doggie halloween costumes are the best!

We had quite a nice evening last night. As a family. Something definitely more than rare these days. It's just something my boy isn't able to handle most of the time.

It started with a good day for him. Lots of dog scripting. He wanted to play a game with me... third day in a row!!! And this time he agreed to play a game I recommended, Sequence. We spent probably an hour and a half yesterday playing sequence and then checkers. It was pretty amazing.
Then we had doggy dress up time. Because when it's Halloween, of course the dogs get costumes too.
 
This was all wonderful. This definitely filled my soul with happiness. But what was even better than all of this.......
we all sat in one room, together, to watch a new show on TV called Speechless. And we all laughed. We all enjoyed it. We had 30 minutes of family time, together. That was pretty incredible. It feels like it's been a very long time since we've been able to do this. And we did it last night. And best of all, there wasn't any problems.

 He didn't get overwhelmed. He didn't get angry just from the fact that we were all in the same room breathing the same air. There was nothing except laughter and smiles.
And if you know anything about this new show, it's about a Special Needs family (ironic isn't it).... the boy has CP and is in a wheelchair.... and it's centered around all the craziness that comes when you have a child with special needs. And it is written in such a humorous way. It's real, it's raw and let me tell you how much I can relate to it. It is so well written and so incredibly funny. And laughing is good! And that is what we were all doing last night! It was beautiful.

502 pages

502 pages!

That's how many pages in the book that my boy finished yesterday.

Yes, I said yesterday!

This kid just is always keeping us guessing, keeping us on our toes at all times, constantly surprising us and amazing us. 

502 pages kept him so focused, engaged, and literally transcended him into another world inside that book.  Not much can do that..... that is pretty powerful!

And this is all from a boy who never demonstrated to ANYONE that he even understood the most basic of words, the beginning of understanding written language, of even having an interest.

But unlike most kids, my kid didn't ask for him with a word like; to, or, maybe, sit, eat, or any other word that is considered beginner reading.  My kid liked books, especially encyclopedia type books with great pictures.  But one day when he was about 7, again he had never made an attempt to show us he knew how to read anything and refused to ever demonstrate this skill to us or anyone, and what does he do one day?

He asks for help with the word "experience"..... huh???  and from that point on we realized he knew how to read.  He taught himself, it clicked just one day, we always kept books everywhere.  So this is my kid.... his favorite books were always non fiction.  He loved dictionary's, encyclopedia's, nat geo books on animals, space.  He loves reading maps, books on geography, anything to do with FACTS!!!  That's what has been his reading material- the type of book that would actually keep him engaged, keep his attention and focus and of course it gave him material.  Material to then tell others all about these facts that he has now learned.  It's part of his scripts!!! 
But it's changed recently.  Slowly it started with a "How to Train your Dragon" chapter book.  That kept him pretty engaged. 

And slowly over the last year, he has read a little more like this.... not just a book of FACTS!

Then this week comes.... and he's been reading the last month like a crazy maniac.  It's great- he sits in a chair, puts a blanket on his lap, dogs at his feet and reads.  And reads, and reads!!!  
I'm trying to keep up with him and his interest and picking books that will keep him focused and he is interested in.  What can be hard is he literally judges a book by it's cover.  If the picture on the front doesn't spark him immediately- forget it!   But I have found this series, actually several series by author Brandon Mull........and well it has sparked him.  He read the first in the series, Five Kingdoms end of last week, and then he read book 2 and 3 this week.  And yesterday he read book 4 in the series.  All 502 pages of it!! In one day!  This kid just is always full of surprises!!   But it gives me so much joy as his mom to see him enjoying something.  So little in life brings him joy, and to see him calm, engaged, focused, and completely engulfed into the world inside those pages......well, it. gives makes my heart smile really big!   Now, to just find another series that will capture him.  (book 4 was the last in the series for now..... )