Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Most Valuable Currency: Chocolate Chips!

Not a whole lot going on here to speak of, really.

Reiss goes to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I got a shower this morning, so that was quite nice. Not something to laugh about but showers on an everyday basis are somewhat of a luxury for me. Most Tuesdays, Wednesdays (when Reiss goes to PDO), and Thursdays I get a shower. Mondays and Fridays, when Reiss is home all day, are questionable. Weekend days I always get a shower. Mondays and Fridays are difficult unless I take a shower at night because taking a shower during the day requires that I leave Reiss and Milla to their own devices and most often that results in Reiss terrorizing Milla.

Reiss has had more of a compassionate or loving or I'm not sure what to call it streak in him for about the last two weeks. He will just out of the blue come up to me or Milla and start hugging and kissing us. In the past, this has not been the case a whole lot and on the rare occasions when he did do it, he liked making a game of hugging Milla as tight as possible. Not a bad thing when it's an adult, not so great when the recipient is only an 18-month-old baby girl.

Reiss peed on the potty today at school. This is quite an accomplishment for him. He hasn't peed on the potty outside the house since the last time we tried potty-training, which was last fall, and he only did it one time. Even after running around town for about two hours today after school, Reiss reminded me when we got home to give him his reward: a few GFCF chocolate chips.

Rewards have meant virtually nothing to Reiss in the past and I was beginning to question if they would work with our current efforts to potty-train Reiss. But it's just like a new friend of mine (who is also a spectrum mom) keeps saying, "You just have to figure out his currency." And I think we have finally found it. We are very proud of Reiss. Four - or, at least, close to it - seems to be the magic age for Reiss mastering the potty.

And speaking of running around town after school, I was so impressed with Reiss's behavior at Target last Tuesday, I decided to brave Meijer with him and Milla today - without Daddy along to help.

Just like last Tuesday, Reiss received the stern warnings before getting out of the vehicle that he was to either hold my hand or keep one hand on the stroller at all times while in the store. Parking lots are non-negotiable and he has to hold my hand while we make our way from any lot to a store or business or doctor's office or whatever.

Other than a sprint of about twenty feet when we first entered Meijer and went to the customer service desk, he stayed with me the entire time. We were in there for close to an hour probably so this is another reason to be proud of him today. He is making strides towards improved behavior, which means I am also making strides towards not feeling isolated from the world and being a prisoner of our home.

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