98

Above: a nighttime, deep sleep oxygen reading of 98%

C has not had any supplemental oxygen in over a month, and he's doing great! The school nurse checks his O2 levels every day, and we check them at night when he's in a deep slumber, the time when oxygen levels often drop. His levels are always 97% or above. As a point of reference, anything above 94% is considered healthy.

According to his last pulmonary function test, his lungs still have room to improve. In terms of oxygen delivery, however, they're getting the job done! If we can make it through flu season with no setbacks, it should be smooth sailing henceforth.

Swim Class

After a few weeks off, swim classes begin again today. Since children with autism drown at four to ten times the rate of non-autistic children, this is for safety as well as fun.

30 30 30

During bathtime, I brush C's teeth while counting to 30; he knows that when I reach 30, we're done. (Ah, the tricks we learn.)

Last night when I reached 30, C perked up and said cheerily, "30, 30, 30!"

I smiled. "Yes, 30!"

He then said, "40, 40, 40, 40!"

Me: "40?"

C: "50, 50, 50, 50, 50...60, 60, 60, 60, 60, 60!"

It took me a minute before I figured out what he was doing. Finally I said, "What about 70?"

C: "70, 70, 70, 70, 70, 70, 70! Seven 70s! Then eight 80s!"

No one has taught him this. It's just one of his many little surprises for us.

Summer's Last Days

We're spending this long Labor Day weekend as we do most weekends: going to playgrounds and parks, running errands together, and visiting friends.

In just a few days the twins will begin attending different schools; it's hard to imagine the boys apart, since they've been together since birth. Nonetheless, we know this is what's best, and we even wonder if the time apart might bring them closer still.

Above: C hams it up in ladies' glasses at Target

In other news, C did two things today that blew me away. Tonight in the bath, as M protested my brushing his teeth, C said, "M doesn't want you to brush his teeth!" It was the first time I'd ever heard him reflect on the feelings or wants of his twin so directly, and it took me by surprise.

The other event involved identical train conductor hats we bought for the boys at Target yesterday. This morning C suddenly bolted upstairs saying he needed to get one of the hats; we had no idea why, since he was already wearing one. When he found it, he ran back downstairs and handed to to M, saying, "You wear it, M!" Again, I've never seen this kind of reciprocity from C toward his brother, so I was thrilled.

The day ended on a slightly less stellar note: C's evening stims have gotten pretty severe. He is completely unable to settle himself, and spins around and around in his bed, thrashing and screaming at the top of his lungs (what must our neighbors think?). His screaming and thrashing is actually starting to frighten M, so we have taken to letting M fall asleep in our bed until C settles down.

We're doing research on ways we can minimize the evening stims, but we know this is a phase and we're just going through a rough patch. Of course with autism, every bump in the road makes you wonder if things are just going to get worse from here, but time has shown us that, overall, C is making progress. We just have to continue working on the problem areas and supporting the good stuff.

A Watchful Eye

C has bad reactions to anesthesia, so the day after his most recent pulmonary function test we ended up in the ER. Everything turned out fine, and we got to witness a special moment when M kept a watchful eye over his twin.

Everyone assures me that, despite outward appearances, our boys have a deep connection. I'm beginning to see the truth in their conviction.