Day One: Epic RV Adventure

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Very patiently waiting.

Our day started roughly at 10 as we began doing the final checks on the RV and packing it up with all the essentials (and then some) for our week-long adventure.  Brian quickly strapped himself into his seat at the first sign of the RV being opened up.  In and out we went for about two hours, but Brian never left the RV.  He was excited.  This was the day we had been talking about for about a week and he was more than ready to go.

Out of our two boys, Brian is definitely the better rider.  He enjoys long car rides.  We’ll pack him books, toys, and an iPad but he hardly ever uses any of them.  He can simply look out the window and be completely mesmerized for hours.

Corbin, on the other hand, was asking “Are we there yet?” about 45 minutes into the trip.

We actually weren’t meant to head out until Monday (today), so yesterday’s driving was all about being leisurely and ending up wherever we may.  There was no agenda.

We stopped twice- once for lunch and once just to stretch our legs.  The first stop Brian kind of whimpered but we chalked it up just to him being very hungry.  The second stop he was in tears.  We tried to figure out what was wrong and he finally managed to get out a soft “zoo”.

Though we may have all been enjoying the no agenda, we forgot about the boy who needs a plan.  Who needs to know when things are.  We tried to explain to him, we were going to go to the zoo but not today.  It’s hard for him to take in receptive language when he’s upset and particularly as it relates to time.

We buckled back into the RV and I sat beside him on the couch and drew him a calendar- at that point in time all I could put in it was the travel, the New England Aquarium, and the zoo.  But that was enough for him, as long as he could see that on Thursday we were going to the zoo, he was placated.

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As you can see, I was able to fill it in more last night.

I marveled at how much a 30 second drawing could save the day and also at how well he is able to understand a basic calendar.  There was definitely a day when a visual schedule couldn’t span more than the next 30 minutes or he was lost.  It’s so amazing to watch some of those more abstract cognitive pieces fall into place.

We landed at our first campground around 6:00 in Massachusetts where we set up camp like we were old pros.  Our outside mat and patio lights definitely makes us feel like we belong in the RV world a bit more.  We played with the idea of just travelling the country and living out of the RV.  We’ll see how annoyed we are with each other by the end of the week…

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Our Sweet Set Up. If any of you have ever wondered if that gallon of water with a headlamp that you see posted on Pinterest all the time actually works….well that, is what that bright light is on our picnic table!

While travelling we thought about names for our RV.  Last week, we watched the movie RV with Robin Williams and they had called theirs “The Rolling Turd”.  Corbin really likes that name and would like to stick with it.  Colin suggested “Eeyore” as our RV seems to have an “Okay, lets’ go guys” attitude but not with the most gusto.  We want to hear what you guys have for suggestions or if you vote for one of the above-mentioned names.  Chime in below!!!

 


 

Keep in touch this week to get all of our updates about the reality and the comical side of travelling with autism.  I’m hoping to update each early morning, as long as we have WiFi! Also make sure to “like” our Facebook page to get more frequent updates and pictures!

Heather Nelson

About Heather Nelson

Heather resides in Rockland where she is busy juggling life as a newlywed, a mom to two boys (one of which who has autism), a part time job in direct sales, and a full-time job as a pediatric occupational therapy assistant. She has a love for live music, karaoke, and cheering on the underdogs.