The week of Thanksgiving

Thursday

We buy a big Christmas Tree at Walmart - its fake as can be with it but can I just say R is UNBELIEVABLY excited by it  and the wreath

 

We go to the Christmas inn for lunch - but all they are serving is the Thanksgiving menu and the only things that R eats when we go out are chicken tenders and pizza - so we have to leave and eat at the ubiquitous McDonald's

R does not care as the Christmas Inn is decorated with all sorts of Christmas paraphernalia and this is enough for him to think of the visit as a Grand Success

In the Mc Donalds there are a bunch of very noisy attention seeking neurotypical kids and DH says that he does not think he could be a SAHD if R was neurotypical - but I argue back that NT or Autie - R would still be a lot like us - quiet, bookish, gentle( kind of like he is now - just talkative and unstimmy )

In fact when we ask him what he wants for Christmas -  turns out that all he wants is a Christmas tree
 ( its one of his most delightful aspects- this lack of coveting. I have learned from him to question why I want what I want instead of simply thinking about how I should get it )

We spend the evening decorating it with shiny ( gaudy ) ornaments and with jingle bells

This is to be the last warm day of the year and R and I make full use of it by lying in our hammock swing on the porch, exchange compliments and watch the stars come out

Friday

I have been very la di da about the Black Friday Sales - informing DH loftily that material things dont do it for me any more

But something happens to me in Coldwater Creek and I transform from this buddhist type person - into a person that coos over suede and rubs her cheek over chiffon

I acquire so many clothes that at one point I have to ask DH to carry my pile of  shame clothes as its too heavy for me

DH teases me tremendously while I do a fashion show back at the cabin

And I am forced to admit that I am not a seeker of materialistic things in general but specifically speaking clothes make me happy

Saturday

R who is always mad for the new cabin new house - surprises us by asking to go home!

As DH and I are all rested and are itching to do some work around the house- so we agree with alacrity  - ( I am perishing to sort recycling and clear up our back porch where an alarming large amount of recycling has collected  and DH with yardwork )

One of the best things about blogging for me is to look at what we were doing this time last year

Looking back at last year I noticed that we used to spend a lot more time outside

Sometime this year, that changed

And so my resolution is to get back to an active physical routine

R and I are both creatures of intertia  - ie we usually do what we usually do - but when we get into good routines this really works in our advantage

So while I have to force R to get to the trampoline to jump - he enjoys himself so much- playing with the leaves , creating leaf-rain and jumping - that I also have to force him to come back home




We sing Ring Around the roses and fall down with great crashes





Sunday

I cook all morning , we jump and play all afternoon and DH and I do a great pile of laundry in the evening


Monday
All his therapies are cancelled today and so we loll about in the evening.

DH and I watch Lie to me lazily

I had decided that I would take a walk - no matter what today and though its bleak and already dark at 6 - I go out .

I am so refreshed by the walk that I take R out for a jump on the trampoline.
We have a blast even though a soft rain has started to fall .
while I love good weather - I sometimes love it even more when the weather sucks and we stick our thumbs at it and have a great time anyway

R has been dragging a whole bunch of groceries ( plastic pretend groceries ) with his tiny shopping cart and we have a lot of fun with these

I pretend to Baby Tad and Potatohead Santa want to eat and R feeds them various things

Today he says something funny.

He had been holding it in for a while and after he goes to the bathroom he says " I feel much better now "

I think he picked up the line from one of his social stories but I am thrilled !

LOL
This is one blog post I must definitely erase before R gets to the age of reading this blog

Tuesday

We go to the dentist for the FIRST TIME EVER

I am HORRIBLY stressed about this

R hates all doctor visits and weeps in a piteous fashion. We comfort him in our own ways

Me through Distraction,  DH by teasing him about being a wimp and a cry baby and the dental assistant by giving him a balloon ( she is the most effective )



I am scared he will have loads of cavities owing to all the Junior mints in his ABA and the Sprite that is regularly mixed with water for him

But he has only one .

The dentist says we could repair it or just wait for it to fall out by itself

I tell a surprised Dentist that I love him for ever and ever and we are on our way, much relieved

Wednesday

DH and I go for our date lunch in Apple Bees

I am feeling shockingly indulgent and we share their "Maple Butter Blondie "

DH keeps telling me that I am "eating nothing" and should "eat more"

But when I discover with a squeak of dismay that it has a 1000 calories in it - he tells me that in his estimation, I ate 4/5th of it ( i did not !!!)

Men!!!

I want to go for a walk in the evening and R discourages me and says I should jump with him in the trampoline

We jump and jump and jump for an hour  till we are sweating even though its freezing cold

Then we lie in the trampoline.

In the half light of the moon and the street lamps,   the trees have turned to silver

I and R gaze at the skies watching the stars come out

It looks like there are always Christmas lights in the sky

I say "starry night"

And he says " silent night .. holy night "