Owen flipped around in his bed last night, from one side to the next, not settling for over an hour. The request for songs, books, the bathroom, the lights to be on and off, and the list went on. I have to remind myself to breathe through these moments. Every time he does another flip on his bed I wonder how long this bed will last, what I can do to support it, and how I can encourage him to stop, even though I know that his body is in motion constantly. I work with him on calming strategies and I often think they are for me as much as they are for him. I do different joint compressions and massage techniques with him, but those don’t seem to be what he wants as much anymore. His body is changing and I can tell how much he has grown over the last year. When we were coming home from school yesterday his words flowed like a river to my soul. There were so many words and expressions all packed into the drive. I wanted to go around the block many more times, but I knew that would only stop the words because his anxiety would question every move I was making by not going home. He had a really good night and played his ukulele while singing several songs. He generally pulls the strings upward not really getting a sound from them, so I gave him a pick to try. He thought it was funnier to drop it inside the ukelele than to use it. I tried a different approach and he was able to move his fingers over the strings easier. He sang one of the songs he learned at church called Super Wonderful and then Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as he strummed along. His little body again wanting to keep moving and not standing there while he sang. He doesn’t have enough hand, eye, body coordination to be able to hold the ukelele, sing, and walk yet. I sat the ukelele across my lap and let him try it that way. Sometimes he will sit with the instrument, but I also think he gets agitated quicker like that. My heart sings with his progress though and I’m thankful for his love of music. Find what inspires you, sing it from the rooftops, and make today matter. Smiles to all and donut daze!
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