Pirate's Cove Water Park

Yesterday we went to a pirate-themed water park. It has a 24-foot high play structure with a 300-gallon dumping bucket, water slides, and waterfalls. It's close to our home and a good introduction to water parks (geared towards kids 3-6). Matthew enjoyed it until he went down the slide and went under water. Due to his sensitivity issues, he has an aversion to getting his face & ears wet. After that he kept repeating "go home, got to go home" so we left. We will try again in a couple weeks.

Afternoon @ Pohick Bay Park

Today we took our first trip to the Pohick Bay Regional Park which is off the Potomac River and only 8 miles from our house.

Matthew saw a deer ("Bambi's mommy") and some baby catfish (that a boy caught and put in a bucket).

He walked and sat on the dock and then played in the sand and threw rocks in the water.

I think if he had a bathing suit on he would have gone in the water! Since the park is so close and he enjoyed it so much we will be going there often.

Here's a short video...

End of School Year & New School News

Matthew had his last day of preschool on Friday. He's off for 3 weeks and then returns for 5 weeks of summer school (4 hours per day). He will be attending a new school in the Fall. It is the same PAC program but in a different location. It will be a transition for him, but we hear the school has a good reputation and one of his classmates will also be transferring.

The teachers at his current school made this video to be shown at a potluck dinner for all the preschoolers and their families. We had terrible storms that night so the dinner was cancelled, but Matthew's teacher sent a copy of the video home and Matthew LOVES to watch his friends. It's a 6 minute video and most of Matthew's "close-ups" are during the first song. (He's the only blond boy with glasses so it's easy to pick him out!)



P.S. All of the children in the video either have the "developmental delay" or "autism" label. They are a great group and we will miss them!

Number Two Nursery Rhyme

Here's a video of Matthew reciting a nursery rhyme. It's from the Baby Einstein Numbers Nursery video and the language cards that go with it. Matthew has it memorized...now we just need to work on pronunciation! Listen carefully!!!



"Call us a couple. Call us a pair. There are two of us, and so we share. Two apples and two lollipops, two pickles and two red gumdrops. We share two hugs b/c we're friends - on one the other can depend."

Green Our Vaccines Rally - "Too Many, Too Soon!"

Last Wednesday (June 4th) was the Green our Vaccines Rally in Washington, DC. Speakers included: Jenny McCarthy, Jim Carrey, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Jay Gordon, Dr. Jerry Kartzinel, and Dr. Boyd Hayley. More than 40 autism and environmental organizations supported their efforts and an estimated 8,500 participated. Every state was represented including supporters from Mexico, Canada, and the Philippines.

I was really looking forward to marching but became sick the night before and ended up staying home in bed...wishing that I was there in my green shirt holding up a picture of Matthew. I want to thank the 8,500+ people who rallied to demand that our government take the neuro-toxins out of our children's vaccines. Toxins such as mercury (thimerosal is still in 11 FDA-approved shots), aluminum, ether, antifreeze, formaldehyde...the list goes on & on.

For the record, I am not anti-vaccine, just anti-the poisons they have in them and -the schedule that is pushed on unknowing parents (children receive 36 shots by the time they are 3 years old). Before Matthew was diagnosed with autism, I had no idea these toxins were in his shots. IF I had known, I would have used an alternate (delayed) vax schedule with one shot at a time. I also would NOT have given him Tylenol before and after each vaccination (as our peds advised) b/c acetaminophen reduces glutathione which the body needs to detox.

Here are a few links with news coverage and a blog with some excellent pictures from the rally. Please take a moment to look at them...

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4995883

http://www.myfoxdc.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=1E14C6AE3818087A676F99DCB6577784?contentId=6698310&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/showbiz/2008/06/04/bts.carrey.mccarthy.vaccines.cnn

http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2008/06/it-was-good-day-in-dc.html