July 2024

Like most of the U.S., we had a couple heat waves in July. We also had a lot of humidity, so the mugginess kept us inside a bit more. Here are more photos and below is what we've been up to:

July 4th and Fireworks

Rob: We stayed locally for the holiday, and got our share of fireworks in. On July 3, we went over to a firework show at Algonquin Park in Newburgh, which was impressive. The great thing about fireworks here is that at dusk, while you are waiting for the fireworks to start going off, you get treated to the opening act of fireflies blinking all around you. On July 4 we did our own fireworks in our front yard area. It was hot and humid and Alex was a bit less interested this year in lighting them off, so we didn't stay out long. Earlier in the day we did our little hike to the waterfall and walked down the river at Minnewaska State Park, and got rained on but it felt nice. Lots of tadpoles, including some salamander tadpoles we found. Later in July we also went to firework show that the county puts on near our town. This one had drones lit up and flying in formations before the fireworks, which was cool. Alex is still mesmerized by fireworks, and it's one of the few things that he'll sit still for and watch for a long time.

Home Improvements

Rob: We try to make occasional investments in our house in the Binghamton area that we rent out.  I decided it was time to replace the electrical panel, which was probably about as old as the house (close to 65 years!) and only 60 amps. The cable to the powerlines also needed replacement. Upgrading to a 100 amp panel would have been fine, but since it was only a few hundred dollars more, I opted for a 200 amp panel. I know that's overkill, but it could be a good selling point down the road because it allows for EV car charging, heat pumps, solar panels, etc. should anyone ever want that. I drove out there the day the electrician did the work in case any issues came up, but it all went well. I chatted for a bit with the tenants, who seem to be taking really good care of the house, and also the neighbors. I also met one of my old co-workers from Binghamton University for lunch and got to catch up a bit. Also, while I was there I was able to pick up my old BBQ grill which the tenants weren't using. I've actually had that BBQ for about 15 years, only because I can buy replacement parts for it and its stainless steel.

Here in the Hudson Valley in the home we rent, I've also been trying to organize our porch and storage a little better. In place of some of the random boxes of things on our porch entryway (which is also a raised deck), I got a big patio storage box, and also a smaller one too that can be a chair. I cleaned up the BBQ grill I brought back from the house and got a cover for it. So the porch is a bit more presentable now, and I might add a couple Adirondack chairs too. While cleaning up the porch, I discovered some tree frogs hiding in some clutter. I must have disturbed their home because the next day I found one in the shower that must have snuck inside the house somehow. In terms of other improvements, all the heat this month pushed us to get a window air conditioning unit for Alex's room; I decided to try one of those portable ones with a tube that goes out your window. Home improvement is a never ending process that could consume every Saturday, but it has to be balanced with some home enjoyment too.

Trying New Things with Alex

Rob: There's this Castle Fun Center in Goshen that we go to sometimes to play the arcade games, and they have a bunch of other stuff for kids to do. After playing the arcades, I decided to take Alex on the mini roller coaster with me, and this was his first time doing that. As you'll see in one of the videos, he screamed the whole time and found it a bit terrifying. But I also think he enjoyed it because he has watched that video over and over. So maybe we'll try it again. We also did mini golf there, which is pretty great although he wasn't in the mood for it so much. 

Also this month we went to a theater to see Despicable Me 4. We haven't taken Alex to a movie theater since Incredibles 2, probably 5 years ago, because he doesn't stay in his seat and likes to run around and be disruptive. That was the case this time as well, but fortunately it was a matinee and only one other family was in the theater. In any case, he enjoyed running around in the dark and going from one recliner seat to the next, pushing the recliner buttons, and watching some parts of the movie, which was otherwise pretty good. 

For the past month or so, we've been trying to work with a feeding specialist on getting Alex to drink from something besides his sippy cup. We decided to give up on that, as this is really hard with Alex and he seems to be outside of their abilities. We'll continue working on things we've been trying at home and at his school, where they've made a bit of progress. 

This month we started Alex in a special needs Kickball league over in Warwick. They have this little park set up there just for special needs sports. We've only gone once, and it was a little above his skill level. But maybe he'll eventually get the idea of it, or at least enjoy running around there with the other kids.

What Else Is New

Rob: We subscribed to Peacock so we could watch some of the Olympic games, and that's been fun, especially the tennis and basketball.

Alex: The favorite word lately for Alex is "hey!", which he says all the time. We're not sure why, but I guess when I think about it, he hears it all the time so it's not surprising that he starts saying it too. He thinks it's pretty funny when he says "hey!" and we say it back to him, and we go back and forth like that.

Becky: As Rob mentioned, getting Alex off a sippy cup is going to take a while, but we're working pretty steadily on it.  Just getting him to let us put things near or in his mouth is where we're at now (a horn, a straw).  He's good at blowing so maybe we'll get him to first blow bubbles through a straw.  As soon as you squeeze liquid up through the straw for him to drink/suck, he clams up.  So slow and steady.  It's going to take a lot of small steps, (which he gets a highly preferred treat for doing), over a long period of time, but I think we can get there.  I'm also focusing on getting him to participate more in Primary (that's what they call Sunday School for kids at our church).  That's going to take a lot of effort over time as well, but I'm glad I work with people who are always willing to accommodate my ideas to help him do actions to more and more songs or participate in games (like London Bridges).  As parents of a kid with special needs, Rob and I are always having to think outside of the box, but we're glad Alex has a well-trained ABA team at school and willing volunteers at church, that we can work with.