Green Thumb Sunday

It's Green Thumb Sunday, hosted by Tricia at As the Garden Grows. If you'd like to participate, just click on the link to find out how.

I went out into the garden today to check and see how the tulips were doing. They are about 4 inches high. I didn't take a photo, because tulips without blooms aren't much to look at. I was trying to decide what to post for Green Thumb Sunday, as I don't have a lot of indoor plants and I've shown you most of them. Meeko and I took a walk and we saw some shrubs beginning to bud, but they weren't very exciting either.

Finally I decided that I would show you come photos of my flower garden from last year. I love my red Oriental poppies. They grow every year and already the leaves are covering a spot about a foot across. Last year they didn't do very well because we didn't have enough water. One year I had 31 blooms on them and since then they just haven't been the same. I guess they overdid themselves. I had only three blossoms last year, but I do love them.

The blooms on these flowers are always big. I'm hoping that it does better this year and am going to pick up some fertilizer for it. Does anyone know what kind of fertilizer that Oriental poppies like?

The next photo is of my light pink peony. I have 3 peony bushes and the two that are in the same garden need to be separated, I believe. They have spread so much the leaves of the plants are touching each other.

I also have a hot pink and a dark red peony. Every year they bloom profusely and I love the fragrance. I would bring them into the house, but hubby is allergic to a lot of flower fragrances. They make a wonderful showing in the garden though.

After all the rain we got yesterday, it was a bright and sunny day here today, although the breeze definitely still had a bite to it. For some reason I was bored to death. Nothing appealed to me. I think it is because I've been having trouble sleeping lately. On Friday night I was just falling asleep and I heard a noise that woke me. After that, it was hopeless. I was still awake at 3:30 AM but must have finally went to sleep shortly thereafter. The night before that it was 3 AM. So today was a day of restlessness. I would have liked to have taken a nap, but knew if I did I wouldn't sleep tonight. But here it is just after midnight and I'm wide awake. I am going to go to bed though and hopefully once I relax the Sandman will come to visit.

Take care and have a wonderful Sunday. ~Blessings, Mary~

I received an email today from a lady who was directed to my blog by a friend. It seems this lady has a granddaughter who was just recently diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. She explained to me that after reading yesterday's post that she understood a little more about why her granddaughter "acts out."

Remember that each autistic child is different. We cannot just say, "the child has autism" and lump all of those kids into the same group and expect them to react the same way to different circumstances. As with all other children, each autistic child has his/her own personality. Many children that suffer from autism are highly intelligent. It seems that their brains work overtime, yet they don't understand how to communicate what they are thinking. They have a hard time making friends because they don't understand the rules of socializing. Some may be shy, while others are aggressive.

The autism spectrum includes a wide variety of disorders. Some children are "high functioning autistic," as Brandon is. Others are at the low end of the spectrum.


Above is a diagram of the autism spectrum. From what I understand from the research I've done, is that children at the severe end of the spectrum are very easy to identify. Then we come to midsection where autistic traits are more varied. This includes PDD -NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified.) The less severe or high functioning end of the spectrum, which includes Asperger's Syndrome has the largest number of shapes because of the variation in presentation. This is also the end of the spectrum that has the highest density of population that is affected. The area to the extreme right shows where people on the autism spectrum blend into the general population. Since the autism spectrum is so varied, it is impossible to say that a person who has been diagnosed as autistic will have a particular trait or even that he cannot possess other traits.

When Brandon belonged to the bowling league, there was a girl on his team that had Asperger's Syndrome. Yet the difference between her and Brandon was like day and night. She didn't have the meltdowns like Brandon experienced, but she did have the large head. She possessed much different traits than he did. So every individual case of Asperger's Syndrome or autism, for that matter, can be very different.

It is important for us to teach children that are high functioning autistic all of the things that they will need to know to make it on their own in the world. At one time Brandon had no concept of facial expressions or body language. He wouldn't look you directly in the eye. The Vice Principal that I spoke of the other day made him look her in the eye when she talked to him. She encouraged us to do the same. Today we sometimes still have to remind Brandon to look us in the eye when we are talking to him. However, he has made great progress.

My daughter, Michelle, and I played games with Brandon to learn him about facial expressions. We would exaggerate a face, say a smile, and ask him what it meant. We would exaggerate frowns, glares, make sad faces and knit our eyebrows. Then we would ask him what he thought that particular face meant. I would place my hands on my hips and give him a "look." He was eager to learn and today he does understand most body language.

There has been a recent study done and the results are astounding. While there may never be a cure for autism, researchers are working diligently to try to identify why it is becoming more prevelant in today's society. Post mortems of people who suffered from autism have certainly helped and now five genes have been identified as being contributing factors in some cases. To read more, please follow the link to The Brain & Autism. There is also a diagram posted on the site that will give you a better idea of how the brain is affected when autism is present.

Mary asked me today if I knew where she could buy an autism ribbon. There are items for sale that promotes autism awareness.

CafePress - Look near the top of the screen and you will see a search engine. Set it to "all departments" and then type in the word "autism." There are t-shirts, mugs, bumper stickers, sweatshirts, magnets and so much more for sale here. Be sure to click on "more products" under the items and explore the site thoroughly. Brandon's teacher that he had last year in grade six and has again this year for grade seven loved his "I Teach Someone with Autism and I Learn from Him Everyday," coffee mug. Mr. M is a great teacher for Brandon and we have been truly blessed.

I saw a t-shirt there that I told my hubby I just have to get. It says, "I asked God for a blessing and He gave me my autistic grandson." Truer words have never been spoken. When I get it, which won't be for a while, I will post a photo.

Have a great Saturday and remember not to judge those who are different. After all, wouldn't the world be a boring place if we were all the same? ~Blessings, Mary~

Show & Tell Friday and More about Brandon's Autism

It's time for Show and Tell Friday. If you would like to participate, drop over to Kelli's at There's No Place Like Home.

I'm not sure if I've ever told you that I love roosters - not live ones so much but I love rooster collectibles. One day last summer I was at the dollar store and saw this beautiful rooster. It was the last one and I really wanted it. I looked at it for several minutes, knowing that this guy would look GREAT sitting on my side porch railing and then sat it back on the shelf. The owner of the dollar store saw me do this and offered me the garden ornament for less than half price. That was exactly the price I could afford and the rooster had a new home.

Last fall, I asked hubby to put this guy in the basement. I thought he had done so, but when I went looking for him this year, I couldn't find him. Hubby says he never put him in the basement. Well, I can bet your bottom dollar that he is down there, but since we have to go outside to get to the basement, I haven't been down there all winter. One day over the weekend I will take a look and I bet I find him. If not, he has found a home at someone else's house.

I want to tell you a bit more about Brandon's autism. Have you ever been in a store and saw a child throw a gigantic temper tantrum. I have, and before Brandon was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, I always thought, "If I was that child's mother..."

When Brandon was about just a baby, he began throwing what we thought was temper tantrums. Sometimes it would seem that it was over nothing. We couldn't figure out why he was doing this. Once he was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, we knew that he wasn't throwing a temper tantrum, but was "melting down."

The first time I ever saw Brandon doing this, Grandpa and I were taking him out. He was about 7 months old. He was in his car seat in the back and he began screaming. I talked to him and tried to get him to stop, but it only got worse. Finally, I told my husband to stop on the side of the road so I could figure out what was wrong. I opened the back door - it was a hot summer day - and Brandon was soaking wet because of the heat and of course because he was screaming. I checked his clothes to see if something was picking or biting him. Nothing. I was bewildered. Finally I took off his shoes and socks, thinking that maybe his shoes were pinching him. Immediately he stopped crying. I thought this was odd, but though possibly it was the shoes.

Over time, we came to realize that when Brandon screamed like this that he was too hot. Though he seldom has a meltdown anymore, if Brandon gets too hot, he is always in a bad mood. For years he didn't know how to communicate his feelings. A simple, "I'm too hot" never came out of his mouth. He just acted out. It took us a long time to figure out why he acted like this.

When Brandon was about eight or nine, I was watching the boys one day after school. Brandon had been "acting out" for a few days. Michelle and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. It was a guessing game and a little like mind reading. When Brandon started acting out this particular day, my patience grew a little thin. (Yes, I am human.) I said, "Brandon, you have to tell me what is wrong." I was very frustrated and my voice very stern. He answered, "This hair! It's driving me crazy," and he pulled at his hair.

Because Brandon has a problem with heat, Michelle has his hair buzzed in an attempt to keep him cool. When Michelle came home, I told her what had happened and the next morning she took him and had his hair cut in a brush cut. That was the end of the acting out. His hair was literally driving him crazy, just as he said. Today when his hair gets too long, which can be only an inch on top of his head, he asks us to take him for a hair cut. He is now communicating his feelings.

It has been difficult to always know just why Brandon was "acting out." I have many more stories to tell, but they are for another day. So the next time you see a child throwing a temper tantrum in a public place, don't be too quick to judge. Yes, it may be an old fashioned temper tantrum, or it might be a sign that this child has a problem communicating his feelings and is "acting out."

Be sure to stop by Mary's Vintage Flea Market to find out what treasures I have up for sale this week and be sure to visit the other Friday Flea Market participants.

Have wonderful weekend and take a moment to do a random act of kindness. Sometimes all it takes is a smile to brighten someone's day. ~Blessings, Mary~

Blessed with Babies

Our family is growing. We are being blessed with babies. Let me show you the beautiful babies that God has blessed our family with.

These boys are my great-nephews, Dakota and Jackson. These are my brother's grandchildren. I haven't seen the boys yet because at Easter they were moving here from up north - a five hour drive. Notice the yawn.
Here they are fast asleep. Aren't they adorable? I love babies and just sent my nephew an email telling him I just HAVE to see the boys. They were born on December 19th, just in time for Christmas. Of course they've just moved down here so I'm waiting to go to see them until the family is settled.

This is Evan. He is also my great-nephew and my brother's grandson. I haven't seen Evan yet either. Mom's been very tired and so I haven't bothered her.
Doesn't he look so content here? Evan was born on February 28th. He just missed being a leap year baby.
And Griffyn is growing like a weed. He is an adorable little boy. He laughs and chortles with glee. He is discovering the world.
Here he is driving a car at the laundromat. Looks to me like he might be a race car driver one day.
And look at this. He's laughing out loud. Griffyn was born on June 28, 2007. Mom is expecting another baby in August. Griffyn is either really happy or really sad. There doesn't seem to be any in-between. Usually he is in a good mood.

Griffyn was tested to see how he was performing for his age level. He is nine months old and he is at a one-year level. Here he is climbing the stairs. He is a going concern. He knows that he isn't to go up the stairs, but that is what he likes to do. He has just discovered he can do it and wants to do it whether it's against the rules or not.

Here he's looking right at Mom as if to say, "I can do it!" Dad is behind him in case he falls and Mom has the camera. Melissa, his mother has a good sense of humor. I fear she is going to need it when the new baby comes.

I was presented with the award above by Greatful Living and also by Storyteller at Small Reflections. I was very honored to get it from two ladies on the same day. Thank you both. You made my day much brighter.

Above is the autism awareness ribbon. I have posted about autism the last two days because this is Autism Awareness Month.

Yesterday I mentioned that we believed Brandon's autism was connected to his one-year vaccination. Let me add to that. We did notice that Brandon started stimming (a term that I learned from another blogger today.) after his vaccination. He would cry and flap his hands wildly. By the time he was two, he had a little dance that we thought was cute. When he became excited he would do a dance, flap his arms and hands and then bring one knee up and his elbow down - kind of like the dance that is done after a touchdown in football. Later we learned that this was a sign of autism.

I don't want to mislead anyone. We do know that in order for the autism to appear, Brandon had to have the gene. Another sign of autism is a larger than normal head. When Brandon was born, he had a very large head. My daughter did have a natural birth, but Brandon's head was very mishapen when he was born. Today, at almost thirteen years old, his head is as large as an adult's.

While doing a little research today I happened upon an article about research that was done at the University of Western Ontario. Apparently researchers have found a gut-brain connection to autism. To read the article, go HERE.

I will be writing more about autism this month. It is a subject near and dear to my heart. The general population needs to be educated on the subject of autism so they can better understand the disorder.

If you would like to visit other blogs that are posting in recognition of Austism Awareness Month, please follow the links below.

Raven at Views from the Raven's Nest
Linda at These are the Days
Dianne at Forks Off the Moment
Casdock at Mother of Shrek

By visiting all of these sites and reading the posts, you will become more understanding of what autism means to those living with it and to their families.