I heard Owen once again a little before five. Really I heard Owen’s tablet a little before five. His really, really loud tablet. We are so close to what seems like a breakthrough with sleep but I also feel like we are a million miles away from it too. At least he has been falling asleep quickly at night and getting more rest. He was really good about sitting in the living room and watching his tablet and then the tv. I, however, think everyone in the whole neighborhood a few blocks away could probably hear the tv as well until I turned it down. That’s the beauty of having the remote control app on my phone. There may not be a way to always control the sound from the tv itself but I can turn the volume down or the tv completely off. Once I got up he immediately wanted his breakfast and started talking to me about the bananas that were not in the trash can. Distraction tactic number five thousand nine hundred and sixty-three came into play and I started talking to him about the planets. Anything and everything I could think of to take his mind off the bananas that weren’t even in the house much less in the trash can. I asked him to name the planets. He went right through the list and in order. I asked him to tell me different features about the planets and he started saying which were gaseous, the smallest, the largest, and he kept going. He started singing about the planets and he said, “Mars April”, laughing hysterically as he said it. It was like he knew he made a joke or that he was saying something that wasn’t correct. He was very calm about going to grandma’s house and only asked me a couple of times when we were going. He wanted to make sure I was wearing blue pants and that he was too. I kept our routine of reading going and then we played in the water. I had us both soak our feet in little tubs. I like to do different activities like this with him to give him different sensory input and teach him patience as we do the activities with our feet in the water. He loved the ones we did today and didn’t really want to finish but I told him it was time to go to grandma’s house and he quickly shifted gears. We were off quicker than most Saturdays and he stayed with his grandma all afternoon. When I got there my mom and I talked for several hours while he continued to play. As I sat in the chair I would cross my legs or put my other foot up on the opposite knee. He did not like this one bit and would race over to knock my foot off my knee. He does not like how that looks and gets so upset by it but I tell him he can’t uncross my legs or knock them off. He then will tell me “we don’t hit” or something else similar as he is actually hitting my foot or moving it off my leg. It’s a process he has to go through while he is learning behaviors, actions, and reactions. When we left he did great in the car right home until he needed to tell me it was raining when it wasn’t. He got very upset that I would not tell him it wasn’t raining. He likes to say the opposite of what is actually happening and I try to make him understand that he needs to say what is happening instead. I breathe. The night went fast. And the dude was hungry. He ate a whole plate of shrimp and veggies and as soon as he finished the last bite he requested “more shrimp please”. It didn’t take long after that before his sleepy eyes and his full belly won and he was asleep. I pray he sleeps well again and he is very ready for church tomorrow. Thankful for his amazing laugh and his big blue eyes that have a brilliant sparkle. Find the joy in your heart, the light in the world around you, and share your smile. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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