tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-740478279825628762012-02-16T08:12:46.559-05:00Making sense of it all. Or not.Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-25980882006223634972011-08-01T11:22:00.000-04:002011-08-01T11:22:12.376-04:00

I've migrated this blog to wordpress and changed the name to reflect more broadly what the blog will be about.  Find me here! http://onthebeans.wordpress.com/

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-31447089756500563852010-09-29T09:52:00.001-04:002010-09-29T10:50:44.689-04:00

Look, I know you are sensitive about how your clothes feel.  I get it.  I really do.  I don't like pants that are too tight or shirts that are too loose.  I am not a huge fan of socks, but I wear them in the winter.  I don't like when my sleeves bunch in my sweater or jacket either.  It makes me feel pretty crazy when my clothes don't feel right.  I really get it. However, you have no idea how

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-62974969310282679622010-08-28T10:01:00.000-04:002010-08-28T10:01:21.764-04:00

I recently commented to a friend that we have our own "c" word in our house.  The "c" word is "crumbs." The boychild's particular side of the autism spectrum tends towards the OCD/anxiety, and about a year ago, just after we moved into this house, he developed this weird phobia/obsession/ritual about crumbs.  He is really picky about food in the first place--there are certain types of food that

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-43720828970675899322010-08-24T20:44:00.002-04:002010-08-24T21:42:38.747-04:00

OK, so every time I come to post something to this blog I end up futzing with the template and layout, get distracted or interrupted, and poof, post ideas are gone.  I think I like these washing machines though.  For now.  They look like they mean business. I realized today that the park playground is my fishbowl observation tank for the boychild's social skills.  I don't get to see him interact

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-17702065780840518382010-06-01T20:51:00.001-04:002010-06-01T20:54:19.739-04:00

Long time no post.  I'm a terrible blogger.  For those interested, I can be heard reading a selection from my essay in My Baby Rides the Short Bus on frickin' NPR, people. It was recorded at the Lucy Parsons bookstore in Boston in April and aired on WBUR Boston's Morning Edition the next morning, and later aired on Here and Now.  Here is the link. Warning:  get some kleenex ready. http://

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-11647297106987773662009-12-02T15:50:00.000-05:002009-12-02T15:50:35.552-05:00

For an undisclosed recipient--the Kitty Cable Hat!!

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-73298085559971288972009-09-20T22:59:00.000-04:002009-09-20T22:59:14.646-04:00

Practicing his drop-kick on a gorgeous sunny fall day in Vermont.

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-83921789737444512942009-09-18T00:03:00.005-04:002010-02-08T13:39:25.235-05:00

I realized when I posted yesterday about the book that I really haven't updated this blog in a long time (!) and didn't update about Iain's cath to stent his pulmonary artery back in March.  The plan after the pulmonary valve replacement was that they would also need to widen his left pulmonary artery which was really, really tiny (hypoplastic) with a stent.  I wanted to wait a little while for

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-84359133382520024532009-09-16T14:44:00.003-04:002009-09-16T14:47:21.264-04:00

My essay, "Diagnosis Invisible," in the book, My Baby Rides the Short Bus: the Unabashedly Human Experience of Raising Kids with Disabilities, is on its way to final edit and printing! It is supposed to be out by the end of October. Eeeee!!The book is available for preorder (hint hint) and more info and advance praise can be found here!

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-87225148281721850632008-08-23T19:51:00.005-04:002008-08-23T20:05:11.374-04:00

Got one new heart valve! (yes that's what it looks like)Lost one tooth.Decided not to be afraid of the lake after all.

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-32489131795195825042008-08-17T22:35:00.001-04:002008-08-17T23:13:12.994-04:00

Wow, really? You're shocked.No, I've decided to be pissed off that I took as gospel what they wanted to do to him when he was born. They explained their reasoning and we said, sure, what do we know, sounds good. (In our defense, we were kind of in massive shock, but anyway.)And I'm sure they made good decisions. He really did fantastically well.What I'm really ticked off at now is that I

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-80316157710288031022008-08-17T09:14:00.000-04:002008-08-17T09:20:20.409-04:00

We got a strange piece of mail the other day.From the children's hospital, but hand written address.Inside there was an ID card and this note:"Enclosed is an implant identification card for one of your patients who had heart valve replacement with a Mitroflow Pericardial Heart Valve. It would be appreciated if you could please assist us by ensuring that the patient receives this ID card. If the

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-83221521832327597732008-07-22T09:57:00.000-04:002008-07-22T10:00:04.653-04:00

Unfortunately not something I can put on my CV (I'm working on that one right now), but I am going to have an essay published in a book on raising special needs kids out of the mainstream called My Baby Rides the Short Bus which will come out in 2009. I wrote it right before Iain went in for surgery, and I'm kind of proud of it. I wrote it in about three days. It just poured out. I wish I

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-60870315396389696582008-07-21T10:46:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:43:23.065-05:00

We got home from Boston on the 12th. They released him early because he was doing so well (and also because he was having a really difficult time in the hospital--"hostile" was the word the cardiologist used...)He had some pain the first week, but has really bounced back. It was hard to believe that the kid had his chest open in the OR only a week before. Now he's almost back to regular

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-26554570409872424352008-07-09T17:40:00.000-04:002008-12-10T10:43:23.548-05:00

Iain had the valve replacement &c. yesterday. Went great, out to ICU in 5 hours from prep. Everything went smoothly and he had a great night. They said he is doing "unbelievably well" and his heart is "happy." He got moved out of ICU into the regular cardiac unit this evening and even got his chest tubes out! That's amazing for 24hrs after surgery.Here is a pic of him in ICU (not too graphic

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-50046529250583545562008-06-11T15:57:00.000-04:002008-07-21T11:04:55.804-04:00

We just scheduled. We go in July 7th, and surgery is the 8th. We'll be down in Boston for about a week.But this makes me feel a tiny bit better. A tiny, tiny bit.Boston ranked #1 in pediatric cardiac care

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-41077211385204700012008-06-01T16:28:00.000-04:002008-06-01T16:29:19.181-04:00

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-39213274173499414762008-05-29T23:31:00.000-04:002008-05-30T09:03:35.722-04:00

So we saw the cardiologist this morning. He showed us the MRI and brought out the anatomical heart model. He said that there are two issues going on, and one they knew about, and the other was a surprise.The upshot is that if he had only one of the problems going on, they might be able to delay or do another procedure, but since they are both fairly serious it would be best to fix it all at

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-4029293490543136822008-05-28T17:32:00.000-04:002008-05-28T17:35:03.424-04:00

We are meeting with his local cardiologist tomorrow morning to discuss the MRI results. Will update again soon. -S

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-33244692553091461632008-03-23T10:52:00.000-04:002008-03-23T10:53:43.964-04:00

Further proof Obama is the academic's dream president.

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-20335591571484387782008-03-22T12:05:00.001-04:002008-03-22T12:16:12.335-04:00

I loves me a good Justinian reference. However, not the least threatening of possible Christian emperors for our dems to emulate. Isn't that the republicans' job?(This from Ben Smith @ politico today)

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-31419185843064512012008-03-22T09:55:00.001-04:002008-03-22T09:57:42.029-04:00

The kids are playing penguins this morning. They each have a stuffed penguin. I ask, are the penguins looking for fish to eat? "Fish!" the 2-year old shouts"Yeah, fish!" the 5-year old shouts.They start looking for fish.And find the stuffed Nemo. They descend upon Nemo, nibbling. The 2-year old says "Penguin eat Nemo!!!" The 5-year old says, "Yum! Nemo!"Poor Nemo.

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-54136952550400141092008-03-13T12:14:00.000-04:002008-03-13T12:17:12.146-04:00

This election is going to be fodder for buttloads of dissertations.E.g.Hillary supporter saying we need a "woman in the white house" to "clean it up!"

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-50672587082242156552008-02-29T11:22:00.000-05:002008-02-29T11:30:20.084-05:00

6:30 am:"Pee pee! Pee pee goes in the potty! Make your pee pee splash in the potty! Can you make your pee pee go in the potty? Sit on the potty!"7:00 am"Go see brother! Give brother a hug!" "Do you want some yogurt?" "Stir it! Stir it!"11:45 am"To what extent is Freud's project here, his vision of civilized human beings as permanently unhappy biological instinctual creatures capable of

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-1467820461011055342008-02-28T14:49:00.000-05:002008-02-28T14:55:37.201-05:00

Autism is such an 'invisible' disorder--people can't generally spot it unless they've lived with it. And people are so obnoxiously judgmental about parenting. Everyone is quick to judge and give you the evil eye if they think you're not doing an adequate job of parenting. And these people have no idea how difficult it is to deal with autistic behaviors on a daily basis. So my partner takes

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-82321407646703215912008-02-26T17:15:00.002-05:002008-02-26T17:19:49.979-05:00

Or is this ante-feminism? Wonkette has this ridiculous and disturbing (but also comical) survey about racial/ethnic stereotypes that the republicans are preparing for the general election.2008 or 1958? You make the call.

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-35462752487331113532008-02-24T10:50:00.000-05:002008-02-24T10:53:02.337-05:00

Feminism: Vote for Hillary. Period.Post-feminism: Vote for Obama. What's the problem?Post post-feminism: Vote for Obama, but feel really, really, really guilty about it. Convince yourself that his African-American ethnicity takes the sting out a little bit. Just a little.

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-42519819084769412012008-02-20T16:16:00.000-05:002008-02-20T16:30:41.028-05:00

Yes, I know it's trite. And uncool. Everybody has an obama obsession now. But *I* had one in 2004 since his convention speech. I despaired when he was trailing so badly last year but then thought, well, Hillary's cool too. But she bugs me in a way I couldn't identify.Now I see. This very cool article by Emily Yoffe in Slate.com describes the three candidates (Hillary, Obama, McCain) in

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-36003073062943083302008-02-07T12:24:00.000-05:002008-02-07T12:25:01.769-05:00

Campaign addiction. I see I'm not alone.

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-54671104253234937692008-02-06T09:44:00.000-05:002008-02-06T10:13:33.190-05:00

I just spent yesterday talking to one of my classes about irony. What is it; how we can recognize it. The main point is that irony is a difference between the literal meaning and the actual or intended meaning, when you say something that can be read another way by those 'in the know'. It can also be when one result is expected but another "surprises" in the end. That's situational irony.I

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-27750195854576144502008-01-21T15:53:00.000-05:002008-01-21T15:54:55.239-05:00

Get with the times, Britons. Web plagiarism is all the rage.This article makes it sound like students just figured it out...they weren't born yesterday. Except they were.

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-14069382044697660232008-01-21T11:07:00.000-05:002008-01-21T11:15:56.754-05:00

I'd take one every night, right before I come home from work. Just think how much more pleasant that before dinner hour, dinner, bath, story (aka wrestling) time, and bedtime would be? Instead of intense irritation it would go something like this:Mommy! You're home!! (tackle). I GET TO SIT ON MOMMY'S LAP!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! She's PUSHING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S MY TURN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hey,

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-1595799023159109882008-01-17T14:35:00.000-05:002008-01-17T14:38:59.138-05:00

My partner forwarded this to me. I couldn't believe it so I looked it up myself.Theocracy, anyone?Scroll on down to this paragraph: "I believe it's a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God," Huckabee said Monday night in Warren, Mich. "And that's what we need to do, is to amend the Constitution so it's in God's standards, rather than try to

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-2070596071792782922008-01-16T12:54:00.000-05:002008-01-16T13:01:31.500-05:00

My 5 year old slept by himself All Night Long! For the first time. Ever. Slept through the night in the real and true sense. Did I mention he has never done that before in his life? 5 years, 3 weeks, and 2 days (not that I'm counting or anything).He did not go to sleep by himself (though he has done that a total of 4 times now. I could tell you the exact dates but I'll spare you). But he

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-62892844462515847422008-01-15T14:45:00.001-05:002008-01-15T14:46:32.183-05:00

Dude, falling asleep on the first day of classes is a bad sign. Seriously, if you can't stay awake at 10am on the first day of classes, this does not bode well for the rest of the semester. Don't make me drag out the kitty ears again.

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-87275519130477139322008-01-12T10:31:00.000-05:002008-12-10T10:43:25.439-05:00

Three items on the needles. I usually have about six :)1) Wool pants for K. #1. You can tell I hate doing the legs. Size XL legs take forever. This is from a skein of Blue Faced Leicester that I dyed for another project, frogged that project, didn't have enough for pants, so I dyed another skein in a matching denim blue. They're frankenstein pants.2) Wool pants for K. #2. I've been working

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-23581046576737427212008-01-10T14:22:00.000-05:002008-01-10T14:29:44.231-05:00

No, it's not Mothering. It's Brain/Child. The open-minded, thinking mom's mag. My peeps, in other words.The recent issue has an article that has gotten under my skin. This one on "Neurodiverse" kids. That's the new term for kids with everything from learning disabilities to behavioral issues to autism.As many of my close friends know, we have been struggling with our son's autism-spectrum

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74047827982562876.post-62492952802755772552008-01-10T14:10:00.001-05:002008-01-10T14:22:06.055-05:00

Now normally I'm not a huge fan of Maureen Dowd. I like her style, but she's often a bit heavy handed. But she seriously has Hillary's number on this one.It's so unfeminist of me, but I just don't trust HRC. She's too polished, too handled. I understand that she has had to sacrifice a lot of who she really is (was) to get where she is, and I resent our culture for making her do that, but I

Dr. Schnephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10468864134434518839noreply@blogger.com0