Tubby Lunchbox 11-30-2008, 05:05 AM Great job! I'm totally jealous. :) You've got some really great shots, including the one with him and the water. What kind of equipment did you have? Just curious. Andy_O 11-30-2008, 05:12 AM I had a good tripod, but didn't get a chance to use it much due to the wind and a general lack of time. I was more lucky that I've never been a one trick pony (if you know what I mean) and have other lenses that I use when I can. So that usually helped out. Not so lucky this time around, as the winds were just really fierce at times and the clouds were in every direction! Thanks everyone. :) Andy mattb 11-30-2008, 06:06 AM andreassalad, You've done a great job here. You've captured some really great moments here and it's easy to forget in a day with kids that some of these are more precious than others. It can be very obvious what the kid likes and dislikes if you give them the time. Congrats to both your and your son. What a great shot of him. That sure is a great shot! Tubby Lunchbox 11-30-2008, 06:20 AM I love that shot of him in the water. Andy_O 11-30-2008, 07:22 AM Awesome, thank you. :) Andy ChrissyPinafore 11-30-2008, 09:45 AM I'm really envious of your photo...it's taken right from my dream. Not to make myself out to be a stalker but it would be so amazing to have some pics of your son that really showed his personality. I'm not a big fan of photos of him all posed with his big smile and a little smile of him and I. It's not just me either. I read the same postings at the same time at photobucket, just after I had posted my own request for pics of my son. I was actually a little hesitant to post this since he was actually 2 and 1/2 months old then...so I guess I feel the same way as everyone else...I wish we had more info on him than his birth date. My point is...maybe it's not just us...maybe there is something there that makes the ladies want a photo of their son at that age. And maybe to those that are trying to think of the perfect photo that says everything there is about their baby....it just isn't there. :shrug: It's pretty fun to go back through our pictures of our son from birth and look at him. This is actually his first Halloween photo that we took with him. Good luck in getting some more pics. You're going to get a lot of "me too" comments because we all would love a picture. We're always happy when we see someone else's photo of their baby that shows some personality. Oh yeah, about the weather...we lived in New England for 3 years before moving to Arizona and I can say that you really get to appreciate the weather when you aren't used to it. But this is good for you...it will make you appreciate the good weather even more. lol mattb 11-30-2008, 11:47 AM I haven't made it around to view everyone's post today, but I don't have the time for more than a glance. Andy, this is a very inspiring thread and it gives me great hope. I just found out this morning that there is the possibility that my son will have Asperger's. While I don't know if that has been fully diagnosed yet, it may very well be what we're dealing with. It does help to hear other people's stories, I've always thought that you have to get a diagnosis before it starts to sink in that your child is different. Anyway, just wanted to say how great this thread is. If anything, I hope that you can feel comfort knowing that you're not alone in this and I have the same hope for my son. Andy_O 11-30-2008, 11:50 AM It's just fantastic. It's awesome to be able to hear from others who have similar difficulties. Makes me feel better about where I'm going with him. You're right about the whole thing about the diagnosis. What I would give to have more information and an answer. Just thinking about having him tested and diagnosed makes me upset. It's like they're saying there's nothing wrong. It's not my perception though. mattb 11-30-2008, 12:00 PM I hope you hear some positive news. It seems to me that as time goes by, it's getting easier to see the signs of autism in kids. I don't think my son will be diagnosed anytime soon because the symptoms aren't really showing up right now (in terms of speech and communication delays) but it's been there since before he turned 2. Andy_O 11-30-2008, 12:19 PM Yeah. I have a 2 year old and I had nothing but communication and other problems until he started daycare this summer and it was just too overwhelming for me and the wife at the same time. At one point, I was getting calls at all hours of the night saying that he had some difficulty at school. It's just been on a different track since the move to Arizona. I am still getting calls saying he is fine. He is a sweet child but he's not a talker. He will do this weird thing where he comes running out of the room screaming, "You've lost all of your teeth." mattb 11-30-2008, 12:48 PM It's not about telling others your son is difficult. It's how it makes you feel as a parent that's the hardest part. As a parent, it's hard enough as it is and to have that added on makes it feel like you're not doing something right. That's the worst part. I've found out that kids are much more resilient than we give them credit for and I think more so today because of how they're treated by their parents. It just seems like a lot of parenting these days centers on instant gratification because all of these things are within our reach. Most don't have anything to do with nurturing the child, it's all about the child being difficult and then being fixed. And that's not to say that some kids don't have any issues or they aren't difficult. But they usually aren't the same kids you go to the park with to play catch. It's the kids that aren't treated right in so many other aspects of their lives. But it's not all kids. Sorry if I'm rambling... Andy_O 11-30-2008, 03:23 PM No problem at all. Andy_O 11-30-2008, 03:25 PM I'm going to try to get you in the next few weeks. We just had one this morning with the kid's school and she can't handle him right now. He can be a little rough with her. mattb 11-30-2008, 03:35 PM No problem at all. Thanks. :) Andy_O 11-30-2008, 03:38 PM No problem. Thanks. :) Andy_O 11-30-2008, 03:39 PM My mom can't get to the kids because she can't get out of the house by herself and she can't get back in either. My wife is out of town with her and won't be back until she's done with this week's chemo. And we won't find out until Friday if the next chemo will be a different chemo and it could change things a bit. mattb 11-30-2008, 04:05 PM Yeah, that's what I mean. I thought maybe I should have waited. But I guess not. My son didn't grow much this past winter, but all the kids I've been around for the past few months seem to be growing more. I mean, it's hard to gauge them because I think they grow so fast, I don't really have much to compare them to. Just kind of sad. :sad: Thanks again for the opportunity. I hope you can have your son for a while. I guess I'd better get to thinking about my little man. How can you have a conversation with him yet? Well, the first two were all in and out. The third one is the only thing that I've spent over an hour with him to this point and it's about a 2 hour time period right now. But he's really starting to respond to me.