Lady Gaga

When Zavier was little, he had a lot of sound sensitivity, and would cover his ears. We spent time trying to encourage him to take his hands away, and I avoided loud places. For example, if we tried out a church whose music was too loud, it was crossed off the list.

Zavier now likes to listen to modern music - Lady Gaga, Rihanna, etc. He's currently on his laptop playing games while listening to Poker Face. I know some parents are probably tired of asking their children to turn their music down. But every time I say the phrase: "Zavier, turn your music down!" - I smile. 

He doesn't like Alex Clare's "Too Close" song at all though. If it comes on in the car, he covers his ears and looks disgusted.

What are you thinking about?

Me: Kap, what are you thinking about?
K: Oh, the Avengers
Me: Abby, what about you?
A: I'm thinking about toys
Me: Zavier, what are you thinking about?
Zavier: DVD guide
Me: Oh, you're thinking about a dvd guide?
Zavier: Yes
Me: Oh, ok. Did your dvd come with one?
Zavier: No
Me: Oh, does that make you feel happy or mad?
Zavier: Mad
Me: Oh.

Summer Recap

-We drove 2500 miles cross country for a move. Zavier did great. He & sisters watched all 100 episodes of SpongeBob, ate a lot of burgers n fries, slept well in hotel rooms, was cooperative and helpful (he buckles his sister), and convinced me to buy him a lot of dvds at various stores across the country. Here's a sample conversation:

Zavier: 3 dvds. Mommy can I have 3 dvds?
Me: Uh...I don't know. Which ones do you want?
Zavier (very fast): Whale of a Birthday, Spy Buddies, Atlantis Squarepantis
Me: Hmm...how about one.
Zavier: No...how about three.
Me: Ok they are on sale, so I'll get two.
Zavier: How about no. How about three.
Me: Ok three. But next time, you are just getting one.
Zavier: (Smiles).

-We arrived at our new home. Zavier enjoyed swimming in the pool, going to the beach, children's museum, aquarium, etc. He did well at restaurants, but all he wants is a plain burger patty, fries, and cranberry juice. I can get him to eat a few more things at home, but when we go out, it's all he wants. He sits there quietly, sometimes plays with my phone, and answers my questions. It was noisy for him at first when we started to eat at the bowling alley, but then he got used to it. It definitely helped him prep for a meal at a place similar to Rainforest Cafe (super sensory overload potential but did well).

-We drove another 3600 miles to visit family (round-trip). We went to the beach, walks, playgrounds, play dates, etc. His fav thing to do was hang out in the air conditioning, and have his grandpa cook him burgers and play with electronics (like his phone). My grandma passed away, and he wore a suit to the funeral, then went to a large family meal at a restaurant afterwards. He got a lot of compliments for his good behavior.

-We are now back at another new home, and he's still doing well in terms of behavior, sleeping, eating, sleeping, still potty trained, etc. Yesterday we went to a water park and he liked laying on tube in the lazy river. He agreed to go down a water slide, but the lifeguard forgot to get him at the bottom, so he didn't really want to go back (he can't swim. We've tried, still a work in progress). He agreed to go again down the slide, but about 15 feet down, decided to stop and try to turn around. I went down, grabbed him along the way, and slid down with him. That was it for slides.

-His current fav activity is to act out scenes from his fav YouTube videos where they identify, in detail, the info on a dvd case and dvd. He memorizes entire scripts, and then acts them out, and tries to get me to act them out too (using dvds and cases). Example: "...unfortunately there's no dvd guide...here's the disc..."

Amusement Park Miracle

I realize that in most cases, we save the word "miracle" for truly miraculous things, such as the person who has stage 4 cancer and then it suddenly vanishes. Or the family about to be evicted from their home who then wins the lotto. But today Zavier had an amazing day at a really hot, humid, and sensory overload amusement park, and his behavior was really nothing short of a miracle. To summarize, he went climbing with his sisters in a massive, high ropes climbing structure.... he followed directions in a large bounce area... he went on several rides with no issues. He went on a ride without me, twice! (Abby took him). He attended a 30 min technicolor, rock-music-blaring, laser lights, theater production. He sat calmly, paid attention, and clapped at the end of each performance with everyone else. At min 25, when I realized he was really going to make it, I started to cry. I had to distract myself to think of something else to keep myself from sobbing - it was that much of a relief. My sensory averse child had a blast in the worst of conditions. I'm so proud of him, because I know he worked hard. And I'm so thankful to God for the blessing of this day.

With autism, life is a series of moments. Some are good, and some are... not so good. I'm soooo appreciative that we had today.

Me: "Zavier, what do you want to do for your birthday tomorrow?"
Zavier: "Balloons, dvd presents, burger/fries, and Happy Birthday Zavier song. Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you..."
Me: "Happy Birthday dear Zavier, Happy Birthday to you. That one?"
Zavier: "Yes."
Me: "So how old are you now?"
Zavier: "I'm 7 years old."
Me: "Yeah, so then when you have your birthday, how old will you be?"
Zavier: "8"
Me: "Yup. So are you happy about turning 8?"
Zavier: "No."
Me: "I don't like getting older either. But you're happy about the party and presents, right?"
Zavier: "Yes."

Conversation in the car:
Me: "Hey Zavier, what did we do today?"
Zavier: "First, went to park."
Me: "Yup. And then?"
Zavier: "Then went to In & Out Burger."
Me: "Yes. Where are we going to next?"
Zavier: "Zavier's house!"
Me: "Yup, good job."

The King of Relaxation

Zavier had a good Mother's Day. I got a very sweet hug from him. There was a comical moment when I was discussing with Abby our plans for the day in the kitchen, and Zavier responded from the other room.

Me: "So today we'll go to Trader Joe's?"
Abby: "Sure!"
Zavier: "No thanks!" (yelled from other room).

I asked Zavier to select some movies for his birthday. Later on, he showed me very quickly - he had saved each one on an internet tab. He rattled off the names from memory, and then closed out of the entire thing.

Me: "Hey! How will I remember all that? You'll have to show me again tomorrow. I don't have your memory, Zavier. I don't think anyone does - you're really smart."

Zavier: "Yes."