Little Lion Check Point

So....

It's time for your little Lion stats check-point post.

Leo has now had almost two months of preschool, and things are getting better there. 

He's gotten a good idea of the lay of the land at this point, and has even figured out which bits are his favorite.

But it's not all roses and maracas, boy has to work quite a bit too. He's pretty much totally out of gas when the time comes for going home and he often dozes off in the fifteen minute car ride back from school.

In addition to all the good-times school activities he also receives his therapy visits in the classroom. So far the team has been great about keeping me updated on his developing strengths and the ever persistent weaknesses. 

At four years old, the little lion is walking leaps and bounds better than he was this time last year, but falls and trips are daily visitors. Some days he also seems more unsteady than others. 

His vocab has also grown to include three word sentences and many many single words that Leo whips out gleefully at the oddest moments. His therapists are convinced that he does this mostly to change the subject and as a distraction tactic from the therapy work. Watch out parents, kids know your parenting technique better than you do and they can, and will, use it against you at any time. It goes like this: "Here Leo, put the fish in the fish tank!"

"Look! Window!!"

"No way Leo, put the red fish in the tank."

Pointing at the ceiling, "LIGHTS!"

"Where is the fish, Leo?"

"I SEE HOT AIR BALLOON!"

Ten minutes later the fish are finally in the tank, the therapist is exhausted and I realize that perhaps I need to work on making my distraction tactic more subtle. 

Oh well.

The other thing we are working on, and by working on, I mean to say trying desperately, is to help lengthen Leo's patience to meltdown fuse. These days it's been a bit short that time from when he starts getting pissed to when he is a totally exploding bomb of mass destruction proportions. 

I think it is because he's afraid we aren't getting it. That he isn't able to communicate to us clearly his desires. In reality we hear them loud and clear, and choose to, sometimes, not grant them. In his mind however, we JUST DON"T GET IT!

So in the little things, like going for a walk on a weekday and finding the church door locked, this was an outrage of epic proportions. Not ok! 

Why didn't I get it? I did buddy boy, I can't give you the moon and the stars and definitely can't get you through a locked door.

However...

I can maybe, just maybe help you be ok with that.

Maybe. 

Someday.

If I'm very lucky.

Anyway, if anybody has an techniques for that, feel free to shout them out.

In other respects, Leo pretty much is a walking, talking, tantruming miracle. I got to remind myself of that when I feel like locking myself in the bathroom and ripping all my hair out.

Come on folks, he was supposed to be "a vegetable" (doctor's actual words) so I really need to get a perspective on my screaming and bashing toddler miracle. But it's no joke, the things he does, they astound me in every way. The things he notices and remembers, how he enunciates words perfectly (no need for Mr. Higgins), how, in so many precious and beautiful ways he is perfectly normal. 

He hasn't had a seizure since early this summer, his shunt (knock on wood) seems fine, and his immune system is at all-systems-normal setting. He's had a week of CSS (Changing Seasons Sniffles), but even that didn't dampen his motors too much. 

So it is my opinion that we are heading into the cold season from a good spot, and hopefully, please God, oh please, we have a hospital free holiday season.

Good bye summer!

Helloooo fall!