7.02.2010

Summer Launch

We're doing it. We're taking Leo on his grandparents' boat -- the boat they built with a designated berth for each grandchild (though at the time there were just four grandsprogs as opposed to the current sextet) -- and on which he has been on exactly one time, for a quick Lake Washington/Lake Union jaunt. We're prepping him with yet another social story:


His grandparents are being amazing, they are open to Leo staying on the boat for as many nights as he wants to - or no nights at all. Or taking one of the little boats and going ashore for a break. Or going ashore and taking a taxi straight home, if he starts melting. Ideally, though, our weekend will culminate with the extended Rosenberg family gawking at Fourth of July Fireworks from the middle of Lake Union. We are front-loaded with our iPad and tons of new videos and apps and music. We are poised for success.

(Plus his grandparents also do an expert job of stocking their wet bar.)

Hopefully we can celebrate afterwards with our own [Leelo's] on a Boat video. Will keep you updated.

---

In other matters:

I have a post up on BlogHer today, about Leo's extended but successful journey to toileting independence. We now live in a pullup-free household! So proud of our boy.

We are having phenomenal success at The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism. We are drowning in riches. We are achieving our goals, in terms of the spectrum (*rimshot*) of topics we'll be covering, showcasing perspectives from parents and professionals and educators and autistics/people with autism, throwing out strong statements about science and pseudoscience, and being a genuinely useful resource. We have extremely talented professionals donating their services for photography and book design. The commenting has been lively as well. We are so grateful to everyone who is helping TPGA kick ass!

(If you want to be one of the writers who helps TPGA kick ass, we've extended the deadline for submissions for the book to July 16, as we've been truly deluged with excellent writing. But we'll continue publishing essays online if that timeframe is too tight but you still want to participate.)

Other than that, our summer is the usual joyous swirl. Leo is in summer school for his last session at Loma Marina before transferring to Autism Wunderskool in the fall. He also came to one of our local concerts in the park for first time ever, and not only tolerated it but enjoyed it, I think. He was there for three hours and never complained. (Mali certainly didn't complain -- the band played doo-wop and funk, including her very favorite: Earth Wind & Fire! She even corrected me on their playlist -- I thought they were playing Boogie Wonderland but she said, rightly, that it was Let's Groove.)

Iz went to Green Day camp last week, and totally kicked butt with her singing and learning to play the drums (she and her friend Merlin didn't really consider Green Day's lack of keyboards when they signed up). They had a concert on the last day, and played four songs. I was impressed by how unfazed Iz and Merlin were by occasional bonks and how seamlessly they picked back up and corrected themselves without freaking, until Merlin's mom Ep pointed out that our kids have been taking piano from a Ukrainian for several years now, during which time their instructor has bullet-proofed their performance attitudes. Which also explains a lot about Iz's confidence and recovery skills when she played Mary in the Secret Garden (she said she blew it a couple of times, but no one in the audience could tell, including me).

Mali went to local rec center "let's do crafts and run around at the park!" camp with her friend Lucy,  which she considered every bit as worthy as Iz's band camp. Lucy came home with us several times by my request, which is just part of enjoying having the house where friends and family feel comfortable coming over spontaneously, playing, swimming, and just hanging out. Which reminds me, locals: Are you going to the BlogHer10 pre-conference meetup on July 24? I'm going. Hope to see you there.

Also starting to get excited about BlogHer10 itself. About moderating the Autism Panel with luminaries Pamela Merritt, who is SharkFu of Angry Black Bitch, Jean Winegardner of Stimeyland, and Sharon DaVanport of the Autism Women's Network. About seeing so many amazing people. About going to get me some damn Ghanaian food. And about having a book reading with Jen Myers & Jen Silverman for My Baby Rides the Short Bus on Saturday, August 7, at 7 PM at Bluestockings bookstore on the Lower East Side of Manhattan (please come!).

So, a mellow summer. Yeah! How is your summer shaping up?

5 comments:

  1. Looking forward to the possibility of meeting you at BlogHer! All the best to all for a wonderful boat trip!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Off to search back & see if I can figure out what app made that super cool social story...

    ReplyDelete
  3. BlogHer is going to be THE BEST. Please do come say hi.

    Moriah, it's called Stories2Learn:
    http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stories2learn/id348576875?mt=8. Not cheap at $13.99 -- it's actually the most expensive app I've ever bought -- but it was worth the investment, to us.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9:05 PM

    Well, I'm going to Yemen tomorrow. See you in PHX at XMAS. Yo Bro

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is how I hear from my brother? And learn that he reads this blog? After multiple texts? Enjoy Yemen, though I'm not exactly envious of the tasks you'll be tackling once you get there.

    ReplyDelete

Respectful disagreement encouraged.