CHAPTER 2: The Duck-a-Duck-a and the Nung-a-Nung-a.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Somewhere around 11pm
Well, it took us about another half-hour to finally get on the road. Ed had to change his clothes and pack up a few more things. Of course, I wouldn’t be fulfilling my Mom-Duty if I did not ensure that everyone used the bathroom “one more time” before we left.
Eventually, the van was packed with luggage, cooler, kids, pillows and blankets. Tricia had a collection of books and a portable CD player (with earphones) to keep her busy. Billy had a travel case full of DVDs to watch using the on-board player (with headphones) PLUS his portable DVD player as a back-up! Each of them was permitted to bring one stuffed animal, which proved very helpful on the trip as they could serve dual functions as both friends and extra pillows.
I made sure that they were wearing loose-fitting clothes so they would be comfortable. We would be stopping somewhere for breakfast, so at their ages, pajamas wouldn’t have been practical.
Side Note: Although lately, Tricia has been asking to wear her flannel pajama pants to school... she says everyone wears them. Are you kidding? I wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing pajamas to school when I was in seventh grade!!
Anyway, they got settled into the back seat and we were soon on our way. Ed seemed more excited about the drive than about Disney! He was pumped!
He had his map and his printout of directions, his coffee and his hard candies, and plenty of money for tolls. We even purchased EZ Pass just for the occasion! He likes to listen to books on CD while on long trips. “I need something to keep me awake when the rest of you start snoozing!” This time he had chosen a book that was ten or twelve CDs in length from our local library… I forget the title… some kind of military action-spy-thriller novel, a la Tom Clancy (but not one of his books.) But for the start of the trip, he just wanted to talk and listen to music on the radio. And so, off we went to pick up I95, via the NJ Turnpike.
Tricia popped in a CD and settled in to listen to her Radio Disney jams. Billy surprised us by not wanting to watch one of his many DVDs, instead, he just wanted to flip through the pages of the DVD case and look at them. But, he was laughing and happy, so as long as he was contented, it didn’t matter to me.
And then, from out of nowhere, it began.
Duck-a-Duck-a-Duck-a-Duck-a??
Nung-a-Nung-a-Nung-a-Nung-a!!
Duck-a-Duck-a-Duck-a-Duck-a??
Nung-a-Nung-a-Nung-a-Nung-a!!
I’ve talked about Billy’s “stimming” behaviors many times throughout my trip reports; they’re self-stimulating activities that many autistic children use to get the extra tactile or auditory stimulation their nervous systems are craving. They can also be calming and self-centering….to the child!
That’s not always so for those around him.
Duck-a-Duck-a-Duck-a-Duck-a??
Nung-a-Nung-a-Nung-a-Nung-a!!
This went on for several minutes. Then Tricia let out an exasperated groan. “Billy, will you please stop that!” And from Daddy, “Billy, quiet mouth, son!”
Billy laughed and waved his arms a bit. He has such a contagious laugh that it’s hard to be cross with him. “Quiet mouth!” he echoed.
“Do you want to watch a DVD?” I asked, hopefully.
The answer was a decided, “No! No Watch!”
Then he continued, softly now, but in the same steady cadence:
Duck-a-Duck-a-Duck-a-Duck-a??
Nung-a-Nung-a-Nung-a-Nung-a!!
Over. And over. And over.
Did you ever see that Billy Crystal movie,
Forget Paris? Do you remember how he was going crazy having to spend hours alone with his elderly, confused father-in-law?
You asked for it. You got it. Toyota. You asked for it. You got it. Toyota….
Well, that’s a little bit what it’s like when Billy’s stimming gets “stuck in a groove,” so to speak. Personally, it doesn’t seem to bother me as much. After a while, unless it’s really loud, it becomes like white noise. But to Tricia….
Duck-a-Duck-a-Duck-a-Duck-a??
Nung-a-Nung-a-Nung-a-Nung-a!!
“BILLY! Will you PLEASE stop that! I’m TRYING to SLEEP!!”
She had turned off the CD player and was curled up in her blanket. Her brother’s chortling was cut short by a bark from Daddy. “Billy! Knock it off!”
“I be a GOOD boy!”
“Don’t say it, DO it!” came Tricia’s muffled reply. She had pulled her blanket over her head to drown out the noise. I decided it was time for an intervention.
I turned around to face him. “Billy, it’s time to watch a DVD with headphones,” I told him firmly. “No! No DVD!” he cried.
“Yes!” Ed and I said in unison. “DVD!!”
I pulled the screen down and picked up his DVD case. “Now, do you want to pick one, or shall I?” I said, grabbing the first one I could see.
“No, no, no!” he insisted, and I gave the case to him. After a moment, he pulled one out and I adjusted his headphones and turned it on. As soon as it began, he got excited and began waving his arms and kicking.
“EEEEEEEE—EEEEEEE—EEEE!!!” he shrieked.
From under the blanket, I heard, “Oh. My. GOD!!” from his perturbed sister.
In his defense, it was very, very late and he was obviously over tired. (As were we all.) If I could only get him to shut his mouth!! Then, I had an idea. If I couldn’t get him to SHUT his mouth, perhaps I could simply fill it instead.
“Billy, do you want some gum?” I asked. He likes chewing gum.
“Bubble gum! Bubble gum! Two pieces, please!!” was the excited reply. Normally, I take issue with this and only give him one piece at a time, but these were exceptional circumstances! I unwrapped two pieces of Hubba-Bubba and the sweet smell of bubble gum filled the air. “Here you go; keep it in your mouth, please.”
Billy popped the two giant pieces of pink sweetness into his mouth and began to chew happily. He turned his attention to his DVD and that was that. I just replaced a noisy oral stim with a quiet one and all was well.
Sigh.
Ed and I went back to our conversation, but... yawn... I was getting pretty tired. Ed, on the other hand, was still bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Remember, it was past midnight and I would normally have been sleeping by this time. To the cop who works steady nights, it felt like the middle of the afternoon. I told him that I was going to put the earplugs in and try to get some sleep. I squished the little pieces of blue foam into my ear canals, put the “C” shaped pillow around my neck, adjusted the seat back and closed my eyes.
Have you ever worn earplugs? They don’t block out all the sound, just muffle it, really. I had a difficult time adjusting, probably because I hardly ever wear them and I’m not used to them. Ed decided that, since it had quieted down and it looked as though he would soon be the only one awake, he would put in his CD book and begin listening to the story.
Unfortunately, after 25 years of having a police radio clipped to his shoulder, my DH is becoming a bit hard of hearing. Let me
clarify, since I know he will read this eventually. This is all due to the radios and sirens and other loud noises he has dealt with on the job for so many years, it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he is getting older and perhaps he just needs to face the fact that he is maturing.
In any case, I thought that the volume he had selected was too loud. I could hear every word, even with the earplugs in, so I asked him to turn it down. “Kathy, I need to hear it so I can stay awake,” was his reply. “Yes, but I need to
not hear it so I can get some sleep,” I answered. “I’m going to have to drive in a few hours, you know!” He grumbled something under his breath and turned the volume down.
I sighed again and turned to face the window, trying to get comfortable on my pillow in a semi-reclined position. This was going to be a long night. Suddenly, I felt Billy lean forward and felt his face rubbing on my head as he sniffed my hair and laughed. He loves to sniff my hair; it’s another one of his stims. He chuckled and breathed in deeply.
“Duck-a-Duck-a??” he asked.
“Nung-a-Nung-a,” I replied.
Kathy
How long was your drive? Ours would be about 14 hours, I think (we don't have the convenience of being near I-95 
) The longest we've ever done was 6 hours straight (a miserable experience, but it was a few years ago) and 9 hours, with a long break in the middle to go to a wedding (also a really long drive, about 6 years ago).
I can't wait to hear about this trip Kathy! I'm so glad it sounded like it was the polar opposite of the November one! 
They always keep me in the Disney mood!
I had better update tomorrow!!
room... it looks like so much fun!
As I told Amy, I had to really sit and think about it for a long time... "Talk" to you guys tomorrow!
