Wow!

Daddy is doing a seminar this weekend locally, so he has been gone all day and I am solo parenting.  Which is usually somewhat trying on my patience.

We ran errands - including the dreaded Walmart on Platte.  Dominic kept a hand on the cart the whole time with no prompting, and while we did have to spend some time surfing the toy aisle, he had zero issues with being told he only got to pick one toy.

We met up with a friend who handed down snow boots her son had outgrown (Thanks Ruth!!!) and after lunch we went sledding.  The hill by Dominic's elementary school is perfect and safe for this....  And there was the rare combination of warm enough to play outside for  awhile and also snow on the ground. Doesn't happen very often.

Then the most amazing thing happened.  I shouldn't have been surprised, given that this is right by his school, but another child came up and said "Hi Dominic".  And they played together.  For a good half an hour.

Spontaneous, appropriate peer play

Do ya'll get how big that is????

 Turns out this other child and Dominic probably know each other pretty well, they both have an autism diagnosis and have been in peer groups at school.  And this kid's father went to my Alma Mater.  We realized this when we discovered a common facebook friend.

And now Dominic has been invited to take part in the scout troop that this gentlemen is the scoutmaster for and that this other child is in.  He is the scoutmaster because he wanted an inclusive group for his son.  We will discuss, but the very fact that he invited Dominic completely blew me away.

THEN

As if that wasn't enough

Some friends stopped by who we see a few times a year.  Dominic was AT THE DOOR talking to them, showing them his new dragon toy right when they walked in.  They were distinctly shocked when i pointed this out to them.   And when they left, he gave them a hug.

And we are only halfway through with our footbath protocol. 
AMAZING stuff, I Tell you.