Sleep has never come easily for Ryan. To be more precise, staying asleep has never come easily. Over the years, we have figured out a routine — melatonin, bedtime reading, white noise, soothing music, weighted blanket — that usually gets Ryan to sleep rather quickly. But he wakes easily, and frequently (although much less often […]
Read more "Sleep, That Fickle Beast"I never know what will hook Ryan’s interest in a new activity. But whenever there is a spark of curiosity, I do my best to carefully nurture it into a full-blown flame. The key is to listen closely for clues as to what aspect of whatever the subject is that he is following most closely, […]
Read more "Concern for Cundiff"I know, even before I get home. I know it has been a difficult afternoon because of phone calls, emails and texts from Veronica. Even though there isn’t much I can do to help from where I sit at work, I want her to tell me when it all goes to hell. We lean on […]
Read more "The Computer on the Shelf"The email arrived from Veronica on Friday afternoon, at the end of the long and frustrating week. From: Veronica Date: September 21, 2012, 3:40:49 PM EDT To: Neil Subject: ugh Got call from guidance counselor wanting to discuss Ryan’s course study with us. I just returned her call and left a VM informing her that […]
Read more "That’s Better"On the surface, it doesn’t sound like much. Sunday, Riley had a late-afternoon soccer game, and I had an early evening adult league hockey game. The choice for Ryan was simple. Either attend Riley’s game, or mine. It was an easy choice for Ryan. He declared he would attend my game, and keep score — […]
Read more "My Companion, My Scorekeeper"
Pucks and Puzzle Pieces 