Safety First.

Sleeping on the cold hardwood floor in the middle of the living room surrounded by noise and chores and the regular happenings of the day in the middle of the morning, sweetly covered by his twin sister. He slept this way for 2 1/2 hours.

This is what happens when you spend your night walking around the house, being put back to bed countless times, but eventually sneak your way out to your Mommy's car where Daddy finds you at 3am. Or when you climb on top of refridgerators to get the toys locked away in high cabinets at 2am. Or if you are found at 2:30am stabbing cans of Dr.Pepper until the liquid bleeds all over the counters and floors, for no reason at all. It's exhausting and leaves you so tired that you fall asleep right there in the middle of the floor.

We have since installed an alarm on his bedroom door that is turned on at bedtime. He tells us when he goes to bed that he is NOT going to come out because that noise is TOO LOUD, and so far, he hasn't. We have also started him on Melatonin to help him sleep better at night. It seems to be working. He is also sleepier during the day right now, but it's only been a few days so he hasn't quite adjusted. Hopefully, these two things will help keep him safe, which is obviously, our number one priority. I hate that it's come to this. I feel like he is trapped in there, but he has broken, removed, or just unlocked every lock we have ever tried. He has taken keys, he has hidden things, found things... so far, this is the only thing that has worked. I feel like we are manipulating his sensory sensitivity, but there is no way he is going to forgot what sound that alarm will make if he opens his door.

His behavior during the day is still better. Not nearly as harsh as it was before. He will shut down if he is over-stimulated, and there are certain triggers that we have been able to identify that send him into "Cale's World", but we are already learning how to handle those on our own. And we are meeting the most random people in the most random places who have been SO helpful in sharing their own experiences! Just called today to check on his referral since I hadn't heard anything in so long and found out it never went thru. Grrr... So I called myself and was told a scheduler will call me in 24 hours and then there is a 4 month wait. In His time....

Queen of the house goes to Princess Camp.

Week before last we sent Brynn to "Princess Camp". Maybe the best idea we ever had, maybe the worst. She is called "Sass" for a reason!

Princess Camp is really just dance camp for 3-5 year olds, taught only the girliest and prissiest of dance moves and the basics of ballet. If you've met our Brynnie, you know the girl LOVES to dance. And for a 3-yr-old, Sass has got some MOVES. But prissy ballerina moves, they are not.

Every week during the Layla's dance classes when we would leave, Brynn would BEG to stay with her in class, but she wasn't old enough. We have almost decided to let her go starting next fall, but we weren't sure how she would do in a classroom setting where she is asked to slow down and pay attention (she struggles with hyperactivity... no, actually she doesn't. It doesn't bother her a bit, we struggle with it. She quiet enjoys going 90 miles a minute). We thought a week of camp would be a good way to see how she handles this whole slow-down-and-pay-attention-to-the-teacher business.

We got to watch her through a television screen. Oh my. She was actually very obedient- (woot woot!). She did GREAT at the barre. She did her best during stretches. It was just that floor work that got her... but oh so entertaining for the rest of us. She did as the teacher asked for the most part... she just has to put her little Brynn spin on things! Have you ever seen a ballerina do leaps with her hand on her hip and her head cocked to the side? Or plie' into a forward roll? lol. The other moms watching in the waiting room were CRACKING UP watching her. She was hysterical. Layla kept asking, "Why is Brynn going so much faster than the Miss Courtney?" (the teacher).





What's even more hysterical is that Layla went to "Diva Camp" which was more hip-hop based and she was completely out of her league. Could not break her ballerina mode for anything, but Brynn stood outside of the door and followed everything they did! Ha.

Just a few quick shots of my littles on Father's Day, as sweet as ever.