My sweet boy starts preschool tomorrow and I am feeling all
the feels as I reflect on what a difference one year makes. It is truly amazing
to see how much he has changed and I am so proud of everything he has
accomplished.
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| From our trip to Seattle, Fenix was our tour guide at the Point Defiance zoo while sissy took a nap. |
Last year, he was terrified of the doctors and it was always
a traumatic experience when he had to visit. He also hated sand and refused to
touch it. I could never, ever get him to wear a hat or a backpack. Leaving the
park resulted in tantrums every single time. He also had a really hard time
switching/ending activities that he enjoyed and I could not get him to clean up
his messes. When he was 2 years old, we took him to a local water park and he
cried and was miserable for most of the time because he hated getting splashed
with water. When we got passes to the aquarium, Fenix was terrified of the
sharks and scuba divers. He rarely smiled in pictures and looking back,
majority of them are of a very serious Fenix.
To say that I am proud of my son is an understatement. He
has worked so hard and thanks to countless hours of therapies plus working at
home with us, all of those prior challenges are no longer an issue.
He went to the doctors a few weeks ago and was so brave and
listened to the nurse and doctor so well. Not a single tear was shed nor was he
even remotely upset. He actually seemed to like it and gave everyone high fives
when we left.
When we go to parks with sand, you can now find him playing in
the sandbox for majority of the time. He still is unsure about walking on it if
he has flip flops on but has no problem touching it with his hands.
Most days when we leave to go somewhere, he likes to wear
his favorite Batman hat.
I started giving him a countdown whenever we would leave
somewhere or ending an activity. I would say, “In 10 minutes we are leaving…” “In
5 minutes we are leaving…” Once the time was up, I would say “We are all done!
That was so much fun! We can come back here again.” I seriously can’t believe
something as simple as counting down and giving him assurance that we will be
back would work so well.
When it came to cleaning up, we told him that he was not
allowed to get a new toy until he put the other one back. That took a lot of consistency
from us and tears from him but he finally got it. Singing Clean Up Pick Up, Put
Away from Daniel Tiger made it a little more fun too
Watching my boy be so care free at the splash pads this
summer just made me beam with joy. He got sprayed in the face and had water
dumped on him and he LOVED IT! No tears, no anxiety just a boy having the time
of his life.
When we go to the aquarium, the first place he wants to go
is the shark exhibit. You will hear him from 50 feet away laughing and talking
about the big sharks!
The kid also loves to ham it up for the camera now and asks
me frequently to, “Take a picture mommy!” as he poses and smiles for me.
He is an extraordinary little guy and I am constantly in awe
of everything he has overcome. He continues to prove every stereotype wrong of
what living with autism is like. He loves to snuggle, hold my hand, give kisses
and has a surprising ability to show empathy. Yesterday he noticed a scratch on
my arm and said, “Ouchie!” I said that he was right, I do have an ouchie on my
arm. He leaned forward, gave my arm a kiss and said, “All better!” I just about
died.
I have never met anyone like him, I mean, what 3 year old
can identify the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal and can name every single country in
South America. Yep, that would be Fenix. His ability to memorize and retain
information is mind blowing.
He has come SO far in just one year, imagine the progress he
is going to make in 2, 3, 5, 10 years. He is going to do great things and inspire so many people. I am looking forward to being in the front row of every soccer practice, school performance, graduation and everything else, cheering him on and quite possible
crying with mascara running down my face. Who am I kidding, of course I will be
crying!
And because I can't end a post without some Truth, here is one of my favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis.
"Faith is the art of holding on to things in spite of
your changing moods and circumstances."
With everything I have gone through this past year, this could not be more true and I am so thankful for His endless mercy and grace upon grace upon grace.
