Zoom In, Not Out

I’m really proud of Asher. He is an amazing little boy. He has so much to overcome everyday. I often get frustrated at his progress. I focus more on the big picture (potty training, talking, ) instead of celebrating all of the little things. This summer was rough. Apparently, we didn’t realize that he had outgrown his prescribed dosage of medicine until we were all overwhelmed and miserable. We didn’t take into consideration that Asher had grown. Randy and I were just trying to survive every minute with a child that was unsettled. He moved constantly. He couldn’t focus. He destroyed things. I felt like he wasn’t even taking medication. With a visit to his developmental pediatrician, we saw that Asher had grown. He weighed 53 lbs and was 4 feet tall!  A few adjustments to his meds were made and Asher is a new child.

Let’s talk about the little picture. You know, the things that you wouldn’t normally notice in a neurotypical child. Asher started Buddy Kickball. His buddy happens to be his brother, Jackson. In the first few games, Jack would get Asher’s leg and make him kick the ball. They ran the bases and Asher usually melted down by the end of the game. Now, Asher stands at the plate and kicks the ball all by himself. He is not melting down. I get so emotional at these games. I’m so excited for him. Progress.

Asher’s therapist told me yesterday that he sat for 10 minutes and worked towards completing his goal. He also sat while a story was being read. This is all big news, y’all. He’s a busy, busy boy with a mind that never stops. It’s encouraging to know that he can slow down enough to accomplish tasks. He has also been a much better passenger on the rides to and from school. There were times I would have to stop 2 or 3 times to put his arms in his seatbelt straps or get something out of the floor that he was screaming for. I don’t feel like I need a nerve pill by the time I get home now. Progress.

Asher struggles with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and OCD. I was telling someone the other day that OCD is overused by people. Just because you want your house clean or your desk in order, it doesn’t necessarily mean you SUFFER from OCD. He suffers. At the beginning of the summer, Asher got several mosquito bites. He picked at these bites all summer. We put medicine on them to keep infection away. As soon as one scabbed over, he picked it off and squeezed it until he bled. Every single day he did this. I bought him footed pjs so he couldn’t get to his legs. He wore them ALL summer.  He is still in them and it is October. He has 1 more bite to heal on his leg. His neurologist told me that he could tell that he was struggling with his OCD. The medicine is helping. Progress.

I just told his therapist, Emilee, that I’m going to stop letting him have a sippy cup. At times, there was so much chaos with him, it was just easier. Now that he is a little less impulsive, he’s going to use a cup. A regular cup. Seems simple to think that a 5 year old should be using a cup with no problem, right? Well, this is a goal. When he accomplishes it, I will celebrate instead of being hyper focused on what he’s not able to do. We’ll move on to the next mountain to overcome. It will be a mountain because nothing is easy for him. Work in Progress.

I swear, I never write a blog without bawling. I tell his story to keep myself in check. I also tell it to nudge readers a little. You should try to notice the little things in your world. Time passes quickly and you wouldn’t want to miss something spectacular while waiting or worrying about what you don’t have going for you. Use a microscope not a telescope. 💙

The infamous summer pjs

He had an appointment, so I let him wear regular clothes.