I really can't explain why this blog has taken such a back seat lately, but my best guess is that it has a lot to do with the longer daylight hours ( which I LOVE so I'm not complaining ) . Bedtime for the kids has been later and later...which leaves less and less free time for Mama and Papa.
BUT I have been meaning to share some news. Last month we took Miss Ruby for her 18 month check-up at the IWK. For anyone who doesn't know, Ruby is part of an Autism Sibling Study and we go for regular check-ups to see if she is showing any signs of autism.
It feels unsettling in some way to celebrate the fact that she is isn't showing any signs at all ( that is not the right word but I can't think of the perfect word to describe what it is we feel) . I guess it feels wrong in some strange way to be so very relieved that she isn't displaying any behavior that would be considered "autistic", like her big brother....does that make sense?
Anyway, that's a post for another day!
Back to our little trip!
Ruby was a great traveler. She enjoys the car , not quite as much as her brother, but if you give her snacks and some fun car tunes, she is good to go!
We arrived in Halifax before lunch so we could meet up with my Uncle Brian for lunch. I hope he doesn't mind me sharing his picture! We had a short, but lovely visit, which I'm sure my witty Uncle would say was all he could stand!
After lunch we headed to the IWK Health Centre to the Autism Research Dept. This is our third visit so when we arrived, they knew us by name and seemed genuinely happy to see us!
And well, I don't like to brag, but they were quite impressed by our girl! This visit consisted of a parent interview and "playtime". I say "playtime" in quotes, because all the activities were very much planned and organized but cleverly disguised as "playtime" so Ruby would be interested! There were tons of different activities, but let me share an example. The researcher, Terry, would take a toy car and do what most toddlers do...drive it around the table and make "vroom, vroom" noises. Then she would hand the car to Ruby and see what she would do. Our Ruby is a master imitator ! She could vroom, vroom like nobody's business! Imitating is one area where children with autism can really struggle. And if you think about that for a second, you realize why language can be so difficult to learn for children with autism as well. Many children with autism simply do not imitate naturally...which is basically how we learn to talk!
But we are quite certain that talking will not be a challenge for our Miss Ruby. She has been talking up a storm around here. Her favorite word is NO, but it is quite funny how she says it when she really means business...she drags it out so it sounds a bit like a cat " Neeeeeooooooooooooowww"! Every day she says something new and she is totally putting words together now! It is bittersweet to see her "pass" her brother. But I do know that she will be one of his best teachers. I can see it already.
Have a great weekend everyone! Bundle up, it's freezing out there!
