Water, water, everywhere

Today I joined AJ at the sink. The water ran, we directed it down our fingers into cups, onto spoons, filling bowls. He smiled and laughed and I did too. I asked him why he enjoyed the water so much and he said "Watch." He then cupped his hand in his familiar way, diverting the water along his fingers and into a cup in the sink. He looked back at me and smiled and giggled in his infectious way, and went right back into the water. In his mind no other explanation is needed. I looked and watched the ever changing patterns of light dance off the water. I felt the cool silkiness of the wetness on my skin. The saw how the color changed as I moved my head into different positions and reflected different objects. A flash of green, a glimpse of red, blue, and even yellow, his favorite color. The way the sounds changed as the water splashed off of the sink, or a glass cup, or a Tupperware lid. One of AJ's favorite sounds is the echoing when a perfect arch of water is diverted directly into the open drain. Maybe with his processing delay and sensory issues he gets a sense of control. He can explore a wide variety of sounds and colors and he knows they won't surprise him or scare him overwhelming his system. The lights and textures and colors and sounds are ever changing, but never jarring the way they can be out in the rest of the world. AJ would spend his whole day at the sink if we let him. He would be content to watch the water run. Stop to eat, stop to potty, stop to sleep, that's all. Some days it's easier then others to get him interested in other activities. Some days I can't stop him without a tantrum. JC usually can avoid the tantrum, but she will also allow him much longer to "stim" then I will. Maybe he needs that extra time to regulate his system. Maybe the extra time is shaping his brain and making the urge to "stim" stronger. We have heard it explained by experts both ways. When I load the dishwasher I see more colors, hear more sounds, I notice the texture of the water changes with the pressure changes. I experience little tiny beautiful details and wonder if my son is one of many who are here to wake us up.