This is an interesting article about a possible cause of autism. As the article states, maternal antibodies have been linked to autistic babies, but are likely not the direct cause of autism. I find this kind of research so fascinating, because there has been so much research into the causes of autism and still no real answers.
What is the What is a fantastically written novel of one man's experience of the civil war in Sudan. It is so well-written, and such a compelling story of how children understand war. It also explores the difficulties of immigrating to America, especially from a country as rural as Sudan. I highly recommend reading it.
I also recently read Fall on Your Knees. I picked it up at the bookstore with Oprah's Book Club sticker on it. I had low expectations, and it truly blew me out of the water. I was glued to the pages, couldn't put it down to go to sleep. For my sisters, and anyone with sisters who understands the bond and frustrations that you share, I highly recommend reading this. Enjoy!
Actually Rocky is getting really old. He is mostly deaf now. He usually can't hear when I walk in the door and right up to where he is sleeping. Once he opens his eyes and sees me it's a whole different story-he starts barking and goes crazy. Poor old guy, he's 11. He also recently had some blood work done at the vet, who determined that he likely has low thyroid level, so we're trying a thyroid medication for a month. He's definitely been more active since he started taking the medicine! We'll have a check up at the vet soon to make sure it's the right thing for him.
A couple of months ago we brought home Rocky, our little black compact dog! Here is a picture of him hanging out in our apartment. He is the joy of my day (besides Paul of course)! It breaks my heart to leave him at home during the day-- he just looks so sad to be left alone for hours in a boring apartment.....
He is 7 years old; he's a mix between Schipperke and Bensenji (we think) and likes to bark! We're really trying to break his habit of barking when we come in the house, but it's hard because he is just so excited to see us that he can't contain himself!
Paul adopted Rocky a couple of years ago. However, when Paul moved to Ann Arbor, he wasn't able to bring Rocky to the new place. Some friends were taking care of him until a couple of months ago when we decided to bring him into our home! He likes to play with his stuffed Snowman, go for long, long walks, and LOVES car rides-- especially if we are going to the park! He's really smart too-- he knows the words 'outside,' 'park,' and 'car ride.'
This weekend Paul and I took him camping at a park in Brighton, MI. He loves camping! He was so well behaved-- just sat at the edge of the forest and watched for anything that moved. At one point he actually started chasing a deer four times his size! He didn't catch it, but sure thought he might!
I know most of you have met Rocky, and he misses you, as do Paul and I! Come visit!
