Five years of Finn Finn

Finn is determined.  Which is the most common remark we get when brushing shoulders with the general population. He does not give up.  He will button the shirt, ride the bike, jump the hurdle, undeterred by the resistance that is bound to come. He is determined.

Finn loves puzzles, magnatiles, and wrestling.  It is very hard for him to stop touching others when he is having any elevated emotion. Happy or sad.   He LOVES Film for his polaroid camera and uses it quickly, much to his own dismay.  I love watching what he thoughtfully captures. 

Finn is opinionated in what he wears. He prefers long sleeves and his pants inside-out and backwards.  He calls all of his clothing his 'dress' and he loves to dress up.

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Finn loves music and has a good singing voice. He is fascinated by color, how it moves and mixes. He loves to do 'color chemistry' with me. He loves silliness and is always searching to play a round of eye spy.  And his food must come in 3's. 

Finn has a hard time with new situations and transitions (who doesn't). He has two primary ways of coping with his overwhelm. One way is screaming uncontrollably.  Damon a I have disappeared to the fringe of countless activities with Finn as we wait for the storm to calm.  No amount of prep, talking or role playing can vanish this distress for Finn. 

He either screams or slips into a hyper active state.  Where he seems happy, but he is unable to slow down, listen, or calm down.  Both states are pretty disruptive and difficult for everyone involved.  

Finn is tender.  He wants everyone to feel loved and important. He remembers what others like and wants to surprise them as often as he possibly can.  He is tender and patient with Myra.  She can be pretty physically brutal and he never retaliates. 

Finn LOVES to copy Stella. In everything.  He is extremely sad anytime play time is over and so tickled when she picks him as a play buddy.  

Finn is sensitive. He notices smell, noise, change and beauty.  He is the kid who stops on the play ground to watch the birds flying in the sky. The one who pauses on bike rides to feel the sun and tell me he loves the way the breeze sounds as it passes through the trees.  

Finn feels deeply. He is overcome by the intensity of his frustration and sadness often.  We are working to help strengthen our relationship and connection with him to help him regulate his deep despair that visits multiple times a day. 

Finn is fascinated by naked bodies and loves to talk potty stuff (in silliness and in serious contemplation). He has memorized his favorite books and will sit and read them to you, always eager to delve into an abstract conversation about the pictures and concepts.  He has around 20 books memorized. 

Finn had some bigger seizures this year. Two that went unnoticed for an inexcusable amount of time. Of course this comes with worry in varying degree for Finn's present and his future.  It looms over us, sometimes heavier than others. We continue to work with his neurology team and are in the process of bringing a behavioral therapist on board to help support our little guy. 

Finn wakes up ridiculously early. He loves to pick flowers for potions, and climb trees. He is the founder of the phrase 'comps womps', which would take too long to explain, but has become a staple catch phrase in our home. 

Finn panics when anyone says anything negative about him, and when facetime type calls don't work properly. It is enough to send him into hysterics and we have to hide the technology as we process what happened.  (sometimes this takes days.)  Finn still longs to visit the cemetery, he loves video games, whipped cream on his waffles, and being silly.

Outside is his happy place.  Finn is strong and tender.  I pray everyday I can carry all that he needs of me, Happy Birthday Buddy.  I give you all the Kissy Bites and loved listening to Vivo's soundtrack as we put together your dragon and whale puzzle today.  Five is big!

PHOTO DUMP