Oceans and Mermaids and Questions, oh my!

My inspiration for today's post comes from Josie, whose entry and pics truly hit home:)

I don't know if I've already mentioned this, but the school psychologist at my school site once told me that almost all of the students she had worked with (who were on the ASD spectrum) had some form of attachment (in NBear's case - obsession) to the Marine Universe!

I was always amazed at how NBear took to the water so well, and at such an early age. *Alright, alright - so she screamed bloody murder the very first time I put those floating arm bands on her and she realized her feet were dangling in liquid, but a few minutes after that, she was hooked!* She had absolutely no fear of letting go of the gutters when were at pools, and when she finally had her chance to swim "in a REAL ocean" on our visit to Guam, the Huz had to go in and pull her back to shore because she obviously didn't understand the concept of - the water doesn't get any shallower the farther you go...and, the fish don't get any smaller!

*pictured below is the ocean she swam in, as seen from our hotel room*

She is the reason for out yearly trek to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. I used to think that it was inevitable for the Huz and me to have a child who was a water-lover because (having grown up on an island), we were too! Just the sight of water sends wild electrical pulses through my skin that seem to say "Jump in! Jump in! Jump in!" , and if the Huz could, he'd probably sleep with a speargun and fins by his side - his version of teddy bears! So it was both enlightening and odd for me to discover that a fascination with the marine world was a common thread with ASD kids - and I'm not talking just loving to swim. I mean, knowing the ins and outs of marine animals as well! It's absolutely mind-boggling...

Why, though? Who knows? Carolyn also mentioned a surfing program that worked wonders for her son Tim, and I hope I also get a chance one day to bring NBear to one of those sessions. :) She is definitely my little mermaid! (Did I also mention that she is a die-hard fan of Disney's Little Mermaid? She also loves the Backyardigan episode when the characters imagine themselves as mermaids!)

Of course, sister MBear (pictured below with friend J2H on the right- she is also the 2nd of three girls, daughter of one of mommybear's BFFs, JGH) didn't take to the liquid heaven at all, and preferred the much-safer chlorinated areas. She did, however, enjoy the breathtaking view!

...and finally (the Huz has also requested this), I need to add that NBear is the new poster child for How To Ask Questions. She is soooo curious, it's funny! Could the shell be cracking a bit more? Although she still struggles with "Why" questions, she certainly has a bit more of a hold on the other ones:

*Mommy, are you scared? (after seeing a preview of an HBO vampire series)

*Daddy, what are you doing?

*Where's MBear?

*Which way do we go?

*What are you doing? (A BIG one!)

*Who's that?

The more she asks, the more we realize how aware she's becoming.

My little mermaid...

Tropical Lady

*survive a 12-day trip to much-loved Guam (traveling with the three kids!).....check

*take enough motrin to tranquilize an elephant when dealing with the onset of sinusitis, and MSG migraines - it was the tropic's way of saying "welcome back, we missed your occasional misery"...check

*fight the urge to reschedule the flight back to CA because of the sudden appearance of the(insert expletive here) stomach flu.....check

*report back to work the day AFTER your early morning arrival from a 12-hour flight, which crossed over the international date line. May I add that being jet-lagged was worse than any hangover I had ever experienced.Ever......check

*crash and burn again in two days, while experiencing excruciating flu-like symptoms. Listen in utter disbelief as your doc tells you that you have strep throat.....check (Mr. Magoo has better luck than I do!)

*begin to feel better, and BLOG.......check :)*sigh*

Alright - there you have it! My excuses - reasons - for not setting this keyboard on fire anytime sooner. I'll tell you, though - my NBear has certainly fared much better than I had! She had a great time on the flight, and was - hands-down, the best behaved of the three :) We won't count the last airplane ride, when we finally landed at SFO. She was so tired and wanted to sleep, she refused to disembark!
Helpful hint: Continental Airlines offers a gluten-free meal on some flights (unfortunately, it included some egg, which NBear is allergic to)

Guam was an absolute blast for her and sister MBear, and I promise to post some pics soon. Who wouldn't enjoy a vacation jam-packed with pools, the ocean (what mommybear calls the REAL KIND!), and an endless supply of goodies from relatives? The Huz and I had our share of heartwarming moments whenever we watched our Tres Marias frolicking in our old childhood spots! My little corner of paradise did have its share of flaws, however.....

1) It was almost impossible to continue NBear's GFCF diet 100%, because there weren't really any grocery stores dedicated to that kind of lifestyle. Let's just say the AFP tabs (as I've mentioned earlier) were a life-saver! We did find that there was more awareness about organic and healthy foods, and loved Healthy Hearts :) *Thanks, CC for the tip* We found most of NBear's Whole Foods skin care products there, which was a relief.

2) Almost everyone we spoke to had not heard of Jenny's book. Not that they had any reason to read it, but it was just funny how you could bring that up here - autism community or not - and someone's heard of it. Hmmmm...perhaps people in good 'ole CA are just exposed to more media tactics than my beloved islanders are! *lol* But seriously - it was just odd;)

3) The autism community back home seemed promising when we saw an ad on TV about some kind of social group - so, like eager beavers, the Huz and I wrote down the numbers and (why am I not surprised?) lo and behold - about all the people we knew, including my in-laws and MissFABulous, knew one of the ladies personally. Welcome to Guam! The Huz was the one who spoke to her on the phone, and even he admits that he may have overwhelmed her with the information he shared about NBear's biomeds. May have? We left her our copy of Overcoming Autism , and hope she is able to find time to read it. It's not a book about biomeds (I'm sure Huz suggested Jenny's bestseller), but it's one I'm sure she'll find helpful. Here's the local website for their social community.

So - if anyone plans a visit to a small little patch of heaven in the Philippine Sea anytime soon, (the food is GREAT!) - don't say you haven't been warned! HAHA!

nite:)
si mommybear