2009 started and ended on a couple of tough notes for us. Charlie had started middle school, in a self-contained autism classroom, in September of... Read more →
December 2009
We're never, and can never, I think, be entirely sure how much Charlie understands of what he hears. Ever since, years ago, our dear friend... Read more →
It's a good thing that we lived for two years in St. Paul. The summer we moved into our 2nd floor duplex (in the Merriam-Grove... Read more →
When, around 1.30pm, Charlie appeared in his swimsuit, I figured he was--as he had some days ago--going to make as if he were at the... Read more →
Thanks to everyone for your kind wishes and comments about Charlie and our latest ER experience. The pediatricians' office called us yesterday afternoon to check... Read more →
"He's twelve?" This was uttered by at least one EMT and one nurse who saw Charlie yesterday. Charlie's age and his height and size are... Read more →
Where else did you think we'd spend it, in the year in which Jim's book came out? Actually, the day started with a visit to... Read more →
We spent way too much of Christmas Eve Day/Day 1 of Camp Charlie, Winter Session, in the white car. Morning drive to Charlie's school (the... Read more →
That's how many more hours Charlie had of school, as he only had a half-day Wednesday. It was his last day of school for 2009.... Read more →
Charlie had a good day at school on Tuesday and was amenable to playing a little piano and watching some videos I thought would be... Read more →
The notion that vaccines are somehow a "cause" of autism and "anti-vaccine quackery" as the "worst pseudoscience of the decade?" So proposeth Orac over at... Read more →
The problem with snow is that it piles up and must be removed and in a quite timely manner. And especially if said several inches... Read more →
A big snow was predicted on Saturday and, by Walk #1 in the early afternoon, the flakes were coming down. Wary of "cooped inside syndrome,"... Read more →
"If you've met one autistic child, you've met one autistic child." It's a statement that's totally impossible to disagree with. I've certainly said it, or... Read more →
I'm writing this on Thursday (the 17th of December) evening, in advance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's anticipated announcement today of new... Read more →
It's December 17th which means----we're going to California next week and Christmas is Friday and that means New Year's is in some two weeks. Where... Read more →
Charlie having been at the big autism center (BAC) for exactly 30 days as of yesterday, we met for his IEP meeting. I'll have more... Read more →
I am originally from California and, until I went "back East" for college in the '80s, never had a winter coat. (We did "layers" under... Read more →
On Sunday Charlie woke up at 3.30am or thereabouts. This proved to be a good thing---we got in a good run/walk around 6am---as a cold,... Read more →
Heartened as we are about Charlie being at his new school, we both feel a bit of a twinge about his being in a "more... Read more →