then at our meeting with the developmental pediatrician she said Hartley was on the autism spectrum, and that she would notify that school system that Hartley was in need of early intervention preschool services. 

But the strange thing was, I knew ages ago that Hartley was unique. 

When Hartley was a newborn, she didn't like to be held. I remember telling seasoned mothers this, and they looked at me like I had 5 heads. My mom noticed it too, though. Hartley would cry for hours for no reason. People would say, "oh Page, babies cry". But she could cry for a couple hours straight for no apparent reason. I'd never seen any of my friends' babies do that. 

That's when at 2 months, Hartley's doctor gave me an answer. "She's a very sensitive baby". 

So as a new mom, I felt validated. I had an answer. When I took Hartley new places, she would scream and cry endlessly. Nothing worked to soothe her. She didn't like being out of our house. Again, seasoned moms had advice: "well, if you just take her out places, she'll just have to get used to it". Only she never did. Honestly, it was agony. It was isolating. I could only stay in my house or go out for walks just the two of us. In hindsight, I'm sure it contributed to how lousy I felt when she was a baby. 

The older she grew, she became more okay with being out. She was still very much a sensitive baby, though.

I'll always remember my mom buying Hartley a bunch of hats because she absolutely despised the sun in her eyes. I'd drive places and if the sun were in her eyes, she'd scream until I fixed it.

She was constantly moving. To this day, I've never seen a baby who moves half as much as she did. She would never sit in my lap to read a book. I had to stop doing her "chair pictures" after her 7 month picture because she would throw herself off the chair faster than I could even snap a picture. 

She was an early walker (10 months) but she was so clumsy. She face planted into cement right around her first birthday; it didn't occur to her to catch herself. To this day her legs are constantly bruised from falling. 

The first time she finger-painted , she absolutely hated it. Just touching the paint threw her through a loop. She grew to love painting once we began using brushes, and she didn't have to touch the paint. 

She has always been a horrible napper (and now, sleeper). She would just bounce in her crib for an hour until her "nap time" was over. She went through a phase where she'd head butt the wall, which wasn't as dramatic as it sounds but I hated it so much. I kind of just thought other kids did these things, honestly. And as Patrick grows older I realize how these things weren't that normal. 

Hartley also did advanced things. She knew the alphabet at 18 months, out of context and in context. She was counting to ten at her 2nd birthday which is a 3rd birthday skill. I just thought, "wow! I'm awesome at teaching my kid things!" That bubble has burst ;)

My big indicator though that pushed me to do these various assessments was Hartley not responding to her name. I think as a parent this has been one of the hardest parts of this. It's actually far more challenging than it sounds but one day she got away from me outside. I kept calling her name, and she never came because she didn't respond to her name. It sounds so silly but it's really scary and sad when your child can't "hear" you. And as Patrick grows and he listens to me and comes when he's called, I'm relieved but I'm also a little sad that Hartley hasn't been able to naturally develop like that. She's definitely getting better but it's not the same. 

One of the first screenings Hartley had was with an audiologist to make sure it wasn't a hearing issue causing things. 

These things in hindsight were clues that something was "off". The developmental pediatrician told us that Hartley was born this way. And she comforted us by saying that even though Hartley has autism, she's got a lot going for her. Some children with autism don't speak; Hartley can speak. Some children with autism tend to be really unhappy; Hartley is happy. Some children with autism have impaired cognitive abilities; Hartley's cognitive abilities are actually "mature". 

But sometimes people don't realize what it is exactly about Hartley that is different. She is very sensitive and very intense (people think all toddlers are but this is next level). She can be pretty obsessive (this actually has gotten worse lately. An example being needing to sleep with a bunch of specific Christmas ornaments). She has a hard time transitioning from one activity to another, and she isn't easy to redirect. Once she is in meltdown mode, she's almost impossible to reason with. She is pretty literal. She can be aloof, and she can check out from time to time. A lot of social nuances that come naturally to kids her age, don't come naturally to her. She has trouble answering simple questions where she has to do more than label. When she talks her speech is a little funny. It's choppy and backwards sometimes. She's echolailic so she often echoes the last couple words of a question back instead of answering. 

Sometimes people who aren't around her often might say these types of things sound like just a different personality. I thought that for the longest time but as time goes on, Brian and I have both realized it goes deeper than that. It's actually difficult because we're trying to figure out the balance of how much to "correct" and how much to embrace as who she is. I let her sleep with ornaments but do I draw the line when she wakes up at 2 am and asks for a specific one that's downstairs on the tree? There's no manual for this. 

My mom has said a lot of things that make Hartley different actually make her cuter. I completely agree with this. My girl has the absolute sweetest, kindest heart. She says and does so many quirky and endearing things. A lot of girls her age are sassy but she actually doesn't have it in her to be that way. 

As time goes on, I've really evolved a lot to embrace and celebrate Hartley's brain just working differently. And sometimes, on my weaker days, I cry because I wish the hard parts were easier. Sometimes I feel like I'm living my life just trying to do whatever makes her happy, and it's an exhausting way to live. 

I've written various entries referencing Hartley's ASD. But honestly I felt this urge to write this the other day. I sometimes feel like there's a great deal of confusion on autism. People don't fully understand it because it is so different for everyone affected. But this is what it is in my family.