Swimaversary Part One

On April 8th, 2014 Josiah has been swimming for a year. We decided to celebrate his swimaversary with some other pages. I mentioned that it has changed his and our life/lives forever. I wanted to go in more detail with what I mean by that. I have talked about swimming and loving it in several posts. I have not gotten down and talked strictly about the benefits and how it has helped. I will share what I viewed and even share some links for things that are not so visible that I have learned through information I have learned over time. I will also share each of these in a separate blog no matter how long or short so the whole thing will not become overwhelming to read all in one blog post. :)

*ok I started this shortly after his swim aversary, but with no swimming, end of semester craziness, and a few other things that have pushed it to the sidelines I am just now getting to writing more on it*

Self Control 

I will start with the first one we noticed. Better self control. This was seen through a couple of changes. The first thing that he started began when he was 11 months old. He started climbing to high heights for his age and it was not only a daily, but multiple times a day kind of thing. He did not even start walking until he was 16 months because of course why walk when you can climb everything. His climbing started to lessen and become not as common of a occurrence in the house. The second think that became less of an issue I have already posted about in the blog post Sometimes I Forget, which goes into great detail about how his tantrums and meltdowns had lessened with swimming/had been almost no existent. The only case when they would show up is when he had an outside source that would trigger it. He used to have meltdowns/self harm due to lack of activity. This is one of the reasons we have so many toys for him to choose from. He always has to be busy doing something. If he gets board he gets into self harm. Biting himself leaving marks, pinching, throwing himself on floor, head butting the floor or walls. He will bite chairs, games, toys or other objects when he is board or angry. All of this calmed down with swimming and picks back up every time we stop swimming. We have been off for three weeks now and he has hit another kid at therapy, threw a toy towards someone there and has picked up increased anger outburst at home as well. Kroc center has started their new hours so I am extremely thankful for that. Sadly we can not start this week because of me. Without going into too much detail I will just say I do not feel well and AF is not so nice this month.

Any parent I am sure can tell you self control in a little one is hard and any ASD parent can tell you it is a huge thing. Self control over outbursts(the ones that can be controlled) is just really HUGE. I was so relieved that I was not as worried about another self harm episode being around the corner. With less self harm and him more aware of his surroundings as he was not going into constant meltdowns he began to learn/grow/mature. He was picking things up at an astounding rate and still is which brings us to another benefit that I will talk about next...

Cognitive Development

Part three is on sleep (link also available at bottom of part two if you want to go in order they were written).

YouTube, Facebook and Pinterest

Posting, Uploading and Pinning.

I have been busy posting, uploading and pinning of all sorts lately. Pictures, videos and meme's galore. Josiah started swimming again and I got copies of all his under water videos and underwater pictures. 

Pinterest

Pinterest has all kinds of new memes posted to it. The pinterest posts links to the location on FB that the photo's are located for easy sharing on FB.

FaceBook

For facebook I organized the edited meme type pictures by:
Other Memes: which contain the non Josiah picture memes that I made.
Bible Quotes: Different quotes from the Bible with pictures of Josiah
Josiah Memes: Memes that I have used Josiah's picture for plus maybe a few other ones.

This is also where I make small updates/share funny things LM does and share pictures I take of him each day.
YouTube
This is where I have uploaded quite a few new videos: click the link for more than what is posted below.

Long Days, Well Worth It

*The main subject of the post is......who would of guessed it Josiah, swimming, and autism. I do apologize for any thing that might not make any sense or grammar mistakes(not my thing), but we can just use the excuse that I am tired, yup, tired. *

TIRED

Okay, just a little on the being tired. Josiah sleeps anywhere from 5-9 hours, the latter being less common,  (supposed to get 12-14 hours and I know I could use about 10) a night with getting up 3 or more times a night. then nap time is always up in the air if it is going to happen or not, has been happening lately on a bus ride to swimming (which I promise I will get to-the bus and swimming...). We are waiting to hear from a sleep specialist to get an apt with them. If we do not get a call by next Monday, two weeks from when we got the referral through the pediatrician, then we will be calling the ped back to get things moving hopefully. *fingers crossed, praying, and hoping*

Bus, Swimming, Amazing

Last Thursday, Josiah started swimming with Michael, his swim instructor, again.

The Bus

Since it is at a latter time I take the bus both their and back. Last time it was earlier and hubby would drop me off on his way to work and I would just take the bus back, Josiah loves the bus so either way he is happy and I do not mind (we were taking the bus back and forth to the Kroc center for a while, too and that is a longer trip and latter at night). I was told through someone telling Josiah that I must really love him a lot to take the long bus ride just for a 10 min lesson. I have never even given it a thought of being that out of the ordinary. I just want Josiah to be happy, if it is possible to make him happy. We leave at about 3:55. Today it was more like 3:25 because Josiah was getting impatient and could not wait to go swimming. He kept saying Michael, please! and going to the door and saying "bus, bus". I told him he needed to wait, which turned into crying/tantrum/meltdown. After getting him to calm down a little I decided since last time we left at 3:55 we were late(the first time we were early), that we would just leave at 3:25 and that maybe he would just take a nap on the bus and I could actually study (test tomorrow). One fact about me, you might not know. I HATE being late for anything. Specially if it is something scheduled. I will get a pit in my stomach, horrible feeling, just for being late. Does not matter if the other person(s)/place has no problem with it, it still does not go over to well with me (was late TH, first day too because my sister brought us). Back to the bus. We have gotten there from about 4:40-5:23 when leaving at 3:55. Our swim time is 5:20. Today just like most days Josiah passed out on the bus ride there and was able to nap for a bit before it was time to swim.

Swimming/Amazing

Getting out by himself

If you do not know by now Josiah's favorite person in the world besides certain family members is Michael. There is no doubt in that one. He is the only person besides family that he requests when they are not with him. Most of the time he LOVES swimming. Today was not his best day, we will blame the tired/teething mess he was all night long for that one too. Josiah is really good at swimming, too. If you are familiar with my blog or FB page I am sure you already know this. In that way HE is amazing. His bond that he has with Michael is amazing as well. Even after a day like today when he cried the whole time and even a little after, what does he do when he gets calmed down and Michael is not busy with another little swimmer? Well, he gives him a high five, hug, and a kiss. That is just SO awesome. It took forever for us to get him to hug and kiss back and Michael has been the first non family member to share in Josiah's expression of love.

One happy swimmer

Oh, but that is not all. Swimming with Michael again just brings out so much more in Josiah. He loves to swim with him so much more then Mommy (who is normally harder on him then Daddy, when it comes to swimming) and/or Daddy. We just can not replace his buddy. I think Josiah has adopted him. Beyond his amazing swimming and bond what else could be so amazing about swimming? To start social interaction with other's besides M. All the other kids around. I have noticed at the Kroc center even if kids get interested in his swimming and follow us around he will laugh at certain things and kind of interact with them (normally results in splashing of some sort). The first time I seen this was with Lolo which was so awesome. The Kroc center it is way less the a 50/50 chance of this kind of interaction happening because most kids are busy doing their own thing and Josiah is swimming or hot tubing doing his own thing, but when he is at the pool with M everyone is there waiting their turn. Josiah has copied some parents with clapping and cheering for their children. One day he was copying moves M was teaching an older child to do while swimming. He follows some kids around. The other kids prompt him to interact with them which is great. Specially the older of the two boys who goes right after Josiah. He loves to say hi to Josiah and talk to him. These kinds of interactions happen before and after swimming, but there is still more. Just after his lessons he enjoys laying down calmly with his two towels under him and the other wrapped all around him other then his head. First, the calmly doing something is amazing in its self, but there is more too it then that.

Watching

He watches M teach the other kids. His eyes follow him around the pool. He is people watching and in a way interacting by doing so. For this reason he gets to lay there as long as he wants to. I am not going to rush him to get ready and stop interactions that could happen. How these little things are so AMAZINGLY significant is hard to explain. They are just new social interactions that most kids probably do on a daily bases and they just are not in the complete norm for Josiah. I am sure they have been working on this in ABA, but it is just so great to watch it is person. The little things that most people probably do not see as special or even notice. I notice and I celebrate the little victories and the big ones, too!

OH, OH and I get to take pictures. Which has been interesting to get right with the lighting.

watching Papa

Showing off for papa

Welcome/Here is a Special Link

First, let me say thank you to anyone who came to visit our blog from the ISR testimonial (<if you have not seen it because you are a blog follower check it out). I try to update things as much as I can on here, but update more often on his FB page with weekly photo so and sometimes videos as well, so feel free to like the page and share in our adventure. If you are interested in a longer more detailed version of how ISR changed our lives read How This Started (how the blog started/first blog post) and Sometimes I Forget (about meltdowns/tantrums and swimming) both have more photos too. Best way to navigate around the blog are the links listed on the left hand side, but if you scroll to the end of a blog and there is another posted after it, it will go to the next blog (for instance since this is the latest blog right now it will go nowhere when you scroll down, but if you started on how this started you could scroll through them all).

Turn Bad Luck Into Good

My family has had the worst luck lately. A car accident where some guy attacked my husband with his car, hitting it over three times(which we had to pay out 500 for). Then yesterday someone stole my phone from where I go swimming with Josiah(which will coast 100 to make a claim and get replaced). We were so very lucky that a very nice person paid for his pass for swimming for the summer otherwise I am not sure how we would be able to pay for it. We are waiting on medical money from hubbies flex account for a bill we already paid. We were also told by the insurance company that we had to buy the car seat then they would cut us a check for it. They said if they ever catch the guy who attacked my husband we would also get that 500 back. Until we get any of that back I am just thankful hubby has been working overtime because everything is just so tight right now. Well, hoping we can turn some of that luck around. I enter Josiah into two contests the first has started today and will last for two weeks:

Can you vote for Josiah swimming picture here are the links: Computer and Mobile.
If we win we get free pictures and money to use at a local children's clothing store. You can vote once every 24 hours.

The second is through ISR national and if we win that one we will get 75$ to spend on their online store, free registration for next year(worth 35$), and his picture will get used on their site. This one will start Monday and end Wednesday. A very short one. Will have to share link when it starts.

Today, we did go swimming and had a great time with Josiah, hubby, our roommates, and myself. Hubby did not want to bring the camera though. Maybe tomorrow we can get some pictures.

Josiah's Swim Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

Took LM Swimming Today

Yesterday:

I had the most nasty virus on my computer that completely shut it down so the post I was doing at the time no longer exists. I backed my computer up to as far back as I could by having to restart and press F8 over and over until a screen popped up. I even tried to remove the virus in safe mode but it showed up there too. Really hoping that does not happen again, but if it does instead of taking all day I will know F8. The rest of the day before the nasty "FBI" virus had its ups and downs. It started out great in pottery. I made an autism awareness dome that I had to take home to finish making sure it got of the "hump" mode without cracking(which it did). Hubby picked me up from class and we went to go see Josiah's instructor to pick up a flash drive of under water pictures and videos:

One of my favorite under water pictures

Eyes wide open

His hair loos so red under water

While we were there getting the drive I received one of the best gifts, a gift that can not be wrapped or any monetary value on, and that gift is the knowledge that Josiah has touched his life. That knowing my son has made a difference in someone's life. I have actually been hearing this more and more ever since LM has started swimming. Some people who could not swim and can hardly cross a bridge without an anxiety attack because they are scared of water, were at first terrified to watch Josiah's videos and pictures of him swimming, but their anxiety has now died down when watching him. It is not my doing in anyway that my family touch the lives of others.  It is only through God that such things are possible.  

I would LOVE to end on a high note like that from yesterday, but need to share how the rest of the day went for LM with no more swimming lessons. First, he did not want to go into the car. Yup, the kid who would act all shy and not want to see, see his instructor while we were there, did not want to go. After that there was a lot of crying and tantrums off and on until he went to bed around 11. He did not want to take a nap, he was climbing on everything. I ended up getting a headache and pain in my lower back by the end of the day. On a more positive side he pointed to a picture of his instructor and tried to say Micheal(his name). Which is the FIRST name, name he has ever tried to say. He says mama, dada, and papa(sister is working on teetee for her), but not much else comes out of his mouth other than go, bye-bye, meow, dog, car, and truck.

Swimming Today:

 I kind of want to cry right now. Really frustrated and should have seen this coming. Josiah was not happy he was swimming with mommy instead of Michael, his instructor. He was screaming and gripping me the whole time. He floated but wanted to kick with both legs and spin around and around. I should have figured this would happen, not swimming is bad because it is different from what he is used to, but swimming with mommy is not cool either because it too is different then what he had before. It is like starting off from a blank slate trying to get him to swim/float with mommy. Well hopefully the more we continue swimming together the more he will get used to it. Really thinking I should have swam with him with his swim instructor the last week and not just the one day. Since even then he got upset that I was in the water with them. Well, I will have to continue to work on him getting used to swimming with me instead. Just makes me really sad that he is so upset instead of happy, smiling like he was when swimming with his instructor. I will just keep on trying until I see that smile on his face again because I know it is in there. Somewhere it just has to be. This would be the first time that we found something that he really really LOVED and we started to go to it on a regular bases, then had to stop doing it. I am in a whole new world with this, but that is life new experiences or situations where you do not know how to take the next step. Just trusting in God that it will happen. If He brings you to it, He will bring you through it. I trust that he will be happy again with swimming again and that he can be happy with swimming with me.

*videos from with his instructor, the second to last day, he was not happy mommy dropped him in the pool, so no happy floater like he normally is*

How This Started

How this blog started:

I have been sharing information on Facebook with family, friends and quite a few other people who are on my friends list, so why add a blog to that?
Well, I was suggested to make a blog by someone on my friends list: "You should really compile all of your pictures and videos together and make a blog of all of this. This is truly amazing and people should know about it. My fiance cannot swim and both of us nearly drowned when I tried to teach him. He is too old to get over the fear now and it will take much longer for him. Your son will always know what to do in the water. I applaud you for empowering him".

What she is talking about:

Originally I had posted and shared LM's swimming story on ISR's facebook page. Then I re-posted it to my own page where she commented. She was talking about LM's swimming lessons through ISR. There are 1073 pictures and 21 videos of him and three of another boy his age on my facebook, so going to have to figure out the best way to share the pictures and videos (I love taking pictures, I know not all the pictures are perfect, but still love taking pictures). 
*The pictures are not in order from when they happened throughout the lesson*

What are ISR swimming lessons:

Winter clothes test

The best way to describe them are lessons where a child ages 6 months to 6 years can learn to self-rescue if they fall into a pool. Under a year they only float but after that they learn to not only float but swim to the wall or stairs to get themselves out of the pool. They do a test at the end with summer and winter clothes to make sure they can still use their skills in less optimal conditions.

Summer Clothes Test

 Why we choose the lessons:

My husband and I choose to do ISR lessons because Josiah has NO fear when it comes to anything so last year he would just run straight for the pool and was ready to jump in. 

He was once timed floating for 5min

Well, we did not want him to ever wonder to water and either fall in or jump in (bigger chance of this happening) and him not being able to rescue himself while we are trying to figure out where he went to. Don't get me wrong we watch him like a hawk, but he is fast and he will just go for what he wants in a split second so better to be safe then sorry is my motto with water safety. When I was younger I had a cousin who actually drowned in a lake. I have always felt that everyone should learn to swim. Which is ever more true for the state of Michigan since we are surrounded by water with water everywhere in between. It is almost impossible to avoid water here. I have worked in daycare and have always urged parents that there children should learn to swim. I even lost a child I was babysitting over telling the mom that we were going to lake and she did not want her son anywhere near the water. I explained there were life jackets from the boat and it was a completely enclosed lake so no big waves which would be great for learning to swim (this was of course before I knew about ISR- no life jackets in the water for us!). She did not like that I thought it would be impossible for him to avoid water his whole life and that he should learn to swim even if she did not. Her excuse was that too many of her family had drown, so she did not want him to go near water. This made me so sad because just that year I had heard about a teen who slipped in a pool and drown because he had never learned how to swim as a child. Kids are like sponges it is good to teach everything when they are young, swimming I believe is one of the things all should learn. What would ever happen in an emergency situation without knowing how to swim?

What happened during swimming:

Josiah at first was really excited. Daddy even got to go watch most of the first week since he did not have work because of jury duty. When he got in the water and figured out that he was going to be without mommy and daddy and going to go under water his excitement dwindled. 

There were times he was scared

Swimming was hard work for him at times

By the second week though, his confidence grew and he became excited again. Once he learned how to swim he would pop out of the water with a HUGE grin on his face. Now for most people this(smiling) might be a normal daily occurrence, but for us it is not. Josiah has autism and he does not smile that often and he normally does not make much if any eye contact with people.

Day 6-First Smile

I knew that we had made the right decision in swimming after that. We discussed the price and weather it was worth it before hand and in that discussion other than self-rescue we figure he could learn how to calm himself (since you have to, to be able to float).

Just under water

Went straight into his float

Well, he also did learn how to calm himself in the water, but during the whole time he was taking swimming he threw close to no tantrums (tantrums in our household were not only a daily occurrence but we had upwards to 20 or more a day!) That was one of the most amazing outcomes of the experience. I completely was not expecting his tantrums and obsessive climbing to stop (yup, he was no longer climbing on everything-other than at the pool). 

He of course had to climb the pool

By his last week of lessons he was smiling almost the whole time, giving his instructor great eye contact, and he picked up swimming and floating skills.

Looking right at me

High Fives

 

Swimming to stairs

Hard work

Smiles while floating

Great eye contact

Here are some of the underwater pictures his instructor took:

Here are all the pictures on facebook if you want to see more.

Videos on facebook here or on youtube here.