Ok, so my son Ahmad and I have technically been in confinement for over a month and a half - I lost count!
As an autism mom, I am used to spending a lot of time at home, but in this case, I am really missing the daily outings. The only person from this family of three going out is Mr. Baba, a.k.a. the hubby, mainly to take out the trash or to get groceries (check out part one of the series in case you missed it)

A few days ago, I moved my laptop from my cute office space leaving my #CURVES light box and my inspirational "be kind, think kind, stay kind" frame to go enjoy the my couch in the comfort of our living room. Since Instagram  exceptionally enabled the option to watch instalives from computers and laptops, I have been watching my favorite bloggers, and every now and then, I would pop in my husband's instalives. Always entertaining and continuous! Never a dull moment in our home, that's for sure. Once a radio host, always a radio host, no matter the circumstances. Honestly, I am happy that he is keeping busy. This confinement has inspired many ideas and initiatives for us to pursue. For me, one of these ideas was to get back to writing on my blog; and even though I haven't been as active as I would like to be, I did start and that makes me very happy.

It is 8:30 PM and I am sipping on my coffee from a pink 'Love Potion' ban.do mug and I am just reflecting on everything that has been going on, up to this point. Believe it or not, with my husband working from home now and already having numerous daily tasks I need to do with Ahmad, and cooking, and cleaning, I must say, I have a lot on my plate. But I am definitely enjoying it, as long as no one tests my patience. Although everything I do is back to back, we truly have been enjoying our time as a family. We are quite solid as a trio. We function like clockwork, when it is just the three of us. This harmonious system works for Ahmad, and that's what matters most to us.
That said, I do feel tired at the end of the day and I sometimes find myself staying up late, till the early hours of the morning, just to detach myself from my day. Disconnecting from everything and having to think about nothing is a mom's favorite kind of time out and self-care. Funny enough, this is my life every day of the year, so, quarantine, corona or no corona, the day to day is still the same. Nothing has changed really, as Ahmad and I spend a lot of time at home, following up on his personalized homeschooling and other edutainment I create for him that much up with his latest interests. It is a bit unconventional but I am pushing the limit as far as I can, to keep him driven. He is a curious little man, and he has come a long way for sure. I am so proud of him.

So what is this new temporary parallel universe the entire world is living in? I usually keep myself busy: I am so taken by my daily tasks that my anxiety doesn't peak, and I feel like I am living "normally". The news, though, can be triggering and can easily bring us back to what's going on on the ground. Reality check. Don't get me wrong, it is important to know what's happening and to keep track with the latest updates. My attitude is not a form of denial, but rather a safe bubble where I can keep my sanity and my anxiety level manageable. I am sure we are all having trouble in many aspects of our lives, trying to deal with this temporary reality. I hope you are all coping well with this unprecedented situation as much as you can. A lot of things have been running through my mind, and most of my thinking go back to our kiddo.

Kiddo getting into DJ-ing like his Baba

How do you explain what is going in the world today to a 9 year old boy with high-functioning ADHD? It's been a little bit challenging to break it down to him in terms he can understand. It is not just about him grasping what I am saying word per word, but rather also understanding the big words, the concepts of illness, quarantine, danger, corona virus, and everything revolving our recent (lack of) activities. A few weeks before the lockdown, we were still able to go out, but in a limited manner. We would go to smaller community malls where there were no crowds. The corona epidemic was under control and there were no immediate urgency to be in quarantine just yet. So going from that normality to drastic changes by cutting out all outdoor activity has no doubt left him confused. But, his kindliness surpasses everything. Children with autism are pure of heart to a degree that we might never experience, except through them. Their atypical perception of the world around them invite us into a different dimension where social queues are missed but replaced with pure and surprisingly sweet reactions, where major negative concepts of life are irrelevant in their dictionary, and where sensitivity is a universal language.

Ahmad is an expert at creating his own little bubble of fun and entertainment. He doesn't isolate himself, on the contrary, he always invites us both into it, which was never the case before. Back when he was 3 years old and we had discovered that he was on the autism spectrum, his sense of awareness of the world was nonexistent. Calling out his name and never getting a reply used to break my heart. The early signs of autism were appearing like a never-ending slide show. Luckily, my husband and I got more informed and we took action, which is a crucial step to take. Our love and dedication to better our son's life have improved his sense of awareness. His eye contact is beautifully focused, his vocabulary has expanded, and his ability to conduct a micro-discussion has also been such a blessing. Language is such a stress reliever, and with him acquiring more words, his tantrums and frustration have considerably subsided. So, in the current situation, he might not understand everything that's going on, but he gets just enough for him to continue his day to day, in a wholesome and healthy way. He doesn't complain, he doesn't ask questions, he is definitely enjoying our continuous quality time as a trio and he keeps finding new ways to keep the flow of fun going. Homeschooling sessions are one on one. Printouts and no iPad, because he already uses it during the day for videos and edutainment applications. Lately, I have been working on his lowercase handwriting and he is doing so well! I am also slowly getting him into maths, addition and subtraction. We have been using his favorite small toy cars to illustrate addition and so far so good. I am also testing his vocabulary and I just started to teach him some grammar.
" What is a noun?"... "What is a verb?".... "What is an adjective?"...

This takes me way back!

The other day, the hubby took Ahmad to try out his new scooter. It was so hot outside, but he really enjoyed that half an hour of sun. Our windows and balcony are facing the park so I was watching them from home. They both came back with tomato faces! A little thirsty, kiddo came home happy but couldn't wait to freshen up. A slice of happiness that lifted up his spirits for the rest of the day. We do what we can, with what we have. I hope you and your little ones are coping well with the situation. I wanted to wish everyone Ramadan Kareem. Already day 6, can you believe it?
A blessed month to you all!