SunshineMama

A Picture of the Zachy-boy

Here's a picture I took the other night of Zach laying on the couch. He was looking at his postcard album (I have to buy him another one because we've used up all the slots in this one.... THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!), studying his scorpion (which was sent by Alyssa), and keeping his bug net nearby (you know, in case there might be any bugs around).

I don't often get pictures of Zach looking directly into the camera. He's shy of the flash sometimes. He's also missing his two top teeth......isn't he just the cutest???

I just updated the list on the sidebar this morning with 11 more postcards. Zach got an envelope from my grandmother the other day with a pile of postcards from Germany (my grandmother immigrated to the US back in the 1950s and has been spending part of her recent years in Germany with her siblings and other relatives). What was so special about these postcards is that some of them are postcards that have been sitting in her stash for YEARS.....some are postcards that she's received from relatives over the years. But two postcards that are precious to me are postcards that are old, black and white, a little on the faded side and bent. One has a photo of the town where my grandfather grew up and the other is an aerial view of where my grandmother grew up. That she would take these out of her stash and send them to my son means a lot to me. I'm just as fascinated by these postcards as my son is.

Thank you again for being a part of this project with us! You've all truly been a blessing to us!

(click here to see Orginal Post)

Wow!

Wow! You all amaze me!!! Every day there are new postcards in the mail box for Zach. He LOVES getting these and takes them with him to school each day for Show & Tell. The rest of the class and his interventionist are having so much fun with this project right along with him! Even the postmaster at the post office has enjoyed looking at the pictures on the front of the cards when she sorts the mail!

To date, he's received 50 postcards! It just blows my mind how generous and caring people are! I really appreciate all of you! For taking the time to find a post card, to write a sweet note about the place that you live (or have visited on vacation), and for the little gifts that some of you have sent along! We totally didn't expect that, but we SO appreciate all the thoughtfulness that you've put into this project!

I found a little album for Zach to put his postcards in and it even has a world map on it! Talk about a perfect find! He looks through this album many times throughout each day. He can page through his album, pick out a postcard and show me where it comes from on the map and on his globe. He's amazing! We've all learned SO much through this project and it's still just begun!

I'm obsessed with traveling, culture, architecture, etc. This has been a way for me to travel without leaving my little town, as well. Thank you SO much for that blessing!

I'll try to get a picture up on here sometime this week showing Zach and his maps, his album and the really cool scorpion he got in the mail last week!

Make sure you check out the sidebar on the right to see where his postcards have come from!

Zach has had some HAPPY mail days!!!

Thank you so much!!!! Zach got his first postcard last Friday (the Santa Cruz Boardwalk postcard in the middle of this picture), then followed by the New York City one on Sat, then followed by 4 more yesterday from Alaska, Wales (UK), Missouri and Los Angeles! He's looking forward to checking out the PO Box today after school! You all have made him a happy little boy!

Here's the original post in case you're interested: CLICK HERE and please feel free to pass this on to anyone and any groups you're on that you think  might be interested in taking part. :)

I'm stopping at Barnes & Noble tonight to pick up a brand new WORLD MAP to put on Zach's wall and will update with a pic soon to show Zach putting his stickers on the countries and states he gets his postcards from. :) So far, we've been using his globe and looking for the locations.

Zach is so funny.....he took his postcard collection with him to Show & Tell at school today! He's so excited about them and has asked SO many questions about what's in the pictures. When he got the NYC postcard, I told him it was the Empire State Building and he proceeded to ask me how many windows were on the building. I told him to count them. And count them he DID! I'll have to ask him again how many there were. :)

I've put up a list on the side bar of my blog here to keep you all updated on where Zach has "traveled" through you all sending your postcards. Check back to see it updated! :)

Thank you again!!!! I've been so touched with all the personal emails I've gotten from people all over the world that have shared stories about their autistic kids, about friends that have autistic children, with all the encouragement and excitement you've had about this project and all the kind words! It just goes to show that there is still kindness in this world. Thank you all for making the world, and Zach's world, a better place!