Two Days in a Row! I'm on a Roll!

Yesterday, my mother in law took Noah and Baylee to see the new installment of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  Noah Loves the books and the movies as well.  The books are the only ones I don't have to force him to read.  And sometimes, I catch him reading this saga when he wasn't even asked to read.  A mother has got to love that.  DOAWK is about a 7th grader and the social drama that one goes through at school.  It amazes me that this interests him, but it does.  When they got home, he asked Baylee what her favorite part of the movie was.  Autistic children don't tend to ask questions that isn't about them directly, so this made me very happy. 

One of my favorite shows on TV is American Idol.  I love music and especially singing.  This season, there is a contestant that is on the autism spectrum.  He has asperger's syndrom which is the level above what Noah has been diagnosed.  He actually is my favorite but I think it may be because I have a soft spot in my heart for these people.  He is very talented and if he didn't tell the world that he had asperger's, I don't think I would have been able to tell.  Usually, I can spot someone on the spectrum a mile away. He is married and has a child.  This gives me tremendous hope.  I remember when Noah was first diagnosed, I read a very discouraging article about autism in a magazine.  I read that my son would never be able to hold a job, get married, or ever live independantly.  I think I have believed this prognosis just because of one author's opinion.  I do not know what the future holds for Noah, but with God's help, Alan and I will prepare him the best we can.

People with autism usually have heightened senses.  Hearing, touch, and taste are the ones that we deal with on a daily basis.  Noah does not like loud noises.  On one occasion, he nearly lost it when I accidently set off the smoke detectors in our home.  He is very sensitive with socks and shoes and really any clothes that don't feel quite right. 

Before we knew that he had autism, I just thought he was an extremely picky eater.  I couldn't get him to eat anything except for a few things.  I remember a few evenings I told him that he would sit at the table until he ate.  He stayed at the table for 3 hours before he was excused to bed.  His eating habits are not a battle that we fight anymore.  We talked to the pediatrician at Riley's and we were told as long as he is getting supplements and drinking milk, he would be fine.  He usually doesn't eat what we do for dinner but I now understand that his dislike for things isn't necessarily his fault.  He eats whole grains, milk, fruit, and proteins.  We need to work on getting some vegetables in ,but I think quite a few moms have that problem.   

Wow, I'm a Slacker

I haven't posted in quite some time.  I had writer's block for a while and lately, I just don't have enough hours in the day.  This morning the kids are still asleep and my man is at work so I thought I would update you all on the happenings in A Day in the Life of Autism. 

A big event is taking place tomorrow in the Hibshman household.  Nintendo is releasing their new hand held gaming system, the 3DS.  Noah has been counting down the days for at least the last 6 months.  He pre-ordered it last week and he will pick it up tomorrow.  He did wonder if he should play it, however, because tomorrow is the Lord's day and all.  He has been saving for this system for months.  He saved all of his birthday money and all of his allowance.  He even traded in his current hand held device because they gave him a $50 credit.  I think he is pretty proud that he is buying this himself, and I am proud too.  He doesn't have any money for games yet, but that will be the next thing for which he will save. 

In October of last year, Noah went to the doctor and he measured 5'.  We got out the tape measure the other day and he is now 5'6".  His voice has been getting lower by the day and if you look closely, you can see blond facial hair.  My 12 year old is becoming a man.  I'm not sure how I feel about this yet.  There are so many more things we need to teach him.  I feel like we are running out of time.

Speaking of teaching, last Monday was not a day I am proud of in my homeschooling adventure.  Noah's weakest subject is math and I am more than aware of that.  We were doing some problems that required him to use a skill that he learned a couple of months ago.  He couldn't remember how to do it and I really didn't handle it in the manner that I should have.  I got angry.  I realized that the reason for my anger(sin) was my pride(sin).  When Noah doesn't get something, I immediately turn it around on me and think that I am not doing my job as his teacher.  But instead of getting mad at myself, I get mad at him.  I was ashamed of myself and questioned my ability to homeschool.  The Lord used this situation to teach me how to love and encourage Noah.  I am not glad that it happened, but I am grateful that my Lord can use it to teach me. 

I am willing to homeschool Noah if that is the Lord's will for our family.  But I can only do it with His help.  I am not a teacher, not to mention a special education teacher.  Noah doesn't learn the way that most kids do.  He needs extra help.  But the problem I face is knowing how much extra help to give him.  My husband pointed out to me in the past that Noah is not the student that Baylee is.  It's okay if he doesn't get straight A's. 

We are praying that Noah may be able to go to Elkhart Christian Academy next year.  We have applied for financial aid and will need to depend on God for the rest.  But either way, whether he is in school or at home, with God's help, he will be fine.