Another pretty calm day. It was Cindy the Social Services Lady's last session with us and it went pretty quickly. The boys played with the toys she brought while we chatted. Nikko was engrossed in block builders that he also used in OT yesterday. He lined them up, but also did it coordinating them by color. Interesting observation. I thanked Cindy for everything she's done for us with an Amazon.com gift card. I have learned a lot from her, some good tips regarding behaviors, educational information and inspiration. She was a sounding board for me, and I even appreciated the electronic snowman that lit up with rotating colors that she brought to us during the holidays.
In the afternoon, after I put Ronin down for a nap, I was sitting with Audrey and watching Nikko run back and forth in front of the mirrored corner. He was doing some some running back and forth in front of the mirrored corner along with some jumping off the ottoman. I really don't know what he was doing, but when I looked closely at him his hair was wet with sweat. He gave himself a big workout in such a small space! He seemed fine but it struck me odd that he was so sweaty. We didn't have any big tantrums during the day. Nikko found himself in the window equally as much as he was on the couch. I also caught him flipping through a truck book. And he seems to have gotten his taste for chicken nuggets back. He ate three whole ones during lunch and dinner.
When Denis came home, we headed out to Meadows Park to their zero-depth pool. We met up with the Creens and made it an aquatic family outing. Nikko enjoyed his pool time, skimming the bottom of the pool like a crocodile. Ronin was really happy, trouncing around and venturing as far deep as Denis could take him before I got all nervous. And Audrey was very content to be in my lap, slapping at the water, reaching for the little bubbling fountains and watching other babies in the pool. It was a successful outing. Nikko hadn't had a nap all day and was asleep before Denis finished saying the nighttime prayers.
I know these entries are short, but when I don't get out much, there's not much to report. I am trying to see what kind of activities we can do during these summer days and now that the swingset is up I hope to get us in the backyard more. I still need to get the kiddie pools cleaned out so we can have an aquatic backyard experience. It's still hard because Audrey isn't walking yet, but I'm trying to work around it. I'm also doing some reading on the side whenever I can. Cindy lent us (and I ultimately bought) another behavioral therapy-based autism book that seems useful, and I also got a book about quick stories and tips compiled by families of kids with autism. Reading a bunch of shorter stories is making it easier to get through this book. So far, the most useful information I got from it is that I should try very hard to get into a support group or find other mothers who have been in/are in similiar situations such as ours, to exchange stories and so that I can learn from them. Tracy Hellner, the autism coordinator at Clearbrook, got in touch with me yesterday and told me about a mom who's son is in preschool right now and might be a good resource. She said she'd try to connect us. Tracy also warned me that during the summer, many groups close down so I might not get lucky in that arena.
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