More Summer That Was ...

As far as Connor is concerned, there is really only one sport. And that's baseball. Here is another one of his summer adventures, in pictures. Have I mentioned the "Hard Life Club" around here before? I'm pretty sure I have.

The Summer That Was ...

After baseball season ended, Connor went a little bit AWOL. He came home for a weekend or two, but spent the majority of his summer at the lake with Grandma and Grandpa.

 

Here is the summer that was ...

Clothes drying outside on the deck is a good day ... it means you made it onto the water.

Another good sign ... the rainbow is the bonus, the good sign is the boat out in the sun, trying to dry after a good day in and on the water. 

Happy water boy ...

Big boy on the tube.

Fun with Cousin Austin.

Deep into the cave system.

Visiting a national park with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Brian, Austin and Kyndal.

A little more fun on the water.

Some front of the boat fishing.

Catching a little fish ... and letting him go again.

More tubing fun.

Too cool for his own good.

More water fun.

Finishing up a long day on the water.

More front of the boat fishing.

And more fun with cousins.

Welcome to the "Hard Life Club," or what we call Connor's world.

And this was just one summer.

Learning to Play

One of the things I've always said about our journey is that I wanted to try to find balance. Among the autism community, there are different schools of thought on the levels and amounts of therapy that you should do. While I want to offer the boys as much therapy as they need, I also didn't want them to spend their entire childhood in therapy (hello, ABA, I'm looking at you).

Beyond the time consideration, there is also the financial consideration. We are fortunate to have pretty good health insurance through Josh's job with the local fire department. Since we started private speech therapy a little over a year ago, it's covered the majority of it. This summer we decided to add occupational therapy. Insurance, unfortunately, doesn't cover all of that. Mostly because the practice we found (and love) is out-of-network. But for now, it's working out.

So every Wednesday afternoon, I pick the twins up early from school. We head across town for their afternoon appointment, spend an hour in therapy, and then head back across town to pick up Connor as he finishes school at the end of the day.

We considered adding an after-school session, but we already do that with speech on Tuesday afternoons. And the boys have trouble sometimes focusing during that half-hour session right after a full-day of school. We weren't sure they could handle a second after school therapy, certainly not one that is an hour-long and also pretty intense. So we opted to pull them out, which makes for a busy Wednesday afternoon for me, but so far it works.

We also opted for two therapists instead of one, which means that the sessions happen simultaneously. I spend the bulk of my time with Sawyer, who needs a little more help and interpretation as we get started. I finish up the sessions by checking in with Xander.

There have been some pretty significant improvements since we began this summer.

Xander's patience level is so much better than it's ever been before. He's learning the concept of "wait" as well as "first, then," though he might be taking that second one a bit far in terms of wanting to bargain for EVERYTHING. Usually it's "first X, then computer!" or "first X, then myPad!"

Sawyer's ability to sit still and focus continues to improve. And his willingness to work on new things, and to work on those skills that come hardest for him (fine motor, using his hands), is definitely getting better.

Both boys have different OT goals, but some of them are also the same. The one that kind of runs through all of it, and which makes OT so much fun, is that the boys are constantly learning how to play.

Snapshot Sunday (Tuesday)

Night View, a photo by here we wander on Flickr.

Back to Baseball

First Baseman, a photo by here we wander on Flickr.

Have I mentioned that fall baseball started last week? We are three practices and one game into the season. We will average three or four nights a week at the ball field through the end of September.

And Connor LOVES it. As one of the few returning rookie players, he's one of the big kids this year. He's moved into the infield, which is a big step for him. At last night's game, he alternated between first base and short stop. And he did pretty well, but it's still a learning experience for him.

And that's one of the reasons I love fall baseball. It's more laid-back, less about winning games and more about learning positions and plays. Even the coaches on the other teams congratulate players on good plays or offer suggestions just before or just after the play. It's a learning experience, and that's exactly what Connor needs as he moves into the infield.

We had several practices last week, though one was rained out and one ended in another downpour. Yesterday was the first game, though the scoreboards don't come on and no one really keeps score. Connor made a couple of good infield throws, though he still needs some work on his defensive play. And he hit pretty well, including one shot into right field that got him a double.

A lot of the older kids skip fall baseball, either because their worn out from all stars in the summer or because they chose to participate in another fall sport like football or soccer. Connor has no interest in the other sports, and he could definitely use the extra practice. Most of the kids on his team are moving up from t-ball, playing their first games in rookie league (or coach-pitch). Connor will be one of the few returning eight-year-olds on his team next Spring.

And that means he's going to have to step up, if he wants another chance to contend for the league tournament or another set of trophies (and trust me, he's pretty proud of the ones they won last year).

If you're looking for us, just look under our usual shade trees in the outfield. We'll be there. Camp chairs, cooler and iPads. And probably a camera, too.