Today's damage

I hope this current phase of tipping over furniture when he gets angry passes quickly.

Beach

We took a short 1-night trip to the beach.  We stayed at a place he is familiar with because he loves their pool.  Unfortunately the pool pump broke right before we got there and was scheduled to be fixed just as we were leaving.   But, they let John in there anyway for a short swim.  It seemed like it was enough to keep him happy.
This was probably the best trip we've had with John.  He was well behaved the whole time, didn't have any seizures, and was safe enough at the beach that we could just let him be.  
The weather was beautiful and warm and we couldn't see another person in any direction.   It was like a giant playground for him.

He refuses to drink from a cup:

The beach all to ourselves:

 

John actually playing normally and safely:

One little act of defiance just as a reminder:

You can see his joy in the video:

crying

Yoshie and I can't remember ever seeing John cry.  I think it's been years.  But yesterday evening, he had these wild mood swings where he would hit things and knock over furniture, even causing some damage:

... followed by long periods where he would pace back and forth crying.  He couldn't be consoled at all.  I don't think he even knows what he was crying about.   It was like he had figured out crying and he was forcing himself to do it.  

We're really hoping this is just a short phase and not a new challenge.

On the flip side, he attended his summer day care/camp for the first time yesterday.  Sounds like he had a great day there.  He was very active and wore out the staff.  We got a message on the machine saying he was so active that they are sure he must be at home completely worn out now.   Got a chuckle out of that.  Nothing wears him out.  He is like that from early morning until late at night, unless he's in the car (or lately in his push chair).

Run

I pushed John in the giant stroller on my run today.  It actually went quite well!  We picked a flat bike path.  We ran for an hour and I didn't have to stop even once to deal with something.  I think he enjoyed it too!

3 minutes in the car

And this is what happens when John is left alone in the car for a few minutes:

$90!   I only know because this is the 2nd time this has happened.

3 minutes

This is what happens when John is left alone for 3 minutes.

Happy 11th Birthday!

Happy Birthday John!   We had a nice little party with Christi, Jack, and Grandma.

John got a new "push chair".  It's really just a BIG stroller.  Of course he can walk and run just fine, but this calms him and has been a real help while waiting for the bus.  You can see the video earlier on the blog with our past struggles getting him on the bus.   But, with his routine of sitting in the chair he has been much, much better.   I'm entertaining the thought of running with him again with this, but it is pretty big.  It would definitely have to be a flat route!

pancakes and staples

We had a nice pancake breakfast at John's school this morning where he got recognition for finishing 5th grade.

Then, he proceeded to have some sort of accident which required him to get a few staples in the back of his head.