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Endless showers...

We've had a turbulent and yet exciting last few months with Brandon. Brandon has become obsessed with me showering. He pushes me in my room, into my bathroom, and then goes out and guards the door. If I even attempt to come out of my room without a whole new outfit and my hair wet he becomes very upset. At first, he was so obsessed with this I was showering up to five times a day. Ha! The cleanest mom ever! 

You may wonder, why? Needless to say it is easier to accommodate Brandon's quirks than to fight him. I would rather avoid a complete meltdown and aggression. Besides, he never forgets. One night he wanted me to shower after everyone was already in bed. He got out of bed and became insistent. I told him I was already in my pajamas and didn't need to shower right then. Jerry came home from work and coaxed him into bed. I thought that was it, but at 5:10 the next morning, Brandon was standing next to the bed with my clean clothes, a towel, and my glasses. Ugh. He never forgets.

After a little advice from his psychiatrist I'm back down to showering only twice a day, unless Brandon is very busy with something else. After I shower he checks to make sure I have pulled the shower curtain closed and picked up the towels. 

We have finally found an after school program that would accept him and not kick him out for property destruction. Whew! He loves it and it allows me some time to give some attention to Nathaniel and Gabe and Abby. For the first time ever, he spent a week away from home in June. It was hard at first, I couldn't sleep for worrying, but every time I called he was having fun. I guess it's good for all of us to have some time away.

Endless shoelaces

 Brandon has always liked to remove shoelaces. He takes the shoelaces from his own shoes, and everyone else's shoes that he can find. He then wants me to cut them up into tiny pieces. What fun! He is very insistent and persistent.  I wonder how many pairs of shoelaces I have bought over the years? I just finished cutting up the laces from his new boots. Sorry, my camera broke so I can't show you the pile of shoelace pieces. Darn!

Endless Teddy Bears (heads?)

Brandon took a big, white, Teddy Bear off of his brother's bed when he was about 6 years old. Up until then he never played with any kind of stuffed animals. He just wasn't interested. But he took this bear, and kissed it on the nose, and then carried it around his neck, I think to help muffle the loud noises that he dislikes so much. He took bear everywhere, to school, the store, on vacation, and he slept with him every night. He would not leave the house without Bear.

Brandon wearing his bear before he finished tearing it to pieces.

 By the time he was in high school, Bear had began to get threadbare, and I was afraid to wash him because he might fall apart in the washer.  I mended him the best I could, but soon he just had too many holes. Now,Brandon does not like holes in fabric. If he sees one in his sock or shirt, that piece of clothing is soon ripped to shreds.Soon poor Bear was torn into pieces. Everything but his head was tiny shreds of fur. But Brandon was lost without Bear, so he got a new Bear for his birthday. He kissed him, and carried him with him. The only thing was, this wasn't Bear. Two weeks later, I found a bear paw on the living room floor. I saw more fur leading down the hall into Brandon's room. Poor new bear, only his head was left.


 Brandon's aunt brought over a panda bear one day. Brandon grabbed it and kissed him. 10 days later, black and white fur everywhere. sigh. Brandon wants a bear, but it is never the right one. We save the bear heads. I don't know why. Knowing how much Brandon loves teddy bears, for a minute anyway, I  keep bringing home more, or people give him them. I just love the way he kisses them and.......

Two bear heads warning other Teddy Bears not to enter.....

Endless Barney

Well, January is finally over. One month closer to spring! Brandon has been busy this last week. He has this green plastic box filled with 50 or 60 small Barney figurines. He has had them for years. He used to pick out one specific Barney, first it was this one

then for many years it was this one, and take it everywhere. It had a special place in his backpack, and he would not leave the house without it. If it mistakenly got left at school, we had to go back and get it, or he could not function. One terrible weekend it was left in his cubby at school, and his trauma was so bad he had melt down after melt down, couldn't eat, and cried for hours.

Sometimes he would lose it for good, like in the sand under the play area at school, so I started buying as many of them as I could find. Brandon's elementary teacher found a bunch at the dollar store, so we stocked up.

A few months ago, Brandon made a small hole in the drywall in his closet, up by the closet rod. He slowly started dropping his Barneys down the hole. Once he spent a long time trying to get one of the bigger Barneys in the hole, working at it until he succeeded. Everyday he would drop another one, until there was only his favorite one left. Then one day it too was gone. We called this the Barney graveyard. He seemed fine without Barney, and went to school without a care in the world. Three months passed, and we thought, oh, he finally outgrew Barney. Then one night last week, I heard banging in his room. Brandon was in his closet trying to tear out the drywall. He brought me a pair of scissors and a hammer. My son Aaron helped me to make a hole at the bottom of the closet, and wow! the Barney graveyard was opened! Brandon pulled out all the Barneys and put them back in the green box. Now everyday, he brings one to school again, but this time, he chooses different ones each time.

Endless Excitement

So I'm still getting the hang of this blogging thing. I hope one day I can have a really terrific blog that everybody reads. Oh well.

Christmas is almost here. Brandon is like a little kid, so excited. Every year he starts right after Halloween and by December 15 he's tearing through the house laughing, skipping, and singing. (eEeEeEeE)At least I know that I still have a kid to get super excited, overwhelmed, and hyper. The other day he brought me a wrapped present and wanted to open it. This is a change from past years, when he just opened them without asking. It took some bribing, but I finally got him to watch a new Barney Christmas movie instead.

Brenda and Joe Christmas 2003

This year is especially difficult, my oldest sister Brenda died November 9. I don't remember ever spending a Christmas without her. She loved Brandon so much. Brandon is named after her and her husband, Joe, (Brandon Joseph).

I get melancholy at Christmastime, missing my parents, my brother and my sister. But new ones are here, our family is blessed with Gabriel, (who turns 1 today) and my two adorable great- nieces, Jessica and Georgia. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Merry Christmas

Endless childhood

Today, October 26, is Brandon's birthday. Thank you to all our friends and family for his birthday wishes! He's 19! Wow. When I look at him, I still see my little boy. I know I do this with all my kids, and my nephews and nieces, but with Brandon it is somewhat ironic,because he has never really grown up. I could have spent today feeling bad for all the things he cannot do like other 19 year old young men. Dating, working, college, buying a car, leaving home :( But luckily, as a mom, I don't have to deal with those things with him. Just not having to teach him to drive is a blessing. Instead, I get to play with model trains and Thomas the Tank Engine, make Elmo birthday cakes, color with Purple crayons, and sing Itsy Bitsy spider and the Wheels on the Bus with him. Brandon is happy, and doesn't miss what he doesn't know. Right now, he is happily using the computer to browse youtube, eating popcorn, ( I hate to mention that he's naked, but he's got his clothes nearby and he'll get them on as soon as he finds the video he wants) and waiting for his first cake. (We will have his offical birthday party on Sunday, when all the family can come, and we can go to Texas Roadhouse.) There are many reasons to worry about Brandon's future, but today I am just grateful to see his happy smile and hear his EEEEEEEEEEEs.