Friday, March 8, 2013

Stim City

Jack and the baby were both sick for much of this week, which means that my house looks like the swath of a tornado's aftermath. It also means that my arms are weary of holding a 15-month-old crabby patty and my brain has dialed down to survival mode where I mostly think about muddling
through the next 30 minutes of my day. Incremental victories.

A sick week for Jack means that he spent less time at school and in therapy, and more time shredding the garage, and also the cold storage room. These two spots are a gold mine for items which capture Jack's fancy and provide hours of stimming fun.

Author's aside: The term "stimming" is an abbreviation for "self-stimulatory behavior," and refers to specific repetitive behaviors of a person with autism, including such things as spinning or flapping, and which in our home often involve pushing around things with wheels. Or pulling things around by their cords.

The following is a list of items which Jack retrieved from the nether parts of our house this week and put to good stimming use:

Rubber gloves
Band-aids
Scotch tape
Cinnamon flavored dental floss
A measuring tape
A solar camping shower
A backpacking frame pack
Vacuums (duh)
Photographs
A paper American flag made by Charlie at preschool
A portable fan
An oversized cooler on wheels
A toy camping lantern with howling and frog sound effects
Foam camping pads
A baby bath seat
A Boppy newborn lounger pillow
A strappy baby front-pack carrier
A baby Bumbo seat
A hand-held electric sander
A cordless drill
A level
Henry's laundry hamper
Mom's new spring flats, which she has yet to wear
Jeff's laptop mouse
Shout! stain remover
The broom
The dustpan
The pack of Extra winter fresh gum from mom's bag
The bag of cinnamon bears from mom's secret stash

This list probably isn't complete, but these are the things that I remember putting away after tripping over them repeatedly, or whose untimely demise I grieved. The list is un-embellished.

So long, cinnamon bears.



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