I slept with my lens so it would give me favors. :-) Seriously, I love my lens: Nikon 18-200mm VR. And yes, I cuddled with it many times after I first got it.

We specifically moved into a different school district after my son's kindergarten year. It is amazing what difference the right educational atmosphere makes! My son is now entering the 4th grade this fall, and I am so thankful for the way the teachers and administrators treat us in our current district. We are so lucky to be where we are - because it is quite different than where we were when my son was in preschool and kindergarten! (Props to his kindergarten teacher - who was FABULOUS! - for suggesting we move to a more accommodating district. She was wonderful, but she knew the support overall wasn't there in that other district.) I am glad to hear that you are in a place where the students are loved and supported. Terrific!

Ah, I feel ya. I knew every single trash can in NYC when I was pregnant with my first. And we purchased a steam cleaner that spent its entire life cleaning up my various productions on our carpet when I was pregnant with my second. One memorable experience was crossing the street in the Upper East Side -- those ladies with their tiny dogs probably thought I was a junkie as I vomited down my sweater sleeve. After all, there are no trash cans in the middle of the street. Hoping it lets up soon for you. Best of luck!

You got it! In fact, let's have an "I have a Fancy Degree AND Look Super-Young!" party. I am sure there would be plenty of takers here in the Silicon Valley.

And I posted one on my review blog here: http://www.karianna.us/reviews/ (and also on the individual entries for the blog)

Hooray! I posted a button on my main blog here: http://www.kariannaspectrum.com

I still want one (now that the full review is published!)

My kids are young (8 and 5) so I haven't even considered this yet -- but reading this post made me think of the first time I brought home a boy: I just assumed it was OK, but my parents were nervous. We ended up sleeping in the living room "sleepover style" in sleeping bags. It was fun! Subsequent visits he slept in the fold-out while I slept in my room. We didn't sneak around because we found no need -- when we were at his place we slept in the same bed. There was never any question from his single dad that it was totally fine for us to be in the same bed. Ironically enough, we never had sex - it was just about cuddling together and being together. For the "coming home from college" trips, the boyfriends always slept on the fold-out and I in my bed. This was true even for the days leading up to my wedding. The night before the wedding, my parents requested that my husband-to-be sleep in a hotel so we'd be separate until the actual wedding. (At that time we had been living together for 18 months so it was purely symbolic.)

Exactly. I see from some of the comments here that the parents ARE involved -- they schedule an activity for the kids to to together. And yet I remember being happiest as a child when the adults were essentially absent - we were allowed to play dress-up without worrying about adult "approval." The parents who wanted to supervise too closely made me uncomfortable, as though the playdate was an extension of school. The worst is when the parent seems to believe that they are sticking around -- suddenly it becomes a Parent Playdate, and that is pretty uncomfortable - especially if I *thought* I'd be otherwise getting work done.

Initially I thought you were on to something... but then I remembered how I'd tell the teachers/therapists about how my sons spontaneously play with their neighbors ("doesn't count" because it isn't a pre-scheduled 'oh you are a good friend of mine' type thing) and how they want to put him in "facilitated play" during recesses so that the playtime is NOT just free play. It used to be that recess and time with the neighbors was his "just enjoy the play" - but it seems the teachers/therapists want more "scheduled" time - sort of what some of the other commenters here have explained - full out "you are going to paint a box on this playdate." And that sort of thing just tires me out thinking about it because I agree that "free play" would be so much more fun than these forced dates that seem... well... forced!

Yay - sounds like a successful day. Many congratulations!

AWESOME! OH AWESOME! How great. And a special medal and horse shit, too? what a day!

I remember feeling SICK when I first heard of this story. Then it has been followed by various other pieces of media spouting the "extra cost" that special needs kids apparently take from health insurance (not mine, which won't cover such things!)the rumors about how it is just lazy parents who give excuses for their "bad" kids' behavior, and so forth. It is amazing how spectrum and other sensory/behavioral issues are portrayed versus how "medical" problems are seen. Blame for one, pity for the other. Neither very effective. The hope Alex "will get the help he needs" brings up a concept that I have had to fight time and time again. As you and I know, "getting help" does not really mean HELP. It isn't a magic bullet that suddenly turns the child "normal." Time and time again, I've gotten the quizzical stare with "have you considered getting him help?". Why YES, of COURSE I've attempted to get my son HELP. Every step of the way, new professionals (doctors, therapists, teachers) wonder the same. But "getting help" is not "curing." It isn't erasing problems. In fact, "getting help" is a process that is very difficult, much more so than ignoring the problem. "Getting help" means doing things like mainstreaming, because to hide someone like Alex in a MORE restrictive environment isn't helping him if he is capable of a mainsteam classroom. The law says "least restrictive" for a reason: kids can live up to expectations, but they can also "live down" to them. "Getting help" is a struggle in many ways - and clearly the actions of this teacher illustrate why.

Darn it. I was SO hoping that this would be a fun game. But... thank you for letting us know to pass, because I was going to buy it as soon as we got our Wii fixed (yes, that is how much we love our Wii -- the lens has actually worn out!) But, I know to spend the money elsewhere now.

Oh, for us it is the soccer shirt. And the soccer shorts. And the soccer socks. No matter how often I put them IN the laundry, somehow they crawl out, only to be found in a dirty mound somewhere. For next year, I bought two pairs of shorts and four pairs of socks (two light, two dark.) But the jerseys themselves are so darn expensive that I settled for the standard two (one home, one away.) Of course now that they aren't in use, all of those "old" jerseys are neatly in my son's drawer. He wears them to school all the time (which I find rather odd.)