Christmas Catch Up

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is here again! Emmett is doing well, but the holidays are always kind of hard for him. Like many children with special needs, a change in the usual routine can be difficult. He loves going to his ABA program every week day and is not a fan of being home for long periods of time. The past few days have been particularly frustrating for him because it has been too windy and cold to be outside or go anywhere. He’s not a fan of TV or movies, so Christmas movie marathons don’t entertain him at all.

We don’t fully know how much Emmett understands about Christmas, but we always include him in our traditions. Every year at our church candlelight service, the children do a nativity scene. Through the years, he has been baby Jesus, a sheep, a king, and a shepherd. This year, he was a shepherd. Before the service, all of the children got dressed in their costumes and waited in one of the classrooms. While they were waiting, Emmett kept trying to escape into the sanctuary because he wanted to be where all of the other people were. He is definitely a people person and he doesn’t want to miss out on anything. Once the kids were on stage, our pastor finished reading a Bible verse and sat down. All of the kids were supposed to stay together on the stage during a song. About halfway through the song, Emmett decided to join our pastor on the side pew. We joked that we needed a shepherd for our shepherd, but it honestly didn’t bother anyone that he wanted to do his own thing.

In many ways, I’m thankful that Emmett doesn’t seem to care that he does things differently. Earlier this week, we took him and his brother to see Santa. Emmett honestly couldn’t care less about seeing him and was more interested in playing with his bells. Of course, he also doesn’t really care about toys either, so why would he care about seeing Santa!? Besides that, we were actually there to see Grandma too and grandma’s are way cooler than Santa!

Although Emmett doesn’t get too excited about Christmas, he does enjoy the holiday treats, like cookies and hot chocolate. A few weeks ago, he did a really good job of “supervising”, while I was making cookies. Just before I put the last batch in the oven, I turned my back for a second and he snatched a cookie dough ball right off of the cookie sheet and popped it in his mouth! He had been watching so patiently and I had just told his brother how well he had been doing. A few days later, we made cookies at Nana’s house. I helped him ice one of the cookies and I let him eat it right away. He actually didn’t snatch any cookies that day, but while we were cleaning up, he stuck his hand in some of the leftover icing and sampled some. His impulse control is definitely getting better, but that bowl of icing was just too tempting!

The other thing about Christmas that Emmett loves is spending extra time with his favorite people. He doesn’t care much about presents, but definitely enjoys being with his family and friends.

I hope your holidays are filled with yummy treats and the people you love, just like Emmett’s will be!

Watching the train at Nana’s house

Emmett, the wandering shepherd, and his brother, the king.

Showing off his ugly Christmas sweater

Checking out Santa’s bells

So many cookies… so little time!

Bittersweet Birthdays

It’s hard to believe that our sweet boy is 10 years old! Although he has made a lot of progress and we have made many great memories together, Emmett's birthdays are always a little bittersweet. 

When Emmett’s brother turned 10, I made a compilation video of him through the years and decided to do the same for Emmett. However, I didn’t realize that the process of choosing a background song would bring up so many emotions. Of course, going through countless videos brought tears to my eyes too, but not in the same way.

There are a lot of songs about children growing up or the love that a parent has for a child, but it was hard finding a song that seemed to fit Emmett. Many of the lyrics are about the things that most children do as they grow, like climbing trees, jumping in puddles, and riding a bike. Emmett can do his own version of these things with help, but not on his own. Other songs have lyrics about how quickly things change, falling in love, and going out into the world. While these things are very common for most people, this is not our reality with Emmett. Of course, he is growing up and learning new things, but he needs constant supervision and it is unlikely that he will ever be able to live independently. Most of the time, I try not to dwell on these things, but it is hard to completely put it out of my mind, especially now that he has reached double digits and is still very much like a toddler.

The good news is that he doesn’t seem to care that he is different and he is usually pretty happy to just be with the people he loves. So, as I continued my search for the perfect song for his video, I found one that seemed very appropriate. The lyrics are likely written for a much younger child, but the message is just right for Emmett:

“Big World, Baby” by JJ Heller:

Little hands, when you get tired
I will help you through
Little heart, when you get broken
I will shelter you
Little ears, if you will listen

You will hear the truth

You will hear the truth

It’s a big world, baby

Big enough to dream

You’re not too small to do great things 

I’ll be with you, right beside you

Hold you when you cry

When the rain is falling on you

I will keep you dry

When you sail on stormy seas

I will be your guide

I will be your guide

It’s a big world, baby

Big enough to dream

You’re not too small to do great things 

Hear the music play

Dancing in your soul

Listen to the symphony

You’re beautiful!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

Emmett may not be able to do many things that other children his age can do, but he is definitely doing more than any of us could have imagined a few years ago. He may need our help to keep him safe, but isn’t that what parents are supposed to do?

There’s no way to know for sure to know what the next decade will bring, but we will do what we can to help Emmett do great things. I truly believe that he has already done great things by simply being himself and by the way he shows his love to others.

Check out Emmett’s video here:

Emmett: The First 10 Years

Emmett’s giant snickerdoodle cake!

Loving the beach

Brothers

Our little man