TEN MONTHS!

I absolutely can not believe it's been ten months since I have posted here! It's kind of hard to even imagine what all has happened for us in almost a year! Boo is now in his second and last year of preschool, and boy is the year flying! We are now preparing for his fifth birthday in a little over a month and I can't believe how much OLDER five seems than four. Boo is excited about starting kindergarten in the fall. He will be going to school all day for the first time, which makes me a bit antsy, but he is excited about it. His biggest complaint about preschool is that sometimes they run out of time to finish what they are working on and this REALLY bothers him. Sometimes to the point of a breakdown. So when I told him that at kindergarted he would get to stay all day, and even eat lunch there, he was THRILLED! He exclaimed, "You mean I get to stay ALL day, till it's DARK outside!?" No, Dear, not quite THAT long. LOL

He has a thirst for knowledge that seems unquenchable and an intelligence that astounds me. He knows so much about how the world works, the rules that govern both the natural world and society. Thanks to his acute powers of observation, and his intense study of tv shows such as Sid the Science Kid, Wild Kratts, How It's Made, and World's Toughest Fixes, he routinely blows us away with the stuff that comes out of his mouth. Also, he is an astute reader. I have to be careful about this. Sometimes I forget that he can read and it gets me into trouble. Other times even without forgetting it causes an issue.

We have been invited to a classmate's birthday party this weekend and Boo is so excited he can hardly stand it. Every day he asks me if it's party day yet, though he knows full well that it is not. A few days ago we made a trip to Walmart to select a gift, which was surprisingly easy, and a card, which was surprisingly tough. I took him to the section of birthday cards aimed for boys around his age and directed him to choose a card for his friend. He began picking up and reading cards that looked interesting to him. The problem came when he became attached to a few cards that I considered inappropriate but which he thought to be the height of hilarity. We came toe to toe over one with a picture of a dog dressed as a pirate with this text: "It's your birthday, Matey. I left you a present on the POOP deck." Boo was cracking up over this card, not even understanding the pun, but loving the idea of shouting the word POOP multiple times in public. I told him that he needed to choose another card. It almost got ugly, but he finally chose a card with penguins which had a sheet of stickers inside. Except, he wanted to put some of the stickers on his shirt. I told him that the stickers were for the birthday boy. He assured me that he would leave some of them for his friend. No, sweetheart, ALL of the stickers are for your friend. Who ever thought that choosing a card would be the tough part? SHEESH!

Our Grams (my grandmother) was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, which came as a huge shock to us all, considering she is in her 80's! It has been a long and stressful journey from mammogram to biopsy to lumpectomy. During the process I bought her a card to give her a much needed laugh. The front said something to the effect of: "Much later you will look back on this with the wisdom that time bestows and you will think," and inside it read: "Wow. That SUCKED!" Grams cracked up laughing and of course Boo had to find out what was so funny. He read the card too. Now once in a while he randomly announces in a loud voice, "Wow, that sucked!" and then laughs wildly.

Boo has made great strides in his social abilities, thanks to some very hard work this year from his speech therapist. He is learning more about the importance of reciprocity in his interactions. He is learning about turn-taking and how to be a good sport when he looses. He is still working on dealing with the disappointment when his friends don't do what he wants or expects. Most of his play is still based in scripting from his favorite tv shows, but I have seen more and more instances of truely creative imaginative play. It always warms my heart.

I am not going to bore you with ten months worth of catching up. We'll just pick up from this point and move forward. Besides, I'm so tired right now I can hardly think, let alone type.

More Than Meets the Eye

A few days ago Boo caught me watching trailers for summer release movies on the internet. When he walked up I was watching one for Transformers Dark of the Moon. He was very interested in what he was seeing. I was concerned that the dramatic fighting sequences would be too much for him. But he did not seem bothered. He asked a lot of questions and we talked a lot about what the transformers are and what they do. He asked to watch the trailer again. Then he noticed the thumbnail below for the Cars 2 trailer and asked to see that. We watched both of the Cars 2 trailers and talked about that.

About a month ago my dad had told me that Cars 2 would be coming out in June and said that he wants to take Boo to see it. I thought that sounded great, as I had already decided that I would like to attempt Boo's first movie theatre experience this summer. But I was concerned as to how well my dad would handle it. I have been discussing this with my mom and we decided that we need to start discussing it with Boo. We haven't really learned how to write social stories yet but we hoped that we could prepare him for what to expect just with discussion. So when he was all excited about the new cars movie, I decided to introduce the idea.

We talked about what a movie theatre is and what we do there. We talked about the fact that Cars 2 will not be available at Walmart. It will only be at the theatre. We talked about the fact that it will come to theatres on June 24. Boo was very excited. Every day since that he has asked me immediately upon waking if it is June yet. He showed both of the Cars 2 trailers and both of the Transformers trailers to his Mammo and told her all about them.

At church today Boo decided to join the children with Pastor up front for the children's message. He insisted I go with him as usual. The message was way over Boo's head, but he sat quiet and polite (mostly) while Pastor spoke. At one point, he whispered to me, "if I say 'excuse me' will it be my turn to talk?" (we have been working very hard to curtail his habit of interrupting) I told him that it would not, and that he must wait till Pastor finished the message and then he could talk to him. As soon as the message was done and the children were dismissed back to their parents, James said "Pastor?" The entire church sat silent and Pastor leaned down toward his little parishioner. "Yes, Boo?" And then Boo surprised me by suddenly launching into a description of Transformers, who they are, what they do, what they are called. I was trying to steer him away but he would not be dissuaded. It can be near impossible to stop him in the middle of one of these type of speeches. Somehow, perhaps by divine intervention, Pastor managed to say exactly the right thing. "Can we talk about it after church?"

All of this, of course, was broadcast for the congregation via Pastor's lapel microphone. We returned to our seats amid stifled giggles and grins. Boo was (mostly) good throughout the rest of the service. The instant that church was over, he just couldn't get to Pastor fast enough! He had not forgotten, and he was anxious for his promised chance to continue the discussion. When we finally got through the line and it was our turn to shake hands with Pastor, Boo gave quite the informative speech. He told Pastor that the good Transformers are called Autobots, and that the bad ones are Decepticons. You just never can tell what's going on inside that little mind.....

Four on the Floor

It's been quite busy around here lately! A class field trip, Easter, a friend's birthday party, a church carnival, daddy being home for a week, and Boo's birthday. There are so many things I have longed to share, but haven't found the time to get my thoughts out. The birthday was a huge success! It was the first time Boo had a party with his friends. We had a backyard bash, and the day was a gorgeous as could be.

There were only two hitches. First, Boo refuses to believe or admit that he is now four. He insists on staying three. He is not motivated by the idea of being bigger. He wants to stay little and he says he likes being three. While I relish the fact that my little guy isn't in a hurry to grow up, facts are facts. But he keeps insisting he is three. LOL

The second problem involved his birthday present. Last year, he got his first bike, a 12 inch one that he adored, but which was causing him to practically eat his knees this spring! We got him a new 16 inch bike and he knew it was coming. He was so excited to get it, the very instant we gave it to him he insisted on going for a ride. He also received a new helmet and knee and elbow pads. He readily put them on, which surprised me. I had never required it of him in the past, and as a general rule he hates things on his head. But he geared up and we headed out. When Boo goes bike riding, he has a very specific path he takes. Any suggestion that we vary the path is met with extreme resistance. Once I got him to go half a block out of route at which time he had a total meltdown and insisted on going home. Later when he was more able to discuss his emotions he told me that he had been lost because he didn't know where he was. The route he takes is not circular. We go across town and down a certain one way street, and back the same way. On his birthday, we went all the way to the end of the one way street, turned around, and got about a third of the way back when the problem started. Having ridden the bike about 40 minutes, he suddenly realized that both of the training wheels on the bike did not turn at all times. Of course, that is exactly how they are designed to work. As he leans to the right or left, the training wheels support him and keep him from falling. But in Boo's mind, wheels are made to spin. And if a vehicle has four wheels, then all four wheels must spin. He has rejected toy cars in the past if all four wheels did not spin freely. So the fact that the training wheels "didn't work right" rendered the entire bike un-rideable. I reasoned, I bargained, I begged, I cajoled, I threatened, I feigned walking away, nothing worked. My Boo sat motionless and sobbing in despair, refusing to pedal the bike. I reached my breaking point. I turned into Mommy Hyde. I yelled, I was angry, I threatened to take the bike back to the store. I ended up pushing him on the bike all the way back home. You talk about a LONG walk! By the time we arrived home, Boo wailing and me seething, he was begging me to take his bike back to the store. I took him into the house, and eventually was able to calm both of us down enough to comfort him. I told him I would ask Daddy to "fix" his training wheels so they would work right and he said that would be acceptable. I left him with his great grandma and I went out to the garage. It didn't take long before I collapsed into a sobbing heap of bitter desperate tears. I cried to my mom and my husband, told them how horribly I had behaved toward poor Boo. How much I hate myself when I treat him that way. How very hard it is at times to remember that it's not his fault, he can't control it, and he's not just being obstinate. It really does bother him THAT much. I felt like the worst mother in the entire world. My husband and I wept in each other's arms, then he got out his wrenches and lowered the training wheels as low as they would go. Later that afternoon when everyone was more relaxed, Boo agreed to try the bike again. The wheels were low enough that they at least appear to him to be spinning at all times, and he is thrilled with the bike once again. Of course, now my mantra is a constant reminder to look ahead of him instead of staring at the training wheels to make sure they are spinning.

Strict Constructionist

I live with a child who is a stickler for the rules. This would be super great, if only it were MY rules he is so insistent on following. But the rules Boo must follow, and which he insists we ALL follow, originate in his own mind. They are often things that seem so random or arbitrary or illogical to the rest of us, but for Boo, they seem to be something he NEEDS in order to cope with the world and keep himself on an even keel. Regulated, as we sometimes call it. Some examples of Boo rules are, only one sound may be happening at a time. For example, if he is watching a movie, I can't have the radio on in the next room. Bananas must remain whole or they are inedible. If one breaks, or heaven forbid you cut it, he becomes very distressed and refuses to eat that one, or any others. Only one food may be offered/eaten at a time. The route we drive both to and from Mammo's house must be exactly the same each time. There are a myriad of such rules that we must pay attention to.

You can imagine how someone who insists on strict adherence to order and sameness can be challenging to live with. Sometimes life just throws you a curve ball, and there is nothing you can do but adjust how you hold your mitt. This is very hard to teach a child with autism. Recently, the county began working on resurfacing the highway between our house and Mammo's house. The appearance of orange cones and strange signs along the road was uncomfortable for Boo, and he needed me to talk it through a lot so that he could feel safe and comfortable. Then the cones moved to the middle of the road, and we were required to drive only on the left lane. That was very difficult to come to terms with, but he finally did. Low and behold, just a few days later, the right lane had been ground off and they began work on the left lane. Aside from this being highly annoying to ME since there is no way to drive down the highway without cars in front of you spraying rocks up on your windshield, it was very disturbing to Boo, who had only recently dealt with the idea that we were only driving on the left lane, and now we are only driving on the right. Not to mention, the westbound traffic has these rules, but the eastbound traffic does not. Boo does not like this construction zone, or it's cones, and especially not its strange and (to him) confusing rules. When he feels distressed, he shows it by talking about what's bothering him. A lot. Incessantly! So there has been a lot of talk about cones, and workers.

Today as we entered the highway, a large dump truck entered also, but it proceeded to drive down the forbidden side of the road toward the construction workers. This sent Boo into a tizzy! That truck was NOT supposed to be on THAT side of the road! It took me a while to convince him that the truck was driven by one of the workers and that it was ok. It was crazy windy here today, and several of the orange cones had been blown over onto their sides, pointing into our driving lane. This also upset the boy, as the perfect row of identical cones set up at regular intervals was disrupted by the occasional fallen cone. He asked me what happened and I told him the wind blew them over. He lamented, "But I didn't WANT that to happen!" Soon he spotted a workman up ahead and he concluded that the worker was going to pick up the cones, so it would be ok.

Then, something magical happened! We passed by a big machine that was grinding up the road and he asked me what it was. I told him "that's a paving machine." Now, in the strictest sense, I was not correct, since this machine was grinding off the old pavement, not laying down new. But it was the first thing that came to my mind. And oh, was Boo excited! He announced, "YEAH, JUST LIKE BESSIE!" (Bessie is the name of the paving machine in the movie Cars) He began asking me "what is the name of that machine? What is the name of the machine that's on the real earth? (meaning, the real one, as opposed to the one on tv) I told him I didn't know and asked what he supposed the name of the machine was, and he answered "Bessie." He was so excited about Bessie that he forgot all about his concerns over the construction zone. It's the little things, ya know?

New Sandals

I am breathing a little easier these days. I am back down to only one job. Spring is in the air, bringing with it lots of chances to run and play outside. My flowers are blooming and the garden is ready to be planted. It's my favorite time of year!

We have been very busy lately too. Boo's Daddy was home unexpectedly for a weekend recently which thrilled Boo right down to his toes! We also went on a field trip to a local farm with Boo's preschool class and attended a family fun night at school. Family fun night included dying Easter eggs and an egg hunt. It was great fun and Boo had a wonderful time, but it was also very overwhelming and overstimulating. In classic Boo fashion, he maintained his composure very well in the moment and saved the meltdown for Mommy.

We also had some company this weekend. A dear friend from my childhood, Ryan, whom I had not seen in person in almost 20 years came to stay with us for a few days with her daughter Roo. Little Miss Roo is a fourth grader and she is amazing! She bonded with Boo right away, and spent the entire weekend seeking to learn as much as she could about him. She asked some of the most insightful questions I have ever heard. She connected, she was intuitive and just amazing.

Boo is making strides toward resolving his difficulties with toileting independently. Unfortunately, this progress brings about a whole new set of difficulties. I am hesitant to post any more information than that in respect of Boo's privacy. I like to imagine that this blog will continue as he grows and that he will someday be able to read it and look back on his childhood from another point of view. I also like to imagine that he will be happy with what I write about him and that he will not be embarrassed.

Boo's problem solving abilities are improving also. Any time he is denied something he wants, he insists on knowing why. Once you tell him your reasoning, he will set about defeating your argument. You have to be very careful what you tell him. For instance, a while back he asked if he could skip the last step going down the basement steps. The steps end with a small landing and then a concrete wall. If he were to loose his balance and take a tumble, he would meet that wall head first. I told him no, he could not skip the last step because if he did he might hurt himself. He waited till I wasn't looking and went ahead and jumped the last step, then proudly announced that he had done so and had not been hurt. Therefore my reasoning held no weight and he now assumed he had automatic permission to go ahead and skip the last step. He is smart, my little Boo. He thrilled my heart today when he was begging for more treats from his Easter basket and I said no. He announced, "Let's make a compromise" and then he proceeded to propose a compromise and he ended up receiving two bite size mini oreos. A born negotiator, my Boo.

I think my favorite story recently was from last night. Boo was telling the Easter story to our guests, using some pictures from a gift that was given to him at Sunday School. He was showing each of the pictures in the story and linking them with the narrative. "Jesus was riding on a donkey, and then he went into a house that was orange and had this kind of door. He had a special meal with his friends. Then he was praying. They hanged him on a cross on Good Friday and he died. Then they moved away the big stone and he came to life and he got some new sandals.".......Amen, Boo. Amen.

Balancing Act

Last night after Boo went to bed, I spent some time reading through the MomNOS blog. It been a favorite of mine for some time, and I am in the process of reading it from beginning to end. One post in particular really resonated with me. It was about the importance of sensory integration activities, and the signs that the child's sensory needs are not being met. I gave this a lot of thought, especially the concept of "Push, Pull, Lift, Carry" that was mentioned as being the keys to sensory regulation. I recognized that Boo has been under-stimulated sensory-wise the last several days. My mom has described this as "it was a rough-and-tumble day." I have noticed Boo having decreased ability to self-regulate, to attend and focus, to be still, and to listen and comply with requests or instructions. He has also been climbing into bed with me in the middle of the night, pushing so closely up next to me and even sticking limbs under my body, that I nearly end up shoved out of bed. This was something that was mentioned by MomNOS as well. So today, I focused on trying to get those needs met. Before church I asked Boo to carry his bag across the parking lot. The Boo bag is a large canvas bag with his name embroidered on it, which holds spare clothes, snacks, toys, books, and the requisite disposable cup in case of a public bathroom emergency. It is quite heavy and he enjoys carrying it on his shoulder just like Mommy. He had a very hard time being good during church. After church I took him to Grandpa's house to play while I went home to mow the lawn and then went to a mother-daughter program at church. When the weather is nice he likes to spend most of his time at Grandpa's house outside on his tricycle, riding all around the yard. The terrain is very irregular and I figured the activity would be good for his sensory integration. Hours later we went home and Boo watched a video for a while and ate some supper. Then he was climbing all over the furniture, hanging upside down, acting rambunctious. He got out his "Mr. Blue Ball," a large blue rubber ball that my mom got him so he could use it to sit on while watching TV to help develop his core muscles and balancing skills. (something she read in a book on sensory integration dysfunction) He was enjoying sitting on the ball, but quickly got out of control with bouncing on it and then kicking it in the house. Desperate to harness his energy, I decided to pull out something we hadn't tried in probably nine months. I got out the sit-n-spin. He was excited about it at first, spent a while using it appropriately and really enjoyed it. I took a picture of him on it and he noticed me doing so. That distracted him completely. He came up to me and raised one foot in the air, asking me to "take a picture of my stinky foots." I did and showed him to it, which delighted him. Then he got on all fours and put his head down and asked me to take a picture of that. I remembered that his teacher had told me last week at parent-teacher conference that he would not attempt a forward somersault. I took the opportunity to work on it in a low pressure environment. I helped him get into position and showed him how to push over. He thought it was fun a few times, then he wanted to watch me do it. Believe it or not, at my age I can still do a somersault! But after three, I dared not do it again. For whatever reason, Boo had decided to go down the hall and hide in his bedroom with only his head sticking out into the hall to watch me. When I told him I was done somersaulting, he ran down the hall full speed and crashed into my open arms, knocking me backward. He often does this same activity, only crashing full speed into the couch instead. I decided to use the activity that seems to fulfill a sensory need for him. I gathered up pillows and piled them on the floor behind me and then held two large pillows in front of my body and head and encouraged him to run into me with the pillows. He really embraced the game, squealing with sheer delight as he ran, and laughing with joy as he pushed me down. We played this game for probably 20 minutes. Then he decided it was MY turn to run, and he positioned himself among the pillows, put two in front of himself, and giggling, told me to "go." I jogged down the hall, fell to my knees in front of him, and used my arm to push him backward into the pillows. When he tired of that activity, he just went craaaazy! Throwing hotwheels, spinning the sit-n-spin with his hands as fast as it would go, waving the sit-n-spin's "steering wheel" around in the air like a magic wand, running, crashing, etc. I tried to get him to take a bath, which is an activity he loves and usually relaxes him. He insisted he did not want a bath, but he did ask for some computer time. By then it was 8:00 and I intended to have him in bed by 8:30. I was hesitant to allow computer time because it is so hard to transition away from it when time is up. But I glimpsed an opportunity and grabbed it! I told him that he could have 30 minutes of computer IF he would brush his teeth. Tooth brushing is one of our biggest fights. He HATES it with a passion. He doesn't like the way it feels. Especially on his upper molars. There have been a few small seasons when it wasn't much of an issue. He still didn't like it, but would allow me to do it. But whatever technique seems to be working will wear thin in just a few weeks and we are back to an ineffective wrestling match. Because of this, I am ashamed to admit how poor of a job I have done at insisting that it gets done. I was pleasantly surprised when he ran to the bathroom and pulled his toothbrush out of the drawer. I had bought him a Thomas SpinBrush a while back. His occupational therapist had suggested a vibrating toothbrush to "desensitize" him to brushing. He took out the brush and did a fairly good job at cleaning his teeth. He was hesitant to do his top molars. Since he was so agreeable, I asked if I could help him, and he let me brush his teeth also. When I did it without pushing the button, he requested that I "tickle" his teeth. I got a good brushing done on the bottom and the fronts, but when it came time for the top he became antsy and implored "not on my skin!" When computer time was up, I was shocked by the absolute fit that ensued. Tantrum doesn't even begin to cover it. I have not seen a meltdown of this magnitude for months! I had been in hopes that all the sensory integration activities would help him to regulate and to calm. But just the opposite happened. So I am thinking that perhaps I overdid it. Perhaps it was too much in one day. Maybe I swung the pendulum to the opposite side, with the same result. I will have to work at finding that delicate balance between under-stimulated and over-stimulated.

Great Strides

We have not posted here in a while. Busy busy busy at our house this spring! The weather is beginning to warm up and we have been able to spend more time outside lately, much to Boo's delight. He loves playing in the backyard with his dog. We also tilled up a garden spot this year and have been working the soil in anticipation of planting time. Boo likes to use the rake to pull the dirt around. He also likes to throw the dog's ball into the garden despite repeated warnings not to do so. One day he ended up having the ball taken away and put up in the shed for that reason. Now, I did this to show him that I meant what I said about not throwing the ball in the garden (because I don't want the dog in the garden) but there were still two other balls just like it elsewhere in the yard for them to play with. Silly me, I thought perhaps Boo would go get one of them and continue playing. What was I thinking? He fixated on the one that was taken away. He cried, wailed, begged, pleaded, bargained, apologized, anything he could think of to get me to give him back the ball. I stood my ground. That's when the little squirt got clever! Our Boo is smart, oh so smart. I have my work cut out for me as he gets older. I was busily raking chunks of unwanted grass out of the freshly tilled garden and I THOUGHT that Boo was playing happily with the other two balls in the yard. One accidentally (or so I thought) ended up going over the fence into the neighbor's yard. I warned him to be careful because we cannot get the ball out of the neighbor's yard till we see them again. I went back to raking. Next thing I knew, both remaining balls were in the neighbor's yard, and Boo was reasoning to me that the dog NEEDS the ball that I took away because all his other balls are over the fence. Oh, what pure logic! As much as I LOVED to see his use of logic and problem solving, alas, the rest of the day was spent sans ball for both dog and boy. Two days later when the balls returned, I had to warn him only once and remind him what happened the last time. He quickly moved to another part of the yard to continue playing. Lesson learned, I hope! Last weekend was so wonderful for us. On Saturday Boo and I spent the day with much of our extended family. We joined five other family members on a trip to the big city and shopped till we dropped! It was not Boo's kind of shopping since it involved none of the things he is interested in buying. None of the things I brought along with me to occupy him were helping. Not even the new issue of Highlights magazine, which is usually a hit. He wanted to be out of that cart and running around. I wanted to be enjoying the time with my family rather than chasing down an unruly toddler. All in all, he did quite well, especially considering that we left on this outing at his usual nap time. After several hours of shopping, during which Boo tried to convince my cousin (who is expecting) that "your babies will LOVE this!" showing her everything he could get his hands on, we returned to my aunt's house to spend the evening with family. The house was full and so were the hearts. We had a fabulous barbecue, although Boo of course ate none of it. One of my biggest lifelong goals is to get him to eat a semi-normal variety of foods. That one is going to be a very long road. Sunday turned out to be a phenomenal day. We were up quite late Saturday so we accidentally slept in too late to go to church. We lounged and played in the morning and then went outside to enjoy the record breaking warmth and pleasant sunshine. I decided it was about time to start watering the yard and set about checking the sprinkler system to see if all was well with it. It came on before I expected and before I could warn Boo. One of the things he hates most is having water in his face. He hates rain or snow that is "drizzly" because he can't keep it from blowing in his face. Even in the bathtub we always have to have a dry washcloth handy to wipe his face with. To my surprise, I walked out of the garage to find my boy running through the sprinklers laughing and delighted! Back and forth, back and forth he ran across the lawn chasing the spraying water soaking himself head to toe. He ran up to me grinning and his face was covered in droplets of water that he didn't seem to notice. He ran all over the front and back yards from one sprinkler to another, testing out the spray of each one. I don't know who was more giddy, me or Boo. Later that afternoon, we needed to run to the store for a few things. Because his tennis shoes were wet, he couldn't wear them to the store. Encouraged by the breakthrough of the morning, I brought out the flip flops I had bought on clearance at the end of last summer. Last year we had bought a pair in July that were American flag designs. (He loves the flag) He was excited about them till the first time I put them on his feet. One feel of that plastic between his toes and that was it. No flip flops for Boo, thank you very much! But Sunday I decided to push the issue juuuuust a little. I told him that his tennis shoes were wet and couldn't be worn. (he would refuse them anyway, as he won't wear things even the slightest bit wet) He did not like the idea of the flip flops because there were no socks. I showed him how I wore mine and he was unconvinced. He finally conceded to wear them IF he could wear socks. Why not? I got out a pair of socks and put them on him. But when he felt that bulky bit of sock being wedged between his toes, he thought better of it and opted for "none socks." We put the shoes on him and he walked cheerfully through the grocery store, pushing the cart into things left and right. He also had trouble keeping them on his feet, as he wasn't able to figure out how to use his toes to keep the shoes on. Every few steps one of the flip flops fell right off his foot. But it was still counted as a great victory! Later that day we were in the basement doing laundry and for whatever reason I decided to pull out my elliptical exercise machine and get on it. Boo was intrigued, asking lots of questions. I offered to let him get on with me and try it, but he was adamant he did not want to and ran away from me. A few minutes later, I emerged from the laundry room with my basket of clothes to find Boo standing on the elliptical walking his little legs off. He was SO proud of himself! He continued to return to the exercise machine over and over the rest of the day, and when he finishes he always asks me to check the timer display and tell him "how many numbers did I exercise?" This is another great thing for Boo, as we have discovered that his ability to calm down, be still, and pay attention is greatly helped by resistance activities (lifting/pulling/pushing heavy things, elliptical machine, etc) and by very tight squeezing hugs and deep pressure massage. The fact that he loves this and thinks it a game will serve us well. In the evening we had a cousin over for supper and then Boo invited her to join him in the backyard to play. We all went outside and the flip flops were once again falling off his feet. He soon decided to just leave them behind and play in the yard barefoot. This is the child who will remove his shoes because of one tiny sand pebble or a wrinkle in his sock, and he was running all over the dry crunchy grass that has yet to begin to green up for the spring. I watched in awe. Soon a thunderstorm front moved through and the wind increased dramatically. We played a wonderful game of "basketball" which involved throwing a large ball into the wind and then chasing it down and catching it. I was totally amazed by the end of the day. As I shared Boo's accomplishments throughout the day on facebook, my mom posted "put that boy to bed, my heart can't take anymore!" I wish I could figure out what the magic formula was that led us to such a wonderful day, but it is a tremendous encouragement for us all.