I thank God for the small stuff!

Today was our first "real" day back at home...a day where Eric went to work and we were left with our usual summer schedule.  I was a bit anxious about it...Cade's sensory issues have worsened so much since last summer that I wasn't sure just how today would go.  Plus we're all still tired from all of the traveling and trying to deal with the time change - you wouldn't think 2 hours would be such a big deal!

I was excited, though, for Cade to get started working with Heather, our OT. This would be the first day since STAR that she has worked with him, and I was anxious to see just how we plan to carry out the STAR Center's plan here at home.  Things were great - he was super quiet at first and was especially cautious.  He waited to see just what she expected of him before he let his guard down a bit.  In unknown situations he tends to now be guarded and immediately seeks to take control of the situation.

Cade was very interested today in a bin of rice and beans that Heather brought.  He scooped them into bowls, dug out puzzle pieces -- it was very inviting for him.  He would not put his hands in many materials before, so I am happy to see that he is branching out a bit.  He even invited Heather to ride on his yellow power wheels truck -- and because that truck means so much to him I took that as a sure sign that he has made a friend!  I am excited to see what great things come from this relationship!

Tonight I had both boys myself, and I dreaded it.  It's never easy to get the bedtime routine down with 2 people, much less alone.  In fact as I'm writing this neither boy is asleep.  But at least they are in their rooms, and I consider that a success for now.  At bath time tonight, though, I decided to employ a strategy Julianna used at the STAR Center.  I found some bath foam that we had gotten for Cade a couple of years ago -- he wouldn't touch it then, so I had just packed it away.  Tonight I pulled it out and squirted it all over the bathtub walls.  Then Cade and Kai used watering cans to wash it off (ok, so Kai mostly just smeared it everywhere with his hands - I even dug some out of his ear when I dried him off!).  This was very similar to the activity Cade did with Julianna where she squirted foam onto the windows or surfaces in the Messy Room and he used a water bottle to wash it off. 

Cade loved this activity and both boys had a blast at bath time.  Cade used a ton of verbal language, and invited Kai to play with him.  Of course I have no video of this...I was just trying to stay dry.  But it was a success!  After bath Cade continued to include Kai in his play.  After a while I heard Cade say, "Here Kai, hold my hand," and in the kitchen they came wanting cheese for their snack.  I was so encouraged -- it is rare when Cade involves Kai appropriately in social situations.

So overall I would deem today a success!  I thank God for the little things, like my boys holding hands.  And I thank Him for bath foam.  And I know I should also be thanking Him for the fact that they are, I'm pretty sure, both in Cade's room right now getting along...but I would much rather they both be in the bed!