Who is Teaching Who?

As the summer comes to a close, moments like these I like to reflect on. Sitting in the sun, looking at him, wondering what that little mind is thinking. What he is pondering, analyzing, focusing on, or just staring into the distance daydreaming. If I could only read that little mind, it could tell me what I could do to make things easier, or more helpful to him. He can't tell me, but I wonder if he thinks it. My boy, I see as the greatest gift God could have given us. He has taught me to be a stronger, more open minded mother. Instead of just me teaching him the basics, he is teaching me a much more influential thing, and that is understanding. You don't realize how much understanding you have until it is put to the test. I look at this affectionate sweet boy; who needs me to be the most understanding person in his life, and I now know I am prepared. He will need me to be there, to make him feel that it's ok to make a mistake, it's ok to not know certain things, it's ok to get frustrated and it's ok to feel proud when something is accomplished....and I will be there, and as perceptive as I can possibly be.

Makes you think, who is the novice and who is the teacher? :)

We Have A Breakthrough!

As some of you may know, getting Pax to eat anything has been nothing short of a challenge. His typical diet consists of grilled cheese and a variety of snacks. For him to try something new, is a cause for celebration! Even if it's a food that isn't a choice food, but I will take it! With that being said, Paxon enjoyed his first McDonald's cheeseburger!

It came about as a surprise, we were driving home from swim lessons, when I stopped and got Peyton a cheeseburger Happy Meal. Pax started saying something, and as you may know as well, his speech can be very difficult to understand...so before we knew it, he grabbed the cheeseburger out of Peyton's hands and just started eating it! No coaxing, no begging, no "just kiss it'....started taking bites! He ended up eating almost the whole thing, as I am going crazy, doing a happy dance, crying, as he looks at me like, what did I do?

So, needless to say, it is not the best food, but we will be stocking up on cheeseburgers until the next new food is discovered :)

Couldn't of said it better myself!

I am absolutely appalled at how people can be so hurtful and have no compassion for human life whatsoever.  My friend sent me this story and frankly, I am proud of what this mom did.  She didn't lash out or give back negative responses....she simply sent a letter expressing the importance of being educated about Autism. In today's society, we need to be educated about disabilities, they are there and the more we know, the more we can understand the battles one must go through day to day.  To simply state that giving birth to a child who is autistic should be avoided and is a waste of resources, is just plain ignorance! Kudos to this mom for keeping her cool and responding in the best way she could. Click the link below to read the article.



http://realmrhousewife.com/2015/03/27/jacqueline-laurita-open-letter-jane-wong/

Pax got this!

Oasis Family Fun Center was no match for Pax!  He absolutely loved it, he had so much fun playing the games and going thru the jungle gym.  I know the last time we had him there, for his and Peyton's birthday, he was a little bit scared of all the noises and things going on, but not this time.  He played a little bowling and took a try at some arcade games, he even tried some lemonade, which is totally out of his realm! We are so proud of him and we look forward to taking him there again!  My little guy is always surprising me :)

Proceed with Caution

So I know every parent is nervous and excited about their child starting Kindergarten, and I know I was when Peyton started....it was bitter sweet; she was growing up and moving on to her next step in life.  Today, I got that same feeling about Pax going to his Kindergarten transition meeting today.  I know you're thinking, it's only February?! But with special needs children, it's a process that starts early.

I got to sit down with the principal, school psychologist, special education representative and speech therapist about the road and process to Pax's transition into Kindergarten.  I went there nervous and left the same way, but I know that he has progressed in so many ways within the past couple years and even within the last few months, he has surprised me with accomplishments. I am hoping as it gets closer to that big event, I will feel a little more at ease.  It's the not knowing how he will fit into Kindergarten and if he is, in fact, ready.

I am being a protective and cautious parent, I know what I want for him and that is to blossom like any other child reaching school age and not have to struggle with every day things.  I will be optimistic and open to anything that would benefit him and make his school years, good ones for him. My little baby is growing up and his smile is what I want to see each day when he comes home, knowing that he is happy and right where he is suppose to be :) I will keep you posted!

Bye Bye Hair!

OK, as much as I hated to see Pax's hair go....it was time.  I mean what guy doesn't want a head of hair like that!?! After the battles of combing and shampooing and reminding him to stop eating his hair, I was ready to take that step.  So in the past, the clippers were way too scary...the noise terrified him.  And taking Pax to a salon was totally out of the question, so we ordered a pair of clippers that are extra quiet and were recommended for children with autism or fear of haircuts and is even safe to use on babies.  After an early dismissal from school, I just said to myself..OK..let's just go for it.  I situated the highchair in the middle of the kitchen, gave him his iPad, showed him the clippers, let him touch it and explained what I was going to do.  He wasn't happy, but he wasn't terrible either, he cried as I continued, assuring him he was OK and it won't take long.  Boy, did he have A LOT of hair!! So it was the tedious job of going layer thru layer until I reached the point at which I was satisfied.  So, all in all he turned out cute as a button and surprised everyone at school the next day :)

Pax Got A Strike!

WOW...is all I can say for Pax! We went bowling yesterday for the very first time, and he LOVED it!  I went with great hesitance, because when you think of bowling alleys, you think LOUD noises, LOUD people, strange place....but he took it all in stride and participated with a smile! As you see in the picture above, he got to use a special ramp to just roll the ball down, so he did it all by himself and it made him feel accomplished. When he got a strike, I cheered and he laughed....he was so proud of himself, after that, he couldn't get enough.  So the bowling alley is a HUGE check off the list!  And as you can see from the pic below, a BIG excited hug for Mommy is all I could ever ask for :)

And then Dunkin Donuts......

OK, so....taking Pax out to eat has always been a challenge of sorts...the sitting...the waiting...etc....well, he took a big step this past Friday!  After his swim class on Fridays, I always treat him to a donut or munchkins from Dunkin Donuts.  It went from going thru the drivethru and him just saying the word "donut", which was also a big step for him, to actually going in the place and him pointing to which donut he wants.  This time, with my daughter also,  I ventured to see if he would go in, sit and eat.  As you can see from the pic, it was a success! It probably helped that no one was in there eating except for us, but none the less, a HUGE step for Pax! It may be baby steps to some, but to us, they are VERY BIG baby steps :)