A Week in Words

I hear by promise to take a picture every day this upcoming week.

The biggest news of the week is that I have officially reentered the workforce.  I got a job at the company I had heard is really great at training BCBA's so I was happy about that.  (BCBA stands for Board Certified Behavior Analyst).  To become a BCBA you also need a master's degree that covers certain coursework.  My graduate program will begin May 11 from Ball State University in Indiana but the Applied Behavioral Analysis program is offered completely online.  Most BCBA's work with children or adults with autism or other learning disorders, prescribing certain behavioral plans (both to acquire new skills like talking, dressing, eye contact, following directions, etc and decreasing maladaptive behaviors like running off, yelling, hitting, etc) using specific principles of behavior acquisition.  Currently I am working as a behavior interventionist who works one on one with the child to implement the behavior plans that have been created.  This is the work I did in Miami before having Jane.  Fortunately/unfortunately there is a law that will be signed in Utah this summer that mandates insurance companies to cover this treatment for individuals on the autism spectrum and that also stipulates that in order to practice as a behavioral consultant in the state of Utah you need 4,000 hours of experience (much more than the board's requirement of 1500).

When I was telling Jane that I was going to be gone the next day for work she was very concerned about this idea of me having a job.  She asked if she would get babysat a lot and I explained that I am going to be working on days that dad doesn't have to teach classes so that he will be home with them.  She said, "But Dad doesn't know any of the things that you do!  It will take me forever to teach him!"  I think we are all in for an adjustment period of figuring out this new schedule.  Luckily I have the best husband and family in the world so I think we will be just fine.

Jack also gets really sad about the idea of me leaving.  I think it is because the idea is so foreign to him.  But when I'm actually gone they don't care one bit.  I do like forcing them all to give me extra hugs when I come home though.

Pete continues to be really needy and whiney, something I complain about often to Matt. "I literally can't get anything done!"  When I came home from a full day of work the house was a mess, Matt was unshowered and had a familiar dazed look in his eyes and said, "Pete doesn't let you do anything!"  So unfortunately true.

Jane started soccer this week.  She has the same coach as last year and he is absolutely a blast.  They are the pink pandas again and he paints one nail pink for every goal they score in a game.  He is pretty competitive but doesn't let that interfere with helping the girls have fun and get play time.  But he does want to up practice time to twice a week instead of one.  Jane seems to enjoy it.  She always wants to score, score, score, but struggles with always paying attention during the game and being where she needs to be. :)

Hank is being pretty awesome.  His hair is growing out again and getting wavy, which I love.  When he asks to do something, like use the ipad, and I tell him no because he already had his ipad time, or needs to do his chores first he always says, "That is so rude."(wude).  He even tells me that having to go pee is so wude.   He is so physical.  The other day I was talking to a parent at the soccer game and he just started body slamming into her legs.  It took a couple slams for me to process that was my own child and not hers.  I was like, "Hank!  You don't know her!  You can't hit people you don't know!", and he just thought it was hilarious.

Jack is always trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up.  He drew a picture we all liked and then declared he was going to be an artist.  He played garage band and then declared he was going to be a music composer.  Sometimes he says he is going to be "just a dad."  And he will ask, "What do you think I'm going to be when I grow up?"

Pete continues to be picky about eating and whiney about having to do anything that isn't having your direct attention and preferably your direct attention while also being outside.  When Jane senses that my mental and emotional reserves are just about empty she will step in and try to distract Pete for a bit. She is very sweet.  I pretty much live for 1pm (nap time), 8pm (bed time) or any moment we get to drive in the car and get a break. :)