Jokes and Trick or Treating

 October 8, 2020

Bradley has a portion on his Speech IPad that allows him to ask if anyone would like to hear a joke.  I learned it yesterday when he came out of speech and his Therapist asked him if he wanted to ask me if I wanted to hear a joke.  I of course said yes.  So he manipulated his IPad screens until he got to the jokes page and then proceeded to ask me his joke.  The joke is punny and silly, but the biggest joy and laugh was actually in the incredibly happy grin on his face as he passed me and climbed into the van.  He popped into his seat and put on the top part of his harness, ready to head home again, and incredibly proud of himself.  Sometimes, he’s so very cute!

Today during his Behavior therapy, he decided to keep his string of words flowing by continuing to add details to his words.  For example, when he saw a duck he didn’t just say “Duck” he described the duck as  “Brown duck” and then a few pictures later, he saw another “Duck” but he willingly added, “Green Duck.”  

Tonight, Madison headed to a Youth Group and Sydney was taken to a volleyball practice by Eric, so Bradley and I spent the evening together.  So he proceeded to don his favorite IronMan costume complete with gloves and his mask, and then he had to empty his Halloween pumpkin so that we could practice going door to door and Trick or Treating.  So I grabbed a Rubik’s Cube, a fidget cube, a bottle of bubbles and a duplo block and then I hurried into my bedroom, closed the door and waited a bit impatiently.  I listened to him shuffle down the hall until he finally managed to get to my door and knock.  I opened the door and with a bit of prompting, he said “Trick or Treat”.  Then I hurried into his room, shut the door and waited while he giggled, hurried back, and then knocked again.  I opened the door, prompted him and he said “Trick or treat.”  We repeated this two more times and then he took his pumpkin to the kitchen table to empty and check out what wonderful treats he had received.  

Bradley wasn’t interested in anything but the fidget box.  He has never been interested in the fidget box before, no matter how many times I have played with it in front of and with him to try and draw his interest.  Tonight, he thought it was the funnest toy to play with for a good five minutes.  Then he grew tired of it, grabbed his speech IPad and proceeded to tell me both his jokes.  

Meds, bath and jammies...and then I took his empty syringes to the kitchen and then came zooming around the corner of the kitchen to find him sacked out on the couch before I could even get him to take him back for books, songs, or snuggles.  Sigh.  So I got him up and took him to bed, where he was out within moments.  Sadly, he was not to stay down, he would wake up whimpering thirty minutes later crying - so I would sit with him on the couch until he would calm down and return to sleep.  

I think he might be down for as long as he will stay down for a night’s sleep, we’ll always take what we can get when it comes to that.  As for me, sitting here with two dogs and one (and sometimes two) cats to occasionally keep me company, waiting for the rest of the family to return home again.  Until then, the animals and “Downton Abby” and I are patiently waiting for the chicks to return to the nest.  :-).