A Bunny

So we have been wanting a service dog for Connor for sometime now but they are 15,000 dollars and you have to do all the fundraising yourself. We don't know anyone who would give us money for our cause let alone that much. So, I went to a friend's house today and she had baby bunnies and she was talking about how when she is feeling anxiety come on, she just goes outside and picks up one of her rabbits and pets it. She said it made her feel so much better. I told her that is what the service dog was for but it was too much. And then I was thinking and I was like duh! Ger a bunny instead!!! We could keep it out on the back patio and take it outside occasionally and let them play with it outside. It could also come inside and the kids can hold him. We are so excited for the bunny and it was totally unexpected. Connor fell in love with it instantly and it seemed to like Connor. So we are stuck with the bunny lol. I sure it hope it helps! You can see their adorable bunnies at wwww.mabbsrabbitry.com

Legos ugh!

Today we went to a birthday party for a good friend's son! The boy received nothing but Legos and then a few packs of cars. When Connor saw this he got all worked up because the boy could not come over and build with him since the family had other plans. So for the next four hours Connor cried and melted down over the Legos. He wanted us to buy him more Legos since the boy could not play and when that did not work he cried even more! Oh the joys of Legos....

Cleaning His Room

For a kid with autism, cleaning can be very stressful or anxiety riddled. We had a half day today at school so I thought it would be a good idea to tackle the kids bedroom. I pulled out stuff they had stashed in places it did not belong. Our lovely afternoon was filled with shrieks from Connor as we cleaned up. He did not like having to put stuff away with his sister, who does not know how to just clean. She likes to repeat herself over and over and make weird corky sounds. Also, she knows it bugs Connor if she just sits there and does not clean. It took 3 hrs just to put a few things away. But I made them struggle through it because it is something that needs to be done. After all the crying and screaming, he is happy it is clean. My head hurts but the room is nice!

Bikes and Scouts

I am a Cub Scout Den Leader, which means I am my son's leader. This sometimes is helpful and sometimes not so helpful. It means more meltdowns at den meetings at times. But it also means I am there to help encourage my son through trying times. This week we had a bike rodeo. This meant we had to prepare my son to be able to ride a bike. Up until now he has not been able to ride a bike without training wheels. He will be 9 in March. I was already prepared for the kids to say things and for some teasing. He spent a week working hard for our son to be able to ride his bike with out the training wheels. Luckily he is stubborn and worked really hard and was able to do it. The hard time came when it was time to go through a course without putting your foot down. As soon as my son's foot hit the ground all the boys pipped in, "he stepped down, he stepped down he is disqualified!" My Co-Leader and I explained nicely that he just learned how to ride a bike that very week and that we were not going to count that. Unfortunately, it didn't end there and the boys continued to say something. I finally, having enough firmly said he has special needs and we are going to stop talking about it now. I regret saying it the way I did, but my heart was breaking for him every time they yelled something at him. I guess this is all part of the journey learning to cope with things that will happen through his life. It sure is one learning experience!