Walk for Autism Now 2010 was a success!!!!!

I am so proud of my team! We almost reached our goal of raising $1000 and to me we more than did our part to raise awareness! This was without any support from local businesses so a HUGE thank you to our familiy and friends that reached out to support us! I went to local businesses, but some had already made donations, others just said no. We did a great job anyway!

It was fun to walk with friends even though the ones with kids couldn't make it the whole 3 miles,but one mile was still a trek for those guys! Tyler made it all three miles although I can't say he was too happy about it. Zach, Cody and Ryan took in the entertainment and then met up with us to walk the last mile. Cody ran almost the entire lap! My friend Jen's little boy was just diagnosed with asperghers and as we talked and walked it made me see even more how far Cody has come. I completely understand where she is at right now and I have thought a lot about how good friends and family were so important in those first few months. We are very fortunate to have caught Cody very early. Asperghers is usually not seen as young and time is really of the essence. I don't claim to be an expert, but recently I have been asked by three different families for help. It is also nice to have someone to talk to that understands. Leaving Germany meant leaving behind the only people that knew the ups and downs and struggles of daily life. Now I am gaining a new circle of friends that I can identify with and we can talk and share our feelings to deal with it better.

The pictures above are from my designated photographer. I almost dind't even get a team photo since Zach took off with Cody to get snacks! The others on the team got photos as well so will send them to me. It was a great day, a great three miles and I can't wait to do it all again next year. I learned one valuable lesson. Spend the money for T-shirts to be made! I did have fun making the shirts, but it was stressful!

Congratulations Tyler!

Report cards came home this past week and we are so proud of Tyler! Last quarter he had all A's and a B. This time he told me his goal was to have all A's. I was a little taken back because I didn't think he really watched his grades or cared. Well he did have a hidden agenda......he asked if he could get the play station in his room if he earned all A's. Zach and I talked and decided that was reasonable. So Tyler watched his grades on the internet and when the report card came home he was so excited to see all A's. His teacher said he would like for Tyler to set a goal of high honor roll this quarter which is 93% or higher in everything and I think he can do it. He only has two subjects that are below 93%. We were also very impressed by the teacher comments.

His teachers said "Congratualtions Tyler on making the Honor Roll a second time in a row. You can be proud that Tyler places such a high value on personal integrity. He is very concerned about what is right and expects the same from others. Tyler is a wonderful model for the whole class."

I often feel like I am not getting anywhere with the kids so this tells me that maybe I am doing something right. I hope he continues to care about his grades this way so he can be keep being successful.

Tyler's Aquarium field trip

The 5th graders went to the aquarium in Camden this past week and Tyler took a lot of pictures! The battleship New Jersey is right down the water and Philadelphia is across the water. They got to touch sting rays, sharks, and jellyfish. I think he said his favorite parts were the sharks becuase at one point they are swimming above you and he like Penguin Island. I wish I could have gone as a chaperone, but they only allowed two parents and Thursdays are really bad days with Cody's therapies. He still had tons of fun!

Fishing Easter Weekend

This is a recap since I just now found the pictures on the memory card. While I took Cody to the doctor which ended up at the hospital, Zach was fishing with Tyler and Ryan. I believe the count for the day was 9 for Tyler, 8 for Ryan and 4 for Zach. Zach says he was so busy helping worm the hooks and cast lines that he didn't get to catch as many. I guess since I wasn't there I can't argue that response!

Spring is here!!!

We have had some really nice weather so what better way to soak up the sun then work outside! The seed in the backyard is coming in nicely except where the dog runs by the fence to socialize with the neighbor dogs. I am thinking decorative pavers or something at this point! I have also been anxous to work on the front porch. It is hard when everyone has the same look, but I did find some nice things to dress it up and make it more my own.


I started with the plant stand which I got on clearance! Can't beat that! I picked out some pots and flowers then realized it looked so small and lonely.


Zach and I were out seaching for trailers and stopped by a tractor supply store where they had this cute wooden wheel barrow. I thought that would different compared to what the rest of the neighborhood has. I have flowers in it now and I think it looks pretty good.

We have been wanting a nice swing, but with limited space and the porch covered it didn't make sense to get the big canapy ones. I saw a wooden glider bench at Lowes, but it was almost $200 and it just didn't seem worth that. Low and behold the BX came through and had this nice glider seat for a good price. So now I have to work on getting my roses to bloom. Of course having a neighbor kid step on them doesn't help! We probably won't ever win yard of the month, but I am happy with the transformation.

Never a dull moment!

Spring break has not gotten off to a good start so far. Friday the kids were out of school and Zach had his regular day off so we ran errands, worked in the yard and enjoyed the sunshine. Well not Cody. His cough was not getting any better so he layed around on the couch most of the day. Zach also got called in for a safety briefing in the afternoon. As I was grocery shopping I ran into someone from church and asked if she knew about an after hours clinich. She told me all about it so I decided to take Cody in to see if they could give me something stronger for his cough. Our plan all along was to do easter on Saturday since Zach works Sundays. He also wanted to go fishing on Fort Dix. So the plan was for Zach to take Tyler and Ryan fishing while I took Cody into the clinic first thing that morning. We would meet them at the lake hopefully with some meds that would help Cody feel better and maybe fish a little.

At the clinic they took a chest x-ray and informed me that Cody had pneumonia. I was shocked since I just thought he had a bad cough! I was then told to take him to the nearest ER which was about 5 minutes away. Unfortunately they do not have a pediactric unit becuase it is a heart and lung hospital. I asked why I couldn't take him to a different one and he said I had to go to the closest first and then they would transport him by ambulance to the hospital that had care for him. So the chaos began!

I stopped by the lake and let Zach know what was going on. He doesn't have a cell phone and after this I sure wish he did! I took Cody to Deborah and they got us right in. I had the chest xray so they knew right off they couldn't keep him. They set up transport and went ahead with blood work so it would speed things up at the next hospital. The transport too much longer than anticpated and I asked if I could just take him myself. The doctor said because he has a history of seizures they couldn't allow that. His oxygen levels were too low so if his airways closed up completely then we would have bigger issues.

Finally we were put in an ambulance and taken to Virtua Memorial about 30 minutes away. They were the closest with a peds unit. Once there the new doctors and nurses picked up where the others left off. The doctor said we would have to stay at least one night, maybe two because Cody's oxygen was too low. They started breathing treatments and Zach came out with the other boys. I went home to grab clothes and have my neighbor take me to get the van at the other hospital. By the time I got back Cody was settled in a room upstairs and doing a little better. Zach had to work Sunday so I had talked to our neighbor about keeping an eye on the other boys for me. We were hoping work would hear the situation then send Zach home, but that was not the case.

Saturday night Cody had breathing treatments every two hours and had to stay on oxygen. The goal was Sunday to get him off the oxygen and then that night see how he did sleeping. If he passed then they would send us home Monday. Again Zach had to work so luckily the same person from church who gave me the after hours clinic offered to take the boys for the day. Monday we were discharged after getting a nebulizer machine. One doctor thinks Cody might have asthma, but with no prior history and no family history we don't know for sure. He said some people only have seasonal asthma and this is a prime time of year. So we had to wait on the nebulizer machine in case we have more problems. I am doing breathing treatments this week since that left lung is not clearing, but after that it will be as needed.

The doctors and nurses were all great and made the stay more pleasant. The easter bunny left a basket for Cody Sunday morning. He didn't care about it until Sunday night when he finally perked up and wanted to be up more. He was able to play in the playroom which included a Wii! That was perfect for him and it was good for him to be up and around. Now I am working on recovering from being gone! Zach wasn't able to clean or anything since he works long days. He also isn't used to thinking about things like laundry so the load I had put on Saturday morning was still in the washer. I did think to ask him to run the dishwasher on Sunday for me. We have two more days of spring break so I will get everything caught up before working Thurs and Fri.

We hope everyone had a great Easter!

Autism Awareness!

Many if not all know that Autism is apart of our daily lives. It's not something I set out to learn all about or ever thought I would know so much about, but I do now! Many would never know Cody has Autism unless something is said. This is the reason I am starting a team for the Walk for Autism the end of May! Becuase of the wonderful people and services we had from the very beginning, Cody is a whole new kid today. I can't say things are normal or pefect, but he is a completely different kid!




It is hard for people to understand that didn't know us when Cody was 15 months old and screaming all day. To see him now you would never know he lined up every shoe or hot wheel car down the hallway. The days of drinking only milk from the same blue and green color combo playtex sippy cup are gone. And the once common "Cody guessing game" is now played very rarely thanks to his improving vocabulary and speech! He now sleeps in a bed, not the couch, and I can even tuck him in fully awake (as long as Tyler and Ryan are in bed as well becuase he doesn't like to be alone), say goodnight and there is no more screaming or me having to sit by his bed for an hour while he falls asleep. Dinners are still not pleasant so don't be offended if we don't invite you over, but at least he is eating more than Ritz crackers. We can go out in public and ignore the stares and whispers of strangers when Cody is throwing his unpredictable fits. Outings have gotten much better and I judge this by the fact I can go to the commisary and not have someone bribe him with a sucker or quarter to be quiet or have someone advise me that shopping is best left for AFTER nap time. He still has his struggles and prefers mom to do EVERYTHING, but I couldn't be more pleased with the progress he's made.

Not every family has this experience or even knows where to start. Not every parent can accept that thier child is a little different and will get services provided they give him the label of "Autism". There are many that feel Autism is not real and it's just an excuse for bad parenting. No child chooses to have Autism, but EVERY child wants a chance to be successful in life!

Help me support Autism awareness!