Wylie has been off for his winter break, and we have been really just goofing around.
I completely forgot to register for my college courses for next year. Yuh. It just slipped my mind. I often just feel like I’m slipping in quicksand. No time for this; no time for that. I’ve NEVER failed to get into the holiday spirit like this, before. Everything has seemed like impossible work. Pssh.
Wylie is fine. Out of all the things on my mind right now, I’m not too worried about him right now. He’s a happy kid. He just brightens my day. And when he’s sad, it’s like the whole world comes crumbling down. He has this wail that is, like, kryptonite to me. But, boy, does my boy remind me of me! Intense, but not chronic. I get it. Short outbursts are something I’m familiar with.
We went shopping for Christmas presents the other day and he was a bit of a pain, but, it’d be dishonest to say he was any worse than any other 2 year old at a crowded Walmart at 10 in the evening. I loved it. It was a relief to be spared the dirty looks as I basically ignored his sobfests over some Cars action figures I made him leave behind. At one point, however, he spotted a baby and had a bit of a one-track mind after that. He kept calling out to this little girl, even after we had long passed the aisle she was in. “BABY! BABY! Baby, where are you?” Some couple passed me and I heard the dad whisper, “Oh, please don’t say baby one more time.” Haha, but we got him back good when, an hour or so later, we were in the checkout line together, and he overheard my husband say “And you want another one??” in response to them totally losing control of their two children. Honestly, we were both kinda rude, and both deserve to be forgiven. Tis the season, right??
A few days later, my hubby and I took him over to our in-laws to celebrate Christmas. Everybody was very impressed with Wylie. My mother in law just gushed about him, as he ran amok with his cousins, having a good ole time. He just laughed and laughed as he played. “He’s talking so much more!” “He’s such a happy kid!” “It’s like night and day!” they all said. Stereotypes aside, they have a point. A year ago at this event, Wylie was a total disaster. His little cousin enraged him by being too “in-your-face” for him to handle, and he hovered around the door waiting for someone to take him home. Wylie didn’t listen; he wasn’t able to handle the amount of people, or the attention he was getting; he was pretty miserable.
I know the school has made a world of difference. It’s like he has discovered how fun kids can be. Heh. He talks so much more, now. I’ll be shocked when he busts out with full sentences. “No, I don’t want to!” he shouts when I ask him to “come here”. “I want bubbles, please! Yay, we’re doing bubbles!” There is still a lot of echolalia mixed with his jargon- “Oh, mmm, doogoo bada want to see the fish!” from American Tail. “The baby’s coming! The baby’s coming!” from Ice Age 3. “No, don’t bite! Mm mm!” from, I guess, whoever he tried to bite, hahaha! I’m so proud of him. And I am very happy with the direction he has taken with his ABA. When I began there, I wanted very strict, very formal one on one programs. When he started working with other children, I was not impressed at first. When he started his preschool, I worried about him losing the attention he needed to thrive. But learning how to cooperate with others has been such a good thing in his life. He has been so happy.
Wylie is fast approaching his 3rd birthday. I think my family basically thought by this time he would be ready for regular ed, and pretty much fine, hahaha. Barely autistic or something. I really think at some time in the future I may have to find an occupational therapist, and we haven’t mastered a significant amount of his ABA programs… his language is still quite delayed. But, I’m gonna say this. Wylie’s a sneaky little thing, and I’m often surprised at what he knows. He has a good attitude. Frankly, he’s a chip off the old block. I may have, at one point, expected this to be easier than it actually is; but I think I’ve grown stronger than I thought I could be a year ago.
Wishing everybody happiness.
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