Happy Holidays

The highbrow web sites, blogs, and periodicals on our reading list seem determined to end the year by reviewing the 2000s to death. When the time came for holiday mailings, we decided to join the fun. What's in and what's out at the Hamilton homestead as the decade turns over:

Out	In
Hanging chads	Hanging ten at Surfers' Healing
Americans screen mail after anthrax scare.	The Hamiltons screen phone calls from school.
Asking a bartender for a beer.	Listening to Leah sing, "Hey you, beer me …"
Gazing into the eyes of our newborns with awe and wonder.	Gazing around the house and wondering why we reproduced.
Annoying our friends in northern states every February by reminding them we're wearing shorts.	Feeling annoyed every February that we no longer live in Florida
Growing weary of coverage of Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction."	Preventing Leah's wardrobe malfunctions (and wishing for the DNA strand responsible for her lack of butt).
Dora and Diego (parents rejoice)	Phineas and Ferb (parents find themselves singing S.I.M.P -- Squirrels in My Pants)
You Tube makes some people rich, saturates the world with internet celebrities.	You Tube gives Leah the opportunity to saturate us with her favorite Guinness commercials. Brilliant.
Bob Davie, George O'Leary, Tyrone Willingham, Charlie Weis. Patience.	Brian Kelly. Avoiding local media after Notre Dame-Navy games.
Al Gore, John Kerry, and John McCain concede presidential elections.	Alison is forced to concede that she is old enough to be president. (It took a few years to surmount the wall of denial.)
Pregnancy-induced snoring	Fond thoughts of snoring as we point out to Leah that 3:00 a.m. is not a good time to watch FIOS on demand.
Finding new baby teeth in little ones' mouths.	Finding acceptable explanations when lost baby teeth are still under the pillow in the morning.
Coaxing babies and preschooler into holiday-photo participation.	Coaxing first and third graders into holiday-photo participation.
Recovering holiday ornaments toddlers left under couch and in couch cushions.	Yeah, that's still happening too.
Attending to infant twins' soggy posteriors.	Pointing out to twins that singing about posteriors is considered inappropriate in certain settings.
Summer vacations	Summer staycations
Wondering whether Mack Brown can lead the Longhorns to national glory.	Flying to LA to watch Mack Brown and Longhorns go for another national title.
Newly mobile Lauren and Maddie watch with awe as older sister Leah moves freely through the house.	Watching Lauren and Maddie with awe as they lead Leah through a bizarre game of tag in the upstairs hallway.
Lauren and Maddie wearing matching outfits.	Maddie insisting stripes and plaids match.
Two-year-old Leah underwhelmed by first exposure to snow.	Nine-year-old Leah underwhelmed by parental order to come inside during DC area's 20-plus inch snowstorm.
Holiday report of Hamilton exploits provides family and friends with annual reminder of the value of being far-flung.	Hamilton family blog and Facebook updates provide family and friends with frequent, instant reminders of the value of being far-flung.

Best wishes for happy holidays and a memorable decade to come!

Mike, Alison, Leah, Lauren, and Maddie Hamiltona

For those who didn't see this one on Facebook

Leah may be the one we often refer to as Madam, but the real drama queen in the house most of the time is Maddie. We were leaving Leah's speech appointment on a recent Monday and Maddie, who is never shy about voicing displeasure, was fussing about a bruised kneecap and some kind of injustice she suffered at Lauren's hands. I was running out of ways to suggest to Maddie that she get over it without using four-letter words, when Leah said, "Somebody's got issues." Even Maddie had to stop whining and laugh.

That was worth a Facebook status update at the time, but since the parental units have suggested that the advent of FB has adversely affected the production of blog posts, I'm posting it here for them.

Another 'be careful what you wish for' moment

It's hard to equate the anxious Lauren, who stopped talking for awhile during the summer she turned 4, with today's Lauren, who amused herself while Mike and I were trying for a few quiet moments over leftover beef tenderloin by periodically asking, "Do you want to hear another fact about butts?"

Yep, we're still raising 'em right.

Another great lesson backfires

Leah usually likes her conversations short and sweet. The other day, when Katie (one of our home therapists) was asking her questions, every answer became 'no,' in fairly short order. Katie knew Leah had run out of patience and asked her if she didn't know the answers or if she was tired of questions. Leah agreed that she was tired of all the questions.

Fast forward to today, when we were on our way to a Halloween event with the kids and Katie, who was sitting in the back with Leah. Katie started to ask an uncharacteristically quiet Leah what she was thinking about and Leah replied, "I'm not answering questions."

Another language lesson thrown back in our faces. Well played, Madam.

Crazy hair day

Ever since Leah decided her hair needed some tweaking, we have had to make more frequent haircut trips for maintenance on the new 'do. Thanks to the extremely kid-friendly atmosphere at Pigtails and Crewcuts, haircuts are now a preferred activity. When Leah needed her bangs cut a few weeks back, Maddie announced she needed a trim too, and was not pleased when I pointed out to her that her ends hadn't even had time to split since her last cut.

Anyone who thinks that was the end of the discussion does not know Maddie. She changed tactics and announced she wanted bangs. Both twins have contemplated bangs since Leah's foray into hair design, probably because (unbelievably) she got a lot of compliments on her new hairstyle after Pigtails and Crewcuts' repair job. Lauren got an explanation of cowlicks and accepted the news that bangs would be pretty funky on her with minimal fuss. Maddie had been going back and forth on it. She played the bangs card, and I acquiesced.

We gave her a couple of chances to back out once she was in the chair, but Maddie was resolute. Said resolve lasted until about 30 minutes after we got home, when Maddie announced, tremorously, that she didn't want bangs anymore. My explanations that hair doesn't work that way were extremely unsatisfactory. It was less about dislike of the new style than it was overblown nerves about attending school with different hair. This is same kid who seized the opportunity to help me guest-read to her class, including quizzing classmates on unfamiliar words. Go figure. (The child is six. Pause for a moment to contemplate middle school, and then buy me a very large drink.) Even reassurances from Lauren couldn't take the edge off her nerves. Mind you, Lauren was later overheard saying, "I bet you wish you were me. I couldn't get bangs." Mike and I went to bed anticipating a really fun time trying to get Maddie ready for school the next morning.

Sometimes when we anticipate problems, the kids pleasantly surprise us. Not this time. Maddie was even worse than we thought. She started out teary, progressed to insisting her stomach hurt, and escalated to full blown tantrum as we made her walk out the door. Maybe it's a perverse sibling-rivalry thing, and she didn't want Leah to be the only one who can make the neighbors do a double-take. By the time I walked her to school, I'd decided that it was monumentally unfair that no one has happy hour at 9:00 a.m.

The day passed with no calls from the health room about her stomach, and Maddie came out of school with her usual grin. She admitted she was glad she went to school and was able to acknowledge that Mrs. Allman's classroom, the playground, her locker, and our house were all still intact even though her hair was different.

So here's the source of all the angst:


I like her better without them, but will be taking that opinion to my grave.

Picture catch-up

It's almost Halloween, and I'm finally remembering to post the first day of school pictures. Good thing I used to work in a deadline-oriented business.

Debating the really important questions

Because I have about 15 other things I should be doing, I have instead decided that there is no time like the present to settle a key question in my life: What to name my fantasy football team.

Last year, I looked to the NFL itself for inspiration and named my team Ricky Williams' Stash, in large part because I could then use the following image as my team logo:


Unfortunately, my fantasy team was much like Ricky's career: High hopes, but ultimately a bomb. I decided mistake #1 was my namesake choice.

In my sophomore season, I am looking across the pond for inspiration. What better source than Monty Python and the Holy Grail? Lots of humor possibilities whenever my team arrives at the bottom of the league. Because, let's face it, I am in this for trash talk and self-abuse. I am much more likely to spend time geeking out over my team name than I am over draft-day possibilities. Which is undoubtedly why I was invited back.

Plan A in my quest for the fantasy grail was to name my team the English Pig-Dogs, because who can resist using this as a logo:

But as I searched the web for pictures of French taunters, two other options presented themselves.

Plan B is the Killer Rabbits. Movie counterpart was badly underestimated, and this team is definitely off the fantasy radar. Drawback: The rabbit turns out to have nasty, sharp, pointy teeth. If my team turns in the same toothless performance as last year, the logo won't be so appropriate by about October. Big plus, though, is a poster-worthy logo possibility:


Or this:


(Admit it. Part of you wants to see a killer rabbit design on an NFL helmet.)

And then Plan C began to form. The Black Knights. The beauty of this one is that the logo could change throughout the season. I can start out with all four limbs and some 'None Shall Pass' trash-talking (which means I'd better draft a decent defense).


And then I can begin amputating limbs as my team's fortunes fall:


I could even end with this, when all hope is lost:


Small downside: less meaningful if my team turns out to be decent. Hey, that's why they call it fantasy football, people.

Opinions welcomed from the two or three people who will read this on Facebook. So little time, so much procrastinating ...

Summer Staycation

We did staycations before they were cool. Because we're trendsetters.

Or, because our economy crashed with therapy costs long before the rest of the nation caught up. Either way, we have stayed close to home for the last several summers. This year I reminded myself of our good fortune -- home is close to DC, Baltimore, and Annapolis, so staycations don't need to be dull. We have also been trying to improve Leah's community skills, including stamina and behavior. So with the help of Katie, an invaluable home program therapist (and Mike, when work schedule allowed), we took a series of field trips. Katie braved all three girls on her own a couple of times, taking them mini-golfing while I was recovering from my scary anemia episode, and taking them to the Chesapeake Children's Museum while I got a root canal. The museum was only so-so, but looking at Mom's creepy Novocaine smile afterward was highly entertaining.

Leah sometimes likes to dress like Katie for these trips. The doorbell rings and Leah grabs a bandanna.

In Baltimore, my mother-in-law joined us on a trip to the aquarium, where the moving ramps competed with the fish for the kids' attention. A couple of weeks later, we headed back to Baltimore to visit Port Discovery. Maddie loved the karaoke area and channeled her inner American Idol a few times.

Lauren liked being a cowgirl ...


... and blew enormous bubbles.


Port Discovery was a huge hit, but will probably be remembered most for the walk back to the car, at least by the adults. Halfway across Pratt street, Leah's skorts fell down. She was behind Mike and slightly ahead of me when I saw them go. Luckily Katie is fast -- in the second it took me to wonder whether to fix them right there, or get her to the sidewalk first (I'm pretty sure I didn't utter any four-letter words, but no guarantees ...), Katie had scooped Leah up and taken her across the street. Leah looked at me over Katie's shoulder, smiled, and said, "Oopsie daisy!" By the time I got to the curb, I was laughing so hard that I could barely stand up. The child has no butt (she definitely didn't get that from me), which means I spend a lot of time on Crack Watch. Usually we're able to keep the pants on, though.

We did two trips to DC, both to the Smithsonian -- once to American History, and once to Air and Space. The kids were pretty excited by the Metro, which also provided a lot of skill-building opportunities -- navigating turnstiles, escalators, managing tickets, following directions (always Madam's forte).


Maddie is a TurboTourist -- a quick look, and she's ready to move on. Probably appropriate that she's standing next to a very fast aircraft.


Leah decided her Katie-style bandanna needed further accessorizing:

(Please pause to admire the red streak on her arm. While Lauren and Maddie printed cards on an early printing press, Leah apparently decided to save a tree and dipped her hand and arm straight into the ink.)

And in a stunning development, Maddie liked the view from the Presidential podium and was quite perturbed when told she needed to give someone else a turn. Apparently she had more to say. That's politics for you.

Historically, movies have not been particularly successful ventures for Leah (I still haven't seen the end of Cars -- we made it through about 15 minutes), but she did quite well through Ice Age 3. The kids also painted pottery, and Katie assisted Leah on our back to school shopping trip.

We did manage one out-of-town jaunt last weekend, to Hershey Park. The weather was dicey, but it held on for us.

Lauren and Maddie happily posed with the kiss character.


Leah had more fun offering a flower a few times, then snatching it back at the last minute.


Overall, the summer passed quickly. Hard to believe I'm writing this on the first day of school.

Maybe she's still not sure about the haircut

Thursday was theme day at Leah's Extended School Year program this summer, and the kids were encouraged to dress accordingly in things like team jerseys and beach-themed clothing.

Apparently, the theme for this day was Come as the Unabomber:

What can I say? The kid means business when she says 'cheese.'

DNA is a powerful thing

It's a shame Maddie and my grandfather never met, because they have a lot in common. When she's not instructing me on fairness or wearing out the word 'why,' she has an ebullience and a capacity for enthusiasm that remind me of him. Witnessing the two of them on one of his driving tours of Naples would have been priceless.

She also shares his fashion sensibilities:


He never let a little thing like stripes get in the way of pairing a preferred shirt with his plaid pants.

Our 15 minutes

Just realized I never posted the text of the TACA article from the Annapolis Capital:

Parents with autistic children reach out to help each other

By THERESA WINSLOW, Staff Writer

Published 07/09/09

Six years ago, Alison Hamilton's life was in turmoil.

Her oldest daughter, Leah, was just diagnosed with autism, and she'd just given birth to twin girls.

"It was devastating," she said earlier this week. "And I couldn't help thinking, I had these two gorgeous new babies … what if it happens to them, too?"

Luckily, her twins are OK, and Leah's made a lot of progress with the help of providers and advice from other parents with autistic children.

And now Hamilton's trying to return the favor by helping to start a local chapter of the support group Talk About Curing Autism (TACA). The chapter, which is one of 24 throughout the country, serves both Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties, and has meetings in both regions.

Since March, there have been two meetings in this area, and another is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 30 at 130 Lubrano Drive in Annapolis. The group also holds more informal "coffee talk" sessions, one of which is set for 7 p.m. July 30 in the cafe at the new Whole Foods in the Annapolis Towne Centre.

"I want to pay it forward," said Hamilton, 38, of Crofton. "There is no single road map, and that's where it can help to network with people. The networking has made a huge difference (for me)."

The initial TACA meeting served as an introduction to the group, but some discussion of treatments also arose, she said. The second local meeting featured a physician who sees a lot of autistic children. About 30 people from throughout the region attended each gathering, Hamilton said.

The interest didn't come as a total surprise, but she was pleased by the turnout. Hamilton said she was fairly certain there was a need in this area for TACA or something like it. "We've had some people say, 'I feel like I'm home. I found my group,' " she said. "We're thrilled. We're very pleased."

Denice Rulo, of Severna Park, who has one son with autism and another with Asperger syndrome and also helped form the TACA chapter, said the group can help people navigate through what can be a daunting amount of information.

"It's all about figuring out what's available out there," she said. "(Doctors) say that 'A' word. That's a huge bomb in front of you and early intervention is the key, but they don't tell you what that early intervention is."

Like Hamilton, Rulo said she was helped by other parents and wants to repay their kindness.

"He's come a long way," she said of her son, Jacob, 7, "and I owe it to the moms I've met along the way. We have each other."

TACA members have other resources as well.

Everyone who comes to a meeting gets a free copy of the organization's "Autism Journey Guide," said Rebecca Estepp, TACA's national manager. The 351-page guide is packed with all kinds of information about the disorder, as well as different therapies and diets.

"TACA helps parents 'hands-on' through a variety of ways: support meetings, new parent seminars, parent mentors and a Web site with a live chat option," Estepp wrote in an e-mail.

She added that parents also can call the main office in California for assistance. "TACA aims to give parents real, tangible help as quickly as possible," Estepp added.

Helping hand

It's hard to miss Hamilton's home, thanks to the large puzzle piece hanging from the front door.

The puzzle piece is a symbol for autism, and serves as a kind of calling card for her involvement in the cause. She also has a couple autism stickers on the back of her minivan and an autism-related license plate holder as well.

"It's part of our lives, you know," she said. "I believe in autism awareness, especially with the rising number of children with these diagnoses. It truly is a tidal wave."

Jill Zaukus, of Pasadena, another parent who helped organize the chapter, said one of the most important things the group can provide to families is hope. She said hope is what keeps her going, too, as she faces the challenges of rasing her two autistic sons, Andy and Bradley, 8 and 7.

Like Hamilton, Zaukus said life is a series of constant adjustments, with schedules built around therapy appointments. But both women are resolute in their determination to help their children and other families grappling with autism.

"We keep trying," Zaukus said. "It's not that we don't accept our kids, but we're always striving for more - and that's our hope. There could always be some new therapy, some new treatment."

For more information about the local TACA chapter, visit the Web site at talkingaboutcuringautism.org. There's also a Yahoo group, which has 65 members and is available to parents and caregivers: health.groups.yahoo.com/group/TACAMarylandDC.

For general information about TACA, visit the Web site at www.tacanow.org.

Actually, they'd probably win Project Runway

Independence always comes at a price. In this case, the trade-off is a rather unconventional sense of style. I've grown accustomed to the twins' unusual clothing choices. (Lauren is a particular standout in this area.) My mother, however, was a bit flabbergasted when her granddaughters appeared like this before a recent shopping trip:

I am an autism mom; past clothing-related mishaps include chasing Leah down the street after she set out for the community pool wearing nothing but black patent-leather shoes. If they're taking on the day fully clothed, my cup is full. However, my mother preferred to stage a style intervention before we went out. I will say that their clothes have been a bit more matchy since then, though we might also be able to chalk that up to catching up with the laundry.

As I mentioned, Lauren's track record is particularly interesting:

I admit, when I saw this one, I did make a passing comment that the shirt and shorts might not be the best match. Lauren appeared surprised by my opinion and patiently pointed out that shirt and shorts both have flowers on them. She clearly retained kindergarten math, which included a unit on sorting.


Her favorite shirt appears again, accompanied by a different pair of flowered shorts. The tennis racket accessorizing really pushes it over the top.

Dual nature

Lauren and Maddie received Target gift cards from one of their birthday party guests. On our shopping trip yesterday, Lauren (predictably) swooned over a Webkinz sale and got a new one for her collection, along with a game. Maddie's picks also were true to her personality -- her split personality, that is. She selected a Star Wars light saber and a plastic tea set.

Good to know that she can invite Darth Vader for some light refreshments after their duel.

How I spent my summer vacation, by Leah Hamilton

To think, I actually wondered how we were going to fill all those hours before Extended School Year starts in July. I should have realized my daughter would take initiative:

Here is what greeted me Thursday morning (along with a pile of hair on the floor, which I wasn't in the mood to photograph before I made Leah sweep it up -- later I regretted not documenting that particular sight):


(Note that she looks quite pleased with herself.)

I have no desire to relive (or even look at too many pictures of) my 80s mullet days, much less view one on my daughter's head. Not to mention the fact that her technique needs a little work. To wit:


But maybe I suffer from a lack of vision. Maybe one day the mullet will cross with the choppy/uneven styles that were popular sometime during my 20s, and Leah will style the next Jennifer Aniston and be richer than all of us. At the moment, I'm not ready for Leah's aesthetic, and my guess is the rest of the world isn't there either. So off we went to Pigtails and Crewcuts in Annapolis. Fortunately, they seemed quite unfazed by Leah's, ahem, talents.

(It's also worth noting that Leah looks quite diabolical when she says 'cheese.')

This was our first experience with Pigtails and Crewcuts. They had done a fundraiser for our local early childhood intervention parent group, so I thought they might be receptive to our brand of quirkiness. They were great. And since Maddie has rediscovered her obsession with taking pictures, the visit was well documented.

Maddie managed to include herself in a shot of the stylist fixing Leah's hair:

Lauren and Maddie both liked the colorful array of hair ornaments. We invested in a headband to hide some of the bits that need to grow a little.

And once Lauren and Maddie saw the fire engine, police officer, and airplane chairs, and realized "Bolt" was playing on the flat screens, they decided they needed trims too.

I give Pigtails and Crewcuts full credit: They managed to clean up Leah's hair pretty well without hacking it all off, which I was afraid we were going to have to do.

(Note the diabolical 'cheese' face again. America's Most Wanted would have a field day.)


A close inspection of Leah's hair probably still is not a good idea. But the salvage job was impressive overall. In addition to delivering a 'you do not cut hair' lecture, I tried to explain the concept of 'trained professional' to all three.

Like the eggs before them, the scissors have been stashed in a secret location.

A return to newspapers -- for a day

I actually wished I were a Baltimore Sun subscriber this week, because I would have had a ball explaining to some unfortunate customer service rep exactly why I was cancelling my subscription. The editorial below is what set me off:

A dangerous denial

Our view: Parents who choose not to vaccinate are imperiling public health

June 1, 2009

People believe all kinds of strange things, and most of the time it doesn't matter. Trouble arises, however, when their odd beliefs affect other people's health.

Such, unfortunately, is the case with parents who choose not to immunize their children against diseases that killed and crippled millions before vaccines were developed and made widely available. The anti-vaccine movement is driven largely by parents who believe that certain vaccines can cause autism, a suspicion that has been thoroughly investigated and authoritatively debunked.

A new study in the journal Pediatrics has found that children not vaccinated against pertussis are 23 times more likely to contract the disease, also known as whooping cough. This is hardly a surprise. What may be more alarming is that those who refuse to vaccinate are likely endangering the rest of us. Immunized children who are in contact with unvaccinated peers are at elevated risk of getting sick.

That's why, as Stephanie Desmon reported in The Baltimore Sun last week, at least one local doctor is refusing to treat children who haven't had their shots. Although fewer than 1 percent of children are not immunized, their numbers have doubled in recent years, a trend that worries Dr. Daniel Levy of Owings Mills: "We're going to start seeing the return of diseases we had almost gotten rid of."

Parents of autistic children deserve sympathy and support. There should be adequate services for these families, as well as more research into the steady rise over the last 20 years in diagnoses of "autism spectrum disorders," which describes an array of developmental, language and social difficulties.

But a dangerous ignorance should not be tolerated. As Dr. Timothy F. Doran, chairman of pediatrics at Greater Baltimore Medical Center, pointed out in these pages last year, the original study linking the MMR vaccine with autism was based on a mere 12 patients; the lead author was charged with misconduct, and his co-authors disavowed the work.

Further confusion was sown by the recent case of a Maryland-born girl who developed features of autism after receiving vaccinations, and whose family was compensated by the federal government. As Dr. Doran pointed out, this compensation fund is a "no-fault" program designed to avoid the tort process. The award was in no sense proof of a vaccine-autism link, and it did nothing to disprove the dozens of large-scale studies, from multiple countries, that have failed to demonstrate one.

Maryland law requires vaccinations against a dozen diseases from birth to age 5, but shockingly, any parent can send an unvaccinated child to school by simply signing a statement asserting that the vaccination is a violation of religious beliefs.

That's an unacceptable endangerment of public health. The number of definite pertussis cases in Maryland rose from 43 in 2007 to 64 last year. Before the next 50 percent increase, the state should seriously consider barring unvaccinated children from attending public schools. If parents want to make a risky decision regarding their children's health, perhaps they should have to make other arrangements for their education rather than endanger everyone else.

Since I couldn't stick it to The Man by withdrawing financial support (and let's face it, they're already losing subscribers in large enough numbers that they probably would not have noticed), I had to satisfy myself with a letter to the editor. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that they printed it in today's paper. Unsurprisingly, among the edits (presumably for space in the print edition) was the sentence in which I said their language "borders on obnoxious." One can't have everything ...

Here is the full text of my letter (the edited version is here):

Note to editorial staff: Regardless of whether you choose to print this response, I urge journalists at the Sun to visit www.fourteenstudies.org for some excellent analysis of the studies that supposedly exonerate vaccines.

"Your editorial, ‘A Dangerous Denial,’ was objectionable in many ways. Characterizing the vaccine-autism issue as “a suspicion that has been thoroughly investigated and authoritatively debunked” is both wrong and irresponsible. None of the 19 shots most American children receive in their first six months has been studied for its relationship to autism. How is that a thorough investigation? Thimerosal, the preservative still found in the vaccine supply, also has not been proven a safe ingredient. The majority of the studies that have been done – and are used by pundits and public health officials to support their case that vaccines do not cause autism -- are rife with conflicts of interest, including contributing authors who received funding from vaccine manufacturers.

"The language used in the editorial mischaracterizes the parents at the center of this debate, and borders on obnoxious. The ‘odd beliefs’ you describe don’t seem so outlandish to Dr. Bernardine Healy, former director of the NIH, who said the government has been “too quick to dismiss the concerns of these families without studying the population that got sick. I think public health officials have been too quick to dismiss the hypothesis as irrational without sufficient studies of causation.” Worse, you dismiss the parents’ concerns with language like ‘odd,’ and ‘strange,’ treating them more like cult members than people whose concerns are founded on legitimate, painful experience.

"Condescending tone aside, the implication that these parents are anti-vaccine is an over-generalization. Along with many other parents who believe the current vaccine schedule played a role in our children’s regression into autism, I believe that immunizations should be delivered at a pace that makes sense for children’s developing systems, and not at a rate that is merely convenient for health insurers. If the vaccine-autism link had been ‘authoritatively debunked,’ surely there would have been no reason to compensate the family of Hannah Poling, the child referenced in your editorial.

"Dr. Healy is right: This problem demands further study, and not only by the scientific community. There is a story here. It is regrettable that no journalist at the Sun has chosen to apply any reporting skill to this issue. The conflicts of interest alone should have attracted the interest of reporters, who seem to prefer party-line quotes to probing questions. These families deserve better."

Alison Hamilton

Crofton, MD

Co-coordinator, Maryland/DC chapter of Talk About Curing Autism

That's my girl

The kindergarteners at Nantucket Elementary proudly prepared quite the Mother's Day celebration. The moms were treated to songs performed by each class, a buffet of sweet snacks (requiring the occasional "mothers FIRST" reminder from various teachers), and a special 'Mom's Cookbook,' in which each member of the class gave their mother's favorite dish, along with preparation instructions. According to some of Lauren and Maddie's classmates, recipes requiring oven time are baked at settings ranging from 17 to 500 degrees.

Their teacher, Miss Spirk, said a good chunk of the class responded with 'salad' when asked what their mothers like to eat. She urged most of them to reconsider in order to avoid a cookbook full of instructions to put lettuce in a bowl. For Lauren and Maddie, the answer to the favorite food question was a no-brainer: Chocolate.

Maddie concocted a recipe for chocolate cake:

1. First you mix the cake batter.
2. Then maybe you like put some chocolate in.
3. Put it in the oven.
4. It's really hot, but I don't know how hot.
5. Cook it for 5 minutes.
6. Take it out of the oven and eat it!

Lauren's recipe was simply titled, 'Chocolate':

1. Get in the car.
2. Drive the car to Safeway.
3. Go to the chocolate aisle.
4. Pay for it.
5. Drive back home.
6. Eat it!

Yep, she's mine.

Not in the mood

Some days, Leah is (relatively) compliant with school's demands. On other days, she just isn't feeling it. She had one of those this week.

Her teacher prompted her to put a book away and begin the day's work. Leah said, "No work today. Thanks for asking."

Fortunately, her classroom team does not take no for an answer.

Happy Grandparents Day!*

*The real Grandparents Day is in September, but for some reason their school is observing it Friday. There's never a bad time to salute grandparents, right?

Scary flash-forward

A neighborhood kid asked me last week what superpower I would choose if I had my pick. Today I realized I definitely need the ability to stop time. I was pulling the usual ream of kindergarten papers from Maddie's backpack this afternoon when I found a phone number scribbled on a scrap of paper. Thankfully it was from a classmate -- another five-year-old girl. Let that be the case for years to come.

Photo catch-up, part 2

We celebrated my mother's birthday during my parents' Thanksgiving visit. Her three loving daughters gave her a gift we knew she could really use: A selection of gourmet bacon. (There are a lot of pork fat fans in our family.) Here is Maddie modeling the pig nose that came with it.


Leading up to Christmas, the one thing the kids consistently said they wanted was a Wii. Luckily, Santa was on board with that, leading to some very happy faces.

5-year-olds are formidable opponents. After I barely beat Maddie at Wii Sports boxing, I wished I'd asked Santa for a home defibrillator.

Mimi made her holiday presence felt with Longhorns sweatshirts, which the girls wore on the day of the Fiesta Bowl. Their father watched the game rather grudgingly, as he felt they should have been playing in the title game. There was a lot of '45-35' commentary throughout the bowl season.

Photo catch-up

It has been inexcusably long since we posted photos (for those two or three of you who are concerned about such things). I realized I have Halloween photos that never made it onto the blog. So we can look back at Halloween as we wait for March to go out like a lamb. (For at least a week, by the way, Maddie could not be convinced that she had the saying backward. In her world, March went in like a lamb and out like a lion. I think kindergarten peers finally convinced her where her parents could not.)

Leah was Mickey Mouse for the third year in a row. Therapy goal for '09: A new costume. Though we should probably not mess with a good thing. A Mickey costume is cheap.

Lauren and Maddie were a police officer and a witch.

For the evening festivities, Lauren decided she wanted a green face. (I will not be hanging out my shingle as a makeup artist anytime soon.) Maddie thought she might want a green face too, so for awhile it looked like we had an alien cop in our lineup. Then she saw how still Lauren had to sit during application, and Officer Maddie was back in her human form. I think the extensive face-washing afterward cured Lauren of further forays into Halloween makeup.

Auntie Julie joined us for trick-or-treating and candy consumption.


And once again, we had pumpkin carnage on our front porch.

Therapist in training?

Mike was feeling generous at BJs today -- apparently he got talked into two discounted Wii games by the twins, who were with him. In the interest of fairness, they picked out a Charlie Brown DVD for Leah. When she saw Leah, Maddie waved the DVD in the air and called, "Hey, Leah, wanna stim on something?"

Maybe Anne Arundel County can hire her as a teaching assistant. She won't care about benefits ...

Fundraising for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA)

This year I am raising money for Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), an organization with an impressive track record of helping families affected by autism. I am working with a group of friends to bring a TACA chapter to Maryland this year; we will be providing the support, resources, and education families need to find effective treatments for their children. We're especially pleased that the lion's share of TACA's programs, including the monthly meetings and support groups, are provided at no cost to families.

Please consider a donation. The families of the one in 150 children affected by autism (including ours) are deeply grateful for your support.

You can click on the new widget at right to access my fundraising page, or simply click here. Learn more about TACA here.

Bon Voyage, Mommy

My three darling daughters had three disparate reactions to my leaving town last week for a training.

Leah: Piled half the contents of my closet into my open suitcase, stuffed impractical shoes in the outside zipper pockets, and said, "Good luck on your trip, Mommy."

Lauren: Cried into her pillow. That's my girl.

Maddie: Took her kids' Bible (a 'graduation' gift from her preschool) up to the top bunk and used it to practice taking the Oath of Office.

I guess Lauren gets everything. (That may not be saying much.)

Quality Parenting Moment #12541: The Tooth Fairy Tap Dance

What every parent wants to wake up to: Big, watery blue eyes, trembling lip, and the words, "Mommy, the tooth fairy didn't come."

Oh, crap.

The tooth fairies were busy watching Texas pull one out over Ohio State, and in the relief that followed, gap-toothed five-year-olds were forgotten. Until one showed up in the morning with her tooth in her palm.

Two very repentant tooth fairies added some extra scrambling to their morning routine. First order of business: Calling the tooth fairy hotline to report a malfunctioning pillowcase (a maneuver that would have felt more authentic had we remembered to turn the volume down on the phone before it played the " ... if you'd like to make a call" message). Perturbed five-year-olds bought it anyway. During breakfast and school preparation, an apologetic note and a couple of singles had to be smuggled upstairs for Maddie to find. We cracked a window, asked each other if we'd heard a sound, and lo and behold, the tooth fairies were able to save face. As did the Longhorns at the last minute last night.




The tooth Maddie lost last night actually was her second. The first one was quite literally lost -- she looked up from her Burger King kids' meal and I realized the tooth that had been hanging by a thread was gone. I wonder which went more easily through her digestive tract, her bottom front tooth or the chicken and french fries? I may not want to know the answer to that.