if i had a summer birthday i would ask for a fire pit. i want one so bad!! i would just go buy one. or make one. but i am so broke. so i am telling myself i will be able to afford one when they get marked way down... and end of summer/beginning of autumn fires are nice too! so-- i can wait. this has been a beautiful summer. i've enjoyed it a great deal. i hope the kids have too. it is so hard to get emma interested in doing things.
speaking of emma, i have a good example for you of just how long it takes someone with Autism and/or Auditory Processing Disorder to RESPOND to a statement. if you don't know emma well, you may ASSUME incorrectly that she is ignoring you when you speak to her. wrong wrong wrong. the average is 3 minutes to process what you are saying. really. today in the car i placed something on top of the stereo remote so the remote increased the volume. oops! i laughed about it. emma stared at the stereo face. then the remote. then looked out the front window. 2 minutes later she exclaimed, "mom! that remote has a mind of it's own!" it really takes that long. so, can you imagine what it is like for her on a daily basis? when people start a topic, then move on to something else, and she is still processing the first issue. can you imagine how frustrating it is for her to hear a question, then either the question-asker moves on and ignores her when she doesn't respond immediately OR the question-asker gets ANGRY! and ANNOYED! with her, snapping at her? i am her mother, and I sometimes get impatient. believe me. but i have to step back, breathe, WAIT. i have to set an example, be an advocate for her, to those who don't know and understand.
in other news, we are all coping with our cat Sammy being gone. it is difficult not knowing what happened to him. i miss his baby cry and his fluffy tail. i miss him flopping down on me. he was a flopper. :-/ he wasn't yet a year old when i was pregnant with emma. sometimes she wouldn't kick and i would worry. i would call for sam and he would jump up on my big belly and purr so LOUD! i'm sure his purr would reverberate through my belly-- it would get emma to kicking in no time. :-) we had him for ten years. he is missed incredibly.
I'm sorry about your lost Sammy. I hope he returns safe and sound soon. I still have hope.
ReplyDeleteFunny about the processing time. My processing time has been extended since I've been sick. Not daily but often. Pat and my close friend will answer questions for my while I try to gather and process the information out in public. It's hard to do that and still intake new information. I on the other side, completely understand giving propper wait time in the classroom. You'd (well maybe not you but most) would be surprised by how much time students need in general. Sometimes, I would be great at it while others I'd find myself calling on someone else, someone faster. I hated to catch myself do that. UGH.
A fire pit sounds lovely. I've always wanted one too, but I cannot have one here at the house we live in now. Perhaps in my forever home. I hope they go on clearance soon, or one comes strolling by your way, or something...
Hugs.
dear ginny, i always think of you. am thinking of your struggles now, things are working through...i want to hug you so badly!! i know the thoughts are coming from your direction straight at me too, and i deeply appreciate them.
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