A blip and a moment.

JT's issue at school is emerging as a pattern... we have our first blip (aka regression, but I hate that word).

We've seen it ramping up for a few weeks now, just the generalized anxiety, the arguing... the meltdowns coming once every day or two - that is really out of character for him.

Then he started the stimming. Not that he doesn't stim usually, but this was different. He was orbiting our living room, around the couches, in a giant circle, running. Constantly. While scripting. You could catch random phrases from entire conversations - such as "There you are, Perry!" (Phineas and Ferb), "Swiper no swiping!" (Dora) and other random show tidbits. He would stop at our curio cabinet briefly to stare at himself. While orbiting, he would shake his head back and forth quickly...

Just random stuff I haven't seen in years.

And it scares me.

He's not here with me when he's orbiting like that. Physically, I can see him, but mentally, he's in autism-world, not here. And I don't want him to slide that way - I don't want to lose him to that world. I like him here in my world with me.

We're working on it. We're watching it, figuring out the WHY so we can help him. I think I've finally nailed it down, just have to get a plan together. Plans are good :)

Not to jinx it, but today was a MUCH, MUCH better day. Very little orbiting. More playing with me. Even a few new things.

Like when he agreed to go to bed with his sister tonight, parking himself on the bottom bunk, only because she was clearly set on getting him in there and would be upset if he said no. Then, after she fell asleep, he came to get us to tell us he wanted to go back to his bed. He followed me in to grab his blanket, and as I pulled it off the bed, he stepped up on the lower mattress and gently kissed her forehead. He stepped down, smiled and said, "Shhh, sissy sleeping. Don't wake her up."

I cling to the good things in today, and pray for more tomorrow.