The last days of June

How did June end so fast ?


 It seems like things are moving so fast these days

The month has been its mixture of great, good and bad

Julie has had her baby - ( no baby pics on blog yet but she did post on Facebook )

It seems just the other day she talked about becoming pregnant

She and Steve have the most beautiful babies you could imagine

On the bad side, one very sad thing that happened is Abby beloved black lab that I was proud to be aunt to, is gone !

Here is her when I went to see her in May -  my friend had shared that Abby would not be around for long so I thought I should go and say goodbye

I am so glad I did

Good bye Abbs darling - you are always in my heart

I am piecing together this month with the pictures on my phone


When in doubt, do sensory 

I am super busy with work - we have his gran visiting as well and its horribly  hot  - super super hot

Its really easy with this, to forget about Floortime and just spend our time gossiping ( and eating )

So I am simply forcing myself to go out every evening

My mantra is "when you cannot change your attitude ( laziness) , you can at least change your behavior( go out and play ) "

We spend a lot of time playing in the treehouse that DH built 2 years ago

And on hammocks

And in our indoor swing

He keeps telling me to push harder and faster

(Can you see what he is reading ? Multiplication tables )

I dream of a really long and big swing

Mirror Neurons

One interesting thing I noticed recently is a Mirror Neurons related Phenomenon

( you know when you yawn because you saw someone else yawning or when you salivate when you see other people eating something tasty or when every woman in the audience raises her face when Rhett leans down to kiss Scarlett?- well Aues are not supposed to have them )

R loves Doritos Jacked ( do you know what they are)

They are super spicy Doritos that are thicker and crisper and spicier

The other day as I put one in my mouth - R did a OOOOOH sound as though he could taste the spice

Change is good.. not 

 I have to hand it to DH - he is always trying out something new with R

This summer he decided on swim lessons and on horse riding

Both attempts have been difficult

R climbs on the horse very reluctantly and closes his ears -

All the other auties are happily brushing their horses.

Swimming, is his favorite thing in the world to do -

He literally begging everyday to go to the pool

But swimming lessons?


No way Jose


He hates to get his face wet 


At the same time- we know these have been helpful - and its  because of the swimming lessons he is finally willing to "disappear " ( ie put his head inside the water ) these days 


I and DH, remind our self of  of how long it takes to get him to do each new thing and how important it is that we keep on trying - because its not the thing in itself that he minds- just the newness 


And if we don't keep pushing the boundary - his life will get circumscribed into tighter and smaller circles of safeness, routine and rigidity ( I find this happens with most of us as we get older- fewer friends- most of them like us, no new hobbies, same  routines etc ) 

Mindless Stimming? .. NOT 

I have been watching what he does when he looks like he is mindlessly doing repetitive things on screens

Turns out he is not !

He is making remixes

So for instance he has 3 screens open at the moment

On the Iphone - he has The Little Einsteins in a snow setting - on the Ipad he has a polar bear

On another ipad he has seals

He also has Wii Music playing Carmen in the background

Another time I see him open two videos on his computer and remix the dialogue

So in screen 1 a child says the multiplication table

Then he pauses that screen

Then plays the part on the Little Einsteins Screen and Annie says "Awwwwwwwww"

Now he does do many repetitive things as well - but I think this scene setting and dialogue remixing  are good thinking processes



Baby is getting big 

 First,  R is a acquiring some big boy like qualities

Many good things about this

A little bit of  Independence is coming .


These days when he does his bedtime routine - after we finish reading a book


I simply turn off the lights and WALK AWAY 


This is UNHEARD of.. 


Usually I have to wait till he is fast asleep and then creep away like a thief hoping I dont wake up . ( this- walk away when he is awake -   practice was started by DH when I was traveling for a week in June ) 

Another thing is that he is getting  very opinionated and decisive -

Like today we were at the Outlet Mall - he dragged me all the way to the Crocs store because he wanted to buy yet more shoes

They are so cute... his orange shoes

He loves creating his iconic moments

Like I came downstairs yesterday to see that he had hunted for and  collected his iconic moment

1. Red Jelly Beans 
2. Macbook
3. Numbers 
4. Wii Remotes 

Some of his stubborness is not very so adorable though

He will throw a tantrum if he does not get his way in the many things he wants to do just so

Some of his baby sweetness is going away 


The hugs and kisses are reducing slightly 

Usually he cannot sit next to me without snuggling up like this 


But these days, I feel they are reducing a little 


Plus the mischief 


He has been sooo naughty and so defiant lately 


DH and I used to say that one of the joys of parenting an autie was the lack of the Gimmes 


Well no more 


I sat in the car yesterday and noticed the non stop gimmes .. 


"Gimme I phone please .. thank you god" 
"Gimme ipad" 
Gimme red jellybeans"
 gimme red cherry starburst:
 "Sing Carmine" 
"Play bird will make the rock fall on ( imaginary ) piano "


He will also find an indirect way to defy my " no's"

For instance, here I told him not to touch the buttons of the AC in his playroom

So he is touching them through this basket here

I will frequently find him having created ladders to get to things he is not supposed to

Also he tries to hide his crime sprees ( so much for lack of "theory of mind " )

I find his face hands clothes covered with markers

Apart from the dangerous mischief - I am loving this phase

But I miss my sweet baby too

Last night as he is in trouble yet again - for tearing  a picture of a measuring tape out of a book - even though he fully well knows the rules about "no tearing books"

But I know him well and I see from his face that his only sorrow is that he was found out !

I think sadly that my baby is indeed growing up

Then when I come back to go to bed myself -

I see he has left his bed and is now sleeping on our bed on DH's pillow

I thank god for these little bits of babiness that are still in him