Maggie was not happy about having to put on clothes over her bathing suit when we headed out to OT yesterday... but with the 20-something degree temp with windchill it was a necessity (she was going to get to go swimming when she got there... now I know to hide the bathing suit in her bag until we get there).
She was furious about the putting on a jacket and pants... but there was an upside to the dressing difficulties.
She asked me "why?" three times while I was getting her dressed. As in:
Me: "Come on, we need to put these on before we can leave!"
Maggie: "Why?!?!?!?!"
Me: "Because it's really cold outside."
Maggie: "Why?"
Me: Because it's freezing and I don't want you to get cold."
Maggie: "Why?"
Okay, so I probably didn't do the best job directly answering the "why's" but 99.99% of my energy was going towards getting her to keep the pants and jacket on when she was pretty certain that was the worst idea ever.
Her therapist told me that she said "why" during therapy yesterday but at the time she wasn't entirely sure it was intentional (although it was appropriate). It seems that it was!
In case your wondering why this seemed like such a big deal (so that yesterday I found myself telling everyone from the psychologist who diagnosed Mae who I ran into at the autism center, to her OT and Speech therapist and ABA therapist, because yesterday couldn't have been any busier if it tried... we walked over 11 miles going from appointment to appointment), it stood out in my mind because asking if the kids use question words comes up a lot in various appointments (I'm guessing because question words are abstract and can be more difficult to express) and for Mae the answer has always been no.
So I'll just be over here savoring every single little "why?" and hopefully doing a better job answering them when I'm not failing at convincing her that in order not to freeze jackets are actually good things.
And now for a little video I took a little before 7 am yesterday when we were waiting for OT to start:
She was furious about the putting on a jacket and pants... but there was an upside to the dressing difficulties.
She asked me "why?" three times while I was getting her dressed. As in:
Me: "Come on, we need to put these on before we can leave!"
Maggie: "Why?!?!?!?!"
Me: "Because it's really cold outside."
Maggie: "Why?"
Me: Because it's freezing and I don't want you to get cold."
Maggie: "Why?"
Okay, so I probably didn't do the best job directly answering the "why's" but 99.99% of my energy was going towards getting her to keep the pants and jacket on when she was pretty certain that was the worst idea ever.
Her therapist told me that she said "why" during therapy yesterday but at the time she wasn't entirely sure it was intentional (although it was appropriate). It seems that it was!
In case your wondering why this seemed like such a big deal (so that yesterday I found myself telling everyone from the psychologist who diagnosed Mae who I ran into at the autism center, to her OT and Speech therapist and ABA therapist, because yesterday couldn't have been any busier if it tried... we walked over 11 miles going from appointment to appointment), it stood out in my mind because asking if the kids use question words comes up a lot in various appointments (I'm guessing because question words are abstract and can be more difficult to express) and for Mae the answer has always been no.
So I'll just be over here savoring every single little "why?" and hopefully doing a better job answering them when I'm not failing at convincing her that in order not to freeze jackets are actually good things.
And now for a little video I took a little before 7 am yesterday when we were waiting for OT to start:
Yay! Another level of development! She will climb the ladder and every level will be a celebration! As always; you guys are in my daily prayers!
ReplyDeleteThank you Patience! I sometimes feel like I'm appreciating every little step (even with the other kids) so much more having seen how hard won they can be for Mae!
DeleteIt's true. I did appreciate my younger dd's (#4) development way more than my boys (where I took it for granted).Even something as simple as the fact that younger dd could blow her nose and older dd struggled to coordinate this. (no idea why; some kind of oral motor issue?). As well as being able to count over 50 words by age 18 months! (and I know for you this is true as well but I really watched younger dd carefully for any lags in development; (she does have some LD and Dyslexia but that's minor in my books).
DeleteI cannot believe how muscular Maggie looks in that photo! Seriously, those legs, I'm jealous!
ReplyDeleteThat was my thought too when I was looking at this pictures! She is so strong!
DeleteOh, that is fabulous! As soon as you said it, I knew instinctively this was a sign of progress, because when kids ask why (them: why is the sky blue?, you: because (first attempt to explain), them: "but, why?" and why, and why and why)...oh, they are understanding and learning!!!!! She's passed a milestone. I bet, in spite of the situation of trying to get her dressed, you wanted to kiss her!
ReplyDeleteSo great. Really. So great.
God bless. ~ Bonnie
Thank you Bonnie! I just couldn't believe my ears the first time she said it, and then to say it twice more!
DeleteI understand why "why" is a big deal - it is a big and glorious deal, and I rejoice with you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Nancy! I'm still excited all these days later!
DeleteSuch amazing strides she has made lately!
ReplyDelete