Swings and things

So a few days ago, Jaymes' wonderful case worker was able to get us one of these awesome swings from Triad First In Families. They are a family support type program that helps families with special needs get the various things that they need to improve their quality of life. We got the swing, and well, that swing is awesome. It's just like what he uses in therapy, and he loooooves it!

It was hard to put up at first, mainly because I am fairly inept at reading instructions and doing them right. I tend to end up with extra parts when there shouldn't be extra parts... Plus, this installation involved heights. Yes, standing on a chair is high enough to make me queasy. I do not do heights well! So I managed to stand on the chair, twitching with panic at the height and trying not to fall off. Of course Sierra -had- to help, by pushing my already wobbly chair back and forth. Despite the fear of death, I did survive, got the support bar up, and it looks awesome. I did get to use my beloved power drill, too!

Amusingly, the only doorway I felt would really work is the bathroom. So when Jaymes is swinging, no one can go to the bathroom unless they want to do it with Jaymes watching, and with the door propped open. The other downside is if he pushes himself too hard, he whacks into the wall. If he fools around, he whacks into the door frame. But he seems to have realized that, and the whacking has been kept to a minimum.

I've been swinging Jaymes at night, after bath and before bed. I put him in, his blanket, and his 10 ft long stuffed snake, "Snakie", plus the elmo doll he stole from Sierra. I put on music (he likes Rascal Flatts, LOL) He lies there and just giggles and giggles, and after awhile totally relaxes. It is really amazing the effect a swing can have on an autistic kid. It's been so easy to get him down for the night, after getting him all quiet and relaxed he just flops into bed without protest.

The swing is awesome.

I cannot thank Triad First in Families and our case worker, Julie enough. Jaymes' little eyes light up when he sees his swing, he asks for it by name (this from an almost non-verbal child), and he never ever fusses when he's in it or when it's time to come out. Every night Jaymes swings, and every night he goes to bed peacefully and happily. He sleeps through the night. It provides exactly the sensory input Jaymes needs to relax, calm down, and go to sleep. My life has been made a billion times easier by this wonderful swing. Yay!