Today, he's had a constant headache, and has therefore been a little grouchy, so being the fabulous wife that I am, I decided to get the kids out of the house so he could relax a bit. Now, I only took one kid at a time; I'm not THAT nice or that crazy. Early this morning, I took Amelia to get a much-needed hair trim and to Old Navy to start stocking up on spring clothing for the kids. She's the ideal child to take out in public--she's amazingly well-behaved. It's almost ridiculous how good she is. We had an enjoyable time, and she picked out some really cute $5.00 T-Shirts.
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| Cuteness in the backseat with her haircut and sucker |
After nap, I decided to take Anderson to see some elevators/escalators. We haven't taken him in quite awhile, and he was kind of antsy today, wanting to do something. I decided to take him to the mall because they have an abundance of escalators and elevators, plus a lot of other good distractions for him to enjoy. We started out in Macy's, watching the escalators. He made it very clear that he didn't want to actually ride the escalator, but he was very content to stand and watch people get on. It's interesting; he's getting more noticeably....different...out in public. Obviously, we're used to him and the quirky things he says and does; he says crazy things at home and we barely bat an eye. Yesterday, he was sitting at the table and started saying, in a very flight attendant-like voice, "Just a reminder, there is no smoking on elevator #1". A script from an elevator video on YouTube, obviously, but Marty and I just looked at each other, smiled, and that was it. Had anyone else been in our house, I'm sure that would've seemed a tad on the bizarre side. However, when we are out in public, I'm more aware of the differences--non-typicalities--in his behavior. But the thing is, I LOVE his behavior. I love how excited he gets when he's watching elevators/escalators, or when he's looking at a really cool fan, or just enjoying a leisurely fence walk. I don't do anything to try to stop him or encourage him to act more 'normal', and I don't know whether that's the best thing to do or not, but it's what feels right to me. He's not hurting anyone, he's not disturbing the shoppers or other elevator/escalator patrons, and I think he's just so stinking cute.
Our next stop was JC Penney's, where Anderson's mind was officially BLOWN. The escalator was broken, so everyone wanting to get to the 2nd floor had to use the elevator--this meant that there were always people waiting for the elevator, and they were more than willing to let my little blonde cutie push the buttons. I got some interesting looks...many people just smiled at him (because how could you not?), some people spoke to him, some asked if we were waiting to get on--and then some gave me the quizzical look that said "What the hell are you doing?". I never feel an obligation to explain anything to people when it comes to Anderson; I think if they really have questions, they'll ask, and I'm happy to answer any questions because I am in no way ashamed of or embarrassed by him--not anything he says, anything he does. However, I did tell some people that we were just watching the elevators, which then lead to even more curious looks. Here's how I see it: parents of typical kids take their children to inflatable places, to the park, to see movies, etc. because they want them to have fun entertainment experiences. In my eyes, me taking Anderson to watch escalators and elevators is no different. It's what he likes, therefore, it's what we do. We did this for a good 30 minutes, and then he decided he was done.
Our next stop was the park--it was pretty warm and we are expecting snow tomorrow (OH.MY.GOD. WHERE IS SPRING??), so we decided to enjoy the weather. I realized he's much more agile this year on the equipment--I couldn't keep up and at one point, I couldn't find him at all. We saw a few other kids who were obviously on the spectrum, which always makes me feel good to see out and about. Representing, you know? We had the best time running around, sliding, walking along the fence, playing elevator. Seriously--I had the most fun I've had in a long time. I think I needed the time outside just as much as he did. We ended our day out with Culvers--he always assumes we will eat there when we're at the park. It's kind of a tradition.
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| He totally found this empty garbage-can holder and of course made it into an elevator. The other kid got sucked into the bizarre game. Poor guy. |
Now we're home, watching the NCAA Tournament, which is totally uneventful around here without UK playing. Hoping for NO SNOW tomorrow and warmer weather on the horizon. What are YOU doing this weekend?
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