Hank’s favorite activity at his favorite museum, Life and Science in Durham, NC: The Bungee Jump
Date Night
When it comes to date night with Hank, there’s very little room for error.
Chick-Fil-A wins almost every time.
This is why:
It’s Hank’s favorite place and has been since he was two years old.
He loves coming here. And so do I. It’s always friendly and we have a simple meal, just the two of us.
Today it was chocolate milk.
Score one for Mr. Persuasive.
The Case of the Missing Kindle Fire
I found this among Hank’s school papers this morning. He’s been struggling all year with his writing, mostly because he does not like to write. The physical act alone is too laborious for him. So I was surprised to find this story. Perhaps using a keyboard is the way to go for Hank.
Oh and he says this is fiction, but Lucas and Fletcher are his best buddies and aside from the crumb trail, this happened.
Pollen Warrior
The pollen has been kicking around for weeks here in North Carolina. Every year Hank suffers through seasonal allergies. He’s usually the hardest hit in our family of five.
His eyes are puffy, red and watery. He develops persistent cough, but somehow manages to keep that upbeat, determined attitude I admire so much in him. This morning as I’m using the bathroom, Hank stands outside my door to give me a status report.
“Hey Mom, I was just itching my eyes and a truck load of pollen just fell out of them.”
“Wow Hank, that’s a lot of pollen.” “Where did it all go?”
“It poured all over the stairs.”
And with that, he walked up the stairs and disappeared into his room.
Meeting
Just overheard Hank and his 12-year-old sister, Zoë, talking while dying their Easter eggs at at the kitchen counter.
Hank: “Just so you know, the meeting for trading Easter candies is in my room this time, Zoë.”
I look at Zoë. Meeting?
Zoë: “We’ve had this candy exchange for a long time.” “We trade candy every time there’s a holiday for really good candy.” ” Easter is usually one of them.”
“And it works out really well for everyone because someone usually gets something worth trading.”
Hank nods in approval. Man, I thought I was buying some really awesome candy.
Zoë and Hank
Tea Talk, Episode 12: “Autism, A Personal Journey”
Hank’s story. 🙂
April is National Autism Awareness Month.
We have a story to tell. One that is poignant, real and extremely close to our hearts. We share Steph F.’s story about her son diagnosis with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Steph F and her son, Hank.
1 in 68 children and on the rise…chances are you either know someone or will know someone autistic. There are still misconceptions and confusion about this syndrome and though we don’t have all the answers, our hope is, with this frank, genuine and insightful discussion, that we can help bridge the gap.
We hope to give those living, managing and excelling with autism, lots of encouragement, empathy and hope…because along with the challenges, there is hope and joy…LOTS of joy!
We are proud to share Steph’s story. We want to spread the word so that others may come away with a deeper appreciation for all children…
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Follow Their Lead
I just watched this video.
And I’ll want to watch it again because it’s an extraordinary thing when a mother bucks the system and follows her instinct and her son’s lead. The doctors said her two-year old autistic son would never talk. She listened to the them, but then discovered it wasn’t working for him. She followed his lead and changed his life. He’s expected to receive a Nobel Prize now.
She wrote a book about it: “The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing, Genius and Autism”. I haven’t read the book yet, but I bought it at Amazon for $12 before I finished watching this video.
Extorter
Last night, as I’m saying goodnight to Hank, he’s wiggling another loose tooth.
“Mom, just tell me.” I know the Tooth Fairy doesn’t really exist. It’s you isn’t it?”
“Yep.”
It was time to tell him. He’s been trying to get me to confess about other things like Santa, but on that I shall not budge. I believe in Santa in some kind of way. But when it comes to the Tooth Fairy, I think it’s now a trust issue. And I really don’t have a lot of loyalty to the whole Tooth Fairy concept. But what do I get for my honesty?
Extortion.
Hank: “Make it the usual amount.. You know, $5-6.”
Me: “What will happen if I don’t give you any money?”
Hank: “I’m telling Haleigh and Zoe (his sisters, aged 14 and 12, respectively) and then they’ll text their friends and they’ll text their friends and it will go on and on and on and on.”
“Oh and Mom, the milk is out waiting for you.”
Oh is it waiting for me?
That child doesn’t skip a beat.
Just lost his second top tooth: January 2013
Forget the School Bus
Hank recently returned to his two- wheeler. He learned how to ride his bike very early on, but a fall that kept him away and trying for almost 4 years. One day as his dad was working in the garage Hank surprised us and just started riding his bike.
He hasn’t stopped since.
Now when he comes home from school, the first thing he does is throw his backpack on the floor and grab his bike helmet.
So, last Saturday we rode our bikes to Hank’s track practice up at the school, about a mile and a half away. We both loved it. And it made us think. Maybe we should ride our bikes to school sometimes…And so we chose to start today. In Hanks words, it was awesome!
Life With Hank 