Not Your Conventional Home

The last month has been a whirwind and full of different activities.  In the span of two weeks the boys went from sledding and building a snowman to riding bikes and playing at the park.  We made the best of the mid-April snow storms and got everyone out for some exercise.  But, we're glad Spring finally decided to show up in Minnesota.

Sunny loves to pull the boys in their sled

We were able to make it to the park several times this week.  Everyone enjoyed the sun and fresh air.  One of our trips to the park it was so fun to see how Sunny and Charlie interacted with each other.  We were the only people at the park.  After sniffing out the area, Sunny decided to seek out Charlie on the play equipment and went right on to the equipment to find him without any prompting or commands.  They ran around together, went down the slides together (yep, you read that right, Sunny goes down the slide) and had so much fun.

After running around for awhile, Charlie decided to play in the sand at the volleyball court.  Sunny settled in right next to him, again, with no prompting from me, and hung out with Charlie until it was time to go.

 Easton and Christian kept busy with a heated game of giant tic-tac-toe in the sand! I've never seen tic-tac-toe get so intense ;)

Christian and Charlie had a check up with their pediatrician and Sunny did a marvelous job at keeping Charlie calm and occupied.  Our visits to the pediatrician usually take a bit longer than normal since we have both of the boys seen at the same time.  This visit wasn't as chaotic and stressful as they usually are.  You can seen how calm and laid back Charlie is in the picture below.  He actually sat there and colored for 15 minutes or more.  That doesn't happen often with him!

Charlie recently got some new equipment to help him stay calm and get the sensory input he needs each day.  He loves using his new stretch sack....mostly to hide, but also to play in and stretch and push against slight resistance.  

In the picture below, Charlie is using his wiggle seat while eating at the table.  Sitting still to eat a full meal is a challenge and we've found the wiggle seat can give him a little wiggle room while sitting but not have to get up from the table and walk around.  He's staying at the table, so now to work on actually eating the food!!

Charlie got a compression shirt too.  It does exactly what the name implies....it's a tight spandex shirt that gives him compression around his arms and torso and helps him feel calm.  It's the tie-dye shirt he's wearing in the picture below.  I think we may need to order a few more because he loves wearing it (I may or may not have let him wear it a couple days in a row ;))!!  Sunny is giving him some added compression with her "full on" task where she lays on top of Charlie.

Between some of these fun "toys" (aka, Charlie's equipment) and the climbing wall in our living room, our house has become quite the playground.  The boys had a new friend from down the street visiting tonight and at one point the friend said "you guys are so lucky!"  We asked him why and he said "you have all this fun stuff....and that!" and pointed to the climbing wall.  We chuckled and agreed it's pretty cool.  He walked away with his hands in the air saying "that's just not natural!"  We agree, D, our house is definitely not conventional!

We can see Charlie and Sunny's bond growing each day.  It seems that no matter where Charlie is, Sunny isn't far away.  Tyler and I need to give Sunny commands when Charlie needs her to task, but she willingly goes to him on her own when Charlie is having a difficult time.  

Sunny watching the boys eat their dinner.  She NEVER once tries to take their food. She just lays there and watches.

Sunny continues to sleep with Charlie each night.  She is a great comfort to him.

Lap dog, anyone?!

Becoming good friends.

Not sure where we'd be as a family without Sunny in our lives.  God stepped in at the right time and gave us Mike & Sunny.  Charlie was meant to have his service dog now instead of 2 years from now, and he was meant to have Sunny.  There's a reason behind it all and God knows that reason.  She definitely makes all of us smile every day.....the goofball she is.