5 Years!

On March 15th we celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. In a wonderful turn of events, my sister Valerie, who was a matron of honor in the wedding and who I hadn't seen since that day, was in town that week and we all went for a wonderful lunch at the Yard House and a trip to Red Rock Canyon.

Thinking back on my wedding day the first thing I remember is just the delirious happiness I felt. I have never smiled so much in my life as I did on that day! Our wedding ceremony and reception were held in the Elgin rec center, but to me it might as well have been a ballroom at the Ritz, it all felt so magnificent. The decorative cake utensils from Walmart gleamed like freshly polished silver, the centerpieces constructed from beaded wire we found at Michaels glittered and gleamed as if enchanted by fairies, instead of the regular shyness I usually feel with people, a kind of sweet love seemed to flow back and forth and swirl around the room.  I don't know what other people who were there experienced, but to me it was truly a blessed day.

What's Up

Holy moley, it's been a long time since I blogged! I need to get back into the habit because I am pretty sure I am going senile and when the ol' memory is completely gone I want to be able to look back and read about Remy learning to talk and what happened on Doctor Who in season 7. So here is what is up!

•  Remy is coming up on  his third birthday and so we are working on making the transition from Early Intervention to pre-school a smooth one.  I took him in for his school district evaluation a couple of weeks ago but they weren't able to come to a consensus on his autism. The speech therapist thought it was a misdiagnosis but the psychologist and nurse were "100% convinced" it was the correct diagnosis. So two school district psychologists are coming out in a couple of weeks to repeat the ADOS and we will see how that goes. The reason the speech therapist doubts autism is because Remy's eye contact and "joint attention" (desire to have those around him notice what he is noticing) are very, very good where usually these are two of the most obvious signs of autism.  It is my personal opinion that the reason Remy is so strong in these areas is because he received special help for these skills before he was two years old, while his mind was still quite flexible. I think if more kids got this training at such a young age they would see similar results.  
•  Remy's speech is blossoming at such an amazing rate. Is this what neuro-typical kids experience when they start to talk? I don't really have a reference point but all I know is that every day he is surprising us with new words, and better and better sentences.  
• Remy loves to sing. He can sing his alphabet really well and gives the good old college try to Twinkle, Twinkle and Row, Row, Row your Boat.  He also loves to dance and drum and has great rhythm.  
• Remy can read many words: cat, dog, dad, mom, vacuum, mop, car, Lorax, Ford, Dodge, Bissell, Hoover, McDonald's, up, upright, dirt, pet, keep, go, toy, stop, duck, moon, kid, on, off, box, shoes, eat, socks, ball, cup, train, truck... And he doesn't just recognize them in familiar forms like a logo or a flash card, I have seen him read many of these words in upper case or lower case, hand written or a variety of fonts. 
• Now that he is talking more, echolalia is becoming evident. This is a common issue with kids on the autism spectrum. While Remy is getting really good at telling others about his interests (vacuum cleaners, cars) or exciting things that happen to him (a boo-boo or a trip to the store) he has a hard time responding to questions or carrying on a back and forth conversaion.  For example yesterday his OT asked him "do you want to kick or crash?" and Remy's response was "kick or crash!" She had to ask him three times before he could indicate kick.  When you say "bye Remy!" he will usually respond "bye Remy!" If you say "is this a ball?" his answer is "ball." I hope that as his fluecy in language increases we will see the echolalia fade. 
• We love the house and the neighborhood, but the HOA? Not so much. Our house is not what I would call shabby but they have sent us violation notices twice now, once for the shutters and once for the eaves, so we have to spend all this money to repaint them when what I really want to do is fix the pool heater so I can use the hot tub for my fibromyalgia. Annoying as heck.  
• We bought a season pass to Springs Preserve so I hope that I will take full advantage of it this year! They have so many great things for Remy to do, and art, gardening and cooking classes for adults as well! 

Well, that's a good update for now, I will try to check in with the blog again soon!  

Steph and the Boys

Here are some pics from Steph and the boys recent visit. Thank goodness they were here for two weeks because I caught a nasty cold half way through and had to lay low for a few days. We made it out to Red Rock Canyon, Bonnie Springs, and did Springs Preserve twice. Nothing like seeing the places you love through the eyes of the kids you love! Remy misses them a lot and I hope it won't be too long before they visit again.

Christmas 2012

Winter Fun at the Bellagio

Cangelosi Family 2012

We don't get a family portrait very often but with a brilliant photographer on vacation with us in September there was no excuse not to get one this year! It would be an understatement to say that Remy and Ross were not quite as thrilled as I was, but even without their full cooperation Steph managed to get some that I really love. She loves them a little less, but that is because she is an artist. Just for her reputation's sake I should mention that she only edited the second and third so isn't responsible for the other two.  :)

On a more personal note, I was pregnant in these pictures with a pregnancy that we lost a few weeks later. I was so tired, and trying to peer into a future that was shifting like an image in a kaleidoscope.  And yet there was a kind of serenity too - pregnancy is like an ultimatum from the universe that makes your purpose crystal clear. Now the kaleidoscope world has shifted again, but I am doing okay, and I know that whatever happens, peace is as close as the God who has promised never to leave us, never to forsake us.

Kitchen, Before and After

Even though the painting did not go smoothly I am so glad we didn't wait and got it done right away. We had the cabinets painted a basic white, the walls painted White Sand by Benjamin Moore, and the fridge is new (from Frigidaire, because it seemed like the best deal.) Eventually, we would love to replace the stove and the microwave with stainless steel versions to match the fridge and dishwasher. It's a great little kitchen and one of my favorite rooms in the new house.

Back on the Horse

We have just gone through one of those seasons. Lots of blessings, but lots of trials too. Topped off with a four night stay at the hospital and my third miscarriage. I am feeling shocked and wobbly.  But I came home Sunday to my beautiful house, my amazing husband, my precious, precious boy, my supportive parents...and it is time to get back on the horse.  I trust that if I just keep counting my blessings and doing whatever my hand finds to do things will start to feel right again.

Family Vacation

We originally planned this vacation before we had even put an offer on a house, so I had no idea that just one week after moving in we would be at Green Valley Ranch recuperating. How perfectly did that work out? It was so lovely - warm weather, yummy food, plenty of room at the pool, and three very happy little boys. If we ever get to do it again I hope more family can join us! (All of these picture's are from Steph's camera.)

My personal favorites from vacation 2012:

• Lunch at Lucille's. My new favorite restaurant. 
• Listening to the guys plan a board game.
• Remy blissfully shoveling sand.
• Fuzzy bathrobe and nice deep bathtub.
• Sun rises reflected on the beautiful arches outside our room.
• Stephy time. 

Awesome Progress

The first video is for a little more than a month ago and the second video is from today. You can see the amazing progress Remy is making since starting ABA therapy.

Rainbow

Mom, Remy and I were out on the balcony yesterday and got to see what is really a rare treat around here, a rainbow! A little sad to think that in less than a month we won't have this view anymore. We've been really lucky! But a rainbow means good things ahead, right? Looking forward to a new vista!

House Observations

We did the home inspection yesterday. I posted pictures but I was too wiped out (Remy has a cold and was up all night the night before) to write about it, but here are some of my observations:

• The fireplace is gas and seems pretty child safe. It has a glass front that doesn't let a lot of the heat through.  
• There are four rose bushes! Yay, I love roses!
• There is an instant hot water tap for tea...but it needs to be fixed. 
• They have sun screens on all of the windows but I am going to take them off the windows on the north facing windows. Because a) it's the best light and b) it's the only side of the house that has a view.
• All the walls throughout the house are white, the wood is a golden colored oak. It's not really us so we are going to paint the walls a pale tan color and paint the wood white with some espresso trim.  We used to have slightly more colorful walls but it really limits what you can do with decorating so I am going with neutral this time. (Except the bedrooms and bathrooms, I may paint those myself later.) 
• They have those thick, white, faux wood blinds on a lot of the windows. I didn't see them the first time because they are hidden behind layers and layers of drapes. One day I would love plantation shutters, but until then, these are great! 
• There is a pretty fan/light fixture up in the loft and a not so pretty one in the family room. I think we will switch those around. 
• The carpet is ivory. Uh-oh. Ivory carpet + four cats = doomed carpet.  
• Karen says the pool is heated and has a waterfall feature. The water comes out the slot in the hot tub and into the pool. We don't know if it works because the inspector didn't want to mess with the pool controls. It also has fiber optic lighting so that you can swim at night! Night swimming!
•  The inspector concluded that the house was in "great, great shape - and I don't use the word great that often!" Score! 
• We do the walk through and get the keys on the first and then, as soon as the painting is done and the safety fence is up, we will start moving in!