Rockin' the Asperger's

Life has been interesting around here recently, to say the least.  Never a dull moment in the Furr household.  I've been struggling for several days about what to say about our recent experiences--and I'm still struggling.  I thought I'd start with Noah, even though the experiences don't entirely come from him, but his behaviors recently have been a product of everything that has happened.

I recently had to be hospitalized (I'm fine, but that's another post....), which meant Avery and Noah were passed to whichever doorstep they landed on.  We were very blessed to have friends who so quickly, eagerly and unquestioningly took our boys in.  Over the course of 4 very crazy days, our boys spent very little time at home.  Our friends and Shawn kept me up to date with pictures and texts.  The main thing I kept hearing was how helpful, responsible and easy going Noah was being.  That really helped things on my end (I know it helped things on their end, too!) and I was so pleased to hear.  I was also very proud of Noah because I know it wasn't easy on him in the least.  He really stepped up to the plate.  He did have one meltdown and a panic attack, but we all felt it was justified, given everything that was going on.

Noah (and Avery) didn't leave my side for the first 24 hours after I got home.  He was uncharacteristically snuggly and clingy.  Noah likes his hugs and occasionally he drapes himself across me, but he's not a clingy kid.  I know he was scared and relieved all at the same time. My poor kid was seriously stressed.  I sat down with him and talked about what happened.  I explained that what happened was scary, but if something had happened, I was in the hospital, being monitored and taking medicine that would prevent anything from happening.  I told him about the peace and calm I felt about the entire situation, how I knew from the beginning that it would all be okay.  I also apologized to him for allowing his imagination to run wild and for not explaining it to him better originally.  I told him about all the praise he received from our friends and from Daddy, then told him how proud I am of him for helping out and being such a young man.

The next few days after that were a little more difficult for Noah.  Again though, given everything that went on, I shouldn't have been surprised.  We were really rockin' the Asperger's.  His symptoms and associated behaviors became more pronounced than they have been in a while.  It took us about 20 minutes to get through the soup aisle at the store because he had to compulsively make sure every soup can chute was even.  He sat on the couch rocking forward and back, bouncing his head off the cushions.  He's insisted on wearing his compression shirts under his clothing, which he hasn't needed for a while.  Noah has completely lacked self control and his impulsivity has been almost unbearable.  These are just a few examples! 

Things are getting a little easier for Noah today.  He's been incredibly helpful and responsible, and his symptoms/behaviors are slowly getting less severe--kind of  back to status quo. 

Here's to what qualifies for normal around here!