(HBOT 11) - Fun Night at the Circus!

This morning it was totally great to see him and Vanessa watch Mickey Mouse Club House on TV and respond to Mickey's questions. Specially the ones where Mickey asked problem/solving questions and Jonathan knew right from wrong. He probably was able to do it before in his mind (he is very smart), but he articulated it and spontaneously today better than ever before. For example, Mickey asked if you would use a shovel to bathe the kitty, and Jonathan said "No", then Mickey asked what to do, and Jonathan said: "ask the mystery mouse ktool" (since that is usually the routine and he knows that if the answer is not within the 3 options given, the 4th option is the mystery mouse ktool); and when Mickey asked what type of tool to use, Jonathan said "cleaner". The appropriate tool was a soap, but Jonathan had the idea, just the wrong word. He sang along and stood up when Mickey commanded it, etc. Vanessa has been doing that for almost 1 year (she will be 3 next month), but Jonathan had never interacted so appropriately with TV shows before. Very nice to watch.

HBOT Day 11

When we arrived at the trailer today, Jonathan was anxious. It surprised me since he seemed to have overcome the anxiety. One Mom was there and said "hi Jonathan" and Jonathan did not respond and grabbed onto me like he was terrified. He did that at first, but had stopped after the 3rd day. Perhaps his intestinal yeast is acting up. But he went in the chamber promptly with Daddy and Vanessa and I left to Barnes and Noble to spend that hour together. We had a nice time reading books.

When I arrived to pick Daddy and Jonathan up, Jonathan came out of the chamber in a much better mood. We all got in the car and he asked to watch the Mickey Mouse Club House DVD we bought last week. He was so cute singing the song. He almost knows all the lyrics. I have to tape him tomorrow. On our way home, Daddy asked him if he was hungry. He said yes. Daddy asked what he wanted to eat and Jonathan replied pizza. We tried to persuade him to eat his favorite chicken and rice, but he insisted he wanted pizza. It is hard to maintain a gluten free diet with this child lately. So we went to get him pizza.

In the afternoon, he spent about 1.5 hours playing Playstation. He completed another level of Flushed Away. My goodness he is getting really good at it. But he got tired and came down to the family room to spend time with us before we left to the Circus.

His first Circus Ever

The Ringling Brothers were presenting at the George Mason University Patriot Center for a couple of weeks. Javier bought tickets yesterday. We honestly were very concerned that he would have sensory problems or simply be bored or have some type of meltdown. But it was the total opposite. Jonathan had a fantastic time and he behaved very well. He had trouble regulating the input at first: lights, sound, crowd. He sat in his chair and asked what we were going to see. I told him it was a Circus. But he didn't have a clue. I told Vanessa it was a Circus like Dumbo, but Jonathan did not relate to it. So he sat and stared at the stage sucking his thumb waiting for the show to start. He was very patient.

When the show started, he got a bit scared. Covered his ears, and had Daddy cover his ears. As all the horses and the clowns and the people got out and danced, Jonathan started to feel more comfortable and let go of the ears. Daddy was talking to him and pointing with his finger at different events going on. After about 15 minutes, Jonathan was totally engaged. There were a couple of events that he didn't care for too much, but there were others that he was really into.




During half-time, he was patient and waited. Vanessa and Daddy went to walk around the Patriot Center and got pictures taken, while Jonathan and I stayed in our chairs and watched the people.


He really likes popcorn. He grabbed the box we bought when we entered the arena and started eating like crazy. Genetics are really interesting. As I observed Jonathan closely today, I noticed that he eats popcorn the same way I used to eat it (stuffing my mouth until I couldn't add anymore). Years ago, my first boyfriend found that habit very annoying and after years of asking me not to do it (not very lady-like), I changed my habits and learned to eat 2 pieces at a time. Now my son is doing the exact same thing I used to do. Some habits are definitely inherited. Sometimes boredom seems like something that he inherited (Dad used to get bored easily as a child) instead of an autistic behavior and it makes judging what is going on a bit harder. Today at the beginning he seemed really bored.


Jonathan really enjoyed today's show. Javier and I were really excited to see how he paid attention and enjoyed the show. When it was over and we left, he said: "I liked the Circus". Those words sounded like music to our ears.

"At first, dreams seem impossible, then improbable, and eventually inevitable."
-Christopher Reeve