Oh AJ...

So the Wooden boys (including the 34 year old Wooden boy) have all been fighting a nasty cold for 10 days or so. Thankfully, they all feel better but still sound awful!! Somehow, I managed to escape this one it seems (famous last words?).

Mr. AJ is the best sick kiddo (or adult) ever. He rarely complains. He'll look miserable and sound miserable, but generally lays low and quiet (complete opposite of Tanner...but we'll save that for another post). The poor guy has had probably had 15 or so ear infections in his life, usually after a long cold so I'm always on the look-out for the tell-tale ear pulling.

The tugs started on Thursday at dinner. Upon noticing, the conversation went something like this:

Mom: Alex, you are pulling on your ear. Does it hurt?
Alex: No Mom, it's just fine.

Most parents would stop here, but if you know Alex, you'll understand sometimes his responses are really meant to allow him to disengage from conversation and go back to his own little world. So, I rarely take his first answers as final. I waited 60 seconds:

Mom: Alex - which ear hurts?
Alex: This one (tugging at the same ear)!
Mom: I thought you said it didn't hurt?
Alex: It doesn't.

I could tell this was going to be one of those Alex conversations where we go round and round and get nowhere. So, I repeated the same course of questoining above 2 more times with time in between with the same contradictory answers.

This morning, Alex was tugging on the same ear again.

Mom: Alex - do your ears hurt?
Alex: No Mom, they are just fine.
Mom: But which one hurts?
Alex: This one (tugging on the same ear).

So now after 48 hours of the same back and forth, I took him to the doctor today to have them checked.

Nurse: Alex, what's wrong today?
Alex: Nothing. There is nothing wrong with my ears.
Nurse: (looking at me like I'm a crazy overprotective mom) So, what makes you think he might have an ear infection?
Mom: He keeps pulling on it, has a history of them, and sometimes struggles to communicate clearly.

Now, "clearly" is an understatement! The kid is worse than a politician talking out both sides of his mouth!!!

Thankfully, the doctor comes in and before she even looks at his ears says, 'I'm glad you came. That's what we are here for. It's very common for kids on the spectrum not to be able to clearly communicate how they are feeling.' She gets it.

So - no ear infection. But a very nice doctor at least made sure I wasn't going to feel like a fool. As for AJ...what can I say...he's just so sweet and innocent I can't really get frustrated. I just shake my head and smile :)