Pumpkinland

Max went on his first preschool field trip today to Pumpkinland.  He got to ride the big yellow school bus which was the most exciting part of the trip.  His teacher said he loved the bus! 
Will met him at Pumpkinland, which was a good thing because Max became very overwhelmed at the amount of other kids and people there.  This has been happening a lot lately.  Max doesn't do well in big crowds.  He keeps his head down, gets scared, and then melts down.  The loud noise, the commotion, and the constant movement of people really effects him and he gets super stimulated. 
Max likes the normalicy of our house, a few people, and his trucks. 

But the field trip was good and we are excited to go on a little family outing this weekend to the Big Red Barn to pick our family pumpkins. 

"Are you a hobo?"

Max loves to mimic.  He will mimic anything you say, and sometimes it comes out right and sometimes we get interesting interpretations. 
We have had our fair share of "curse" words come out and Will and I just laugh, and then he repeats it, we correct him.  But to be honest hearing your three year old say "shit" is pretty funny. 

Max mimics almost anything, but his favorite thing is movies.  He can watch a movie once and it is stuck in his mind.  His current favorite is WRECK IT RALPH.  If you haven't seen if then you should, it is a really cute-fun-family-friendly movie.  There is a part in the movie where Ralph (the main character) meets Vanellope (the cutest little girl).  Vanellope asks Ralph "Are you a hobo?"
Here is the clip from the movie. 

Vanellope leans over a tree branch and asks the question.  This is Max's favorite part.  He laughs and laughs.  Max can mimic the whole scene.  He leans over the back of our couch and says "Are you hobo?"  It is pretty cute and he is so proud because he gets a good laugh out of Will and I.

I wish I had a better video of Max, but he turns off the charm once my camera comes out. 
I am loving this movie memorization phase and I hope it stays around for a long time. 

There are bad nights

Max had an awful night last night.
He was doing things he hasn't done in months. 
We give him 1mg of melatonin to help him relax and allow his body to sleep.  But last night, his poor mind was racing a thousand miles per hour.  He was up saying gibbering, echoing and moving for hours.  Will was up with him almost until 2am when his brain finally turned off.  I went in to check on Max and Will at 12am, and Max was very awake, talking 50 miles per hour.  Now when I say "talking" he repeats sounds, and letters, but they don't mean anything. 

This morning he was up at 7am.  So with very little sleep he is ready to face the day.  And Max is non-stop.  He doesn't rest.  So here is hoping for a good nap for everyone today!

I know there are going to be nights like this.  I know every child has bad nights, and bad days.  It makes me realize how far we have come.  How much good we are doing for Max because he doesn't have awful, frustrating, exhausting nights ALL the time.  I feel so blessed to have found out early that Max is Autistic so we can help him, and that our family can move forward. 

Early intervention is so important. 
Know the early signs of Autism.  
If you question something developmentally with your child ask for help and guidance. 
Go with your gut.  Especially Mom Guts.  They are powerful!
Ask for help, and don't be ashamed of your child. 
Helping your child will help you. 

Max is a champ.  He makes me a very happy and proud Mom. 

Singing

I love hearing Max sing.
He has always loved music.
Recently he has been singing everywhere and repeating songs he has learned at Pre-School.  He doesn't know all the words, but he has great pitch and can stay right on beat.  It is pretty awesome.
He knows the ABC's including the ending.  He will randomly sing it while in the car, in the shower, and even while watching his truck videos.  He loves the sound of his voice.

I wish I had a cute video of him singing.  But as soon as I pull out the camera he gets really shy and stops.  So instead you are getting a video of him doing a somersault.  This is his other new trick.  He is a monkey!  Since being at Pre-School for the last month Max has progressed in leaps and bounds.  His vocabulary is increasing, he is saying more things rather than just screaming for help, he is putting 3-4 word sentences together, and has mastered the art of saying "hello and goodbye!"  When I come home from work he is very serious about making sure he says "Hi Mom!"

Max is very black and white.  So when he learns something about a social cue he takes it very seriously.  We say hello and goodbye to everyone.  He knows that when someone leave a room or he leaves he says "Bye" and when we enter or someone walks into his area he says "hello or hi!"  It is funny sometimes because he will say hello and goodbye in the funniest places, or in a place where you don't really need to say either.  But again, black and white and very proud!

Will and I have looked back over the last year and thought about where we were a year ago.  We were constantly stressed, we were not happy parents, we were worried about Max, he was always having a tantrum and hurting himself, and no one in our house was sleeping.  Fast forward 365 days and we are still learning a lot, but we are happy, Max is learning and progressing, and we are better parents because we entered Max's world.  I am so happy he let us in!

Monkey Man Max

Introducing...

BIKE AND BUS!
Our fish.
Max named them. 

It was my birthday this past weekend, and we went to the Pet Store.  Max loved it.  So we picked out some fish.  He loves watching them and pointing at them. 
When we asked what their names were, he had no hessitation - BIKE and BUS!  Of course!  Why didn't we think of that?  The most important things in his life all have wheels, why shouldn't the fish also be named after his favorite things. 

So welcome to the family Bike and Bus. 

The Chase

Max has been playing more and more people games.  Just this past month he has learned that chasing is really fun.  He used to just stand and watch others chase, look and go back to his own world, or would only run away.  Now he comes back and is the chaser. He is participating in the chase.  Dexter and Max LOVE this game, and of course play it any chance they get. They love playing around the couch.  Max has been loving having his Cousin Charley so close because she is also happy to play "The Chase" with him too.  Charley says "I'm going to get you" and Max now repeats it and says "Get you!"

It has been really fun to watch Max learn these last few months.  He is picking up on more social ques and becoming more confident in social settings.  Nursery at church is still hard, and he does things that make the other kids ask things like "what is he doing?"  Or "Why does he do that?"  But he is progressing.  And my doctor has always told me that progress is progress no matter how big or small. 

Good Luck Max!

Max started Pre-School today.
We tried to get pictures, but he heard "car, school, go!" and wanted nothing to do with pictures.
So we caught a few going down the stairs.
A few college students passing said "awe cute!"  And I agree he was pretty cute walking all grow-up with his backpack pack on.
I am feeling so blessed to have a pre-school like Sunrise so close to our condo.  I am so lucky to have teachers who know how to teach a child with Autism.  I am one lucky Mom.

I can't wait to see him after school today!
Here is hoping for a tantrum free school day.

 Love you Max Strong!
You are going to love school this year!

UPDATE:  Will went and picked him up at school because I was a work.  His teacher said that for the first 30 minutes he was on the floor not moving, upset, and mad.  Then after about 30 minutes she said he started to move and play with toys.  She said after that he was fine for the rest of the day.  HE was VERY happy to see Will and the big buses outside after school.
It is going to get better each day.   He is going to get into a routine and I know he is going to love school.
DAY TWO:  This was a rough one.  He was upset going to the car.  He was upset walking in to his classroom and he was upset when I left.  But I had to leave.  His teacher, Mrs. Becky, is darling.  She knows I am a teacher, and she knows I worry.  So she emailed me during my prep time and told me "Max cried for only 5 minutes after you left, drank his juice, and then played with magnets.  He is currently doing great."  This is exactly what I needed to hear.  I know everyday is going to be different, but I know we are doing the right thing by sending him to preschool even on the hard days.