I consider waking up at five o’clock in the morning pretty good for a Saturday when it’s the first part of summer break. Owen had one thing on his mind and that was when he was going to grandma’s house. The one thing on my mind and what I got to overthink all day was Owen’s snotty nose. I gave him some allergy medicine this morning and that helped his nose but he still seemed a little congested. I didn’t want to take him to my mom’s if he was getting sick even though I truly thought it was allergies. I knew he would continue to focus on wanting to go see his grandma and I totally understood. I set the timer for three hours. I’m thankful he is starting to pay more attention to this now. He kept asking me when we were going and I answered “in a little bit.” That’s the answer he needs to hear. If I say anything else he gets upset and eventually we come back to those words for the comfort they provide. I told my mom I was going to watch Owen for a few hours to see how he did before I decided to take him to her. Since he can’t explain how he is feeling it makes it harder for me to decide and I think, rethink, and overthink all the options. As the morning went on I kept adding time to the timer and he would read it, ask about grandma, and then go back to playing with his tablet or his BeatBo robot. Eventually, he realized we weren’t going. It was hard for him but when I talked to my mom we decided we would wait until Monday and try again. He started asking for hugs. This is when I knew he needed more sensory input. He asked for one hug and jumped in my lap. He wants me to squish him in the middle. I hold his head on my arm and then his legs fall across my other arm. Once he sits like that I know he was me to pull his legs up towards his chest. He will sit there for a minute and then start pulling his legs out of my arms, arching his back, and then relaxing as he stands up. It gives him the input and comfort he is seeking. He ran off and within a few minutes he was back asking for two more hugs, then it was three. He went to play and about twenty minutes later he was back again. This time he said, “ten hugs and then one more.” I was glad we stayed home. The emotions of the week and then his allergies have really caught up to him. He is almost too big now for me to give him input like this. I used to hold him in my arms and swing him back and forth but he’s over sixty pounds now. He’s still tiny for his age but he is starting to add on the pounds and getting taller. He requested a bath in the afternoon. I attempted to give him a haircut and he kept yelling that “the giant safety scissors too loud.” I have always given him his haircuts and generally, I do it over several days. I was able to trim a little bit of the back of his hair but that was as far as we got. I realized as soon as I started that I should try a different day because he was already in sensory overload today. He stayed in the bath for quite some time but it relaxed him. He asked me to put new batteries in his robot BeatBo. He told me to “get a screwdriver” saying it with great emphasis. It made me happy he wanted to try and unscrew the plate for the batteries. I held his hand with mine and he did several turns. I changed the batteries and we put it back together. He ran off with it and I heard it singing to him as he set it down. His nose didn’t run the rest of the day but I could still hear his congestion. We should be able to go to church tomorrow though and hopefully, he will want to have a picnic after church. The night flew by and he was exhausted. He went right to sleep without getting up once. I’m thankful he didn’t get worse and I’m praying for a great night of sleep. His laughter is my joy and his smile is the song that plays in my heart. Find your joy in the little things and know that your victories will come. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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