Fresh Start

So far it looks like Colin is doing well. He has had a week in his new home and three days at his new school. It has been hard letting go, but as each day passes, I am a little more at ease. I've been checking in with my sister and getting updates.

Colin has been riding the school bus and seems to be fine with his new school. With the exception of French, he finds his classes easy so far. Overall, my son seems to be happy. Aunt P asked Colin if he was more comfortable at her house, and he replied that he was. Her house is much bigger than ours and the trigger-noises are not as noticeable. He likes having his own room with his own bathroom. It is also a nice bonus to have a new t.v. and a nice supply of video games. He is getting spoiled!

Colin still has a peculiar way of sleeping. He has either been sleeping kneeling and resting his head on a chair, or on the floor with a pillow and blankets. He wears his headphones and covers his head with the blanket. My sister tried to put the Murphy bed down, but Colin asked to have it put up again into the wall. He prefers to have the floor clear of a bed. It's been tempting to put a hidden camera in the room so Colin can be observed at night but the kid already has trust-issues. We don't want to damage his relationship with his aunt.

Last night he went trick-or-treating for Halloween by himself. He originally wanted to dress as Sheldon Cooper from Big Bang Theory. His dad went and bought a costume and took it out to the house while Colin was at school. Dad also took over a box of more clothes from home. The costume was rejected as this was from his parents. Colin ended up going dressed as a banana, using a borrowed getup from his cousin.

Our son chafes at some of his belongings from home. He has to be coaxed and prodded to wear his old clothes which he rejects as something his parents bought for him. There seems to be a selective aversion to the trappings of his old life. The new camera he received this year as a birthday present has been put to good use. He has been taking pictures of the dog and two birds that also reside at his new home. Tonight he is out taking photos with a family friend who shares his hobby and has the same camera. I'll hear from her later to see how it went.

I'll try to lay low and try not to call the house over the weekend. I need to back off and let my sister call me with any news. Monday afternoon, Colin will be visited by an "observer" (Behavioral Psychologist) to see how he is doing. I am anxious to see how this goes. I'm not sure yet what the frequency and lengths of visits will be. I also have to trust the CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapist) team know what they are doing. They are dealing with a very clever boy who is adverse to anything that will require him to open up about his sound sensitivities and parent issues.

We are a work-in-progress!