He Is Growing Up

I love #tbt, better know as Throwback Thursday, a day where people post older pictures on social medial.  I especially love seeing pictures of kids and just being amazed by how fast they grow and mature.  The thing that I love the most is looking through my own old pictures of my favorite subject, Mr. Bobby to pick out one to post.

Bobby's infancy was super easy.  He was a GREAT baby!!!  I didn't know that I could be so happy.

 He was an awesome baby to keep on a schedule, imagine that!!  He loved his routine from the get go, now I know just how important routine is to my boy.  He ate right on time and had no trouble with his bottle.  I loved the look on his face as he drank from his bottle....it was true love.

He was also a super duper sleeper as a baby.  He LOVED, LOVED, LOVED his bouncy seat, especially when it was on it's vibrating mode.  If  he was the least bit grouchy, just stick him in his bouncy and he was a happy boy.  I was devastated when he outgrew this seat....how was I going to keep him happy??????   Answer, stick him in his car seat and put him on the dryer or take him for a ride in the car.  Yeah, the riding in the car thing still happens!!!

For almost a year (6 months through 1 1/2 years old), Bobby went to sleep at about 6:30 pm and slept until 6:30 am.  Daddy worked shift work in a coal mines at the time and I was fortunate enough to be able to stay home with Bobby, so we were able to stick to this routine very well.  I would change his diaper before I went to bed around 10 and give him a bottle and he made it to morning.  Talk about a lucky mom!!!!!

Bobby's toys kept him extremely occupied, all of the flashing lights and buttons to push and the music, every toy played music which he loved.  He was able to entertain himself with all of these toys and didn't want Mommy to hold him all day like some babies do, in fact he didn't like being held at all. Well now I know why.

Bobby's toddler days were pretty easy too.  He still had all of his toddler toys that flashed and sang to him and he definitely had his favorites.  He loved to go places with Mommy.  I would load him in the car, pack his diaper bag and his stroller and he was HAPPY to go along for the ride.

 As long as the stroller, or shopping cart, was moving, he was a happy camper.  We went to so many places the summer that he turned one....the zoo, Kennywood, Idlewild, Hershey Park....and he loved going.

 He loved being outside toddling around in our yard.  He loved riding the 4 wheeler with Daddy.  He loved riding his foot powered cars around the main level of our house.  Again, he could entertain himself all day long.  He babbled and "sang" all day long.  I just knew that he was going to be an early talker because he never shut up!!!!!

But then he wasn't....his words never came.  What came instead was worry, evaluations, testing, more professionals and the beginning of a journey for which no parent can ever be prepared.

A time in my life that I truthfully would just rather forget.  Bobby was officially diagnosed with autism a few months prior to his third birthday......I didn't know that I could be so sad.

I made a decision right before he turned three, the hardest decision that I had ever had to make....I started the process of getting Bobby enrolled in school.  Ironically at the time, I was running an in-home day care.  People were paying me money to bring their children into my home so that I could take care of them, yet I was going to send my 3 year old non-verbal child to an elementary school because I needed help taking care of him.  Talk about feeling like the worst mother in the world...a complete and utter failure! 

 The first time that I put my 3 year old child on a school bus and sent him off to a place where I wasn't in complete control of his situation was.......such a conflicting thing.  I was so afraid and scared for him, but (time for some complete honesty here) it was the first real break that I had from Bobby and it was nice to be able to breathe for a few hours without him.  Before his first day of school, Bobby and I had been apart for less than 24 hours total!!

 After the initial shock of going to school, he settled into the school routine fairly well.  He had complete structure in an autism pre-K classroom which was half kids with autism and half typical peers.  He received speech therapy, occupational therapy and adaptive physical education services. He didn't mind going, and I quickly didn't mind sending him.

 During this time period Bobby began having full on convulsive seizures during the night, leading to medicating our child.

After 3 years in pre-K, it was time to move on to kindergarten.  Bobby was also diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Social Anxiety.  He had to have medication changes leading to severe aggressiveness.   Lucky me, I got to be one of his favorite targets for the aggression.  Yeah, that's not covered in any of the parenting books that I have ever read.

We could not leave Bobby unattended for any amount of time at all.  He had a major elopement problem and on a couple of occasions he was missing for periods of times.  Once for 20 minutes in the woods that surround our home, once he walked down to one of our neighbor's home in his underwear and walked right in.  Elopement was also an issue at school and they even changed the locks on the playground gates and on his classroom door.  Bobby wears a tracking device from our local sheriff's office at all times.

Our house has been like Fort Knox.  We have had to up the game on child proofing to make sure that things were Bobby proof.  We didn't get the luxury of taking these things off when Bobby made it to school aged, our's got stronger.  You had to get a key off of a hook above every door in our house to get into that room. If you needed to use the bathroom, yes, you had to unlock the door from the outside with a key before you could enter.  Every cabinet in the kitchen and bathroom, the pantry, the fridge all had childproofing items.  Door alarms on exterior doors.  Bobby's twin bed brought into the master bedroom and he is locked inside the room with us at night so that if he gets up during the night, he can't leave without a key.  Windows on the 2nd level bolted shut because Bobby got the window in his bedroom (the only unlocked room in the house at the time because every thing in there was safe for him to play with) open, knocked the screen out and was bent over looking out the window when Daddy went upstairs to check on him. 

We didn't go anywhere for a couple of years as a family after Bobby grew out of the shopping cart seat.  His behavior was so erratic, our nerves were shot, it just was not fun.  Besides school, special needs activities, school playgrounds and therapies, Bobby was pretty much home bound.  Let me tell you, it's not easy on a family when this happens.

Thankfully, with a great deal of hard work, prayers, and plain old maturity, Bobby's life has changed dramatically over the past year and a half.  He started an intensive behavioral therapy program that has been helping him to find his words.  Combined with working hard in school, Bobby is learning to read, type and even a little bit of writing.  Accomplishments that quite frankly, Daddy and I didn't think that he would ever achieve.  That will teach us to never underestimate him.

It is only when we stop and look back over the difficulty of raising Bobby during these years, we get to stop and rejoice in the progress that he has made.

Most of our childproofing has been removed.  We can now open the fridge, pantry, cabinet doors with ease.  The interior doors are no longer locked.  However, you still need a key to go outside.  The windows are still bolted and his bed is still in the master, but he hasn't tried to elope our home in well over a year.  

We have liquid soap located by all of our sinks again and Bobby hasn't dumped them out in a very long time.  Same for shampoo and lotions in the bathrooms.  Bobby doesn't run the water in the sinks any more just so he can stick his hands under the running water.  He leaves the light on (or off) appropriately, most of the time.  He doesn't sit and shuffle his little plastic toys for hours anymore. Most importantly.........Bobby is fully potty trained.  I haven't had to clean out underwear in months. He also leaves the flushable wipes in the container and doesn't dump them out to play with them as a sensory toy.  He also is learning to wipe his own bottom and has the desire to do so.  One day, I won't have to wipe him anymore!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most importantly, Bobby is learning to talk.  Now that he can tell us what he wants, his life is becoming much more manageable.  We are exploring the world with Bobby and through Bobby.  We are getting out....to the pool, the beach, public playgrounds, the mall and other stores, bowling, restaurants.  Bobby is able to get out into the world again.  Our family is much happier.  Our good days far out number our bad.  We still have issues to work on, but we now have a renewed faith in his ability to achieve these goals.  

This is definitely not the blog posting that I had in mind when I started this earlier today, but some how an overview of his life to this point came out.  Funny thing happened....I had to take a break mid blogging to go pick him up from school and I ran into two different staff members.  One was talking to me about the changes that she has seen in Bobby this year and didn't realize that he had been doing behavioral therapy and so happy about his successful results.  The second was his aide that goes into regular education situations with Bobby.  She had pictures from last week and today to share with me. Again, just so excited with the progress that he has made this year.  

Look at the smile on his face!!!  He's playing basketball during physical education with his regular ed. peers in the gym that in previous years he all but refused to walk into.  He's having fun with his peers...this kid with a social anxiety diagnosis!!!!!!  He's in the gym!!!!!  OMG, what a great kid!!!! 

'Tis the Season

Bobby's Christmas traditions are continuing right on track this holiday season.  This morning I got Bobby dressed up and in the car, he used his own personal turn signal in the car to direct me to where he wanted to go (he clicks his tongue and it sounds just like a car's blinker).  He directed me to exactly where we were going, just like he knew what was in store.  We turned into the Playworks parking lot, went inside....exactly like we have done during previous years on a Saturday morning just before Christmas. Yes Bobby, you are right, we are going to go see Santa at Playworks.

Practicing taking pictures before we left.

There were many less kids than previous years when we walked into the playroom, which was just the way Bobby likes it.  He did a great job and went off to play.

 Bobby and his new BFF, Natalie....

His feet now touch the floor while up at the top of the coaster....

 Yes, he even managed to find a basket....

What is that I hear????????  Sleigh bells???!!!!!!  Santa has arrived.....

Uh oh, Santa hurt his foot.  Oh well, his lap is still in perfect condition for the kids to sit down and tell Santa what they want for Christmas.

Noelle and I, of course, felt the need to get Bobby and Natalie together for a Santa picture...

Bobby even posed for a picture with me....

For those who really don't know Bobby that well.....No, he doesn't tell Santa what he wants for Christmas.  We don't really even address that aspect, for us it is all about getting the picture for Mommy!!!

This week at school Bobby participated in the school wide winter holiday program for the first time. He participated somewhat last year because he practiced in the rehearsal with his class, but this year he went into the gym full of parents and stood on the stage beside his classmates while they sang. Who knows, maybe he will even sing with them before he graduates!!

Last weekend we went to one of Bobby's favorite places on earth....the Hardy Girls Gym at Nemacolin Resort.  Just like I had anticipated....Bobby had an awesome time, as did ALL of the kids in attendance.  We once again went to a Christmas party for kids with autism and other special needs put on by one of our fellow autism families.  The kids went right in and jumped, laughed, giggled and did not cry, tantrum, hit, push.  They had F.U.N.

This Christmas party is just about our favorite event of the year.  Just look through the pictures and you see joy on their faces.  A group of kids with special needs all bunched together on a trampoline and getting along and having fun....true Christmas magic.  

Christmas Preparations, Bobby Style

Mommy's sick.  I know, I want some pity.  What a week...sneezing, coughing, and plain old feeling miserable.  I am finally feeling a little better, like a member of the human race again.  However, Bobby was a little bored this evening and wanted to go "ride in car."  It is raining and yucky outside and I didn't foresee me taking him for a ride, so I had to do something because listening to "ride in car" hundreds of times in a 5 minute period is enough to drive any sane person over the edge!!  How did I handle this situation???

I went down into Santa's bag, pulled out a DVD, wrapped it, brought it upstairs and presented it to Mr. Bobby.  He immediately sat down and began to unwrap the gift.

He was very excited to see a familiar former favorite DVD that he has watched hundreds of times when he was younger.  I found it on Amazon.  He remembered it and wanted it opened NOW!!!

 He went right downstairs to watch it on the projector.  Mommy and Daddy get a little rest time.

Here he is watching his tried and true favorite video...Mommy and Me Playgroup Favorites.  He likes watching the real kids sing and dance with their parents.

Even though I wasn't feeling well, Christmas preparations still must go on!!  I wanted to get our outdoor decorations put up while it was warm outside and before the rain moved in today.  It took me longer than normal...the sick need many more breaks!!  However, it is all finally finished.

I decorated the back porch first and it is definitely Bobby's favorite.  I put all of the things that he likes here because we can see them from our kitchen and living room.

I took my camera with me when I picked up Bobby from school earlier this week because lately every time I walk in, Bobby and a couple of his peers are sitting at the table so nicely doing some work and you know that I needed a picture or two of the occasion!

These pictures just make me so happy!!  Speaking of school, last night was McTeacher's Night at McDonald's.  Boy I really didn't want to go, but I didn't want to fix dinner either because I felt my absolute worst yesterday.  The lesser of the two evils seemed to be driving and I knew that Bobby would be thrilled with this dinner choice.

I didn't call any teachers over to take pictures with Bobby because, well, I just wanted to go home, put on my PJ's and lay on the couch....which I did.

Bobby and Daddy have been spending a lot of time playing with Bobby's racetrack that Santa brought last Christmas.  Bobby could have cared less about this track last year but now can watch Daddy make the red car (only the red car, he doesn't like the blue car to be on the track) go around the race track for as long as Daddy can stand.

Back before I got sick, which seems like weeks but was only days ago, Bobby went to the Morgantown Mall to the Sensitive Santa event.  He was number 2 in line and number 1 was already finished so he got to go right up and sit with Santa.  Bobby did great!!  He sat down beside Santa and got his picture taken.  The "elves" asked me if I thought that Bobby would sit on the other side for a better picture, he complied, they took two more options and I picked the one that I liked the best.

They have a place set up in the mall to take a cute Christmas pictures.  Bobby complied again and sat down for another picture.

We then went over to the play area and let Bobby play because the mall wasn't opened yet.  He played there for almost an hour!!!

He had the place to himself for quite a while and then our friend Natalie came to play.  They let us take their picture together....

These two make my heart melt.  Bobby then wanted to go ride the train before we headed out.

When we got off of the train right in front of Santa's area, Bobby had to go back over and say good bye to the big guy!!

Bobby loved his visit with Santa.  Don't tell him, but we have plans to see the big guy again in a little over a week, we also have something fun planned this weekend.  Christmas fun is in full swing!! Now I need to get, and stay, healthy.  So time to go rest!!