A weekend of Blessings

Yes, we did skip a day.  I did write that in the fine print- it would happen. :)  Anyways, our daddy had to go to San Francisco from yesterday until Monday for work.  We are sad to have him gone this weekend, but he will actually be able to see his mom (and dad), which is so special for all of them.  Friday was a tough day at school for Hunter.  His teacher told us that he had started the day off great, but then when the "typical" kids joined the class an hour later, he needed to stay close to her, asked for many hugs, and had some tears.  I picked him up from school at 11, which he was not happy about- he wanted to ride the bus with all his friends!  We were starting with a new OT at a new facility- our much-loved OT was not able to schedule us for the next month after we had taken a break due to insurance reasons.  So many factors to throw him off.  He explored the new sensory gym and ended up swinging on their adapted board swing for about 10 minutes.  He asked the OT to turn out the lights so he could go to sleep.  His little body must have been screaming "THANK YOU!"  He was much more centered when we left.

He can now write his own name ! OT's recommend
writing on an easel or under a table to force the
correct hold of the writing utensil.

We spent late Friday afternoon at the kids' favorite park, the ABC park as we call it. There are three parks in one, and Hunter ran and played at each play structure with Paige.  I probably wouldn't have even attempted it last year with all three kids, but he did phenominal.  So much progress has been made! 

Gymnastics!

Today was a full day with a morning of Hullabaloo (the BEST game for following auditory directions and for so much fun!), storytime, easel drawing, and gymnastics. Gymnastics is almost like 45 minutes of sensory therapy- they jump, crawl through tunnels, do forward rolls, play in a foam pit- so many activities that satisfy his sensory seeking.  We were doing a make-up class from Thursday, so the teachers were different, as well as the classmates.  Hunter started off OK, but when the routine changed from his usual structured class, things went downhill.  I could hear him protesting and crying in the middle of the gym, so he came and regrouped with me, then joined the class for the final activities.  The last few minutes the class spent with the large parachute.  As you could guess, when the children lifted the parachute and they all were supposed to run under, he fell to the ground in the commotion as all of the other children screamed and yelled with delight.  Not exactly Hunter's idea of fun.  At that point, class was over for him.  This afternoon we spent at another favorite park, the "Big Wheel" park.  He loved to swing around on the wheel with Paige.  He even asked another child their name, told them his, and wanted to play "chase" with the group of kids.  Such an improvement from before! 

Easter at Church

He must know that Mother's Day is coming because I received so many hugs and smiles and "I want to make you happy, Mommy."  Currently he is into reading other's facial expressions.  He seems to seek the approval of others and wants to please us.   His empathy towards our family and other children is astonishing, and not characteristic of a child with ASD.  He immediately asks others, "Are you OK?" if they fall and hurt themselves.  He has such a sweet disposition- if we could extinguish the anger and tantrums when things don't go his way, he would be able to show all his inner heart.

As we approach Mother's Day, I can't help but stop and thank God for the blessings in my life.  Laura Story has a beautiful song that somehow sneaks its way into my head several times a week...whether it's a line someone says, or the song on a Pandora random playlist during my long runs, or flipping through the radio to land upon this fitting song of prayer, it makes me stop and realize that I have been given such a precious gift- actually, four of them- unique in their own ways.  Trust me-click on the link below (Laura Story Blessings).  It's definetly worth the listen.  You just might want to grab the tissue box if you have had a hard day.

Laura Story Blessings