Snippets: Poop, food, and getting taller

Toileting issues

Like many autistic children, our son has toileting issues.  He isn't yet toilet-trained because that relies on a successful form of communication, which we are still developing - he can tell us that he wants something to eat or a particular toy to be switched on, so telling us when he wants to 'go' will hopefully come soon.

The consistency of his number twos can vary widely. He goes through bouts of constipation, which are (successfully) handled with Movicol. Equally he goes through bouts of runniness, which is the current situation. Not a problem to us, but his SEN school this week decided that was a problem - they had changed his nappy twice during one day, and decided that he has diarrhoea and therefore should stay home on Friday. Believe me, he didn't have diarrhoea - I did the day before thanks to some dodgy coleslaw! His last poop on Thursday was 6pm, his next was Friday 5pm, just in time for Mummy arriving home from work and absolving Daddy of the need to deal with it.

I can't help wondering what was happening at his school on Friday that they didn't want him there ...

Foods beginning with W

Dr Seuss's ABC doesn't list any food in the W category, which is a shame.

Over the last four months, Andrew has expanded his diet from Fortini milk and baby food, to now include Weetabix and Wotsits. The former is fantastic, he can eat more than me (which is impressive). The latter ... well, it's a huge success in the self-feeding and crunchy food stakes, but it doesn't half make for orange poop.

Moving things higher

I love that our son is growing. I love that his clothing size is approaching his age. I love that I can finally dress him in boys' clothes and not baby clothes. I love that he'll be able to go on more rides at Alton Towers.

But slowly everything in our house is being relocated higher. The fridge magnets we thought were safe around the top of the fridge-freezer? Easy pickings. Baskets of bits and bobs? Need to be moved onto the highest shelf of the bookcase. The television? Well, it's on a high stand anyway but may need to be attached to the wall.

His reach is expanding but his understanding of what he's allowed to reach, that isn't keeping up. Flippin' autism.