Driving Without a License

OK, I can’t hold it in any longer.  Nate is doing really well the past week or two.  Not too many “new” words, but the ones he uses, he is definitely using much more consistently.  We are much more easily able to discern what he wants, although it’s still a challenge at times.

Here is the funniest and most significant thing that has changed.  Nate has been pulling us out of our chairs to get his cup or food for quite a while.  This weekend has been somewhat challenging for him on multiple fronts.  First of all, we have been on the go quite a bit, which is always unsettling to him.  But more importantly, the places we have gone and the people we have seen are familiar to him because they are the places where I take him and people he sees when I leave.  Friday night we went to Cisco Center for a little get together.  Saturday we went to my parents, where I left him for a sleep over last month, and then we headed to a birthday party which the Director (whoot) of Cisco Center was also attending.  He was not taking any chances- kid was glued to my side at each place.  It was really cute and endearing after the crying jags that occurred when we arrived at each place.  When we were at Cisco Center he was chasing me everywhere.  But yesterday he took a different, really awesome approach. 

He drove me.

Not a joke, it’s like I was his boat and my arm was his rudder.  Especially at my parent’s house.  If I wasn’t where he wanted me to be, he grabbed my hand and steered me in that direction.  He pulled me to the garage stairs and then stood behind me and pushed my legs until I walked up them.  He pulled me to the family room, in front of the couch, and then pushed my knees until I sat down.  At lunch he kept grabbing my hand and putting it on the dish that contained the food that he wanted.  He acted similarly at the party as well.  This is the first time he has done this.  He was making the effort to communicate with me, and for the most part it was not food based (which is always his greatest motivator).  He was letting me know where he wanted me to be, and more importantly he was expressing his needs.  I wasn’t wondering if he was truly content with what we were doing, he was letting me know- very decisively. 

It has even continued some at home today, although of course this is a much more comfortable setting for him.  He and I were eating lunch and John walked into the room.  All I had given Nate was a “crummy sandwich” and he was clearly not pleased about this.  But he was strapped into his booster and unable to lead anyone to what he wanted.  So instead, he started pushing John away from him and saying “go”.  Then, “I want chips, go”.  He told John to go get him chips.

We are seeing progress.  Actual, tangible progress.