((((Cindy, Scott, and family))))

That's frustrating, Deena. Can your husband pick Aidan up on his lunch break and drop him off? (I forget what the transport situations are among Buffistae.)

Unfortunately not, Calli. He's on the other side of town and doesn't have enough time to get here before his lunch would be over, and Aidan's program is over in an hour anyway. Oh well.

{{{{Cindy and family}}}}

Health~ma to Aidan.

Susan, how is her eye contact? I get the impression that it is pretty good...she looks into the camera for pictures; she seems to smile at you, etc. I really think your worst case scenario is pretty unlikely. And, if she's on the other end of the spectrum (Asperger's), she's gonna lead a fine and wonderful life.

It's probably about as the same as mine. Unless you're right up in her face or are standing between her and some object of interest (like, say, Sesame Street), she's very good at making eye contact and as often as not smiles when she does it.

Honestly, I'd be more concerned if Annabel *had* been talking and started to lose words.

Well, there are words she used months ago that she hasn't revisited--bayba for baby seems to have disappeared, for example--but she's got this tiny little 3-5 word core vocabulary that she's kept. And she still babbles on about the same level she always has.

I would also though, recommend you discuss whether or not to enroll her in the study with your doctor. Sometimes, medical providers who specialize in one area can find things that aren't really there. It's what they're looking for.

It sounds like the wisest course might be to do the general language evaluation first, and mention everything from the tongue tie to my family's tendency to bad hearing to autism to the possibility that this oldish house of ours may have too much lead in its paint and/or pipes.

Given that loud noises don't freak Annabel, and that I've never read you mention that she doesn't like you to touch her, or gets over-stimulated too easily (to an amount that is abnormal for a baby--not an adult), and because she is doing some talking, my guess is that your worst-case scenario has already ruled itself out.

I sure hope so. I've never seen a child less perturbed by loud noises. The vacuum cleaner fascinates her. With new noises, she'll look to us, and if we're not upset, she goes about her business. And while she's not cuddly, she doesn't seem touch-averse, either, at least as long as you're not taking her from something she enjoys or to someplace she doesn't want to be. In general, she'll come up for a brief cuddle and then go about her business. And if anything, she's harder to overstimulate than most kids--she gets wired around bedtime, but other than that, the kid's unflappable.

If you google autism, you'll get admonishments to take your child off of wheat, some good stories, some reassurance, and some scary stuff. Don't bother. Pretend I did it for you.

Thanks, Deena!

{{Cindy and family}}

{{juliana and Z}}

Yay, Calli!

Lunch.

GF just called me, she's feeling very poorly - dizzy, and says she "feels numb" and generally sounded really bad. She seems to think it's either an overdose on one of her medications (Adderall, I'd guess) or an anxiety attack - she's been very stressed the last week. Going to emergency room now - please, ~ma to her.

~~~ma headed her way, Gris.

{{{Cindy, DH and Family}}}

Calli, that is wonderful news. Thank you so much for sharing.

Poor Deena! I hope you were able to work everything out and get Aidan. Poor little guy.

~ma to Gris' girlfriend.

"He's a freakin' louse!"

If you find yourself saying this, there's definitely something to worry about, and you should have yourself checked for Jimmy Cagney immediately.

It has just been a day for the bitches, eh?

{{{{}}}} to all!

My mom's surgery is now scheduled for tomorrow morning, so any health~ma you can send her way would be appreciated.