Amanda
So March was going like any other month. Zion was in school, excited for spring break. We were making plans for day trips among other things. And then, BAM, life just slowly shut down. And by slowly, I mean from one week to the next we were able to move freely, to being stuck in our house. We have had to explain to Zion and Amaiah, in the best way we can, that life is a little different right now and we are not just free to go to the places we used to. My family is used to getting out every weekend and exploring parks and other places for them to play and have fun. They actually have not gone to the store with us in about 3 weeks, and they miss going grocery shopping with us. It has been a rough time here, but we are adjusting.
Here in San Antonio we have close to 200 confirmed cases on the virus. It hits pretty close to home because Jeremiah works on Lackland AFB and he is considered “essential” so he is still working everyday. So for now, Zion is doing distance learning and I am teaching from home. Oh yea, did y’all forget I am a teacher, so I’m doing double duty at home! The first couple of days were chaotic, trying to get us both on a schedule. I am a Special Education teacher so I have ARD meetings almost weekly (sometimes 2x a week) for the Special Education population. So in my mind I knew I had to make a schedule for us. Zion is very much a creature of routine, he needs to know what is coming up and how long until he can do specific things (like use his computer). I started making him a schedule and writing his assignments down with breaks in between. This has worked out so much better and Zion’s anxiety has calmed down. He NEEDS to know what is happening, and that is so hard when our world, at this moment, has been doing nothing but changing.
On a positive note, Zion has been taking a lot of walks with me and going into our garage gym with me as well. He walked almost 2 miles with me, which is HUGE for Zion. He has poor muscle tone and has always had trouble walking for long periods of time because he gets tired. He also has asthma, so walking has really helped strengthen his lungs up. I was told putting him in swimming lessons can also strengthen his lungs. We can’t do that right now, but hopefully in the future we will be able to. We have been doing body weight exercises to help him build muscle as well. He is slowly getting stronger, and he is pretty excited! So see, it isn’t all negative out there. This has taught us to appreciate the little moments, and to take in every moment that we can as a family.
Thank you so much for reading. We are currently in a lockdown situation here in SA until the end of April, so it is time to start getting more creative with kid friendly projects. If you have ideas (that do not require Zion to get dirty- he isn’t a fan) I am all ears!! We will see y’all next month. Please stay safe out there! Oh and don’t forget, WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY is April 2!!
