Saturday, May 2, 2015
I just feel like writing
I haven't written much in a LONG time. Kind of crazy how the days still seem really slow, but the weeks and months seem to be flying by. I can't believe my babies are almost 5. It just doesn't seem real! Both are doing great in their own way. We are finishing up pre-K at UT Lab school. The goal for Annabelle according to her teacher, was for her to become a benevolent leader as opposed to a dictator. At the spring conference, her teacher said she had succeeded. So, we will go with that! She has a strong personality and is a leader. She talks A LOT and seems to have conversations that are way too advanced for a year old. She loves reading and drawing and writing. It will be fun to see how she ends up! Jack's goal was to be able to play successfully with other kiddos. And, he is able to do that. He has done great at school, and though a shadow goes with him, he has really increased his interactions and play skills with other children. He is talking so much more than he was. He is still behind and other kids have a difficult time understanding him. But, he certainly get what he wants!
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Happy Belated 4th Birthday!
Wow! My babies are 4 years old! I really do not seem to write down much these days and I know that is not smart, because they do and say so many fun things, there is no way I can remember them all.
Annabelle - you are an amazing child! You are creative, vibrant, full of energy, and seem to love life. Your imagination is fantastic! You love to play imagination games, such as "school" with daddy and taking your animals on a "camp out". You are always having a birthday party for one of your animals, typically it is Lovey. You still sleep and snuggle with Lovey, which is pretty adorable. Your language and social skills are really ahead of the curve. You ask very interesting questions, have pretty significant conversations, and remember everything. It is fun to see you play with your friends, because you have really turned into a little person. You have friends at school and in the neighborhood. You really enjoy watching the ipad or sesame street, but do not get to do it often - maybe a couple times a week. You love having books read to you and can listen to some pretty long books without many pictures. I imagine we read at least 10 books a day. You also have started reading yourself. For many months, you have been asking how to spell things and what certain words you see spell. We started reading the BOB books and you are doing well and beginning to read. You are also getting interested in math and do some simple addition problems. I feel like you are not old enough for this, but you seem to love it. You are also pretty good at writing your name and most of the letters. Occasionally, you get frustrated because it does not look quite right, but for the most part, you can write all of your letters. You really enjoy art projects. Grandjan and Grandpa gave you Kiwi Crate for a year and that has been fun to have monthly projects to work on. Between stickers and painting and drawing and glitter glue, you are a pretty happy girl! This year, you played on the city soccer team. Our friends, Wesley, Amanda, and Holden were on the team with us. You did not really enjoy soccer, or at least you did not appear to, since you never kicked the ball, but you have asked to play again. So, we will see! You have been going to physical therapy once or twice a week since the fall. You think it is fun, which is the primary reason you go. Let's see... you are an amazing eater. At your 4 year old well child check, the doctor asked you your favorite green vegetable and you said collard greens. She was very impressed! You love daddy's BBQ, quesadillas, fruit, salad, almost all veggies, and the list really goes on. You are not a big fan of sweet potatoes, but I cannot think of anything else that you do not like. It is awesome! For the school year, you went to Tiny Tots on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and then Yoga Peace School on Wednesday mornings. This summer, you went to yoga camp, and are now doing Wee Warhols art camp, and will do Nature and Science camp at Zilker and an acting camp with Amanda. It is fun and you seem to enjoy being active! You started taking violin lessons last fall and it has been fun and challenging. You can almost play Twinkle, which is very exciting. You were healthy all year and I do not think we had any visits to the doctor. You had your first dentist appointment October 21, 2013 and are due for another one next week. It went well. You still take a nap most of the time and will sleep for a couple hours. However, in September, you will have school in the afternoon, so you won't be able to nap anymore. We will figure it out. For now, you typically go to bed between 7:30-8 and then wake up between 6:30-7. It isn't too bad! You just recently got rid of your night time diapers, which is super exciting for mommy and daddy. We also have gotten rid of your crib and you are sleeping on the trundle bed. We are thinking about bunk beds... You are very loving and clearly love your mom, dad, and brother. It is fun to see! We love you!
Jack - you are an amazing child and have been working so hard! You are now talking and have been for a while. It is almost hard to imagine what it was like before you were talking. We are so proud of you! You speak in sentences and are able to express what you want and what you do not like. You are able to ask some questions, as well as answer tons of questions. Finally, after a lot of work, we have colors mastered! It happened months ago and now you are able to use colors to describe things are you are talking. You also know shapes and letters and numbers and the list goes on and on. You have come so far! You work really hard. You go to speech 4 times a week and OT 1 or 2 times a week. The OT started in February. We are also still working with the girls and doing the ABA. I think you work harder than most grown adults and sometimes it breaks my heart. However, you seem to enjoy it for the most part and ask to go to the "classroom" or to speech. Over the last school year, you went with Annabelle to Tiny Tots. You loved it and did so well! This summer, you went to art camp, which you also loved and then science and nature camp at Zilker. Both camps were with Annabelle and you loved them. I think your favorite place to be is outside! We have also been going to the Horse Boy Farm over the past year. Sometimes we go every week and other times we just go once a month or so. You love being out there and hiking in the woods. You have also been riding the horses and seem to enjoy it. You played soccer with Annabelle, but did not seem to be in to it, so we will see if we try again or just wait. You are very musical (and go to music therapy off and on) and like to sing and play various instruments. You are happy to watch people playing music or listen to music as well. You are a pretty good eater and eat a wide variety of foods. You love daddy's BBQ, fruit, cucumbers, and treats like cookies and cupcakes. You have been relatively healthy all year, which is great! You had your first dentist appointment on October 21, 2013 and then another one in the summer. Teeth are great and you cooperated so well... You have not napped in a long long time. Typically, you are ready for bed between 7 and 7:30 and then wake up around 6:30 or 7. It seems like you sleep pretty well most of the time, although occasionally you sound like you are having a party in the middle of the night. You have been sleeping in a twin bed for months and months as well and your crib is gone. You are very affectionate and I love when you say, "Mommy, come play with me" or "Daddy, come play with me." Those phrases melt us both... You have friends that come over for playdates, including Mason, Julian, and Jackson. We have also had art class with Hannah, Molly, and Nathan, for the past 8 months or so. Jack, you are a sweet and affectionate kid who loves nature and is curious about the world. You love your mom, dad, and sister and we enjoy watching you grow. We love you!
Annabelle - you are an amazing child! You are creative, vibrant, full of energy, and seem to love life. Your imagination is fantastic! You love to play imagination games, such as "school" with daddy and taking your animals on a "camp out". You are always having a birthday party for one of your animals, typically it is Lovey. You still sleep and snuggle with Lovey, which is pretty adorable. Your language and social skills are really ahead of the curve. You ask very interesting questions, have pretty significant conversations, and remember everything. It is fun to see you play with your friends, because you have really turned into a little person. You have friends at school and in the neighborhood. You really enjoy watching the ipad or sesame street, but do not get to do it often - maybe a couple times a week. You love having books read to you and can listen to some pretty long books without many pictures. I imagine we read at least 10 books a day. You also have started reading yourself. For many months, you have been asking how to spell things and what certain words you see spell. We started reading the BOB books and you are doing well and beginning to read. You are also getting interested in math and do some simple addition problems. I feel like you are not old enough for this, but you seem to love it. You are also pretty good at writing your name and most of the letters. Occasionally, you get frustrated because it does not look quite right, but for the most part, you can write all of your letters. You really enjoy art projects. Grandjan and Grandpa gave you Kiwi Crate for a year and that has been fun to have monthly projects to work on. Between stickers and painting and drawing and glitter glue, you are a pretty happy girl! This year, you played on the city soccer team. Our friends, Wesley, Amanda, and Holden were on the team with us. You did not really enjoy soccer, or at least you did not appear to, since you never kicked the ball, but you have asked to play again. So, we will see! You have been going to physical therapy once or twice a week since the fall. You think it is fun, which is the primary reason you go. Let's see... you are an amazing eater. At your 4 year old well child check, the doctor asked you your favorite green vegetable and you said collard greens. She was very impressed! You love daddy's BBQ, quesadillas, fruit, salad, almost all veggies, and the list really goes on. You are not a big fan of sweet potatoes, but I cannot think of anything else that you do not like. It is awesome! For the school year, you went to Tiny Tots on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and then Yoga Peace School on Wednesday mornings. This summer, you went to yoga camp, and are now doing Wee Warhols art camp, and will do Nature and Science camp at Zilker and an acting camp with Amanda. It is fun and you seem to enjoy being active! You started taking violin lessons last fall and it has been fun and challenging. You can almost play Twinkle, which is very exciting. You were healthy all year and I do not think we had any visits to the doctor. You had your first dentist appointment October 21, 2013 and are due for another one next week. It went well. You still take a nap most of the time and will sleep for a couple hours. However, in September, you will have school in the afternoon, so you won't be able to nap anymore. We will figure it out. For now, you typically go to bed between 7:30-8 and then wake up between 6:30-7. It isn't too bad! You just recently got rid of your night time diapers, which is super exciting for mommy and daddy. We also have gotten rid of your crib and you are sleeping on the trundle bed. We are thinking about bunk beds... You are very loving and clearly love your mom, dad, and brother. It is fun to see! We love you!
Jack - you are an amazing child and have been working so hard! You are now talking and have been for a while. It is almost hard to imagine what it was like before you were talking. We are so proud of you! You speak in sentences and are able to express what you want and what you do not like. You are able to ask some questions, as well as answer tons of questions. Finally, after a lot of work, we have colors mastered! It happened months ago and now you are able to use colors to describe things are you are talking. You also know shapes and letters and numbers and the list goes on and on. You have come so far! You work really hard. You go to speech 4 times a week and OT 1 or 2 times a week. The OT started in February. We are also still working with the girls and doing the ABA. I think you work harder than most grown adults and sometimes it breaks my heart. However, you seem to enjoy it for the most part and ask to go to the "classroom" or to speech. Over the last school year, you went with Annabelle to Tiny Tots. You loved it and did so well! This summer, you went to art camp, which you also loved and then science and nature camp at Zilker. Both camps were with Annabelle and you loved them. I think your favorite place to be is outside! We have also been going to the Horse Boy Farm over the past year. Sometimes we go every week and other times we just go once a month or so. You love being out there and hiking in the woods. You have also been riding the horses and seem to enjoy it. You played soccer with Annabelle, but did not seem to be in to it, so we will see if we try again or just wait. You are very musical (and go to music therapy off and on) and like to sing and play various instruments. You are happy to watch people playing music or listen to music as well. You are a pretty good eater and eat a wide variety of foods. You love daddy's BBQ, fruit, cucumbers, and treats like cookies and cupcakes. You have been relatively healthy all year, which is great! You had your first dentist appointment on October 21, 2013 and then another one in the summer. Teeth are great and you cooperated so well... You have not napped in a long long time. Typically, you are ready for bed between 7 and 7:30 and then wake up around 6:30 or 7. It seems like you sleep pretty well most of the time, although occasionally you sound like you are having a party in the middle of the night. You have been sleeping in a twin bed for months and months as well and your crib is gone. You are very affectionate and I love when you say, "Mommy, come play with me" or "Daddy, come play with me." Those phrases melt us both... You have friends that come over for playdates, including Mason, Julian, and Jackson. We have also had art class with Hannah, Molly, and Nathan, for the past 8 months or so. Jack, you are a sweet and affectionate kid who loves nature and is curious about the world. You love your mom, dad, and sister and we enjoy watching you grow. We love you!
Sunday, September 1, 2013
I have to write more...
I have to figure out a way to write more for at least two reasons. The first one is for my mental health. The second one is to keep track and record all of the things that are happening in my babies' lives. My babies who are no longer babies. They are three years old. Some of that time went by really slowly, but I also went by super fast - all at the same time. I am not sure my mental health is up for writing, so we will just got with an update on the kiddos...
Jack is doing great! He is now using 4 and 5 words on his own. It is AMAZING! He is talking! I am so, so, so happy for him and hope he continues to make progress this way. We are going to speech therapy four days a week. We go to MLee, where the therapists are trained in PROMPT. We usually see Marcus and once a week see Ashley. Jack seems to enjoy it and every morning asks to get in the car and go see Marcus. Something is working! He is doing well in his ABA programs. My favorite one is teaching him and Annabelle to play chase together. They have their own form of chase that they play without any help (and without actually tagging each other) and love it. They are loving tagging each other too. And I love to hear their laughter as they run in circles in my house. There is no sweeter sound in the world than my two babies laughing together. I hope we are able to capture it so I can listen to their joy for the rest of my life. Jack is still playing with Mason from across the street and they really seem to be having fun together. I am so glad that Jack has a buddy! Jack is starting at Tiny Tots in another week. He and Annabelle will go twice a week. We are also starting music and soccer. And, I am working on getting him in to music therapy as well. He/we will be busy! He finally had his three year well child check with our new pediatrician, Dr. Wheelock. I love her! He did well during the visit. He is measuring about 50th percentile for height and weight.
Annabelle is also doing great! She talks and talks and talks and drives me totally crazy! She asks literally 100's of questions every day and does not stop just because the question is answered. Today, my mom said something to her about being in a "stinky bus station". There was at least 15 minutes of non-stop questions and comments about the "stinky bus station" and why it was stinky and what else was stinky and where the busses were going and on and on and on. My mom apologized for bringing the topic up. She loves her brother and has fun with him. At her well child check, she was 95th percentile for height and weight. She is super tall! We got a referral for her for physical therapy and speech therapy. Not that there are really concerns, but I think she could benefit emotionally from having someone just to work with her. So, we will see how it goes... She is also going to start school next week with Jack. She is also going to go to The Little Yoga House one day a week - something special just for her. She will be in music class and soccer as well. Plus, the plan is for her to start violin lessons as well. I am thinking that might not have been a good idea, but we will see. Regardless, it will be a busy fall!
And me... I have a couple real estate things happening, which is good, since we can always use the money. We are still in a law suit with ECI. They are offering $25K to settle, but we are hoping for more like $45K, so I do not think we will take it. I am going to start writing home studies for Lutheran Social Services again, which is awesome, since we can always use the money. I am hoping to take violin lessons with Annabelle, while the kids are at school. And, I am also hoping to figure out a way to get some exercise in. I really think I want to take tennis lessons. We will see... Jeremy and I are going to Raleigh next weekend to go to a football game and see his friends. I am excited for a weekend away and to escape some of the heat. It has been hot here! I love the heat when I can sit in my pool and hang out. But, with 2 kids, that doesn't happen much. I am ready for all and am hoping a quick trip to North Carolina will get me in the right mindset. I am also super excited to see our nephew, Bryce, while we are there.
And, I think that's a wrap! Hopefully I can get back in the swing of writing more frequently, although I have said this before, so we will see....
A few random pics from the fall of 2013, since I don't seem to write much...
Jack is doing great! He is now using 4 and 5 words on his own. It is AMAZING! He is talking! I am so, so, so happy for him and hope he continues to make progress this way. We are going to speech therapy four days a week. We go to MLee, where the therapists are trained in PROMPT. We usually see Marcus and once a week see Ashley. Jack seems to enjoy it and every morning asks to get in the car and go see Marcus. Something is working! He is doing well in his ABA programs. My favorite one is teaching him and Annabelle to play chase together. They have their own form of chase that they play without any help (and without actually tagging each other) and love it. They are loving tagging each other too. And I love to hear their laughter as they run in circles in my house. There is no sweeter sound in the world than my two babies laughing together. I hope we are able to capture it so I can listen to their joy for the rest of my life. Jack is still playing with Mason from across the street and they really seem to be having fun together. I am so glad that Jack has a buddy! Jack is starting at Tiny Tots in another week. He and Annabelle will go twice a week. We are also starting music and soccer. And, I am working on getting him in to music therapy as well. He/we will be busy! He finally had his three year well child check with our new pediatrician, Dr. Wheelock. I love her! He did well during the visit. He is measuring about 50th percentile for height and weight.
Annabelle is also doing great! She talks and talks and talks and drives me totally crazy! She asks literally 100's of questions every day and does not stop just because the question is answered. Today, my mom said something to her about being in a "stinky bus station". There was at least 15 minutes of non-stop questions and comments about the "stinky bus station" and why it was stinky and what else was stinky and where the busses were going and on and on and on. My mom apologized for bringing the topic up. She loves her brother and has fun with him. At her well child check, she was 95th percentile for height and weight. She is super tall! We got a referral for her for physical therapy and speech therapy. Not that there are really concerns, but I think she could benefit emotionally from having someone just to work with her. So, we will see how it goes... She is also going to start school next week with Jack. She is also going to go to The Little Yoga House one day a week - something special just for her. She will be in music class and soccer as well. Plus, the plan is for her to start violin lessons as well. I am thinking that might not have been a good idea, but we will see. Regardless, it will be a busy fall!
And me... I have a couple real estate things happening, which is good, since we can always use the money. We are still in a law suit with ECI. They are offering $25K to settle, but we are hoping for more like $45K, so I do not think we will take it. I am going to start writing home studies for Lutheran Social Services again, which is awesome, since we can always use the money. I am hoping to take violin lessons with Annabelle, while the kids are at school. And, I am also hoping to figure out a way to get some exercise in. I really think I want to take tennis lessons. We will see... Jeremy and I are going to Raleigh next weekend to go to a football game and see his friends. I am excited for a weekend away and to escape some of the heat. It has been hot here! I love the heat when I can sit in my pool and hang out. But, with 2 kids, that doesn't happen much. I am ready for all and am hoping a quick trip to North Carolina will get me in the right mindset. I am also super excited to see our nephew, Bryce, while we are there.
And, I think that's a wrap! Hopefully I can get back in the swing of writing more frequently, although I have said this before, so we will see....
A few random pics from the fall of 2013, since I don't seem to write much...
Annabelle on her first day of Yoga Peace School
Jack and Annabelle at the beach in Galveston
Jack and Annabelle on their first day of Tiny Tots
First day of Tiny Tots
Playing with daddy
Hanging in the tree
The beach in Galvestone
Tiny Tots with Meghan - Halloween festivities
Tinkerbell and Peterpan for Halloween!
Crazy Hat day at Tiny Tots
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Blogs...
I have been reading way too many blogs. I stumbled upon an "autism mom blog" and of course, she links to many more "autism mom blogs" and I just can't stop reading. I definitely do not have time to be reading all of these blogs. But what I really don't have is the emotional head space to be reading these blogs. They are making me think! Normally, I would say thinking is a good thing. I would typically describe myself as a critical thinker and a fairly smart person who likes to use her brain. But, since autism has entered my world, I really do not want to use my brain. In fact, I wish I could find someone who could just tell me all the information I need to know it one short and concise paragraph and then make the magic happen. Unfortunately, it does not work that way. When Jack was diagnosed, I asked the doctor and the pediatrician and the BCBA, what the prognosis would be for him. They all said he was too young to tell. So, I decided then and there, if no one could tell me, then I would just go with the plan that he will be "just fine". And, in my mind, the way I define "just fine", is that he will go to 1st grade, be in regular education, have friends, and do whatever it is that he enjoys. Early on in our autism journey, actually before we even had a diagnosis, a friend suggested I contact an old acquaintance she had. So, I did. She has twin boys, who at the time were seniors in high school. They had been diagnosed with autism at 3 years old and by 1st grade, were functioning just fine. The day after we received the diagnosis, I called her. I was having what I can only describe as a mental breakdown. I was not in control of myself in a way that has never happened to me. I was literally laying on the ground in the fetal position, sobbing. She came over to my house. I had never met her before and had barely spoken with her, but she was my angel that day. She gave me her copy of "Let Me Hear Your Voice." She gave me a bunch of cards that she had used with her boys. And she told me her story. She probably has no idea how much she impacted me and my thinking. From that day on, I decided I would just do what she did and expect the same outcome. Every now and then, we meet for lunch. I tell her how Jack is doing. She tells me how much better he is doing than her kids were at that age. I feel better. And I go on believing that Jack will be "just fine". And, I still believe it. He has made TREMENDOUS progress. He is beginning to talk and will put 3 and sometimes even 4 words together. We have finished OT because he seems able to regulate his sensory needs. He is, according to Rebecca, in "intermediate" programming in the ABA program. He and Mason, our friend across the street, have play dates twice a week and Jack and Mason held hands as the therapist and Jack walked Mason home after the last play date. Jack played soccer and went to gymnastics and did as well, if not better, than most of the kids in the class. He is going to be "just fine". But, some of this "thinking" stuff has got me thinking. And, I am not sure I even want to say it out loud (or write it out loud). So, maybe I won't just quite yet. I will keep thinking about it and rolling it around in my brain. And maybe, I will call my "angel" and see what she thinks about all of these things I am reading. I know what she will say - "Stop Reading". And I will try, because I know I should not be reading. Like I said, I do not have the time or energy to be reading other people's blogs on autism. But, with her children, her journey is really done. They are going into their sophomore year in college, at an out of state university, and are living on their own. They have made friends and are happy and healthy. Once I get to that place (still thinking Jack will get to that place), it may seem easier to say not to focus on anything and have confidence Jack will be fine. And really, I do have confidence he will be "just fine" because there is just as much to say he will be, in fact possibly even more, than there is to say he will not be. But, there is a tiny part of me that wonders if. And, am I doing the right things? Is there anything else I should be doing? There is so much information out there, I cannot possibly read it all or know everything. And, I do not know who to believe about the various contradictions. But, I will meet my "angel" for lunch. I will tell her how Jack is doing. She will tell me he is doing so much better than her kids were at his age. And, I will feel better.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Happy 3rd birthday!
Happy 3rd birthday to Jack and Annabelle! I cannot believe it has been three years since you were born! To celebrate your birthday, we had a Curious George birthday party at Jumpoline yesterday, the day before your birthday. Some of your favorite people were there including Charlotte, Molly, Wesley, Holden, Lily, Clara, Nora, Mason, Matthew, Reagan, Anson, Madilyn, Reagan, Ever, Maebe, Phoenix, Pearl. You also had lots of family - Granna, Gma, Gpa, Kaitlyn, Granjan, Grandpa, Uncle Josh, and Tiffany. It was lots of fun! Jack jumped the entire two hours with a very small break to eat a cupcake. Annabelle jumped, but also played on some of the other toys and enjoyed hanging out and chatting with friends. We had red cupcakes with banana runts and yellow cupcakes with red sugar sprinkles. Jack and Annabelle had special cupcakes from Wildwood Bakery. We also had bananas, since we were monkey themed. Jack and Annabelle each had Curious shirts and Annabelle even wore a tutu made by Granjan. It was pretty adorable!
Annabelle - this has been a fun year for you! You are very curious and always wanting more and more and more information. You have a vivid imagination and are always going on "trips" and "rocket ship rides". It is amazing to hear the stories you create and I am so lucky to be a part of them. You went to school at St. Paul Lutheran this year and Ms. Wuerchan was your teacher. You enjoyed her and the school said you always did well. We also did music with Heartsong and just recently began soccer and gymnastics. We took several trips to the zoo and Sea World, both of which you always loved. We went to North Carolina in April to visit Baby Bryce - it was a fun trip! Currently, you love reading books and cooking in your kitchen. You also enjoy drawing and painting. You know your letters and numbers. You have a great vocabulary. You do a pretty good job of following directions. You were potty trained right after your birthday last year and only wear a diaper at nap and night time. Overall, you are a creative and spirited child and I can't wait to see what this year brings!
Jack - this has been a learning and working year for you, but just in the past couple of weeks, it seems like serious progress is happening. You are typically in therapy 25 hours a week. It makes me sad that you do not have much free time, but I am hoping it will pay off and in a few years, we can be done with all of this. You are laid back and have a sense of humor, which is great! You like to play with lots of different things, including cars, trains, and sensory boxes of rice and "dirt". You are also in to painting and glitter glue and enjoy wagon rides. You have been in music with Heartsong and seemed to enjoy it. At least, you sing the songs all the time when we are home! In general, you love music. You have just started soccer and gymnastics and they are going well. We have gone to the zoo and Sea World, neither of which impressed you. You seem to like numbers and counting. In the past couple of weeks, you have really started "talking". I think it is real talking now, as you spontaneously put two words together almost all of the time. YAHOO!!! We started PROMPT speech therapy in February of this year and I think it has been a huge help. I told your therapist, Marcus, that I wanted you talking by your birthday. And, I think it has happened! You are talking! You are not on level yet, but I think it will happen! Tonight, Daddy gave you an apple and you said "thank you". I don't think anyone has even taught you that one - it almost made me cry. I am SO excited! Also, we have done potty training with you and started in the beginning of June. You wear undies all day and wear a diaper for nap and night time. Most of the time, even your nap diapers are dry. The only problem is pooping, which you don't want to do in the potty yet. As long as it happens in the diaper, it is fine. It is not so fun when it is in your undies. Regardless, you have made a ton of progress! You have playdates twice a week as part of your therapy. Right now, we are having Mason over twice a week. It seems to be going well... Overall, you are a chilled out kid. I can't wait to see what this year brings!
Annabelle - this has been a fun year for you! You are very curious and always wanting more and more and more information. You have a vivid imagination and are always going on "trips" and "rocket ship rides". It is amazing to hear the stories you create and I am so lucky to be a part of them. You went to school at St. Paul Lutheran this year and Ms. Wuerchan was your teacher. You enjoyed her and the school said you always did well. We also did music with Heartsong and just recently began soccer and gymnastics. We took several trips to the zoo and Sea World, both of which you always loved. We went to North Carolina in April to visit Baby Bryce - it was a fun trip! Currently, you love reading books and cooking in your kitchen. You also enjoy drawing and painting. You know your letters and numbers. You have a great vocabulary. You do a pretty good job of following directions. You were potty trained right after your birthday last year and only wear a diaper at nap and night time. Overall, you are a creative and spirited child and I can't wait to see what this year brings!
Jack - this has been a learning and working year for you, but just in the past couple of weeks, it seems like serious progress is happening. You are typically in therapy 25 hours a week. It makes me sad that you do not have much free time, but I am hoping it will pay off and in a few years, we can be done with all of this. You are laid back and have a sense of humor, which is great! You like to play with lots of different things, including cars, trains, and sensory boxes of rice and "dirt". You are also in to painting and glitter glue and enjoy wagon rides. You have been in music with Heartsong and seemed to enjoy it. At least, you sing the songs all the time when we are home! In general, you love music. You have just started soccer and gymnastics and they are going well. We have gone to the zoo and Sea World, neither of which impressed you. You seem to like numbers and counting. In the past couple of weeks, you have really started "talking". I think it is real talking now, as you spontaneously put two words together almost all of the time. YAHOO!!! We started PROMPT speech therapy in February of this year and I think it has been a huge help. I told your therapist, Marcus, that I wanted you talking by your birthday. And, I think it has happened! You are talking! You are not on level yet, but I think it will happen! Tonight, Daddy gave you an apple and you said "thank you". I don't think anyone has even taught you that one - it almost made me cry. I am SO excited! Also, we have done potty training with you and started in the beginning of June. You wear undies all day and wear a diaper for nap and night time. Most of the time, even your nap diapers are dry. The only problem is pooping, which you don't want to do in the potty yet. As long as it happens in the diaper, it is fine. It is not so fun when it is in your undies. Regardless, you have made a ton of progress! You have playdates twice a week as part of your therapy. Right now, we are having Mason over twice a week. It seems to be going well... Overall, you are a chilled out kid. I can't wait to see what this year brings!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Sea World for Father's Day
Jeremy was a great sport and said we could go to Sea World for Father's Day. His mom is here and we all have season passes. We are trying to get in as many trips as we can before the kiddos turn three and are no longer free... We had a great day and it was not as crowded as I thought it would be and not even as hot as I thought it would be. Jack was pretty upset when he realized we were not taking the stroller with us. Last time, he did not want to get out of the stroller and you have to get out in order to see any of the shows. This time, we just went without the stroller, so he did not have the choice to sit in it. After his initial frustrations about the stroller, he did just fine. He even peed in the potty a few times and we had 0 accidents - yay!
My favorite show is Azul with the divers and Beluga whales. Annabelle loves to pretend to dance with Beluga whales at our house, so I think it is one of her favorites too. We also say a new Pet's Ahoy show which had dogs, cats, a pig, and other animals. It was air conditioned, so that was a plus. We tried to feed the dolphins, but they are no longer doing that program. It was still really fun to be so close to them in their tank. They were swimming in circles and jumping right in front of us. Annabelle got splashed, which was super fun.
The kids had a blast at the splash pad, which is huge. It took Jack a while to get used to it and he and I started with the baby splash pad. But, after a while, he was running with Annabelle and Jeremy on the big one. We also did more sesame street stuff this time then in the past. We saw Elmo Rocks and at the end of the show, the kids get to go down front and dance. Annabelle and Granjan went down and Jack decided he wanted to go to. It was great! Afterwards, we took a picture with all of them and Jack became buddies with Elmo and "pet" him. Annabelle was afraid at first, but later warmed up to them. We got some cute pictures!
At the end of the day, Jack and Jeremy went back to the car. While we waited for our pictures, Annabelle and I rode the Shamu Express, which was so fun. Annabelle's first roller coaster ride - I think I need to document it for the baby book!
Overall, a great day with tired out kids! Happy father's day Jeremy - the best father and husband I could ask for!
My favorite show is Azul with the divers and Beluga whales. Annabelle loves to pretend to dance with Beluga whales at our house, so I think it is one of her favorites too. We also say a new Pet's Ahoy show which had dogs, cats, a pig, and other animals. It was air conditioned, so that was a plus. We tried to feed the dolphins, but they are no longer doing that program. It was still really fun to be so close to them in their tank. They were swimming in circles and jumping right in front of us. Annabelle got splashed, which was super fun.
The kids had a blast at the splash pad, which is huge. It took Jack a while to get used to it and he and I started with the baby splash pad. But, after a while, he was running with Annabelle and Jeremy on the big one. We also did more sesame street stuff this time then in the past. We saw Elmo Rocks and at the end of the show, the kids get to go down front and dance. Annabelle and Granjan went down and Jack decided he wanted to go to. It was great! Afterwards, we took a picture with all of them and Jack became buddies with Elmo and "pet" him. Annabelle was afraid at first, but later warmed up to them. We got some cute pictures!
At the end of the day, Jack and Jeremy went back to the car. While we waited for our pictures, Annabelle and I rode the Shamu Express, which was so fun. Annabelle's first roller coaster ride - I think I need to document it for the baby book!
Overall, a great day with tired out kids! Happy father's day Jeremy - the best father and husband I could ask for!
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Potty Training
Well, I think we are almost there! We started potty training with Jack last weekend, Saturday, June 1st. He needs to be potty trained for his school in the fall and he just seemed ready. Multiple times, he took off his diaper at nap - clearly a sign he was ready to be done with diapers. One positive of autism (there are not many, so I like to highlight one if it ever occurs), the therapists did most of the potty training! And, it was not fun. Rebecca was here Saturday and Sunday, along with another therapist for each shift. And then, the therapists continued to work on it during the week. On Wednesday, I was starting to get nervous. Jack did not really have many accidents, but he could hold his pee for a long time. He was scared to pee on the potty and one time literally sat on the potty for 3 hours! He would cry whenever he was on the potty and actually needed to pee because he was scared. It was so sad for me to watch and listen to, but I knew we had to push through. I was also worried he was going to spend the entire summer sitting on the potty. But luckily, he must have sensed my concern, and on Thursday we turned a huge corner. He figured out it is not that scary to pee on the potty. In fact, he likes to watch himself do it and is very proud afterwards. He also likes to flush and say "bye bye tee tee". And since then, he sits on the potty and goes within a minute (much better than the 3 hour stand off). He is not quite initiating that he needs to go, but he will say yes when asked and he will pee when he sits on the potty! Yahoo!!! We still need to work on pooping in the potty, but that will come and I am not too worried. This is one of those things that takes a huge unconscious weight off my shoulders. When he was initially diagnosed, one of my first questions was would he ever be potty trained? I have worked with families with big kids who are still in diapers and that was really something I was hoping to avoid. So, now that he is successfully peeing in the potty, I feel even more confident that he is going to be okay. And the more confident I am that he will be okay, the more likely it is that I will be okay.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Today I smile again and again
because...
We got into the pool! It wasn't quite as clean as I would like and it was a little chilly, but we got in!
Christy, Dom, Ever, and Maebe came over to swim and eat dinner - I love them!
Jeremy made grilled pineapple - possibly my favorite thing in the world.
We listened to Hey Lollies and Jack actually watched and seemed interested - yahoo!
I had a delicious iced mocha - another top 10 item on my list.
Annabelle, Jack, and I played ring around the rosie and both kids laughed and giggled.
We got into the pool! It wasn't quite as clean as I would like and it was a little chilly, but we got in!
Christy, Dom, Ever, and Maebe came over to swim and eat dinner - I love them!
Jeremy made grilled pineapple - possibly my favorite thing in the world.
We listened to Hey Lollies and Jack actually watched and seemed interested - yahoo!
I had a delicious iced mocha - another top 10 item on my list.
Annabelle, Jack, and I played ring around the rosie and both kids laughed and giggled.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Today I smile again
because...
Annabelle told me I am her "favorite pillow in the whole wide world"
Jack and I got to play at the park just the two of us - he went down the super fast slide all by himself
Annabelle was so proud to show her brother off to her friends at school
Jack ate his weight in zucchini for dinner
Rebecca said Jack is doing great!
I got to go to central market by myself - and I picked out lemon bars and cherries for myself
Annabelle told me I am her "favorite pillow in the whole wide world"
Jack and I got to play at the park just the two of us - he went down the super fast slide all by himself
Annabelle was so proud to show her brother off to her friends at school
Jack ate his weight in zucchini for dinner
Rebecca said Jack is doing great!
I got to go to central market by myself - and I picked out lemon bars and cherries for myself
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Today I smile
Today I smile...
Because I have sunflowers from Mother's Day smiling at me from my coffee table
Because Annabelle and I got to visit our friends the Farrells (Andrea, Anson, Reagan, and Madilyn)
Because I go to go to an awards ceremony for my lacrosse girls
Because Jack ate almost everything on his plate
Because Annabelle asked for "more snuggles please"
Because Jack sat in my lap and let me read a story
Because Annabelle and I got to visit Samaya and Devni and their mama
Because I have sunflowers from Mother's Day smiling at me from my coffee table
Because Annabelle and I got to visit our friends the Farrells (Andrea, Anson, Reagan, and Madilyn)
Because I go to go to an awards ceremony for my lacrosse girls
Because Jack ate almost everything on his plate
Because Annabelle asked for "more snuggles please"
Because Jack sat in my lap and let me read a story
Because Annabelle and I got to visit Samaya and Devni and their mama
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Funny things
We are saying funny things in this house and I wanted to make sure I write a few down before I forget.
This morning, as Annabelle and I were on a "rocket ship ride", she said, "I'm driving this rocket ship mommy. Sit back and relax and chill out. I got it." It was pretty funny!
This morning, as Annabelle and I were on a "rocket ship ride", she said, "I'm driving this rocket ship mommy. Sit back and relax and chill out. I got it." It was pretty funny!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Swimming season has arrived!
For Mother's Day, I wanted to get in the pool with the babies. They have been in their baby pool and seemed to do just fine. Except, as soon as they figured out they could lean out and reach the grass, the race was on. Both of them in opposite directions, trying to eat whatever may lie outside the pool. I love the pool and plan to spend a lot of time in it, if the babies will allow it. So, yesterday, the three of us got in. It was a little chilly, but Jack enjoyed splashing and Annabelle enjoyed twirling around in her floaty. Overall, it was sucessful and I am hoping we will have many more pool days in the future. continue. It is already 95 degrees - I can only imagine what August will bring.
9 months
The babies are just over nine months. It is amazing how quickly they grow and develop. They are both crawling all over the place and pulling up on everything, including moving object like myself. Over the weekend, we have installed a baby gate and child proof latches on all of the cabinets. But, it still seems they are able to find something to get into. They both are very interactive with each other. They laugh at each other and have started taking one another's toys. Usually Annabelle is the "taker" and most of the time, Jack does not care. But, on the rare occassion when he does care, Annabelle will take his toy and his face will go from happy to sad in slow motion. Annabelle will also scream while eating and Jack's face will go from happy to sad in slow motion. And then he will cry and cry. By the time he is calmed down, she will scream again - almost as if she knows what she is doing. According to Granna, he is the "thinker" and she is the "do-er". They both say lots of words that do not mean anything, Annabelle talking more than Jack. It will be fun to see what they do next!
A little update
Just feeling like I will never remember all of the fun toddler things if I don't write them down.
Annabelle is going to school at St. Paul two mornings a week. She seems to enjoy it and brings home art projects. She is super smart and very verbal. She wants to know who and where and why and what all the time. And, answering one question does not end the conversation, but just fuels two more questions. She has even asked about things I am just not ready to discuss with her yet. So far I have been able to appease her with my answers. It won't last much longer though. She has a great memory and remembers details and fun facts that I do not even remember. She has a great imagination and still prefers to make tacos, but does lots of other imaginary play in her kitchen and with her dolls. Annabelle also enjoys art - cutting, stamping, coloring, and most of all sticking stickers. She loves books and will even listen to longer stories, a nice change from the board books. She knows most letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. She can count to ten pretty well and then continues on to twenty without as much accuracy. She finally has enough hair we can put it in a pony tail or pig tails! She is an amazing eater. She and Jeremy have "muscle smoothies" and she loves eating collard greens, kale, and various meat that Jeremy has on his plate. There are very few things she does not like to eat. She sleeps well. She is napping in our room, which works well. She typically naps for 2 or 2 1/2 hours. Bedtime is 7:30 and she wakes up around 6:30. She wears a diaper during nap and bedtime, but not when she is awake. Knock on wood, she has been pretty healthy. She has gotten a stuffy nose quite a few times, but otherwise, she is healthy!
Jack is in therapy all day every day. We have finally finished ECI speech therapy and started with private speech. He went once a week in February and is going twice a week starting mid-March. He goes to OT once a week at Big Sky and we continue to enjoy it. He is in ABA the rest of the time. We have had some therapist change over the past few months, but I think we have a good team in place. Rebecca still oversees the program, but we now have Sally as our lead therapist, and Megan, JoAnn, and Cameron as the line therapists. I am happy with the way things are going and Jack is conitnuing to make progress. He has play dates twice a week with the therapist. Once a week is Wesley and once a week is Mason. He also goes to the park a couple times a week. He has been showing an interest in the kids at the park and interacting with the kids during playdates, which is great! Jack love to jump, jump, jump! He also enjoys being outside, looking at books, and playing with his train set. He has a few words, but they are difficult to understand. He is communicating more and more, so we are moving in the right direction. We just have to get the talking down! He loves to sing and hum and knows a lot of different songs. He is a fairly good eater. He is not very consistent with what he likes, but he seems to be a typical toddler. He sleeps fairly well. Sometimes he will take a really long time to fall asleep for a nap or even skip a nap. But, for the most part, he sleeps 2 1/2 hours for nap, goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes up around 6:30 or 7. He takes a lot of supplements and is GFCFSF. He has been pretty healthy too, other than a few stuffy noses.
That is the update! Funny comments are being made and lots of laughter is happening. I LOVE when Jack and Annabelle place and chase each other or giggle and giggle. I LOVE when they share and give each other things. And, I LOVE when Annabelle hugs and kisses her brother. We will be okay!
Annabelle is going to school at St. Paul two mornings a week. She seems to enjoy it and brings home art projects. She is super smart and very verbal. She wants to know who and where and why and what all the time. And, answering one question does not end the conversation, but just fuels two more questions. She has even asked about things I am just not ready to discuss with her yet. So far I have been able to appease her with my answers. It won't last much longer though. She has a great memory and remembers details and fun facts that I do not even remember. She has a great imagination and still prefers to make tacos, but does lots of other imaginary play in her kitchen and with her dolls. Annabelle also enjoys art - cutting, stamping, coloring, and most of all sticking stickers. She loves books and will even listen to longer stories, a nice change from the board books. She knows most letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. She can count to ten pretty well and then continues on to twenty without as much accuracy. She finally has enough hair we can put it in a pony tail or pig tails! She is an amazing eater. She and Jeremy have "muscle smoothies" and she loves eating collard greens, kale, and various meat that Jeremy has on his plate. There are very few things she does not like to eat. She sleeps well. She is napping in our room, which works well. She typically naps for 2 or 2 1/2 hours. Bedtime is 7:30 and she wakes up around 6:30. She wears a diaper during nap and bedtime, but not when she is awake. Knock on wood, she has been pretty healthy. She has gotten a stuffy nose quite a few times, but otherwise, she is healthy!
Jack is in therapy all day every day. We have finally finished ECI speech therapy and started with private speech. He went once a week in February and is going twice a week starting mid-March. He goes to OT once a week at Big Sky and we continue to enjoy it. He is in ABA the rest of the time. We have had some therapist change over the past few months, but I think we have a good team in place. Rebecca still oversees the program, but we now have Sally as our lead therapist, and Megan, JoAnn, and Cameron as the line therapists. I am happy with the way things are going and Jack is conitnuing to make progress. He has play dates twice a week with the therapist. Once a week is Wesley and once a week is Mason. He also goes to the park a couple times a week. He has been showing an interest in the kids at the park and interacting with the kids during playdates, which is great! Jack love to jump, jump, jump! He also enjoys being outside, looking at books, and playing with his train set. He has a few words, but they are difficult to understand. He is communicating more and more, so we are moving in the right direction. We just have to get the talking down! He loves to sing and hum and knows a lot of different songs. He is a fairly good eater. He is not very consistent with what he likes, but he seems to be a typical toddler. He sleeps fairly well. Sometimes he will take a really long time to fall asleep for a nap or even skip a nap. But, for the most part, he sleeps 2 1/2 hours for nap, goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes up around 6:30 or 7. He takes a lot of supplements and is GFCFSF. He has been pretty healthy too, other than a few stuffy noses.
That is the update! Funny comments are being made and lots of laughter is happening. I LOVE when Jack and Annabelle place and chase each other or giggle and giggle. I LOVE when they share and give each other things. And, I LOVE when Annabelle hugs and kisses her brother. We will be okay!
A couple funny stories
I have been impressed my many of my friends' blogs and always wondered how they had so much to write about. One friend told me that eventually my kids would say funny things and it would be easy to write about them. Well, that time may be fast approaching...
About a month ago, Annabelle got me with a funny one. She was having a difficult time following directions, which seems to be occurring more and more frequently. I have heard that 3 is harder than 2 and I can see that may be the case. I asked Annabelle if her listening ears were on because she seemed to be having a hard time listening and following directions. She said to me very matter of factly that her listening ears were not working because the batteries had died. And that was the conversation stopper!
Another funny thing happened around the same time. We were sitting at the dinner table and Annabelle fell out of her chair. I made sure she was okay and she was just fine, just a little scared. It was pretty funny, but the kind of funny you don't want to laugh at until you know the person is okay. Well, Jack started cracking up. He was laughing and laughing and could barely contain himself. Then, he carefull stepped out of his chair and onto the floor where he quickly "fell down" and laughed and laughed again. It was great! Great that he noticed Annabelle, great that he laughed, and great that he copied her behavior!
About a month ago, Annabelle got me with a funny one. She was having a difficult time following directions, which seems to be occurring more and more frequently. I have heard that 3 is harder than 2 and I can see that may be the case. I asked Annabelle if her listening ears were on because she seemed to be having a hard time listening and following directions. She said to me very matter of factly that her listening ears were not working because the batteries had died. And that was the conversation stopper!
Another funny thing happened around the same time. We were sitting at the dinner table and Annabelle fell out of her chair. I made sure she was okay and she was just fine, just a little scared. It was pretty funny, but the kind of funny you don't want to laugh at until you know the person is okay. Well, Jack started cracking up. He was laughing and laughing and could barely contain himself. Then, he carefull stepped out of his chair and onto the floor where he quickly "fell down" and laughed and laughed again. It was great! Great that he noticed Annabelle, great that he laughed, and great that he copied her behavior!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Goodbye 2012 and Welcome 2013
2012 has been a wonderful year in many ways and a challenging year in many ways. I am excited to see what 2013 brings and am hopeful it is a little more wonderful and a little less stressful than 2012.
2012 was fun. We took several trips to the beach, including the Outer Banks, NC, in June. We also went to Port Aransas once or twice. We had quite a few visits from Gma and Gpa and Grandjan. The kids had a fun pool party birthday bash. We dressed up as the Flintstone Family for Halloween, with Fred, Wilma, Pebbles, and Bam Bam. I made the costumes and have to say I impressed myself. We have been to the zoo and Sea World, as well as a theater production of "Guess How Much I Love You" and several music shows, including Miss Staci. Along with Granna, we had Gma, Gpa, and Uncle Josh for Thanksgiving and Grandjan and Grandpa for Christmas, so we were lucky to have family for the holidays.
Annabelle - 2012 was a wonderful year for her. She started going to school two mornings a week beginning in September at St. Paul Lutheran Church. The logistics worked well for us and they are so kind and flexible. Annabelle took a while to adjust, but now she loves her teacher, Ms. Wurchen, and her teacher loves her. Annabelle seems to be very bright - she knows all of her letters and the sounds they make and various words which start with each letter. Thanks to the Little People zoo animals, we have Yak and Quail down. She can count to ten (most of the time). She sings songs and has a sweet voice. Her school had a "Christmas Program" and Annabelle participated. It was very impressive, as the church is very large and the school goes up to 8th grade, so there were a lot of people. She went to the front of the church with her class and stood while they 3 and 4 years olds sang. Most of the 2 year olds just sat quietly, even though she knows the words. She did great! We were all in our "Sunday best" and I felt like a grown up in a real family, possibly for the first time in my life. Annabelle is an amazing eater and requested black-eyed peas and collard greens for New Years day. She enjoys "muscle smoothies" with Jeremy almost every morning. Annabelle loves cooking in her kitchen and makes pizza, tacos, soups, and all sorts of other treats. She likes to do art activities and thankfully her school sends her home with many fun projects that have been completed. She has an amazing imagination and I do not know where some of the things she says and does come from. It is really fun to watch! Annabelle still loves to read books and snuggle with her lovey. She has been healthy for the most part, with a couple little colds thanks to her new school. Annabelle is sleeping well and still takes a nap for two hours. She is usually in bed by 7:30 and up by 7.
Jack - 2012 has been a growing year. We started the year off with OT and ST and eventually added and autism diagnosis and ABA. We got things going into full swing in May and since then have been fortunate to make a significant amount of progress. Jack is now able to play appropriately with toys, such as cars, train, pretend food in the kitchen, books, puzzles, and the list goes on. He is able to attend and pay attention to things (when he wants) and make eye contact. We were up to about 25 words, but it seems like they are not there as much, so we are going to work on them some more. Jack is communicating so much more than he was before. He does not necessarily have the words, but he looks and points and "talks" in a way that makes it very clear what he wants. He is able to imitate, which is amazing and something I would not have known was such an amazing skill a year ago. Jack loves to jump and jump - on the floor, in his crib, on the bed, or on the trampoline. A few months ago, he climbed out of his crib, so we put the mattress on the floor. Luckily, that has solved the problem for now. He is no longer challenged when it comes to elevation changes and he will climb on everything. I love it! Jack is having "playdates" with Samaya and so far, he is doing better than she is. He is also going to the park and doing well. I am excited to see the new things he will learn. Jack will sometimes take a while to fall asleep for his nap. In general, he naps for 2-3 hours every day, although once a week or so, he will skip his nap. He sleeps well at night and is usually in bed by 7:30 and then up around 6:30. He has been healthy for the most part with just a couple little colds or allergies. He takes a bunch of supplements and vitamins, which we are hoping will help with some of the autism stuff. He is also on a GFCFSF diet. It all seems to be working well. The past couple of months, Jack has been on a steady incline of progress and I am hopeful it will contine.
Jeremy - 2012 has been a shrinking year. Jeremy is "paleo" and eats what the cavemen ate - meat, nuts, fruits, and berries. As a result, he is in the best shape of his life. He feels good and looks good, which is all that matters! He is going to cross fit a few times a week and really seems to enjoy it - a great way to deal with stress. Jeremy is doing great at work and continues to get raises (which we all like). He has not been able to go fishing as much as he would like, but he did get to go off shore over the summer and had a fun time. Hopefullee he will have more fishing in 2013.
Becca - 2012 has been the most stressful, frustrating, and probably depressing year of my life. Nothing can describe the feelings that go along with having my child diagnosed with autism. But, as a result, I have grown and become strong in ways I would never have imagined. We have an amazing home based ABA program for Jack and he is making tons of progress. We are in a law suit with ECI which will help Jack, help our pocket books, and help other children whose parents do not know any better. I have met some mothers who are warriors and give me home and inspiration and motivation. I am in school, taking classes to get my BCBA. I have learned what and who true friends are and what values are important to me. I could go on and on, but I do not want to. I want to appreciate the challenges I faced in 2012 and use them to help me be a better person for myself, my child, my family, and my world in 2013.
2012 was fun. We took several trips to the beach, including the Outer Banks, NC, in June. We also went to Port Aransas once or twice. We had quite a few visits from Gma and Gpa and Grandjan. The kids had a fun pool party birthday bash. We dressed up as the Flintstone Family for Halloween, with Fred, Wilma, Pebbles, and Bam Bam. I made the costumes and have to say I impressed myself. We have been to the zoo and Sea World, as well as a theater production of "Guess How Much I Love You" and several music shows, including Miss Staci. Along with Granna, we had Gma, Gpa, and Uncle Josh for Thanksgiving and Grandjan and Grandpa for Christmas, so we were lucky to have family for the holidays.
Annabelle - 2012 was a wonderful year for her. She started going to school two mornings a week beginning in September at St. Paul Lutheran Church. The logistics worked well for us and they are so kind and flexible. Annabelle took a while to adjust, but now she loves her teacher, Ms. Wurchen, and her teacher loves her. Annabelle seems to be very bright - she knows all of her letters and the sounds they make and various words which start with each letter. Thanks to the Little People zoo animals, we have Yak and Quail down. She can count to ten (most of the time). She sings songs and has a sweet voice. Her school had a "Christmas Program" and Annabelle participated. It was very impressive, as the church is very large and the school goes up to 8th grade, so there were a lot of people. She went to the front of the church with her class and stood while they 3 and 4 years olds sang. Most of the 2 year olds just sat quietly, even though she knows the words. She did great! We were all in our "Sunday best" and I felt like a grown up in a real family, possibly for the first time in my life. Annabelle is an amazing eater and requested black-eyed peas and collard greens for New Years day. She enjoys "muscle smoothies" with Jeremy almost every morning. Annabelle loves cooking in her kitchen and makes pizza, tacos, soups, and all sorts of other treats. She likes to do art activities and thankfully her school sends her home with many fun projects that have been completed. She has an amazing imagination and I do not know where some of the things she says and does come from. It is really fun to watch! Annabelle still loves to read books and snuggle with her lovey. She has been healthy for the most part, with a couple little colds thanks to her new school. Annabelle is sleeping well and still takes a nap for two hours. She is usually in bed by 7:30 and up by 7.
Jack - 2012 has been a growing year. We started the year off with OT and ST and eventually added and autism diagnosis and ABA. We got things going into full swing in May and since then have been fortunate to make a significant amount of progress. Jack is now able to play appropriately with toys, such as cars, train, pretend food in the kitchen, books, puzzles, and the list goes on. He is able to attend and pay attention to things (when he wants) and make eye contact. We were up to about 25 words, but it seems like they are not there as much, so we are going to work on them some more. Jack is communicating so much more than he was before. He does not necessarily have the words, but he looks and points and "talks" in a way that makes it very clear what he wants. He is able to imitate, which is amazing and something I would not have known was such an amazing skill a year ago. Jack loves to jump and jump - on the floor, in his crib, on the bed, or on the trampoline. A few months ago, he climbed out of his crib, so we put the mattress on the floor. Luckily, that has solved the problem for now. He is no longer challenged when it comes to elevation changes and he will climb on everything. I love it! Jack is having "playdates" with Samaya and so far, he is doing better than she is. He is also going to the park and doing well. I am excited to see the new things he will learn. Jack will sometimes take a while to fall asleep for his nap. In general, he naps for 2-3 hours every day, although once a week or so, he will skip his nap. He sleeps well at night and is usually in bed by 7:30 and then up around 6:30. He has been healthy for the most part with just a couple little colds or allergies. He takes a bunch of supplements and vitamins, which we are hoping will help with some of the autism stuff. He is also on a GFCFSF diet. It all seems to be working well. The past couple of months, Jack has been on a steady incline of progress and I am hopeful it will contine.
Jeremy - 2012 has been a shrinking year. Jeremy is "paleo" and eats what the cavemen ate - meat, nuts, fruits, and berries. As a result, he is in the best shape of his life. He feels good and looks good, which is all that matters! He is going to cross fit a few times a week and really seems to enjoy it - a great way to deal with stress. Jeremy is doing great at work and continues to get raises (which we all like). He has not been able to go fishing as much as he would like, but he did get to go off shore over the summer and had a fun time. Hopefullee he will have more fishing in 2013.
Becca - 2012 has been the most stressful, frustrating, and probably depressing year of my life. Nothing can describe the feelings that go along with having my child diagnosed with autism. But, as a result, I have grown and become strong in ways I would never have imagined. We have an amazing home based ABA program for Jack and he is making tons of progress. We are in a law suit with ECI which will help Jack, help our pocket books, and help other children whose parents do not know any better. I have met some mothers who are warriors and give me home and inspiration and motivation. I am in school, taking classes to get my BCBA. I have learned what and who true friends are and what values are important to me. I could go on and on, but I do not want to. I want to appreciate the challenges I faced in 2012 and use them to help me be a better person for myself, my child, my family, and my world in 2013.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
How Sweet It Is
How sweet it is to see my husband and my daughter playing together. Annabelle has a vivid imagination and loves "cooking" in her kitchen. Tonight, I watched, as she and Jeremy cooked up a storm and fed it to various babies and sheep.
One conversation went like this:
A: This (knife) has poopie on it.
J: No, the knife doesn't have poopie on it.
A: PRETEND it has poopie.
J: Oh, pretend. Well, then you better wash it.
A: Yes!
Annabelle then "turns on" the water in the sink, makes a shhhh sound, and washes her knife. Then, she dries it on her lovey and said, "pretend its a towel", and finally she hangs her lovey on the oven door.
It was so hysterical to watch and so sweet all at the same time. I am constantly amazed by how much she knows and how well she can "pretend".
I also feel very lucky to have a husband who is willing to sit down on the floor "right heeere", wear a chef's hat, and make pizza and tacos with my baby girl over and over and over and over!
One conversation went like this:
A: This (knife) has poopie on it.
J: No, the knife doesn't have poopie on it.
A: PRETEND it has poopie.
J: Oh, pretend. Well, then you better wash it.
A: Yes!
Annabelle then "turns on" the water in the sink, makes a shhhh sound, and washes her knife. Then, she dries it on her lovey and said, "pretend its a towel", and finally she hangs her lovey on the oven door.
It was so hysterical to watch and so sweet all at the same time. I am constantly amazed by how much she knows and how well she can "pretend".
I also feel very lucky to have a husband who is willing to sit down on the floor "right heeere", wear a chef's hat, and make pizza and tacos with my baby girl over and over and over and over!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
It is beginning to feel like fall, well almost...
September seems to be racing by...A couple of fun things have happened this month, so I will fill you in.
Jeremy and I took Jack and Annabelle to Mayfield Park and we went on a short "hike" with the kids. It was great! It was Jack's first official hike. Annabelle and I went with the Pattersons a couple weeks before, so that would have been her first official hike. Both were in September! Jack did really well - he has the energy of an energizer bunny when he is outside and he just ran and ran and ran. Whichever parent was with him, would have to turn him around to run back and catch Annabelle and the other parent. Jack was able to stay on the path and walked by himself for the majority. It was nice to be involved in a typical family outing.
We went to Amanda, Wesley, and Holden's birthday. Annabelle loves birthday parties. The triplets had a petting zoo in their backyard and Annabelle was in love. She was shy and timid, but also really enjoyed watching the other children interact with the animals. Jack just hung out with Jeremy.
The weather is cooling off. When I say cooling off, I mean it is only 90 degrees instead of 100. But, I can't complain. We have gone to the park and out for walks much more frequently and it is wonderful! Annabelle has started a part-time preschool program. She goes on Thursdays and Fridays for a few hours in the morning. She usually cries when Jeremy drops her off, but she is always having fun when I pick her up. We have started music again, which is always a fun treat. And, Jack is saying a few words. He says "ah-h" for help, "wawa" for water, "bereee" for strawberry, "p" for chip, "uhu" for up, and he has "mama" and "dada" down pretty well too! It is fun to see the progress he is making. Annabelle knows most letters and can count to four. She knows most colors and quite a few shapes. She is a little sponge and is just soaking life up.
I am excited to see what other adventures we have this fall!
Jeremy and I took Jack and Annabelle to Mayfield Park and we went on a short "hike" with the kids. It was great! It was Jack's first official hike. Annabelle and I went with the Pattersons a couple weeks before, so that would have been her first official hike. Both were in September! Jack did really well - he has the energy of an energizer bunny when he is outside and he just ran and ran and ran. Whichever parent was with him, would have to turn him around to run back and catch Annabelle and the other parent. Jack was able to stay on the path and walked by himself for the majority. It was nice to be involved in a typical family outing.
We went to Amanda, Wesley, and Holden's birthday. Annabelle loves birthday parties. The triplets had a petting zoo in their backyard and Annabelle was in love. She was shy and timid, but also really enjoyed watching the other children interact with the animals. Jack just hung out with Jeremy.
The weather is cooling off. When I say cooling off, I mean it is only 90 degrees instead of 100. But, I can't complain. We have gone to the park and out for walks much more frequently and it is wonderful! Annabelle has started a part-time preschool program. She goes on Thursdays and Fridays for a few hours in the morning. She usually cries when Jeremy drops her off, but she is always having fun when I pick her up. We have started music again, which is always a fun treat. And, Jack is saying a few words. He says "ah-h" for help, "wawa" for water, "bereee" for strawberry, "p" for chip, "uhu" for up, and he has "mama" and "dada" down pretty well too! It is fun to see the progress he is making. Annabelle knows most letters and can count to four. She knows most colors and quite a few shapes. She is a little sponge and is just soaking life up.
I am excited to see what other adventures we have this fall!
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Another month goes by...
I am really having a hard time of getting in the regular routine of this whole blog thing. I really have good intentions, it is just the follow through that does not seem to be working out. So, I will just write a quick update about where we are...
Annabelle is doing great! She has her "terrible two" moments which I was not convinced about prior to having a 2-year old (being a parent has certainly made me re-think things). She also talks, like really talks, like can have a semi-conversation talk. It is CRAZY! And, she says some of the cutest things. She often requests to go to the "shopping park" which is the playground at Central Market, a grocery store near by. Annabelle loves going to the park. She also enjoys the splash pad and going shopping. We recently went to the mall with our friend Elli who was shopping for back to school shoes. Annabelle has been saying, "more mall with Elli" and "more shoes for Elli" since we left. She is a great eater and will eat almost anything, including mushrooms, "muscle smoothies", and hot sauce. She has been asking to go to school and we have checked out a few. Due to the logistics and schedules, it has been hard to find one that will work. But, I think we have it figured out! We will hopefully get her started at St. Paul by September. She is excited to paint and use the "pizza cutter". Annabelle is almost 100% with the potty. I am not quite ready to let her out of her crib, so we are not doing night-time potty training. But, she is in undies during the day and it seems to be going well.
Jack is doing great! He will imitate almost any word and has several that he says consistently, raisin, berry, chip, water, ice, mama, help, and a few others. He is still doing the sign for more and all done. His eye contact has improved and his ability to attend and play has also improved, which is wonderful. He still has a lot of time where he is in his own world, but we are pulling him into ours slowly, but surely. He is doing super great at OT and has made a ton of progress with his sensory issues. He still does not like the dog barking, but he will climb and jump just like any other kid his age, which is huge progress. We are GFCFSF and he is taking all sorts of vitamins. Who knows what is making it all come together and it does not really matter - we will just keep plugging along. We had court with ECI at the end of July and it was one of the most stressful things I have ever done. We will get the results at the end of September, so I am trying to wait patiently, although it is not easy.
Jeremy is surviving football and trying to keep our household going. He does an amazing job of preparing food for the week, including lunch! I am so lucky to have him. He is eating a Paleo diet and going to bootcamp, which has resulted in him losing a ton of weight. He looks great and says he feels great, so that is wonderful.
I am hanging in there...I have started taking classes to get my BCBA and it is a little challenging keeping up with school, kids, real estate, and other work. But, I am figuring it out. All is important for our family, so I will just keep on keeping on.
And that, is the update for the last month!
Annabelle is doing great! She has her "terrible two" moments which I was not convinced about prior to having a 2-year old (being a parent has certainly made me re-think things). She also talks, like really talks, like can have a semi-conversation talk. It is CRAZY! And, she says some of the cutest things. She often requests to go to the "shopping park" which is the playground at Central Market, a grocery store near by. Annabelle loves going to the park. She also enjoys the splash pad and going shopping. We recently went to the mall with our friend Elli who was shopping for back to school shoes. Annabelle has been saying, "more mall with Elli" and "more shoes for Elli" since we left. She is a great eater and will eat almost anything, including mushrooms, "muscle smoothies", and hot sauce. She has been asking to go to school and we have checked out a few. Due to the logistics and schedules, it has been hard to find one that will work. But, I think we have it figured out! We will hopefully get her started at St. Paul by September. She is excited to paint and use the "pizza cutter". Annabelle is almost 100% with the potty. I am not quite ready to let her out of her crib, so we are not doing night-time potty training. But, she is in undies during the day and it seems to be going well.
Jack is doing great! He will imitate almost any word and has several that he says consistently, raisin, berry, chip, water, ice, mama, help, and a few others. He is still doing the sign for more and all done. His eye contact has improved and his ability to attend and play has also improved, which is wonderful. He still has a lot of time where he is in his own world, but we are pulling him into ours slowly, but surely. He is doing super great at OT and has made a ton of progress with his sensory issues. He still does not like the dog barking, but he will climb and jump just like any other kid his age, which is huge progress. We are GFCFSF and he is taking all sorts of vitamins. Who knows what is making it all come together and it does not really matter - we will just keep plugging along. We had court with ECI at the end of July and it was one of the most stressful things I have ever done. We will get the results at the end of September, so I am trying to wait patiently, although it is not easy.
Jeremy is surviving football and trying to keep our household going. He does an amazing job of preparing food for the week, including lunch! I am so lucky to have him. He is eating a Paleo diet and going to bootcamp, which has resulted in him losing a ton of weight. He looks great and says he feels great, so that is wonderful.
I am hanging in there...I have started taking classes to get my BCBA and it is a little challenging keeping up with school, kids, real estate, and other work. But, I am figuring it out. All is important for our family, so I will just keep on keeping on.
And that, is the update for the last month!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Where have I been?
Wow! I have not written anything in a very long time. Which, does not really matter, since no one reads my blog anyway. But, I think it might be helpful to write a few things down...
The babies turned two last week! It is crazy how time flies and also goes so slow all at the same. time.
Annabelle is a hoot! She has a huge vocabulary, more words than I can count. She puts two and three words together to create sentences. The phrase of the week seems to be "Sit down mommy" and "Sit down daddy" with an occasional please added on. Annabelle is potty training right now. She was really ready before our trip to North Carolina in June, but I did not want to deal with it on the airplane, so I waited. It may not have been the best approach. We are on day 3 and she is really doing well. But, I am not confident in her abilities quite yet. Luckily, Granjan is in town and helping out. Annabelle loves to play with her baby dolls and will push them in the stroller, feed them, and put them down for a nap. She also enjoys books and never seems to have had enough books read. She knows several letters and numbers. She knows "A" is for Annabelle and "J" is for Jack and "M" is for mommy and "D" is for daddy. She also knows a few more. She counts "1, 2" but is not very good after that. She can sing several songs. It is sweet to her her sing, "Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, star, tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, star." She likes to tickle, chase, and laugh! She has two of her two-year molars coming in. Annabelle will eat anything on anyone else's plates, including mushrooms, onions, and all sorts of vegetables. She is also into meat and says, "mo, mo, meat daddy". Her vegetarian mother is not thrilled, but working on acceptance. Luckily, she has been healthy!
Jack is a sweetie! He is saying "ma ma", "da da", "eee" for eat, and doing the sign for "more" and "all done". He has been working on matching and puzzles. He loves music and will hum songs and do the hand motions. He is pretty good at "Trot Ole' Joe", which makes me laugh, since he hated it during music class. My favorite thing is when Jack will hold my hand and walk down the street. Jack was diagnosed with autism on March 28. We had previously started with OT and ST. He has been doing great in OT and his sensory issues seem to be fairly well regulated at this time. He used to freak out when there were loud noises or when we were in certain social settings, like music class. But, he is doing much better and we are working in OT on motor planning. He is getting ST through ECI and I am not impressed. We also have a 25 hour a week home based ABA program. It is finally going really well. He is making progress and mastering programs. We have also started some dietary interventions as well. We are soy and dairy free and will be gluten free in another week. Jack is just finishing a round of antibiotics and will then start a round of antifungals. We are hoping it will help!
I have made some wonderful "autism" friends since Jack was diagnosed. It is great to have people who understand some of the challenges I face due to Jack's issues. I have also (lost my mind and) decided to get my BCBA. If I am going to learn about all of this stuff, I might as well get a degree out of it. I am starting my first of five classes. I will work on getting my hours after I get in the routine of class. I have filed a law suit against ECI because they will not provide the ABA. We have court in a couple weeks and will see how it goes.
I am going to try and start writing a little more. It is good to track what is going on with the kids and also a good outlet for me. We will see how it goes!
The babies turned two last week! It is crazy how time flies and also goes so slow all at the same. time.
Annabelle is a hoot! She has a huge vocabulary, more words than I can count. She puts two and three words together to create sentences. The phrase of the week seems to be "Sit down mommy" and "Sit down daddy" with an occasional please added on. Annabelle is potty training right now. She was really ready before our trip to North Carolina in June, but I did not want to deal with it on the airplane, so I waited. It may not have been the best approach. We are on day 3 and she is really doing well. But, I am not confident in her abilities quite yet. Luckily, Granjan is in town and helping out. Annabelle loves to play with her baby dolls and will push them in the stroller, feed them, and put them down for a nap. She also enjoys books and never seems to have had enough books read. She knows several letters and numbers. She knows "A" is for Annabelle and "J" is for Jack and "M" is for mommy and "D" is for daddy. She also knows a few more. She counts "1, 2" but is not very good after that. She can sing several songs. It is sweet to her her sing, "Tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, star, tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, star." She likes to tickle, chase, and laugh! She has two of her two-year molars coming in. Annabelle will eat anything on anyone else's plates, including mushrooms, onions, and all sorts of vegetables. She is also into meat and says, "mo, mo, meat daddy". Her vegetarian mother is not thrilled, but working on acceptance. Luckily, she has been healthy!
Jack is a sweetie! He is saying "ma ma", "da da", "eee" for eat, and doing the sign for "more" and "all done". He has been working on matching and puzzles. He loves music and will hum songs and do the hand motions. He is pretty good at "Trot Ole' Joe", which makes me laugh, since he hated it during music class. My favorite thing is when Jack will hold my hand and walk down the street. Jack was diagnosed with autism on March 28. We had previously started with OT and ST. He has been doing great in OT and his sensory issues seem to be fairly well regulated at this time. He used to freak out when there were loud noises or when we were in certain social settings, like music class. But, he is doing much better and we are working in OT on motor planning. He is getting ST through ECI and I am not impressed. We also have a 25 hour a week home based ABA program. It is finally going really well. He is making progress and mastering programs. We have also started some dietary interventions as well. We are soy and dairy free and will be gluten free in another week. Jack is just finishing a round of antibiotics and will then start a round of antifungals. We are hoping it will help!
I have made some wonderful "autism" friends since Jack was diagnosed. It is great to have people who understand some of the challenges I face due to Jack's issues. I have also (lost my mind and) decided to get my BCBA. If I am going to learn about all of this stuff, I might as well get a degree out of it. I am starting my first of five classes. I will work on getting my hours after I get in the routine of class. I have filed a law suit against ECI because they will not provide the ABA. We have court in a couple weeks and will see how it goes.
I am going to try and start writing a little more. It is good to track what is going on with the kids and also a good outlet for me. We will see how it goes!
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