Its A Hundred And Five

Every morning before the bus arrives. Max has to search on my I-pad for the forecast for the day. This morning he read that it was going to be 105 or higher and cloud cover.

I love how he will ask the same questions at the breakfast table each morning. "Mom is it going to rain today?"  And each day I give him the same answer. "I don't think so."

Today while we sat on the couch and waited for the bus we looked at the next week forecast. He liked it when there was a little cloud with blue lines coming down out of them on the forecast below the temperature. When the bus arrived he jumped up and ran to his bedroom going in the opposite direction of the front door.

I call him to come and warned him the bus might leave without him. After about two minutes of calling him. He leisurely walked into the living room and had one arm in the sleeve of his thick coat and was getting ready to put it completely on.

I asked him why he felt a need to take the jacket. His response was. "Mom it might rain and I don't want to get wet." Somehow I was able to convince him to leave without his coat in hand and make it to the bus carrying only his back pack and viola.

Years ago when Max was about seven maybe a little older. He would always want to wear a thick jacket when playing outside when it was a hundred plus degrees. I had learned to pack up those winter clothes before the heat struck the valley of the Sun. Over the years I had grown more relaxed and stopped packing up those winter clothes. I guess I'm going to have to pack them up again and hope for the best.

I honestly can say there is never a dull moment with Max. I love every second, minute and hour of the day with him. He is one amazing young man.

I'm grateful for Max and I feel blessed to have him.

Max sang the National Anthem

Tears were present on July 28th as I watched my son

walk onto the Diamondback field to sing our national anthem.

The hours we spent reading over the words to the national anthem

every night had paid off.

After Max got the words down we started to sing to the tune of the song.

What a joy it was to hear him sing the national anthem by himself.

I wish they would of let the four athletes sing without the man named Steve. He drowned them out and made the meaning of the event disappointing.

After all the hard work, Max and the others put into practicing.

We had practices and it was amazing to hear these special, awesome athletes sing.

 

 Max and the other three who sang with him.
Left to right.
Conner, Rebecca, Sarah, and Max

 

 Max walking out to the field.

 

 Max taking a stroll on the Diamondback field

 

 

Max and Rebecca

 



Special Olympics Singers getting ready to sing the

National Anthem

 

 



Special Olympics Singing National Anthem at Diamondback Game

Max's Poem

 A Mother's Day Poem that Max wrote.

I AM FRIENDLY AND LOVING

I WONDER WHO I AM GOING TO SEE

I HEAR SCREAMING IN MY EAR

I SEE MYSELF IN SOMEONE ELSE'S BODY

I WANT TO PUBLISH A BOOK

I AM FRIENDLY AND LOVING

 

I PRETEND TO HAVE FULL VISION

I FEEL LIKE I AM FLOATING IN AIR

I TOUCH PEOPLE'S HEARTS

I WORRY ABOUT MAX

I CRY WHEN MY SON LEAVES

I AM FRIENDLY AND LOVING

 

I UNDERSTAND HOW MAX IS TREATED

I SAY GOODNIGHT TO MAX EVERY NIGHT

I DREAM MY SON BECOMES A CELEBRITY

I TRY TO MAKE MAX EAT FOODS HE DOESN'T LIKE

I HOPE THE BEST FOR MY CHILDREN

I AM FRIENDLY AND LOVING

Max Hits a Homerun!

A Day To Remember

 

 

 

 

 Max getting ready to walk out on the field.

 

 



 

 Max and Malachi

                               

 

 Max and Malachi walking the field with his team.

 

 

Didn't know it was Autism Awarness Night. 

 

 So cool to see this on the big screen.

 

 

 Max cheering on the D-backs with shouting out BEAT LA!

 

Max was tickled with the mascot wearing red underwear that said BEAT LA.

He laughed the whole way home.

 

Next Day's Game

                               

 

 Max hit a home run.

 

 

Max running over home-plate.

 

 

After the game on Saturday Max asked me if he would ever be typical

 like everyone else. I asked him what does he mean by typical?

He responded with, "You know Mom, when I don't have autism anymore.

I asked him what is so bad about being Autistic.

He said, "Nothing, I think if I wasn't autistic, I could be an celebrity.  

 

His question stirred emotions of how I have also dealt with not feeling like I fit in because of having CRS and being blind in my right eye.
Max opened my eyes to what really is important.
 It's about being YOU the person God intended for you to be.
We are all so different, even typical people as Max calls them have faults and desires to be something other than what they are. Each of us have habits that seem odd to some and make others think we are not normal.

What does it mean to be normal?

A question I ask myself many times.

Magnificent Max in the month of March.

Max believes his world opened up to another level, since he turned 13. He believes he can now watch any PG-13 movie, because it has the number 13 in it. I have tried several times to explain to him that I don’t even watch all PG-13 movies, because some of them do not meet our standards.

Max takes everything as it’s stated. For instances he believe if his teacher tells him his homework isn’t due until March 12^th then he will not hand it in until that date. He had a project due on March 29^th in Social Studies on World War 1 using a poster board and designing it with a slogan. Frustration stirred as I tried to remind him to get started on it a week before it was due. Max would remind me that he can’t hand it in until the due date and that he can’t even start on it until a couple of days before it is due. I tried to explain to him he could hand it in before the due date and he express his opinion that I was wrong. Max takes everything literally. I have realized it’s how people with autism see life.

It was a joy to see Max excited about his family coming over to celebrate his birthday. His Aunt Terese had her birthday a few days before him and we sang Happy Birthday to them at the same time. I could see how he felt of value as we rallied around him and sang. His smile touched his ears and his eyes beamed with joy.

The last month and half have been busy, with baseball practice. I’m so thrilled that one of Max’s dreams of being a member of a baseball team came true. It’s going to be a wonderful opportunity for him. The Little League started a team for children with special needs for the first time . What a blessing for Max. He loves to bat and was in a bat-a-thon a couple of weeks ago. He hit the ball 152.5 feet and won a wooden bat. This Friday he is going to walk out on the Diamondback baseball field with the players and yesterday he was interview by one of the news stations about being on a baseball team. He takes baseball seriously. He wears his new team jersey with pleasure along with his batting gloves, baseball hat, red belt, white pants, and cleats. For his birthday his brother in law and sister got him a new glove, battling gloves, and bat and his brother and sister in law got him a bat with some balls to practice with. I know it warms his heart to have his sibling support him.

 

We were able to attend General Conference in Salt Lake City and Max had a hard time with all the people around him. He sat next to me with his suit coat over his head during the two hour meeting. He was quiet, but I sensed it was hard on him to be among so many people. Sometimes he will put a cloth grocery bag over his head and play his I-pod to close himself off from the world.

 

A wonderful blessing happened for Max in Utah, he gained some new friends. It warmed my heart to see him building unity with his second cousins. They wanted him around and he wanted to be with them. What a joy it was to watch him interact with them.