Shining

So, I'm not a huge fan of the Rolling Stones. That I ended up last night at a sneak peak of their IMAX Martin Scorsese directed movie, is odd.

I "won" them from the local TV station. I use the term "won" loosely. I think that they didn't have that many people trying to win, so they gave them to everyone who entered. Anyway, Craig and I both went to see it last night. Aunt Sarah babysat the kids at her apartment, which is a first. The kids loved visiting.

It was good, but not being a huge Stones fan, I didn't know some of the songs and couldn't have watched 2 hours of only concert footage. Lucky for me, "Marty" threw in some old clips of the band from the past 40 years.

Things that I liked in the film:

• Scorsese freaking out because he couldn't get Mick to give him a final set list. The last second before the band came out, a producer runs in with it.
• Keith singing. At least twice, he totally messed up the words.
• Keith talks and acts just like Jack Sparrow. I knew that Johnny Depp modeled the character after him, but it's hard not to laugh watching Keith.
• Keith wearing what I can only call a brooch on his coat. It was the Pirates of the Caribbean logo. (Also had a ring like it on.)
• The camera shots and editing were amazing.
• The video and sound were amazing. You really felt like you were there.

Things that I'm going to have nightmares about:

• They are WAY too old for a 4 story closeup. Some of their wrinkles could swallow a small child.
• Men with legs that skinny are freaky.
  
• Mick and Keith's arms.
• They are all WAY too touchy feely for old men.
  
• Mick's sweaty, sweaty, sweaty armpits. (Come on, really, you haven't figured out yet that a red silky shirt doesn't hide sweat well?)

It was nice to get out, but now I wish I would have seen the U2 IMAX movie when it was out. If you're a Stones fan, I'd say go see it.

Cory, too!

So after going on about Chase so much yesterday, I thought I should mention my wonderful, adorable neuro-typical daughter. Corinne turned two at the end of February and proceeded to enter the terrible twos. Wow, does she have an attitude. Ok, she actually also has an ear infection, but that's not the only reason for the attitude.

She's really into the Disney Princesses right now. Cinderella and Tinkerbell are her favorite. She even sings the "Tinkerbell song". I got some of it on my phone last night after her bath.

Labeling

So, having watched Autism: The Musical, I've been thinking that I haven't talked about how Chase is doing lately, when it was the original reason I started this Blog.

Chase has "high-functioning" autism. Right now his diagnosis is PDD-NOS, Pervasive Development Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified. Nice and descriptive, huh? But, the more he can communicate, I'm thinking that it is more like Asperger's. He really doesn't "get" the finer points of social interaction. Like how hard is too hard to hug, when it's appropriate to hug, kiss, etc. He also can seem aggressive because he doesn't understand this stuff.

I think that he's learning to function. I don't think he'll ever "get it" like neuro-typical children, but I think that he can learn how you're supposed to act and how you're not, but I think it'll be a struggle for him. He has to remember how interactions are supposed to work, because it doesn't come naturally to him.

Watching Autism: The Musical, I see children that do similar things to what Chase does, but they are older. I start wondering what they were like at 3. I think that I always think that they must have been "worse" than Chase, if they're now functioning like him. So, he'll be way better by the time he's their age? Right? That's logical, isn't it?

I just wish it will work out that way, but who knows? This whole autism rollercoaster is crazy. When you first find out, you suddenly "lose" the child you thought you had. Everything you have thought about his future is dead, or is it? While it's not a death sentence, everything in your world is different. My first thought when we got the diagnosis? "We're never going to be able to take him to Disney World or Cedar Point." Seriously. You see all the information about autism and apply all of it to your child, whether it really fits or not. At the same time, he's no different than he was yesterday. And, how much of it is his age, and how much is the autism? (BTW, we've been to Cedar Point and Disney World, both with wonderful results for everyone.)

I wish that everyone would watch that movie and see what kids, parents, and families go through. Maybe instead of people saying that he's overly aggressive, they'd understand that he can't help it and that all he's doing is trying to fit in and learn proper limits. Maybe people wouldn't stare at him standing at a table in a restaurant instead of sitting.

It's hard not to get protective. It's hard not to compare him to the other children with autism. It's hard not to resent other children who start stuff with him and then tattle on Chase when he reacts to them (Thank God for classroom video cameras.) It breaks my heart to see him try so hard to fit in and mix with the other children, and to have one of them say, "Why do you talk funny?" He understands that he's different, or at least he's treated differently. But he tries. How does a 3 year old know to try so hard?

No matter what the outcome of this whole thing, if there really ever is an "outcome", I'm glad that we've gone through it. I'm much more compassionate than I ever thought I could be. All of us have met so many strong and loving children, parents, and teachers.

And, I have a sweet, loving, smart, strong, brave boy who has taught me more than anyone I've ever known. I am truly blessed.