VBS was this last week.  We went to an evening one, which wreaked havoc on Jerry by the end of the week, as we did not get home until about 9:15 most nights....an hour or so past his bedtime.  But he had an awesome time learning how God cares for us, is all powerful, does what He says He'll do, gives us life, and cares for us.  He sang and did the hand motions to the songs, LOVED craft time the best, and paid attention to each Bible story reinactment.  I enjoyed it too as I went with him to each class every night to ensure his enjoyment and participation.  Here are some pics.

Miss Erin told Jeremiah today that he was an astronaut in training and gave us some exercises to practice at home.  His brothers and sister are excited to help him "train".

I am quickly finding that the possibilities are truly endless.  But this usage is very exciting.  I'm really trying to manage Jerry's behavior, both good and bad and I think I have found a system that finally works.  First, I bought this chart at a local teacher supply store and had it laminated.  The bees and beehive around it work because it is Jerry's "beeeehavior" chart!  Yeah, I know....work with me people!

Then I put strips of Velcro down the chart and went to Mrs. Riley to get card-making.  I started with cards like, "No Whining.", No Hitting.", No Laughing at People.".  I was soon overwhelmed by how negative these cards sounded and so changed them to "I didn't whine!", "I didn't hit!", "I didn't laugh at anyone!".  I made a swarm of others too.  Here are just a few:

"I waited patiently!"

"I did my chores!"

"I put my shoes on!"

"I ate all my food!"

"I shared!"

"I did well at OT!"

Lucette graciously printed the cards for me again (and cut them out, laminated them, and cut them out again....because she ROCKS) and then we got together last night for some much needed girl/friend time and Velcro's our little hearts out.

I put all of the cards on the board and, as Jeremiah misbehaves, we go to the board and pull off the card that represents how he disobeyed the rules.  After two hours, if he has a certain number of cards left on the board, we clap and shout, and praise him.  Then he gets to pick one thing that he wants to do right then with mommy.  We can read a book together, swing together, play with Moon Sand, color, blow bubbles, etc...  And of course, as you remember from my previous post about the picture cards, I have all of these activities in pictures and on a felt board as well for him to choose from.

LOVING IT!!  We're keeping it to two-hour intervals and replace the cards that got removed each time for a "fresh start" because to expect my less-than-patient son to make it through a whole day for his reward time with mom would be simply impossible...and unfair of me to ask of him.

Well, we finally got the call to start OT!  Though Jerry was recommended for three hours a week, they only have openings for two of those hours right now.  But we'll take what we can get.  He goes on Tuesdays from 1 - 2 p.m. and on Thursdays from 11 a.m. until 12 p.m.

Today was our first appointment and Jerry was a little apprehensive when Miss Erin came to get him.  He remembered Miss Sarah from his evaluation.  Miss Erin let me and Ben and Jonathan go into the therapy room with him and watch and that made him feel more comfortable.  Of course, it wasn't but a few minutes of seeing all of the cool swings and cabinets full of games and puzzles and Jeremiah was as happy as could be to kick his shoes off and settle in with Miss Erin. 

First, they made a list of things Jerry wanted to do and then down to therapy (though I'm certain Jerry thought of this as some sort of awesome playdate).  Swinging was first on the list of course, as Jerry would rather do nothing all day than swing.  He chose the platform swing.

He loved this as Miss Erin spun him in circles until he was dizzy and swung him back and forth.  Holding on tight and sitting "criss-cross applesauce", he had no clue that he was actually exercising his upper muscles.

Next he and Miss Erin put together a Transformers puzzle and then they played Ants in the Pants, which he loved and giggled through.  He worked his pointer finger and thumb thumping the ants into the dog's overall pants.  He didn't even get frustrated when he missed!  He just kept thumping away until he got all of his ants in the pants.  Ok, he did cheat on a few and just throw them in!

Next Miss Erin let Ben and Jonathan play a game of Kerplunk with them.  After painstakingly inserting sticks through holes on two sides of a plastic cup, the object is to pull the sticks out one at a time without letting any of the marbles on top of the sticks fall through to the bottom of the cup.  Jerry lost, big time, as he had more marbles than anyone else!  But he didn't seem to care.  And once again, he didn't even notice he was exercising his pinching fingers to insert and pull out the sticks.

With time left to spare and everything crossed off their list of things to do, Miss Erin let Jeremiah swing again and this time he picked the moon swing.  He had to cross his arms and legs to hold onto the swing and this became his favorite activity of all.  He would slip off and land on the foam mat below and just giggle, get back on, and do it again.

So overall, I think OT will be viewed as a fun therapy and not so much a laborious one like speech often is for Jerry.  He already can't wait to go back on Thursday.  I am hoping this isn't some sort of honeymoon period of course and that he won't, after time, resist working with Miss Erin.  I do think it helps that this is one-on-one, unlike the speech.  I did have to fill out a behavioral management form for him today and describe what things Jerry struggles with and what behavior management techniques he best responds to.  This was difficult as, with Jerry, what works can change from day to day!

Other than that, I learned something today as well....always make sure Jerry has clean socks on!

By the way, here are Jerry's OT recommendations and goals, both short and long-term:

Long time since my last post, but so much has happened!  Whew, where to start?!  We finally closed on our house and moved...after a 22-hour marathon painting party and lots of help from good friends.  If for no other reason than to not want the interruption in Jerry's routine, I'll be glad to never move again!  The late hours, being shuffled to friends willing to babysit, and lack of routine did a real number on the little guy and he's just now starting to settle back down.  Of course, his dad left on a missions trip to Honduras today for a week and took two of his sibling with him.  So much for normalcy, huh?!

Amidst it all, Louis has taken the brunt of Jeremiah's "affections", but he's been a good sport about it.

We've also taken the plunge and stopped procrastinating Jerry's occupational therapy needs.  We weren't really procrastinating since we didn't have insurance that would cover OT for so long, but now with his Medicaid, we truly have no excuses.  I took him for his initial evaluation at All Children's Hospital and was amazed to learn that some of the "habits" Jerry has are really classic upper body weakness and OT need signs.  Great mom, huh?  He "w" sits, rests his head in his hands whenever he's sitting at the table, can stretch his arms all the way around himself, and has chicken wings for shoulder blades.

The suggested treatment?  Drumroll please.......THREE hours a week of OT for the next six months, at which time he will be re-evaluated!  Uuugghhhh!  Add that to the 90 minutes of speech therapy a week and there goes our schedule, right out the window!  Actually, speech just ended for the school year, but he has an eval. for SLP at All Children's on June 26th so that he can continue therapy over the summer.  Every year, he makes leaps and bounds progress in speech at school, only for summer to come and wipe it all away with three months of "off" time.  I'm praying ACH can combine Jerry's OT and SLP into a few days a week and we won't have to return to the elementary school in the fall.  We'll see.

We're on the waiting list for an OT opening and, until then, we bought this cool stool from IKEA for Jerry to sit on while watching TV, playing, eating, etc...  It makes him use his upper body muscles to sit up and prevents the "w" sitting.

Oh I am so excited to blog this entry, you have no idea!!  My good friend Lucette, who I met before either of our sons were diagnosed (God is so good), has shared a resource with me that I believe is going to change attitudes and outlooks in our home forever!  Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating just a bit, but I am so psyched about this new discovery.

Lucette's son has autism and, like Jeremiah, he is visual and also does not take to changes in his routine very well.  That's probably putting it mildly!  Lucette discovered a site called Mrs. Riley (http://mrsriley.com/introduction) and armed with just her handy dandy laminator, some paper, laminating pockets, Velcro, and foamboard, she has created a visual world for her little guy AJ that he just LOVES!  And I was blessed enough to spend some time picking her brain and have her share her resources with me to get Jeremiah started on these wonderful picture cards as well.

Ok, so what am I talking about?  Well, here's the breakdown.  On a cut rectangle of foamboard, you add a strip of Velcro and you have a schedule board.  Then on Mrs. Riley, you search for, personalize, and print out picture cards to go with every possible schedule scenario in your child's day.  For example, I have cards that have pictures of a dentist, eating dinner, visiting grandma, speech therapy, going to the park, taking medicine, getting dressed, taking a bath, brushing teeth, going to bed, and more.  The pictures were printed, cut out, laminated, cut out again, and afixed with a piece of Velcro to their backs so that they will stick to the schedule strip of foamboard.  Here's a picture of one:

I make two of these up a day.  One is from wake-up until lunch and the other from after lunch until bedtime.  They are AWESOME.  They take only a few minutes to put together the night before and then Jeremiah knows exactly what to expect (barring unforseen circumstances) the next day.  We store the cards in a recycled wipes container and, as Jeremiah completes each day's task, he pulls the card off of the schedule strip and put it into another wipes container.

Lucette also gave me a piece of  particle board and some felt and I covered the board with the felt and there we keep picture cards of  feelings and emotions.  Sometimes, when Jeremiah is in full meltdown mode, he can't verbalize how he's feeling.  He just grunts and cries and hollars.  Now I can take him to this board and ask him to show me what he's feeling or why he's crying.  It's also great because Jerry often cannot verbalize when something is hurting him, like his head or stomach.  Picture cues help.

I also made a board to use with fun activitiy picture cards for Jerry.  I can use it to give him fun and safe play options and, the best part is, he gets to CHOOSE what he wants to do next.

One of my favorite strips we made is a step-by-step how-to for Jerry on teeth brushing.  There are too many steps for him to remember them all and so now he has a visual aid to help him!  We just keep it propped up behind the sink in the bathroom.

Then Lucette laminated a piece of cardstock with the words "First" and "Then" in columns at the top.  She folded it so that it sits like a tent.  Now I can SHOW Jeremiah, "If you clean up your toys first, then you can go outside and blow bubbles."  I'm really praying this will help with his extremely low patience level!  It's a great way to show rewards for behavior too.  For example, "If you don't hit your friends at the park today, then we will go for a Slurpee afterwards."  Yes, there are even pictures of Slurpees on Mrs. Riley!  And if there weren't, you can upload your own photos to make your own personalized picture cards!

Now you know this infectious new obsession has to spread to everyone in the family and that's where our new chore chart comes in.  Each child's name is at the top of a sheet of foamboard.  Under their names is a strip of Velcro.  On each strip, I place their daily chores on picture cards.  As they complete each task, they remove the card and put it in the Ziploc baggie Velcro'd to the bottom of the board.

Yes, Lucette has created a monster!  If people thought I was dangerous with my labeler, then just wait until they get ahold of me with my laminator and laminating sheets....my only request for Mother's Day!

Ok, I'm done sounding like the guy on the Oxy Clean infomercials!  Did you hear me screaming at you and pounding my fist on the table?!  Is this idea revolutionary or what?  Probably or what!  Many of you may already know about these wonderful little aids and resources, but I just caught on and had to share.  Thanks, Lucette and AJ!!

Never a dull moment here!  Jeremiah pinched his finger in the bathroom door this morning and, when I couldn't get him to straighten it out after an icepack, we were off to the walk-in clinic.  It's not broken, but pretty gross nonetheless.  It's chewed up and bruised and his nail will definitely fall off at some point.  They gobbed it up with antibiotic ointment and put it in a splint.  Jerry was all smiles when he discovered the splint was metal, thus making him "just like Iron Man".  Whatever works, right?!  He was tickled to get to take his x-ray home too.

Anyway, new prayers are that it'll be much improved before his occupational therapy evaluation on Friday.  It took a long time to find someone who took our insurance and then get the appointment.  His issue is with fine motor (his hands) and of course it's a finger on his left hand (the one he writes with) that he smashed.  Here are some before and after pics.

With school with the older kids slowly winding down, we've had more time for fun projects like this castle we built from an extra moving box and some file folders.  Jerry has been lining up his Lego guys, army guys, and superhero friends inside for a royal showdown.  The site has a farm, a village, a town, and a castle to choose from and the downloads are all free.  We had already built their farm.  Here's the link if you're brave, have some hours to spare, and an empty box to transform.  http://www.yourchildlearns.com/castle.htm

Today was the walk and our second year participating.  As a team, we raised right about $400.  Not record-breaking, but every penny counts.  Our team was 23 strong this year and our Journeying for Jeremiah t-shirts were a nice addition to our group.  This year, in addition to Jeffrey from Toys 'R Us, the Star Wars cast came out in "full force" and boy was Jeremiah excited.  He was also fascinated with an Elvis impersonator who gave him his business card!  Go figure!  It really made his day.  After our two-mile trek, we enjoyed some treats, games, fellowship with friends, and the excellent weather.  Here are some pics of the day.

Just a quick update.  Jerry saw Dr. Rodgers, the neurologist, for the first time as an outpatient today and it went really well.  I think she has the best bedside manner of any doctor I've ever met.  She is down to earth, very informative, doesn't rush you out, and speaks so sweetly to the kids.  Jerry gave her a thumbs up for three reasons.  There are no shots or "owie's" at her office, she has rooms full of toys and books, and she let Jeremiah keep a copy of "Captain Bio Encounters A Brainstorm".  Jerry loves comic books for their graphics and colorful superhero friends and this one is all about how Captain Bio and his sidekick Surge help get a young boy's brain back on track after a seizure.  Very cool!  Best of all, Dr. Rodgers made Jerry's medication refills electronic at our drugstore so that we don't have to call them in or deliver paper scripts to be filled anymore.  We go back in June for another follow-up.

Just wanted to share a few of those moments that a mom treasures in her heart.  At the hospital with Jeremiah last weekend, he accidentally wet his underpants, which was not a good thing, as we didn't have a spare pair and he was wearing only them and a backless hospital gown.  He had trouble making it to the bathrrom with all of the IV fluids they were giving him.  And of course it didn't help that we had to slowly tote the whole IV pole with us when he had to go.  Benjamin didn't hesitate or wait to be asked.  He went into the bathroom, took his own underwear off, put his shorts back on, and gave Jerry his underwear to put on.  I thought that was so sweet.  That's truly being your brother's keeper!

Then , when we got home from the hospital and after dinner, Jonathan (on his own), got Jerry's bath ready, undressed him, completely bathed him, including getting all of the EEG glue out of his hair, and then dressed him in his pajamas.  It was so precious to hear him in there talking to Jerry while he gently rubbed the yuck out of his hair and washed him down.  And it was such an appreciated gesture, as I was exhausted!

Mind you, today they are arguing and back to getting on each other's nerves as only siblings can do, but the glimpse of compassion I saw the boys have with Jerry this last weekend was encouraging.  I've been told by other parents of ASD kids that God will use those diagnoses to cultivate compassion and patience in their siblings.  Still, I'm thankful to witness it.

We were at a party (Tastefully Simple) last night at my friend Lynn's house when Jerry gave us quite a scare.  He was in watching Jonathan (his brother) and Dustin (Jo's friend) play a video game when he looked at Dusty and said, "I can't see Dusty!"  At that he started to lean over and his eyes just closed.  Dustin caught him as he was about to fall off the bed and Dustin and Jonathan tried to get Jerry's attention, but to no avail. 

Dustin opened the bedroom door and said, "Miss Tara, there's something wrong with Jerry."  John went in and got him and brought him out into the living room.  He put Jerry in my lap and we tried to get his attention, but he was unresponsive.  His mouth was shut so tight, his lips were turning blue and he was as white as a sheet.  His eyes rolled back so you could barely see any color, just the whites.  He didn't move either.  Lynn called 9-1-1 and within minutes, the ambulance and fire rescue were there.  They stuck his finger to test his blood sugar and took his blood pressure.  As Jerry came around, after five minutes or so (that felt like fifteen), he became very clammy, disoriented, and even more pale.  It was suggested that we take Jerry to the hospital and so I rode with him in the ambulance and John followed close behind.

Once we got to the emergency room, Jerry was very lethargic, still pale, and began with some dry heaves.  After triage, they started an IV and he soon fell asleep.  They did a complete blood work-up, a CAT Scan, and an EKG, all of which were normal.  His potassium was a tad low, but they said that's common after an "episode".  Because he didn't regain his color or his energy within a normal amount of time, he was admitted to the hospital.  John went home around 12:30 a.m. so that one of us would be well-rested for the other three kids the next day and I crawled onto the stretcher with Jerry for a nap.  We finally got into a room about 2:30 a.m.

It was a restless night to say the least with the blood pressure cuff activating every half hour or so, the lights and intercom out in the hallway, and the occasional nurse coming in for temperature and blood pressure.  At 8 a.m., an EEG technician came in to begin the process of getting a brain wave reading.  Here are some good before and after pics.  As you can see, he handled it well for the most part.  We joked that he looked like E.T. and that made him smile.

The torture of this procedure was that Jerry was hungry, unmedicated, and required to close his eyes and remain totally still for nearly an hour, during which time they brought his breakfast tray in for him to smell.  Needless to say, his smile was gone and he was quite agitated with the very friendly EEG technician by the end of that hour.  Scrubbing the glue and red pencil marks off his head afterwards really put him over the top!

John and the kids joined us soon therafter however and smiles were back.  John then left with Michaela because they had tickets to see Third Day at the Strawberry Festival and Aunt Wendy joined us for the remainder of the afternoon as we awaited the neurologist's reading of the EEG.

Diagnosis.....Rolandic Epilepsy.  There were spikes in the waves at the front of his brain that indicated this.  It is more common in boys than girls, comes on in early childhood, and the majority of sufferers have no further signs of it after five or six years.  Until then, no swimming, bike riding, etc... unsupervised and no tree climbing or other daredevil boy activity that could result in serious injury if he had a seizure in the midst of it.  We have a new prescription for Trileptal that he'll need to add to his medicine regime twice a day and also a prescription for suppositories should we catch him in the middle of another seizure.

So why the "For the Joy Set Before Me" title to this entry?  Our Pastor's wife (affectionately known as Momma D) called me with Hebrews 12:2 this morning.  It says, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."  The application?  Here are some of my joys as a result of the last 24 hours:

• Jerry was supposed to stay home with grandma, but Lynn's daughter Jess called and asked if he could come with.  She loves Jerry and he just adores her and he only sees her now when she's on breaks from college.  This is her spring break.  Therefore, Jerry was with us when his seizure happened. 
• Momma D and several other powerful prayer partners were there to pray for Jerry while we waited for the ambulance.
• The entire event and how it was handled was all a great testimony to Tastefully Simple representative, P.J.
• Pastor Billy came to the hospital and stayed there until 11 p.m., keeping John company and encouraging us with his presence.
• My friends Kim and Suzanne came to the hospital for a check-in.  Kim actually stayed for quite a while and even got Jerry excited about some of the upcoming procedures....She can make a colonoscopy sound fun and exciting!
• Kim left me her fully-loaded iPod to help pass the hours until our room was ready.
• A homeschool mom and friend, Christine, who works in the pediatric NICU and was at work last night and so came down to show her support and give much-needed hugs of encouragement.
• The EEG was done immediately at the hospital and we didn't have to hassle with an outpatient test and finding babysitters next week.
• Dr. Rao, Jerry's psychiatrist and medication manager, will be closing his private practice on April 1st.  Jerry's pediatrician did not feel comfortable filling this role for us.  Dr. Rodgers, the friendliest and best bedside-mannered neurologist at the hospital (who diagnosed Jerry), told us to look no further because she would be glad to have Jerry as a patient....and she's ten minutes from our house....and she has lots of toys in her office (evoked a smile from Jerry).  She is also on the conservative side when it comes to medicine.
• My sister Wendy was there to give us a ride home after being discharged...and take us to the video store for a movie...and to pick-up Chinese take-out, Jerry's request for dinner.
• Jerry's Medicaid will cover the ENTIRE cost of the hospital stay, tests, room, doctors, etc...  We have never taken advantage of it before as John's insurance at work covers the kids.
• Though he doesn't remember much of it, Jerry got the ultimate first-class ride in an ambulance.
• My phone rang off the hook with concerned family and friends offering their prayers and support.  Susan at church even kept everyone updated with Jerry's progress via e-mail.
• Prone to motion sickness, while sitting sideways and riding backwards in the back of the ambulance, I did manage to overcome the urge to be sick once we got to the hospital!
• All of the hospital staff were friendly, compassionate, and very accommodating.

Need I say more?!  Yes, I am tired.  Yes,  I desperately need a shower, as I have been wearing the same clothes for 36 hours now.  Yes, Jerry has yet another diagnosis to add to his ever-growing list of challenges.  Still, I have the joy of the Lord and am ever so thankful for His faithfulness in the midst of this storm.  Thanks to everyone for their prayers and encouragement.  We love you all.

My friend Jennifer, who is a teacher (and also my BFF Kim's sister....thus, making her my sister by default as well), recently went to a training workshop where she learned that kids on the autism spectrum are stimulated by writing with blue pens on yellow paper.  So she bought Jeremiah a pack of legal-size yellow pads and a pack of blue erasable pens.  We put some in the van and some in the house.  He loves them!!  He uses his pad in the van all the time and it really keeps him busy and content, no matter how long the drive is.  He completely fills a sheet before turning to a new one and then tells me all about his picture, including some scribbles that resemble letters.  He drew a "Z" the other day and told me, "Look mommy, it's like Zachary."

He's been surprising me a lot like that lately.  The other day, he had to identfiy which pair of letters in a row of about seven pairs was the same (i.e.  AA, FF, BB).  He recognized the Z's by his friend Zachary's name and the D's he recognized by saying, "like on the DVD player". 

He's been very patient in school lately and asking often to do more.  His fascination with monster trucks since going to the rally has given him just that.  I printed a bunch of monster truck coloring sheets from online and, after he colored them, I wrote the names of the trucks in dashed letters and he has been tracing four or five truck names a day.  We three-hole punched them and put them in a binder with all of the pages of his pictures from the rally, as well as copies of his ticket to get in and the parking pass.  He LOVES that book!

Ok, almost!!  His actual birthday is February 25th, but in his book, since we already had the party and he opened his presents, he's already seven.

We had a party at the park for him and his little friend Aiden whose birthday is the week before Jerry's.  They have the same friends and so it only made sense.  The countdown to the party was an agonizing one, especially the day of waiting to leave for the park.  Jerry drove us mad!!  He had a good party though and got his favorite, Legos.  Actually, he got two of his favorites in one...Indiana Jones and Legos.  After opening a few of those sets, he was ready to leave the party so he could come home and start building.  And of course, all sets he got at the party had to be built immediately when we got home and before he went to bed that night!  We tag teamed and all chipped in on the building process!  Here are some pictures of the party and then of Jerry sleeping.  He insisted on taking Marion and Indy to bed with him and that's how he fell alseep....holding them.

The true highlight for Jerry this year came from a friend who got box seat tickets to the Monster Truck Rally at the stadium.  She took Jeremiah, his friend Joseph, and Joseph's dad.  It was Saturday night.  She gave Jerry the ticket at his birthday party on Friday, but he didn't really comprehend what he was in for.  He got home Saturday night from the rally hoarse from yelling and was telling us all about what he saw before Jenn even opened the door of her car for him to get out. 

He was so excited!  She took video of him and he was flapping and jumping up and down and just elated by all of the action.  It was a perfect event for a visually stimulated Aspie who loves anything with wheels!  He got home about 11:45 p.m. and spent the next fifteen minutes in bed, hugging his Bulldozer pillow, and talking incessantly aboout tires falling off, trucks rolling over, motorcycles, ramps, and truck fires.  I think we have a new birthday tradition to keep up with!

Bulldozer, His Favorite

Jerry & Joseph

Okay, it's not that bad, really!  We had decided not to tell the coaches and helpers of Jerry's t-ball team that he had Asperger's.  We didn't want them to treat him any differently and thought that maybe we wouldn't have to say anything since he's been doing so well lately.  After a meltdown on the field during practice last week over him wanting Indiana Jones Legos, where he folded up on the field into a fetal position and cried, we changed our minds!  I assured the coach that brattiness was not Jeremiah's only problem!

His first game was on Saturday.  First, were the opening ceremonies at 8:30.  They lasted an hour and he did very well standing on the field with all the rest of the Little League teams during introductions, thank you's, and pledges.  We left the fields then since his game didn't actually start until 1:15 p.m.  Did I say "1:15"?  Oh, I'm sorry...that's what time his game was SUPPOSED to start...and what time we were there ready with him.  Unfortunately, the coach of the team before Jeremiah's didn't get the memo about 3 innings or an hour, whichever comes first and their game went until 2:00!

Needless to say, Jerry was finished before his game actually ever began!  He's never been real patient or good at waiting for things he knows are coming and that he's excited about.  It's why we never tell him about playdates or fun plans until right before they are to happen.

He did manage to pull himself together and did play his whole 3 innings...though not always happily.  He threw his glove in frustration at one point, danced and whined on third base for a while, and I feared for the coach at one point when Jerry was armed with his bat in hand!  Overall though, it went well and now he knows what to expect next time.  The good thing is that they ironed out those minor details with the coach of the team before ours and there should never be an instance when they run that late again.  Ok, never might be too strong of a word!

Here is a video of Jeremiah at bat and some pictures as well.  What you can't hear in the video is Coach Jeff trying to encourage a frustrated Jeremiah to hold the bat properly, stand with his feet the right way, and try.  Jeremiah turns to him at one point and yells, "I'm trying!"

Opening Ceremonies

Waiting for the Big Game

At Bat

It has been so nice around here these last few weeks!  Jeremiah has been so pleasant and easy-going.  He seems so much more peaceful and seems to have so much more joy as a result.  We do too, of course!  Anyway, we did school EVERY day this week.  It was awesome!  He even asked some days to do school!  I found this neat curriculum from Christian Light Education.  It's for kindergartners and the whole set of books is under $20!  I bought it figuring I didn't have much to lose and Jerry absolutely loves the books.  There is copywork, cutting and pasting, coloring, matching...it never gets repetitive.  With his meds. back on track now, he seems to be picking things up a lot quicker too.  Because the county will not provide me with another IEP since we homeschool, I came up with my own and am realizing just how many of the goals Jerry has already met.  It's so encouraging.  Here is a picture of the curriculum...

We also had our annual Imagination Fair with our homeschool group.  It's sort of like a science fair, except that you don't have to display only science projects.  You can bring collections, hobbies, favorite toys...whatever.  Jeremiah has been obsessed with Legos lately.  He especially loves the little Lego guys.  He's constantly dressing them, accessorizing them, and then lining them up against each other (or in a circle).  That was his display at the fair and he was very proud of it.  He got a certificate of participation too.  The snacks for the fair were hands-on as well and the kids had fun using yummy foods to make their own imaginative, edible creations.

Making a Froot Loop Necklace

The other benefit to Jerry's meds. working well is that he plays much better with his friends and actually enjoys them.  Today he went with his friend Joseph to MOSI, McDonald's, and then to a park.  Then he went back to Joseph's for dinner and to play some more at his house.  Joseph's dad said he was wonderful and that the boys played and got along famously.  He has another play date with his friend Sammy tomorrow morning before t-ball practice.  Here is Jerry with Joseph at a party recently that a friend of ours had for all of the children at church.  It was fabulous.  She had games and food, and prizes, and goodie bags for all of the kids.  Jerry did really well behavior-wise and even handled losing well.

We went on a field trip yesterday to Wycliffe WordSpring Discovery Center, a hands-on museum that teaches the kids about Bible translation and missionaries that serve in that field.  Jerry participated in a scavenger hunt, used a play blow dart gun to shoot pretend "food" in the jungle, played musical instruments from other countries, learned about Peru, dressed in clothes from other countries, and made a necklace to remind him to pray for a certain Bibleless people group in another part of the world.  It was a great field trip.

Last, but oh so certainly not least, I have to share what happened at Pioneer Clubs this last week.  Miss Kim was teaching the kids about the wages of sin being death and the awesome gift that God gives us in Christ Jesus so that we can have eternal life.  She illustrated the verse on the dry-erase board and explained it in as simple a terms as she could so that each child could understand it.  Now Jerry has heard the salvation message before, but never understood it really. 

When asked to choose one of three responses as a prayer to what they learned, Jerry said, "I don't have Jesus in my heart....I want Jesus in my heart!"  He then bowed his little head, closed his eyes, folded his hands together, and prayed after Miss Kim to receive Jesus as his Savior.  PRAISE God!!  I'd often wondered if God made exceptions for kids like Jerry who don't understand things the way other kids do, but now I don't have to even wonder.  Of course, when I told him to tell daddy what he prayed and asked Jesus to do while we were on the way home from club, he said, "I don't remember."  That's typical for Jerry though and I am confident that God's Word did not return void and that Jeremiah David Bertic is now written in the Lamb's Book of Life!!

My dad came down from PA for a visit this week.  Jerry loves his pappy!  We went to Busch Gardens and Al Lopez park with him and Jerry has kept him very busy when we've had "down time" at home.  Pappy fixed his bike for him and has picthed probably two-hundred baseballs to him since he got here on Sunday!! 

Bumper Cars with Jonathan

Busch Gardens with Pappy

Fixing His Bike

Al Lopez

Jeremiah LOVES baseball and has shown quite a talent when it comes to batting.  He connects with the ball nearly every time and swings with all his might to really put the ball out there.  It's quite dangerous actually to pitch to him.  We've mastered the pitch, duck, and cover maneuver quite well!  Once, when John wasn't fast enough, he ended up with a swollen eye and his glasses bent in half!  And that was from a wiffle ball!

Anyway, we've learned to take what Jeremiah's good at and run with it.  There are so many things he doesn't do as well at when compared to his friends and siblings that we make a really big deal of those things he does well.  And baseball is one of them.  We called our friend who runs our local little league association and we actually called on the last day to sign up for the spring season of t -ball.  That was God's timing!  John took him right over and signed him up and his first practice was last night.  He loves coach Jeff and was oh so proud to have his pappy watching him last night.  We were all there...grandma and grandpa too.  He wasn't thrilled about batting off the tee, but they will give him five tries without it before he needs to use it in a game.  He won't need five tries!

He's very excited and so are we.  At this point, there are no real rules...everyone gets to bat until they hit the ball and no one gets out, but the structure and teamwork he will learn will be good for him.  Learning to take turns will be HUGE!  He was cute last night.  He stood at third base with his glove and talked away...to himself I think as it did not appear that anyone else was listening!

Here are some pictures.  I will spare you the one of him wearing his briefs with built-in "cup" OVER his baseball pants!  He dressed himself and then announced, "I'm ready!"

Jerry & Coach Jeff

Jerry started Concerta at 27 mgs. a day last week and.....drumroll please.....it's a success!  He's back to the sweet and calm little boy that doesn't mind doing school, is sorry when he misbehaves, and plays nice with his sinlings.  THANK YOU, LORD!  And may this last for a long time to come!

Today we had a field trip to Gramma's Hug-n-Farm.  He had so much fun.  I have to share this funny though.  You know how there are picture of girls and boys on the outsides of bathroom doors so you know which is which?  At the farm, there were pictures of girl and boy bunnies.  First off, Jerry thought they were pictures of baby chicks and, I have to say, at first glance they could look like them.  The girls' bathroom bunnies had boys on their heads and the boys' bunnies didn't.  Before we left, Jerry went to use the bathroom.  After walking and looking at all of the doors, he said to me, "Which one do I go in mommy?  These bathrooms are for chickens!"

Here are some farm pics.  There's Jerry holding a seven-day-old lamb, Jerry and his best bud Sammy "horsin' around", Jerry and the feathers he was fascinated to find and collect, Jerry on one of the "phony pony" swings, and cuddling with a bunny.

Just a few updates...

First off, Jerry is off the Vyvanse.  One possible side effect was increased irritability and boy was that ugly!  There were tantrums, screaming until he was hoarse and horrible rage episodes that sometimes resulted in a sibling getting punched!  Not pretty!  Anyway, Dr. Rao said to take him off and, when we saw him yesterday, he started him on Concerta, 27 mgs. per day.  We'll see!  I was a little aprehensive to try anything new for fear of new side effects, but we're giving it a go.  On the sad and shocking side of things, Dr. Rao is retiring and closing his private practice in two months.    So the hunt is on for a new child psychiatrist who can take over Jerry's treatment.  I hate the fact that we'll have to go through the whole new patient re-evaluation process again (and a little nervous about it too), but God saw this coming and I trust He'll guide us to who needs to be Jerry's next doctor.

We also went to the Walk Now for Autism 2009 walk kickoff party this past week.  It was nice to be in a room full of other families whose children who were "misbehaving" or acting out and not have everyone stare, give the evil eye, look at you with pity, or even acknowledge that anything was different!

On the speech front, Jerry still has to go three times a week.    YUCK!  We don't have to wait until next year's evaluation to change that and, at any time, can move down to twice a week if Miss Ramos feels he's ready.  He's doing much better and even has a habit of correcting the other kids in speech when they mispronounce a word.  He's great one-on-one, but still struggles in conversation.  I have made him a hundred chart and we're stopping him everytime he says a word incorrectly now and making him say it right.  When he does say a word right or corrects himself, we check off a block on the hundred chart.  Still working on what reward he'll receive once he reaches one hundred.  I'm sure the process of correcting him 73 times a day will get old and frustrating for both him and us, but it will be worth it!!  We're so used to the way he talks and can understand him so well, we have gotten lazy.

A new and fun hobby for Jerry is jumping endlessly on a pogo stick, sweat running down his face.  Miss Kim lent us one with a trainer bottom for ease, but Jerry jumped it to death in just one day.  Pieces literally fell off the bottom and then the spring popped out!  We're gonna replace it ASAP!

Finally, our new educational building at church is complete and we're officially moving in tomorrow.  On a "warm my mother's heart" note, Kim had the idea of painting colored squares around the classroom name plaques outside each door so that Jerry (and other pre-readers) could easily find their classroom.  "Go to the blue room, Jerry!"  Have I mentioned before how blessed we are to have such a wonderful support system in our friends and church family!

Ok, I know, Christmas is over, but Jeremiah did lose his very first tooth ever yesterday. We had that close call when he bumped his mouth after crashing off his scooter, but this was his baby tooth on the bottom. I didn't even know it was loose. He came into the room yelling, "Mommy, my tooth is loose!" I asked to see and feel it and it was definitely loose. It wasn't ready to pull, but soon. I told him it would fall out soon and he just cried. I assured him it was ok and that his teeth were supposed to fall out for new and bigger ones to grow in. You'd think he'd know this with three siblings whose teeth he's watched me pull with dental floss!

Anyway, I told him to keep wiggling it and it would soon be out. He crawled under the coffee table (his new alone place where I find him often now) and told Louis (our cat) that he had a loose tooth. Minutes later, he screamed, "My tooth fell out! I pulled it out!" Sure enough, he had wiggled so hard that he pulled his own tooth right out. There it was in his hand, mouth bloody, look of panic on his face. I clapped and congratulated him and then cleaned him up. He wasn't prepared for the blood. When daddy got home, he ran excited to tell him. We found a box to keep it and all future lost teeth in.

Other than that, we're relieved the holidays are over.  Jeremiah did not handle the stress of the hustle and bustle well.  We had lots of meltdowns, rages, and crying spells.  I was almost ready to call Dr. Rao and suggest an appointment earlier than our regularly scheduled one a few weeks from now, but this week seems to be going smoother.  

We are anxious to get back to school next week.  After seeing a neat shelving unit a friend's kids got for their room for Christmas, and then helping another friend organize for an open house, I have been desiring an open shelf with bins for our living room between the bar stools for Jeremiah's toys and small educational gadgets.  In closets and cabinets they are too much out of sight and, as a result, out of mind for him and I both. 

Anyway, Michaela has befriended a little girl in our neighborhood whose mom I met yesterday.  When we went to pick Michaela up from a little playdate with her daughter last evening, she said, "By the way, I have this shelf I have been meaning to get rid of.  Before I throw it away, do you have a need for it?"  God is so good!!  Anyway, here it is and Jeremiah was more than excited to fill the bins with some of his favorite things.  I'm hoping it makes school mornings a little less stressful with him having to wait for his turn and find things to do to occupy himself while I work with the others.