"Somebody told me this is the place
Where everything's better and everything's safe."

 

 

People always seem surprised when I am asked about my favorite  place in Europe and I reply "Amsterdam." While they may immediately assume I am a pot-head, the truth is I adore that city in particular because it simply connects with me. I love everything about it but most importantly the way it makes me feel. (no, not a contact high. ;))
 
This post isn't about Amsterdam though, but rather the places that give that "Amanda in Amsterdam" kind of feeling.  The kind of place that brings happiness without effort. There is a tiny place about 20 minutes from my house that does that, and despite all the ways it could be discredited as small or just a pond, the fact is it makes me happy. It makes my family happy.
 
You know that stressful feeling towards the end of the day where it is early enough you know you should get stuff done, but feels late enough where you are just over it all? That was my Tuesday at 5:45. I didn't have a dinner plan, my kids were cranky, and I was ready for us all to be in bed. Brandon suggested we go to Stratton Brook State Park, and finally my night was looking promising. We picked up a white pizza (bacon + spinach) from the best pizza place in my town and headed to the "beach."
 
This is exactly what we needed. This little pond has lots of sand, endless trails, picnic tables, cleanliness, and the perfect toddler water (it is so shallow with no drop offs!) Hank loves the independence of running into the water, and I love sitting and watching him. No, but really sitting down is a rare and wonderful thing. This makes for my favorite place for play-dates during the summer and also for random family pizza nights.



I couldn't love this photo any more.




toddler feet. squeeee.

Theo is getting curls! (also, that is him fisting pizza he stole right from the box!)



Brave and happy ,Hank!

 

A rare occurrence of myself actually in a photo.

 

 

What is your favorite local happy place? Comment and let me know :)

 

Safe Travels,

Amanda

 

Peaks+Valleys: a Hank update.

 

This blog entry will be a grab-bag of emotion. While I couldn't be happier to share a few of these things,  for others I simply have a pit in my stomach at the thought of writing these words and solidifying their truths.

 

Here goes nothing.

 

A little while ago, about 15 months to be exact, we went on to the wait list at Connecticut Children's Medical Center department of Developmental Pediatrics. The current waitlist is about 2 years, so I won't complain about the 15 month thing. The appointment itself went fine and Hank had fun (it was all play based.) The results, however, were less than ideal. There is a referral being done to a genetic neurologists for "syndrome testing" and also to follow up on a large concern that Hank may be having nightly seizures. Some kids get all the luck, right?

 

But why stop at seizures and syndromes, surely there is still plenty more we can throw at him?

 

While we still await the official summary, the spoken prognosis given to us for Hank's speech is extremely small and possibly non-existent. They have recommended fitting Hank with an AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) device. The goal is to provide him with a form of expressing all of those incredible thoughts running around in his mind.

 

And I fully support this.

And I am genuinely excited at the prospect of having him be able to converse

and to ease the frustration he feels daily.

 

However to get to that place, I still have to grieve some. Hearing "Mama" is one of the greatest joys I have experienced so far in being Hank's mama and I need to accept that may just be all he verbalizes to me in his own voice. I will still hope, pray, and wish that he is able to speak one day, but I will also prepare myself for the potential realities.

 

So for now, it is just hard. It is a lot more money, a lot more therapy, and a lot more battles ahead to get to this next phase. But I know us and we will find a way to make this okay.

 

I do want to end this on a positive note, because although this last week has brought some seriously heavy crap our way, it has also been a big week for Hank with some good things!

 

Hank no longer takes a pacifier. We were waiting for our trip to end and for the routine to settle back in before gently pushing this and thankfully, he handled it all much smoother than we had expected!

 

Want to know something even better?!

 

Hank is in underwear full-time! I will give credit much more to Brandon for this because I had no motivation to really dedicate to this. Hank + Daddy had a whole day of success the first day and the momentum just hasn't stopped. 5 days later and only 2 small misses! We have done outings, car rides, and even naps, and all dry!

Thank you, pretzels, for being his motivator. (Yes, true story.)

 

So there it is. A week with quite the peaks and valleys. At least there is a balance, right?

 

Thanks for reading, and for the good thoughts headed his way :)

 

Safe Travels,

Amanda

 

 

 

 

 

 

Father's Day Gift Ideas

 

 

Depending on how your Mother's Day went, you may be wanting to spread a little love towards your husband this year for Father's Day. I, out of the kindness of my heart, have narrowed the list down for you with the best things out there. You're Welcome.

 

 

This, is the best thing I have ever see.

 Obviously my train obsessed Hank bought it right away for his daddy! Perfection. Buy it here.

 

 

 

This personalized keychain rocks.

 

 

 

and  This, if the Dad in your life loves golf.

 

 

This Cufflink Box from Pottery barn in fantastic.

 

This shaving brush and shaving cream are a daily-used favorite gift from last year.

 

 

For the grilling kind of guy. Personalize your Steaks this summer with this.

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Father's Day Shopping!

 

 

Safe travels,

Amanda

 

 

Oh, EO. Essential Oils - Part One!

I fell into essential oils about 6 months ago or so. I had heard and seen the term “EO” all around my crunchy groups but was never really interested, as it seemed just a little too crunchy for me. However, Hank went through a really rough period with sleep a while back. It was really bad, as in waking up for hours on end and completing ritualistic patterns endlessly. He was exhausted (as were we) and it was painful to see him like this. We tried everything, and even had an appointment to shell out $1,700 for a sleep study at an autism study center. When I heard a few things about these oils and their ability to assist with sleep, I was more than willing to give it a shot.

     Okay, for the record I am obviously not claiming that Essential Oils will cure autism or even make a drastic difference for anyone. I definitely know people who have tried EO with no real luck. For us however, they have been a golden supplement. I purchased some and when they arrived I made a “sleep potion.” The first night was a little better, with the second and third nights increasing his amounts of sleep. Within a week Hank was sleeping like a typical 2 year old, and I was forever an advocate for the use of essential oils. It wasn’t that it put him to sleep, as much as they allowed him to be more calm and accepting for sleep to come, if that makes sense. Hank loves “yummy feet” and requests it every night before bedtime. We simply rub the rollerball mixture on their feet and rub their feet together. Easy. Effective.

 

 The Sleep Potion:

• 1/2 parts "Calming"
• 1/2 parts "Tranquility"
• A few extra drops of lavender

Both calming and tranquility are blends made by Native American Nutritionals*. Calming is a blend made with Tangerine, Ylang Ylang Complete, Orange, Blue Tansy, and Patchouli. Tranquility is a blend comprised of Orange, Tangerine, Patchouli, Lime, Ylang Ylang Extra, Lavender, Blue Tansy, German Chamomile, and Citronella. I mix it into a roller ball that we rub on the boy’s feet before bed. There is nothing too strong in these blends that makes me feel the need to dilute, however adding some fractionated coconut oil could easily be done

We use a variety of EO in our house, on a daily basis. From sleep potions to cleaning, there are an endless amount of uses! Stay tuned to learn more, as I will be doing plenty of additional entries about all our uses!

 

Safe Travels,
Amanda

 

 *I exclusively use Native American Nutritionals for my EO. I could go into a bunch of reasoning, but just imagine me scouring the internet for a few too many hours of research, reading reviews, and talking to some EO experienced friends. Basically I like them best because they have amazing quality therapeutic grade oils, great costumer service, and no middle man pyramid sales.  They are pure and organic oils with a great sourcing philosophy backing the company.

 

Nursing at 8 months!

Theo is a total rock-star at nursing.

No really, a rock-star. As in, up all night, no sleep, boob-obsession, rock-star. I say to my husband that I am over breastfeeding him probably once a day. I feel so touched-out. I wish desperately for him to sleep longer than two hours. I want to try on clothes in a fitting room without having to make sure my breasts are easily accessible. After nine months of pregnancy and eight months of exclusively breastfeeding, I want to just have my body be, well, mine.

 

 

 

 

But kids are amazing at finding ways to make you forget the bad stuff. This is the dangerous thing that makes people have more than one kid, why Santa still brings Christmas gifts to the naughty, and  this is why I still nurse my ever-demanding baby. I am doing what is best for him, yes, but also for me. Breastfeeding allows me to experience selflessness, love, dedication, devotion, and my son's gratitude every day two hours.

Oh, and I DARE you to tell me to cover up.

Almost Home!

Okay, we still have one night, a seven hour plane ride, and a two hour limo ride, but we are still almost done. Don’t get me wrong this trip has been lovely, to say the least, but when you are ready to be home, you are ready.



Stressful at times? Absolutely.

Worth it? Undoubtedly.

 

11: Hotels.

1. Raddison Blu – Antwerp, Belgium
2. Marriott – Paris, France
3. Hilton – Antwerp, Belgium
4. Marriott – Amsterdam, Netherlands
5. Marriott – Ghent, Belgium
6. Hotel Draak – Bergen Op Zoom, Netherlands
7. Hotel Sofitel – Luxembourg, Luxermbourg
8. Schengen Castle – Luxembourg, Luxembourg
9. Marriott – Brussels, Belgium
10. Sheraton Airport – Bruseels, Belgium
11. That one hotel we stayed at for about 25 minutes because I was silly enough to let my husband book a room there without my approval and it turns out it was a MONASTARY. (oh, I didn’t tell you about that one? JUST WAIT.)

7: H+M's.

What?! H+M is my favorite store and they are as common over here as dunkin donut’s back home. I knew I had been to the store a few too many times when I went in the last time in Brussels and kept picking out things I had already purchased this trip. Oops.

6: Weeks.

It got a little too long here at the end, I think we would plan for closer to a month next time.

5: Countries.

Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, and a quick drive through Germany, since our planned weekend away there was changed up last minute. I would really only count this as 4 countries, but I want Theo to get Germany credit since Hank spent a few days there last year. Yes, I am all about fairness ;)

4: Family Members.

I am not a cheesy person by nature, really, I am not. I am more of a laugh-at-other-people’s cheesiness BUT my family melts my frozen heart. (crap I just said the F-word – Hank is going to want to watch the movie now!) Anyways, my family is amazing. Removing ourselves from the daily routine and spending all this time with just each other is great break. Sure, I had moments where I went for a run just to get away from them all for a little while, but ultimately I loved the quality time. Love, love, loved it. Okay, cheesy over.

3: Castles.

Steen Castle <- link- Antwerp, Belgium.

We visited this one a few times, as it is open all day and you pass through it to get to the boardwalk.

Gravensteen Castle <- link - Ghent, Belgium.

We explored the whole thing and it was a complete blast. Definitely our favorite one!

Schengen Castle <- link - Schengen, Luxembourg.

We spent a night here. Our room was awful, the restaurant was amazing, and the grounds were gorgeous.

2: Brothers.

Oops, more cheesy coming. I am not sure if it is Theo’s increased mobility, his intense desire to play with his big brother, or just being each other’s only playmates, but my sweet boys have been loving each other quite a bit on this trip. This is the best thing in the world. The best. Did I say the best? Because it is!

1: Medical Emergency.

Navigating a foreign emergency room with a 104 fever-ed toddler was NOT in the plan. Luckily, the process was easy and biggie is feeling much better since that day!

 

So, for now we are at the airport hotel doing nothing until we leave. Nothing, as in room service for every meal and allowing Hank to watch a negligent level amount of TV while I finalize packing and Brandon finishes up business things. Don't judge. Tomorrow morning we board our flight back to JFK!   Safe Travels, Amanda  

 

 

 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter, from Brussels!

After a fantastic brunch (both kids were happy and cooperated, along with amazing food) we attempted an Easter egg hunt at a park here in Brussels. The series of events were this:

1 - Arrive at the wrong park
2 - Find correct park, but no parking
3 - Make up our own parking
4 - Find way inside park
5 - Find ZERO eggs

We had zero luck with the actual egg hunt, but the weather only became more beautiful as the time went on. Hank was SO happy to be wandering around in the bushes/outskirts of the park. I love watching him explore.

 

 

 

Theo also loved being outside!

 

 

 

The boys did some wrestling and balloon chasing:

 

 

 

A few more outtakes:

 

 

 

Today marked our last Sunday here! It was also the second year in a row we have been in Europe for Easter which is a bittersweet thing. I am looking forward to staging an egg hunt for Hank when we get back to accompany their (all ready at home) overflowing Easter baskets.

 

Why are we in Brussels when we are supposed to be in Germany this weekend?

Check back tomorrow for details ;)

 

 

safe travels,

Amanda

 

24 hours of crazy: emergency room + park visits!

     A couple of days ago Hank began a sudden fever with seemingly no other symptoms. Yesterday he was a total wreck and the fever skyrocketed to 104. During one of his screaming episodes I saw that the back of his throat seemed weird. Once B came home and we were able to examine closer we knew something wasn't right. We called and spoke with the nurse at our pediatrician's office (note: we have the BEST nurse and pediatrician ever - things like this make me so grateful for them) and after some discussion it was decided he needed to be seen. We called the concierge at our hotel to see about where to go (it was about 6 pm local time) and I called our insurance to see if anything was needed.

     I was really nervous about bringing him to a hospital in another country, especially since Hank has a fairly extensive medical history that wouldn't be available. B and I even considered booking flights home early. The downside of travel is when things like this happen, the stress is amplified. Luckily for us, our experience with a foreign hospital was actually pretty fantastic. We saw the nurse immediately and the doctor came for us right after we went to sit in the waiting room. We were in and out in about 30 minutes (this includes the time it takes to pin down a very upset and strong two year old) We paid €84 before he could be seen (this covered the whole emergency room visit!) and then another €31 for the antibiotics. I was so shocked at the ease and cost - pretty terrific.

     The verdict is that Hank has tonsillitis pretty bad and an ear infection. Poor kiddo has the worst luck with staying healthy. He is on antibiotics and that should hopefully clear things up. I am so glad we didn't book flight and go, as the plane ride would have been terrible for him (and therefore us, and therefore the entire plane).

     He woke up this morning sans fever and a lot more himself. We all needed some fresh air after a cooped up couple of days, so this afternoon we explored a local park, here in Bergen Op Zoom, Netherlands. Olaf, Hank's new buddy he picked out at Paris Disney a few weeks ago came with us. Hank is (like every other kid who has seen the movie) obsessed with Frozen and adores Olaf. Since the loss of Taggy, Olaf has been the closest thing to a transitional object. On the autism front, it is really great to see him play with a stuffed animal, a type of play that can be tricky for ASD kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was Theo's first time on a swing, and also playing in the grass. He loved it.

 

 

 

 

 

Of course it was special since Daddy was able to come too!

 

 

 

 

Yup, from ER to the park! It was a busy 24 hours here! We are also working on switching up our weekend plans here since the Hank sickness and the general end-of-trip tiredness is starting to kick in. We will see where things go over the next few days!

Safe Travels,

Amanda

 

Castle drama + New pictures of the boys!

Well, life surely is ironic; we have been to four countries and six hotels so far, and our first bad experience has been at a castle! We took off for the country of Luxembourg on Friday afternoon. None of us had been to this tiny country before, the drive was a reasonable three hours, and well, why not? It was a legitimate castle, the grounds were unbelievably gorgeous, and the food ended up being spectacular. The problems were with our room being shockingly uncomfortable (wicker furniture, seriously?!), and staff that clearly didn't like us for whatever reason (which is crap - we are totally likeable people!). So we knew we would be jumping ship early. My R&R weekend in the country was changed to a 5 start hotel in Luxembourg City. Tis life, and undoubtedly we could have way worse problems. Well, like I said the grounds were stunning so I attempted some pictures of the boys. Hank just wanted to run and I support him getting out energy appropriately so I wasn't going to make him stop and pose (assuming he would anyways).

Look how big baby Theo is getting:
 

 

 

Hank is so much fun; especially when he can just be wild, free, and explore:


 

Of course nothing beats my sweet boys together in a photo: (although it is hard work that rarely yields great results ;)

 

    So we stay in Luxembourg City for tonight and then we are heading to the Netherlands. This will be our first time in Holland since our weekend is Amsterdam (which is funny since B works in Holland the whole time we are here). Looking forward to staying in a town we stayed in last year, since this makes my adventures out solo with the boys so much easier. So a week in a small town in the Netherlands and then next weekend we will be in Cologne, Germany. No castle stays though ;)   thanks for reading, Amanda