Regaining Some Normalcy

I hadn't realized how out of whack our lives have been during this past year, but something hit me Sunday morning. I was cleaning up around the house and noticed the pink Hello Kitty tent in our living room that we would often put Raquel in during ABA sessions when she was escalating. I hadn't realized how much room that thing took up, and just wanted it out of there. I also wanted her listening to music in our bedroom to stop. I moved both the tent and the radio into Raquel's room, so now she can listen to music, play with toys, calm herself in her tent, on her own and in her own room. It also allows her to have some privacy, which she really seems to enjoy. I am very pleased to observe both my girls playing quietly in their own rooms.

And that's when I realized how desperate I am to get the household back to "normal" - however that is defined for us now.

Monday was the first time in over 6 months that Raquel didn't have a 9am therapy session. It was very weird. And it actually felt good. I hadn't realized how rushed I've been - taking Gabby to school and hurrying home, picking her up early to accommodate a session, fitting in Raquel's nap, etc. etc. No wonder I thought I was completely losing my mind. I was!

Although there is still uncertaintly about what direction we are going in regarding Raquel's school, today was the first day in a very, very long time that I actually had a sense of relief. I wasn't constantly looking at the clock, and when Raquel didn't want to nap at her usual time, it wasn't a big deal. The "therapy without a nap" issue no longer exists. And I think that is a good thing.

I've mentioned before how nervous I was about not having my ABA Team with me during this transition. Now I understand why. They've given me some amazing tools to use, but now it's up to me to figure out how to balance everything. And I'm determined to get things back to normal as quickly as possible.