What’s the point of making them? Nobody keeps them anyway. Well, unless you’re a goal-oriented-perfectionistic-OCD-mom with a total phobia of failing. Like me. Yeah, I always meet my resolutions. Come hell or high water, I make them. In 2005, I wanted to put away my size 12/14 jeans and wear a 6. I’ve been maintaining a 4 for 2 years now. In 2006, I wanted to concentrate on optimism. If you’d known me before then, you’d know that I can’t get much perkier than I am now. In 2007, I wanted to give birth to get back into my pre-preg clothes and read 52 books in 52 weeks. I’ve been back at my pre-pregnancy weight since Zander was 3 months and I’m currently reading book #57. That’s just who I am. I’ve noticed a lot of moms of Auties with this same have-to-succeed attitude and I wonder if that’s why we’re given these little bundles of blessings. Did God hand Zack to me because he knew I would set a goal to recover him and I wouldn’t rest until that goal was met? Is that my purpose in this world?
This is my first New Years with the knowledge of Zack’s autism. Actually, this is my first New Years with any idea that Zack wasn’t perfectly normal. You see, other than delayed gross motor skills and a refusal to talk, Zack was TOTALLY “normal” until February of this year. February is when we started noticing that hey, our boy is really quirky. And, I mean that in an awesome way. I LOVE Zack’s personality! In April, we found out that his fascinating quirks were actually red flags of Autism. Ok. The news wasn’t easy at first (especially for my husband) but we worked through it and now we realize that Autism is a label… NOT a definition.
But, I still want to recover Zack. I still want to help him find his voice. Who wouldn’t? So, my New Years resolution is to be the best mom of an autie that I can be. I am going to be his advocate, his home therapist, and his best friend. The steps I am taking to complete this goal:
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Calm Down. Eat chocolate, do yoga, take a hot bath. Whatever it takes to recenter myself and find peace during stressful days, I will do it. Like any other overanalytical, obsessive-compulsive Libra, I tend to stress out a lot and I need to stop that.
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Research. I want to gather all my sources and learn as much as I can about home therapy so I can not only be the best for Zack at home but so I can teach the people who are with him on a daily basis how to work with my son.
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Create a System. I want to set our downstairs playroom up to be a great sensory room for both the boys (Zander will also benefit from a little more structure as he grows up). I want to decorate the room in warm and welcoming colors instead of the typical over-stimulating bright colors that you usually associate with a playroom. I want to organize toys and set them up so instead of being surrounded by so much, we can put things away and concentrate on only one thing at a time.
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Organize. What GFCF meal am I making for dinner tomorrow night? Who knows! I have fallen so hard off my organization wagon and that is why this diet is still a little harder for me than it should be. I am going to use my chart and list making skills to create an organized no-fail environment. I will also learn to schedule my time better so I am never left having to bring Zack into an over-stimulating grocery store with me. The outcome is NEVER good.
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Help with our Income. Okay, so this is mostly my husband’s department. With his career location closing, he opted for the severance pay package so he can start the home business he’s been wanting to do. To help him, he asked me if I would be willing to learn data entry and word processing. I am fast with a keyboard (I type 133wpm) and I love being on the computer. If I can help take some of the mindless busywork off his shoulders, he can take on more clients and we can boost our income up to help pay for all of the things that are going to start hitting us soon. Oh, and I’m opening an eBay store too! But, that’s more of a hobby 🙂
I might add another step or 2 before New Years but for now, that’s my brainstorming. Zack is having a fit upstairs though so I’m running to check on him and tuck him back in. Muah!