MaryAnne's Page

I spent a fantastic evening on the front step with the boys watching the sunset, blowing bubbles, and talking about Thomas the Tank Engine characters. We were hoping to see bats but no luck. Brandon finally has gotten the knack of bubble blowing, and the baby was utterly fascinated by all those pretty floaty things.

Nights like this make the money crunch from working part time totally worth it. I do love what I do and I like my job. Sometimes I get caught up in the idea that I'm somehow not liv… Continue

SCENE: Portland Nursery. Brandon is riding in a red Radio Flyer wagon, assorted plants packed around him. Mama is eying the vegetable starts, trying to pick out some lettuce. It is important to note that Brandon has major sensory issues about food and has generally assumed anything green and leafy I try to feed him is a plot to poison him.

Brandon: What's that Mama?

Mama: It's lettu....um... It's Dinosaur Food. The kind of thing dinosaurs like to eat.

Brandon: What do you do with it?

Mama: Y… Continue

I've been quiet recently, not from lack of things to say but from lack of ability to talk about anything that's going on. I've been dealing with a lot of family issues that I just didn't feel comfortable talking about in a public forum. But this is now about as public as it can get, so oh well.

My sister Amanda is about as smart (in a book sense) as you can get. She has a B.A., an MBA, and a law degree, is (well, was) a very good attorney specializing in finances and taxes, and frankly has neve… Continue

I'm sort of in shock. After over a year of refusing to admit that Brandon may have Asperger's and needs help, his Dad suddenly said he'd like more information and wanted to participate. I think I did a reasonable job of keeping my jaw off the floor. He also admitted he hadn't been visiting as much as he could in part because he didn't know what to do when he's here. He wants ideas for things to do together beyond just sitting in the playroom while Brandon plays near him. Okay then! I can work wi… Continue

I went out to dinner with some friends this evening and had a great time. As I was heading back to my car I realized I'd missed a text message from my mom. She wanted to warn me that Brandon really, really wanted to make spider cookies as soon as I got home. He was absolutely sure we had all the ingredients and it was What We Were Going To Do. Luckily, for once we do actually have everything needed, and so I got to spend a goofy hour or so with my boy, doing exactly what he wanted.

We found the… Continue