{...a breezy life} at briemarisa.com

Today was a "big deal" kind of day.

It didn't seem like a special day. We woke up and PJ had an early therapy session, leaving us our entire morning for fun and adventure! The weather took a turn for the slightly warmer and less wet, so PJ and I ventured outside to get some fresh air.

On a whim, I got PJ's little balance bike and helmet out of the basement. PJ got them as gifts from Mommy and Daddy the Easter bunny, but hadn't shown much interest. The helmet especially had been a challenge, PJ hated it! So, we would bring it out now and then. PJ got over his helmet-phobia pretty quickly but the bike only held his interest for a minute or two, tops. Today, though, the gorgeous weather seemed like a good omen, so I got out the bike, strapped on his helmet, and PJ?


PJ went all Lance Armstrong on me! He hopped on and propelled along, carefully holding the handle bars and listening to my help ("Sit up on the seat, Buddy! Okay, now push with your feet!Oh, NO, you may not ride in the street to go look at the stop sign!"). He was persistent, patient, and was having fun!

Taking a break!

So, kid on a bike. Big friggin' deal, right? But actually, it's a huge deal for a bunch of reasons! The first is that PJ still struggles with some of his fine and gross motor skills. Second, he has a very short attention span and is not always able to attend to tasks. Seeing him navigate the bike, check his balance, stick with it and be able to look up at me while he did all of that was amazing! It was light years away from where he was the last time we took the bike out, and I felt very emotional watching him ride/walk along! It was, in fact, a big deal.

The other big deal was a light at the end of the potty training tunnel- PJ had his first completely accident-free day! He stayed dry through therapy, through play time, through errands, and through more play time after dinner. He used the potty at Barnes & Noble with no fear and tons of cheers ("Pees pees on the potty HOORAY!"), much to the amusement of our restroom-mates. He still needs to be led to the potty vs. asking to go on his own, but he is obviously getting the idea of waiting to go when he's on the potty instead recognizing the urge to go. We will continue to work on helping him build the communication skills to let us know when he has to use the bathroom but for now, this victory was a huge deal!

Bikes and bathroom breaks don't seem like much, but for us, it was a day of ordinary miracles and big darn deals. After tonight, Pete will enjoy a few days off, and I can't wait to see what milestones we can hit as a whole family!