Monster Trucks, FUN & Sensory Overload!!!!

I am a mom. I have high hopes, dreams, goals for my kids just like many other moms. And  I want them to be Freaks, yeah Freaks...freaks for Jesus! (insert  D.C.Talks 'Jesus Freak' song circa 1990-ish here) I want them to be extreme. I want them to be different. Well, sometimes we get what we ask for....but in ways that are radically different than what we pictured!

So, last night I had the privilege of hanging out at one of the Biggest events in J-ville, aka Action-ville. Who knew there were over 70 thousand folk who would pay to go watch glorified ginormous tractor things with car or truck shells race each other and jump/bounce/crash all over a dirt field? This was crazy to me..BUT after having attended this amazing production of craziness I am HOOKED! Wow, did the Middleburg in me ever find it's way to the surface! I am, at the ripe old age of almost 40, proud of my Redneck/Hillbilly/Country heritage..well, the parts that don't include in-breeding, eating animals that should be road-kill, and super-sweet mullets. (Remember I am making fun of myself here:)

Anyways, I was certain that every driver would climb down out of his (or her, yes females have of course crossed over into this land because as one rider put it 'they aren't in the kitchen where they belong'..I think we all know I agree..no really) back to the point..that the driver would climb down sporting a sweet mullet or a bright red neck or a Rebel flag hanging from his hat while he spit chew etc etc. Boy was I surprised to see really 'normal' looking men. Some were even Super Cute...What?... with things like exploited Mohawks and faux-hawks and sweet 'staches ..we all know I'm a fool for facial hair. Had to aplogize to my Dad for being prejudice! Again, who knew?

I also saw part of the fan appeal is the somewhat over the top antics. WWF anyone????
The drama over WHO would take the title was great!  And it was 'odd' or ironic that towards the end of the night..after their time was up or almost up they would flip their trucks, smash their trucks or literally snap off  a huge important piece of their truck...hhhhmmmmmmmm. The crowds would go nuts over this!!!! I being a newbie would shriek in horror first before my spontaneous applause and cheering kicked in ;)!

The night was rich with sights...oh I had a feeling this was going to be the Best People Watching time I'd gotten to have in foreverrrrr! (Let me just say, yes, I'm sure I'm a sight to behold and am mocked all the time unknowingly to me for my crazy African print dresses etc) There is no meanness in my mocking..just a shared love for things that should not be..my prints and your mullet. So, in case you weren't one of my 70 thousand plus friends in attendance last night...here are the koolest, hippest, latest styles in Monster Truck Fan Wear:

Cowboys- actually really decent lookin' fellas BUT they knew it and wore their cowboy shirts either completely unbuttoned or enough to let you know they had a six-pack and cleanly shaved chest. With cowboy hats and BIG belt buckles to boot, pun intended.

Cowgirls???- Young & middle-aged alike, wow, seem to agree that taking a Camouflage T-shirt and shredding it across the front & back until most of their muffin tops, cleavage, and /or hot pink Cami's are bursting through, pairing it w/some sweet Daisy Dukes AND cowgirl boots is a Win-Win-Win situation....WOW....(Thank you God for Your mercy, I too used to believe revealing 99% of my body was the best way to get attention!...On a side note, I truly do feel sad for these gals!!! You are worthy of soooo much more!!!!!!) 

Umm, Farmers- Young men who wear overalls, unhooked on one shoulder with NO shirt underneath. Nuff said!

Well, one could go on and on but I think you get the picture, pure enjoyment  watching the crowds go by!!! I won't even mention what it's like to be surrounded by THOUSANDS of drunk people :)...and please note, before God wrecked my life with His 'much better than mine' plans I too used to depend on alcohol to be crazy!! Pretty sure I gave the drunks a run for their money last night AND I don't have a hangover AND I can remember all the fun I had and my son could see the difference between genuine enjoyment and having to 'create' it.....and nuff said on that.
By the way, overall there were just thousands upon thousands of 'everyday/average' families there. Apparently it is quite the Family event!!! Again, who knew?

So, I myself thoroughly enjoyed most of my evening.  Am I really admitting this.....yes, watching extremely loud 'trucks' wreck was so-o-o-o much fun!!!!!

Part two of my rambling is the 'normal' fun I missed out on last night. A normal mom of normal kids would probly' think no further than..how much money do I need and when can I leave to beat the mad rush etc. And then would sit and enjoy the show and enjoy watching her kids hoot 'n holler and have a grand time! The worst of her night might be waiting in line for potty breaks.
Here are the things I was thinking:
What will I feed Levi there? Will there be anything a gluten free/casein free kid can eat? Not to mention he doesn't do well with fried foods or 'fake' colors...
What if he needs to throw up? Yes, he pukes at the drop of a hat. Smells, sensations, foods..who knows what will trigger it...and could I get to a bathroom in time?
What will I do if the crowds overwhelm him?
He's prone to just say what he thinks without realizing it's possibly inappropriate or hurtful...What will I do if he says crazy things to strangers or worse to my Dad?
And what about the noise? I've purposefully waited several years to bring him even though he's wanted to come much sooner....
So, here's a snapshot of my world..this is especially for those of you wondering what I mean by ' Levi is most likely on the gifted and/but highly functioning autistic spectrum..think Asperger-ish.'
I had to wait until we were almost there to surprise him with where we were going. Too much information ahead of time gives him too much time to think. His response on Arlington Expressway (about 5 minutes from the Stadium) was, "oh, when I said I wanted to watch the Monster Trucks I just meant on T.V." and FEAR is all over his face. I'm thinking, oh my, we've just paid for tickets and my Dad is here driving us to this event that he (my Dad) is a huge fan of, how can I say "Just kidding Dad, can ya run us back home?"
We convince Levi to give it a shot and talk up how great it's gonna be.
Once we are there and inside we go to find food. It's a Meat-a-tarian's heaven. Did I mention we're also Vegetarians? I see that French Fries are my only choice. Uggghhh. He'll be bonkers by nights end! Oh and of course we have to have soda. We're out with Papa for goodness sake..we surely aren't going to turn down his treats and argue over food in line with hundreds of our new best friends! (Fried food and LOTS of sugar..this can't end well)
Oh and that whole filter thing, a mom turns around in line in front of us with cheese steaks. Levi literally says 'Ooooohhhh' like 'Grrross' right in front of her. And looks like he could barf over her food choice. (This is NOT him being mean or rude on purpose..it's a lack of awareness of social boundaries/norms coupled with serious sensory integration issues.)
We find our seats and eat. He tries to slurp down the monster drink within seconds and starts getting mad when I stop him. Not the mad like 'aww man, she won't let me drink this down.' but the 'This is my crack and I must have it. No one will stop me. I don't care what a fool I make of me or my mom. I need the rest of that sugar!' Fun stuff trying to discreetly fight your child for a cup!
So, when the trucks start to come out, (Cue the LOUDEST NOISE I have ever heard in my life) he literally panics. (He has on Ray's Gun range sound muffling ear muffs btw)  He begins to cry. Huge tears are rolling down his cheeks. I am looking around at small children, like 2 who seem oblivious to the noise. At boys his age who are jumping up and down in pure joy. He is mouthing 'Take me home NOW'. He is gripping me in fear. Getting angry as well...
Great, here we go. I've come here, spent the money, hoped this would be an amazing night for both he and my Dad. A wonderful night of bonding....I take him out to go talk to him. He is seriously freaked. I eventually calm him down and convince him to try my earplugs under his earmuffs. He agrees. We try again.....after two more times of leaving and bribery..with more 'No's' ( A snow cone, how many artificial colors and flavors can we add to one treat?) I finally get him to settle down and start to enjoy the show. He really likes it!!!! I keep warning him ahead of time when  I think the cars will rev their engines. He is watching every detail. He is picking his favorite,  the whole nine yards! Hooray!!
Later, he needs a snack and so does Papa. They go into the snack place together. I am thrilled. He comes back out about 20 minutes later looking freaked out again. Apparently a 'goth' girl with the freaky contacts and a long 'devil-ish' looking robe and crazy/scary makeup was in line by him. Have I mentioned the fear issues??? She scared the life out of him. Now picture your average child....they would not miss a beat, maybe a sideways glance at her, but not full fledged fear  and distress over her!
I finally get him settled and we enjoy more of the show. His new favorite thing when the trucks wreck is to stand up and yell "I want my money back!!!" Hilarious, he's copying my Dad!
Then comes bathroom time. For a kid with sensory issues public restrooms can be a nightmare! We spent about 30-40 minutes finding a decent bathroom, after holding up the line at the family one which he eventually deemed too gross and too scary.
I'm sure my Dad is thinking "what in the world?"
So, as the night wears on and the forbidden food kicks in he is getting  a little feisty. Keeps trying to take my Dad's cap. (After my Dad picked on him) Again, with the boundaries, he doesn't stop at grabbing for my Dad's hat once or twice but he is going to get my Dad back no  matter what. He grabs his hat at least 6 times as I implore him to stop. Grrrrrr. Eventually I hold his hands down until his attention is diverted back to the show...
We wrap up the night with him trying to call his Daddy to come get him because he's tired. Texting Kaitlyn funny but ridiculous messages.."Sister, send someone to rescue me. I need you to call Miss Jen or her peeps. These people won't  let me come home." All the while watching every thing on the stadium floor.
Finally it's over. He is freaking out that we decide to wait for the crowds to die down and want to avoid being on the road with the drunk folk! Starting to get angry..again!
We go to try and find the autograph table to kill time. When he sees how long the line is, he starts to cry. He is just overwhelmed. Remember he is 8, not 4 or 5..he is well past preschool age where some of this type behavior would seem 'ok' or normal. 
We make it to my Dad's truck, having great Q & A led by Levi on the way about who was whose favorite and least favorite etc. I know he has paid great attention and enjoyed himself.
There's a few more unfiltered moments on the way home..yelling at the truck next to us "Hey, turn down your music before we kill you", in line at Krystals, yes I know, "you mean they didn'y give me my Crystal light packet for my water, turn around go back, I'm gonna punch you" and several other neat things:)

So, that is maybe wayyyy too much info. This is how my heart breaks all the time for my lil man and what he goes through to do 'normal' things. This is a glimpse into my world. It wouldn't be us if we weren't transparent and honest. I want other people to see what 'this' looks like. I'm in uncharted territory here my own self. It wasn't until a few months ago when I read Jenny McCarthy's book "Mother Warriors" that it clicked for me.."Oh, wow, this is my KID." (and long story longer maybe not just  one of my kids)It was a depressing but relieving revelation. So many things made sense now. I am going to blog more later on the vast world of autism, sensory integration dysfunction/disorder, giftedness and more...tonight was just an initial 'getting it off my chest' kinda blog. There is so much more to Levi than this. And there is so much more too 'this' than just what I've posted here.

Well, it's getting late. I will wrap up saying, last night was one of the BEST nights ever. I am amazed at how far my son has come. Once I heard the noise, I thought there is NO way he'll stay. We got to hang out with my Dad. I didn't do a lot of this kinda stuff with him growing up. We are trying to make up for lost time. AND I am hooked on the Monster Trucks. I'm gonna 'tail gate' next year like all those crazy football fans do and make a whole day of it. Whooooooo-hooooooo!!! I'll keep Levi interested hopefully throughout the year and maybe this will become our 'thing'. Man, I love this kid. I will do whatever it takes to get him whole and healthy. To point him in the direction he should go. Coming  back full circle...I want him to be extreme, to be a freak...not because he has an overload of toxins and gut issues and food allergies/sensitivities and no filter and cries at loud noises and will puke because he smells something weird and all that...BUT because he is a God follower and lives in a way that makes others question...who is this kid? how can I be more like him? what's he got that I want?
God has a plan for him and I will do my best to help him find it 'as he goes', and maybe we'll drive a Monster Truck while we're looking!

"To HIM who can do wayyyyy more than I could ever ask or imagine be the glory!"