Weekend Update

harie2Another great weekend for Cooper! Well, minus his church skills. Wow. Let’s just say that kid CANNOT sit still.

We took Cooper to a McDonald’s Play Palace on Saturday. Big night. We have brutal cabin fever at our house so any outing sounded great. This was our first time at a play place so we didn’t know what Coop would do. Well, I am pretty sure he died and went to heaven. He ran and jumped and loved every sensory overload part of it. I climbed in the tunnels for his first trip through and after that he was off.

When it was time to go I climbed in the tunnel to get him. I could hear a little boy talking. “You’re the baby shark and I’m the daddy shark and this is the mommy shark. When someone comes up the stairs let’s get ’em!” Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I would find Cooper with these kids. I round the corner and Cooper and 2 other little ‘sharks’ attacked me. My heart burst. If I ever had a worry about social skills this moment put them all to rest. My non verbal son had made two friends and was playing. (I’m smiling and crying as I type this. Thank God.)

hair3 I also gave Cooper a haircut. I know I mentioned in a previous post that Cooper’s worst sensory issue is getting his haircut. So, I bought a clippers and did it myself. OH MY!!!!!! I was scared as balls but I did it anyways. If someone said I will give you a million dollars right now if you take Cooper into a salon to get his haircut I would say no. Or at least think long and hard about it. It’s that bad. So, I put the little peanut in a chair, tied a cape on him, gave him an iPhone and read the instructions for the clippers. And bam. Hair Cut! He looks way cuter with shaggier hair but that’s ok. Another issue tackled. The clippers cost $25.00 and the years I saved on my life are priceless.

What else….ah yes…something funny. Cooper never stops talking. Well, he never stops making noise. And it’s not babbling and it’s not talking. But its constant sounds. All vowels. Cooper actually got in trouble at daycare last week for talking during nap time. I laughed out loud when I heard that one. Now if the kid could just get one word out.

Lastly, we recently joined a church. And we spend 99% of our time in the crying room. Which is okay for now but it sure would be nice to sit with other people. Well, on Sunday, we got there a little early. There were 2 guys playing celtic music with guitars in the main part of the church. Cooper ran in and clapped and danced. He loved it. At one point I noticed an older lady sitting at the end of a pew looking very crabby. Well, as I noticed her so did Cooper. He ran right up to her, put both hands on her legs and shouted, “Aw, Eh, Ohhhhhhhh!!” He had the biggest smile on his face and laughed. She, on the other hand, did not laugh. Eek. I told myself, “if you can’t be friendly at church what hope is there!”

We retreated to the crying room and Cooper terrorized the place. We went through one sippy of juice, fruit snacks, cheerios, and two books. I looked at the clock and it was 9:11. Church started at 9. Oh my!

We lasted until after the offering. I said to Jamie in true Kate fashion, “why do we have the worst child? Why?” He shrugged.

And then I thought about it. We have the worst child at church because the other parent’s don’t bring their children like Cooper to church. The avoid the situation like we usually do. And honestly, I don’t blame them.

And for a little cuteness! Happy Monday!

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Kate Swenson

Kate Swenson lives in Minnesota with her husband Jamie, and four children, Cooper, Sawyer, Harbor and Wynnie. Kate launched Finding Cooper's Voice from her couch while her now 11-year-old son Cooper was being diagnosed with autism. Back then it was a place to write. Today it is a living, thriving community of people who want to not only advocate for autism, but also make the world a better place for individuals with disabilities and their families. Her first book, Forever Boy, will be released, April 5, 2022.

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10 Comments

  1. runningafterale on February 3, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    So happy that Cooper had a great weekend! He is adorable. It’s great that you took him to church. It’s better to take him out. This way he’ll learn what is expected. He’s a little guy and doing all the things he should!



    • Avatar photo findingcoopersvoice on February 3, 2014 at 5:53 pm

      Thanks lady! I tell myself constantly that we need to keep doing stuff that ‘pushes’ our comfort zone. It’s tough but worth it. I don’t want to hide or be embarrassed. It’s tough sometimes to keep my sanity though!



  2. lundquistclan on February 3, 2014 at 5:45 pm

    Sounds like you had a fun weekend. You gotta do those little things when you live in Minnesota and it seems like 9 months of the year is winter. We just started going back to church this fall after being gone for a good year. It was to hard to go with Henry and then just be mad and uptight the entire time of him begging to go home or crying and whining. He still isn’t the best, can’t sit still for 2 full seconds. We try to get to the part of the sermon and then I take him to the nursery. Our nursery is suppose to be age 3 and under. Thank god they changed the roles. Good luck



    • Avatar photo findingcoopersvoice on February 3, 2014 at 5:51 pm

      You just described exactly how I feel during the whole mass. I am a bundle of nerves the whole time!



  3. Emma Fahy Davis on February 4, 2014 at 3:54 am

    Awww I have the worst kids in church too, my littlest one keeps trying to climb up on the altar during the sermon. Every. Single. Week. But Jesus did say let the little children come to Him so I reckon He thinks it’s okay, and He’s the only one that matters 😉



    • Avatar photo findingcoopersvoice on February 4, 2014 at 1:44 pm

      Well said mama! I think the same thing!



  4. skeeta11 on February 5, 2014 at 1:38 am

    I’m glad Cooper loved the play centre. It still takes my breath away when I see my apraxic son joining in and playing with other children. It’s real hard for kids to sit through a church service – mine can’t! We go to a church that has a really good kids program, including age 2-4 where a group of leaders run a program for the kids (games/playtime, craft, short Bible lesson). It took Noah a while to settle in but now it’s great – he gets to be loved by special people who volunteer in the creche and we get to join the church service. I well remember the days of sitting in the feeding room with a crying baby and wishing I could be in the service – but it was just a season. It may be worthwhile looking around for a church that is family friendly – as Emma said, Jesus welcomes the little children…and their flustered parents!



    • Avatar photo findingcoopersvoice on February 5, 2014 at 2:27 am

      Thanks for the comment! I wish I didn’t get so stressed out at church. It’s just SO MUCH WORK! And it shouldn’t be!! But they are only young for such a short time so I need to learn to relax!



  5. Jenny Michelle Rapson on February 5, 2014 at 7:56 pm

    Have mercy. None of mine have ever been in church w/ the adults. If they didn’t have their own class to go to, I wouldn’t take them. It’s too much for little kids to handle, sitting still for that long. Cooper is just very “typical” in that way for sure!



    • Avatar photo findingcoopersvoice on February 6, 2014 at 9:08 pm

      Does Jonah ever have trouble whispering? Or talking at a softer level? Cooper has one level. LOUD. That also makes church harder!