OK, maybe I have a small world, but prom pictures were flying up all over Facebook and Instagram.
I can't even explain to you how extremely excited that I was able to post a picture of our handsome son at prom.
I mean just look at this guy!
I honestly didn't think that was going to happen... at least not this year.
Brother's teacher is pretty much the most amazing person ever and had arranged all the events leading up to prom and getting to prom and it was a total success for all of Brother's class. Some of the guys even took dates. In the words of one of Brother's friends, "I had to ask someone else this time because I want to give everyone the chance to date me."
I love that he said that.
We typically look at kids with special needs and think how lucky they are to hang out with "us" and I love seeing those with special needs seeing life as, "you get to hang out with 'me.'" Not in a cocky way, nope, these kids are so sweet they honestly couldn't be conceded, just genuine.
Brother's friends tried hard to talk him in asking a girl out to Prom, but he wasn't having it, and I was so happy that he was willing to go, that I didn't want to push it any further.
Mrs. G said she could tell that Brother was kind of resenting his reluctance to ask a date as he looked around to see that everyone else had a certain someone to dance with. Luckily, one of his friends was willing to share his date and she held the hand of each boy as they danced.
There are so many wonderful people in this world.
Sometimes we get so caught up in all the dumb things going on and forget to revel in the beauty of human nature that surrounds us every day.
You wanna know something that was even bigger than prom?
Do you remember me telling you about my kids visiting the dentist last week?
Well, Brother did so well at that visit (a complete 180 from previous times) that Brother decided on his own that he was willing to try to be good for the dentist when he got his cavities worked on the following week. He really didn't like being put under anesthesia for the last dental work that needed to be done so he wanted to be brave.
I took him to the dentist for the work to be done yesterday in the late morning.
I had to pick him up from school and he wasn't too happy about going, in fact he was quite terrified.
He was still showing his anxiety as we drove, as I parked the car and as we waited in the lobby.
I had Baby with us as she had not gone to school just yet, so Marc was going to stop by to take her to school at the right time.
They called Brother's name and he panicked and I had to drag/carry/push/wrangle him into the room and the dental chair.
It wasn't pretty.
I don't know that I handled it really well.
I was frustrated because we had talked about this, prepared for it and it was even his decision to do it this way. I was calm and everything, I think I just lost hope too soon. I just "knew" we were going to be making another appointment for the hospital to have him get his dental work done under anesthesia.
Then Marc came to get Baby.
I told Brother, who was still quite nervous, that I needed to take Baby to Marc so that she could go to school. He nervously agreed to sit there alone with the dentist's assistant while I ran her out.
When I came back into the lobby, I could hear Brother talking quite happily in the other room.
No screaming, yelling and he didn't come sprinting out of the room so I felt impressed to wait quietly in the lobby. I let the assistants know that I was there if he needed me, but thought that maybe he would do better without me there.
The dentist came half-way through and told me how impressed he was with Brother and how he was able to talk him through the procedure of filling the easiest of his three cavities, take baby steps, and he was able to calm himself. He asked what I thought about him doing the other two that needed to be done still and I said, "You know what, lets end on a happy note and we'll just make an appointment for another time. I'm so proud of how well, he's done I don't want to push him too far."
So we went back to tell Brother the good news that we were done for the day and that we would work on the other ones another time. Brother shook his head "no" and let us know that he wanted to just get it all done now.
I was so surprised and proud of him.
This, by far, is a huge leap forward for Brother!
I mean prom was a huge social and sensory experience, but getting work done at the dentist is overwhelming socially, emotionally, physically and for sensory.
He was taking this like a champ.
I almost cried I was so proud of him.
I asked if he wanted me to stay and he told me to go and grabbed his dental assistant's blue-gloved hand and settled in, ready for the next step.
It tugged at my heart strings.
When your kids with special needs are just small you really have no idea what the future holds.
I know that often I think it can't get any better and will only get harder, but Brother proved me wrong yesterday.
He was alone in the dentists office, willingly getting the work done that was needed.
It was a miracle, really.
If Brother's previous dentists were reading this they would quickly testify to that, I don't think they even believed he would get to this point of staying in the chair willingly getting the work done.
I do have to say, though, that Dr. Shepherd has a real way with kids like Brother and I was truly impressed at his willingness to try to give Brother the benefit of the doubt.
I snuck a few pictures of Brother getting his dental work done.
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| Look at him holding the assistant's hand. So precious. That's usually my job to give him comfort by holding his hand... maybe prom taught him a few moves to his benefit (ha ha) |
This, indeed, was bigger than Prom and it almost looks like he even had a date for this one!
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