So Far, So Good - The New TSS

    Well we have had the new tss for about a week and I must say its nice to have the help back again. This guy, let's call him "David," is really good with Xander. He likes getting down on his level and playing but when work time goes, he's all business (which Xander needs.)

    Today is our first trip to the lake with David to help me manage Xander. We are going to be working on swimming lessons. Because Xander can't so much as lean back without feeling lost and freaking out, getting him to relax enough to learn to move in the water is tricky. He loves to stand chin deep and splash and wants to go out deeper. The obvious problem being he can't swim yet and won't wear water wings, but is also too stubborn to agree to hold on to one of us to help tow him out deeper. He Must do it himself. I have no idea where he gets this trait from, (cough, cough...from me? what nooooo.... well according to my mother, he does but she's biased)

    I'm hoping for some success with his trusting us in the water by the time we go on vacation in August, but I don't have very high hopes considering that its 39 days til our trip. And yes I'm counting.

picture unrelated for the most part but because of a phone issue,
I don't have any new shoots, so this older one of Alex and Xander
with C3po will have to do!

    Being born and raised on an island has its perks, one being that I don't really recall learning how to swim. I theorize we were born with gills and somewhere around age four they simply faded away as real skill developed. We spend nearly every day at the beach from the time the temperature got above 65 degrees until well into the next school season. But Xander has never been a beach kid, despite living no more than 500 yards from the bay for the first two years of his life. He hated sand and while the waves excited him, the strength they used to bowl him over scared the crap out of him.

    But another perk to growing up at the shore is that no matter where I move, I can always "go home" for vacation. Our family and friends all get together for a big bbq party we host at my parent's house each year for Xander's birthday. And now that we live so far away, its our only chance to see some of our more busy friends or relatives. This year the theme will be dinosaurs (big surprise right?!) but that's proving to be a more difficult style to find, everything is superheros or disney characters and we've been there, done that!

    Besides the swimming in the ocean, I'm also a little curious to see how he reacts to the boardwalk and all the rides and lights. There's no sensory safe version of the boardwalk, that's for sure, unless you go midday when everyone else is smart enough to stay out of the sun or be in the water. But honestly, I see him being in stim heaven, as long as the crowds don't freak him out. There are milder activities, like bike rides, trips to the zoo and walks in the shopping districts, so I'm not all that worried if he doesn't do well with the crowds and lights.

   All in all, its nice to be getting back to a rhythm of the week and knowing there are people coming around to help that can be trusted. The vacation will be welcomed whether or not we have a sensory fit, we will just have to roll with his level of comfort at the time. I'm still intensely looking forward to it, it should be a blast!