So our little Alexzander is making quite an impact on this year's preschool class! He has been doing great with the transitions from playing to working on their projects, and he has gotten the title of "Circle Time Police" because he will not let anyone sit idle during circle time! He is doing a wonderful job at doing all of the assigned tasks that he is given, and usually the only day they really have any problems is on Monday (but really, who among us wants to do things on Monday mornings?).
We have decided that he is going to start using people's names more. For example, the other night I told him to say good night to Tony and Erik, and he walked up to Tony and said, "Good night dad!" then walked over to Erik, looked at him a second, then said, "Good night dad?" we laughed, said "No...", so he switched it to, "Good night.... Name." We reminded him that it was "Erik", and since he has a really big love obsession with the movie "Monsters vs Aliens", he said, "Good night Derick." Close enough.
To add another chore to his chore chart, and to get Alex into feeling more like it is Christmas around here, I got him a little Christmas tree of his own to take care of. He watered it, and was really excited about it. Now we just have to make sure the cats don't eat it. There is still no snow in our valley, but once that comes and stays around, I think that Alex will be even more excited about Christmas coming. Right now, he probably thinks we are all lying to him because there is no snow on the ground... so it can't be almost Christmas!
The past week, we tried something else new. I didn't help him on to the bus this week. He was really scared one day, but for the most part he was alright just walking up to the bus and getting on. The first day, he stopped at the base of the steps, sighed, and told himself he could do it. He climbed up the steps and sat in his seat like the big boy he is, and rode to school. Such a big step for such a little guy! I am trying to make sure that he understands that he can rely on people when he needs to, but that he also has to be independent enough to do things on his own. It seems as though I am at the right point of balance between the two.
Today was a rough day for me, because I am dealing with the death of my godfather, my Uncle Phil. I cuddled with Alex and cried a bit, and he hugged me and gave me a kiss, then told me it was ok. I like how now, I can ask him simple questions and he will answer me. Like, I asked him if he thought I was a good mommy. He said, "Sure!" I asked him if he could pick any mommy in the world, would he still pick me? He looked at me and said, "Um... Yes." I am taking this as a good sign that I am doing something right. He tells me he loves me, and today while I was crying that he "loves daddy too", even though he wasn't here at the time to hear it.
In closing, I wanted to leave you with a quote from the "Always Unique Totally Intelligent Sometimes Mysterious" page from Facebook:
"Even with the increased awareness about autism, unfortunately there’s still a stigma surrounding the disorder, and it’s definitely a problem for families. Even in the best of circumstances, your life becomes very different. You’re constantly adapting, doing what you have to do just to survive, and the level of energy that effort requires is hard to imagine, if you haven’t been there. Society has no real understanding of autism, or awareness of the bizarre behaviors which are a part of the disorder. As parents we logically know that we have no reason to be ashamed of our child, but many times we feel responsible for who they are. The most important thing is to realize that autism is not tragic; our children are alive, healthy and wonderful. Our autistic children are whole, not broken and our own lives, by extension, are also whole and full of potential. Ordinary and motivated parents can overcome seemingly impossible hurdles and make an extraordinary difference in their children's lives. Autism has helped many become better families. It teaches us patience and understanding. Autism changes everything. We change the way we see ourselves, the ways we parent, our immediate future, and our long-term future. But we go on and overcome it. Every family has different experiences and outcomes, but every single one of us works hard to procure and provide something therapeutic every single day. But no matter how different it is for us, we have a lot in common too. One of the biggest things we have in common is how much we worry. We don't know what the future holds for our kids, and there is a lot to worry about."
If you have not liked this page, it is a really interesting one to read if you want to learn about autism. Until the next time I find time to write (I have finals next week, so it will probably be after that), I wish you all the best, and Alexzander says, "OH! Hello!"
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