I truly was not expecting Owen to sleep two nights in a row but I sure kept praying about it. It didn’t happen but at least he fell back asleep quickly. When he woke for school he kept yelling for me to sit. I wonder sometimes if that helps him stay in control of his surroundings. He wants me to be in certain spots at certain times. Sometimes if I don’t sit when he needs me to the meltdowns will start or the screaming. Some are behavioral responses, knowing that if he screams I react, and other moments he is completely struggling and his response is helping him find order again. When he shook off the sleeping fog the dude was ready to go to school. Autism is as much about how I handle it as it is about Owen having it. There are days my emotions get the best of me and he feels it. He doesn’t know how to express the emotions he feels with the words he knows. I tell him all the time we are a team and we will get through it together. “Popcorn”, he said numerous times. I said, do you want popcorn and he said, “no veggie straws”. My heart sang. It felt like he was heading down one pathway and he was able to change and have a conversation with me. He was saying words that started with the letter P. When he got to popcorn he kept repeating it so that’s when I asked him. Maybe it was a connection from something in school with popcorn, I’m not sure but for him to tell me he wanted veggie straws felt great. When we started getting him ready for bed he was very anxious. He was worried about the weather and not being able to go to school. He almost had a meltdown about it. His words were there and I was thankful he could tell me what was worrying him. I was able to distract him after confirming several times the weather was fine and he would be able to go. And thankfully he fell asleep quickly. I tell him every night grow sweet baby O, grow. Every day brings new joys and growth. Never give up on the promise of tomorrow. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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