Cabin Times

This past weekend we spent several days at a cabin with my side of the family.  We've been doing this for 5 years now and it's always a great time.  This year there were 6 boys ages 6 and under.  There was no shortage of noise going on in that house!

In years past it's always been a struggle for Charlie.  Being away from home for several nights in a row, being away from his comfort/safe place is hard for him.  There are usually numerous meltdowns, disregulation, and stress.  While Charlie still had some difficulty, he did very well.  This year he had Sunny.

Sunny did a great job as well.  If Charlie was busy playing, she would sit by and keep watch.

She always knew where Charlie was and kept an eye on him.  If he was playing on the swingset with the other kids, Sunny waited patiently for him to return.  

Throughout the week Charlie did well asking for Sunny when he needed her.  He would ask for her to come sit with him, sleep with him, play with him when he needed her most.  And Sunny willingly obliged.  Every.  Time.  

Any time Sunny had downtime or waited for Charlie she had the opportunity to explore around the cabin, outdoors, went for walks, played fetch or simply took a nap.  She loved sitting outside on the back porch where she had a great view of everything.  

Each day we were at the cabin we had special visitors, friends and family that would stop by and catch up.  One special visitor held Charlie's attention.  Our good friends came by one afternoon with their Diabetes detection service dog, Gilbert.  Gilbert and Charlie have always held a special connection with one another over the years.  Whenever we would be at family gatherings that Gilbert would be at, the two of them would always spend time with one another.  Years ago it was our friends who told us about Autism service dogs and encouraged us to look into it through the agency they got Gilbert.  They knew Charlie had a special bond with our own family dog and could clearly see how connected Charlie was with Gilbert.  We are so grateful for their insight and support over the years.  Unfortunately, Charlie would still be on the wait list with that agency for another couple years if we hadn't found Mike and Sunny.  

We are beyond blessed to have Sunny for Charlie.  Each day their bond grows.  And each day Sunny proves to be more and more valuable to Charlie.  We look forward to seeing their future together.