SUCCESS!!!!

So this morning I got a call from the owner of Romp N Roll. She said she had read the notes about Bug and our free class last week. She wanted to reach out and see if there was anything else they could do and I told her it was absolutely nothing on their end that went wrong, in fact I was super impressed with the staff there. She offered Bug a free open gym and mentioned that today they were extending the hours and if we came earlier, it would probably be pretty quiet. I said we would try, but obviously I didn't want to push Bug. She was totally understanding and sympathetic and super awesome.

I mentioned to Bug a few times today that I wanted to try Romp N Roll again. As soon as we got into the parking lot, Bug started crying. When I parked the car, he started freaking out. I let him out of his seat, got Wiggle out, and did some squeezes before I brought him to the door. Sarah, the same girl who helped us last time, was there, took Wiggle so I could get Bug in. He was in meltdown mode, but I just sat on the floor with him, talked a little bit to Sarah and the owner and let Bug have his moment. Luckily there was no one else there, so I didn't have to feel embarrassed or rushed or worried about the extra stimulus. Sarah was just so accommodating. She turned down the music for us, and then brought out a nubbly ball and opened up the gates so if Bug was inclined, he could go in the gym. I played with the ball a bit, rolled it on Bug's legs and he took it. When it rolled away, he got up to get it, noticed the opened gate, and headed in. YAY! I think Sarah and I both did silent cheers.

He started out in the baby area, but within a few minutes was exploring further and further. Another little boy showed up and was a good model for a lot of "typical" behavior. He was not a big talker either, so it was nice to have them be about the same level. They did interact a little, had to take turns going down the slide and share toys. We were there for more than an hour, Bug probably got about an hour playing time. He did find a lot of fun things to jump on, did some climbing, played with balls (mostly ran around with them). Mostly he wanted me to be near, but it was more to play with him, not really clinging. He was reluctant to go, but I think he was tired and hungry so he didn't put up too much of a fight.

When we got home he was pretty talkative ("Yes please" is really settling in) which was fun for us. Our OT says that doing so much sensory diet stuff should help "calm" him down so we'll watch him closely tomorrow to see if he seems to be seeking less than normal.

All in all, I'm really pleased with how it went. I bought a pass so we can go to more open gyms as we're able. Hopefully it ends up being a good fun positive experience for Bug. I'd love to get him in a class, but open gym definitely seems like the right thing for us right now.

As I was reflecting on this with Adam tonight, I realized something. I had read a book called "Kids Beyond Limits" about sort of healing the brain of kids who have all sorts of issues (CP, autism, etc) and the author mentioned how she always starts so small. Some therapies constantly try to get things to do things they aren't able to. All that teaches kids is failure. Small, tiny baby steps that are successful for the child help the child's brain grow and form strong connections. This week, when I was reading about expanding diets of sensory kids, a website suggested making "just noticeable" differences to foods to slowly expand the variety. Change the color, the shape, before just throwing new foods out there. If the child freaks out about it, it was too big of a change. Think smaller.

Momma has learned this week: Think small. Small changes, small steps. If he freaks out, it was too much. Being "trapped" in a class is too much right now. Entering the gym on his own terms, when he is ready, is the right small step.

We are going to take a quiet day tomorrow. On Sunday we have church, then friends over for the football game and then dinner with a family who were are running a fellowship group with, so a big day for Bug. Hopefully the calm day in between will keep things fairly successful!

I just feel so blessed that we have access to people who want to help us help Bug, who want to see him be successful almost as much as we do. I think God has shown me this week that even when I feel hopeless and lost, there are always hands there ready to help me out. I'm glad I get to end this week on a more positive note than last week.