Cookies and chaos

There is something awesome about baking cookies with the kids. They were really excited to help make these tonight and not that they aren't always excited about making treats -but this one is a favorite. Peanut Butter Blossoms. Yummy! There is just something about peanut butter and chocolate that makes a very delicious treat.

Chan helped add the ingredients and then mixed it all together, Both the older kids took turns rolling the cookie dough into the sugar and then their favorite part, smashing them with forks. They try so hard to make the cris-cross design, we had to re-roll a couple of the cookies when the dough ended up squished between the fork prongs. A few of them looked more like a palm print, but that's okay. After the cookies were all baked, we gently added the Hershey kisses and and waited for them to cool.

The kids ended up falling asleep before eating any of the cookies, which is okay with me since they were loaded with sugar. They will probably sneak one with breakfast before leaving for school anyway.

Speaking of school, Chan had a rough day today. After our last incident with leaving the school grounds, we requested a protocol be set in place in case (or when) this happened next. Today was that day. Chan set out for a game of catch (catch me if you can) and the school immediately called dad. Protocol is Dad, Me, Police. They couldn't reach C, I missed the first phone call, so they tried C one more time just to make sure they didn't have to use the last one. We live 2 blocks away and across a busy road from the school so I was there in 5 minutes.

Had they not been able to get a hold of me or be able coax Chan back into the building, they would have called for the police assistance. We have no doubt that it would have worked, but hope to never get that far.

After speaking with Chan's aide and then the principal I had some time to talk with Chan. I wasn't going to take him home because I didn't want him to think that this is how he can get out of school early. I soon realized that his nervous system was mis-firing and he needed a big squeeze. I pushed down on his shoulders for five minutes, I squeezed him for another five, I gave him a massage for five more and then bribed him with a milkshake if he went back to class to give it another go. Once he was calm and ready, they went back to his special room and put on a weight vest. The rest of the day was GREAT!

It is so sad to think that it took us this long to figure out he needed the weight vest. I showed the staff how to calm him this way and then recommended the weight vest be used on a more regular basis. He enjoys wearing it and it makes him feel good, so it's really a win win.

I am not sure how every parent deals with situations like this and I probably had a very unconcerning look on my face when speaking with the aide today, but honestly this is just a part of his life. This is how he deals with things and there was no one specific set off today. You just have to roll with the punches and sometimes litterally.
We have been working with the school to get Chan into his gen-ed classroom more and more each week, we were making progress and he really wants to be there, and then he takes two steps back. I have no idea what it must be like to live in his shoes - hearing things differently than you or I, feeling things differently, and being so hard on yourself over the littlest imperfections.
I forget sometimes that he is just a little boy and he dislikes living this way, just as much as we dislike his outbursts of tantrums. I was given a new book today that I hope will help me teach him and us to help him live with his sensativity emotionally and socially. When I figure this out, I'll let you know and believe me - I'm gonna figure this out! I love this little boy so much, I will never give up!!