I have fully embraced the idea that each season of life is different. I also realize that although each season has some hard parts some of just hard overall.  This season of foster care is much harder than I would every have anticipated. But at the same time I am seeing the huge difference and gains that are being made. Today I am going to share somewhat random thoughts about it. Let just say up front these are my opinions and thoughts,

• This summer we used paper plates EVERY day!  It was a simple way to keep up with the dishes and not add one single thing  to my to do list.  This week we ran out of paper plates and I *think* that at this point we can start using the regular plates again however this may change when life starts to overwhelm again.
• This is a quote from Kendall’s special education text book and it is the most accurate description of what we have seen “Following Kanner’s initial research on autism, many researchers focused on inappropriate or bad parenting as a case of autism…. speculated that during their child’s infancy some parents, particularly mothers, withheld affection or exhibited extremely negative feelings toward their son or daughter: consequently the youngster retreated into a autistic “empty fortress.”
• E has been sleeping through the night with only a few exceptions since moving to his new room. Even the times of waking up have not resulted in me losing more than an hour of sleep! THIS IS HUGE
• E is beginning to eat a little more. Just this weekend he ate banana bread and a meatball. Although the struggle is still very much a struggle. It is an improvement.
• He is consider to be at or above grade level. We are in the process of discharging all EC services. The down side to this is that we will have to find private speech services and likely a play therapist. But at this point we can’t fit into the schedule on a regular bases
• Trimming is his nails is the most traumatizing event!  I am honestly at my wits end!
• DSS had E approved for SSI, I am not sure what this means as far as long term but for the short run, it will pay for after school care instead of me paying half.
• E LOVES camp Manna and ask to stay longer and more days!