Another happy morning and Owen slept all night once again. That right there is cause for cheers. He told me he was going to “do iPad” so I think he was trying to explain that he was going to do his schoolwork. He was excited to get to school. He wanted to go to the park after his therapy appointment. I told him we would see how his day went and if he got a good report from his teacher we could go as long as it wasn’t raining. As we were getting ready he kept looking at the card on the refrigerator and said “happy” numerous times to me. I told him he was in control of his actions and how he handle his day. I think the last few days have been a growing experience for him and I could tell he was making these connections. We worked on several of his vision therapy exercises as we waited for the bus. His teacher sent me a message that said she was very pleased with his work and would be sending a good note home. I couldn’t wait to see what he said. She sent me a picture of the artwork he colored. When I took his note out of his bag he read it to me and said, “happy.” I put his new note on the refrigerator and he told me he wanted to put the other one under the pillow so the fairy would take it away, but then he decided he wanted to throw it in the trash. He was happily reading his books and eating his snack until we got ready to go to his sensory therapy. I told him because he had an amazing day we could go to the park after his therapy but we were only staying a few minutes because it was so cold. He did great at his appointment and he was quite pleased he got to go to the park and see his grandma. She brought his balance bike and he rode it around the court and then swung for a few minutes. It was cold but I wanted to reward him for doing his work at school. He ate a huge dinner and was calm the whole evening. He wanted to make animal and shape cards when we got home. He used colored pencils and made about twenty different animals and shapes. It was in his way with the colors he chose. He is starting to hold his pencil better now and he is learning to use pressure on the paper when he does it. Bedtime came quickly and he talked himself to sleep. “December is for candy canes and fireworks,” he said. I see so much progress and it really is a blessing. He kept talking about it being November. I said tomorrow will be December and then he said, “it will be January soon.” I said, “well we have to get through December first.” He then told me tomorrow he gets to see the fish and Santa so we shall see what he says he wants to do when tomorrow comes. Santa is at Cabela’s and they have a huge fish tank and tents that he loves to see. Plus, it’s therapy day. For a kid that didn’t want to go anywhere for so long now, he wants to go nonstop. “Go to the beach in the summer sit in the pirate ship,” he said as he drifted off to sleep occasionally yelling November. Another full and blessed day with my sweet baby O. No day has to be ordinary if you add a little extra to it. Have an extraordinary day. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I woke up several times searching for Owen. It always takes me a while to adjust when he is in a sleeping spurt. He slept all night and woke up in one of those middle-of-the-road moods, kinda cranky kinda not. I suppose I was too. I can tell his spunk is coming back because he wanted to put the different speeds on his tablet for them to sing slow and fast. How he even figures these things out is a mystery to me, I spend two years trying to figure out a printer setting. He still seems a little snotty but I feel like it is a change of season allergy thing. We have a busy week ahead; dinner with friends tonight, therapy tomorrow, and more therapy on Thursday. And I’m sure several other things. He was ready for school and dinner with our friends. When the bus pulled up he told me the bus had open eyes and I’m pretty sure he means the lights on the bus were turned on. I kissed him on the head and I told him, “I wish for you a fabulous day of treasure hunts and everything else you say.” As soon as he got off the bus he said our friends’ names that we were going to dinner with. I said yes we could go and he said no tractors. I said do you not want to go to dinner and he went back and forth but he left his shoes on though so I knew he wanted to go. His teacher let me know she sent home a note because Owen didn’t do any of his independent work. I said I would talk to him about it and I told her that I had noticed behaviors that have returned from years before like he was cycling back through them. When he got home we discussed the note and I asked him how it made him feel. He said, “errr mad it sad.” He wanted to hide the note in a box. I told him if his teacher said he did good tomorrow we would hide it. I asked him what he wanted to be tomorrow and we used the emotion cards. He grabbed the happy card and put it on the refrigerator. She also said he is blossoming with his speech and answers. She said he is quick to respond and knows so much. I feel like it’s part of a growth spurt. The card is on the refrigerator. He wanted it off. I told him that if he had a good report tomorrow and completed his work we will take it down and put it in the box. He kept looking at it. We got ready to go to dinner with our friends. He requested pancakes and chicken that’s really steak like he got on Thursday. He loved it. He then got some of the food on his pants and he was very close to a huge meltdown but thankfully we were able to breathe through it. He wanted the spot gone but after a while calmed down because I kept asking if he wanted more chicken. He mostly did pretty well for everything thrown at him. He was not pleased about his pants but handled everything in general. He was very interactive with our friends and asked one of them to play his game with him. It helps him to be around kids his age and it shows him more skills. We had another meltdown averted because he wanted the plates left again and they did. When we got home he looked at the card. He told me that he wanted to ride his bike at school tomorrow and I told him that I bet his teacher would let him ride if he did all his work. He asked if he could put the card under the pillow for the fairy. I told him tomorrow if he did what he was supposed to do he would get a surprise and could put the card under his pillow or in the box. He said, “be happy tomorrow.” And with that, I knew the connections had grown as much as he has. I always wonder if I’m on the right path but today felt like huge progress. I never knew how overwhelming the world is until I went out into the overwhelming world with my son. I’m thankful for his progress and his amazing day of moving forward. Celebrate your victories and know that all things are possible if you believe in yourself. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I think Owen has more sinus stuff happening. I’m not even sure what to call it but it wasn’t enough to keep my sweet baby O down. He was so happy this morning and ready to get to school. He was calm the minute he woke up after sleeping all night long. Happy dance for this momma. Our morning was more about the sitting than about the storytelling he has been doing lately but he was still talking to me. I know it was because he couldn’t wait to see his teacher. He talked about seeing the aides and his friends. It’s so hard for him to understand why he can’t see his favorite people all the time. He wanted to wear his sandals but I told him he had to wear his sneakers to school. Technically he could have worn his sandals but I’m trying to get him to branch out on his choices. I need to figure out what other type of shoe I can try with him next. When he came home from school he wanted to make sure when he was going back tomorrow and what the rest of the week would hold for him. It was a rollercoaster of emotions for several minutes, back and forth on what his responses were. It’s always hard for him after a holiday because he wants to make sure it will all be available again, like it disappeared for a while. I could tell he was a happy boy to be back in his routine though. He told me at first he didn’t want to go to his vision therapy because he said he was going to the tractors instead, but then he told me he would go. Once we got through all of his stories with school and what we were going to do the next few days he started running around yelling “carrot” while I made his snack. We had a little time before his therapy and then we were off. The traffic was backed up for miles and this does not go over well with Owen. I decided to go the long way around and thankfully we got there on time. One of the exercises the doctor used was with a marker. He had a meltdown because he put his hand on the marker. His need to touch everything is what caused him to get the marker everywhere. We wiped it off and tried to wash it off but some still stayed on his hands. It was a pink marker so he kept yelling “pinky finger,” but I got him to count down from ten to “blastoff” and do his breathing exercises. He was able to recover and move forward so that was good. She got to see his responses first hand so now that might help her to determine other exercises for us. By the time we left it was dark and he kept yelling it was nighttime. He asked me to take him by the windows except I didn’t turn in the right direction. Then I was going to turn around and he said, “no go straight,” but as soon as we got home he wanted to go back and that lead to another meltdown. This is also why I think he isn’t feeling great because he’s a little more on edge. He still has meltdowns even when he isn’t sick but these were a little different for him. He ate a huge dinner though and was happily singing his ABCs. He was able to find on YouTube the monkey game he plays with one of his therapists and he told me to order it. I asked him if he wanted Santa to bring it to him and he said, “no it’s November.” I guess he didn’t want to wait that long. He fell asleep pretty quickly and I’m thankful for that. I pray he sleeps all night. We learned, we laughed, we loved. Let yesterday go and plan to soar to new heights tomorrow. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I prayed last night, I prayed a lot last night. I changed into a nightgown before I went to bed because I wanted Owen to see me in something pre-approved if he woke up in the middle of the night. Once again a great morning. He slept until after six and then talked to me through the morning. He didn’t mention my nightgown but his smile when he saw me told me he was happy. We worked on his eye exercises and once we were done he got his tablet I sat down. In a few minutes, he told me to get up. After that, he said, “I want a waffle please.” His words were progress. He talked to me about going to the “big slides” so I told him he was in control and he knew we would go if he didn’t mention blue pants while he was there. I keep talking to him about having conversations and including people so that they know his opinions and emotions and they can share with him as well. He successfully didn’t say anything about blue pants mostly. He also successfully didn’t say anything about my pants or his getting wet because it rained when we came home for a few minutes before we went to the big slides. I told him the same rules apply when we got there and he couldn’t talk to anyone about their pants. He was completely distracted and wanted to go into the bathroom because he thought they had a “Halloween bed” in there. He ran ahead of me and I could tell he told a gentleman that he needed to wear pants and go home because he immediately started laughing and I could see the concern on Owen’s face. I was able to focus him for a bit but it didn’t take him long to start on it again. Some more of our friends randomly showed up and that made him happy but I could tell this was heading toward a meltdown. We had finished our lunch and I told him a countdown time for sliding and then we would have to go. I wanted him to end with a victory and I think it was the perfect timing. When we got home he wasn’t too interested in much besides his tablet so I just let him play and we had a quiet evening. He’s ready for his week ahead. He missed his routine and his friends. I’m thankful he is excited about school tomorrow and seeing his teacher. He fell asleep quickly and I pray he sleeps all night. Even with a few bumps in the road, I’m celebrating the victories of today. He walked into that church and was able to keep the goal on his mind. Never give up on the hope for tomorrow. Celebrate your victories no matter how big or small they are. Smiles to all and donut daze!

The rollercoastery ride of a Saturday is only written in stone when the clock strikes midnight for the next day. To say I have had every emotion today is probably an understatement. I didn’t fall asleep until after midnight. I didn’t cry. It has been one year since my brother has been gone. It doesn’t seem possible. I miss him. I woke several times in the night. Owen came to my room at four in the morning asking for his tablet but I convinced him to go back to sleep and he slept until well after seven. These are the best days when he sleeps and tells me about everything in the world. He was walking around the house telling me story after story. He talked about the pirate ship, planets, Mickey Mouse, and foods. He wants to make more paper cards for his teacher with shapes and colors. We talked for over thirty minutes before he got his tablet. It was amazing. He asked for pancakes for breakfast and he knew he was going to see his grandma once again. We were in no rush and it took him a while to eat his food. When we got ready he once again wanted to wear his sandals. He also requested several other pairs of shoes. I told him that he could decide what he wanted. I dropped him off with my Mom and I ran around for a while before I went to pick him up. He wanted to go to the park and take his bike with him. He rode with his grandma and I met them there. I could see the change in his eyes almost instantly when we went into the park. He pushed his balance bike around the entire fenced-in area. His attention was focused on what people were wearing though. He walked up to a lady and told her that she had to leave. He went on about her clothes and my heart just breaks. He started crying. We stood there trying to comfort him and distracted him enough to get him to ride his bike some more. He went back and forth between talking about getting stuck on the slide to everyone not wearing blue pants. I know part of this is because he has been out of school. Not having his routine is incredibly hard for him. On the way home, he was upset about the whole blue pants thing. I told him that he had to find a place in his brain to move the blue pants to so that he could concentrate on something else. He wants to go to the big slides again tomorrow. I said that he could go if he gave everyone kindness and grace with their clothes tomorrow. I can’t even explain how sad I am for my son that the color of pants someone wears makes him cry and he spends hours thinking about this. I put on pink flannel pants and a grey shirt when we got home. I was not in one of my usual nightgowns that he calls a “dress,” so this sent him into another meltdown. The rules, the routine, when do I sit, when do I stand. He laughed a lot tonight but it was mixed with his own rollercoaster ride of emotions. He asked for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner and then said, “no peanut butter and frogs please.” He ate all of his peanut butter and no frogs sandwich. I didn’t have any jelly left but he usually doesn’t like jelly. He cried himself to sleep, talking about all the clothes everyone was wearing, and waking numerous times screaming. I prayed extra hard today for peace for my baby. And I pray he can find rest through the night. The struggle for him is incredible. I want him to be able to process this and understand he has to move forward because the world will not all wear blue pants. I thought the banana meltdowns were hard. We go in December to a new doctor that I hope will be able to shed some light on how to help Owen. Between that and the visual therapy maybe this will bring a calm to his heart. I cling to the morning when his words filled my soul with the warmth I needed. He has come so far and he will continue to shine. I know he will. More research, more prayers, more guidance will come. Never give up the hope for tomorrow. The bird’s song is their beautiful story and yours to share and be blessed with. Smiles to all and donut daze!

I think I am so used to routine that the out-of-routine makes me think I’m missing something with the routine and I am but I never know what it is. I think that’s clear as mud. Owen slept, mostly. I slept, kinda. Somewhere in the middle, we went back to sleep for a while, and then I got yelled at for going to the bathroom and he got a talking to for not going to the bathroom. It all worked out and then we were happy. It seems like most mornings are like this anymore unless they’re not. He was excited he was going to Grandma’s house again and he wanted to order pizza. He doesn’t want to eat any of the pizza at Grandma’s house but he wants us to eat it at Grandma’s house. He wants chocolate milk, veggie triangle chips, and sliced turkey, with the occasional option of trying other things and he might eat some fish or chicken nuggets, but not always. He wasn’t in a rush to get there this morning even though he reminded me numerous times he wanted to go. After several hours of debate and talking about it we finally were getting ready to go. I helped him with his clothes and then I told him to put his socks and shoes on. I gave him his socks and was doing a couple of things. I heard him talking. I walk into the living room and he was talking to his shoes. He had gotten his sandals. They are rubber sandals to go to the pool. He said, “you can wear your brown boots you can wear your black tennis shoes you can wear your red shoes you can wear your blue and grey sneakers you can wear your blue tennis shoes you can wear your sandals you can wear your sandals to the pool for your treasure hunt” turning to me he said, “it’s summer.” I told him it wasn’t summer but he could wear his sandals if he wanted to. “You can wear your sandals,” he said as he started putting them on the wrong feet. I was excited he wanted to wear something different. He was naming all the shoes he’s had over the last couple of years. I loved how he was calling them out like he was looking for them or remembering them fondly like a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time. I’ve tried all kinds of shoes with him, trying to get him to wear different things or even trying to give him more options so he can wear different ones during the week. I feel like he might be a little more open to it now. Thankfully it wasn’t very cold today but even if it was he was only walking from the house to the car a couple of times. Last night when he took his new shoes off he hid them. When I walked out of the room he put them in the laundry basket. He told me he wanted his shoes in a bag. I couldn’t understand what was happening at first. Then he made another reference to his backpack. It finally dawned on me that I give his old shoes to his teacher to use for other kids if they are still in good condition. Sometimes we try a shoe for a few days and they don’t work so I send them to her. I always explain to Owen that it is good to give back. So I told him that if he showed me where he hid his new shoes I would put his old shoes in his backpack so he could give them to his teacher. They unfortunately aren’t in great condition but I still want him to take them to her since he wanted to make sure she got them. I always like to do the follow through when it’s his idea and I’ll let her know why I sent them. I’m so proud of him. We got ready to walk out the door and he told me he wanted to take his gorilla tablet in the car. I thought he meant Spider-Man tablet. He never forgets a thing. This was an old cover he had on one of his tablets. He trips me up with this every so often because he will say this and I’m like it’s right there and then he says “threw it in the trash” and it finally dawns on me he means his old tablet. I’m thankful this doesn’t generally cause a meltdown for him. When we got in the car I started asking him questions. He named all the planets for me. He told me they were in the sky. The amount of knowledge the dude has in his brain is amazing. He had a great time with grandma and we did get the pizza that we ate but he didn’t. When we came home he told me once again that I needed to get him some more books. I think I need to get him some more books since this is his third request this week. Getting books from the library doesn’t really work for us because he is sometimes hard on them and if he likes a book he never wants it to be gone. I love that he is wanting to read more though. Now to get the books. I don’t think he stopped eating all day. He ate all the leftovers we had from breakfast yesterday, plus I fixed him more, and he requested the “chicken” that wasn’t chicken. He’s sounding a little nasally again and he was grabbing at his one ear but hopefully, it was to muffle sound like he does sometimes. He’s elated because it’s round three of Grandma’s house tomorrow if all goes according to plan. Sleep happened quickly and it was a good day. Thankful for the smile of my sweet baby O. Be brave in your soul and know that you are amazing. Smiles to all and donut daze!

For a day that was anything but routine, it was a good day of not routine, with a side of chaos, a few sniffles, and too much food. Owen woke way too early, wanted his tablet, and that was that. Milk was requested and cereal but the boy knew he was getting to see his Grandma today and that’s all that mattered. He was at least happy. I was a little cranky but I was happy he was happy. The internet was not happy either. “It not connecting it needs connection” as he squealed “internet” with a wail. I was pretty impressed with his words even though I was not impressed with why he was so upset. I never imagined our internet could be worse when the new company took over but it is. This does not go over well in our household. He was on second breakfast before it was time to go to breakfast. He followed all my instructions with a flourish and we were out the door quickly for our standard exit. He was even wearing his new sneakers without so much of a delay. I had just gotten them for him and it was his first time seeing them. They are blue and grey and he said so. He put them on without any hesitation. I told him his other shoes were getting too worn and small for him so he needed new ones and to my pleasure, he went with it. I was hoping breakfast would go smoothly. I didn’t want a repeat like before with the huge meltdown. We are working on calming techniques and visual training so I’m hoping we can prevent more of the meltdowns in the future. He told me he wanted pancakes and eggs. I ordered eggs and chicken fried steak for myself because I wanted him to try it. And try he did. He ate all his pancakes, a lot of his eggs, some of his potatoes, sausage, one of my Mom’s pancakes, and most of my chicken fried steak that he kept calling chicken. When we all finished and he was still eating the waitress came to take some of our plates. I can only imagine what he was thinking because he about lose it when she was went to remove one of the plates to take it away. It wasn’t his plate but the anxiety in his voice told me to not let her take it. It’s amazing how one thing could have changed our day. I’m not sure if it was because he thought we would have to leave and he wasn’t done or he needed that plate in a special spot. All I knew was that plate couldn’t go anywhere. When we finished our meal and headed out Owen ran ahead. I saw the beeline he was making. I started yelling for him to stop. He went right up to a person, not in blue pants. I immediately went into focused mode. I needed him to focus on being calm and not blue pants. I had him start counting backward from ten to calm him. I didn’t want that to spiral right there in the moment. I had him count backward several times and he did calm down. He went home with Grandma for the day and I went to our home. I then later went to their house for an early dinner, which Owen had no interest in except for him trying to take what he thought was chicken off my plate. After we ate we went to the park. He got stuck on repeating that he was going to the swimming pool next year during the summer. To say he said it a hundred times might be an understatement. I was thankful that on the way home he decided to yell at me for singing because at least it broke up the request to go to the pool next summer. He told me the swimming pool flew the coop because we couldn’t go. He was screaming at me on the bridge but this time it was for my singing and not the noises of the bridge so I was happy with that progress. Owen switched numerous times between saying Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Thanksgiving but I’m thankful he is starting to embrace the holidays and all it means. I’m thankful for the joy my sweet baby O brings me and Happy Thanksgiving to all. May the road we have traveled be full of wonder and delight and the journey we are on keep us happy and content. Smiles to all and donut daze!

Owen woke up a little early but we had a good morning once we got the formalities of being awake out of the way. He was ready for school today and breakfast tomorrow. He’s accepted that there is no school the next two days as much as he can accept it and he is ready to go to breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa. He was in a very talkative mood as soon as he woke up. He was being a cuddle monster in our new routine of who beats who back to my bed. He never moves over to the opposite side of the bed so he knows he’s going to get tickled until he moves. When we were waiting for the bus he was telling me that he wanted to once again go to all his favorite places but I figured it would all change once he got home. I tried his eye exercises with him as we were waiting for the bus but he was more interested in when his bus was going to get there. He talked about how many sleeps until he got to see his teacher again and he hadn’t even gotten on the bus to go. He was so thrilled when he heard the bus turn the corner. Off he went and I could tell he was talking to the aide again. I wondered throughout the day how his day was going and if he would want to do anything when he got home. I knew it would be hard for him. A very talkative sweet baby O got off the bus. He immediately started talking about when he would see his teacher again. Tomorrow for breakfast and the park were the request and no to every place he mentioned. He would say a place and then say “no breakfast with grandma” before we had a chance to discuss if we were going to do anything. He wanted to go to church to ride in the little red wagon and a treasure hunt but he also didn’t want to go and knew these were summer activities. He told me in summer he was going on a treasure hunt in his swimming suit and grey shoes and that he was going to swim in the pool. I asked him to show me how he swims and he only moved one of his arms. He told me about what he had for lunch a sandwich, a turkey sandwich, turkey leg, and frogs. He must have been full. He was very happy all afternoon and talked about snowballs on YouTube. I gave him some cottage cheese and he said, “what is this?” I said it’s cheese. He said, “and frogs.” Then he pulled up a video and asked me for the book that corresponded with it, pointing to where his books are stored. We don’t have it I told him. Then he asked me for another one that we don’t have. Third time, nope don’t have it either. He said, “we need books.” He then told me that “tooth is gone two tooth gone.” I asked him where they went. He said, “two lollipops.” I said but where did they go? He said, “fairy took em tooth fairy took em.” I was so impressed with his progress. He was working on his tablet and doing some of his games. He made a connection to one he hadn’t made before. He is doing amazing. He brought me his tablet and was trying to install something on it but the old version was keeping it from doing what he wanted. I had to remove it and that was taking time. He was not excited but before I could say anything he said, “patience patience patience.” I have always told him that he has to remember patience and I would say it three times. Now to hear him say it I’m so proud of him. He is learning and finding his peace in himself. Keep moving forward. The challenges we face today will be the bridges for our strength tomorrow. Smiles to all and donut daze! I’m

When we sleep all night I get confused sometimes. Owen slept through the night again. He was calm but the same race to the finish line of my bed was on. I beat him back to it though but only because I kept zigzagging in front of him and he didn’t quite understand what I was doing. We had a little more time than we did yesterday and we may have laughed more. We stood outside for the bus and worked on his new exercises. When I leaned over to work on the exercises with him he kissed my cheek with a big mwah. I showed him a picture of Santa but he didn’t want to look at him because “it’s November.” He asked me multiple times for red shoes, pants, and a shirt. I told him I would get him some red shoes and he said, “no no no.” Maybe that will be when he sees Santa. I never realize how much the world makes noise until Owen points out all the noises he hears. I don’t even know where the noise was coming from and he said, “let’s listen” and started making an “errr” noise that sounded exactly like the noise he was hearing. When the bus got here he said, “here comes the bus see the eyes open eyes.” I think he meant because the lights were on. I’m amazed at his mind. He said he wanted to go to the tractors and park when he got home but I knew that might change. His teacher sent me a note saying he ate a lot today and I’m pretty sure he is going through a growth spurt. He got himself in a quick ole spiral and that was that when he got home. He said he wanted to do something and then he got stuck on Thursday. He is ready for breakfast and knows we are going with my parents but then he gets upset he isn’t going to see his teacher. The park and tractors were off the table and his shoes were off his feet quick like a bunny and the rest is history. I know he is struggling with his favorite day, Thursday not being what he wants it to be. Having a holiday on his favorite day means that everything he loves is not happening, like his therapy. I hope I can find some other things he will want to do. He was happily eating his dinner and I had made beets but they needed to cook a little longer. When I took them out he said, “watermelon.” I said no and he said, “strawberry.” I said no it’s beets. He ran fast. I told him to try one. It had been over a year at least since he tried them. I never imagined how many places you could find beet pieces from a bite that was no bigger than a dime. I’ll try again in another year. He was calm the rest of the night and singing right along with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse crew. Bedtime did not take long and I pray for another night of rest. Your dreams are important. Go after what matters to you and show the world what you are made of. Smiles to all and donut daze!

Owen slept again all through the night. When I got up to go to the bathroom I could hear him stirring. I stood outside his room listening. He couldn’t see me because of the blackout curtain I have hanging in the doorframe to keep the light from shining in his room since he doesn’t want his door closed. Any and all light can cause a whirlwind of emotions. When he came out of his room he immediately crouched on the floor. I said, good morning I love you. He said, “turn out the light” even though there were no lights on. I said, let me give you a hug. He got up and I hugged him. I told him to go to the bathroom and then I got my coffee. He went to the bathroom, turned out the kitchen light, and got to my bed before I was halfway back to my room. Fortunately, he did let me finish getting my coffee before he turned out the light. We didn’t have much time before we had to get ready but I like the new routine of our mornings being calm. He was talking about all his days, back and forth, saying he was going to school and not going to school. It was incredibly hard on him not knowing exactly what this week held for him. His teacher tried to prepare him that they might be out all week but they were able to go. He was happy he was going but it also confused him. He was talking about two sleeps until he got to go again, confusing the amount of time until he would get to go back. I wasn’t sure if his bus would be late but thankfully, it was right on time. We had spent only a couple of minutes waiting on it, talking about his day ahead with his vision therapy. Off he went and I prayed for a good day. He got home and he was stuck. He was concerned about the days ahead. He kept repeating that he would see his teacher on Thursday and then telling me he is going to breakfast with grandma. He said tomorrow he is going to see the tractors and dinner but no school. He then would say he was going to school tomorrow and then back to talking about Thursday. He talks me into circles sometimes, constantly saying the opposite of what is true and back to saying the right things. I need to focus on how to answer his statements. He had a snack and then we got ready to go to his appointment. I asked him questions on the way. What are you going to eat on thanksgiving, I said. His reply was, “breakfast” because we are planning to do that instead of a traditional dinner. It’s hard for him and going to breakfast seems to work best. He was happy to be at therapy but it’s always hard for him to concentrate. The doctor is providing us with great exercises that we practice at home. She is assessing his needs and is giving us the exercises based on those observations. He turns his feet inward and it has become more pronounced. He has been to several orthopedic doctors but none saw the need to put him through surgery or for special shoes. This is one of the numerous reasons I wanted physical therapy for him. The eye doctor showed Owen how to move his feet like a pigeon and a duck. She explained to me how he will hold his hands with this exercise and what it will do for him. She gave us some other exercises and played a few games with him. I’m very thankful for this opportunity to help him grow and learn from her. I can see how this will help him work with his whole body. The O is gathering his team. When we leave church he always wants someone to walk him to the elevator or all the way to our car. When we left today he at first said, “woman walk me to the car” pointing to one of the assistants. She went to get him lollipops that I almost said he wouldn’t eat but I got distracted by him tearing off part of a leaf from the plant by their front door and he almost tried to eat it. His doctor was there and so he asked her to walk him to the car as the assistant handed him the lollipops which made him drop the leaf. His doctor walked him to the car and as we were saying “Happy Thanksgiving” I started to buckle him in when he took the wrapper off one of the lollipops, took a couple of licks, grabbed it by the pop, and stuck it on the seat. He was done quickly but he’s never taken the wrapper off something like that and it was incredible to watch. We got home and the boy seemed to eat all night. It took a little longer to fall asleep tonight but I’m hoping he will get a great night’s rest. I’m not sure what tomorrow will hold but he has run the gamut of park, tractors, dinner, or nothing so only time will tell but I’m thankful for the days of progress. Live life to the fullest. Never give up on the hope for tomorrow. Smiles to all and donut daze!