T'was the week before Christmas....

---FORGIVE ME! Perhaps a bit too much "Christmas spirit(s)?"---

T'was the week before Christmas and all through the house only Momma was stirring but not her little mice. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Grandma soon would be there.

The boys were nestled and snug in their beds while visions of formula and chewy P's danced in their heads. With Daddy in Portland and I with Bailey's Irish Cream (yum!) I had just settled down for a short little blog.

When down in the crib there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my computer to see what was the matter. Away to the nursery I flew like a flash, tore open the door and did a quick dash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow (ok, that was a few nights ago) gave luster of midday to objects below (no doubt! It looked like daylight!). When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a miniature Schulenburg, a boy with a tear.

With a little young sleeper so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be Bennett. More rapid than eagles his tears they came and he whimpered and shouted and tried to call me by name. Now feed me! Now change me! Now burp me and kiss me! On spit-up! On diapers! On pj's and wipers! To the top of the crib! To the top of the bottle! Now cuddle me! Cuddle me! Cuddle me all!

As dry diapers that before the wild blow-out fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the diaper genie. So up to the housetop we flew, with a dry diaper and bottle too. And then in a twinkling, I heard on the couch, the giggling and cooing of each little kid.

As I drew in my head and was turning around, out of his room Luke came with a bound. He was dressed all in red, from his head to his footy pjs, and his clothes were all tarnished with toothpaste and spit. A bundle of books he had flung on the floor and he looked like a toddler just before he hits the sack.

His eyes how the twinkled, his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a wet dogs (sorry, not like a cherry tonight!). His brother's droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, and the formula drool on his chin was as white as snow.

The page of a book Luke held tight in his teeth, and the guilt it encircled his head like a wreath. He has a thin face and really no belly that shook when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.

Bennett was chubby and plump, a right jolly young elf, and I laughed when i saw him, in spite of myself. A look in the eyes and a smile on his face soon gave me to know I have no autism case.

Luke spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, and spun all the wheels, then turned with a jerk. And laying a finger inside his nose, and giving a smile, to his big boy bed he rose.

Bennett sprang his crib, to his brother gave a whistle, and away we all snuggled like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim as I turned out the light, Ma ma coo coo gooo ahhh and gooo ahhh a goo niii!!

Video added

Not in the writing mood but I did add video. Might be too long for anyone but Kurt and I but I wanted to share!

Scroll down to the Video bar on the right side and click on the top video. Connects you to You Tube. Enjoy!

It's the small things

I read somewhere that people who are the happiest are those that can take pleasure in the small things. I think I am a small thing person. I love the color of the air when the sun is going down, the feel of clean sheets, the sound of a giggle. I'd venture to say most people probably are 'small things' people (or maybe most people surround myself with?). Vacations, houses etc. are nice but they can't sustain happiness forever.

However I decided today that maybe 'small things' can make us so happy because of what they represent. Maybe small things are big things in disguise.

Let me explain by telling you about my day. Kurt headed off to Chicago eaaaaaaaaaaaarly this morning (6 am flight). I got up to the sound of Luke playing in his room and not much later, the squeak of Bennett wanting some breakfast. I'm not sure how long I stood there waiting for the hot water to make a bottle before I realized hot water just wasn't in the cards today. I checked the water heater and made a quick call to my dad. (HELP!) Unfortunately it wasn't the pilot light so we are out of luck until Tuesday (waiting for the part). I suffered through a very quick and very cold shower and got on with the morning. These kind of things - unexpected expenses, bad timing, inconvenience etc. can really get you down so it wasn't the best start to a Saturday or day 1 of 4 without Kurt.

Luke was scheduled for a haircut today and getting his hair cut is right up there with the sound of circular saws and vacuum cleaners on his list of least favorite things. It hasn't been a very fun experience in the past. We have a great girl (mom of typical student at Luke's school) who is excellent with special needs kids. She is patient and not put-off by weird behavior, crying or a full-blown freak-out. I think this is our 4th or 5th haircut with her and each one has gotten better. No crying today. No grunting. No thrashing to get down. Luke actually smiled and laughed. I was so proud.

After the cut we headed home and I pulled out the borrowed double stroller to take both boys on a walk. It was a beautiful 59 degree crisp fall day with clear skies. I carried Bennett down to the stroller and said "come on Luke". He followed us down the stairs. He went down the stairs all by himself. Again, I was so proud. The boys face each other in the stroller and I got such a kick out of Bennett staring at Luke and smiling.

After that I grabbed PJs and diapers and went next door to my neighbors to bathe my stinky boys. They had plenty of hot water and were willing to share. She also shared a glass of white wine.

When I got home I got a package from big bro John that contained 8 red and blue retractable security badge holder things. I had sent out a plea last week to friends / relatives that work in buildings for a few of these. They are great to attach Luke's therapeutic chewy 'P' to his shirt. This way he chews on something safe rather than everything else in the house and the retractable thing means it always there when he needs it. John had replied to my message right away with a 'this is taken care of'. I figured Wells Fargo had these types of security holders and he had an in with the front desk people (really, he probably does have an in).

Now I am sitting with my laptop and the house is quiet. I'm thinking about my day. It's not like I won the lottery or went on a fantastic trip but I have to say it was a pretty good day even with the prospect of no hot water for 4 days. Let's start with the haircut and Luke walking down the stairs. Both were small things that only lasted a few minutes. But both represent significant progress for Luke. This was not the first time Luke went down the stairs but he did it with such confidence. That's a big thing in disguise.

My walk in the loaned stroller with Bennett smiling was fantastic. I have good friends here that go out of their way to get the stroller out of storage and to me. That is a great feeling. Bennett smiling? Well if you read previous posts about "Autism Watch 2008" you know smiling is definitely a big thing in disguise.

Knowing that I can bring my kids to my neighbors, use their bathtub and have them watch the kid not with me is a great feeling. I knew I could just appear on the doorstop with a "I need your bathtub" and the door would be open. They are great people and we are so lucky to have them.

And the best of all was the retractable clippy things. Like I said, I thought that when John replied to my email plea he just knew he could get some through his office. However the package was from a website and they are not from Wells. They are new. He found them online and rather than just sending me the website for me to order them myself, he ordered 4 of each color, paid for them and had them sent to Luke. It's a little thing but it meant so much to me (I admit it, it made me cry). It's family support in a 'little thing' disguise. I wouldn't be able to get by without family and friend support. My water heater "what do I do call" to my dad is family support too. Even though he wasn't able to solve my water heater problem (that would have been impressive 2 states over), the fact that I always know I can call my parents any time, any question is so reassuring.

It's the small things. In this time before Thanksgiving I just want to say how thankful I am for the small things and being able to see the glory in them.

Big Boy Bed

It's an exciting day in the Schulenburg house! Luke is out of his crib and into a toddler bed. Kurt and I are wondering why we didn't do this earlier. Since school starting and the addition of Melatonin at night, Luke is a much better sleeper now - routinely going down about 8-8:30 each night. Given that, we thought we could let him out of the crib/jail. Now he can get in and out of his new bed on his own. He isn't able to open his door yet so he is still captive in his room but it would be good to teach him how to turn on the lights!

Getting out of bed...



...and back in!

Things have been much better since the last post with the exception of a few days which happened to coincide with my work trip to Atlanta. We've figured out that Luke gets a little (how can we say this nicely??) "backed up" which causes pain and therefore crying. We are now taking preventative measures so this doesn't happen in the future (or at least we can try and fix it easier if it does). After "eliminating" the issue one morning, he went from crying to happy happy happy immediately. At least we knew what was wrong - this is a big thing for us when he isn't able to tell us.

Bennett started sleeping through the night when my parents were here in October (October 21st). He just did it one night and has ever since. Of course I ran down in the morning very scared but he was just fine - still sleeping soundly. I think this is a benefit of his large birth weight. People think he is 5 months old! I am working on getting some Bennett smiles and "talking" on video. Will alert you when I am successful! He is so much fun to talk to and interact with. Kurt even got a semi-giggle out of him this weekend. He is so different from Luke at the same age. It's bitter-sweet (more sweet than bitter!). I am too nervous to declare victory but I am hopeful!

I've included a Halloween picture. Luke's not a big fan of the crowds in the village during trick-or-treating but I had to show off my two monkeys! You know the trick -or-treating is just a ploy to get momma some candy. Next year I will teach Bennett to wink at the people giving it away so he gets double. :)

Kurt is headed to Chicago this weekend for niece Emily's baptism. I am sad to miss the event but we didn't think a plane trip sounded like too much fun at this point. I hope to meet her soon (this is Kurt's second trip!).

Luke Update

After that last terribly depressing update I had to post a new one. Luke did sleep through the night on Sunday after falling asleep snuggling like the old days with Kurt. Both teachers said he was happy at school on Monday. He didn't make it through the night last night (up at 3:30am) but he is very happy today and doing fine.

Also, although this obviously isn't going to be my favorite family picture, I did realize Sunday night that this is our FIRST family picture. Therefore I had to post it for historical significance!

Pumpkins!

Kurt got home today after 6 days away for work in Indianapolis and then work / fun in Chicago. I nearly cried at the airport when I picked him up because I was so relieved to have him home. It was a tough week to say the least. The boys had a knack for crying at the same time in the evenings. Luke 'stimmed' most of the day Tuesday and Thursday and cried himself to sleep Wednesday through Saturday nights. He also woke up for several hours in the middle of the nights. I even had to call in reinforcements a few times during the week just to hold Bennett as I calmed Luke down. Again I am at a total loss as to the cause. I hoped he would be cheered up by Kurt being home but today wasn't much better. It was obviously that he liked the attention from Kurt but still cried most of the day. Since Luke does like the car and being out and about we thought we'd give a local pumpkin patch a try. This is a pumpkin patch on steroids and really more of a kiddie amusement park. We did get the first smile (in 4 days?) out of Luke on the mini-train ride below. I got lots of comments on Bennett's pumpkin outfit (the hat really is the kicker!). We did get a couple cute pictures and some nice lady came and took a picture of the 4 of us in the patch but with both kids crying we gave up on that one.

Smile on the train

A very tired pumpkin

Kurt also had both kids by himself last weekend while I was in Nashville for my friend Carrie's wedding shower. We had such a blast hitting up our old favorite restaurants, watching the Commodore's beat Auburn and celebrating Carrie's upcoming nuptials.

While in Chicago Kurt did some work on our rented condo (re-grouted the shower, fixed windows and other odds and ends). He also got to meet new niece Emily and stay with Paul and Megan. Originally the trip was supposed to include a trip to Wrigley Field to watch the Cubs in the playoffs but let's not even TALK about that! What a disappointment!

On a very happy note, Bennett has been smiling at us a bit. He also seems very interactive with lots of eye contact and has great head control already. 10 weeks today. I am so thankful!

Back to work

This weekend was fun. Kurt's parents came to meet the new Seattle Schulenburg on Friday. We had dinner at home Friday night and then a yummy waffle breakfast followed by a hike in Discovery Park on Saturday to work off yummy breakfast. I was gone Saturday night (see below) but the family played Scattergories and Scrabble all night. Sunday we had a nice lunch at Maggie Bluffs which is the casual 'sister' restaurant to Palisades (Gina, M&D have been there) and enjoys the same boat marina / downtown / Puget Sound view.

Saturday night I was at the EEU girl's slumber party at the Tumble Creek park of the new Suncadia resort about 1.5 hours east of Seattle. The house, owned by a EEU family is beautiful and sleeps about 22 people. We had a few more than that so people brought sleeping bags etc. It was a total blast. Six of us moms drove up together. We had mexican food and margaritas. Seriously, is there anything better than that?? Pictures below are living room from upstairs and outside fireplace / living space. I want to move in.



Today was my 2nd official day back at work and boy do I wish I had a longer maternity leave! The work and people are actually fine, I just don't like sitting here all day long. I do have some interesting new projects to work on and with all going on in the economy, working at the Fed is quite interesting.

Upcoming weekend is NASHVEGAS trip (Nashvegas is what us ex-Vandy girls call Nashville). We are going to celebrate Carrie's wedding shower. 10 Vandy girls will be there and I am beyond excited for the girl's weekend. On a very happy side note, the amazing Commodores football team is RANKED this year. Yes I said RANKED! They won their first 4 games and the game this weekend is going to be 5! Auburn is going down! ESPN Game Day is even hosting from Vanderbilt - that is insane. It's Commodore fever!

After my last post's downer message I will say that Bennett has been looking at us a ton. Great eye contact and interest in us. Unfortunately still no real smile. The looking is great but a real smile with those lit up eyes would make me do back-flips. Kurt got 1 semi-smile about two weeks ago but no more since so of course I am still on Autism Patrol. Doubt that will end until he is 4.

One last note - I went to court today and got out of my speeding / insurance tickets that mean mean mean cop gave me. He nailed me while I was having terrible (so bad I was crying) contractions 2 days before Bennett was born. I am on a ticket 'probation' for one year. No more tickets and this one will not get on my record / insurance. I'll be driving slow or making Kurt drive all year!

Slllllllllllllllleeeepy

Current state of household: Sleeeeepy! Luke walks around rubbing his eyes, Bennett falls asleep as soon as some one picks him up and I could sleep standing up! Kurt probably hides under his desk at work (like George on Seinfeld) to take naps!

Luke started his first day of EEU preschool on Monday. The bus comes at 7:20 so he is quite upset about being woken up in the morning until he spots the bright yellow bus waiting outside. Yesterday Luke literally jumped up and down and giggled as we walked to the bus in the morning. It was so cute! He was clearly excited to be back on his bus, school, bus schedule! His ride home today apparently was a bit less exciting because he was totally zonked out, head to chest asleep when they came home. Poor guy! No report yet from the teacher on how he is doing but I assume all is fine. I will be going in next week to watch him for a few hours. Next week we also start the 3 extra hours of one-on-one Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.

Luke seems to be doing 'ok' with Bennett for the most part. He does seem to get a bit jealous though (which, honestly is a good sign I think). Bennett wanted to be held tonight and Luke seemed to want his turn! He got sad whenever I had Bennett in my arms and didn't want to go to sleep even though he was rubbing his eyes constantly. We have been battling with Luke and sleep a lot in the past few weeks. Although tired he does not want to go to his crib and ends up quite upset and cries himself to sleep. It is terribly sad! We are trying melatonin, suggested by an autism doctor, and it does seem to at least reduce the duration of crying. Hopefully once he gets into more of a schedule with school and sleep the crying jags will disappear.

Bennett has been more aware in this past week, awake for several hours at a time now. We even had 1 night of 5 hours of sleep which seemed luxurious! We went to a infant physical therapist for his shoulder and she said it was almost 100%. We have a few stretches we can do with him but for the most part she said it looked great.

I admit to being scared on a regular basis about Bennett having autism and focus too much on his eye contact (or lack of it sometimes) and wish every day for a smile. I wish I could just turn the worry off but I do not think that is possible. I sometimes feel a pit in my stomach ready to burst into tears with worry and frustration. When I don't have that 'pit' feeling, I am less worried, happy and enjoy the baby time more. I am reminded of summer camp when I was in 5th - 6th (I think) grade. Growing up I had a big issue with spending the night away from home (even just 1 night!). More often than not it seems I would get homesick and want my parents to come pick me up. Of course I find this quite ironic now since I went away to college and never moved back to Dallas. Anyway, camp, 5th grade, Sky Ranch. I went for 1 week and cried contantly wanting to come home. I remember so clearly that when I didn't have the stomach 'pit' burst into tears feeling I actually had so much fun. The ups and downs now remind me of the ups and downs from that summer camp trip. It's funny what memories we conjure up from our past!

Emily Ruth Schulenburg!

A quick note so give a big big WELCOME to cousin / niece Emily Ruth the beautiful daughter of Paul and Megan!

Emily was born August 30th at ~ 6 am. Just like cousin Bennett she was a big baby - 10 lbs 3 oz and 21.5 inches. We are so excited to meet her! XOXOX

Bennett Richard Schulenburg

August 3rd at 1:21 pm Bennett joins the Seattle Schulenburgs weighing in at a whopping 10 lbs, 4 oz! Ouch! Daddy was finishing up hole 1 on a golf course about 60 miles away when my water broke. This is after I was CERTAIN that I wouldn't go into labor that morning - no contractions, no pain (I said - "go go, not having a baby today"). I got out of bed and whoosh! My neighbor Maggie drove me to the hospital, neighbor Shari joined us there and her husband Paul stayed with Luke until our nanny Nena could get here. Kurt raced to the hospital and made it by 8:30 with plenty of time to spare. My neighbors were so sweet and helpful, babysitting Luke all that night and bringing us lots of gifts and most importantly FOOD!
Bennett is super cute and his clavicle is healing well (it was broken during the birth). His 2-week birthday is today. He is getting more alert and loves to be cuddled and rocked. Grandma and Papa Gough are here helping out with both grandsons and Kurt and I so appreciate all of their help! Luke especially loves all the attention and playing outside in the pool and tunnel with Papa and taking lots of walks with Grandma.
Luke seems to notice Bennett a bit more in the last 1-2 days. He doesn't like the crying and isn't 100% aware of Bennett, but I have seen him looking at him with a "what / who is that" look.
I hope to capture a good big / little brother picture soon.

Waiting for baby

We are all ready for baby to make his debut! Room is ready (see picture) and mommy is getting uncomfortable! Per the doctor on Tuesday, baby could come anytime. Each day I wake up wondering "is today the day?". Only baby knows!

Luke is doing really well at school. 2nd week is over and he has been happy every day. No crying and no falling asleep on the bus. He seems happy each day he comes home. Today they went on a field trip literally across the street to the hospital cafeteria. It was a lesson in 'staying with the group' and being in a restaurant atmosphere. Too funny!

Luke has been on a number of new supplements lately and for the first time since we started all this biomedical stuff (2 years ago!) I am actually thinking they might be making a difference. He seems a bit more 'aware' and responsive. He reacts to his name more often, is doing better in our private home therapy and also seems to understand receptive language (what we say to him). No expressive language yet (him talking) but he has been communicating more with pointing and signs. Even our awesome nanny Nena said (without me asking!) that she thought he was getting better. She is so protective and positive about Luke. "My baby" she says! We love her.

I'm off to take a nap (at least I have a good excuse!).

First day on the bus!

It's a milestone day - Luke's first school bus ride! Driver Henry came to pick Luke up a few minutes ago. He was nice enough to snap a picture of Luke and giant Mommy. Luke starts the autism 'summer camp' program today at the EEU. He needed a big boy back-pack and lunch box (so grown up!). I admit to being a little sad to see him go. He'll be back this afternoon hopefully a happy boy. He is the first stop for the bus so it is a bit of a long ride for him but he does love being in the car so hopefully everything will be fine.

Kurt left this morning for Boston for a Liberty Mutual / Safeco transition meeting. It's great that he was picked to be part of the transition team. I will be crossing my legs and fingers all week hoping that baby boy #2 doesn't decide to make his appearance this week. Aunt Gina will be here Thursday and Friday so she is my back-up delivery room 'partner' in case he does decide to come and Kurt can't get home in time.

Chicago trip

Hello all!

We are all melting here in Seattle. I can't believe that I am such a heat wimp after living in Dallas for so long. It was 90 yesterday and with no air conditioning and a big ol' pregnant belly I was tooooo hot. Luke didn't mind at all having a great time splashing in the small plastic pool in the backyard on Saturday and Sunday.

Posted are some pics from our trip to Chicago last weekend. We got back late Tuesday night and I am proud to report that Luke was excellent on the flights there and back. Kurt got stuck with the middle and did a great job keeping Luke entertained. The picture of Kurt and Luke is from Millennium Park which is one of my favorite spots in Chicago. I just love the 'bean' sculpture and the water features. Luke loved splashing around with Kurt and Paul and all the kids.

The next picture is from Megan's awesome shower. It's Megan's niece Ally, sister Kate, mom and Megan. The shower was fun and delicious. Yummmmmmy. Megan and Paul are in a new townhome that is fantastic and in a great new neighborhood. The area has lots of cool restaurants, stores and bars but also tons of young kids / babies and a really nice playground. We enjoyed hanging with the family and also spending time with our college friends. I ate all my favorites too (Garrett's, Pizano's pizza, Uncle Julios, Wishbone, Vosges Chocolates)!!

Baby #2 now has a semi-decorated room. We are borrowing a crib from our next door neighbor (really nice people) as Luke isn't quite ready to give his up and move to a big-boy bed. We also are keeping the guest bed so we can still sleep all our fun visitors. We got a fun stripped rug and then I found cute linens from the clearance section at Target (my favorite!). We just need a few more things set-up and then we are ready for the little one. Besides feeling BIG and hot things are fine with baby. He is super active doing water aerobics in my belly.

Happy 4th of July!

Weekend fun

Kurt and I had a blast on our respective weekends. Kurt said his time at the US Open golf tournament was "the coolest thing he had ever done". Sounded pretty awesome for any golf player / fan. Lots of nice courses, food and Tiger watching. Sadly they didn't get to see the Monday tie / sudden death round on Monday as they had to fly back home Sunday night.

Carrie visited Luke and I in Seattle. I introduced her to many of my EEU friends, playgroup etc. We did the duck boat tour (around Seattle and then into the water to see houseboats etc.). We went to the Mariner's game (sadly they lost) and did lots of eating, talking and catching up. It was awesome to have her here.

We leave tomorrow for Chicago and Megan's baby shower. We are looking forward to the party, hanging out with the family and seeing all our favorite Chicago things (which for me seem to focus on food - no surprise). No travel planned once we get back from Chicago but we do have some fun visits in July (Kate and Sarah as well as Gina (hopefully!).

I posted a new video with Luke doing stairs that you should be able to see in the video section on the right. They really focused on stairs for the last few weeks at Luke's school and obviously it made a huge difference. Consistency helps! This inspires me to be more consistent with us requiring him to use utensils and sign language. Sometimes it is just easier for us to do it ourselves but clearly he is capable of these things and we just need to push it!

The picture is from Luke today. He was so happy and cute and I tried to snap a picture but he was too fast!

Getting started

So this is my first post on a blog ever. I got inspired by my friend Christa who used her blog to update friends and family on the status of her son's surgery and recovery. It got me thinking this would be a great way to post pictures, videos and updates on our family. It's a great historical reference for me and fun way to keep people updated.

All is well in the Schulenburg house for now. Luke is in his last week of the ITP (Infant Toddler Program) at the EEU. Beginning mid-July he starts an intensive 5-week program (4 days / week) with 7 other autistic kids and several teachers. They will provide significant one-on-one as well as group therapy over the summer. Beginning in late August Luke will begin the preschool program at the EEU (5 days /week in a preschool class with special needs and typical kids, 3 days a week he stays longer for one-on-one therapy with just the autistic kids).

We are so pleased to be able to stay at the EEU for at least 2 more years (preschool)!

Luke's very happy lately and has even started going up and down stairs like a champ. I hope to video him doing this this week and post something on YouTube so everyone can see his great physical progress and smiles. The picture above is from his horse therapy session at Little Bit. We are done for the summer but will start again with the fall quarter. He LOVES it!

One of my best friends from college is coming to visit this Thursday to Sunday. Carrie lives in Atlanta and is making the LOOOOOOONG trip to hang out with Luke and I. We are so excited!

Kurt is headed to San Diego for the US Open golf tournament. He also gets to play 3 rounds of golf, go to dinner and stay in a nice hotel. Pretty nice father's day weekend for him for sure!!

Baby #2 is getting big. We are at 32+ weeks right now. Hopefully he stays nice and cozy as we are headed to Chicago for Megan's baby shower on the 21st. They are due a few weeks after us and are not finding out the sex (which of course makes me SOOOOOO curious!). We are really looking forward to the baby shower and hanging in Chicago with Kurt's family.