Not Another One...

Crazy Driver version 2.0

I can't believe I have another crazy driver story within the same week...but I do!

So I was working in an operatory with Dr. Valdez at around 10:30 in the morning on Thursday. All of a sudden, we hear tires screech and a loud BOOM!! Thinking that a car ran into our office, I yelled, "SOMEONE HIT THE BUILDING!" Very professional with a patient in the chair...I know. Of course the Dr. and I leave the patient in the chair to run out and see what had happened.

We head to the lab in the back of the office. There's a large, tinted window. Tinted enough to where no one can see in. A Lexus SUV has just missed our office, but hit the fire hydrant in front of the office and water is starting to flood just below our back door. We call 911.

Eventually the fire department arrives, the water gets shut off, and the excess is being suctioned by a big truck. But something is missing....OH! The ambulance. Unfortunately I had to work, so I missed whatever happened between this time.

Each time I returned (I kept pretending I had things to get out of the lab, or another room so I could stop by the lab...), nothing much was happening. Then I see the lady who hit the hydrant get out of her car. She's pretty old and uses a walker. Still-no paramedics. Just a few policeman standing around and a tow-truck guy with a pony-tail, of course.

The lady starts to walk when all of a sudden, "TIIIIMMMMMBERRRR!!" she falls straight backwards taking the walker with her. She hits her head on the sidewalk and passes out! All of us girls at work are screaming as it happens, but the policemen stand there and WATCH it happen and do NOTHING! Nothing at all! Now I'm panicking and yelling, "CALL 911!" as I run down the hallway.

Again...the fire department shows up, but no paramedics. Eventually I see her start to move, so I know she's at least alive. Then I had to work again.

The next time I got back to the lab, everyone was gone at the scene. So I never found out WHY the lady ran into the fire hydrant in the first place, or if any paramedics showed up to get her. But it made for an interesting morning.

The Happiest Place On Earth

Since it was the last possible day for us to go, we (as an entire family) went to Disneyland. We finally talked Colin into riding on the new Toy Story ride at CA Adventure in exchange for Daddy taking him on Star Tours afterwards.

The weather was great, the streets were crowded, but the rides weren't. It was really a great evening. It's a rare treat to get Ron in the parks with us, but we enjoyed every second of it. Plus every time he complained how heavy the stroller is, or how wiggly Blake is I got to say, "I do this ALL OF THE TIME by myself! Aren't I amazing?!"

Haircut

Colin HATES haircuts. I know "hate" is a strong word, but I use it because it's true! We've yet to have a pleasant moment. We started cutting his hair at home thinking he would be more comfortable. Boy were we wrong! It was even worse! So we've started taking him back to Kids Fun Cuts on Moreno in Montclair.

Earlier in the school year we learned about Social Stories. It's a way of preparing your child for what is to come and basically telling them how they are going to act and what to expect. We tried it this morning (because it worked for the Toy Story ride yesterday), and Colin did nothing but scream. Then he was dramatic about trimming his nails, cleaning his ears, and brushing his teeth. Not wanting to deal with that on another day, and needing both of us to be there, we went anyway ready to brave the sound of our child being tortured.

Blake got to go first. He was fine. He knows he gets candy, and that kid will do ANYTHING for candy. Colin was next. He was apprehensive about sitting in any of the fun chairs like a motorcycle or jet. Ron told him he could sit in a big boy chair. He plopped him down and Colin whined, "NO! NO!...." "Here it comes" I thought... "I want the blue chair!" Hmmm...okay. That's unusual...normally he doesn't want ANY chair!

The haircut starts, and our child was silent. It was the most beautiful sound we had never heard. He even liked watching the haircut in the mirror. We buzzed his head to avoid coming back anytime soon, but enjoyed the entire time. He got his candy for being good (as well as a lot of praise), and talked about how great his hair looks for the rest of the day!

The buzz-cut brothers

Social stories work! They aren't just for kids with Autism, either. Some people get really descriptive with them or draw pictures. We keep it simple and easy for Colin to understand. Here's a link if you're interested in learning more about it or find that your child has a hard time transitioning from one thing to another. We've even been told they work great for kids that have a hard time taking tests.
http://www.autismnetwork.org/modules/social/sstory/index.html