Last night Sam came cruising around the corner of our bathroom on Luke's Big Wheel with a race car driver's helmet on and full face shield in place. Sam noticed Luke had put on underwear before putting on his PJs. (Sam is 7 years old & has Asperger's and Luke is 3 1/2 years old & neurotypical...in case we haven't met, this is important to know) Yes, I did say Big Wheel and shower at the same time. We have Big Wheels and tricycles inside our house and the boys seem to dig it.

Angie likes to scrapbook so she just went away on a three day Scrapping Weekend. I love the scrapbooks but I don't scrapbook. When Sam was young, I attempted to create a scrapbook of 'Sam & Daddy' memories. The book is pretty cool but all the little pieces of paper, multiple choices on types of paper, backing, scissors...it was a little much for me. Digital media is more of my thing.
5 Essential Requirements: A Successful Boys Weekend
1) THE List
a) 911 (it's good to be reminded that 911 stands for 911 and that = emergency)

We kicked off a new Dads Coffee this weekend. This new group came to us via the
Dallas Morning News Article that ran a few weeks back.
The funny part of the article is:
1) only one Dad in our initial gaggle is from Frisco (4 Allen, 1 Frisco, 1 Dallas)
2) we have never met in a Frisco, TX Starbucks. (It is typically Allen, TX)
3) we don't sit in booths...not enough room for guys our size

AutismSpot is FREE so that everyone has the opportunity to learn something new, share their experiences on MySpot, get their daily news update on the top Autism stories, and easily be able to pass along an invitation to family/friends/neighbors/teachers/doctors/etc to join AutismSpot to learn more about Autism and life after the diagnosis.

Hold your breath....this one is ugly!

Angie is in Houston this weekend assisting her mom as she recovers from a half knee replacement. I'm not really sure whether that means that they left the other half of the knee on the operating table and sent her home partially fixed up or if that just means only half needed to be replaced. Either way...it sounds very painful and is a difficult recovery. Our good friend Mr. A had a full knee replacement 5 weeks ago but instead of replacing half...the doctors made it a whole and were kind enough to toss in some additional work.

It's not classical or hip-hop. It's not Wayne Newton or Lil' Wayne. It's not the Super Bowl or Wimbledon. It's the millions of children, tweeners, pre-teens, teens, adults, and seniors around the world who have Autism that we should be celebrating. Beyond the medical journals, beyond the statistics, beyond the vials of blood that sit in labs to be tested ......we have wonderful friends who are making history every day. Through hard work, dedication and love there are teams celebrating everyday successes that will never be splashed across the headlines. Want to know what team is?

We received good news yesterday....Sam's extended (9hrs 50min) EEG results came back "normal". In the blink of an eye, I felt a wave of elation and happiness. It's not complicated, no more tests, no more prodding or questions being asked of us while he sits there and wonders why everyone in the room is talking as if he isn't present. This chapter (for the time being) closed.
So what happens after the results are in? Does this mean he automatically stops having these small "spells"? The answer is no. Only time will tell us more.

Sam is undergoing a 6 hour EEG today at Medical City in Dallas. He was not pleased to learn of this procedure. This is putting it lightly.

Last week we had the incredible opportunity to join Paige McCoy Smith on the Good Morning Texas show which airs on WFAA-TV Channel 8 ABC in north Texas. WATCH THE INTERVIEW! Jay Espaillat (VP & Producer for AutismSpot) co-produced the four segments with Paige that aired over a three day period.