New keyboard, new conversation, new pictures, new sickness

Sorry about not writing more often. My keyboard was slowly breaking as the space bar and the w key gradually needed more and more pressure and bangs before they would work. This week it took four or five hard slams before I could get a space or a w, and you just don't realize how much you use those keys until you can't. Like straining your neck.

Here's me and Derek's best conversation yet:

Derek: (hands me a pretend something)
Me: What's this?
Derek: Ladybugs!
Me: (pretend to eat ladybugs)
Derek: No!
Me: Okay. (Dumped ladybugs in his juice)
Derek: Oh! Swimming!

I thought of two solutions for the hitting and pushing at preschool. The first was some cards with pictures of the rules drawn in my own fine artistic hand. No hitting! No pushing! His preschool teacher told the kid he'd been bugging on Friday that when Derek started hitting or pushing him, he could tell Derek to stop and then go get these cards. For the second, I realized that a more socially appropriate way to get the same sensory input for Derek is a high-five game. Gimme five! On the other side! Through the hole! Break the stick! Up high! Down low! Too slow, Joe! Break the pickle! Little tickle! So I suggested that the other kids can try to engage Derek in a game like that. (Anybody watch that Family Guy episode where Peter pretends to be retarded and gets an aide at home who offer high fives all the time?) The tactics actually worked really well on Monday. The teacher has a fire truck tent set up in one of the rooms as part of community helpers week, and Derek and this kid played together in the tent for about twenty minutes. I think this is another personal Guinness record for Derek.

The hitting and pushing in crowded situations is a different animal, I believe, after some insight from Jennifer. She saw Derek do some pushing at a charter school information night. She thought it looked like a "get away from me now, I'm overwhelmed" sort of push. It was a loud, noisy, small room with lots of children and twice as many adults. Music Together is also overwhelming to his senses. I used to be able to prep him with the brushing technique that the Occupational Therapist taught us, but he hasn't let me do it to him at all for several weeks.

Unfortunately, the Bebe is sick again. It was only two weeks ago that he recovered from his last fever and now he has another. While Derek's laid out on the couch, I'm cleaning and cooking like mad. It's the only chance I'll have to do it, and if I get sick I don't want to be wallowing in my own filth with no supplies for a week again. I'm also getting very familiar with all the kid's TV theme songs and they are stuck in my head and come out at weird moments at work. I tried to explain this one show, apparently one of Jim Henson's last hallucinations to a co-worker the other day. See, there's this psychedelic bus with a engine that sings during transitions and these Hoobs have come to Earth to find out all about life here. They have their own hoobety-doop sayings and whenever they see each other they say "Hooble-doop, hooble-doop, gooooooo Hooble-doops." It's groovy, baby. Allen and I are looking for an herbal supplement or something to strengthen Derek's immune system so we don't have to be subjected to so many theme songs anymore.