Meme. Meme. Meme.

I've been tagged in a meme. What the hell is a meme? I really had no clue, so I turned to the trustworthy Wikipedia, who is never, ever wrong:

A meme (pronounced /ˈmiːm/, rhyming with "cream"[1]) is a unit of cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena.

Then I found this one (also on Wikipedia):

The term "Internet meme" refers to a catchphrase or concept that spreads rapidly from person to person via the Internet, largely through Internet-based email, blogs, forums, social networking sites and instant messaging.

Basically in simple terms it's a chain letter. Now honestly as a teenager, I LOVED these things, and never broke them because I didn't want bad luck! As an adult, I simply delete them (sorry Aunt Ellie & Mom!). But one of my most favorite bloggers, Dani G, tagged me and I simply can't say no because I don't want her to think I'm not cool like that. ;)

So this is how it works, she tagged me and a few other bloggers, and left eight questions for us to answer. I need to answer them here on this post and then tag some more bloggers to answer eight of my own questions. Here it goes.

1) Last piece of music you bought/downloaded (legally or illegally)?
Foolish Games by Jewel....I actually woke up singing this song and realized I use to be in love with Jewel and why did I not have any of it in my iTunes?


2) Never go to bed angry? Or too tired for that and we'll deal with it later?
Eh, I'm not perfect and there are many times I go to bed angry. But then I get my entire bed to myself and that can be pure bliss at times.

3) Have you turned into your mother yet? Truth.
Truthfully no. Not to say we don't have a heck of a lot in common but there are definitely things we disagree on. Parts of me have turned into my mother and I'm sure in another twenty years I'll be able to say I've completely morphed.

4) If you could go back in time to high school, would you? I would.
Nope, never. Funny, I loved high school, but I fell in "love" with the biggest loser and wouldn't want to relive that. (Wouldn't want to change it either as I did get two beautiful children out of the deal).


5) What did you eat for breakfast this morning? I had a bowl of cereal. Two parts Fiber One, one part Cap'n Crunch Crunchberries. So what?
I had two eggs over-easy, two slices of *white* bread, and a cup of Mott's fruit/vegetable juice.


6) Do you secretly like the songs in the Backyardigans? Yes you do.
No I don't. Sorry, Dani. Only because I was spared by neither of the kids really watching the show. We did go see them though in Storytime Live a month or so ago and they were catchy songs!


7) Do you ever lie and say you think your friends kids are cute? What? No, no me neither. Every child is a gift (blah blah blah).
I'm pleading the fifth.

8) Desert island: husband, best friend, or Edward Cullen? Yeah, me too.
Seriously, is there even a choice. Edward Cullen. Man, I'm getting hot and bothered just thinking about it. Is it getting hot in here?


So here are my tags, and some of these ladies haven't blogged in a while, so maybe I can get them to come out of hiding:

*Krista
*Christina
*Crystal
*Kyra
*Tricia
*Irish

And my questions:

1. Since I believe everyone I tagged is a mom- what is one, trivial thing that you miss about before you were a mom? Mine is definitely not being able to just walk around in the nude when I'm too lazy to put on clothes. TMI? Sorry!

2. What is your addiction at this point in time? Mine is facebook, hanging my head in shame.

3. Are you an animal person? I seem to be the only in my family and friends that is NOT, and I sometimes feel guilty about that. Hoping to get a few more on my side ;)

4. Jacob or Edward?

5. Which TV mom do you relate to?

6. Do you take the stairs or the elevator?

7. What is the worst pick-up line you have ever heard?

8. Did you ever have a crush on any of your teachers? I had a couple that I definitely thought were cute for older men. I'll just stop there before I embarrass myself.

Bring on the fever!

Yesterday we started therapy back up with our all-time favorite SLP and OT. They have been involved with our family for four years now. We were their full-time clients until this past fall when I just couldn't fit it into my schedule with commuting for school, so we had been using our in-school therapists for the school year. I was super-excited to start back up with them and for the boys' reactions as they really have a great bond with these two ladies.

Well Brian didn't do so well. He started crying almost immediately and when Miss K. tried to do some facial reflexes and came around to his left ear he started screaming "OWWWWWW!!!" and really became inconsolable.

A light bulb went off in my head as the day prior Brian had had a physical and wouldn't let our doctor check his left ear. We chalked it off to him being his usual hyperactive, oversensitive-to-touch self and we meant to try again at the end of the appointment but forgot. So I'm guessing he has an ear infection.

He was a little cranky, a little tired the rest of the evening. Then I woke up to the sound of him wheezing in his sleep- almost croup-like. I felt his forehead and he felt a little bit warm. I thought today was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

But I was blessed with the phenomenon that ASD children sometimes have. They have a fever and have less negative behaviors and/or more positive ones.

Not only has he been in a calm, happy mood today, he has been talking up a storm. It started with him pulling me into his bed and saying "Hi" to me this morning completely unprompted. He then asked for "eggs" and "juice" without prompting. He told me something was "broken" today. He was asking for things he generally would just to do, but for some reason he'd independently ask me today- "potty", "juice" (again), "outside", "Wii", "Tommy movie". He said words I haven't heard him say ever- "buckle", "buttons". He repeated a ton of words, "Here you go", "Brian James". He helped make his mini pizzas- something he usually has no interest in doing- and when asked what came after the sauce he said "cheese", then following that he said "roni" (pepperoni). I know there was even more but I can't remember them all.

Conversation with Corbin

I never know what kind of conversations I'm going to have with Corbin.....

Corbin: "Mom, can people marry dead people?"
Me: "Gross Corbin! Why would anyone want to marry someone who is already dead?"
Corbin: "Well, what am I going to do? I can't marry you until I'm a grown-up then you'll be dead!"
Me: "Corbin, I won't be dead when you are grown-up, I'll still be alive!"
Corbin: "Oh okay, so can people marry old ladies?"

Oh, that voice :)

Brian's new favorite scripts are: "Up, up, and away", "Here we come!", and "I did it!". The last two have been favorites in the past but disappeared and then made their reappearance recently.

Yesterday, B knew that C was swimming and really wanted to join him but he had to have a doctors appointment first. I told him "First doctor, then swimming." He didn't tantrum at all. Then when we were all done he looked up at me with the biggest grin and exclaimed, "Swimming!".

He's been on his Brown Bear book kick for a while now and last night we did a new simple "I Spy" book. He was able to find all the pictures quite easily and seemed to enjoy it. After we were done, I tucked him in and he grabbed my cheeks, turned my face to his and said, "Brown Bear?"

Yesterday at the aforementioned appointment our pediatrician was really quite impressed with the amount of spontaneous words Brian now has and even his scripts. Of course Brian is still miles behind other children his age but the doc said, "He is really doing quite well" with a big smile. It was nice to hear.

Hoarding

It's Brian's new past time- hoarding. Hoarding food that is. It's the first time I've become worried about our diet choices for Mr. B. Everyone has heard me rave about the changes we saw after we eliminated gluten from his diet but the older he gets the MORE stuck he becomes on wanting to get food with gluten in it. In the past it was never a problem but this year he has been sniffing it out and if he gets his hands on it he will eat it. Recently, I've been finding food in his bedroom. Food that breaks the diet restrictions and foods that he just isn't allowed to have in large quantities (things that have sugar or artificial colors in them). In the past few weeks I have found breadsticks, Starburst, juice boxes , fruit snacks, and pizza. One of the slices of pizza I found had come from the garbage- disgusting! I'm worried about what the food restrictions are doing to B and how he is reasoning all of this in his brain and how I'm going to work around this new habit.

Today's Thoughts

* People stare. And they stare even worse when he's stimmy. Sometimes I can let it roll over me, sometimes I say nothing and sulk over it for a day, and sometimes I simply say, "He has autism", and watch them quickly turn around in embarrassment that they got caught staring.

*Bri has been stimmy, started when I picked him up from his Dads. He couldn't stop jumping, flapping, and doing his happy screech on the entire ferry boat ride home as he stared at the water behind the boat, the flag flapping in the wind, and the dirt particles on the bow of the boat being blown around by the wind.

*What an evening it's been so far. Both boys are now winding down, lying on the couch watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for the 287th time this year. Hopefully we won't get one more wind before bed because I'm at my wits end. Though his stims stopped at home he became tantrummy- we've had tantrums for having to come in when a thunder storm rolled in, when the movie had to be paused so we could eat dinner, when I asked him to leave the front door open so we could get some fresh air inside, and when he dropped his armful of trains on accident. I can deal with tantrums (most of the time) but not so well when he's hitting his head with the palm of his hand or running and crashing into walls.

*I realized one of the questions that I really hate is an innocent one- "How old is he?" I hate when people are looking at him like he's so cute as he jumps around and does his "baby" babble and then seeing the expression on their face change when I tell them he is six years old.

*I hate being in a cynical mood. So there, I got it out, time to change my mindset.

Use Your Nice Voice

I take pride in bringing my boys up in a home that values respect but at the same time teaches that you can question authority and that we all have the same rights (despite being younger or being a certain gender, etc.). But sometimes that can really become annoying when my child thinks he can question things.

Today I once again found five different board games in the hallway, pieces strewn everywhere. I called both boys in the hallway and asked which one did it. Corbin responded that he was the one at fault. I find this really annoying- because it's right in a high traffic area and he does it almost daily. He likes to take out all the pieces and make his own game with them. I used my "Mommy voice" and told him to pick them up this instant.

He looked up at me and said, "Sure, Mom, I will clean it up but I would like you to use a nice voice with me please."

I told him I used my nice voice lots and lots of times in the past and when that doesn't work I need to use my mean voice.

He then said, "Well Mom, I will listen better when you use your nice voice."

Seriously? I may have created a monster.