Less than 18 hours so far

The eagle has landed in Colorado and been picked up by his grandparents. I miiiiissssss him. And at the same time, I am going to revel in my free time this week. Woo!

My heart will be 2 time zones away

I have to take Cash to the airport in 8 hours (at 4am). It is NOT fun. He will be gone 10 days, which is about 9 1/2 days too long for me.

But I am sure he will have a great time with his dad.

A huge thanks to my friend Katie for escorting Cash to Denver. She is a hero for doing this.

Vampire baby

When the going gets tough

Cash is just hilarious these days. He is SO responsive. For instance, we were out for a walk and he was whining and messing about with someone's car. I told him if he went to our car I would let him drive. He stopped, looked around, and made a beeline to our car. And that is only one example - he listens and responds with us all the time now.

And he is walking really well now, even without his braces.

He got a haircut on Saturday - short. His scars show, but it is cute. Chrissy at Snip Its is a genius of cutting the hair of small recalcitrant boys.

AD just came home from P'burgh where she has been for a week. It is nice to see her.

There has been some drama for me at school over the last few days. It has been tough, but I am tougher.

Good news and more good news

All kinds of good things to report about Cash:

Yesterday for my birthday, he walked up four stairs alone, using the banister. Laters, he did a new sign ("doctor"), and then he sucked through a straw for the first time at dinner. The straw thing is pretty big - we have been working on that for awhile. All good birthday presents for me!

Also, per Cash's local endocrinologist, he doesn't need growth hormone injections right now - he seems to be making his own. He is still really small (bone age =3 1/2), but if he has enough hormone circulating, then it is up to his body to use it. I wonder - did the stem cells help spur his pituitary gland to kick in?

Also, Cash is now vocalizing on command. Yay to Angela, his speech therapist! If you say "Cash, let me hear your voice", Cash says "mmmm". It is very cute. Also it is the first time he has ever made sounds when asked.

On the downside, Cash still has a cold. It's been a week. But he seems to have started breathing out of his mouth when sleeping when his nose is blocked, thank goodness. I've spent years sleeping next to him while he snarfled and snuffled and tossed and turned all night trying to clear his nose. It is a relief to hear him sleep relatively quietly even with a cold.

I had a nice bday - massage at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville and lots and lots of Hunger Games.

Fly boy

After an insane amount of negotiating and airfare-hunting, Cash is going to see his dad for spring break next week.

Bits and pieces

Cash got a virus on Tuesday night - a high fever that wouldn't respond well to meds. He's still sick today, but seems to be getting better. Between the two of us, we have been pretty sicky recently.

Josh and I are trying to work out plans for spring break. It is a challenge.

Did I write that last weekend Cash and I went to visit our friends Elizabeth, Bill, Silas, and Anna Dunn? We had dinner at their house in Spartanburg - tremendous fun. Cash was quiet, but he liked their indoor swing and their musical toys and their fish and their computer and their keyboard. Plus, Anna Dunn made him laugh. Plus, we had a dance party to finish off the evening. It was totally lovely. Cash really introduces me to the nicest people.

A little bit louder now

It's spring here :-)

And Cash's nose is running off his face.

Oh, new thing: Cash will now vocalize on request. His speech therapist says "Cash, let me hear your voice" and he responds with an "mmmm". It's small, but it's bigger than he has ever done. And she is working on making it louder and longer.

Our house has no music. It is embargoed until some pee ends up in the potty.

What is going on now

Cash went to the dentist today - no cavities. Plus 3 new molars and of course 3 lost teeth. I really need to get more pics of him without front teeth. He is the cutest little vampire baby.

Also an endocrinology appt on Friday. Hopefully we will get the growth hormone situation straightened out soon.

I had a pre-job interview today and I have a real interview tomorrow. Plus two tests tomorrow.

Member of the resistance army

Here's my analogy for potty training Cash:

It is like I am a big country and Cash is the little country that is being attacked. I have all the good weapons and resources (in fact, I brought out the nuclear option this weekend - I took away all his musical toys except when he goes in the potty), but Cash is fighting the way all out-gunned small countries fight - with guerilla tactics and passive resistance. He sits on the potty, and then 15 minutes later he pees on the floor. He holds it for 5 hours and then as soon as he has his nighttime diaper on, he fills it with half a day's worth of pee. I caught him smiling at me WHILE he peed on the floor earlier.

That is one stubborn little person. A stubborn little person who for some UNKNOWN reason is utterly opposed to going in the potty.

Well now he is too

Cash developed a runny nose today. So now we are both sick. I am just tired, so tired. He is already asleep, lying on AD's chest like she is a Tempur-pedic mattress.

Tomorrow Cash has an appointment with an endocrinologist. He has been out of growth hormone for a couple of weeks due to insurance company shenanigans. Hopefully, this appointment will start to resolve the situation. He's a tiny little thing, though he eats a ton. I mean it - he is a voracious eater.

I'm off to bed so I can do it all again tomorrow.

Someone's sick (and it's not Cash)

I am sick. I had a job interview on Friday and I had no voice for it. And since then, the laryngitis has turned into a sore throat and runny nose. Delightful. This week at school we are taking a practice IBHRE (accreditation exam), so maybe I will get a chance to rest.

Cash is well though. He is adjusting to his new braces, and his PT says he is standing much straighter now. He made me laugh today - I told him we would try to call his dad and he immediately left the living room and walked into my room and right to the computer. Unfortunately, his dad wasn't available, but still, it was cute.

Dad and Dot came to visit this weekend. It was very nice to see them. We went out to eat at American Grocery on Saturday and went to church on Sunday. Dot gave me some Mucinex, which I am feeling very happy about right now. 

Joyful

I want to put Julia's whole post on here (see my post below), but I can't figure out how. She describes the joy she sometimes feels when in thrall to her autistic obsessions and it kind of makes me understand Cash in a new way. Instead of seeing how "inappropriately" he gets excited sometimes (he does flap a bit and hop), I hope I see his enthusiasm as an expresssion of pure joy. I hope I can honor it and celebrate that he is experiencing the happiness of joy. Not everyone actually gets to be that happy - it is actually super nice that Cash does. That makes ME happy.

And in fact, I should note that Cash is pretty happy most of the time. He complains and fusses sometimes, but usually he seems content and occasionally he is joyful. We try hard to meet his needs and fulfill his wishes. And we do let him enjoy his favorite things - namely, music. His smile is one of the best things in the universe.

Awesome website link

This is from my friend Ariane's blog. It is totally wonderful and truly worth following the link.

http://networkedblogs.com/uF37A