Third Day at the Beach House
Third time, or day’s, the charm?
Monday the sun shone, we got in two swims in the ocean, and Charlie seemed a bit more, and even much more, relaxed about being at the beach house. He tried the boogie board briefly and smiled when he shoved his feet far underneath the squishy wet sand. He didn’t seem too inclined to swim too far out and liked teasing the waves, running in up to just above is knees and getting right back up after a wave knocked him over.
Quite unlike himself, Charlie was minimally interested in eating. At dinner time, he asked for “white rice” and we ended up getting him a dish of jambalaya. Not exactly plain old white rice—red, with spices and peppers and sausage and chicken and shrimp—-Charlie dug right in and ate small bites. After ten minutes, he suddenly stopped and asked for the black car and Jim and I sealed up our dinners and we drove off. We had to stop at a CVS for miscellanea (forgot to bring a bottle of shampoo and needed garbage bags) and Charlie happily wandered the aisles. And then, cried out.
Jim went back to the car with Charlie and I paid for everything. For the rest of the evening, Charlie vacillated between seeming at ease, and being on edge. We watched more YouTube videos on my iPhone; he settled down with his blankets beside Jim watching the Pittsburgh Pirates (they won!) and then curled up into a rattan couch on the fenced-in porch as Jim worked on his computer. We got Charlie to walk up to his bed on the second floor and I tucked him in under the yellow blanket he’d brought from home. He told me good night, asked for a drink and I left a cup by his bedside, after he told me “bye, mom.” I could hear him rummaging and vocalizing, and then it was quiet.
When I went to check on Charlie, there was a tooth (a big one) set beside his pillow; beside a boy sleeping deeply in his beach house.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, autism blog, beach, change, Dentist, disabilities blog, disability, Family, family blog, Health, jersey shore, New Jersey, ocean, Parenting, pdd-nos, tooth, WaterRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Charlisms, New Jersey
6 opinions for Third Day at the Beach House
Regan
Aug 12, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Glad it was a better day for all! ‘Hope it’s the start of an upswing.
Tomorrow we take off, and Eleanor knows we’re going to the beach (or at least knows when I ask) and we’ve been working together through the checklist, and getting the suitcases packed. So we’ll see how it goes…so far, so good (but then we haven’t actually left yet, either (smile)).
Frog's Mom
Aug 12, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Oh those teeth. I’m always worried that the latest change in behavior is tooth related. I think Frog doesn’t answer me when I ask if his teeth hurt because he knows I’ll try to get in there and check.
Hope loosing the tooth solves some of the anxiety for Charlie so he can enjoy the rest of his beach vacation! Hope the tooth fairy is generous :0)
Storkdok
Aug 12, 2008 at 9:42 pm
We also see increased anxiety with loose teeth, and things calm down after they are out. I hope Charlie will feel better now! And I hope the “tooth fairy” will be prompt and good to him! We have had some panic attacks when the money fell out of the bed and couldn’t be found right away!
It is pretty common for us to hear Alex say about a week after we get back, “I had a good time. I’d like to go back!” Talk about delayed processing!
Enjoy your beach vacation!
Kristina Chew, PhD
Aug 12, 2008 at 11:09 pm
And was talking to friends today who told me that they were told that boys lose their teeth later than girls—-10-12 years old, so Charlie seems to be right on track. I think it is the 4th or 5th tooth he has lost this year.
Delayed Reactions
Aug 13, 2008 at 12:22 pm
[…] third day at the beach was the charm and on the fourth day, we were back in beach business, so to speak. As the afternoon […]
Olympic Musings, Autism Style
Aug 17, 2008 at 2:37 am
[…] being the “dog days of August”; us being on vacation at the beach house; the 2008 Olympics taking place; Charlie being a boy who loves loves loves to swim—-I am […]
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