The overwhelming concern for his days ahead started early. Luckily not too early but Owen woke at five. He was very concerned with who would be at school this week and when he was going. Each and every time one thing is different in his routine it starts the ripple effect. This morning was no different. He was in a great mood though and for that I was happy.

It seems like that growth spurt is sticking around. He ate pretty much from the minute he woke up. Two platefuls of cereal and then two pancake sausage dogs before we even got going. I’m glad that his appetite is increasing. He has always been a good eater but never gained a lot of weight. It makes me happy to see him closer to his percentile with weight. He was always so small for his age.

We were working on his exercises this morning and he remained very calm. I am trying to do breathing exercises with him every day and body exercises that correlate with it. He doesn’t understand when I stand in front of him and tell him to stretch his hands out like mommy. Instead, he will raise them or move them in motion like a song he learned at school. I have to place his hands on his shoulders to make him understand the movements. It usually takes a few weeks for him to get all the motions of a new exercise. Depending on the complexity of the exercise it can take even longer than that.

He wanted to go to grandma’s house before his music therapy. I dropped him off and I went to walk on the track. I’m trying to get my mind, body, and soul all back into the game. I went back to get Owen and we headed to his therapy.

He did great with the music and was able to go through the songs they worked on. His therapist is awesome and he loves her. We headed home to get a snack before his vision therapy.

He was focused on tomorrow and kept repeating who would be there. I told him that I would pull over and he wouldn’t get to go to his appointment so we could discuss what he wanted for tomorrow. He stopped. I’m trying to help him learn how to refocus his mind. I keep trying to find ways to distract him in these moments.

When we headed out to his vision therapy appointment we passed the car dealership the I got my car a few years ago. He started screaming that he wanted to do activities and I asked him what he was talking about. He told me he wanted to go sit in the new car with the guy who sold us our car. The guy was very nice and I had explained that if the windshield wipers were too loud for him we couldn’t get it. He sat with us turning on all the accessories while I sat with Owen in the back seat. He told me we had to go see him to get a bigger black car. Then as I drove further he proceeded to point out the ones he wanted on the way and told me that I needed to turn around and go back to the dealership. He doesn’t forget a thing. It was hilarious to me how he kept telling me to follow cars because that was the one he wanted. When we got to the doctor’s office there was a black car that was bigger than mine and he said, “Let’s get that one.”

He had a great session today. He was full of life and did all the exercises. She did ask him to do a couple of things and he said no. Then he did them. He was cracking me up. He was so happy about everything that she said was in the right direction and I told her that if we could all get as excited about something as he gets excited about directions we would all be so much happier.

You made it pop repeating the same thing over and over and then all done with the monkey game. His monkey game broke and he wanted a new pirate game. He had been watching a YouTube video about them and then he did the play-by-play while he was playing the game exactly like on the video.

He was in a great mood all night and his bedtime was once again met by dragging his feet and asking who would be there tomorrow but he was out quickly. I’m thankful he had a good day off. There were only a few things that were hard for him. I’m thankful for his laugh. Find what makes you happy and go after your dreams. Smiles to all and donut daze!

Sleep is not an option. It seems right now Owen’s lack of constant routine is causing those ripples through everything. At least when he is waking up early he is communicating with me in a level voice instead of screaming at me. I cling to his growth and progress.

His concern for Monday is overwhelming to us both. He is so concerned that there is no school on Monday. My mom and I worked through this with him yesterday and I followed through with it again this morning. We talked about it being a holiday and that no one was going to be at school. This is the tricky part. How do you explain school is closed for a holiday but his therapies are not? Each day I try to go through these moments with him.

We are working on answering questions. Many times he will answer halfheartedly or ignore me when I ask a question. There are times when we don’t hear each other but this is more in the times that he is too focused on what he is doing. I am trying to change the way I ask him questions. I’m changing it to choices instead of leaving it open-ended because I know that not having a list of options is sometimes harder for him. I however like when he says that he wants something different or has another option because that proves it is his choice.

He was calm as we got ready for church and he listened as I gave him instructions. I was thankful for this. I told him to keep his tablet off until we got in the car. And he did. It was once again progress.

We drove towards church and I asked him what was on the side of that road, once again seeing if he would mention the snow. He said, “Woods.” I asked him what was past the woods and he said, “The kangaroo.” In this particular area, he has always told me to turn right or left at the kangaroo. I was hoping this time he might be able to tell me what the kangaroo was this time. I asked him what a kangaroo was. He said, “Kangaroo boing” so the answer isn’t completed but there are connections.

The trip continued and he continued to focus on the days ahead but still said “Focus on today.” I once again talked to him about his brain being amazing and that he can accomplish anything if he sets his mind to it so he can hold onto the answers he knows.

I folded laundry. On my bed. This was huge. Not once did he scream or get upset. Not once did he yell at me or have a meltdown. This has been something that has caused meltdowns for years. I’m always on pins and needles. And it’s not like everything is always put away but he has a problem when things are in places he can’t handle. He sees clothes as home clothes and going-out clothes. I think this was well established early on and I didn’t even realize the incredible impact it would make on our lives. Even when I lay our clothes out to get ready that is still hard on him. Today, today was our victory, and the clothes that I was folding were on the bed.

He was very calm for the rest of the day however his only focus was that he wanted to know what his days ahead looked like even though he had asked about it numerous times all day long. Routine is not routine if it is not routine and there is nothing routine about being out of school but going to other activities. It is all hard on him. He asked for his grandma, music therapist, and vision doctor all day. He knows he is going to see all three but it’s still hard on him.

Bedtime is always met the same way but he listened and thankfully sleep happened. Each day is a gift. His smile, laugh, and those big beautiful eyes are exactly what my heart needs. Focus on the good stuff and set your goals for your future. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I don’t even pretend to think we are sleeping all night on a Friday but one can hope. “Upper night” as Owen says. He woke at three but got his tablet and went to his room. I slept a little bit longer. We had snow here but the roads were clear and I slept more than I usually do so I was taking him to grandma’s house. This did not come quickly enough for him. He lost his Saturdays with grandma.

I got him some gum and he decided he wanted to try a piece. He tore off a tiny piece and then a little bit more until he got to half the stick. He watched himself chew it in the reflection of the refrigerator. The whole time I kept saying not to swallow it. He chewed it for under a minute and then pulled it out. It felt like a huge victory.

He was ready to get to Grandma’s house so he could restart her computer. Restart is in his bones. He was concerned about his week ahead and wanted to make sure he was going to his grandma’s and all his activities for the week ahead. He was concerned because there was no school on Monday. There is no living in the moment for him because even when it is happening he is looking to the future.

I think a lot about sensory overload with Owen and some stores or places are harder than others. One of the grocery stores near us was absolutely the worst for him. He literally could not make it past the first set of doors without a complete meltdown. At another store, we could get past the doors but when I tried to shop in the front half of the store pure screams and the back was fine. Standing at the checkout was a nightmare. It broke my heart. A guy who worked at the stores told me that what I was describing was where they had these certain sensors in the ceilings. He was extremely sensitive to all of it. When he was just a baby going to the toy store was horrible. He would cry the entire time we were in there.

He got a small scratch on his finger when we were leaving my mom’s. We cleaned it and then put a bandaid on it. Before we could even walk out the door he took that bandaid off and a second one. I put a glove over his hand and it mostly worked on the way home. By the time we got home, he could take the bandaid off. He doesn’t understand why he needs to leave them on.

I was trying to get him to tell me what was floating in the sky on our way home. He said bird, eagle, airplane, and turkey. I asked about what was on the side of the road and he said the woods. I said what’s on that ground? He said grass. I asked what was on top of the grass and we got to snow. He then told me “The snow is falling from the sky.”

The night went by fast and he was calm. He sat with me while going through his games. He kept trying to reach his hand up to pull the tiniest pieces of my hair. It’s a sensory need for him and he will do it constantly if I don’t remind him. Bedtime was fast and he wanted to make sure he was going to church tomorrow.

The last few years have taught me I need to do something with my life or life will do something with me. I am taking this to heart and working on my mind, body, and soul. I’m down five pounds and exercising every day. Each day I remind Owen I love him and he is amazing. Tonight he said I was amazing after I told him. I can tell you it is wonderful for him to be understanding what it means and to say it back to me but it is always hard to hear compliments. I am trying to remind myself positive words and positive actions equal a positive life. And those are the words I want to live by. You are amazing. Don’t you forget it. Smiles to all and donut daze!

He asked a lot about “uncle wichard” today.

Every emotion, every tear, every single thing was right there on my sleeve and today was one of the hardest days I’ve had in a very long time. Owen mostly handled today pretty well with only a side of emotions meltdowns, and hard. I see my baby struggle and I struggle. Even though he had a fairly good day it was those repetitive emotions that kept us in several hard moments that we had to work through. It always makes me wonder what else I can do to help him.

The one bathroom strikes again. Old house, noisy floors, and me not exactly the quietest walker got Owen up early. He was excited about his appointment because he couldn’t wait to see his doctor but he was very concerned about all the other parts of his day. He is so worried that people aren’t going to be there. I tried to explain again about how he wasn’t going to be at school so they would miss him but for now that confuses him. We got ready for his appointment and off we went.

The whole way there he wanted to know who was going to be at school when I dropped him off. “I don’t know” is not something that he wants to hear. “We’ll have to wait and see” doesn’t go over any better. It’s so emotional for him. His appointment went well and we will go back in two months to check his progress. Owen was able to answer the doctor’s questions and could see how he was handling things better. So even though it is still very emotional for him he is still making huge progress. He was much calmer as well for this appointment.

The two things I have to remember about Owen are he loves computers and he is quick. When we got to the office they did an intake for weight, height, and any new information. The technician came to get us and Owen ran ahead the five feet to the room. That’s all it took for him to get on the aide’s computer and restart it because he likes to see the different screens come up. Thankfully he was very understanding and got it back up quickly. When we were with the doctor he realized he had chewing gum. He was very excited about this and almost stuck his fingers in the doctor’s mouth. We are working on personal space.

He was very excited I was taking him to school “over the blue river.” He again was asking about who was going to be there. It was one of the many things we talked with his doctor about. When we got to school the aide met him but not his people. His teacher was out and his regular aide was in the room. The aide quickly told him he was there and would see him once he put his things in his locker. I know this has been hard on him not having a set routine and the ripple effect continues when he is trying to process what all this means.

When he got home from school he wanted no snack because he was ready to get to the pool. He couldn’t process leaving but he was ready to go. He stood on our steps yelling about going to the pool but wouldn’t go to the car to get in. It’s all a process but he was excited to be going.

He did better and worse this time at the pool. He was on high alert because he wanted his swim instructor there and instead there were other people. He jumped off the steps that led into the pool which was huge. He is trying to jump off the diving board but I will not let him even try until he can breathe in the water and swim to the side. The diving board is in ten feet deep section. He has to be able to handle it. This upsets him that I won’t let him but he is only today starting to even jump off one of the steps into the pool. He will get it. I know he will.

He did not want to leave but he was getting highly agitated so I told him it was time to go. He listened because I said if we didn’t go he would not be able to go back. There was a little girl that got in the pool and he thought she should be riding her bicycle so this upset him. They spoke in a foreign language so I was hoping he would make a connection with them but he couldn’t process it since he wanted the little girl riding her bicycle that wasn’t even there.

Bananas have become a full meltdown again. It switched quickly. He has been doing fine with them. I have been getting all the time trying to stay ahead of it. I pulled one of the bunch and before I could even finish he was in the kitchen and that was that. I always wonder how his mind will look at a banana and say it’s a problem. This I hope is a temporary thing since we have worked so hard on this and it makes me pray rain does not cause meltdowns again.

I pray he sleeps all night so he can go to his grandma’s house if it stops snowing. Each day I pray for those connections and I try to remember how far we’ve come and we have come a long way. I’m thankful for his big jumps today in everything he did. Today was hard, harder than harder for me but watching my sweet baby O grow is the greatest gift of all. Be inspired by the world around you and never give up. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I wish the sleep train would come for me like it has been for Owen. Thankfully he has been sleeping so much better again but me not so much. He even slept late and didn’t rush to get up. I heard “wanna hug” as I was walking back to my room with my very needed coffee. He got up, quickly went to the bathroom, got his tablet, and came to me to play his game. We didn’t have much time but he sure was happy.

Once we went outside he was a little more anxious about his days ahead but happy to be going to school. He wanted to make sure who was going to be there and it’s hard to explain to him that I can’t always confirm when someone will be there. I keep trying to get him to understand that he has an appointment tomorrow so he won’t be at school until later hoping that he makes the connection that like others he can’t be in two places at the same time. Each day I try to find a way to explain it to him.

When I picked him up from school he was so excited about going to therapy. He saw his best friend as we were leaving, and after seeing him all day, he wanted to make sure he told him goodbye again. I love that he has this friendship. He has several friends and that makes this momma so happy.

The whole ride to therapy he was talking about different things. I asked him if he wanted to go anywhere after his session and he said, “Burger boy” but I had told him yesterday we weren’t going because we can’t go every week. I reminded him of this and he said, “Burger boy sad.” I told him he would be fine and we could see him another day. He told me he wanted to sit with him. He can’t because he is far off the ground but I loved the connections he made with that. I thought about still taking him but I wanted to keep with the follow through of our plans of not going each week because then it becomes something we have to do.

He was hyper on the way to therapy but his therapist said he did amazing. She showed me some of the activities they worked on and he did incredible with drawing from one spot to the next. He didn’t want to go anywhere today since I said no burger boy and he said he would go to Dollar General tomorrow but he also said he would go swimming, bowling, and to his grandma’s house so we will see.

He watched diving board tips and tricks on YouTube all night so I figure we will be going to the pool tomorrow but I keep reminding him he can’t dive off the board until he learns to breathe and swim so I think he is looking for those tips to get there.

What a difference it makes for him to dip his food. He had chicken for dinner and he dipped his strips in the sauce instead of his fingers. This is such a huge step for us. Night after night he would put his hands in his hair no matter what he eats but it was especially messy when he would have anything with a sauce. Such amazing progress for this to be happening.

Bedtime isn’t something he ever seems to want to do anymore but he sure falls asleep quickly now. Instead of handing him his nightshirt, I tossed it to him and he caught it. This is a big deal and I’m so proud. His smile and that little laugh get me all the time. I’m thankful for all his progress. Stop believing you can’t and know that you can. Remember you are amazing. Smiles to all and donut daze!

Focus on the good stuff. That’s what I keep reminding myself. Can you say you ever went to sleep if you woke up a thousand times? My mind kept racing about the events of yesterday.

Life yesterday was busy. Lots of activities and lots of emotions. Owen did well but it was still a lot for him to keep up the pace and do everything. Each time something is out of routine it causes the ripple effect and keeps going. Thankfully he slept last night and woke in a great mood.

He was listening to everything in French when he was playing on his tablet. He sat with me for a few minutes before we got ready to go outside. His laugh is always the best part of my day.

Besides some new phrases, he started saying he was extremely happy and ready to get out to the bus. Not sure where the new phrases came from and they were said with an interesting tone, like on repeat in slow motion. These are the things that if you make a big deal about them they will last longer and become more important to him and why they interest me. Words and phrases can lead to so many other behaviors and reactions so I try to redirect or have him use them in different sentences.

As we waited for the bus he was still concerned if everyone was going to be there but very happy about going. He talked about the gate that was now in his way to see the bus. He was so happy once the bus got there and off he went.

I know it will help him to keep seeing that people can come and go so hopefully that will help. Each new life skill that we can work through will help him in the future.

He got home from school and we had our appointment with our advisor. He always loves seeing her and missed seeing our behavioral specialist who didn’t come this time. This led to him talking about his appointment on Friday with his doctor and he was looking forward to it.

He decided he wanted to go to the library with his grandma. He told me before we left that he was going to the library and heading home. He didn’t want to go to dinner with her. I think his busy day yesterday was part of that decision.

We got home and had dinner. He was happy all evening and he wanted me to sit with him as the evening went on. I gave him several warnings of when bedtime was and it went much smoother. He asked for tickle hugs as a tactic to slow down bedtime. It worked but once he went to bed he was asleep quickly, though. I’m thankful for a good day and his amazing laugh. Follow your heart and let your dreams come true. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I woke to almost the same emotions I did yesterday but I gave myself the pep talk to get over it and to get through it. I’m trying. Life is complicated some days and the last few weeks I’m feeling it. So many emotions so little time to deal with them all. His, mine, ours, they are all right there.

I woke to a text coming in that said there was a two-hour delay for school because of the flooding in the area. I said a quick little prayer for all the flooding and then started doing two-hour bus delay math. This should be much easier than it is for me. Just add two hours I continuously tell myself but then I have to add in eating time and extra sitting time, and the list goes on. It is different when we add those hours in plus I do not want to miss the bus for any reason. Owen is already struggling with his routine being off so I try to keep our mornings pretty calm.

I tried to be quiet as a mouse to see if he could sleep a little longer but he was awake not much after me. He wanted me to sit with him and watch him talk about a video he liked. It is wonderful to see him connecting to something he wants to talk about. I am trying to get him to understand that we have to both have to be connected with it so him talking me through all the steps is a great way to get me involved. He has come so far with his explanations and what to do. He went through everything with me and then he was done and wanted me to go sit in my room. It was throwing our schedule off because we had extra time.

We got ready and he did not want to wear socks with his shoes. This is one of those pick your battles kinda thing. We went out to wait for the bus and the same thing he has been repeating for days was his same concern. He wanted to make sure his friend was going to be there and everyone else. “I hope so” was repeated until the bus got there and off he went with me hoping all his dreams came true.

I talked to him about how awesome he is and that his brain is amazing. I tell him that he can accomplish anything if he sets his mind to it. I said, “Do you know what?” He said, “I love you.” I said do you know what else and he said, “My brain is amazing.” I told him yes it is.

When he got home from school he knew we were going to his swim lesson. What he didn’t know was that he was going to his grandma’s house afterward because I was going to do comedy. He ate a snack and we headed out the door.

He did incredible at swimming. It’s amazing how far he has come. He has a hard time figuring out how to move his arms and legs but he is getting there. He almost put his completely under a couple of times which is another huge step. He was able to almost jump off the edge with his instructor’s amazing guidance.

We left there and he went to his grandma’s house while I went to do comedy. I’m still very rusty but it was fun to get out, see people I hadn’t seen in years, and to hear those laughs. I’m thankful my mom could watch him.

We came home and he didn’t want to get out of the car because I told him it was bedtime and he wasn’t going to have his tablet when he went inside. After several minutes I told him if he didn’t get out of the car he wouldn’t have his tablet tomorrow. Being out of routine is hard. It took a while for him to stop asking about who would be at school tomorrow and then sleep finally happened.

I’m thankful he had a good evening with his grandma and swimming. Finding your happiness is something we all need to do. Each day be kind to your soul and know that you can make a difference. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I have to believe in the miracle of tomorrow to make that miracle happen. I keep telling myself that but today I woke up sad and already struggling.

Off to school, the boy went. Happy as a clam. Owen woke late. He didn’t want to get out of bed. He kept telling me “wanna hug.” I told him soon as he got out of bed I would hug him. He has a huge tent over his bed so he was in the corner and I couldn’t get to him.

He ran off to the bathroom and I got more coffee. I somehow was as quiet as a mouse and got my first cup of coffee without waking him. I think the pool wore him out. I know it did me. He came to sit with me and he wanted me to play his game with him. The days when he is calm and excited about spending time with me are the best.

He was asking to go to the library this week. I told him that he probably could at some point. We once again have numerous activities and appointments. I talked to him about us not going last week. I’m not sure if it helped but I want him to understand he made a choice not to go. Sometimes I think he can’t process it because the week before he wanted to do something all the time.

We got outside to wait for the bus and he went through each person he wanted to see, saying “I hope so” after their names. He can’t let it go. Once his routine is disrupted by a schedule or people not being there it is hard for him to bounce back from it. The bus came and he about knocked me over from his excitement. Off he went and I hoped all his people would be there too.

I picked him up from school and off we headed to his music therapy. He had two things on his mind and we discussed it all the way there. He wanted to know what his music therapist was wearing and I told him I didn’t know so he said, “We’ll have to wait and see.” And he wanted to know if all his people were going to be at school tomorrow. It was also a “we’ll have to wait and see.” He worked on writing an awesome tune with his therapist and he sang it for me after his session. I’m so thankful for this amazing opportunity for him.

I was trying to talk to him about all the things he did today and what we should have for dinner. I asked him several questions and he didn’t respond. He was playing with his tablet. This is where I try to not get emotional. It feels like he is ignoring me but I’m sure it has to do with processing. But it’s still emotional. He’s right there and most of the time I have to get him to interact with me. When he did respond he asked for the one food we don’t have, knowing we don’t have it.

A few minutes later he gave me his tablet because it needed to be plugged in. He stood screaming at me because he wanted to make sure all his people would be back tomorrow. He continued to make sure I knew he was riding the bus home tomorrow. I pray each day for him to have comfort in his mind and know that people have appointments or get sick sometimes. And I pray for strength for us to keep moving forward.

The last few years have been hard. I wake up some mornings and I’m so cold. I grieve for how much my world has changed. I want things to happen in my time but I pray a little harder and dig a little deeper. It’s in the waiting and I know that we have both come so far. Each day I have to remember that we need to focus on the good stuff. And today was a good day. Owen was very calm all evening for the most part and that helps me. Be bold, be beautiful, be you. Smiles to all and donut daze!

Thankfully we are on the sleep train this weekend. Owen woke up and I heard him in his bed. “Wanna hug,” he said repeating it several times. He says this when he is awake but doesn’t want to get up. I told him he didn’t have to get up yet and hugged him. He was very excited about church and reminded me several times before I could pour my first cup of coffee or get his milk.

I didn’t tell him that we had rescheduled to go swimming today. I thought I should wait to make sure they didn’t have a problem again today. I’m hoping it’s a wise decision. Sometimes not telling him is as much of a slippery slope as telling him. When he decides he doesn’t want to do something then he doesn’t want to do something and trying to make him causes meltdowns from both of us.

He sat at the breakfast table playing on his tablet and eating his second or third breakfast. He kept saying “church yes” in between each bite he was taking. He was on a mission. Routine is everything and over the last few weeks, there have been many moments that anything but routine has happened. This can be something like his best friend not being at school. And all of this causes the ripple effect of behaviors. We had to change his clothes three times before we could even walk out the door for church.

Owen is constantly trying to open the car door while we are moving. I have the childproof lock activated but I try to explain to him that this is very dangerous. He rarely rides with someone else besides my mom but I don’t want him to attempt this at all especially if he rides with someone and I don’t think to mention it. We took off for church, we got around the corner, and he started pulling the handle. I drove right home. I told him that we were going home because I had warned him so many times. I sat there explaining it to him again, with my heart breaking, praying once again this might be the key to his understanding. He said, “Do you understand church church.” He wanted to go. I debated what to do. I said to him that if he touched the door again we wouldn’t be able to go anywhere. We took off and that was the best-behaved ride we have ever had.

He did great at church and when we left he had several places he wanted to go but that’s when I told him we were going home so we could each lunch and then go to his swimming lesson. He was thrilled. He listened to all my instructions on the way home and still left the door handle alone.

We got ready to go and I told him we were leaving early because I didn’t want to miss his lesson in case there was traffic. Generally, it’s not a problem on Sundays but I also like to prepare him for waiting which is extremely hard for him.

We got there and he had an amazing time. His goal is to jump off the diving board but I told him he has to be able to hold his breath underwater and swim upwards because the board is in the deep end. He made huge strides today but still has a hard time putting his head in the water, blowing bubbles out, and not drinking pool water but he will get there.

We got home and his concern turned to who would be there tomorrow and who he was going to miss. He is already planning his week ahead and trying to figure out all the things he will be doing. He knows he won’t be riding the bus to school on Friday because he has an appointment with his psychiatrist. He kept yelling “You know the answer” when he was talking about Friday but he would say he was riding the bus so I would correct him and then he would say “You know the answer.” My brain spins sometimes trying to keep everything straight and what I'm supposed to say.

I pray he sleeps tonight and we can work more on how he handles his routine being disrupted. Each day we make any kind of progress it’s a step forward. Believe in the possibilities, dream of the future you want, and make tomorrow your reality. Smiles to all and donut daze!

Focus on the good stuff I keep telling myself, focus on the good stuff. Maybe I need exclamation points. I have to keep reminding myself of this. Owen slept all night. That’s the good stuff.

I woke up in the middle of the night. I listened and didn’t hear Owen. I prayed I could go back to sleep and not let my bladder take control. Thankfully I slept a few more hours. I woke up after five and I was shocked he still hadn’t come to me. I prayed a little deeper and sighed a bit of relief. I still didn’t want to get up but I had to. I heard him as I was getting up so I was thankful I didn’t wake him at least.

He was so very excited that we were going swimming. I still couldn’t believe he slept all night. He was very calm before we left. He wanted sausage dogs for breakfast but I didn’t have them. He has gotten to a stage where if he knows something is wrong or we don’t have something he will continue to ask for it. I told him we didn’t have anymore so he now is continuing to ask for them. Once I get them he will be calmer about them. It’s like he needs to make sure he can have them again. He ate pancakes instead and then off we went to the pool.

He was very calm all the way there but very much wanted to get there. Life happens when you have something else planned. The pool was “broken they have to get a new one” as Owen kept saying. Which means their chemicals were off. As soon as we even got close to the pool I could smell it. We waited a few minutes while the instructor talked to them and we were fortunately able to reschedule for tomorrow and a bonus lesson on Tuesday.

I asked him if he wanted to go to a different pool or go straight to grandma’s house and he wanted to go right there. For having something so exciting taken away he did well. He was calm again on the way to my mom’s. I didn’t tell him we rescheduled because I wanted to make sure it worked out first.

I picked him up from my mom and we headed home. I think about the years it was so hard on him for me to even be in my parents' house when he was there. He would cry because he didn’t understand it was someplace I could be too. He has come so far. He didn’t have any problems on the way home until we got to our street and he started pulling my hair and shirt so for the most part it went well.

The night went quickly and he was ready for church. He only ate a small amount of food and then decided he wanted to eat at bedtime. Clothes have become a big issue right now and we went through several changes and then he refused to wear anything to bed. The teenage years are coming.

I am beyond thankful for his sleep last night and how he handled his day. He was thrown many a curveball and did amazingly. Each day the challenges will be there but the good stuff will outshine it all. Smiles to all and donut daze!