Noah stuff

Noah has been having a bit of a rough time lately.
He's realized that he's 3. It took a while, but he's finally having normal fits and meltdowns. They're still really mild compared to most kids (his OT actually laughs at them, because they're just so... cute).
He also got some sort of weird virus on Friday night. He would randomly break down crying over the silliest things, or over nothing at all. He wouldn't eat anything all day. On Saturday, he finally drank some water and proceeded to throw it all back up. After that happened two more times, he then ate half a bag of tortilla chips and was totally fine. So weird.

But the cranky mood hasn't completely left. Yesterday, he got wimpery as we came up to the McDonalds (at a red light). I figured, what the heck. So I went to get him some ice cream. Except? He didn't want it. And when we pulled out of the parking lot, he proceeded to have an epic (for Noah) meltdown and threw the ice cream cone at me from the back seat. I didn't get on him too much, because I know he's not himself right now. Plus, I had a hard time not laughing.

I just feel so bad for him. He's now understanding more and has opinions and wants, but he can't express them. When he felt bad over the weekend, I didn't know why. We were guessing everything from ear infections to a stomach ache. It's just sad. So while I'll never accept ugly behavior, I also know I have to extend a little grace to him. He's just now becoming more aware... of his surroundings, other people, himself. He expects us to just know his thoughts, and it must be so frustrating when we don't get it. It's like having a newborn in a toddler form sometimes.

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Yesterday, he had a little bit of a rough time at his OT. She knew he wasn't quite himself when he would just randomly sob at things they always do.
After it was over, we walked out of the little side room. Noah quickly walked into a different room (the lights were off), grabbed a very specific toy, walked into a different room, sat on the floor, and proceeded to play with it for the next 20 minutes. See the door to the left of the slide? Obviously, this vintage Fisher Price cash register had caught his attention when he was sliding.

His therapist felt terrible. He probably thought she was being mean by not letting him play with it. She had no idea that's what he wanted. She even said she would've grabbed it to help him transition had she known. Whoops!
At one point, I asked him if he was ready to leave, and he politely stuck his hand out for me to back off (it's his way of saying, "no thanks").
So being that this is the ONLY thing he's gone crazy over lately, I immediately did a frantic online search for one of these things. I found one on ebay for like $20 (including shipping), which was the cheapest option. After I bought it, I realized I didn't check to make sure it came with coins. Sure enough, it does not. So I searched for the right coins for that particular model.

Then it dawned on me to check craigslist. There's a mom nearby selling theirs (WITH coins) for $10. WHY did I not think of that BEFORE purchasing the non-refundable one?? I've already emailed the guy and asked for him to cancel it (it had only been an hour or so, and yes, I was totally that mom and mentioned "my autistic son who wanted this for Christmas with the coins").
Now I'm just praying he taps into the spirit of Christmas and gives me my money back. Otherwise, I'll just save it and give it as a gift later on down the road. And don't think I'm above calling him a Scrooge if he makes me keep it. lol. I'll just make sure to cook an extra awesome Christmas dinner for Brad to smooth over the fact that I've bought two of the same toy.

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The owner of the OT company plopped down on the floor with us to chat yesterday (they're all so cool), and she asked how Noah's sleep was going. She then asked if we were using a weighted blanket. I told her that they're just too expensive, and we don't want to spend that kind of money (we're talking at least over $100) on something he'll just throw on the floor.
She then tells me that someone donated one recently, and I was more than welcome to take it home and try it out for a couple of weeks. How awesome is that?!

I hope we never move. These people have been so amazing for Noah.

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His OT is beginning food therapy with him now, to help him expand his palate a little. She told me about this new technique called "food jagging" that seems to be working well.
Basically, you offer them three kinds of simple foods, one of which you know they will eat. Everyone at the table gets the same thing. There's an empty plate in the middle of the table, where unwanted food can be discarded. She also suggested putting Noah in a contained seat at the table (not a high chair) and placing something on the floor that he can rest his feet on. This gives them added stability when eating, instead of that wiggly, dangly-feet feeling.
So I used his old travel chair last night and put a big speaker we weren't using underneath his feet (perfect height!). He ended up sitting there for 30 minutes, eating everything on his plate. He never does that. He even ate his lima beans with his fork... so exciting!

There were a couple of times where he pushed on the table, like he was ready to get down. But then it was like something in his head clicked, and he was all, "Oh wait, I'm still hungry...".

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I'm not sure if I'll be back blogging before Christmas. I hope so, because I have plenty to document. But honestly, I'd rather be soaking up this time with my little family. If not, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!! :)