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"It has been, to put it mildly, a hectic and stressful week. The school bus saga is ongoing. Yesterday’s update: a new driver, a supervisor ride-along, on-time pickup and drop off. Hooray. The director of transportation, apparently spurred to action by a friendly email from the mayor’s office, continues to call me with updates. I […]
Read more "In Praise of Small Victories"
Pucks and Puzzle Pieces 