Tummy Obsession after Three Years

Jack discovered our bellies this week.  He's obsessed with them and takes any oppotunity to lift up our shirts and squish his face into our belly fat.  We do talk about our belly buttons a lot in this house, but I'm not sure what preciptated this new interest.  He likes to motorboat bellies now.  Hey, it's direct interaction with his parents, and however odd it may be, we'll run with it.  It could be worse...he could be motorboating elsewhere like a many a male. 

Jack turns THREE tomororow!  Crazy, right?  This year was a total blur, but when I look at him these days, I see a growing boy ready to start school in two months.  My baby is gone.  He's all legs and attitude now.  ;)  There's been some upset when people ask me what we're doing for Jack's birthday.  Our answer typically involves some stutters and "ummms" and ends with a "nothing much."  I don't see the need for a party at this point in the game.  Birthdays aren't really on Jack's radar yet, and I feel any to-do we would throw together would be more about us - not the clueless boy running around the house, clutching his kazoo.  We planned on getting him a special GFCF bakery treat at Glutteny and having him pick out a toy or two at Target to bring home.  The museum or a visit to the splash park might happen, too.  I think he'll dig that.  After a year at school, he'll gain some buddies to invite to a party next summer. 

In other news, today was our last day with in-home therapists.  When he turns three, his services shift, and he'll receive his therapy at school.  Honestly, for me, it's a relief.  He's been extremely ornery and unreceptive to the girls trying to work with him here, but he loves his OT at Sensory Link, the gym he visits in Gibsonia twice/week.  We're adding another day of OT and an additional hour of Speech Therapy there this month.  It'll be good for him to relax a little more at home and not have strangers trapsing through the house throughout the week, agitating and upsetting him. 

I don't believe that a forceful approach is key for autism therapy.  He does great work and shows progress when it's motivating and more on his terms, and since he's so young, I don't want Jack to associate what the therapists deem "play" (sitting him down to put shapes in a sorter, rings on a stacker, etc.) as the be-all/end-all way to socialize with an adult.  We have more meaningful interactions when following his lead and cues.  He can complete his task work at school and keep home as a safe, fun zone. 

Here's a trip down memory lane...Jack's first birthday: