Halloween

I'm a little behind, but I'm catching up. We were excited that Avi learned to say "trick or treat" just before Halloween and that both boys looked really cute in their costumes. Too bad it was freezing the whole week! Our Halloween was almost a week of trick or treating. Our ward had a trunk or treat party one night then Debbie's base invited all the children to the base for trick or treating another night and then there was Halloween. I don't think either Avi or Itai understood what in the world was going on, but neither seemed to care so long as candy kept coming their way.







Avi was Handy Manny from Playhouse Disney. He loved his costume. It had all of the tools on his little belt and he loved playing with them. He even remembered his line, "What does Handy Manny say?" "Hola!" Most people didn't know who he was supposed to be, but Avi loved it.

Itai was Mickey Mouse for Halloween. He did not love his costume, but he was so cute with his ears and his little tail being dragged behind him. It did keep him warm though. The fabric is really thick and it has a hood so the cold wind didn't bother him a bit. He did love getting candy from people though. At Debbie's base he wanted to take something from every bag, basket or bowl he could find.

While they both were a little confused about what was going on they both found something to love about Halloween. I'm excited for Christmas this year. I think they'll both love it!

Two Cat Burglars in Training

Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of this little event, but I had to tell this story. Friday after I woke up and showered I came downstairs where everyone was waiting to head out. Debbie was sitting in the front room while Avi was enjoying privacy in the kitchen. Avi has been having serious tummy issues lately and he has no penchant for pooping publicly so we have been giving him alone time hoping it will take care of the problem. As soon as I reached the bottom of the steps Itai came around the corner to show me his prize, a piece of peanut butter squares we picked up the day before. They had been in the back corner of the counter so I knew he couldn't have reached them by himself, but I also knew that Debbie would never have given him the whole piece to him so I went to investigate. I found Avi laying on the kitchen floor with the package of peanut butter squares open in front of him. His newest skill is climbing. He has learned to use the drawers as a ladder and he pulls himself up on to the counter top.

I didn't see what happened of course, but I imagine that it went something like this: Avi went into the kitchen looking for something good to eat. Itai followed close behind. Avi spotted the peanut butter squares and decided to get some. After climbing up he put the squares near the edge of the counter and started down. Itai stood at the bottom looking up excitedly. Once on the ground he pulled them down to the floor where he and Itai had a feast.

Here's Avi back up on the counter top. Let's see what else they get themselves into! P.S. This is Itai doing "Once There Was a Snowman."

What to Think? *Updated*

Sorry, I forgot something I wanted to mention about Itai.

Avi has had a busy school year (busier than most 3 year olds), he left one preschool to begin a new program, began HBOT and started speech therapy. His days are pretty busy and he sometimes falls asleep on the bus, poor guy. He is a trooper though.

So, what has all this business brought about? It's hard to say. I will say that we've seen some changes in him. I'm a little emotionally invested in the whole thing so I have to admit that I'm not a impartial on his progress. I guess I'll let you be the judge. Since we've started all of this I've noticed that people who aren't always around him can understand him more easily, and I can too. We've noticed that he has more expressions. He says things like, "Hey! What did you do?" and "What does Quincy say?" so clearly now. He is so goofy and happy lately too. He loves to play and laugh. He loves being chased and tossed. One thing that we've been happy to see is how calm his body has become. His arms are much more relaxed than they've been in ages. he used to flap like crazy at meal time, now he sits and eats so nicely. Yesterday he even picked up his cup, drank from it nicely and set it back on the table. I almost cried! Lastly, he looks us in the eyes so much more now. We were sitting at the table the other day. He was eating and I was reading. He was talking about his puzzle while I kept reading. He repeated himself over and over getting louder and louder each time. I repeated what he said but he repeated it again. Finally I looked up to see that was starring me in the eyes waiting for me to look at him. As soon as I did he repeated it one more time smiling that he finally got me to understand. I looked at him while he played with his puzzle and realized I was smiling too. I realized that we had reached a new place.

So, is it real or am I just an overly invested parent with an overactive imagination? I guess time will tell.

Itai has had a busy year too. He's been dragged everywhere Avi has gone and then some. In the last few weeks he has started changing too. We were sitting down to eat with Debbie's family. I looked at him and realized he was signing "eat." So cute! Now he's signing, "more and bath." My personal favorite is his sign for prayer. He folds his little arms so cutely that I just want to squeeze him! What a cutie. One other thing he loves doing simply melts my heart (easily done, I know). He buts his hands up around his head and turns his body. It took my a while to figure out what exactly he was doing until he did it when I started singing "Once There Was a Snowman." I love it! He smiles so sweetly when we sing it for him.

On a less happy note he has learned another skill, fighting. He and Avi have certainly learned to compete. They push and pull and wrestle they're way on to my lap. It's cute in such a bad way. It's funny that I love it, but I love to see them doing things a "typical" child would do! But more on that later.

A Call for Help

Dear loyal reader,

It's nearly 3:00 in the morning. I have been neglecting a paper that I really need to write because my heart is just not in it. The truth is that since May 20th, 2008 my heart has been broken. I never would have thought over a year later I would still be crying in the still of the night when no one is around and I am left to my thoughts, but here I am. In saying that, I hope none of you would imagine for a second that I love Avi any less than I did May 19th; nothing could be further from the truth. I love my sons with everything my heart has to offer which makes it all the more difficult to understand how others could devalue either of them in any way.

My dreams for children are untainted, undimmed by any diagnosis. No parent should have to suffer the deflating and discouraging "worst case scenario" speech, much less expect that for their child. No society should look at any portion of itself and say without blush, "These deserve less." My sons deserve all the rights and happiness of any! Yet day after day parents of children with autism face the brutally unfair reality that they cannot afford everything their child needs to be well and whole. An appeal to their insurance company will quickly deflate them further as they learn that the system is set against them. Then comes the inevitable and cruel debate: what can we afford to provide, what can we afford not to. It is injustice on its most basic level.

This is where my call for help comes in. I cannot sit idly by any longer. I cannot look at my son or others and feel just when I have done nothing to bring about change. I have decided to undertake whatever action is in my power, whatever influence I have to bring justice and equality to my son and the millions who are similarly afflicted. 1 in 58 boys will be diagnosed with autism. I realize that the parents of the other 57 the problem seems distant and perhaps even unimportant, but I am no longer one of the other 57.

What I am asking each of you (I understand the minuteness of this group, but I believe in the power of even the small) is to undertake, with me, a campaign. I would like to urge to action senators, congressmen, governors, presidents and other elected officials. I would like to urge parents of "typical" and "non-typical" children alike to stand up together and unite for what is right.

I am so grateful for the help, the support and the assistance we have been lucky enough to recieve. I feel privilged that Avi is getting help on so many levels. Not everyone is so lucky. I can imagine the heart break of the parents who must decide to forgo their child's treatment due to the great financial burden placed upon them. I can imagine it because this heart break has been my own. I cannot fully enjoy the blessings given to me knowing that there are others who must wait. I hope to give voice to the voiceless and to lend my voice to those already crying out for equality. Please join us.

I thank you in advance for your help. I thank you for the support that surely every reader of this message has given me. Sometimes I think it takes a village to raise a dad, and if you think of the word raise as to lift up or to support, it truly does.

Diving Deep in a Rocket Ship

This week began the beginning of Avi's HyperBaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). The clinic asked us to come in at 7:30 every morning, but knowing that would be extremely difficult, Debbie asked for a later appointment. We were given 8:00. So every morning the sleeping brothers are wake begrudgingly, to be yanked from their warm beds, dragged across town and into the doctor's office. Avi already loves it. He has made friends with Tolesa (though he calls him Ah-ah-es-ah), Shane and Shawn (his favorite). They are the technicians who check his temperature, blood pressure and O2 sats. They also slide him into the tube and run it while the doctor comes and goes.

We told him that its a rocket ship so he wouldn't be scary for him, but he didn't seem to need it. He loves being slid into the tube, and getting to watch his favorite DVD's for an hour. For us though, things are a little different. We get to watch him without being able to do anything. We can hear him through a speaker and talk to him through a phone and of course see him through the glass (acrylic actually), but we can't touch him or do anything to help him. Today he suddenly decided to stand up and all I could do is watch as he hit his head on the top. Then he cried and cried and couldn't get a kiss or a hug or even a tissue. He actually calmed down very quickly, but still its hard to watch.

On the whole though, it goes really well. He loves the people and the experience and is really learning the routine.

Itai is slightly less interested in the whole thing. The place is covered in knobs and buttons and he can't touch any of them! It's horrible. He plays along, but it is difficult for him to wait so long. He is really interested in what his brother is doing in the tube and how he can get in there with him. He spent quite a bit of time pulling on the bar, feeling around the tube and looking for a way in.


Every morning Avi gets really excited to go to the doctor's office and go in the tube. Three dives down, 17 to go!

The Pumpkin Children

Here are the pictures from the pumpkin patch.

Thank Heaven for Fall Break!!

I had a week off of school for fall break last week. It was so nice to be home to be with our boys and Debbie. Sadly, between the weather and Avi's surgery we didn't get to do a lot of fun things during the week, but Friday we had a little time to have some fun. I woke up really early from work and after everyone was ready we headed out.

First stop: the park! Avi and Itai were happy to get on the slide and run on the bouncy ground (this park had the soft ground made of recycled shoes and tires). Avi got to climb up his favorite wall and tried the bent ladder for the first time on his own. He made it all the way to the top! Itai found a soccer ball and loved it. He tried to carry it, but it was so big that he couldn't hold it for long. Once he dropped it he got to chase it down and start over. We found out that he LOVES the long slides and HATES the swing.

After the park we drove past a pumpkin patch and decided to pull in. We thought that Avi would love it picking out a pumpkin, but he just wanted to run the entire length of the field. So Debbie and I got to pick the pumpkins while they rode in the wagon. Maybe next year.

Our last stop was the costume shop where, finally, we found Avi's costume. He loved it! He was carrying it all over the store. The boys both have their costumes and Avi has learned to say "trick or treat." It took quite a few m&m's and an episode of Little Einsteins, but he loves saying

it. I hope he stays excited for Halloween!