My favorite

I tell Dillon every day that he is my favorite. He says "Uhhhnkay, Mommy!" which is his way of totally agreeing with me so that I will put him down so he can go play.

I guess, come January, I will have to tack on the word "boy" to the end of that statement so his new sister won't get jealous.

Dillon just turned two last week. He is growing so quickly, and changing so much every day, that I wanted to write a few things that he says and does that make him my favorite:

* He sees tiny things from a distance and proclaims their existence with such enthusiasm! "Look, Mama! A ba-fly!" (way across that field) or "I see a bawl!" (that the boy in the next car has in his hand). Riding in the car is as exciting for him as going to the zoo. He always finds new things to see and talk about.

* If I fake cry (I know it is mean, but don't act like YOU haven't done that!) he gets a very worried look on his face and gives me hugs. If he did something wrong, he says "Soy, mama! I soy!"

* When he wants to color, he says "I color me!" and then goes to sit in his little wooden desk to wait for crayons and paper. Woe is me if I don't hear him the first time!

* He says "again" at the end of everything now. "I go ah-side, gin?" or "I hungee gin" or "I watch Gackyadagin-agin?"or "I got a booga, gin!"

* He calls himself Lillon Zahnsan, and sometimes refers to himself in 3rd person: "You get a 'nana for Lillon?"

* Instead of "Yay!" he says "LLLay!" when he does something special.

* When he falls down, he says "I'n okay! I'n okay!"

* Daily when I pick him up from school, he says "I 'na go Gima n' Gimpa's ... HOUSE!"

* Today I asked him if he was crying, and he said "NO, mama!" but then he put his face in his hands and did a fake whine. He grinned up at me when he was done, all proud that he had faked me out. Wonder who taught him that?

* He announces in a loud voice in public places that he poo-poo'd, even though it is usually just air.

* He is such a big boy when he has to go to bed or go take a nap. He says "G'night Mama! See younamorna!" (which, I think means, "see you in the morning!")

* He knows where the baby is, and he points to it. I ask him if it is a girl baby or a boy baby, and he says "A guh bobby!"

I know all mamas wonder if they can love the next baby as much as the first, and so on. I think it must just be a whole new love from a whole different part of your heart. I can't wait to see!

Oh, and ...

Arrrr to you, matey!

Jenny Who?

I never thought I would be one to say "Oh my gosh! Did you see that show with Jenny McCarthy on it? Wasn't it great?"

But now I am.

She was on yesterday's Oprah, and now I am totally impressed with her. Her son was diagnosed with autism a few years ago, and she is one of the few celebrities to speak out about it. She is eloquent and knowledgeable. She is passionate without being overly emotional. She has definite ideas about the origin and treatment of her son's autism, and is not afraid to say it, and on national television at that! Kudos to ABC and Oprah for not censoring her (too much) so that she could say what she believes.

Jenny McCarthy believes that her son, Evan, is on the road to recovery. She has found therapies that work for her son. She does not say that there is a magic cure, but that you have to try everything, cause every kid is different.

This is such a reality check from "recovery stories" I have heard before. I have heard of kids who have no residual trace of autism. This does not offer real hope for parents. Sometimes that seems too far to go, especially when you are in the depths of hell at the beginning of this diagnosis.

Evan still flaps his hands. He still does not process things as quickly as others. He still has some autistic quirks, but he is getting better, and that is the main thing. He is becoming less involved in his own private world, and more aware of the world around him.

Anyway, if you didn't catch the show, try to view parts of it on youtube, or catch it on a rerun. I think it is worth your time, and hey, it is Jenny McCarthy, so how hard can it be to watch. Right?

News

I have always known I would have a slew of boys. A mini-football team. A starting line-up. Soccer games on early Saturday mornings.

We found out today that we are well on our way!

But one of 'em is gonna have pigtails. What do you think of THAT?

Seriously???

I can't believe it has been over two weeks since I posted. I can't BELIEVE it!

Lemme just say that school has been insanely busy so far this year. Here is a quick update on my life so you won't feel so left out:

* Dillon (my favorite little boy ever) turned two on Friday. When you ask him his name, he says "Lillon Zahnson!" and when you ask him how old he is, he says "I TEW!" Ha!

* We find out the gender of baby # 2 tomorrow afternoon. I don't really have a "gut" feeling either way, or a preference. Once you have been the mother of a boy, I think it is hard to change the mindset, so I will be pleasantly surprised if it is a girl. A little boy named Lillon has decided that he doesn't want a baby. Oops.

* I went to Corpus Christi last week for the state conference on autism. It was so fun, and refreshing, and I got lots of great ideas. Now, if I only had time to implement them...

* I broke my toe Friday morning on the door frame. You probably don't remember, but I broke a toe around this time last year, too. What is up with that? Is this an annual event? Do I really have 8 more years left of this to make sure they all get a turn?

That is all I have for you right now. Just a quickie. I am sure I will be posting some baby info tomorrow. Till then, feast your eyes on this cutie pie (the little one - not my brother):

It's not easy being green

For one of our in-service days last week, our entire faculty took a personality test. Our principal wanted us to learn more about ourselves and each other, so that we can better relate. It was a short little quiz where we ranked our perceptions of ourselves in reference to a list of adjectives. There were four possible "colors" or personalities that this test delineated, and we had four long tables with colored cloths on them. As we determined our dominant color, we were to go to our matching table.

I figured there would be about a quarter of the faculty at each table, and I was eager to see who was "like me," so I hurried over to the green table.

Whoops.

No one is like me.

Well, actually, out of 100 faculty, two other people are like me.

The three of us huddled at our table as we watched the gold table overflow and come borrow chairs from us. We watched the "normal-sized" groups of blue and orange find camaraderie in their likenesses. I looked at the two people that sat with me, and realized that I didn't know them at all, and couldn't think what we could possibly have in common.

Because our group was so tiny, the lecturer decided to tell everyone about us first.

Here is what I learned about me:

Only 5% of the population is "green" and of those, 95% are men. I have a man personality. We are very misunderstood our whole lives. We are labeled as unfriendly and snobbish. Most people think we are self-absorbed, but we are usually consumed with the problems of the day. Our minds do not relax. We don't like frivolous stuff - no romantic movies, no silly games or pretentious conversation. If you have something to say to me, you better just say it and not waste my time. We like to be in control, and we don't work well with others. We like research-based facts, and we spend a lot of time absorbing knowledge from our surroundings.

Wow! That is pretty harsh! Self-absorbed? Unfriendly?

People came up to me afterwards and actually said "I understand you so much better now!" and "I have always thought you didn't like me! But you are just too busy thinking to be nice!"

It was a fun game that we played, and it was fun to see who went in what category - the highly social oranges, the organized and meticulous golds, and the tree-hugging blues. Oh, and the misunderstood, controlling, nerds of green.

Sigh.

Well, now you know.