I can't believe he is 3 already. It seems like he was born just yesterday. And on the other hand it feels like a lifetime...
Marco's birth day was so incredibly special, such a wonderful beginning as a parent. We have been through our share of things over the past year, and Marco has rolled with the punches right along with us. There are plenty of moments where I worry about the future of my kids. Will they be independent one day, will they be happy, will they have an OK time in school or will they be teased? I think every parent goes through those moments, special needs or not (sometimes I hate the term 'special needs').
Today I made it a point to just relax and enjoy Marco. Enjoy the moments with him, especially picking him up from school and taking him to dinner before his Speech Therapy. We sat and enjoyed dinner and I took a picture of him. He asked me to turn off the lights when they came on, I explained to him that these were not lights I had any kind of control over. He tried to stand on the chair, I made him sit. He danced outside the window by shaking his booty, and made the people who were sitting on the other side laugh. I was told how cute he was, once again. (Good god, if I was given a dollar every time someone told me how cute he was I could send him to College one day. As it is I just hope he can become REALLY good at soccer.) Then we went to Speech Therapy. Probably could not have had a better B-day party for him if I had planned one. ST is really a kind of play therapy. Although maybe on the surface it looks like play, Marco is learning from it. He laughed a lot today. He has an incredible report with his ST that warms my heart. I am so glad that Marco bonds with people (besides his Dad and I) who help shape his life, from whom he learns. Many of Marco's behaviors do not point to autism at all, which makes me happy.
Today I made it a point to just relax and enjoy Marco. Enjoy the moments with him, especially picking him up from school and taking him to dinner before his Speech Therapy. We sat and enjoyed dinner and I took a picture of him. He asked me to turn off the lights when they came on, I explained to him that these were not lights I had any kind of control over. He tried to stand on the chair, I made him sit. He danced outside the window by shaking his booty, and made the people who were sitting on the other side laugh. I was told how cute he was, once again. (Good god, if I was given a dollar every time someone told me how cute he was I could send him to College one day. As it is I just hope he can become REALLY good at soccer.) Then we went to Speech Therapy. Probably could not have had a better B-day party for him if I had planned one. ST is really a kind of play therapy. Although maybe on the surface it looks like play, Marco is learning from it. He laughed a lot today. He has an incredible report with his ST that warms my heart. I am so glad that Marco bonds with people (besides his Dad and I) who help shape his life, from whom he learns. Many of Marco's behaviors do not point to autism at all, which makes me happy.
Now that Marco is 3, he will have his ST via the LUSD. I met Ms Gabby, who seems incredibly nice and like Eric, is gifted at what she does. I look forward to Marco's chance to spend some time in the classroom, to get a feel for what that is like. He will go to his ABA school only 5 hours a day (8-1) and on M-W-F he will go to daycare in the afternoon (both are near my work so I will shuttle him in the middle of the day). The same day care he was going to before he started ABA. It will be nice for him to be around kids and just get to BE a kid. Play and interact when he feels like it, but to not be forced into anything. I felt 40 hours of ABA was a little too much. I was bringing home an overly tired child every night, who did not even feel like having dinner. Now he will have some energy to spare, and I dare think he will actually absorb more. (That is just my mother gut-instinct, of course studies have shown that 40 hours of ABA is what is needed for the biggest amount of benefit. I am going with my gut...no study can beat a mother's gut instinct, right?!?!?!?)
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