Engaged

This week was tough. No school Tuesday, Thursday and Friday for teacher convention. An MRI scheduled for Monday only to be cancelled because after waiting for 3 hours my son drank some apple juice. Working on the no shoes and no coat rule that Robbie was enforcing. On Wednesday Robbie came home with a story the teacher had made for him discussing why and when we needs to wear a coat. Friday Rob spent most of the day preparing Robbie for life in the colder months. He had to put his shoes and coat on to go outside. If Robbie took either one off in the car- Rob pulled over and made him put them back on. It was a lengthy process- one that is not totally resolved- but definitely better.
This weekend on the other hand has been good. We had Rob's cousin and family over last night for dinner and a movie. Robbie hadn't seen his cousin's in a few months but definitely knew who they were when they walked in the door. The kids went into the playroom- Hannah age 10, Moira age 7, - Robbie and Lexi- to play. It was relatively quite. I snuck a few quick glances and everyone was playing together. For Robbie this means he is playing next to others but happy they are there. I can tell by the smile on his face and the sideways glances he takes every few seconds to ensure everyone is around him. As the night went on I was happy to see Robbie really trying to engage with cousins- especially Hannah. He came up to her a few times, looked her right in the eye and spoke. What came out of his mouth made no sense but it was encouraging to see the effort. When we put Toy Story 3 on for the kids all 4 sat on the couch. Robbie snuggled right next to his cousin. The nice about cousins is they are safe. They know Robbie's a little different than other kids and they are kind regardless. They have no idea how important that is for Robbie. Feeling safe and accepted will help him to use his words and play with others. It's nice to see a glimpse of progress- which we need to see every now and again!!