Gavin's "American Flag Big Wheel Roller Skate Birthday Party" was terrific! Everything went great, just too fast. Lots of his friends from school and their parents came, the skating rink was packed! Almost everybody put on roller skates - that was unexpected. Nobody got hurt - that was really unexpected!

We had a local baker called "Imaginary Friends Bakery" whip up a special cake with a flapping flag which was a hit. I think everyone had a great time. Garrett mostly sat and munched snacks, he was in snacking heaven. He did take his trike around the track a few times. Bodie got to hang with his Grammy the whole time, and Gavin was able to keep his cool in the midst of all the excitement. I was worried he would be so over stimulated he would just lay on the floor and shut down.

Gavin's awesome teachers came with ... drumroll please ... a NEW BIKE! He was so fired up about that. Now it's all he wants to do, ride the bike! He's already zipping around the driveway with it. They also brought him a helmet and pads, very appropriate! So far he hasn't crashed. Thank God for training wheels!

When Gavin woke up yesterday at 5:30 am, the day after the party, he was very groggy. I gave him a big hug and asked him if he had a fun time. He said "Yes. And maybe for the next time when I am six we can have a North Carolina flag party." That might be a little more difficult. Maybe he'll have to change his mind. We can't fill all of his desires, just some of them! Then he said "Dad, please don't put the stinky air from your mouth onto my nose." Haha.

Gavin has found a new interest. Basketball! We've been going to some of the local semi-pro games and he is just captivated by the action. He can actually sit still for nearly the whole 2+ hour game, which is usually impossible for a little guy like him. He loves the cheering, shooting, and most of all, the dribbling. For whatever reason, he has taken great interest in the dribbling of a basketball. I don't know why, he just has.

We bought him a basketball and I overfilled it with air so its got some great bounce, and got him enrolled in the local church program called "Halo Hoops." That was about eight weeks ago, and he couldn't dribble more than 2 or 3 times before the ball would hit his foot and go rolling across the gym. He would get so frustrated! But every Sunday afternoon for the past 8 weeks we went back to the gym and practiced for 2 hours. They worked on stuff like jumping, skipping, galloping, red light green light, shark tag, shooting, and of course dribbling. Now he can go all the way across the gym and back - dribbling! It's unbelievable what a little practice can do. He's so proud of himself. Yesterday was the final session of Halo Hoops and he was so excited to get a trophy. He kept saying "I'm excited!"

The best part for us was the discovery that Gavin's brain seemed so much more "organized" after every Halo Hoops practice. He would use good sentences and could sit and concentrate on little tasks like coloring or a Highlights workbook for over an hour, which was previously unheard of. There is definitely something to be said about the connection between organized physical activity and the brain. Soccer is next, when it warms up a little!

Gavin is turning 5. I can't believe it! I don't want it. This boy is growing up too fast! I'll never forget our first night with him, it seems like just a year ago, not 5! He seemed so tiny and fragile. There's me in the picture changing his first dipe. I remember doing that, thinking - "this isn't as easy as I thought it would be." With dogged training, it has become second nature. Thank God he now does 95% of his number two's on the throne. See the earlier posts on that subject.

Now he's a scrappy, resilient little guy with grass stained knees and dirt under his fingernails. Last week he added a really tough looking scar across his forehead, the result of a collision with the entertainment center and a trip to the E.R. ( He was actually very excited to visit the hospital, but was disappointed not to be going in an ambulance.) Now he reads to me at bedtime, not vice versa. I'm very proud of him, but it's just going too fast.

To celebrate his half decade mark, were throwing him an awesome birthday party. We're trying to fill all of his requests for it. When Sara asked him what kind of birthday party he wanted, he was pretty specific: A big wheel party with lots of flags, and a flag cake! He loves to ride his bigwheel, and has a fascination with the American flag. He loves to watch flags blowing in the wind, it is his escape. Lots of kids with autism have different types of passions. For some it is running water, spinning wheels, or  ceiling fans. For Gavin, it is the American Flag. You'd never realize how many flags there are in town until you take a ride with my son. He spots them everywhere, even the little sticker flags in car windows. In the public, there are people who think it's odd. I've seen quite a few perplexed faces when Gavin starts dancing and hopping around the flags at McDonalds instead of playing on the big plastic treehouse. You see, McDonalds is a huge triple whammy for him - they always have 3 flags: USA, NC, and Mc D's. Booyah! Trifecta!! Rather than trying to explain the complicated intricacies of autistic behavior, I just say he is very patriotic.

For the party we've rented a local indoor skating rink where the kids can eat hotdogs and ride their bigwheels and trikes under the flashing lights and disco ball. Awesome! We are going to coat the place with American flags, of course. Sara's been ordering the flags and ballons online, and as it arrives we've been showing it to him so he's not completely overwhelmed by the setting when we get there. We've found its best not to surprise him too much - he gets bowled over with this nervous energy that can leave him sprawled on the floor giggling like a maniac. That's fine, but it can also really throw him off track for the rest of the day. With careful planning and prep it'll be fine. We'll post some pics after the big event!