The putting it all together part is amazing, the screaming some days, not so much. Owen woke fully alert; after he slept all night in his bed, got up, laid down in the hall, and fell back asleep for five minutes. He can sleep anywhere, but can also be awoken by the slightest of movements, sounds, or reflections. When he got up he went immediately to get his milk out of the refrigerator; I make sure I put his cup in there ready to go. Then he started talking to me about his day. He didn’t get the day of the week right, but he knew where he was going. He rambled off all the days of the week, trying to get to the right one. I have to stay focused on what day it actually is. He gets me so confused some days; add in the holidays, like we had this week, and I really have to stay on top of my game. “It’s Monday”, he will say, even though it’s Wednesday. He does better when it is the weekend, and when we have activities that he can keep track of, but I see the growth. I got a calendar board for him, hoping that it will help him learn what days he does things on; we’ll get to months, and years later. One day at a time, one moment at a time for us. His words, and concepts are forming; and it’s a glorious thing to watch. I see more independence happening, as well. He is also wanting to find more ways to express himself with his words. He practices words, and phrases over, and over again; almost to the point of an obsession for a particular phrase. He practices tones, and emphasis on different words. Depending on the phrase he will try to make it sound like the person, or character he learned it from. He will even try to impersonate certain sounds, or the rhythm of songs. He likes to have me find things using the voice activated control. I sometimes feel like I’m playing that game that used to be on television, so many years ago; Name That Tune. He walks up to me, hands me his tablet, and hums one, or two sounds from a song. It took me forever to figure out some of the songs he was wanting. And there is no convincing him I need more than one note. I’m thankful for his words, and actions. Owen inspires me every day to be a better person, and reach for my goals. Find what inspires you, know that you are amazing, and go after your dreams. Smiles to all and donut daze!
RSS Feed