You guys.....I have no doubt in my mind that we are doing the right thing by getting a service dog for Charlie. Tonight was Sunny's night to visit. Right before she got here Charlie began to have a meltdown. It was mild and just starting but when Sunny came in, she came upstairs and laid on the floor next to Charlie. Charlie immediately quieted, and it took a few minutes, but he eventually began petting her and calmed down pretty quickly! I was actually tearing up seeing the interaction and realizing how helpful this sweet girl already is for Charlie.
Charlie and Christian got to have fun giving Sunny a bunch of treats (Easton was with dad at a school event tonight). They even did some fun tricks with her- putting the treat on the top of their head for her to find or even having Sunny eat the treat from their mouths (I know, some of you may think...eeewww!). The boys thought it was so fun. And I admit, fun to watch.
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Already finding some tricks to do together
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The boys thought it would be a good idea to give Sunny the grand tour of the house. Before today, she had really only been in the entry way or outside with us. The first stop, their bedroom to show her where she will sleep some day with Charlie. She jumped right into bed and made herself quite cozy!
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| Charlie was so excited to show Sunny his room |
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| Ha, Sunny looks like she's laughing! |
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| Oh, my heart! |
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| Hmm...not sure both boys AND Sunny will fit in one bed- might be tight, she's a big girl! |
After their room, they took Sunny downstairs to show her where they hang out sometimes, where Charlie's new swing is as well as the "crash pad." If you're not familiar with our crash pad, it's a gigantic foam mattress that can be stuffed into a cover to create a bean-bag type chair or you can take the cover off and use it like a big....well....crash pad. We started calling it the crash pad because before we got the cover for it Charlie would free fall from the couch to the pad on the floor over and over again. We go back and forth between using it as a bean bag chair and taking it out of the cover and using it as a crash pad. Charlie used to spend a lot of time snuggling with Tank on the crash pad.
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| Charlie and Tank |
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| Charlie and Tank |
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| Sunny trying out the crash pad with the boys |
This week Sunny has been learning to track. She will be able to track Charlie if he wanders off or-in more common cases- hides in the house and won't answer us when we call for him. This has happened several times and it always makes this mama's heart drop when we can't find him.
Thank you for following our story. Please feel free to share our blog or invite others to follow along. We want people to see our process of getting a service dog for our 5 year old son and continue to follow as we navigate Autism WITH a service dog. If we can help 1 person to know they are not on their journey alone or help others understand the purpose and need of an Autism support dog, then our work on the blog has been worth it.
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