Celebration Sunday

Ethan had a really big week last week, and I am still so happy about his accomplishments....giving up the pacifier, learning to poop on the potty, etc. However, this week.....whoa. This week has been ROUGH. I'm not sure why but this week Ethan has been especially sensitive which means more things have set him off. It could be that he is sleeping less because he is still trying to learn how to self-soothe himself to sleep. It could be a growth spurt. It could be his age. It could be that he doesn't feel well. It could be that he had a big developmental week last week, and this week he is regressing a little.....two steps forward, one step back. Whatever the reason, this week has been extremely challenging as his mother & his full-time care taker.

But, it's Celebration Sunday, and I am looking on the bright side of things. Today I am celebrating the activities that we CAN do together as a family. There are so many things that affect Ethan, and therefore limit our outings as a family. But....we can do several "typical" activities that surprisingly do not paralyze Ethan.

1. Movies - We can go to the movies! This summer, I contacted a program called Lights Up, Sound Down. Cars 2 was coming out & Ethan LOVES cars.....well....anything with wheels. Ethan had never been to the movie theater before, and we were worried that he couldn't handle all of the visual/audio stimulation. So, I found this program, and they were able to coordinate with our local movie theater to provide this service. They literally show the movie in the theater, but leave the lights on & turn the sound down. They were also able to cut out some of the previews which tend to be very "flashy"....like a strobe-light to visually sensitive people. Ethan did great! He ate the WHOLE time (which provided the oral input that is calming for him), and he had in his ear plugs. About halfway through the movie he took his ear plugs out! The only scary part for Ethan was the "tunnel-like" walkway through the theater....from the "Theater #3" Door to the actual seats. He wouldn't step foot in that tunnel no matter how much we tried. So, I just picked him up & carried him through it while he screamed & cried. I imagine it was little like a haunted house for him. But once we came out of the other side & he saw the "big TV" and people sitting in the seats, he calmed right down. It was a wonderful first movie experience. And, yes, I cried.

Well, a couple of weekends ago, The Winnie the Pooh movie came to theaters. We decided to tip our toe in the water & try a "regular" movie. This movie was only an hour long, and if it didn't go well, we were only going to be out $4 per person (10am showing). So, we started out with our tools in hand....ear plugs, weighted lap pad (he didn't use it the last time, but just in case), his drink in a sports bottle, suckers, chew necklace....and money for lots of popcorn (he LOVES popcorn....eats it the whole time). However, Ethan...being the extremely visual child that he is....saw the Cars 2 advertisement! We kept trying to get him to be excited about Pooh, but he kept saying, "No.....Cars2? Yes!" And to be honest, it was the better deal! $4 per person for an hour movie or $4 per person for a 2.5 hour movie. OK....Cars 2 it is! And he did great! Same thing....ate popcorn the whole time (he went through a large all on his own...which is not his normal eating style), and again....halfway through the ear plugs came out!!! And, yes, I cried again. So...it goes on this list...movies! YEAH!!!!!

2. Bowling - Now...talk about over-stimulation????!!!!!! Sometimes I think maybe I know too much about Ethan, and therefore prevent him from situations I know will be hard for him to deal with just yet. And I would put bowling on the NO list. However, we tried bowling when our church rented out a bowling alley one Sunday night. We decided if there was ever a good time to try it, it would be then. He LOVED IT!!!!!! And the bowling alley was packed with people!!!! The weekend bowling tournament that was supposed to be over by the time we showed up was still going on, so there were tons of people & tons of noises...and Ethan LOVED IT! YEAH!!!!! Put it on the list! (And, yes, I cried.)

3. Swimming - My kid LOVES to be in the water. Waterparks are a little tricky because of the music they pipe through the place, but as long as we are away from a sound speaker, he is good. And once he is in the water, nothing else exists. He still can't swim yet, but we just keep a life jacket on him & stay close to him. He loves it.....jumping in the pool, splashing the water, going down the slides...all of it. It definitely goes on the list! (Yep.....cried.)

4. Race Car Events - I know this may seem like a no-brainer, but race cars are VERY loud in person as opposed to hearing them on TV. But the loud sounds of a car don't seem to bother Ethan....again, he LOVES IT! He still wears his ear plugs, but everyone does at those events. It is very loud. The only part that makes Ethan cry is in between races when the cars stop making sound & stop moving. But this isn't a "sensory-cry"....it's a child not getting what he wants cry...and those are much better than the other. There isn't fear in the 2nd type of cry. (And even though I wasn't there for this event, I did cry when Corey texted me that Ethan was having a great time.)

There are lots of things that Ethan CAN do, but they aren't as hard on his senses.......playing at the park, going shopping, visiting the zoo, going out to eat, etc. The things on our list are activities that are surprises....outings that we didn't think Ethan could handle (like the Fourth of July fireworks). But he surprised us, and in fact, loves these things. We will continue to try new things and help Ethan either endure them or enjoy them. It is always my hope that a new situation will be enjoyable for him, and, therefore, enjoyable for all of us. Sometimes it is and sometimes it definitely is not. But how else will be know unless we try! He is always surprising us! And, yes, that makes me cry too!