“I’m not taking the bus to camp” was the running theme for the day. I told Owen he was going to “camp” on Monday. But now this has turned into a will of words and we’ll see what the actions hold. He is struggling with routine and his schedule. Constantly throughout the day, he wants to know where he is going and what he is going to do for the days ahead but if I go too far in his schedule the screaming begins. Where, why, when do you figure out how to stop the moving train when you don’t even realize you have left the train station. Owen repeats himself nonstop, nonstop. And he doesn’t say an entire word, waiting for the affirmation from me to come of the complete word. He knew we were going to the coffee shop, bowling, and grandma’s but it is a completely different order than our routine used to be. My mind races trying to keep it all straight. Which rules can bend, which need to be consistent, which ones do I adjust, and which ones do I cry over. The first word out of his mouth when he woke up was “grandma”. He knew he was going. He gave me a hug, then it was “tablet no potty today”. He needed that reassurance he was going to do all his activities. He said, “gran gran gr gr gr” and wouldn’t finish it, waiting for me to tell him he was going to grandma’s house m. When I got him dressed to go I put a light-colored pair of blue jeans on him. They were new because he’s almost grown out of his smaller pants. He immediately wanted “blue pants”. I told him they were blue pants. Off he went to his room. Seconds later he returned with a pair that was in his dresser but too big for him. He wanted to wear them. They were darker. I told him they were too big. He took off the ones I had put on him. He then decided he wanted “tan pants”, again bringing me a pair that was too big. Luckily I was able to find a pair that met with his requirements and mine that they actually fit. We left for our journey. I truly couldn’t handle any yelling today so I made him spell animals with me on the fifteen-minute car ride. He knows how to spell a lot of animals or close with assistance. He also tried to tell me how to drive but I kept asking him the same question over and over again. We got there and I felt like I had run a marathon. When I picked him up after his visit we went to the coffee shop and then bowling. Oh, how that boy loves bowling. We bowl together but he’s getting to the point I think he will start throwing more of the balls on his own. When we got home he was mad because we didn’t go see the windows. I told him we would see them tomorrow if he didn’t yell on the way to church. That’s worked the last couple of weeks, kinda, so I’m going with it. After a very full day, he finally fell asleep almost at eleven o’clock and now I sit and collect all my scattered marbles that I feel like I’ve lost today. He sang Humpty Dumpty in Vietnamese tonight, I think, as he was getting ready for bed and I’m thankful for that smile and the laughter he had from watching a monkey eat. Let the little joys rule the day and everything else wash away. Sing your victories from the rooftops and know that tomorrow is a brand new day. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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