Winter Break

Two days after Christmas. Malcolm and JJ stayed in Salinas and at the moment are at riding lessons.

The other 3 of us are home.

Duncan is now in the shower and I will have to get in there soon and clean the caked on dried on feces that is stuck to him after he pooped and then pulled up his pants. A fact not discovered for perhaps an hour later.

I am just letting him play in the shower for a bit - letting it soften and wash away before I get in there to clean him.

Ho-hum.

So, Brenna makes a good point. If caring for Duncan becomes my job, we really will have no life beyond his care. What's the answer? There is no feasible scenario that does not require including people outside of the family.

Caught Duncan standing on the kitchen counter peeing into the sink this morning.

Back to School

November 28, 2011

Duncan and everybody else back to school today. Foggy and cold. All his overalls were dirty, so he had on elastic waist twill pants, no suspenders.

He stole cake and bbq chips from the pantry as I made Brett a sandwich. I risked the uncovered drink - since there were no yoo-hoos with their single serving straws. But those he often squirts out purposely, the uncovered mug only gets spilled if it's on purpose too.

Thought about buying him a mattress cover, but he would just rip up a plastic or rubber one. So, he takes his water balloon and dumps it out on the mattress.

What to get him for Christmas? His birthday?

Duncan was awake when I got up. The painted concrete floor of his room littered, as usual with empty packaging, crumbs. I scared him when I walked into the kitchen and he was filling a balloon with water which he emptied on the bed in his room down the hall from the kitchen.

After that, he got unhappy. Almost 12 years old, his hour of crying and whining was loud and deep and disturbing. I started to think he was in pain. Eventually he accepted a YooHoo and rolled up in a blanket to watch one of many, many movies saved on a hard drive hooked up to a tv behind glass.

I'm happy when I can clean up his room, their rooms and attend to the household.

Duncan has an ipad and I lately find myself believing he might be able to communicate one day.

This is something he has in his backpack.

All the kids are beginning to develop into the people they will become.

For Duncan, this means understanding his limits somewhat, at least in terms of his schedule and choices. His receptive understanding of language seems always improving. But his ability to act out, such as pulling down the coats in the mudroom, exposing the power box and flipping the switches and taking lightbulbs out of fixtures and flushing them or sneaking them outside where they get broken and he steps on the glass and must walk gingerly around until his dad gets home and can restrain him to remove the sliver. I gave Duncan a bath while we waited for Brett that night, I thought maybe even the glass would loosen and come out. When I stepped out of the bathroom, I returned to find water flooding out.

But he his a dear.
It's Thanksgiving and my parents are retired and in good health.

Happy Duncan

I have a new schedule that allows me to have more productive morning hours. I have to get up a 4 am, but that works for me, especially since I go to bed earlier now.

When I woke up though Duncan was awake.

But he's happy and that is a wildly beautiful thing. Hopping on the new twin size version of his bed and laughing. He's a joy.