The morning went incredibly fast. I’m truly thankful for the sleep that we’ve been getting even if I keep waking up very early. He was a little anxious when he first got up, but he quickly moved to our daily routine. He sat next to me playing with his tablet. He pushes on me and I believe it’s for sensory input. He has an app that has all the apps from the same company all together but the company also has them each individually priced. Even though he has every one of the apps in the main grouping, he still wants to go to each individual app alone. Every time he opens one of the apps, and it’s not the full version he says, “it cost money.” Then he tells me he has the app. I try to get him to understand it’s the same thing it’s just grouped together, but he still likes each one separate and he knows I’m going to tell him he can’t have the app again because he already has the app. I gave him a couple of extra minutes with his tablet this morning before he had to get dressed so I think that helped make him a little calmer. We finished getting ready and we went out to wait for the bus. We talked about the little things and he was excited that he was going to ride his bike when he got home from school. When he came home on the bus there was a rock on the bus step as he exited. “It’s a rock we don’t eat the rock,” he said as he put it up to his mouth. Thankfully I was able to get it from him before he fully put it in his mouth. This is a new old thing for him. He knows he’s not supposed to put things in his mouth, yet he shows me that he’s putting things in his mouth. He was immediately ready to go meet our advisor for his program but we had a few minutes before we had to leave and I told him we would get a snack first and then go. He was very excited to see his advisor. I talk to her all the time on the phone for our meetings, but this time we met in person. When I told him we were meeting with her he said he wanted to show her his bike so we met at the park. To say, my child’s memory is amazing is the understatement of the year. He remembered what she was wearing the last time we saw her. He did amazing on his bike. This is the first time he’s ridden this style of bike and he was able to do it within a few moments. He generally rides a tricycle or a balance bike. With the tricycle, the pedals are more forward, and his new bike is up and down and so it was a different motion for him, but he was able to quickly adapt and it was a beautiful thing. It had rained earlier in the day and so the basketball court that he was riding on had a few mud puddles. Owen loves mud. Owen hates mud. He likes to dip his knee in puddles. He does not get happy when his jeans have puddle mud on them. He had a meltdown because he had puddle mud on them. He was very upset about his pants being wet and it was time to go but I had to get him calm. I was able to redirect him after several minutes of breathing exercises. He was anxious so I asked him if he wanted to still ride his bike or if he was ready to go. He wanted to keep talking about the mud on his pants. I asked him if he wanted his tablet when we got back in the car and he said yes so I told him if he wanted his tablet he needed to ride around on his bike one more time. I was trying to use this tactic to redirect him after his breathing helped him, but it didn’t completely calm him. Once he got riding, then he did it several more times, and he was calmer about the mud on his pants. He wanted a tissue to be able to wipe off his pants even though it wasn’t going anywhere. I try to explain to him that he didn’t have to put his knee in the mud but it was his choice to put his knee in the mud. This is how a lot of the meltdowns occur is because he is learning or processing something by doing an action that he doesn’t necessarily like and then I have to find ways to help him calm himself back down. Thankfully, he moved forward, rode his bike multiple times, and was able to then get in the car, have his tablet, and be calm, mostly. He truly did amazing with riding his bike and on the way home he wanted chicken nuggets and a cheeseburger. He was in a good mood when we got home, and the mud was quickly forgotten. He was ready for bedtime and did all of the steps without problems. His prayer tonight felt honest and real, and my heart could relate, “Dear God, Hey, Amen.” the roller coaster ride of life is always changing but the amazing thing is we get to see the progress of life and choose the attitude we want to move forward with. I always tell Owen that kindness and grace are what will get us through our days. Let your heart be happy for the little victories and know that they will lead to great joy. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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