Blog Entries for Brett

Toddler Nightmares

brettreider@mac.com — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Our little toddler, Garrett, has been having nightmares lately. I'm not sure why. He doesn't see anything scary on TV - we almost never even watch TV! They say you need to have a good, calming routine before bed. Bedtime is almost always the same regimen - Bath, Brush teeth, Books, Bed. The books we read are good, funny bedtime books! Sandra Boynton, not Steven King. I don't know what's causing these scary dreams. I've read different articles about the subject, but haven&# [...]

Signing for Babies

brettreider@mac.com — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Signing Time came to Gavin's school! Rachel and her daughter Leah of the awesome PBS program Signing Time put on a show for all the kids last week. Their story is pretty amazing and inspiring. You should read about them on her website: SigningTime.com. Sara has been a fan of Rachel's blog since she started it. Now Rachel's made videos to teach babies how to sign. Some babies can start signing as [...]

You Can't Stop the Tantrum

brettreider@mac.com — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Garrett's terrible two-ness has gone off the charts recently, coinciding with the arrival of Bodie. He's always had a little nonconformist attitude, a born maverick. Now he's the epitome of rebellion. Tantrums have become the norm now when things don't work out for him. Its obvious that he's going to have a hard time adjusting to not being the baby anymore. Its hard to see him go throug [...]

A Day at the Beach

brettreider@mac.com — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:00:00 +0100

As always, Surfers Healing was awesome this year. It was huge turnout, bigger than ever! Gavin even had his own little fan club there to "Ooh and Aah" over him! It was an unforgettable day, especially since Sara was starting to go into labor with Bodie! We knew from the previous two births that she labors slowly and methodically, so we felt it best to spend the beginning stages of labor at the beach [...]

Bodie has arrived, Extra Large.

brettreider@mac.com — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:00:00 +0100

What a week we have had! Baby Bodie has finally arrived! Sara started going into labor the day of the big Surfers Healing camp. She woke me up at about a quarter to 3 and announced that we'd be having the baby that day. Well, that was just the start of a very long labor. Bodie wasn't born until 30 hours later! The labor was progressing so slowly, I didn't think it would ever happen. Sara felt we [...]

Kids and Cats

brettreider@mac.com — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Our cat, Laya, hasn't yet become completely comfortable with the boys. Four years ago when we brought Gavin home from the hospital, her life changed in every respect. Her peaceful, lazy existence made a giant shift. I remember the look on her face the first time she approached our new baby and gave him a couple sniffs - it was pure disdain. She hid under the bed for awhile, as if the baby would throw off his swaddling blanket and get her. It took awhile, but when Gavin grew and beca [...]

How to Get Kids to Share

brettreider@mac.com — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:00:00 +0100

As the father of a 4 and a 2 year old, lack of sharing is the number one source of friction in our house. My 4 year old son, Gavin, has autism, which adds another element of frustration to the the equation. Garrett, the terrible 2, is really taking on his own little freethinking personality right now. It's an important time in both of their lives developmentally. Sharing is part of that developmental process.

Right now, I don't think either of these boys have the reasoning [...]

A New Word: Summertime!

brettreider@mac.com — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 20:00:00 +0100

It's funny how children learn words sometimes. It's hard to teach some words to Gavin that aren't tangible objects. Especially abstract words like "summertime".

His first impression of that word came as we were leaving the local Jungle Rapids amusement park. The water park section was closed, and he saw the huge slides with colorful flags at the top and said "Flags!" [...]

The Climbing Tree Fell Down

brettreider@mac.com — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Our big, nice climbing tree came down last night in the wind. The boys haven't seen it yet, they're at Grammy and Papa Geno's with Sara. I'm not sure if I should cut it up and take it away before they get back, or should I let it lay there on it's side for the boys to see. It's a Wax Myrtle, which is a very common tree here that grows like a weed. These trees can withstand almost any storm, which is why I was so surprised to see this one laying prone when I let Laya (t [...]

Stress Free Disney

brettreider@mac.com — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Disney World was a magical place for this family to visit. It really was extraordinary. These boys were just as high as a kite for the whole week. The plane rides were fantastic! Waiting at the terminal for the gate to open was a bit tumultuous, as is anything to do with waiting for a child with autism and an unruly two year old. It was about 5:45 a.m. at the airport in Raleigh, and these boys were running roughshod over the entire Terminal A. We just pretty much let them go at a full t [...]

Preparing a Child with Autism for a Trip

brettreider@mac.com — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Getting a child with autism ready for a big trip is essential to the trip's success, I think. We haven't ever really tried it yet. We're going to Disney World, and these kids couldn't be more excited. All that Gavin talks about now is Disney World. Every day, he thinks we are going to go there immediately. He understands that we have to take an airplane, but I think he [...]

A Second Baby Shower

brettreider@mac.com — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:00:00 +0100

We are going to have our third (and final) child in August, and I've been wondering about the concept of having some sort of pre baby party. Not necessarily another baby shower, but just a celebration of these awesome blessings we've had in our kids. And to celebrate the end of a long road of pregnancy for Sara! She's tired of being "with child". I think a third [...]

Easter Egg Hunters

brettreider@mac.com — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0100

This year's Easter Egg hunt was the first one Garrett actually participated in with enthusiasm and zeal. Last year, at 11 months old (upper photo) he was content to crawl to the first egg he saw and park there with it. Finding no great tastiness in its plastic yellow shell, I'm sure [...]

Toddler Modeling

brettreider@mac.com — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0100

My son is a model in a calendar! He's Mr. October! Sara entered him (Gavin 4yrs) into a contest for the National Autism Association annual calendar and he was picked! I just thought I'd use this little platform to brag a bit. We always knew he was a handsome devil, but wow. And now he's also on their advertisement for the big spring sale email. We had no idea they did that until it just popped in [...]

Embarrassed

brettreider@mac.com — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Gavin was embarrassed today! For the first time ever, I saw Gavin get red in the face and look very self conscious. He's nearly four (next week!) and he has Autism, so it is kind of a big deal to me. I feel like he's really healing when he shows tangible signs of a unique personality like that.

Here is what happened: We were at Fit for Fun, a cool little place downtown for toddlers and babies to hang out and play together. It's a great place. It's kind of a Saturday morn [...]

Potty Training Tips (needed)

brettreider@mac.com — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:00:00 +0100

On the subject of potty training, I am really mystified. Gavin was using the toilet for about a week. He loved it! It was his favorite thing to do.

"Gavin, do you have to pee pee in the potty? Yes or no?" I'd ask.

"Yes!" he would shout with great enthusiasm.

Now, when I ask him the same question, he pretends not to hear, or runs away. What' [...]

These kids are YouTube stars

brettreider@mac.com — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:00:00 +0100

I tell ya, there's nothing more fun and satisfying than sitting down at your computer and putting pictures together with music to make something uncommonly cool. It's even more fulfilling when the pictures are of your own kids! I learned how to use my Mac's "iMovie" program when I made Gavin's Surfers Healing video. It was so easy, even a novice like me figured it out in just a couple hours! You can get to Gavin's video from our home page by clicking the Surfers Healing box. You n [...]

The baby that never sleeps.

brettreider@mac.com — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 20:00:00 +0100

The transition from crib to bed isn't supposed to be easy, is it? Garrett has (almost) taken right to it! He loves sleeping in his little bed. The boys have a trundle bed from Ikea, very comfortable! Gavin is on the high part and Garrett gets the roll out bed. The problem is this: he has learned that he's free to roam the house at night if he chooses. I'm not sure if babies c [...]

Baby Wrestling

brettreider@mac.com — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 20:00:00 +0100

Every good dad out there knows the importance of baby wrestling. My kids love to just get me down on the floor and pile on top. Gavin (4 next month) has a signature move I call the Double Ear Pull, which he administers quite frequently between offici [...]

The sea was angry...

brettreider@mac.com — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:00:00 +0100

My name's Brett, but around here they call me daddy or dada. If you read Sara's blog you already know a little bit about our family. What I wanted to write about today is the Surfers Healing camp that comes to our town every summer. Gavin has been twice, and loved it both times. The first summer he was a 2 year old, and it was a stormy, wind whipped beach that day. The [...]