It's the small things

I read somewhere that people who are the happiest are those that can take pleasure in the small things. I think I am a small thing person. I love the color of the air when the sun is going down, the feel of clean sheets, the sound of a giggle. I'd venture to say most people probably are 'small things' people (or maybe most people surround myself with?). Vacations, houses etc. are nice but they can't sustain happiness forever.

However I decided today that maybe 'small things' can make us so happy because of what they represent. Maybe small things are big things in disguise.

Let me explain by telling you about my day. Kurt headed off to Chicago eaaaaaaaaaaaarly this morning (6 am flight). I got up to the sound of Luke playing in his room and not much later, the squeak of Bennett wanting some breakfast. I'm not sure how long I stood there waiting for the hot water to make a bottle before I realized hot water just wasn't in the cards today. I checked the water heater and made a quick call to my dad. (HELP!) Unfortunately it wasn't the pilot light so we are out of luck until Tuesday (waiting for the part). I suffered through a very quick and very cold shower and got on with the morning. These kind of things - unexpected expenses, bad timing, inconvenience etc. can really get you down so it wasn't the best start to a Saturday or day 1 of 4 without Kurt.

Luke was scheduled for a haircut today and getting his hair cut is right up there with the sound of circular saws and vacuum cleaners on his list of least favorite things. It hasn't been a very fun experience in the past. We have a great girl (mom of typical student at Luke's school) who is excellent with special needs kids. She is patient and not put-off by weird behavior, crying or a full-blown freak-out. I think this is our 4th or 5th haircut with her and each one has gotten better. No crying today. No grunting. No thrashing to get down. Luke actually smiled and laughed. I was so proud.

After the cut we headed home and I pulled out the borrowed double stroller to take both boys on a walk. It was a beautiful 59 degree crisp fall day with clear skies. I carried Bennett down to the stroller and said "come on Luke". He followed us down the stairs. He went down the stairs all by himself. Again, I was so proud. The boys face each other in the stroller and I got such a kick out of Bennett staring at Luke and smiling.

After that I grabbed PJs and diapers and went next door to my neighbors to bathe my stinky boys. They had plenty of hot water and were willing to share. She also shared a glass of white wine.

When I got home I got a package from big bro John that contained 8 red and blue retractable security badge holder things. I had sent out a plea last week to friends / relatives that work in buildings for a few of these. They are great to attach Luke's therapeutic chewy 'P' to his shirt. This way he chews on something safe rather than everything else in the house and the retractable thing means it always there when he needs it. John had replied to my message right away with a 'this is taken care of'. I figured Wells Fargo had these types of security holders and he had an in with the front desk people (really, he probably does have an in).

Now I am sitting with my laptop and the house is quiet. I'm thinking about my day. It's not like I won the lottery or went on a fantastic trip but I have to say it was a pretty good day even with the prospect of no hot water for 4 days. Let's start with the haircut and Luke walking down the stairs. Both were small things that only lasted a few minutes. But both represent significant progress for Luke. This was not the first time Luke went down the stairs but he did it with such confidence. That's a big thing in disguise.

My walk in the loaned stroller with Bennett smiling was fantastic. I have good friends here that go out of their way to get the stroller out of storage and to me. That is a great feeling. Bennett smiling? Well if you read previous posts about "Autism Watch 2008" you know smiling is definitely a big thing in disguise.

Knowing that I can bring my kids to my neighbors, use their bathtub and have them watch the kid not with me is a great feeling. I knew I could just appear on the doorstop with a "I need your bathtub" and the door would be open. They are great people and we are so lucky to have them.

And the best of all was the retractable clippy things. Like I said, I thought that when John replied to my email plea he just knew he could get some through his office. However the package was from a website and they are not from Wells. They are new. He found them online and rather than just sending me the website for me to order them myself, he ordered 4 of each color, paid for them and had them sent to Luke. It's a little thing but it meant so much to me (I admit it, it made me cry). It's family support in a 'little thing' disguise. I wouldn't be able to get by without family and friend support. My water heater "what do I do call" to my dad is family support too. Even though he wasn't able to solve my water heater problem (that would have been impressive 2 states over), the fact that I always know I can call my parents any time, any question is so reassuring.

It's the small things. In this time before Thanksgiving I just want to say how thankful I am for the small things and being able to see the glory in them.

Big Boy Bed

It's an exciting day in the Schulenburg house! Luke is out of his crib and into a toddler bed. Kurt and I are wondering why we didn't do this earlier. Since school starting and the addition of Melatonin at night, Luke is a much better sleeper now - routinely going down about 8-8:30 each night. Given that, we thought we could let him out of the crib/jail. Now he can get in and out of his new bed on his own. He isn't able to open his door yet so he is still captive in his room but it would be good to teach him how to turn on the lights!

Getting out of bed...



...and back in!

Things have been much better since the last post with the exception of a few days which happened to coincide with my work trip to Atlanta. We've figured out that Luke gets a little (how can we say this nicely??) "backed up" which causes pain and therefore crying. We are now taking preventative measures so this doesn't happen in the future (or at least we can try and fix it easier if it does). After "eliminating" the issue one morning, he went from crying to happy happy happy immediately. At least we knew what was wrong - this is a big thing for us when he isn't able to tell us.

Bennett started sleeping through the night when my parents were here in October (October 21st). He just did it one night and has ever since. Of course I ran down in the morning very scared but he was just fine - still sleeping soundly. I think this is a benefit of his large birth weight. People think he is 5 months old! I am working on getting some Bennett smiles and "talking" on video. Will alert you when I am successful! He is so much fun to talk to and interact with. Kurt even got a semi-giggle out of him this weekend. He is so different from Luke at the same age. It's bitter-sweet (more sweet than bitter!). I am too nervous to declare victory but I am hopeful!

I've included a Halloween picture. Luke's not a big fan of the crowds in the village during trick-or-treating but I had to show off my two monkeys! You know the trick -or-treating is just a ploy to get momma some candy. Next year I will teach Bennett to wink at the people giving it away so he gets double. :)

Kurt is headed to Chicago this weekend for niece Emily's baptism. I am sad to miss the event but we didn't think a plane trip sounded like too much fun at this point. I hope to meet her soon (this is Kurt's second trip!).