DC completed his first full year of “work”. He transitioned into it very well. Me? I am the one still having a problem calling it “work” and not “school”, the “car” is here, instead of the “bus”. I panic each time a school vacation comes along because I have to make plans for DC while I’m working, until I realize he doesn’t get those weeks off anymore; he’s working. The transition seems to be much more difficult for me than it was for him.
My “Broadway Baby” also has a volunteer job as a Greeter at a local theater, with a job coach of course. He loves it and does well. The shifts are long, but he makes it through and he is happy when he gets home. How many of us can say we have our Dream Job? DC has his.
Because of his
“theater experience” he was asked to help his camp by passing out programs at
the annual “Thank You to Our Civic Groups” picnic. Unfortunately, the promise
of cheeseburgers after he was finished totally distracted him while he was
supposed to be working, so we will write that one off as a “trial run” and I
will know how to better explain the process to him next year.
Communication-wise, I’ve noticed that I am doing much less
prompting to get him to respond to a greeting and many times he will initiate a
greeting himself; although “Hello Old Lady” (to his Grandmother) isn’t exactly in my top ten, he DID initiate
the conversation himself. He was also able to tell me a couple of times, in his
own way, but in a way that I was able to figure out, that he wasn’t feeling well.
He has been asking to do more
things “All by myself”, like making his lunch for school
This year we
skipped our annual Halloween trip to either Salem or Sleepy Hollow and decided
to go to New York ComicCon. To say it was crowded is an understatement.
He did well. Yes, he was anxious, but he controlled himself as best he
could. Mike TeeVee came at the perfect moment. DC was getting anxious so
we were on our way off the show floor because I could see he was getting
upset. We happened upon "Mr. TeeVee" on the way. No line,
as I don’t think anyone realized he was there yet. He was very
nice and was able to spend some extra time with him. DC calmed down right
away.
He waited in line
for an HOUR and A HALF to see the love of his life, Felicia
Day. Do you remember when your kids were little? When they would finally eat or
do something that they never would before and you were afraid to even look at
them for fear they would stop? This is exactly how I felt standing in that line
with him. I don’t think I was even breathing. Fortunately she came out 15
minutes early and we were relatively close to the front of the line, so I knew
we were “home free” at that point. He was excited when she came out but then he
turned to me and said “I am very nervous about this”. He has used the word
“nervous” up to this point only when there was a storm, never about
meeting anyone. I think he realized right then and there that the
people he sees on TV or in the movies are real
people AND that this person, that he adores, is someone special.
We made it to the front, I could breathe again. She was lovely to him. It made his day.
He was
also able to meet William Shatner. He does know who that is due to
his mother (me). He was very nice to him as well but “no pictures please”.
We did forget to tell him that DC was born on his birthday; maybe that would
have rated us a picture –but live and learn.
His Uncle asked
him to sing Edelweiss at the table on Christmas Eve. Dc is and always has been
a ham so I was surprised that he sang the song, looking only at me and then
buried his head in my arm when he was finished. Bashful! Embarrassed! I don’t
know if this is a good thing or not, BUT, it IS a new reaction and a
new emotion so I will add this to the Plus Column as well.
There is so much more I can say about this year, but my point
is, DC is 22, he continues to make progress. No, not in leaps and bounds as he
did when he was younger, but it is there.
No matter what the age, there is always progress to be made.
It may not even be noticeable right away, but it is there.
And……. On New Year’s Eve, Eve, two days before the year ended,
he actually ate pasta. PASTA!
Happy New Year
No comments:
Post a Comment