So it's been a year of autism now

Our son Little D was diagnosed a little over a year ago with being in the autism spectrum. He is now believed to have Asperger's Syndrome. If you would have told me a year ago that he would be the kid he is today, I would have thought you were lying. A year ago I was unsure about LD's future. I didn't know if he would have even a glimpse of a normal life. Now....the sky is the limit for what LD can achieve.

One year ago at this time our son could not communicate any of his needs verbally. He had many behavioral issues. His sensory issues were so bad and we had no idea how to deal with them. We were at a loss.

Now, our son is talking overtime and won't shut up! LOL He still has behavioral issues but we are learning more about them each day. His sensory issues can still be trying but at least we have techniques that help him get through the incidences.

Here is a little tidbit about what our little man has....Asperger's Syndrome:

History

Asperger's Disorder was first described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger who observed autistic-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys who had normal intelligence and language development. Many professionals felt Asperger's Disorder was simply a milder form of autism and used the term "high-functioning autism" to describe these individuals. Professor Uta Frith, with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of University College London and author of Autism and Asperger Syndrome, describes individuals with Asperger's Disorder as "having a dash of Autism." Asperger's Disorder was added to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994 as a separate disorder from autism. However, there are still many professionals who consider Asperger's Disorder a less severe form of autism.

Characteristics

What distinguishes Asperger's Disorder from Autism Disorder is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger's Disorder may be only mildly affected and frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's Disorder may just seem like a normal child behaving differently.

Children with autism are frequently seen as aloof and uninterested in others. This is not the case with Asperger's Disorder. Individuals with Asperger's Disorder usually want to fit in and have interaction with others; they simply don't know how to do it. They may be socially awkward, not understanding of conventional social rules, or show a lack of empathy. They may have limited eye contact, seem to be unengaged in a conversation, and not understand the use of gestures.

Interests in a particular subject may border on the obsessive. Children with Asperger's Disorder frequently like to collect categories of things, such as rocks or bottle caps. They may be proficient in knowing categories of information, such as baseball statistics or Latin names of flowers. While they may have good rote memory skills, they have difficulty with abstract concepts.

One of the major differences between Asperger's Disorder and autism is that, by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger's. In fact, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have good language skills; they simply use language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual, lack inflection or have a rhythmic nature, or it may be formal, but too loud or high pitched. Children with Asperger's Disorder may not understand the subtleties of language, such as irony and humor, or they may not understand the give-and- take nature of a conversation.

Another distinction between Asperger's Disorder and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with autism experience mental retardation, by definition a person with Asperger's Disorder cannot possess a "clinically significant" cognitive delay and most possess average to above average intelligence.

While motor difficulties are not a specific criteria for Asperger's, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have motor skill delays and may appear clumsy or awkward.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Asperger's Disorder is on the increase, although it is unclear whether it is more prevalent or whether more professionals are detecting it. The symptoms for Asperger's Disorder are the same as those listed for autism in the DSM-IV; however, children with AS do not have delays in the area of communication and language. In fact, to be diagnosed with Asperger’s, a child must have normal language development as well as normal intelligence. The DSM-IV criteria for AS specifies that the individual must have "severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, and the development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities that must cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning."

The first step to diagnosis is an assessment, including a developmental history and observation. This should be done by medical professionals experienced with autism and other PDDs. If Asperger's Disorder or high-functioning autism is suspected, the diagnosis of autism will generally be ruled out first. Early diagnosis is also important as children with Asperger's Disorder who are diagnosed and treated early in life have an increased chance of being successful in school and eventually living independently. To learn more, see Consulting with Professionals.


This information is from The Autism Society of America. To find out more about autism...please go to: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer

One child in every 150 is diagnosed with autism. Out of every 5 children, 4 are boys. These children need your compassion and understanding and your support to be heard. Please don't let this month go by without informing yourself a little more about autism.

Thank you from our family and from my beautiful boy who just happens to live life walking to a different beat then the rest of us.

God bless you.

WIGGLES WIGGLES WIGGLES

The Wiggles are sleeping....they don't want to be watched right now! LOL

That is what I have had to tell Little D on more then one occasion. He is driving me batty with The Wiggles! If he could live with them I am sure he would pack his bags in 10 seconds flat!

Let's see....LD's viewing schedule is:

Spacedancing Wiggles
Cold Spaghetti Western Wiggles
Wiggle Bay
Big Red Car
Top of the Tots

I stop there only b/c I have never let him watch more then 5 in one day. I don't know which DVD he would put next on his line up and don't want to find out. He sticks with this line up with each new day.

Can I just say I have Wiggles in my sleep? I don't think fruit salad is all that yummy yummy anymore! Cold spaghetti is just that....cold. Rolling down the sand hills would make me dizzy and I really don't feel like dancing the gloomies away or doing the eagle rock.

Ok...just the mere fact that I could recall all of those songs without looking at a DVD or CD is amazing. What is really sick is that I could name at least 20 more without even batting an eye.

Did you know that Greg (Yellow Wiggle) has a neurological condition that is not allowing him to tour anymore? He is married is in his late 30's and has kids. Jeff (Purple Wiggle) is in his 50's but sure doesn't look like it. He is not married and was in a band called The Cockroaches with Anthony at one time. Anthony (Blue Wiggle) is in his late 40's and has a wife and kids. His brother produces the show. Murray (Red Wiggle) is also in his late 40's and is married. Not sure on the kids though. All but Jeff have degrees in early childhood development.

How incredibly sad is that? I know more about the Wiggles then I know about some of my acquaintances! Can someone come and help LD to find something else to get fixated on now?

I gotta go Toot Toot Chugga Chugga in my Big Red Car now. So go to dreamland while you Rock-a-bye Your Bear and sail off with Captain Feathersword.

Lost Little D for 10 minutes today

I was so scared that I thought I would throw up.

Hubby was in the prayer room praying about this decision of leaving us for school. I got the kids from the nursery and went to wait outside of the room for him. A lady that runs the grief counseling group that I know was talking to me about what was going on and wanting my phone number to get some information to me. I let go of the kids (we were by a wall and it was pretty open ~ not too many people right next to us) and wrote it down. Princess Grabby Hands started toddling away and Little D ran after her to grab her with me following close behind. I grabbed PGH and next thing I knew, LD was nowhere to be found.

LD, being not even 3 years old yet and with autism, is completely fearless. I was petrified that he ran outside or any other worse situation that goes through a mom's mind when their kid is missing. I started dodging between people. There were so many there b/c it was right after the 9:30 service ended and people were coming in for the 11:00 service. I am shouting for LD at this point with everyone looking around to see who I was yelling for.

A woman from my retreat yesterday saw me and knowing my LD is autistic started searching frantically with me. She saw one of the security people (my hubby is on security too so we know them) and they went outside and alerted the greeters to look for him.

10 minutes seemed like 10 hours at this point. I must have made the rounds around the church at least 15 times. I had PGH in my arms and left the diaper bag by the prayer room door. I pass by the prayer room door on another pass and guess who is there trying to lift the diaper bag.....YES MY SON!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!

I just grabbed him and hugged him so tightly. I shoved both of the kids in the prayer room with daddy at this point (don't know why I didn't get him when this first happened but my brain was mush) and went to find those who were looking to tell them he had been found. By this time, my friend from the retreat was in tears herself and security was getting someone in a golf cart to drive around the parking lot. THANK YOU LORD FOR THOSE THAT CARE SO MUCH.

Needless to say, my eyes are red from crying now. We got to the van and buckled the kids in....I just lost it. I bawled for 5 minutes.

Yes, LD got "the lecture" about staying near mommy and never running off. And people wonder why I usually have him on a harness backpack thingy.

CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!

This medicine may cause mass hysteria!

Little D was just put on allergy medicine today. He was having problems during some of his therapies and being exceptionally louder so we had his ears checked out and there was some signs of allergies and sinus issues causing him to be a bit off and his hearing to be clogged up.

So he gets prescribed this medicine, Hydroxyzine. What does a good mommy do? I read all of the warnings first. I just love how they word these things. It's all doom and gloom if you take it but it is supposed to make you better, right?

For starters, LD cannot drive while on this medicine nor can he operate heavy machinery. So I guess my toddler won't be jetting around town in his sports car or operating a back hoe. Darn it! I wanted him to run some errands for me or dig a ditch! What is a non-heavy machinery? Does that mean he can operate a radio? What about a microwave? Can he operate Match Box cars? What about battery operated trains? Hmmm....guess I'll have to look this one up.

Unfortunately, LD will not be able to nurse a child or be pregnant either. Now, I was looking forward to having grandchildren some day but I knew it wouldn't be for at least a couple more decades (or at least it better not be if he knows what's good for him) and I had a pretty good feeling that he would not be carrying nor nursing his children. But then again, in 20 years who knows what medical science will come up with. Maybe they will find a way for the men to do all the pregnancy and labor stuff. Oh boy! The human race will be wiped out when they find out how much physical pain is with that!

My 2 1/2 year old will not be able to drink alcohol or take any other depressant drug. Aww man! I was so hoping to go bar hopping with the kid. They ruin all my fun.

I guess the one part he doesn't have to be concerned about is that the elderly can be more sensitive to this drug. Since he is still in diapers, wait, that may not work since some of the elderly are in diapers, too. Let me re-word that. Since he doesn't have any of his adult teeth, wait, that may not work either since some of the elderly don't have any teeth. Ok, since he has only been on this earth for under 3 years (ok, I think that may work unless there is an elderly alien that just came here within the last couple of years that this would apply to) I doubt he has anything to fear with this warning.

The one nice thing about the medicine is that it can calm anxiety as a side effect. Anyone who knows anything about autism knows that these kids can get a lot of anxiety over even the thought of changing their schedule, going shopping and many other things. This may be a wonderful side effect! Here's hoping that this one works in our favor!

Unfortunately, it says not to share this medicine so I guess mommy can't reap the benefits of the anxiety relief issues! Oh well. Can't win them all!

I think SOMEONE is trying to tell me something

For the forth time in a matter of 3 weeks, I have heard this passage from the bible:

Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

I have heard this by 2 different books, a website and a sermon in the last few weeks. The way it's always been explained is not that you should JUST train a child within the eyes of God on which way you should go but train them by their "bent"...their own personality so that it will be easier to find their way throughout life without having to try to be someone that they are not.

I think this is God's way of telling me that I really need to pay attention to both of my kid's "bent" and train them to the best way they will be able to comprehend and deal with things. Ok God! I got the message now! Ya don't need to smack me upside the back of the head with it! LOL I know I'm a little dense but sheesh!

Little D is very rambunctious. He is the type of child that goes 120% into EVERYTHING! This is my child that rolled over at 3 months old, crawled by 5 months old, cruised around the furniture by 7 1/2 months old and was walking by his first birthday. He will be the one at 6 years old flying off the roof in a wagon with an umbrella as a parachute and think nothing of it...while mommy stands there in complete shock trying to yell NOOOOOOOOO as the blood drains from her face! LD is the child that will fall, say "I'm ok" and get up and play leaving me to find later that his knuckles are bloody but he didn't care. He is the bull in the china shop, no stopping, spinning top, head strong hurricane that I love for all of those reasons.

Princess Grabby Hands has always been a little more cautious and laid back. This is my child that didn't roll over until 7 1/2 months old, waited to crawl until almost 9 months old, cruised around the furniture at 10 1/2 months old and now at almost 14 months old is just getting the gumption up to walk and is still very shaky at it. I don't think it was because she couldn't do these things earlier, she just didn't find any reason to do them. One thing she has done early though is to get that finger pointing and shaking it at people. She started that at 10 months old. I think we are going to be in trouble with little miss sassy pants when she really gets to talking. She is my mellow, content, take your time and enjoy each thing as I go little summer breeze that I love for all of those reasons.

This scripture keeps coming into my life for a very distinct reason. I have two very much ying and yang children. They balance each other out perfectly just like hubby and I do. He is very subdued, somewhat pessimistic, serious and straight forward that keeps me grounded. I am the outgoing, optimistic, silly person that keeps him ready to try new things and just go for it.

My kids need to be raised with the same beliefs, discipline, knowledge and morals but will have to be taught them in different ways. LD may not think twice about the dangers in his life and while I'll have to rein him back, I have to let him make his own mistakes as well. PGH may be the one who is extra cautious that I have to make sure she spreads her wings a little more often without pushing her too far beyond her comfort zone. What may be common sense for one, may not even occur to the other. While LD is socially introverted and prefers to play on his own, PGH is always waving at people and has no problem "flirting" her way into people's hearts with those long eyelashes and sweet smile. They need to know that their is nothing wrong with either personality and they can learn the same things but in different ways. LD will probably keep PGH on her toes while she keeps him grounded. Wouldn't it be funny if they changed up on me and switched gears? They would do that too just to prove me wrong!

I honestly believe in all that we've been through that PGH isn't our blessing as much as she is LD's blessing. God put her in LD's life to be a loving force to be reckoned with. LD cannot ignore PGH no matter how hard he tries. She is the type that will demand to be loved whether he wants to or not. Sounds kind of familiar...I won't mention any names here. They say that parents often have personality conflicts with their children that are the most like them. Let's just say I see a lot of head butting between PGH and mommy in the future!

>>>>Walking away before too many fingers are pointing at me from similarities between PGH and myself!<<<< ****WHISTLING****

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

These are two of my favorite writings. As a mother with an autistic child, this really hits home!

Welcome to Holland!
by Emily Pearl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel.

It's like this . . . When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guidebooks and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum, the Michalangelo David, the gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting. After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes and says, "Welcome to Holland." "Holland?" you say. "What do you mean Holland? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy." But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place. So you go out and buy new guidebooks. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met. It's just a different place. It's slower paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around, and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills, Holland has tulips, Holland even has Rembrandts. But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy, and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say, "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned." The pain of that will never go away, because the loss of that dream is a very significant loss. But if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you will never be free to enjoy the very special, very lovely things about Holland.



Celebrating Holland- I'm Home
By Cathy Anthony (my follow-up to the original \Welcome to Holland\ by Emily Perl Kingsley)

I have been in Holland for over a decade now. It has become home. I have had time to catch my breath, to settle and adjust, to accept something different than I'd planned.I reflect back on those years of past when I had first landed in Holland. I remember clearly my shock, my fear, my anger, the pain and uncertainty. In those first few years, I tried to get back to Italy as planned, but Holland was where I was to stay. Today, I can say how far I have come on this unexpected journey. I have learned so much more. But, this too has been a journey of time.

I worked hard. I bought new guidebooks. I learned a new language and I slowly found my way around this new land. I have met others whose plans had changed like mine, and who could share my experience. We supported one another and some have become very special friends.

Some of these fellow travelers had been in Holland longer than I and were seasoned guides, assisting me along the way. Many have encouraged me. Many have taught me to open my eyes to the wonder and gifts to behold in this new land. I have discovered a community of caring. Holland wasn't so bad.

I think that Holland is used to wayward travelers like me and grew to become a land of hospitality, reaching out to welcome, to assist and to support newcomers like me in this new land. Over the years, I've wondered what life would have been like if I'd landed in Italy as planned. Would life have been easier? Would it have been as rewarding? Would I have learned some of the important lessons I hold today?

Sure, this journey has been more challenging and at times I would (and still do) stomp my feet and cry out in frustration and protest. And, yes, Holland is slower paced than Italy and less flashy than Italy, but this too has been an unexpected gift. I have learned to slow down in ways too and look closer at things, with a new appreciation for the remarkable beauty of Holland with its tulips, windmills and Rembrandts.

I have come to love Holland and call it Home.

I have become a world traveler and discovered that it doesn't matter where you land. What's more important is what you make of your journey and how you see and enjoy the very special, the very lovely, things that Holland, or any land, has to offer.

Yes, over a decade ago I landed in a place I hadn't planned. Yet I am thankful, for this destination has been richer than I could have imagined!

Out of the mouths of babes

“It’s scumsus (scrumptious) mommy! DEWISUS! (delicious)” Only my Little D! I guess that grilled cheese sandwich was that darn good! That 2 ½ year old has a way with words!

I don’t know where he gets it but he is one of a kind. One of what kind I am not sure yet. When God made this child, He sure broke the mold. I’m glad! I want to be selfish and keep this goofy kid all to myself!

LD asks me for a drink. I get a sport water bottle for him. Dialogue goes as follows:

LD: HOW BOUT CHOCWIT (chocolate) MILK MOMMY?

ME: No, you will have water, you've already had chocolate milk.

LD: I HAVE AN IDEA! (while putting his pointer finger up in the air)

ME: And what is your idea?

LD: HOW BOUT CHOCWIT MILK?

ME: No, how about water or nothing?

LD: THINKING (putting finger on his chin)

ME: Well??? Putting water back in 5 seconds if you don't take it.

LD: I HAVE AN IDEA! (again putting his pointer finger up in the air)

ME: And what is your idea?

LD: HOW BOUT WATEW? (water)

ME: Fine...water it is.

Now why couldn't he have just taken that in the first place. Always the long way around with this one!

He is full of a million of them! Here are some exerpts that come to mind that he has said recently:

• I'm sitting in the living room crocheting. Little D comes running out of his room and stands in front of me. He smiles the biggest, toothy grin I have ever seen on him. Then he shouts "OH NO! I NEED BRACES MOMMY!!!" and runs off. WHAT????? Where did he learn that dirty, expensive word?

• LD is looking for his sandals. He has no clue where he put them. Thanks to his shoe fetish (loves to line shoes up around the house) he has moved them somewhere and has forgotten where. As he looks I hear "SANDALS WHERE ARE YOU I'M YOUR D!" Let's just say mommy hasn't laughed so hard in ages.

• Almost every time LD cries he has to declare "I'M CRYING!" Like we can't tell?

• LD's first full paragraph spoken: "NO NO! NO TOUCH DITTER! (sister) MINE!! YOU GO MOMMY NOW!!"

• Spoken to his occupational therapist upon trying to get between her and the wall (and no, she is not a heavy person....she's rather thin actually): "YOU A BIG PEWSON (person) MISS RONNIE!"

• The ever famous "ME NOT CHICKENS" is always popular. LD says this often and we have no idea what he means by that.

• LD also went through a whole day saying DUCK SPIT over and over. Your guess is as good as mine. I wasn't even aware that ducks could spit!

He is mine all mine! I'll share him here but you can't have him! What a character!

HEY GUYS! WHAT'S GOING ON?

Setting the scene last night:
8:30 pm. Little D and Princess Grabby Hands have been in bed for an hour and a half now. While PGH is snoozing, I hear LD counting loudly in his bedroom. My guess is as good as yours. Maybe he’s counting sheep….who knows!

I’m sitting at the computer and daddy is washing dishes. Yes…some men actually do wash dishes and aren’t I one of the lucky one’s to have found one? Ok…so it was a deal that he had to do the dishes after he broke my new dishwasher so it’s not because he likes to do them. I always jokingly remind him that NO MAN WAS EVER SHOT WHILE DOING THE DISHES to which he just rolls his eyes at me….but I digress….

Ok…sitting at computer, hubby doing dishes. All of a sudden we hear “HEY GUYS! WHAT GOING ON?” We both turn to see a little 3’3” frame standing in footed dinosaur jammies with arms stretched out towards both of us. We both look at him and at each other for a full minute before we fully realize that this little person isn’t supposed to be out here. A grin on Little D’s face that could out shine a Cheshire cat challenges us to hold back our smiles so we don’t encourage him.

ME: What are you doing out here?

LD: I wuv you mommy.

ME: I love you too but you are supposed to be in bed.

LD: What going on?

ME: You going back to bed is what’s going on!

LD: (crawling on my lap and proceeding to kiss me 4 times on the lips) Wuv you mommy.

DAD: No kissing up to mommy. Off to bed with you.

LD: Wuv you daddy.

DAD: Love you too but you still have to go back to bed.

LD: Mommy!

ME: BED KIDDO!!!

LD: NIGHT NIGHT GUYS!

ME and DAD: Love you! Night night!

LD: (as we are shutting the door) ONE TWO FEE POUR PIVE SITS SEMIN EIGHT NINE TEN LEBIN TELB TERTEEN PERTEEN PITEEN SITSTEEN SEMINTEEN EIGHTEEN NINETEEN MANY…..

Finally off to sleep after about a hundred rounds of counting to twenty!

Ahhhhhh my day is done and it will begin again with Little D and Princess Grabby Hands in the morning!

ME NOT CHICKENS!

Never have I heard such dirty words as THOMAS and TRAIN. Oh sure…they sound innocent when they are separated like that. Put them together and you get an addiction so expensive that you need a 12 step program to relieve your child of its grasp.

These words are always trumped by adding another dirty word….TABLE! Again, a very innocent word by itself. You would never think of this word to be of such horror. That is, until you put the word TRAIN in front of it.

So Little D (2 ½ years old) mentions these three words in the same sentence. All he talks about is at least the last two words. He eats, breaths and sleeps the words TRAIN TABLE! Everywhere we go that has one of these instruments of endless amusement, he must touch it….be mesmerized by it.

What does mom and dad do? Just like any good mom and dad of the “my kid needs everything” generation, we go to We Be Toys (name changed to protect the not so innocent) and buy said TRAIN TABLE on Friday afternoon.

After handing over our wallet and telling them to take every dime I have, I arrive home with this monstrosity. LD goes to sleep and we decide to put it together that night so he can wake up to its glorious wonder the next day. After 2+ hours of putting together, making a little town, an oil derrick, bridge, airport, shipping yard, mountain underpass (did I not say my account was empty after this) and anything else you can imagine, my child now has this wonderful thing called a TRAIN TABLE!

Fast forward to Saturday morning. LD is awake. Dad goes to get him while I wait in the front room with video cam in hand. Can’t even think to miss this as a video moment! LD comes out into the living room with eyes all aglow (sounding like a Christmas moment here) and screams with delight “OH MY GOODESS…..TWAIN TABLE…..A TWAIN TABLE.” Truly the Kodak moment we were hoping for.

LD spends every waking moment the whole next two days playing with this beautiful toy. In between eating and fending off baby sister Princess Grabby Hands (1 year old), he seems to be in his glory. I am in heaven just having a two days of quiet and being able to hear myself think for the first time in 2 ½ years! Ahhhhh….this is better then a Calgone moment!

Fast forward again to two weeks later. The ever wanted TRAIN TABLE now sits in his room. Trains are everywhere except on the table. I think there is one in his pajama drawer. Don’t ask. This expensive paper weight has all the delight and enjoyment of a neutered cat 1 hour after surgery. LD is running around like crazy again and I tell him to play trains. The following is our conversation:

ME: Play with your trains sweetie. Look…CHOO CHOO (futile attempt to be entertaining).

LD: ME NO PLAY TWAINS MOMMY

ME: You need to put trains back on table so you don’t lose them (mommy lost mind as well as some prepositions in that sentence).

LD: ME NOT CHICKENS MOMMY (said in a tone only Forrest Gump could imitate).

ME: Fine, your not chickens! (no clue what he meant by it or what I mean by this response).

Scene ends with me walking out of the room with my brain oozing out of my ear from a conversation that made absolutely no sense. Princess Grabby Hands is crawling right behind me with a “CAUTION” sign from the train set in her mouth. Must be an omen.