Rain / I WANT

Today was my biggest fear regarding Nikko's ESY: it was raining. It's only half a block to school, but taking the three kiddos out in the rain for any distance is a big pain. They get wet, the stroller gets wet, and I can't predict if Nikko is going to splash in puddles or comply. I gave him an umbrella to hold and he kept turnig it upside down, defeating its function. He also walked more slowly with it so I had to keep turning to drag him up to the stroller, which was careening off the sidewalk numerous times when I did this. I didn't have a proper raincoat for Nikko so I found an Adidas windbreaker with a hood that would do, even though the sleeves were small. I put the red Hello Kitty raincoat on Ronin, who was sitting in the front, and I put a hoodie on Audrey, knowing the stroller shade would be covering her head but not her legs. I put on a baseball cap, which Nikko tried to claw off my head but I was so stressed that we were running late that I pushed his hands away and practically ran to the garage (with Nikko at my heels) to fetch the double stroller. I had put the little ones in the doorway and when I loaded each one separately, I scraped my big toe against the front cement step. It bled a little, and stung the way small cuts do when exposed to dirty water and air. Later I'd put a Toy Story band-aid on it, since that's what was handy thanks to Nikko's obsession with the band-aid box. When we arrived at the school, Mrs. McCarthy and Nikko just exited the doors. Nikko was trying to get away from her, yanking at her arm and whining. I wasn't sure why, but this is day two of a negative exit display. It could have been crankiness for not getting to play outside due to the rain, especially since he was fine during class. I passed by another mom with a boy in a stroller and noticed that his legs were wrapped in plastic bags to keep the rain off. He looked kind of mummified, but at least he was dry and I wondered if I should have resorted to at least a blanket over Audrey's legs. Next time. We survived the rain, but I have noted to myself that these kids need some proper rain gear, including kid-friendly umbrellas.

Jenna came early so Nikko went downstairs early for his session. I was upstairs eating lunch when I heard Nikko doing some whining and crying. I could hear Jenna trying to get him to say "I want a screwdriver." The I WANT, especially the "I" was the focus. Nikko didn't want to say it, so there was a power play happening. Later, Jenna told me she hadn't had Nikko flop angrily onto the floor before. They actually finished the session on the floor because he staunchly refused to sit in the chair. I hope they will break him of that behavior. But I also wonder if he's uncomfortable, because this evenin while Ronin was getting his bath and Nikko sat on the toilet, he strained as if he was going to take a dump. The problem was that I noticed this and started paying him some attention. This caused Nikko to "retract" and not complete his #2. I'm disappointed that he didn't finish, and must note to myself that if I see him straining on the toilet to LEAVE HIM ALONE so he can finish his business. If only I hadn't bothered him and tried to "help" him by moving his feet so he could push off the floor stool, then maybe he would have finished his #2. Now he won't do anything until the morning. And hopefully he'll pass something before he goes to school. Oy vay.

We went to Mom's house this afternoon. Ronin was playing with this big, purple Barbie van that opened up sideways to show the inside. Nikko came and tried to take over the van. He wouldn't budge and Ronin was getting irritated because Ronin wanted to play with it by himself. I had to remove Ronin from the van and I felt really bad about it. I took Ronin, screaming, into the sun room to play with some trains, and finally when Nikko came bounding into the room as if nothing had happened, I told Ronin to quickly go and play with the van. Which he did. I know that Nikko's attention span is short, that he didn't love the van and would soon give up interest in it, but it's something I can't get across to Ronin in the heat of the moment. I also can't get Nikko to share or take turns. It seems as if everything is on HIS timetable, and it robs the other kids of their fair share. I've expressed this to his therapists, but I get the shrugged shoulders because they have encountered this in everyone they see, and they say there's not really a way around it except to often times give in to Nikko, and hope that the NT kids will understand. While there, a huge thunderstorm passed through and dumped loads of water onto everything. Lots of lightning and thunder. We waited it out and then went home. Luckily the storm didn't ravage Mount Prospect and we had dry window wells. That's always a cause for celebration.