Stevie!!!! If we know two things about Stevie, it’s that 1) he has fine motor delays and 2) he has always hated anything arts-and-crafts related. Even to the point that he got booted from summer camp when he was like 4 years old because he wouldn’t participate in the creative process. Haha. Over the past few months, he has sort of come around to the idea of water colors. And honestly, he makes really beautiful art — as long as you’re not directing him or telling him what to do. So school assignments with painting is no fun, but he seems to enjoy a freestyle session now and then. I’ll take that.

In the past couple of weeks he has also learned to use adaptive scissors. There were a lot of bad tantrums leading up to that breakthrough, and I was convinced he would just have to get through life and be fine never learning how to cut construction paper. But, as with most things Stevie tries, one day it just clicks. Not a moment before he’s ready though!

It feels like it’s been a long time since he’s had any major breakthroughs. But I think that’s because I’m the one helping him day in and day out. I see the slow growth, but it sometimes doesn’t dawn on me that growth is happening until we have a moment. So color me surprised when yesterday he want to grandma’s house to hang out with his Aunt (Tati), and this child came home hours later with a bunch of bracelets that he had strung himself! 

I guess a few weeks ago Tati had mentioned that they could try a crafting project together. True to Stevie form, he kept asking her when they were going to do it… until she had no other option. So she pulled out some plastic beads, elastic string, and a needle and put him to work stringing! She told us “I thought he’d last 5 minutes, tops” (obviously she knows him very well) but then he sat there STRINGING BEADS for two hours.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!

I could hardly believe it.  I still can hardly believe it.  She said at one point he even pushed his dinner plate aside so he could “get back to work”. I was floored. One thing Stevie does love is food. I mean HE LOVES FOOD, so to imagine him putting a sandwich on hold was really something. He made 4 bracelets this weekend and it just… I don’t know.  It blows my mind.  And makes me incredibly proud.  Not only that he did something new, but that he stuck with it for so long. 

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I don’t anticipate it happening again anytime soon, and I know that sounds pessimistic, he just is who he is. But to know that he can do it and see a tangible result after laying lots of groundwork? That feels good. It also made me think about why kids sometimes need outside help. That used to be really hard for me to admit. I wanted to be the one to teach Stevie everything he needed to know. But it turns out, we don’t work that well together, and he’s resistant to my instruction more often that not. So without exposure to different people and different ideas, we may have never known he could accomplish as much as he has. He’s learning so much with all the one-on-one attention at home, but there is also so much waiting for him that I simply can’t provide. And frankly, when we get back to real life, I think he’s gonna kick some ass. But of course that’s just my humble opinion.

loves,
jaana