The other day we went to the mall, all four of us, to get Kaleigh's haircut. She goes to a special place that caters to children. It is pretty neat. Next door to it is an indoor playground. I usually let her play for a while after her haircut; there is a height restriction. Anyone taller than 50" cannot enter. Guess who was very disappointed? That's right, Austin.
When Austin walked up to the sign and was well above the limit, he realized that he would not be able to go in with Kaleigh. Oh boy, it was not a happy moment, not at all. Poor Austin started to cry and I took him over to the food court to settle him down. Meanwhile, my husband took Kaleigh into play.
I sat and cuddled Austin and explained that there are somethings he cannot do because he is getting so tall. He is growing like a weed! It was not easy for him to understand that he could not go in and play. Oh my, it really broke my heart to see him cry like that. :( The people around us watching and wondering why he was so upset. I have gotten used to it and can ignore the comments where they used to really get to me. Interestingly enough, because Austin is crying softly and not melting down on the floor, the comments were not the same. They were sympathetic. That's a switch! Austin hid his face from everyone because he is starting to be embarrassed. This is new behaviour for him. He eventually stopped crying but only after I had finally figured out how to put a real positive spin on the fact he could not go into the playground anymore ... Disney World! Good old Disney World!
I told Austin that me may not be able to go to the small indoor parks in the mall anymore because of his height but that it would benefit him when we go to big amusement parks. He will be big enough to go on the big rides because he is tall enough " ... like at Disney World!" That is what popped into my mind. The smile on his face was all the reassurance I needed that all would be well. He knows that we are going to try to make a trip to Florida in the next couple of years and also looks forward to the big rides at the local exhibitions. My husband will go on with him! :D
There is one thing that will be a challenge, Kaleigh is only about 43" tall. Well, you can win them all! ;)
All the best! *HUGS*
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Delightful Dining at a Compact Christmas!
We had almost 20 family members over for Christmas dinner this year. I have to say, it went pretty smoothly. I was not expecting Austin to deal with the situation as well as he did. Very PROUD of you Dude! :) OX
To start, we have a small house, it is very homey and quaint. Almost everyone who comes to our house says that it makes them feel "welcome" and it is "cozy". The wood stove in the living room helps. Did I mention that is where we served dinner with two, or was it three, tables put together? Oh well, I was busy cooking and getting the dishes organized. It was pretty full in our little house but I believe, that is what makes some of the best Christmas experiences. It is wonderful to have a whole bunch of family all together, so what if it is on the "cozy" side. Well, unless you are dealing with a child on the spectrum, then it can be a challenge.
We told Austin that we would be having a lot of people over for Christmas dinner. He did not react well to the announcement. I thought "Oh boy! We are in trouble now!" I thought he would be bouncing off the walls, literally. He was discussing "safety zones", not a term we ever heard from Austin. The weeks leading up to Christmas Day, we thought it was best not to continue to talk about how many people were going to be here. Austin approached me Christmas Day to talk about dinner. Oh my! I thought he was going to want to leave the house at first. He was very agitated that all these "strangers" he called them, were coming into "his house". I told him that they were all family and not to worry. He was concerned that there were way too many ... well, it would be a full house for sure. He did finally settle out when I reminded him that his "safety zone" was my bedroom and he could play on the computer and lock the door to keep people out. He calmed down right away. I thought, "That was easy, too easy". I was sure he would get upset, I was ... wrong.
Once people arrived, Austin went to play in his room with Kaleigh. They have a Wii, so they played for a while and were really good. The house was filled with family when Kaleigh realized one of the cousins had brought a mixture of soda pop. We had coke and ginger ale, things like that but you know kids, soda pop is much more appealing when it has colour! Orange pop, grape pop, cream soda, root beer, the kiddies hit the jackpot! I do not let Austin have this too much because he reacts to the dyes in the soda, especially anything red. They asked their cousin if they could have one and she said it was fine so I thought, well it is Christmas. I am sure my husband was wondering what I was thinking. Anyway, they both had two pops each throughout the whole evening and Austin was fine. He came out to have a bite to eat. He does not eat Christmas dinner so I prepared something separate for him. He went to my room and played on the computer, to his "safety zone". He was pretty calm and very well behaved all night, Kaleigh also.
We all sat down and had dinner. The food was great! Everyone brings a dish and the hosts make the turkey. Everyone enjoyed dinner even though it was a little warm in the living/dining room due to the wood stove and we squeezed almost 20 people at the tables. All in all, it was a really nice Christmas. Whew! :)
So, all that fretting and worrying was for nothing. Some habits are hard to break. ;)
All the best! *HUGS*
To start, we have a small house, it is very homey and quaint. Almost everyone who comes to our house says that it makes them feel "welcome" and it is "cozy". The wood stove in the living room helps. Did I mention that is where we served dinner with two, or was it three, tables put together? Oh well, I was busy cooking and getting the dishes organized. It was pretty full in our little house but I believe, that is what makes some of the best Christmas experiences. It is wonderful to have a whole bunch of family all together, so what if it is on the "cozy" side. Well, unless you are dealing with a child on the spectrum, then it can be a challenge.
We told Austin that we would be having a lot of people over for Christmas dinner. He did not react well to the announcement. I thought "Oh boy! We are in trouble now!" I thought he would be bouncing off the walls, literally. He was discussing "safety zones", not a term we ever heard from Austin. The weeks leading up to Christmas Day, we thought it was best not to continue to talk about how many people were going to be here. Austin approached me Christmas Day to talk about dinner. Oh my! I thought he was going to want to leave the house at first. He was very agitated that all these "strangers" he called them, were coming into "his house". I told him that they were all family and not to worry. He was concerned that there were way too many ... well, it would be a full house for sure. He did finally settle out when I reminded him that his "safety zone" was my bedroom and he could play on the computer and lock the door to keep people out. He calmed down right away. I thought, "That was easy, too easy". I was sure he would get upset, I was ... wrong.
Once people arrived, Austin went to play in his room with Kaleigh. They have a Wii, so they played for a while and were really good. The house was filled with family when Kaleigh realized one of the cousins had brought a mixture of soda pop. We had coke and ginger ale, things like that but you know kids, soda pop is much more appealing when it has colour! Orange pop, grape pop, cream soda, root beer, the kiddies hit the jackpot! I do not let Austin have this too much because he reacts to the dyes in the soda, especially anything red. They asked their cousin if they could have one and she said it was fine so I thought, well it is Christmas. I am sure my husband was wondering what I was thinking. Anyway, they both had two pops each throughout the whole evening and Austin was fine. He came out to have a bite to eat. He does not eat Christmas dinner so I prepared something separate for him. He went to my room and played on the computer, to his "safety zone". He was pretty calm and very well behaved all night, Kaleigh also.
We all sat down and had dinner. The food was great! Everyone brings a dish and the hosts make the turkey. Everyone enjoyed dinner even though it was a little warm in the living/dining room due to the wood stove and we squeezed almost 20 people at the tables. All in all, it was a really nice Christmas. Whew! :)
So, all that fretting and worrying was for nothing. Some habits are hard to break. ;)
All the best! *HUGS*
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Tender Teddy
This Christmas Kaleigh asked for a golden coloured teddy bear from Santa. She has a party at preschool the week before Christmas, so it had to be there early for the visit from Santa. Kaleigh got her beautiful, soft, golden teddy from Santa and was so thrilled! She would not put the bear down.
Kaleigh came home and showed Austin her bear. Guess who fell in love with it immediately? Right, Austin. He begged Kaleigh to let him have it to sleep. He said if he had the bear, he would go to sleep right away and sleep all night. Hmmmm, I was not convinced. With a bit of protest from Kaleigh, she finally let Austin have it and he did fall asleep quickly and cuddled the bear all night. Wow! I could hardly believe a teddy bear could work such magic.
After a few days, Kaleigh became a little annoyed, to say the least. She wanted the bear back, and well, rightfully so since it was her gift that she desperately wanted from Santa. Austin eventually gave up the bear but had a last minute request from Santa, he wanted a bear exactly like the one Kaleigh had received. I promised that I would do my best to reach Santa somehow and see if he could bring one for Christmas, it was fairly close to Christmas Eve at this point. Kaleigh and Austin said that it would be no problem, "the elves could just make one in Santa's workshop"! :D Right.
Low and behold, Christmas morning, under the tree, with a red ribbon, sat a very soft, golden teddy bear exactly like the one Kaleigh had received. Austin saw it right away and read the card, he was elated!
Isn't Christmas just wonderful? :)
All the best! *HUGS*
Kaleigh came home and showed Austin her bear. Guess who fell in love with it immediately? Right, Austin. He begged Kaleigh to let him have it to sleep. He said if he had the bear, he would go to sleep right away and sleep all night. Hmmmm, I was not convinced. With a bit of protest from Kaleigh, she finally let Austin have it and he did fall asleep quickly and cuddled the bear all night. Wow! I could hardly believe a teddy bear could work such magic.
After a few days, Kaleigh became a little annoyed, to say the least. She wanted the bear back, and well, rightfully so since it was her gift that she desperately wanted from Santa. Austin eventually gave up the bear but had a last minute request from Santa, he wanted a bear exactly like the one Kaleigh had received. I promised that I would do my best to reach Santa somehow and see if he could bring one for Christmas, it was fairly close to Christmas Eve at this point. Kaleigh and Austin said that it would be no problem, "the elves could just make one in Santa's workshop"! :D Right.
Low and behold, Christmas morning, under the tree, with a red ribbon, sat a very soft, golden teddy bear exactly like the one Kaleigh had received. Austin saw it right away and read the card, he was elated!
Isn't Christmas just wonderful? :)
All the best! *HUGS*
Letter to Santa
This is Austin's letter to Santa from December. I got such a charge out of it, I had to share it. It is so cute! I love how he asks Santa about his summer vacation. :)
This is huge progress for Austin. So proud of his hard work! Love you Austin! :) OX
All the best! *HUGS*
Silent Nights
As promised, I am starting my posts about Christmas. I apologize for the wait but I had a silly accident last week and needed a few stitches in my thumb, so typing is a bit difficult. Lesson learned, do not cut frozen butter with a sharp knife. That's what happens when you are rushing and not using common sense. Enough about that ... Christmas was different this year.
Last year, and years prior, Austin has always gotten very excited and over stimulated by Christmas. He would be bouncing off the walls and very hard to calm down. This year, we decided that we would be prepared and know what to expect, not so much. It was almost completely different from the last few years. He was very quiet and even withdrawn, very different behaviour and concerning when you are expecting the complete opposite.
We, my husband and I, changed a few things this year. We did not decorate the house as we normally would in the past years. (Kaleigh was not thrilled to say the least and tried to negotiate how she could talk to Austin so he would not get excited by the decorations. It is always a debate with her. :D) We only put up a single string of lights around the lamp in the living room. Austin really liked them, so I asked if he would like some in his room. I thought that maybe the exposure to a single strand every night in his own space may help and he can be afraid of the dark so why not give it a try. I took Austin to pick out is own lights, he really liked the ones with the soft glow. So we bought them. He did however, dislike being in the aisles with all the decorations. He did not get upset like he would at Halloween but expressed he wanted to leave and quickly too! When we got home, we put the lights around his headboard and turned them on for him. They looked great and Austin was very happy. I was waiting to hear him start bouncing on his bed or something, but no, he was very quiet and did not react at all to the lights. Not what we were expecting but very pleased for Austin.
We did not decorate until a few days before Christmas, the same for our tree. We only got it a few days before and it not decorate it right away. Austin was really pretty good throughout the days leading up to Christmas. We told him that we would be having Christmas dinner for the family this year, about 20 people. This got him a little upset. He asked for a "safety zone". Could he use my husband and my room as a safety zone away from all the people. He asked and reacted in such a calm manner, both my husband and I did not hesitate and said "sure" right away. As long as Austin could get away from the noise and people he stayed pretty calm.
The first few days of this quiet spell we were a little worried. We were really expecting him to act so differently but he sort of came around and his behaviour levelled out to a more typical everyday behaviour. He did have a few times when he came home from school and was a bit excited because, well, all the kids are more excited at school. The crafts, decorations, talk of Santa, presents and their excitement affects Austin as well. He really did surprise us this year. We, are, as always very proud of him!
I always try to just go with the flow and accept how Austin is feeling and reacting to situations as they happen. I continue to learn that things can change and you cannot predict how a child may react so I try to take it day by day.
All the best! *HUGS*
Last year, and years prior, Austin has always gotten very excited and over stimulated by Christmas. He would be bouncing off the walls and very hard to calm down. This year, we decided that we would be prepared and know what to expect, not so much. It was almost completely different from the last few years. He was very quiet and even withdrawn, very different behaviour and concerning when you are expecting the complete opposite.
We, my husband and I, changed a few things this year. We did not decorate the house as we normally would in the past years. (Kaleigh was not thrilled to say the least and tried to negotiate how she could talk to Austin so he would not get excited by the decorations. It is always a debate with her. :D) We only put up a single string of lights around the lamp in the living room. Austin really liked them, so I asked if he would like some in his room. I thought that maybe the exposure to a single strand every night in his own space may help and he can be afraid of the dark so why not give it a try. I took Austin to pick out is own lights, he really liked the ones with the soft glow. So we bought them. He did however, dislike being in the aisles with all the decorations. He did not get upset like he would at Halloween but expressed he wanted to leave and quickly too! When we got home, we put the lights around his headboard and turned them on for him. They looked great and Austin was very happy. I was waiting to hear him start bouncing on his bed or something, but no, he was very quiet and did not react at all to the lights. Not what we were expecting but very pleased for Austin.
We did not decorate until a few days before Christmas, the same for our tree. We only got it a few days before and it not decorate it right away. Austin was really pretty good throughout the days leading up to Christmas. We told him that we would be having Christmas dinner for the family this year, about 20 people. This got him a little upset. He asked for a "safety zone". Could he use my husband and my room as a safety zone away from all the people. He asked and reacted in such a calm manner, both my husband and I did not hesitate and said "sure" right away. As long as Austin could get away from the noise and people he stayed pretty calm.
The first few days of this quiet spell we were a little worried. We were really expecting him to act so differently but he sort of came around and his behaviour levelled out to a more typical everyday behaviour. He did have a few times when he came home from school and was a bit excited because, well, all the kids are more excited at school. The crafts, decorations, talk of Santa, presents and their excitement affects Austin as well. He really did surprise us this year. We, are, as always very proud of him!
I always try to just go with the flow and accept how Austin is feeling and reacting to situations as they happen. I continue to learn that things can change and you cannot predict how a child may react so I try to take it day by day.
All the best! *HUGS*
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Just When You Think You Got it, You Don't
This Christmas was very different from the last. I have a few posts to do regarding the experiences of this Christmas. Coming soon.
Newtown
I cannot express, in words, how truly sorry I am for the terrible tragedy that occured in Newtown, Connecticut. It brought tears to my eyes to hear of such a horrific act and the senseless loss of life. I have to express to all those poor families who lost their children and loved ones, my deepest sympathies. I am so very, very sorry.
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