tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.comments2023-09-23T08:32:54.920-07:00Team ShimmyThe Fitch-Jenett Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01189562745394422476noreply@blogger.comBlogger1361125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-55510055985796307322018-04-03T05:00:06.536-07:002018-04-03T05:00:06.536-07:00Wonderful that it is behind you now! He is such an...Wonderful that it is behind you now! He is such an amizing boy and you are AMAZING moms!! Hugs and love and healing thoughts to you all. Xo SarahSarah Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06172264762223463072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-41649219039479614082018-02-06T07:36:24.742-08:002018-02-06T07:36:24.742-08:00Hello! I'm not sure if you read your comments,...Hello! I'm not sure if you read your comments, I'm one of your longtime lurkers. <br /><br />About a year ago, one of my relatives gave birth to a baby who had down syndrome and a heart defect. They didn't know about the baby's health problems prenatally, so it was a big surprise for them on delivery day.<br /><br />Thank you for all of your informative posts about raising a child who has multiple health issues. Even though the diagnoses aren't exactly the same, your posts were and are so very helpful.<br /><br />Lydiahttp://lydiaschoch.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-7812426259092709172017-12-27T13:23:10.951-08:002017-12-27T13:23:10.951-08:00Yes.
Simon Shimmy does know how to live and so do...Yes.<br /><br />Simon Shimmy does know how to live and so do you Laura and Jaime.<br /><br />Enjoying the blog so much since I read the Affinities post from 2015 and some of Simon's other adventures with characters.Adelaide Duponthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01490123934889071074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-44066743100655231492017-08-20T19:18:14.452-07:002017-08-20T19:18:14.452-07:00Uh, I guess I lurk around here, too. I think our ...Uh, I guess I lurk around here, too. I think our country is way over-medicated, but the 1st day I was on Zoloft I looked around and asked myself why I had resisted for so long. It just wasn't so dang hard to be happy and nice anymore. When my nine year old had a suicide plan and we stopped playing around with therapy and started her on Zoloft the same thing happened. "Mom! I didn't cry at school today!" What 9 year old cries at school every day? Two of my children are still alive because of the miracle of SSRIs. Two little girls that I didn't have to lose to suicide. I'm so very, very thankful!<br />As I society we have to be careful, but there is definitely a place for these drugs! Glad you're all doing OK.Jerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02227814333526944244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-60612563461842892812017-07-10T04:22:04.145-07:002017-07-10T04:22:04.145-07:00I'm a longtime lurker on your blog. Thank you ...I'm a longtime lurker on your blog. Thank you very much for the update. I'm glad that all three of you are doing so well these days. Lydiahttp://lydiaschoch.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-36771075966829094242016-04-08T19:41:20.290-07:002016-04-08T19:41:20.290-07:00Happy almost birthday, beautiful boy. I remember ...Happy almost birthday, beautiful boy. I remember when I was teaching in special ed how myopic we could get when things were hard. We'd be in the trenches helping students fight the same battles over and over- and when you're in it that can feel a lot like defeat. It's only when you step back that you realize the very battle you'd been fighting was a pipe dream at the beginning of the school year. Mothering is such sacred yeoman's work, and you two do it so well. It's lovely to witness.Laura Parrott Perryhttp://www.inotherswords.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-6041400041164052842016-03-01T21:42:21.780-08:002016-03-01T21:42:21.780-08:00That's a really cool poster. I hope it does ma...That's a really cool poster. I hope it does make people wash their hands more! It would definitely affect me. Zachhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13220327678875066480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-17610712978020278732016-01-23T21:22:04.052-08:002016-01-23T21:22:04.052-08:00Wow, Laura!! Amazing!!
I'm so excited for you...Wow, Laura!! Amazing!! <br />I'm so excited for you and so proud of Simon. <br />I think about you guys often and hope nothing but the best for you all!! <br />-Teacher Amanda @TSPAmanda & Ayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04716715894387988933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-35098039572571710492015-11-02T01:24:32.686-08:002015-11-02T01:24:32.686-08:00Sleep deprivation is never fun; within the first 2...Sleep deprivation is never fun; within the first 2 years of my 5 year old's life, I maybe got an hour of sleep at a time. It may be hard at first, but by giving in and letting your children lay in bed with you, they can get more sleep (due to feeling protected.) My advice is to do this some nights if you want some rest.<br /><br /><a href="https://libertypestinc.wordpress.com/2015/08/12/pest-management-for-boat-owners-in-fort-wayne-evading-rodent-problems/" rel="nofollow">Alta Peng @ Liberty Pest Inc</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05583807522812414965noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-19281374623594064592015-10-19T15:45:42.601-07:002015-10-19T15:45:42.601-07:00I just want you to know (all the way from the UK) ...I just want you to know (all the way from the UK) that you are not alone. Depression is a bitch. A real bitch. <br /><br />First step in recovery is admitting it and showing you have no shame about it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-13288729818755634862015-10-01T18:05:01.102-07:002015-10-01T18:05:01.102-07:00Yep.Yep.Jerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02227814333526944244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-9072434309975853142015-09-30T08:54:42.431-07:002015-09-30T08:54:42.431-07:00Yes, a lying, manipulative asshole. And of course ...Yes, a lying, manipulative asshole. And of course you're having difficulty bouncing back from months and years of trauma. I have anxiety and probably some PTSD from much less. <3Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-74901637629915448262015-07-31T21:45:25.072-07:002015-07-31T21:45:25.072-07:00Tears; love this!Tears; love this!RDRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14790668803491994545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-87067169778386617042015-07-28T12:52:35.402-07:002015-07-28T12:52:35.402-07:00LOVE.LOVE.Melanie Jonesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-53401244473079256942015-07-17T16:30:33.340-07:002015-07-17T16:30:33.340-07:00My heart- it's reaching out to you.
You and y...My heart- it's reaching out to you.<br /><br />You and your wife are amazing individuals, and I barely know you- and I haven't even met your wife. I can only imagine the strength you two posses together, and the love Simon is exposed to every day. It just melts my heart.<br /><br />After reading this, I posed a question in my head "Can autistic children have Bi-polar disorder?" - The answer is yes, in fact, it is quite common. Also, it may not be Bi-Polar Disorder, but, ADHD, at a very high level. Nothing to be concerned about of course, and I wouldn't ever say medication is the answer. - Just giving you a few ideas to maybe think about testing Simon for. ADHD is obviously very common in children, young adults, and even adults. His attention span is probably short- he may be confused by beginning to understand more than he thought he did- He may be remembering things that scare him- etc. <br /><br />I am so glad to have met you, and I can honestly say that God put the three of you together for a very SPECIFIC reason. Keep your chin up, always have high hopes, and remember LOVE conquers all. :)Shawna Simmersnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-5068045711415150622015-05-26T20:11:05.091-07:002015-05-26T20:11:05.091-07:00This is beautiful. I just came over here from FB (...This is beautiful. I just came over here from FB (probably Laura, above, posted the link), and read backward a ways to get some context. I decided to comment because my son was recently diagnosed with depression and panic attacks with suicidal ideation, and I feel the pain around the constant, non-stop, painfulness of the parenting--and we haven't been doing it ANYWHERE near as long. Plus, we expect to come out of the intense period, at least mostly, eventually. There is something terrible about watching your child struggle with such sadness and not be able to fix it, or even to know what to do. There was a period where our son would have attacks and would end up sobbing, big wracking sobs, on our bedroom floor, and wouldn't let us touch him, and anything we said would set him crying harder. We just had to sit there and watch him.<br /><br />I was struck by the beauty of the way you listen to your son. He is very lucky to have that. Lucky to have both of you.<br /><br />I will add you to the circle of people I hold regularly in the Light, if that is all right with you. Many blessings to you.<br /><br />P.S. I'm commenting "anonymously" only because I don't want to link the information about my son to my public profiles. My name is Heather and Laura knows who I am if you ever wanted to contact me privately.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-82645059607406595902015-05-26T16:21:49.774-07:002015-05-26T16:21:49.774-07:00I'm not sure that S Beckett ever dealt with hi...I'm not sure that S Beckett ever dealt with his existential grief any better than Simon does.<br /><br /><br />In the hospital and nursing home where he spent his final days, Beckett wrote his last work, the 1988 poem "What is the Word" ("Comment dire"). The poem grapples with an inability to find words to express oneself, a theme echoing Beckett's earlier work, though possibly amplified by the sickness he experienced late in life. Died at 83. (wickepedia)<br /><br /><br />Here is the poem, way beyond my comprehension, though I keep trying to 'understand'<br /><br /><br />What is the Word By Samuel Beckett<br />I have recently begun to show the Theological aspect of Beckett's literature and I have come across his last work which is a short crafty poem. In the Gospel of John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God." Similarly Christ once said that "The spirit of God is within you." If you were to juxtapose 'God' with 'What', and he were as Christ said 'within you'; Maybe you would get something like this?<br /><br />What is the Word<br /><br />By Samuel Beckett<br /><br /><br />folly -<br />folly for to -<br />for to -<br />what is the word -<br />folly from this -<br />all this -<br />folly from all this -<br />given -<br />folly given all this -<br />seeing -<br />folly seeing all this -<br />this -<br />what is the word -<br />this this -<br />this this here -<br />all this this here -<br />folly given all this -<br />seeing -<br />folly seeing all this this here -<br />for to -<br />what is the word -<br />see -<br />glimpse -<br />seem to glimpse -<br />need to seem to glimpse -<br />folly for to need to seem to glimpse -<br />what -<br />what is the word -<br />and where -<br />folly for to need to seem to glimpse what where -<br />where -<br />what is the word -<br />there -<br />over there -<br />away over there -<br />afar -<br />afar away over there -<br />afaint -<br />afaint afar away over there what -<br />what -<br />what is the word -<br />seeing all this -<br />all this this -<br />all this this here -<br />folly for to see what -<br />glimpse -<br />seem to glimpse -<br />need to seem to glimpse -<br />afaint afar away over there what -<br />folly for to need to seem to glimpse afaint afar away over there what -<br />what -<br />what is the word -<br /><br /><br />what is the wordAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-27592773502804760222015-05-26T16:18:13.935-07:002015-05-26T16:18:13.935-07:00I'm not sure that S Beckett ever dealt with hi...I'm not sure that S Beckett ever dealt with his existential grief any better than Simon does.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />In the hospital and nursing home where he spent his final days, Beckett wrote his last work, the 1988 poem "What is the Word" ("Comment dire"). The poem grapples with an inability to find words to express oneself, a theme echoing Beckett's earlier work, though possibly amplified by the sickness he experienced late in life. Died at 83. (wickepedia)<br /><br /><br /><br />Here is the poem, way beyond my comprehension, though I keep trying to 'understand'<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> By Samuel Beckett<br />I have recently begun to show the Theological aspect of Beckett's literature and I have come across his last work which is a short crafty poem. In the Gospel of John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God." Similarly Christ once said that "The spirit of God is within you." If you were to juxtapose 'God' with 'What', and he were as Christ said 'within you'; Maybe you would get something like this?<br /><br />What is the Word<br /><br />By Samuel Beckett<br /><br /><br />folly -<br />folly for to -<br />for to -<br />what is the word -<br />folly from this -<br />all this -<br />folly from all this -<br />given -<br />folly given all this -<br />seeing -<br />folly seeing all this -<br />this -<br />what is the word -<br />this this -<br />this this here -<br />all this this here -<br />folly given all this -<br />seeing -<br />folly seeing all this this here -<br />for to -<br />what is the word -<br />see -<br />glimpse -<br />seem to glimpse -<br />need to seem to glimpse -<br />folly for to need to seem to glimpse -<br />what -<br />what is the word -<br />and where -<br />folly for to need to seem to glimpse what where -<br />where -<br />what is the word -<br />there -<br />over there -<br />away over there -<br />afar -<br />afar away over there -<br />afaint -<br />afaint afar away over there what -<br />what -<br />what is the word -<br />seeing all this -<br />all this this -<br />all this this here -<br />folly for to see what -<br />glimpse -<br />seem to glimpse -<br />need to seem to glimpse -<br />afaint afar away over there what -<br />folly for to need to seem to glimpse afaint afar away over there what -<br />what -<br />what is the word -<br /><br /><br />what is the wordAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-33006399407478452482015-05-26T13:30:47.544-07:002015-05-26T13:30:47.544-07:00Oh. My heart. This is beautiful, and deep, and.....Oh. My heart. This is beautiful, and deep, and... big. I don't fully know how to articulate how much this moves me.Laura Perryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03484433666660692748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-92225810471755723022015-05-24T07:19:35.618-07:002015-05-24T07:19:35.618-07:00I am so, so sorry that you are all struggling like...I am so, so sorry that you are all struggling like this. We are neighbors and I've watched Simon grow up over the years and spoken to you all in brief snatches on Lakeshore. I've been following your blog for awhile. We are in a similar place right now with our son (also 7) and I know how exhausted, scared and white-knuckle tense it makes us feel. The tantrums are HUGE and multiple times a day and seem to come out of nowhere. I've seen our son swing a piano bench at the walls, screaming that we hate him because he made a small mistake with his math. One day he had a conflict with a boy in his social skills playgroup and afterward he jumped out of his booster seat and ran behind the car yelling that my wife should just run him over because he wanted to die. After years of being told that his intensity was a result of developmental trauma (our son was adopted from foster care) we now FINALLY have a diagnosis of severe adhd, spd and anxiety disorder. Which doesn't really tell us what do DO to help him. (He's getting several different therapies right now.) I share your fear of what happens when he's bigger. (My son is black. And we know what happens to black teenage boys who can't control their temper.) And then there was the comment from his therapist who gently suggested that he may really not be able to cope with a school environment. (School is hell. And he goes to school where I teach, which is a challenging tightrope to walk.) Anyway - just offering my empathy. And praying that we both find answers for these boys we love so much.Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-15144802896179869772015-05-20T19:04:15.296-07:002015-05-20T19:04:15.296-07:00So much love to you, long lost friends! I want to...So much love to you, long lost friends! I want to suggest, amidst all the stuff you're looking at, an online resource called "Hand in Hand parenting." It's a small suggestion, in some ways, given the magnitude of what you're facing, but it also could really help YOU. Check them out. We have found the founder, Patty Wipfler, to be quite wise and a helpful parent guide. I thought of this as a resource for you when I read your #4 option. Hand in hand could help you with supporting him if he is indeed needing some significant emotional release from his past. Lots of love to you!<br />Joanna Mnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-58781526290401466162015-05-20T17:58:09.804-07:002015-05-20T17:58:09.804-07:00Just a reader delurking to say - I'm so sorry....Just a reader delurking to say - I'm so sorry. I don't know enough of your history to see if you've considered this, but I was just wondering....hearing that he's relatively new to "eating" - could it be food sensitivities? I know this sounds overly simplistic, but I know of many kids who regressed due to inflammatory issues from food sensitivities. Keeping you in prayer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-11350614305300287282015-05-20T14:51:01.321-07:002015-05-20T14:51:01.321-07:00I am so sorry you all are in the "number twos...I am so sorry you all are in the "number twos" right now. I love the fact that you are so open to all of the possible scenarios to account for the uptick in his fervent behaviors, and I suspect that it is likely the last one. <br />My Gma was/is the sweetest lady, but in losing her mobility and hearing she has been in a nursing facility for 2 years now. It wasn't immediate but in the past 3 months it sometimes shocks me at how impatient she can be, with large flashes of white hot anger at really mild things ("They gave me the wrong breakfast!!! I WILL RAZE THIS PLACE TO THE GROUND!) And my Mom says it's her response to the awareness of her continuing struggle to navigate her new world while knowing she doesn't have the skills to do things she wants. She sees people buzz about, come and go, and there is just no way to sugarcoat the fact that those days are behind her/she cannot enjoy what many of those around her enjoy and take for granted. I pray it's that dawning of realization that is frustrating Simon, because that is something you can work through in time. Easy to say, but just as you look back to the first year after his diagnosis and wonder how the hell you all got through it, you look into Simon's eyes on a good day and remember why it's worth the struggle. Praying with all the love and light I can muster that you will have that moment with this issue very very soon.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-85110115284038997592015-05-20T07:43:26.475-07:002015-05-20T07:43:26.475-07:00This is so raw, so real. Thank you for sharing you...This is so raw, so real. Thank you for sharing your heart!! Prayers, obvi. And sending a lot of love to ya'll.Malkahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05181920902562987573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8439805193963673901.post-44226542901731735882015-05-19T23:08:30.691-07:002015-05-19T23:08:30.691-07:00Have you seen the latest theory on kids on the spe...Have you seen the latest theory on kids on the spectrum not having brains where the multiple synapses are trimmed and regulated as the kid grows? it would explain a lot about overstimulation, tantrums and need for withdrawal. maybe Simon would benefit from less activity over the summer?<br />Mom of teen on spectrum, now heading to college, who benefits from lots of personal space to pusue his own interests.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com