Dean: The Story of a Spoiled Boy

My son is spoiled rotten with love and yes, things. He really deserved everything I got him though and I never got to do a nursery. So, I am getting that fantasy fulfilled through what I like to call a toddler room. It will be complete once I buy my own home and can paint his room a nice creamy orange. I cannot wait until next year when I can buy my own home. I have to find the dream home first. It will be a great project to work on though. And if my friend still works her cleaning gig, I will for sure be hiring her to help me before I move in to get the place looking clean.

Firs things first, I bought Dean his own laundry basket. I like to wash his soiled clothes separately and now he has his own bag to fill. I am trying to teach him to throw his dirty clothes in there, but he is convinced that it is a hideaway toy.

He also needed a toy box for his toys. I had been using laundry baskets, so it really was time for an upgrade. This is a soft, collapsible toy box. Translation: he cannot use it to climb up and try to get things. They have a plastic toy box too that I will get once he is out of the climbing on top of everything stage.

I had fun building this myself and Dean loves the toddler sized furniture. He needed more organization for his many toys. All of his toys fit into these two organizers. It makes me very happy to see a clean room at the end of the day before morning and he takes apart everything to play with all of his toys.

I thought that I would show you what it looks like when all of the bins are full as well. He can definitely use a bookshelf and a mini mounted unit as well for his baby books. I also want to get rid of my chunky dresser and get him a toddler sized one of his own for under $200. My old dresser looks so out of place in a boy’s room and it is about time that he gets his own. I went through all of his drawers and took out his too small clothes. HE is still left with 4 out of 6 drawers full of clothes. I use 1 drawer now for his linens and the other drawer has my dad’s junk in it.

I bought him a projection lamp for those hard nights when he cries and can’t go to sleep. He stops crying with this one and it occupies him until he can fall asleep. Dean definitely has the sleep troubles common in children with autism with his constant dark circles. I try to let him take long naps when I am home to make up for what he losses during the night and week. He takes 2 hour naps when I am at home and he still gets tired for bed any where near 7 to 8 pm. He also gets up at 6 and wakes up in the middle of the night.

So, technically a girl’s book, but Dean loves this talking book. I play it to him every night before he goes to bed since it is a bed time book. I like to keep Dean in his routine and have already replaced these batteries once. I bought this at Savers for a dollar. You cannot go wrong with their prices and I’m a member now and have tons of points!

I possibly have one or two more Dean hauls before I am all caught up with the purchases that I have made so far this year. I am hoping to buy a few more pieces for his room, but otherwise than that, it will probably be quiet until the Fall when he needs more clothes. By then, I will be Christmas/Birthday shopping as well. So, there are a lot of hauls to come at the end of the year.

With Love,

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Just Dean Hauling

I told you all that I have been hauling a lot due to tax season and Dean’s monthly stipend. So, I thought that I would share some of this hauling with all of you. There will be tons of hauls going up this month and probably the next. I don’t take pictures of EVERYTHING that I buy, but they have been piling up lately. I also love a good haul and I know others do as well. I recently put in a Macy’s order for clothes for Dean, a Hautelook order for me, and an Amazon order for Dean as well. I bought 4 cute outfits from Walmart today, but I forgot to take pictures before throwing them in the wash. When they are dry, I will take some pictures, because they are too cute not to share.

Paw Patrol Bedding Set

I bought Dean this Paw Patrol 4 piece bedding set from Walmart for about $40. Dean loves it and I am super happy about the quality. I still need to get him something thicker for the next Winter, but this is a great bedding set for the warmer months that are fast approaching. I don’t want anymore snow.

I bought this big wooden block puzzle at Savers for a few dollars. It is something simple for Dean to master and easy for his little hands to pick up. His ABA therapist has a different animal puzzle that he loves, so my boy definitely loves animals.

I paid less than $15 at Walmart for both of these books. One was $8 and the other $5 I think or somewhere around there. Dean loves Paw Patrol so this was a find at the Walmart that I go to. The book section is always in disarray and picked over by the time I get to it at the end of the week. He really loved the Love book from the doctors and I was able to find this love book which is similar.

I bought this at Savers and it has not been a hit so far. His ABA therapist has some thing similar, so I thought that he would like it. Maybe when he gets a little older or has a bit more patience for a toy like this.

Another purchase at Savers that Dean actually likes. His ABA therapist has the exact same toy, which is why I bought one. I like to have toys that he likes at home that his therapist also uses, so I can carry on that teaching and learning process for him. He loves the animal sounds and I am starting to see a pattern of him loving anything that has to do with animals.

I don’t like to write a huge haul post, so I always wait until I have 5 items for my posts. I might make my lap top purchase a separate post, just because I have so much to say about it. I still have to take some decent photos of it as well. I hope you are all having a great weekend. I’m sorry for not posting everyday like I have been doing lately. I never meant for my blog to be an everyday thing, but it has been such a relaxing activity for me lately. I have been making time for it. When I am too busy, I don’t post. I just wanted you guys to know that. The dogs went to the vet yesterday, so I just didn’t feel like posting afterwards. I go to a vet school clinic, so the vet bill was amazing. It was $109 for both dogs that includes two physicals, two 3 year Rabies, 2 3 year distemper, 2 6 month supply of Hartguard, 2 6 month supply of Netgaurd, 2 nail trimmings, and miscellaneous fees. I have to wait until April 1st to book Serena’s dental cleaning which was quoted between $250 and $350 max. Very happy with their clinic. Makes it affordable to have pets again.

With Love,

Dean Haul

I though that I would show you some of the items that I picked up for Dean lately. He is a spoiled boy, so he gets a lot of stuff. I have buying some things for him that he needed for his therapy sessions. He sees a Speech Therapist once a week and an Occupation Therapist twice a week at the moment. He needed some developmental items to help him discover his world ad get out some excess energy. He has some toys that I’m going to consign is my expecting friend doesn’t want any of it.

Nuby Teething Necklace

Dean really needs something that’s okay to put in his mouth and chew on. I bought him this teething necklace, so he would stop eating his toys. His Speech Therapist Lisa brought over a Chewy, which is a T-shaped tube that is made for sensory oral cravings. Dean loves chewing and sucking on it. Now, his toys are not being tasted. I can actually buy him wooden learning toys now that he has something to put in his mouth while playing. He dropped the binky at 4 months old and wouldn’t go back to it when offered.

I bought this pink bouncing unicorn at Toys R Us. Dean loves to bounce on his unicorn and he looks absolutely adorable doing so. It also helps with his therapy to slow down in order to learn. He needs to burn off energy before you can work with him to learn something. The other option at Toys R Us was a red horse, but this color is brighter and he is attracted towards bright objects. He’s man enough to ride a pink unicorn. 🙂

This is a new type of book that I bought Dean. It is a touch and feel book. He loves looking at the pictures and flipping through the pages. He won’t touch and feel the book yet though. I try to guide his hand to touch, but he isn’t interested. He just likes to look and flip the pages. As I write this, he has all of his books opened around him and he’s giving each of them a turn. Such a cutie!

Sassy 360 Cup

I finally found a sippy cup that Dean can use. Because of it’s grooved design, this cup does not leak. I love it! Dean only uses it when he wants to, but with some new rules, I think he’ll be drinking out of these cups instead of the bottle in no time at all. He gets his cup around the clock and only gets the bottle at his designated times. We let him fuss a little bit, but no full on crying tantrum. He knows how to use this cup and he has drunk out of it. That is half of the battle. This is the first cup that he has learned how to use and it didn’t take him very long. Maybe, because it is more like a cup than a bottle? IDK. All I know is that I want him off of the bottle as soon as possible.

I saw this at Walmart and I knew that Dean had to have it. His pillow is used in therapy sessions to give him compression hugs and he loves it. He loves the Paw Patrol, so it’s the comfort of pictures he knows and the pressure of the compression. Compression works wonders on calming Dean down from a tantrum and getting him ready to go to bed. Firm pressure gives comfort and relaxes the muscles. I’m learning a lot about my son through his therapies.

I’m thinking about writing a book about dealing with a child who has autism. What do you think? I’ll probably touch up on my life in the first chapter and then, talk about the early months with Dean. Then, to the first time I thought something was wrong, to how Early Intervention was, and his diagnosis. Do you think this is a good idea? I think I’ll write even if no one reads it. I’m thinking about making a separate blog and write chapters there. If I get enough followers for it, I’ll turn it into a book. At least then, I can gauge the public’s interest and possibly help other parents along the way. I can always turn the blog chapters into a book.

With Love,

Paw Patrol

For Nickelodeon Paw Patrol 3-in-1 Blueberry Bark

I loved washing Dean with this product. It is thicker than the other washes and moisturizing. It has a nice slip to it and smells like blueberry oatmeal. It has enough moisture to condition Dean’s thin hair, but I always moisturize his body after a bath/shower. He has a tendency to have dry arms and legs. Dean loves that he gets to play with his T.V. friends in the tub. I keep the empty bottles for him to play with as long as the caps stay intact. They have a tendency to break and I chuck them out when that happens. I used the Marshall one for the first time and the cap broke. He’s still playing with Chase though.

With Love,

❤ Selena Hannah ❤

May Empties

I have a whole lot of empties this month that my basket was overflowing. I had to photograph everything and start this post in mid-May. That is how many empties I have this month. I actually even cut May a few days short. I’m writing this on May 28th, because the basket filled up good again. It’s close enough to the end of May and it will just give a little bit of a boost to June. Although, I don’t have anything really close to being empty yet, which is why I just decided to do my count today.

1.2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Gerber Lil’ Beanies

10. Nickelodeon Paw Patrol 3-in-1 in Blueberry Bark

11. Tresemme Curl Moisturizing Shampoo

12. 13. International Delight Coffee Creamer

14. 15. Softsoap Coconut Butter Body Scrub

16. Mott’s Medleys Fruit Flavored Snacks

17. Jimmy Dean Stuffed Hash Browns in Bacon & Veggies

18. Parent’s Choice Toddler Cookies in Banana

19. Bath & Body Works Dancing Waters Body Lotion

20. Ecowix Candle in Ocean Breeze

21. The Body Shop Tea Tree Face Mask

22. Lush Snow Fairy Body Wash

23. Hydro Silk Sensitive Care Razor Head 4 pack

24. New England EyeOpener Coffee Blend

25. Cover Girl Loose Powder in Translucent Fair

26. Marc Anthony Beach Spray

27. Nicole by OPI Roughles Nail Polish in On What Grounds?

28. Teething Toothbrush

29. Arm & Hammer Spinbrush Paw Patrol Themed

30. Wen Sweet Almond Mint Styling Creme

31. Dial Miracle Oil Hand Soap

32. Equate Acetaminophen

33. Nuk Tooth & Gum Cleanser

34. Cotton Rounds 100 ct

35. Scented Secrets Vanilla Sugar Body Lotion

36. Clarisonic Acne Brush Head

37. Maybelline Dream Velvet Gel-Whipped Foundation

38. Avene Intensive Cream

39. 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream

40. BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Moxie

41. Goodie Hair Tie

42. Versace Eros Perfume Sample

43. Stilla Lip Glaze in Sparkling Grape

44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. Paper Mate Ink Joy Pens and Sharpie

I think 51 empties is enough for one month. I’m happy ending it here early. This was such a heavy month. I look forward to seeing what I can accomplish next month. You’ll be seeing plenty of reviews for the next few months to come. I’m behind in my product reviews. I have so many prewritten on paper for my blog. I probably have 50 reviews right now, waiting to be featured. I continue to write them throughout the month as well on paper. I tend to review around 40 items a month on paper, but there is not that many days in a month. Naturally, I got behind. I hope you don’t mind seeing reviews 5 days a week and my more unique posts on the weekends/holidays.

With Love ❤