Julia cried tonight when the thunder was too loud. She did not scream or yell as she usually does. It was real crying with tears. And when I came into her, she asked that I put my arms around her and hug her. She told me that her face was wet with tears. Julia's tears are beginning to come to her eyes. What a step for her.
On Monday when Julia had her EEG, she took my hands and put hers in mine when the nurse was putting on the little metal electrodes on her head. She was patient throughout the testing but scared.
By the end of the day, after speech and OT and then hours of home therapy, she was exhausted, but not acting tired at all. The old vigilance crept back. I should have seen it. I should have known that the morning would have scared her so much that she would erupt and then shut down. I want Julia to learn to control herself and know how far she can stretch herself, but I think to do this, I have to take the lead. Teach her to take care of herself. Next time we do something like a medical procedure that will scare Julia, I will not push her to complete her regular day.
Julia made a praying mantis out of wicki sticks today. It is her own design and wonderful, especially the wings. They have been using wicki sticks at school to reward Julia for doing her work. She is loving it and doing her work. And we've had another week with lots of smiles on her behavior charts.
Yesterday, David and I decided on a design/build team to do our first floor renovation. We begin the design next week. We may be in construction as soon as the fall. We had thought to push it off until the spring but it sounds like we may get the best deal by doing the work sooner. So we shall see is David is feeling well enough to have the house in chaos starting this fall.
This morning, I went to the Franklin School to see the spring concert. Like last fall, Julia didn't want to stand and sing with the kids on the bleachers. She sat with me, on my lap, through out the concert. She did sing some of the songs and swayed when the kids danced. She clapped and had a great time.
I have to admit that last year and last fall, I had the problem with being the mom with my kid on my lap and not in the bleachers. I wanted us to look normal -- I wanted us to be the white family with an Asian kid which turns some heads but not with the kid whose behavior is so very different from everyone else. But today, I didn't care. I clapped for the kids singing and I kissed my kid on my lap. Sometimes it is the change of view that makes all the difference.
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