Never Cease to Be Amazed....

Life will constantly amaze you. Take for instance Addi Rose ~ the little tyke finally got brave enough (at 17 mos) to let go of the table and our hands AND walk on her own. Now she's running around, turning, and even pushing us out of the way. I remember at our 15 mos check-up, I was a bit panicky because Noah walked at 13 mos and Sam at 12, and within a month they were both jumping off furniture, trying to climb on the kitchen cabinets - you name it. But for anyone with a child with Autism, you know the fear... but back to my panic at the check-up. I remember the MD saying, don't stress yourself out. She's doing fine. She's the 3rd, the baby, the baby girl, the one that wants to be picked up and because she is the baby, you oblige. Enjoy this time....up to 18 mos is still considered normal development. Feisty little one she is...she never ceases to amaze me. From blaming her innocent brother for her bumping into the table (complete with finger pointed towards him and he's 4 feet away from her and no way involved in her walking process and with what sounds like "tattle-telling" rapidly coming out of her mouth), to her huge smile every time she sees Sam hop into the care after preschool or Noah gets off the bus. Amazing.... she's tough and girly all at the same time. Now she's grabbing for dresses everytime Mike gets her dressed and patting her head and saying "bo, bo-bo", "bo.....peees".....just so much fun.

Noah's Wingmen

Noah's Wingmen

Our team page is up and running (and well we will be walking on 4/30)!!!
We'd love your support!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/erika-zoebelein/noahs-wingmen

Spring is here...

It's undeniable, Spring is here. From the warmer weather, yellow coating on the cars and flying insects doing their part to.....to freak out my son! So I am not a fan of buzzing bees, but Noah, well he is not only NOT a fan, he has become absolutely terrified. Coming from the boy who would open our car windows in 30 degree weather to him yelling "CLOSE IT! CLOSE THE WINDOW PLEASE!" followed by shrieks of terror, that's just one of his Autistic "things" here lately. It's not that he's afraid of something, because we all are, but it's the severity and extreme fear that he feels not being able to control the situation. Can you imagine not being able to tell someone exactly why you are sooo afraid of something when you REALLY want to tell them and want them to understand but your brain is locking it up in such a way??? Frustrating I say!

The Lives He's Touched

I'm not able to sleep...shocker, right?!?!?
So my mind wanders a bit and I just start thinking about the lives Noah touches/affects every day.
He brings so much joy to us and all the great folks that work with him, his buddies at school, my family.... God has put us here, with him because WE needed him, and maybe on a smaller scale, he may need us, but we need him way more. We are witness to the lessons he teaches about patience, about tiny miracles, the joy of the simple things in life, and to love unconditionally. I still remember years back when we started the whole process of figuring out Noah, and my dad, a man of few words, and my mom both told Mike and I, "it doesn't matter what's going on with Noah, we'll just love him more, and we are here to help you"... Unconditional love...
Those of us who have Noah in our lives are so blessed!

Gearing Up for Autism Awareness Month in April

March is pretty much here (sorry 2/28), so it's high time I get the ball rolling and start raising Autism awareness. I started a Facebook group called "Noah's Wingmen - Autism Awareness" that I can put updates about Noah, raise awareness, and organize our walk team and fundraising efforts. I am putting a little up at a time as I have time; if you know of anyone that might want to join, share the page with them and then look out for updates coming soon!

"AUTISM is not a TRAGEDY, IGNORANCE is the TRAGEDY."

(from the Autism Puzzle Foundation)

It's been a little while....

Since it's been a while, here's an update on life in the Zoebelein household, in a David Letterman inspired top 10 list (although all are #1 to me)....

10. Visited Mike's Nana in OK in a mere 3 days and got back before Christmas Eve...even though it was a marathon trip, all 3 kids were awesome and we had a really great time catching up with Nana and she got to meet all of the kids for the first time!

9. We were able to all go to Christmas Eve Mass at our church, Prince of Peace, due to the wonderful support they have in place for special needs kids. Sam was a shepherd in the Christmas story during mass....it was so beautiful!

8. As always, we had a great time with my folks on Christmas Eve celebrating family and just having fun. The cousins got to make gingerbread houses and really enjoyed playing together.

7. We decided to get rid of cable and my super techy husband built an antenna out of scrap cooper pipe (he did not spend a dime) so we have 20+ OTA channels, we stream Netflix, and whenever Hulu Plus is set up for XBox Live, we'll get that. All in all, we cut $125 out of our budget by getting rid of cable and home phone (which we never used any way!) Also, I discovered the coupon game and there is quite a thrill attached to getting something for next to nothing!!!

6. Enjoyed several snow days in December and January - are we still in Alabama? Why yes we are because now we are wearing flip-flops here at the end of February!!! LOVE ALABAMA WEATHER!!

5. Had a great night out with Mike and 2 of the 3 college roomies at the Alabama Autism Society and Free the Hops "Tapped"! Tapped was an event where local restaurants paired some of their signature dishes with local brews for a taste test! I was able to discover several new beers that I would have never tried, all while raising money for my favorite cause!

4. Discovered a new show, "Parks and Recreation" so I finally might be able to chill on my obsession with The Office.

3. I have a student nurse working with me at work for the first time and it's so strange to be at that point in my nursing career. Wild!

2. Had a fun Valentine's weekend with the family... the cousins came over and we had a little party! That same weekend, we took the kids to Oar Park in Montevallo - it was a beautiful day for all! And on Valentine's day, Mike made me some awesome burgers and we just chilled out and snuggled!

1. Some neat things we have discovered about our 3 wonderful kids:

- Addi Rose likes backpacks and can say it (well kind of), is already a girly-girl

- Sam loves the song "Firework" by Katy Perry and he and I have to sing it at the top of our lungs every time it comes on the radio, he is wise beyond his years, and is now into chess and marbles (after getting some from his late great-grandfather on our trip to see Nana)

- Noah is REALLY into Science, basketball, and his reading continues to improve and amaze me daily!

And that is our top 10, but like I said before, they are all #1 to me!!!

=)

So It's Really Christmas Time???

It just hit me that we are nine days into December....where did November go???

A couple of highlights from November:
Veteran's Day Parade,Birmingham: Addi Rose loved the marching bands, Noah liked the horses & Sam liked the free koozies some company gave out, oh and the "trains" that didn't need tracks! I loved seeing the WWII solidiers and nurses!!! Tried to explain to Sam that grandpa served in Vietnam as a Marine but he didn't get it..but oh well, I tried to expand their horizons, right??!!! =)

Thanksgiving: It was a really great day with the family! Before my family came over, the boys watched the Macy's Day Parade and really got into it.
Our yummy menu included the following - a cheese tray (Mike said his Nana would have a tray at holidays sometimes, and we found some great cheeses at Whole Foods) and bruschetta for our appetizers, wine, the usual Thanksgiving suspects, oh and my sister made some delicious desserts (chocolate pecan pie!)...needless to say, we were all stuffed! Then Noah, Sam and Addi Rose played with their cousins Jacob, Owen, Emma, and Lillie and had a blast. Alli and I checked out the Black Friday sales and then my dad and I discussed getting to the Iron Bowl! My dad was soooooo excited - it was his first Iron Bowl ever (I had no idea).

December started off a bit sad...right after the game, my dad found out about his brother passing away. We all know that Uncle Gary is resting and no longer in pain... he was such a sweet guy and I know my dad is going to miss him. It really makes you appreciate your family and the love that we all share. My aunt and cousins (Uncle Gary's children) are just honest to goodness sweet folks. They've always been so kind and understanding to Noah and that means so much to me. I know his memory will be carried out with them. =)

So...moving on into this current month...you look at the calendar and realize that the month is almost over! We've checked out a few Christmas lights (a favorite past time of the boys), and we've watched a few Christmas flicks but we have soooo much yet to do! We haven't seen Santa yet or stopped by Zoolights....gotta get going on that!!!