Monday, July 2, 2012

The last days of June

How did June end so fast ?


 It seems like things are moving so fast these days

The month has been its mixture of great, good and bad

Julie has had her baby - ( no baby pics on blog yet but she did post on Facebook )

It seems just the other day she talked about becoming pregnant

She and Steve have the most beautiful babies you could imagine

On the bad side, one very sad thing that happened is Abby beloved black lab that I was proud to be aunt to, is gone !

Here is her when I went to see her in May -  my friend had shared that Abby would not be around for long so I thought I should go and say goodbye

I am so glad I did



Good bye Abbs darling - you are always in my heart

I am piecing together this month with the pictures on my phone


When in doubt, do sensory 

I am super busy with work - we have his gran visiting as well and its horribly  hot  - super super hot

Its really easy with this, to forget about Floortime and just spend our time gossiping ( and eating )

So I am simply forcing myself to go out every evening

My mantra is "when you cannot change your attitude ( laziness) , you can at least change your behavior( go out and play ) "

We spend a lot of time playing in the treehouse that DH built 2 years ago



And on hammocks

And in our indoor swing


He keeps telling me to push harder and faster

(Can you see what he is reading ? Multiplication tables )

I dream of a really long and big swing

Mirror Neurons

One interesting thing I noticed recently is a Mirror Neurons related Phenomenon

( you know when you yawn because you saw someone else yawning or when you salivate when you see other people eating something tasty or when every woman in the audience raises her face when Rhett leans down to kiss Scarlett?- well Aues are not supposed to have them )

R loves Doritos Jacked ( do you know what they are)

They are super spicy Doritos that are thicker and crisper and spicier

The other day as I put one in my mouth - R did a OOOOOH sound as though he could taste the spice

Change is good.. not 

 I have to hand it to DH - he is always trying out something new with R

This summer he decided on swim lessons and on horse riding

Both attempts have been difficult

R climbs on the horse very reluctantly and closes his ears -

All the other auties are happily brushing their horses.

Swimming, is his favorite thing in the world to do -

He literally begging everyday to go to the pool


But swimming lessons?


No way Jose


He hates to get his face wet 


At the same time- we know these have been helpful - and its  because of the swimming lessons he is finally willing to "disappear " ( ie put his head inside the water ) these days 


I and DH, remind our self of  of how long it takes to get him to do each new thing and how important it is that we keep on trying - because its not the thing in itself that he minds- just the newness 


And if we don't keep pushing the boundary - his life will get circumscribed into tighter and smaller circles of safeness, routine and rigidity ( I find this happens with most of us as we get older- fewer friends- most of them like us, no new hobbies, same  routines etc ) 

Mindless Stimming? .. NOT 

I have been watching what he does when he looks like he is mindlessly doing repetitive things on screens

Turns out he is not !

He is making remixes

So for instance he has 3 screens open at the moment

On the Iphone - he has The Little Einsteins in a snow setting - on the Ipad he has a polar bear

On another ipad he has seals

He also has Wii Music playing Carmen in the background

Another time I see him open two videos on his computer and remix the dialogue

So in screen 1 a child says the multiplication table

Then he pauses that screen

Then plays the part on the Little Einsteins Screen and Annie says "Awwwwwwwww"


Now he does do many repetitive things as well - but I think this scene setting and dialogue remixing  are good thinking processes



Baby is getting big 

 First,  R is a acquiring some big boy like qualities

Many good things about this

A little bit of  Independence is coming .


These days when he does his bedtime routine - after we finish reading a book


I simply turn off the lights and WALK AWAY 


This is UNHEARD of.. 


Usually I have to wait till he is fast asleep and then creep away like a thief hoping I dont wake up . ( this- walk away when he is awake -   practice was started by DH when I was traveling for a week in June ) 

Another thing is that he is getting  very opinionated and decisive -

Like today we were at the Outlet Mall - he dragged me all the way to the Crocs store because he wanted to buy yet more shoes

They are so cute... his orange shoes

He loves creating his iconic moments

Like I came downstairs yesterday to see that he had hunted for and  collected his iconic moment

  1. Red Jelly Beans 
  2. Macbook
  3. Numbers 
  4. Wii Remotes 
Some of his stubborness is not very so adorable though

He will throw a tantrum if he does not get his way in the many things he wants to do just so

Some of his baby sweetness is going away 


The hugs and kisses are reducing slightly 


Usually he cannot sit next to me without snuggling up like this 


But these days, I feel they are reducing a little 


Plus the mischief 


He has been sooo naughty and so defiant lately 


DH and I used to say that one of the joys of parenting an autie was the lack of the Gimmes 


Well no more 


I sat in the car yesterday and noticed the non stop gimmes .. 


"Gimme I phone please .. thank you god" 
"Gimme ipad" 
Gimme red jellybeans"
 gimme red cherry starburst:
 "Sing Carmine" 
"Play bird will make the rock fall on ( imaginary ) piano "


He will also find an indirect way to defy my " no's"

For instance, here I told him not to touch the buttons of the AC in his playroom

So he is touching them through this basket here

I will frequently find him having created ladders to get to things he is not supposed to

Also he tries to hide his crime sprees ( so much for lack of "theory of mind " )

I find his face hands clothes covered with markers

Apart from the dangerous mischief - I am loving this phase

But I miss my sweet baby too

Last night as he is in trouble yet again - for tearing  a picture of a measuring tape out of a book - even though he fully well knows the rules about "no tearing books"

But I know him well and I see from his face that his only sorrow is that he was found out !

I think sadly that my baby is indeed growing up

Then when I come back to go to bed myself -

I see he has left his bed and is now sleeping on our bed on DH's pillow

I thank god for these little bits of babiness that are still in him







15 comments:

BabyWeightMyFatAss said...

Very sweet.

We want them to progress so much that when they do we are kinda of taken aback because we don't know what the full outcome will be and we only know what we have experienced.

Yuji said...

I think that we sometimes think that our kids will never change, and stay the way they are forever, perhaps because progress is often so slow to come. But they do change, for better and for not-so-better. We are seeing similar things with our son. It's not always easy, but it is good that he is growing up.

Good for you and DH for pushing the boundaries with R!

Bright Side of Life said...

Time flies by too quickly, before you know it, he will be 13!!! ;-)
Enjoy every precious moment, even the mischief. I love that bit as it means he knows his own mind!

Looking for Blue Sky said...

You are so right to get the bedtime routine sorted now as I have just written about the mess I'm in here with it! And also with pushing boundaries. I do that with my son, but also with myself, I think you have to challenge yourself to feel really alive x

Tameika Meadows, BCBA, Blog Author said...

Such a sweet post. I love that "Terrible Two" phase (regardless of the age of the child) because it means progress! Mental connections are being made as the child is becoming more aware, and thinking of ways to push against boundaries.

robin said...

You're so right about so many of us not trying things and getting used to our own little circles and rigidity. I find that as I get older, I'm starting to do that. I've done a couple things so out of character lately and found them to be so fun (after the initial anxiety!) I'm hoping R begins to enjoy his new activities more! I love your pics and stories!!

Kris said...

Sweet boy! Cherish this time.

Kim said...

It's so hard when they start to become more independent with defiance and mischief! I know this well. I love that you have put him in swimming lessons and riding lessons and keep trying to expand his boundaries. So good.

Þorgerður said...

I love that picture with the mischieveous look. So funny... and look at him defying your rules but you know still not touching. Hilarious.
You may have him cuddling up in your bed for quite while yet. My oldest son still comes when he feels bad.

Unknown said...

Your first sentence is like you were reading my mind!! What happened to June! **lol**

Also, do you think the "gimme" is just a phase? We're getting that a lot too. I'm really hoping it's just a short phase.

Thank you also for the mantra. I will try to keep that in my head "when you cannot change your attitude, you can at least change your behavior."

I think the defiance is also a good thing, right? Healthy. That's what I tell myself when my son is driving me crazy! Haha. He looks so cute in the pictures though! And I love his ingenuity in defiance!

danette said...

I love this post, I feel the same way as my boys get bigger... cheering their growth and independence but at the same time missing their baby-selves.

What is your secret for getting R to go to bed on his own?? Or did it just happen one day (sometimes that is how things go around here). Bitty insists that I stay with him until he falls asleep, and even then his feet are checking for me in his sleep and if he realizes I'm no longer there he'll wake up and come looking for me.

The mischievousness is sooo cute too! Isn't it great to see our kids "problem-solving" even if that involves trying to get around our rules, etc.? lol :)

Li said...

Hi K, I saw your comment on my blog but wanted to respond here. Things are well, we are enjoying the slow summer before my son starts kindergarten in the fall. He will be entering a mainstream classroom (with additional services, of course) so it's a big deal! I'm also launching a new site and will send you a link in a few weeks. I am still reading here but too busy to post lately. Meant to tell you that you should keep writing exactly as you do, it's why I love your blog so much!

Floortime Lite Mama said...

Thanks so much my dears for your comments
Li sending you loads of luck on the mainstream kindergarten

Rachel said...

How do you make me weepy and giggly in the same post.

I struggle with those very same things - even today. Itty Bit scowled at me and said, "please don't say that", when I went to pick him up from church camp and said, "I missed you!"

I could see the struggle on his face between "I missed you too!" and "I'm too big for this".

We will meet someday ;) and commiserate over our darlings growing up too quickly.

Though I must admit... R in mischief does make me grin :)

Anonymous said...

awww! your little mention made my day! <3
I cant believe June AND July are gone!!!! Your stories of R never fail to make me smile...
and I often think of how you talk about it's the newness of things our kids resist. thank you for talking about that...the reminder helps m to keep trying when part of me would give up because its easier! ...i love what you wrote in the "mindless stimming?" part of your post. D has been doing something very similar!! so interesting to see in d and especially that R does it too! (I hope to catch up on your other posts soon!! I hope all is well! <3)

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