Sleep is happening more and more for my sweet baby O and that’s a beautiful thing. He woke up so vibrant this morning. His smile was radiant as he sat there with me. I let him sleep a little bit later again, but he also didn’t want to get ready very quickly because of it. When he’s putting on his shoes, he likes to explain over and over in squeaky terms that he is not pleased that he has to put his shoes on. But I know he’s getting it because he has now moved on to putting his shoes on with one hand. He opens the Velcro, then he moves the tongue, and put on his shoe with one hand. The progress is amazing and the squeaky voice is loud but he’s getting it and I tell him he’s amazing. We finished getting ready and went to wait on the bus. He was full of energy and excitement as he talked about all of the things from his vision therapy session the day before. I tried to ask him about the glasses that he wore but he has a hard time explaining what he is feeling. He did talk about walking like a duck and pigeon. We moved on to walking like a monkey, and now that I realized if I tell him to “touch your knees” instead of his feet, it makes him bend over easier to walk forward. When he heard the bus coming towards our road, he got very excited. I’m trying to teach him to not go out in the road until the bus parks and opens their doors. I want him to understand safety especially if I’m not around him. These are not things that he learns quickly or overnight. He has to watch it and do it several times, even hundreds of times before he learns the process and applies it to the situation. When he came home from school, he was just as animated and excited about his day. I tried to ask him a few questions about what he did and what he ate, but he was too excited to explain any of it. He wanted to talk about his days ahead instead. We are hoping to go to the park with my mom tomorrow, depending on the weather and how she is feeling. I’m glad that his appetite has increased since he has gotten better. I can also tell he’s growing. His words are becoming clear and asking for more of what he wants. Tonight he asked for pretzels and fish for dinner. We worked on a few of his exercises and then it was time to get ready for his bath. He was excited about having “bubblehead” as he calls it. Those words are so important to me and when he shares what he wants that makes me even happier. I know how much each one of those words matter and how long it has taken him to have those words. They go straight to my heart and are sealed in there forever. Find your joy in the little things and know they can make big changes. Smiles to all and donut daze!

Some mornings I wake up and I feel like I’m stepping right onto the rollercoaster. I have just enough time to put my safety belt on before it leaves the station. I think I woke up before any rooster even thought about waking up but thankfully Owen slept later. Very rarely does he sleep late but I tried to be very quiet so he could get more sleep, however, I don’t want him to miss our morning time either because routine is everything. He was ready to get on that bus to see his teacher and then go to his vision therapy. When he was getting ready he kept talking about losing a tooth. I tried to tell him they were growing in but he focuses on the teeth he has lost. He talked about the tooth fairy taking his coins and lollipop. I asked if the tooth fairy gave him coins or took them away. He says the opposite of what he means a lot so once I asked him, he told me that the tooth fairy gave him coins and lollipops. We went out to wait for the bus and he was very excited. When he gets extra excited like this he goes after my hair. He started pulling my hair and then tried to bite it. He said, “we don’t pull hair” but kept doing it. He knew that February was ending tomorrow and that March will be starting on Wednesday. He talked about it being Monday and that he was going to go to his vision therapy. When he came home from school, he was very calm and he had his snack. He kept coming to me asking me questions about the apps on his tablet. He’s learned how to adjust his screen so he sees all his apps in the same section. It’s amazing all he knows how to do. We got ready to go to his therapy and he started telling me all the clothes the doctor has worn. When I said I didn’t know what she would be wearing today he said, “we’ll have to wait and see” saying the words I’ve said to him so many times. He had a great session with her and she used some glasses with him that looked like the kind you would use with a 3D movie. He had to find the circle on the screen with them. I watched how his body language changed with these glasses and I could see he was both struggling and excited about them. I think he was surprised at how different everything looked for him. It was the effect I was hoping for with the other colored glasses he was wearing but these changed the way he saw the depth of things. I will be excited to see how she uses them in the future for him and what he thinks about them. When we came home one of the stoplights near us was out. I prayed and prayed and prayed our lights would not be out but I saw other lights on near us so I was hopeful. Our lights were out. I wanted to cry. I absolutely wanted to cry. I looked up the notification and it said the estimated time for restoration was after midnight. I wanted to cry more. Owen immediately started running from light switch to light switch. This was not going to go over well. He wanted them back on. When he wasn’t checking to see if they worked he was back at my face yelling for me to turn the power on. I tried to distract him but that doesn’t work. He ran to his room and his bedside table lamp was not on. He said, “night is on.” He needed that light to be on because it’s part of the whole Curious George scenario and he was not going to be able to sleep if it wasn’t on. He became more concerned about it being nighttime as the minutes ticked by. Thankfully the electricity came back on a little over an hour after we got home. I said a giant prayer of thanks to God. Owen ran around making sure everything was on and then he was calm the rest of the night. Me, not so much. With our high winds, I was praying they wouldn’t go back out. He requested fish for dinner and he counted the minutes down until he could eat. Thankfully he fell asleep and his light was on. I’m thankful for how well he did at therapy today and the hope for tomorrow. Today is your stepping stone. Keep moving forward. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I think we woke up at about the same time again. I heard him before I saw him. I wasn’t in any rush to get up so he came to me and immediately asked for his tablet. I said, “good morning Owen” and he continued asking for his tablet. I told him that he needed to go to the bathroom before he got his tablet. I said good morning again, waiting to hear if he would give me a response. This time he said good morning over his shoulder as he walked away. I got up and headed to the bathroom myself. Coffee was next and more conversations with him. When you wake up around five there are a lot of hours until church. He kept coming back to me multiple times asking about church, walking away at an angle on his toes with his elbow up. This is like his sensory input sneak away. He has done something similar for years. We had a busy morning of music and moments. He is starting to understand how to play the harmonica and make the notes sing. I had him listen to Old MacDonald while he was playing. I could see that he was starting to make the connection of playing the harmonica while he was listening to the song. I could see a spark in his eyes as he was starting to put that together. I don’t think it will be long and he will be playing songs. We got ready for church and he talked about going to the park and then the big slides. I told him that we could do either and it was up to him. He did great at church and when we were getting ready to leave he decided he wanted to ride his bike in the parking lot, we only had his little bike with us. I call it his circus bike because it’s so tiny. He doesn’t really pedal it, but he loves riding it and he probably prefers throwing it to the ground more and then he is a very dramatic faller. He pushes his bike down and then he sits or lays down on the ground next to it. Sometimes he will sit back up and reposition himself. He’s very dramatic about it. When he first started doing it I tried to get him to stop but that didn’t go over so well so as long as he isn’t truly throwing his bike I watch to see what he is doing and go from there. I would have to say it is sensory-related or Owen being Owen. He wanted to get chicken nuggets when we left and then we came home to eat lunch. The day went quickly. We had a lot of fun and it was a quiet afternoon. He ate all day long it seemed and into the night. He played his harmonica more and sang a lot with me. He’s ready for his Monday. He can’t wait to see his teacher and then go to his vision therapy. Since Curious George has been part of the bedtime routine he has been sleeping much better. Depending on the day, he will get up once before he falls asleep but then will sleep the rest of the night. I’m thankful for his growth and this amazing day. Find your inspiration and know that you can change the world with a kind heart and a big smile. Smiles to all and donut daze!

It seems like we both woke up around the same time. The noises of the world or my bladder woke me and I’m not sure what got him up. I was thankful that Owen slept as late as he did. I can tell he is feeling so much better. Every once in a while there is a faint cough that comes forward but I would say he is definitely back to where he was. The morning was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It was raining outside and that is hard sometimes on him. Today was one of those days. I thought we were going to breakfast and then we were going to the big slides but he kept saying no he wanted to stay home. This is where the overthinking comes into play. If I push too hard we don’t go anywhere anyways because meltdowns take over, if I say the wrong words meltdowns happen, and if I make him go he will not be happy and that could cause problems later, or he could love it. I never know. We stayed home for most of the day and Owen ate pretty much nonstop. This is another reason I can tell he is feeling better and growing. My mom went to get a checkup today because she is still recovering from her “hot air balloon accident” as she likes to say it. Owen hadn’t seen his grandma in a month because it was hard to explain to him why she can’t do all the things he would expect. I wasn’t sure how he would react but I told him we were going to see grandma. His first words were “mommy go bye bye” because he was expecting me to take him to her house. I told him that we were going to pick her up and then take her home but not get out of the car. Then I explained she was not going to be wearing one of his preferred outfits that he wants her in. These are all things that are hard on him. He was excited to see his grandma. He had his tablet with us but as soon as he saw hers in her bag he asked for it. He talked on the way to her house and then he asked for “chicken nuggets from little Donald’s.” She told him it was fine with her but I had to decide. I said yes as well. The closer we got we asked him if he wanted someplace else. He chose “Wendy Donald’s.” This is how he names all the different restaurants and locations. We got my mom home and thankfully he was calm the entire time and wasn’t too upset that he didn’t get to go inside their house. We got home and he did great the rest of the evening. He ate his dinner and asked for more. He started talking about shirts that I haven’t worn in months and years. He said, “orange shirt owl plaid shirt long.” I think he might have a photographic memory. I’m thankful he had a good day. Some days I’m glad I don’t rock the boat but today I’m glad we sailed together. Also, remember you are not alone and you are a lot stronger than you think you are. Smiles to all and donut daze!

“Be careful watch the steps eat grass Owen eat grass do you eat grass no chocolate milk please,” he said as he was walking down the steps to wait for the bus. I truly believe he might be able to tell me every conversation he has ever had, maybe. Owen had slept all night and our morning scooted right by us. He was ready to get to school. He wanted Siri to translate “ride a pony in Spider-Man costume in French.” It’s amazing what he comes up with. He told me he wanted to go to the big slides when he got home from school. I was hopeful but it was a Friday and out of routine. I knew that pretty much meant we were staying home but I still planned like we were going. When he came home he was happy and he left his shoes on because he wanted to go to the big slides. I told him we would eat a snack and then go. The snack turned into another snack and dancing in the kitchen with me. I asked him if he was ready to go and he said, “eat a snack first” and asked for a third helping of chips and another glass of milk. That led to playing on his tablet and us watching some videos. By this time it was dinner time and we were staying home. He told me when it was getting close to bedtime that he was ready to go. I told him we would have to go another day. He had already told me that we weren’t going to do anything on Saturday. Saturdays are hard right now since he can’t go visit his grandma. She’s well on her way to recovery but it will still be probably another few weeks. He told me that he was going to go ride his bike at the park tomorrow, but he also told me he wasn’t going anywhere on Saturday. Sunday he knows he’s going to church and then he said that’s when big slides will happen. Tomorrow it’s supposed to rain all day so that will rain on our parade. I let him stay up a little bit later hoping that he’ll sleep a little bit later. As he was off to get ready for bed, he said, “stupendous you are amazing you won the game.” I told him he is very amazing and I’m so proud of him. My sweet baby O has given me eyes to see the world so bright, ears to hear the glory, and the voice to share our story. Follow your heart and know that you are amazing. Smiles to all and donut daze!

Some days the dream of reality is deeper than the oceans of days gone by. Owen slept late again this morning. I wish I could say the same thing. The days have been weighing heavy on my heart. The rain was pouring down on the roof and all I kept hoping was that it would stop by the time we had to go wait for the bus. We went out to the bus and thankfully there were only a few random drops left. He wanted Siri to translate several things and then his bus turned the corner. It was wonderful when he waved goodbye to me again. Every time he sees the bus he gets so excited and a smile washed over his face. I wish we could all be that excited about life. So in true Owen fashion, he does not forget a thing. He came home yesterday and told me a tale about all the things he did at the “play center” only they didn’t go yesterday. I thought I got my days mixed up when he started talking about it. I should have known better. He was telling me about what he did the last time we went. His teacher must have told them yesterday that they would be going and that’s why he started talking about it yesterday. I found out when I sent his teacher a message telling her I was picking him up for therapy. That’s when she said they were going on the field trip and I realized my boy was going to enjoy his day. I could tell when I picked him up he was happy about going but I know it was also hard on him to not have his regular routined day. We went to therapy and he did pretty well but I could tell he was tired from all the yawning he was doing. I also think he was in sensory overload. He did pretty well though but it was still a lot for him after he was at the “play center” all day. On our way home he didn’t want chicken until he realized he told me he didn’t want chicken. And then when we got home he was upset because I threw the bananas in the trash a month ago. He told me he was going to eat grass for dinner but decided he wanted a sausage dog. All the days feel like waves of emotions riding the crest of the ocean. How do you decide between the moment and the future? Sure he loved going but the rolling riptide after is what was hard so I always wonder if it is the right thing to send him on the field trips. Even yesterday when he knew his day ahead would be changed he didn’t want to go ride his bike, like he was preparing for tomorrow. Change is hard and routine means everything. He had a pretty quiet night and he was ready for his Friday. I’m thankful for his smile. Create your memories each and every day with what’s important to you. Smiles to all and donut daze!

The sleep train was not derailed last night and I hope it stays on track again tonight. Owen wanted to sleep a little later this morning and I was fine with that. He was in a good mood when he woke up and I can tell he is feeling a lot better. The cough is lingering here and there but that’s to be expected. He did great again about getting his clothes on and then we were out to wait for the bus. The languages are all in full swing again. He wasn’t too interested in doing much more than waiting for the bus. He was happy when it came around the corner and off he went. I knew he was going to have a good day because they were going to the “play center.” It’s the Clay Center but he always calls it “play center.” I made arrangements with our friends that we might go to the park depending on how he handled everything when he got home. But when he got home he had other plans. He said, “nopedy nope” when I told him we could go to the park so he could ride his bike. Instead, he wanted to tell me about the “play center.” He then wanted to take a bath so he can get ready for his Thursday. He told me he got to ride the elevators and swim in the pool. They do not have a pool unless they got one in the last year. They do have a kids’ water feature they can put their hands in. I know he had fun and that’s what matters. I don’t know that I’ll ever get used to Owen sitting at the table, eating, and then putting his chicken finger in his toes. It’s interesting. He now wants every app available it seems. All the apps. I keep telling him he can’t have them and before I can go on he says “they cost money.” He’s got it right. He asked for four different ones in a matter of moments. He was tracing letters and it was his choice. He kept telling me we are almost done. I told him he could stop anytime and he started the next one. He does this at his vision therapy too. He will say, “almost done time to go home” but he couldn’t wait to get there and then he can’t wait to leave. He ate a lot for dinner and he was ready to go to bed so he could start his favorite day. I’m so proud of his progress. Find your inspiration and motivate your world. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I’m thankful, very thankful Owen has been sleeping better the last few nights. He’s on the mend. Sickness is hard on him. He’s starting to understand about medicine and other things like wiping his nose but it is still somewhat of a mystery to him as well. He was in a happy mood this morning with a side of cranky. I think I was cranky with a side of happy. We did the whole coffee-light switch thing and then he got into bed with me to laugh our morning away. I love our mornings. “Jungle junction horn version,” he asked his tablet to find on YouTube and then he slow it down and sped up the audio while he watched it. It’s amazing what he figures out. He listened well though and he did almost as good today as yesterday for getting his clothes on quickly. We got outside and he said, “Owen eat a bug.” I asked him if he really eats bugs and he said, “no Owen no eats bugs yes.” That covered all the bases. He is listening to more languages again and wants Siri to translate for him more. He was laughing at the different words this morning. He heard the bus and the jumping began. He gets so happy when he sees the bus. I have to remind him not to run out to the bus. He was in a great mood when he came home except for the people that were walking by our house. He has a hard time when they don’t stop to wave to him or don’t walk in the order he needs them to. We had lots of conversations when he got home and he wanted a calendar except when I showed him his calendar then he didn’t want to see it. He brought me his tablet and wanted me to move the notepad to another section but then he didn’t want me to open it. He wanted to open a whole bunch of apps, closing them as quickly as he was opening them. He started talking in Portuguese I think and then told me spinach is a food and opened a Spanish kid’s app and said, “Spanish is a language.” “Spanish isn’t spinach,” he said. I started talking to him about turning eleven next month and he said, “no that’s winter” followed by a language I didn’t understand. I told him when he woke he was amazing, I told him as he went off to school he was amazing, and I told him when he got home he was amazing. And he truly is. Even in darkness there will be light. Follow your dreams and let them shine light into your world. Smiles to all and donut daze!

Thankfully Owen slept all night again. Not that I slept that much but I was thankful he did. He still sounded a little snotty but the cough seems to be going away as long as he stays calmer. This isn’t always easy to get him to do. He was ready to get his day started. I was surprised this morning when he put his socks on before he put his pants on, but he did it on his own. I tried to explain to him that if he put his clothes on, he would then get to have his tablet longer instead of standing there yelling that he wants his tablet. This morning he listened and got dressed. I had to help him with the zipper on his pants but otherwise, he did it to himself. When we went out to wait for the bus he wanted to talk about cows. As soon as we walked outside, he said, “I eat grass.” I told him he doesn’t eat grass. He said, “cows eat grass.” and then I asked him how many stomachs cows have. He started telling me about the cow and everything he knew about their stomach.
He was very excited to be going to see his doctor for his check up and then go to his vision therapy. I asked him a couple of questions and he spelled out N O. I was very amused by this. It wasn’t much longer and the bus came around the corner. When I picked him up from school, we had a little bit of time so we stopped at our house to get a snack. I told him to leave his tablet in the car, and that way he could have it while we went to his doctor's appointment. For the whole ten minutes that we were inside the house, he continued to ask for his tablet. I tried to explain to him that we left his tablet in the car because we were only going to go to the bathroom, get our snack, and get right back out to the car. Explaining this to him took longer than it did to do all of the other things combined. I need him to understand that we don’t always have to have his tablet or we don’t always have to do a specific task. When we got to the doctor's office, he was very excited about seeing his doctor. He talked to her a lot. When we left he told her he wanted a snack and he was hungry. Before we went to his eye appointment, I stopped and got him some chicken nuggets and milk. I’m always on edge waiting for the next meltdown over the things you can’t prepare for. I don’t generally give him his milk in the car because I know that if he gets some on him he will get upset. The last time I gave him his milk in the car we were sitting there in the parking lot but he accidentally spilled some on his pants. He kept requesting milk, but I wanted to make sure he didn’t spill it on himself. He did great, but I’m always waiting for that next meltdown to happen. He had a great vision therapy appointment, but he was extremely tired. He ate four nuggets before his eye appointment and then asked for ten more when we left but I said we would get more when we got home. He decided he wanted shrimp instead. I’m thankful for his growth and the amazing day he had. And sometimes it’s the words of our past that shows us what the future should be like. One person not believing in you can give you fifty million reasons not to believe in yourself or it can give you one person not to believe in. Believe in yourself and the rest will follow. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I miss my Grammy. When I think of kindness and grace it starts with her. Owen was up early once again. I will be happy when he has completely recovered from his strep throat and three o’clock in the morning can be a thing of the past again. He goes to a well check with his doctor tomorrow so we will also do the follow up. I know the cough always lasts longer but I also know it’s hard on him. He woke up early but his mission was steadfast. “Church church church,” he said almost more with a T sound at the beginning. His speech therapist is doing an excellent job of working with him on the sounds that start and end words. Breakfast started early and kept going until we left for church. I have to say for still not feeling his best he did great at church and only talked with a few people about their pants and didn’t get really mad. Kindness and grace are what I say to Owen, that we must give others kindness and grace as we expect them to give it to us. I also remind him that they have choices and as much as he likes blue pants they may not or they can’t wear them if they need to wear a uniform. He wanted his chicken nuggets, cheeseburger, french fries, and chocolate milk on the way home. He always repeats my words “you can have fish if you want to” but he still asks for the other. He spilled his milk on his pants. This did not make him happy. I told him he could change but it still is a process for him and a meltdown ensued. After he ate his lunch he wanted to take a bath. He is so excited about bubbles on his head now. He immediately asked for tomato juice to pour over his head. I need to figure out what he really wants. I’m sure he has heard something on a video and is trying to explain it to me. For now, I’m looking at colorful bubble soap and an unbreakable mirror. He immediately started asking about the mirror when he got in the tub. He kept taking the bubbles in his hand and putting them on top of his head and looking in the mirror. He didn’t want to get out of the tub but more eating needed to be done. I should have asked him what he wanted to put on the grocery order. After he got out of the tub he said, “pretzels and popcorn please.” I said, “I don’t have any.” He said, “pretzels the stick kind and puzzle.” I said, “I don’t have any.” He said, “microwave popcorn and some coffee please.” I said, “I don’t have microwave popcorn and I’m drinking hot tea.” He said, “I’m not.” I said, “no you are drinking water.” He said,” “chocolate milk and bag popcorn please.” I said, “I don’t have bag popcorn.” He said, “veggie straws and fish cooked in the microwave.” I said, “how about fish in the oven and some veggie straws now?” He said, “yes.” I am so thankful for all his words and connections. These conversations are amazing and make my day. I told him tonight always remember you are amazing and can accomplish anything you set your mind to. Find your strength, push forward, and know that you can do great things in this world with a little kindness and grace. Smiles to all and donut daze!