I don't think I have really mentioned much about Ryan's progress lately. A month or so ago I wrote about his first two word sentence. Unfortunately, he didn't really keep up the momentum from that first phrase. I found myself becoming a little discouraged. BUT! I'm so happy to now be able to write that he is getting better and better with 2 word phrases. He's working harder at repeating two word phrases; but, the best part is that he's actually coming up with several of his very own phrases. He's now at least attempting almost every word we ask him to. His speech therapist is also very proud of his progress. I decided to get a little bit of video of him talking so that I could share it on here. This video was taken Friday night. You can also see him using some of the sign language he's learned. Because his articulation needs alot of work, we still rely pretty heavily on sign language. Oh, and keep in mind you are supposed to be looking at Ryan---NOT ME! :) I was pretty much ready for bed, so keep that in mind.
On Sept 21 I started Ryan on dietary supplements. I won't go into the details on here, but I am very hopeful that maybe I'll see improvements soon. So, the video was also a way for me to record his "starting point" and allow me to track his progress--rather than rely on memory alone.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Monday, September 24, 2007
Amazing conversation with Paige
I am so excited to be writing about this! Tonight I was reading a book to Paige. Somehow something in the book made her think about how at school she has to keep stretching her fingers during the day because of all the writing she has to do. So, I seized the opportunity of Paige actually sharing information with me. Of course, I kept all of my questions very low key and non-threatening. But, we actually sat and talked for probably 15-20 minutes!! It was just one of the most amazing things ever to have a real, back-and-forth conversation with her that consisted of more than "I forget" on her part. I learned so many things today that I never knew. I now know that she loves to play on the monkey bars at recess. Up until tonight she said she just sits on the benches the whole time. I know that she's actually excited and looking forward to being star of the day again soon. The teacher only has a few more students to go through before she starts over. I learned that every Friday a new line leader is chosen. And, Paige is actually looking forward to being line leader one day. It was also so great to talk to her about emotions she experiences when she feels nervous or when she has a peepee accident at school (she's had 3 so far). She was able to tell me exactly what she was thinking prior to each accident. One amazing thing that started out the whole "emotion" conversation was when we were talking about why her friend Emily doesn't always sit next to her at lunch. I was telling her Emily probably just quickly finds a seat without looking around because she might feel too embarrassed standing there looking for a seat. Paige, completely unprompted, says "when I'm looking for a seat I think about it first--I think do I want to sit on this side or that side?; Is there an empty spot on this side?; Where are my friends?". I felt like pinching myself!!! That is the first time I have EVER gotten a glimpse into the thought processes in her head!
The funny thing was that I had to keep acting like none of this was that big of a deal. I would just go back to reading the book every now and then before casually asking another question. But, inside I was brimming with pride and excitement!
When I put her to bed tonight I told her that I think she grew up alot today. She said she didn't think she was any heavier and that she's still not a grown-up. :) I told her that I think she grew up alot in her mind. Then I gave her an extra big hug and kiss and told her how special tonight was for me. I told her that I look forward to talking to her like this again tomorrow night. Then my sweet little girl blew me a goodnight kiss and said "mommy, I can't wait to talk to you again tomorrow".
Moments like this are why I'm so glad I created this blog! This is not a day I want to forget!
The funny thing was that I had to keep acting like none of this was that big of a deal. I would just go back to reading the book every now and then before casually asking another question. But, inside I was brimming with pride and excitement!
When I put her to bed tonight I told her that I think she grew up alot today. She said she didn't think she was any heavier and that she's still not a grown-up. :) I told her that I think she grew up alot in her mind. Then I gave her an extra big hug and kiss and told her how special tonight was for me. I told her that I look forward to talking to her like this again tomorrow night. Then my sweet little girl blew me a goodnight kiss and said "mommy, I can't wait to talk to you again tomorrow".
Moments like this are why I'm so glad I created this blog! This is not a day I want to forget!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
AJ's First Birthday Party
We survived another birthday party! WHEW! Parties are fun, but they are certainly a lot of work and EXHAUSTING! Thanks to everyone that attended! We appreciated the effort it took for those of you that made it. And, I hope the race traffic didn't ensnare anyone. Our party album is linked in this blog.
AJ got around to opening his gifts this evening after his afternoon nap. Actually, I should probably say Kaeli, Paige and Ryan got around to opening AJ's gifts. But, we did attempt to have AJ open at least one of them. We even have it in pictures. I think the highlight for AJ was the curly ribbon bow. He got lots of cute fall/winter clothes and some really cool toys! Our toy room is now looking more like we have boys living in the house. One toy that I'm sure will be a hit is the bouncing zebra from Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop. We just didn't have the energy to put it together yet. But, I can see Ryan and AJ playing on that often. Anything to help them burn off some of that energy.
We had a beautiful day and AJ handled all the commotion in stride. He even seemed to enjoy playing in his birthday cake. Kaeli was eager to see what his reaction would be. Not too long ago we watched old video of each of the kids at their first birthday. Kaeli was embarrassed to see that she was afraid of her cake at her first birthday. I think she was secretly hoping AJ would act afraid, too. :) He mostly enjoyed squishing his fingers in it. But, he did finally realize that it even tastes good. :)
Here's the video.....
Now let's all keep our fingers crossed that we tired him out so much that he actually sleeps through the whole night!!
Now I think the realization is actually sinking in that he's 1 and heading into toddlerhood. I can't believe he'll be walking soon. Although, I will admit I'm actually wondering when he'll walk. He can stand great, but he has never attempted to take a single independent step. He's still pretty wobbly when I try to get him to walk holding onto one hand. Oh well, I wasn't really expecting him to walk by a year. Paige was the only one of our kids that did. I'm thinking he'll start walking close to 15 mos. That's just my guess. It'll be interesting to see how close I am.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Friday, Sept 21
Yes, AJ did turn 1 two days ago. I don't know why it slipped my mind to update here. We didn't do much, honestly. He got a couple of gifts from us and we sang happy birthday. We're having a big party for him on Sunday, though.
Today AJ got one of his gifts from Mimmi (my mom). It's a pop-up tent that has a ball-pit in the bottom. He also got a crawling tunnel from all of us. The tunnel attaches to the ball-pit. The whole set-up seems to be a big hit--not only with AJ, but all 4 of the kids! I knew AJ would love it. Each week I take the boys to a playgroup and AJ's favorite activity is to crawl back and forth in the tunnel. His other favorite thing to do is sit in the ball pit when Ryan goes to group therapy. Interestingly enough, Paige is currently sitting in the tent looking at books and playing with Little People sets.
Ryan had his weekly appt at the behavioral clinic. It makes for a VERY tough day, but I feel like it is so worth it. The clinic is at the Children's Hospital that is an hour from us. But, I get alot from the sessions. I also feel more confident in whatever they tell me because it's not just one therapist. Ryan and I sit in a room with one therapist, but there is a team of Dr's and psychologists watching through a window/mirror. They watch and listen during the whole session. The therapist always leaves in the middle of the session to talk to the team before coming back and giving me tips/advice. Today, I learned that I need to help Ryan move toward self-soothing. He almost always needs me to hold him for a good 10-20 min to help him "recover" after a major tantrum. It's going to be hard, but I have to let him get through it on his own. We had our first opportunity to try it out today. It was not fun at all! I think the entire tantrum lasted about 30 minutes. But, I was very happy that he did eventually recover all by himself! Hopefully this will get easier each day!
Kaeli did not get chosen as student of the week. Fortunately, she didn't seem sad at all. She was, however, very angry that they didn't get recess today. I can't say I blame her, though. Recess was preempted by an assembly? Now who came up with that idea? I'm thinking they were lucky there wasn't an all-out revolt led by an angry mob of 2nd graders!
Today AJ got one of his gifts from Mimmi (my mom). It's a pop-up tent that has a ball-pit in the bottom. He also got a crawling tunnel from all of us. The tunnel attaches to the ball-pit. The whole set-up seems to be a big hit--not only with AJ, but all 4 of the kids! I knew AJ would love it. Each week I take the boys to a playgroup and AJ's favorite activity is to crawl back and forth in the tunnel. His other favorite thing to do is sit in the ball pit when Ryan goes to group therapy. Interestingly enough, Paige is currently sitting in the tent looking at books and playing with Little People sets.
Ryan had his weekly appt at the behavioral clinic. It makes for a VERY tough day, but I feel like it is so worth it. The clinic is at the Children's Hospital that is an hour from us. But, I get alot from the sessions. I also feel more confident in whatever they tell me because it's not just one therapist. Ryan and I sit in a room with one therapist, but there is a team of Dr's and psychologists watching through a window/mirror. They watch and listen during the whole session. The therapist always leaves in the middle of the session to talk to the team before coming back and giving me tips/advice. Today, I learned that I need to help Ryan move toward self-soothing. He almost always needs me to hold him for a good 10-20 min to help him "recover" after a major tantrum. It's going to be hard, but I have to let him get through it on his own. We had our first opportunity to try it out today. It was not fun at all! I think the entire tantrum lasted about 30 minutes. But, I was very happy that he did eventually recover all by himself! Hopefully this will get easier each day!
Kaeli did not get chosen as student of the week. Fortunately, she didn't seem sad at all. She was, however, very angry that they didn't get recess today. I can't say I blame her, though. Recess was preempted by an assembly? Now who came up with that idea? I'm thinking they were lucky there wasn't an all-out revolt led by an angry mob of 2nd graders!
Monday, September 17, 2007
Monday, Sept 17
WOW! Typing the date just reminded me that my baby will be 1 yr old in just 2 days!! I remember by this time last year I was crying because I was seriously beginning to doubt the child would ever decide to be born! I still think there should be a law that a 4th baby cannot be a week overdue! But, he did come out and an entire year has almost gone by.
Every Monday Kaeli brings home all her tests from Friday. Today I was looking through her folder and she started "warning" before I got to her reading comprehension test. She's telling me how she's embarrassed about it and that she didn't do as well as she thought. She was disappointed because she tried her very best and only got a 99! I know I shouldn't have, but I really couldn't help but laugh. After we talked about it, she seemed to feel much better about her 99. Oh, and was very excited to tell me she was "reader of the day" during library today. The librarian chooses one student each week based on good behavior. Kaeli's very excited now because she explained to me that being chosen as "reader of the day" increases your chances of being chosen as "student of the week" on Friday. Maybe I need to implement "kid of the week" in our house! I can't even imagine how sugary sweet Kaeli is being at school this week. I hope she gets chosen this time. It really means alot to her.
All last week we had a significant amount of trouble getting Paige to go to school. The guidance counselor had to literally drag her into school kicking and screaming. But, I'm so very happy to report that she went into school today without shedding a single tear. She just asked me for a hug and walked off. I was very proud! But, I talked to her teacher this afternoon and heard that Paige clung very hard to Kaeli when she got to the classroom. We're just going stay the course and hope this plays itself out. At least today was a big step in the right direction. Her teacher gives out tickets for good behavior. Then the kids can trade the tickets in for various prizes. Paige has been saving her tickets since school started. She didn't know what she was saving them for, but she didn't want to use them. Today I found out she finally used them. Her teacher was laughing because she said she had to pull out the really good prize box to entice Paige into finally trading in some of her tickets. She had a ton of tickets saved up by now because the ohter kids trade theirs in on a regular basis. What did it take to entice Paige into finally trading in her tickets? 2 beautiful, sparkling gumball rings. :)
Ryan started group therapy today. This is going to be a really good transition for him to preschool. There are only 4 kids and 4 therapists, so each child gets lots of one on one attention. The therapists also work to keep each child involved in the activities. I was so proud of Ryan today because he did not cling to me AT ALL! His speech therapist (Heather) was there, so he walked off with her and didn't seem to mind at all. That was a big step for him! I was so proud of him today! He's looking like such a big boy now! He also had his first dentist appt today. He's been pointing inside his mouth and saying "ow" for a while now. I was happy to hear he does not have a cavity.
Ryan had his appt with the developmental pediatrician on Friday. She really didn't have any answers for me right now. Alot of the disorders can't be accurately diagnosed until age 3. She also knew that I had some concerns about AJ, so she went ahead and interacted a little with him. Most likely, AJ will have similar issues as Ryan. She asked me to bring both of them back in 6 mos. Ryan will be 3 and AJ will be about 18 mos. She also referred us to a geneticist. It's her opinion that it would at least be interesting to see if the geneticist comes up with something since both boys seem to have similar developmental paths. Ryan also had an appt at a behavioral clinic at the same hospital an hour after his appt with the dev ped. She came over to that appt to give the team of psychologists some opinions on what she though was going on. She ended up being a GREAT help! The most valuable piece of information I took from the two appts is that I need to slow my speech down for Ryan. I also need to stop using so many words when I talk to him. Since Friday I've been trying to use shorter sentences (preferrably 2-3 words) and it really does seem to make a big difference in how he reacts. She explained that he's probably having a hard time processing too many words at a time. So, he'll respond better when he doesn't have to work so hard to process what I'm saying. I feel a little silly in public when I talk to my 2.5 yr old like a young toddler, but if it works that's just how it will have to be.
Every Monday Kaeli brings home all her tests from Friday. Today I was looking through her folder and she started "warning" before I got to her reading comprehension test. She's telling me how she's embarrassed about it and that she didn't do as well as she thought. She was disappointed because she tried her very best and only got a 99! I know I shouldn't have, but I really couldn't help but laugh. After we talked about it, she seemed to feel much better about her 99. Oh, and was very excited to tell me she was "reader of the day" during library today. The librarian chooses one student each week based on good behavior. Kaeli's very excited now because she explained to me that being chosen as "reader of the day" increases your chances of being chosen as "student of the week" on Friday. Maybe I need to implement "kid of the week" in our house! I can't even imagine how sugary sweet Kaeli is being at school this week. I hope she gets chosen this time. It really means alot to her.
All last week we had a significant amount of trouble getting Paige to go to school. The guidance counselor had to literally drag her into school kicking and screaming. But, I'm so very happy to report that she went into school today without shedding a single tear. She just asked me for a hug and walked off. I was very proud! But, I talked to her teacher this afternoon and heard that Paige clung very hard to Kaeli when she got to the classroom. We're just going stay the course and hope this plays itself out. At least today was a big step in the right direction. Her teacher gives out tickets for good behavior. Then the kids can trade the tickets in for various prizes. Paige has been saving her tickets since school started. She didn't know what she was saving them for, but she didn't want to use them. Today I found out she finally used them. Her teacher was laughing because she said she had to pull out the really good prize box to entice Paige into finally trading in some of her tickets. She had a ton of tickets saved up by now because the ohter kids trade theirs in on a regular basis. What did it take to entice Paige into finally trading in her tickets? 2 beautiful, sparkling gumball rings. :)
Ryan started group therapy today. This is going to be a really good transition for him to preschool. There are only 4 kids and 4 therapists, so each child gets lots of one on one attention. The therapists also work to keep each child involved in the activities. I was so proud of Ryan today because he did not cling to me AT ALL! His speech therapist (Heather) was there, so he walked off with her and didn't seem to mind at all. That was a big step for him! I was so proud of him today! He's looking like such a big boy now! He also had his first dentist appt today. He's been pointing inside his mouth and saying "ow" for a while now. I was happy to hear he does not have a cavity.
Ryan had his appt with the developmental pediatrician on Friday. She really didn't have any answers for me right now. Alot of the disorders can't be accurately diagnosed until age 3. She also knew that I had some concerns about AJ, so she went ahead and interacted a little with him. Most likely, AJ will have similar issues as Ryan. She asked me to bring both of them back in 6 mos. Ryan will be 3 and AJ will be about 18 mos. She also referred us to a geneticist. It's her opinion that it would at least be interesting to see if the geneticist comes up with something since both boys seem to have similar developmental paths. Ryan also had an appt at a behavioral clinic at the same hospital an hour after his appt with the dev ped. She came over to that appt to give the team of psychologists some opinions on what she though was going on. She ended up being a GREAT help! The most valuable piece of information I took from the two appts is that I need to slow my speech down for Ryan. I also need to stop using so many words when I talk to him. Since Friday I've been trying to use shorter sentences (preferrably 2-3 words) and it really does seem to make a big difference in how he reacts. She explained that he's probably having a hard time processing too many words at a time. So, he'll respond better when he doesn't have to work so hard to process what I'm saying. I feel a little silly in public when I talk to my 2.5 yr old like a young toddler, but if it works that's just how it will have to be.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
No problems so far
I'm happy to report that the first 2 days of school have been just great! Kaeli and Paige are both adjusting perfectly and I'm thrilled.
My fear that Paige might have an accident (pee) seems to no longer be a concern. Yesterday when I picked her up from school I hugged her and tried to check her bottom for wetness without letting her know what I was doing. I didn't want her to think I had doubted her ability to stay dry. But, she knew what I was up to. She didn't seem to care that I checked. But, I can't get her to tell me if she actually spoke to someone to let them know or if she just got up and went. I think she's training for a life in the mob. If she ever got interrogated I don't think she'd give up any information! It's like pulling teeth (very stubborn ones) to get her to talk about her day at all. When I ask her a question her canned response is "I forget". This afternoon Steve and I were working really hard at getting *anything* out of her. Here's a small piece of the conversation:
Steve-Did you do any worksheets?
Paige-No
S-Did you color?
P-Yes
S-What did you color?
P-I don't remember
Me--Did you color on the table?
P-no
S-did you color on the person next to you?
P-no
S-then what did you color on?
P-I don't remember
Me-did you color on a piece of paper?
P-yes
Me-did the paper have a picture on it?
P-no
We ended up finding out that ALL she did in K all day long was color on a blank sheet of paper. LOL No, we don't really believe that, but it was so funny when we came to the realization that we were not going to get much out of her.
But, here's the funny part. A little while later we were giving baths. I was in the middle of washing Paige's hair and out of nowhere she says "guess what? I was Star of the Day today!" Steve and I were floored! She never thought to mention this when we were badgering her over how her day went? So, I thought...great! now she's going to tell us all about being star of the day. I was wrong. The line of questioning began again. All I got out of her was that she got to sit by the teacher as star of the day.
Now, all that in contrast to Kaeli. I picked her up and I have heard almost every single detail of her day. Kaeli is very good about sharing every detail and every emotion she experienced during each moment. She can even act it out! :) Yesterday I heard all about how it was too hot to play on the playground so she sat under a tree. But, then a boy kept hitting her in the head with a branch. So, (her words) the playground was just horrible. Imagine that said with a GREAT deal of indignation. I also heard all about how a boy got in tons of trouble on his first day. Overall, though, she had a wonderful first two days. She's so excited about school and really loves it. Today she had her Accelerated Reader test. No word yet on how she did. She assumed she did "horrible" because the questions were incredibly difficult. This is very typical of Kaeli, though. I asked her if the questions at the beginning were hard, too. She said "No, those were REALLY easy....but the last questions were so hard I didn't even know what those words meant". I tried explaining to her that this is a kind of test that keeps getting harder until you start missing the answers so that it can see what level you are on". That didn't make her happy. She still thinks this means she's going to be on the very lowest reading level. I have no idea what this was about-but, she told me she and another student got taken out of class today to do "like 15 pages of math sheets!" Sounds like maybe to see what level she is at in math. She said the math was SUPER hard and that she didn't know anything. Who knows what that really means for Kaeli. It could mean that a few questions were hard or it could mean that she didn't understand any of it. I have a hard time believing she couldn't do any of it. But, her opinion was that it seemed like 4th grade math......so who knows. She also said the accelerated reader test had questions that seemed like it was for 4th graders and I know she's reading on a higher level than 4th grade. 4th grade is the highest level this school goes to so she must think all knowledge maxes out at 4th grade. :) I plan to email her teacher to figure out what it was about.
Ryan had speech therapy today. He is such a hard worker. His speech therapist also works on his occupational therapy goals. One of his goals the past couple of weeks is to learn how to do the shape sorter. He has trouble with this because he doesn't really stop to look at the shape first. He just grabs it and starts trying to shove it into a spot. He usually gives up after the first couple of shapes because it just seems too hard. Today I told him that if he got it right, I'd tickle him. We had so much fun doing that shape sorter after that. He really worked at finding the right hole for each one and didn't give up so easily. He loves to be tickled and it's so cute! He especially likes it when he gets the little goosebumps all over his legs. :) Heather (the speech therapist) and I talked about increasing his sessions to twice a week. She mentioned it a couple of weeks ago but never followed through. So, hopefully he'll start getting ST twice a week. I think it'll be good for him because he really does work harder in therapy than he does for me. I know I've mostly avoided discussing Ryan's developmental delays and therapy. But, for better or for worse it's part of our lives. I've hoped and hoped that it would only be for a short time. But, the reality is that it's looking like therapies will be part of our lives for the foreseeable future. Ryan is due for his next round of evaluations in November. His speech therapist says she's sure he'll still qualify for services. So, that means in January he'll be starting a "developmental preschool". He'll attend 3 half days a week. His speech therapy and occupational therapy will be done at school. They will also work on any other delayed areas. It sounds like a great program. There are only 8 students in the class. 4 are special needs students and 4 are typically-developing kids. So, he'll have plenty of good role models. The preschool is completely free for him since he has more than a 25% delay in 2 areas of development. The therapy he receives now is all free as well.
Not much to say about AJ at this point. He's still a VERY big baby! In fact, it's looking like Ryan and AJ might be sharing clothes this fall. AJ is growing out of his 12-18 mo clothes and the next step is 18-24 mos (or 2T). Ryan is still wearing mostly 2T's. He has a few 3T's, but they are still quite big on him. I just find that so funny. I always knew they might wear the same clothes one day, but I had no idea it might happen so soon!
My fear that Paige might have an accident (pee) seems to no longer be a concern. Yesterday when I picked her up from school I hugged her and tried to check her bottom for wetness without letting her know what I was doing. I didn't want her to think I had doubted her ability to stay dry. But, she knew what I was up to. She didn't seem to care that I checked. But, I can't get her to tell me if she actually spoke to someone to let them know or if she just got up and went. I think she's training for a life in the mob. If she ever got interrogated I don't think she'd give up any information! It's like pulling teeth (very stubborn ones) to get her to talk about her day at all. When I ask her a question her canned response is "I forget". This afternoon Steve and I were working really hard at getting *anything* out of her. Here's a small piece of the conversation:
Steve-Did you do any worksheets?
Paige-No
S-Did you color?
P-Yes
S-What did you color?
P-I don't remember
Me--Did you color on the table?
P-no
S-did you color on the person next to you?
P-no
S-then what did you color on?
P-I don't remember
Me-did you color on a piece of paper?
P-yes
Me-did the paper have a picture on it?
P-no
We ended up finding out that ALL she did in K all day long was color on a blank sheet of paper. LOL No, we don't really believe that, but it was so funny when we came to the realization that we were not going to get much out of her.
But, here's the funny part. A little while later we were giving baths. I was in the middle of washing Paige's hair and out of nowhere she says "guess what? I was Star of the Day today!" Steve and I were floored! She never thought to mention this when we were badgering her over how her day went? So, I thought...great! now she's going to tell us all about being star of the day. I was wrong. The line of questioning began again. All I got out of her was that she got to sit by the teacher as star of the day.
Now, all that in contrast to Kaeli. I picked her up and I have heard almost every single detail of her day. Kaeli is very good about sharing every detail and every emotion she experienced during each moment. She can even act it out! :) Yesterday I heard all about how it was too hot to play on the playground so she sat under a tree. But, then a boy kept hitting her in the head with a branch. So, (her words) the playground was just horrible. Imagine that said with a GREAT deal of indignation. I also heard all about how a boy got in tons of trouble on his first day. Overall, though, she had a wonderful first two days. She's so excited about school and really loves it. Today she had her Accelerated Reader test. No word yet on how she did. She assumed she did "horrible" because the questions were incredibly difficult. This is very typical of Kaeli, though. I asked her if the questions at the beginning were hard, too. She said "No, those were REALLY easy....but the last questions were so hard I didn't even know what those words meant". I tried explaining to her that this is a kind of test that keeps getting harder until you start missing the answers so that it can see what level you are on". That didn't make her happy. She still thinks this means she's going to be on the very lowest reading level. I have no idea what this was about-but, she told me she and another student got taken out of class today to do "like 15 pages of math sheets!" Sounds like maybe to see what level she is at in math. She said the math was SUPER hard and that she didn't know anything. Who knows what that really means for Kaeli. It could mean that a few questions were hard or it could mean that she didn't understand any of it. I have a hard time believing she couldn't do any of it. But, her opinion was that it seemed like 4th grade math......so who knows. She also said the accelerated reader test had questions that seemed like it was for 4th graders and I know she's reading on a higher level than 4th grade. 4th grade is the highest level this school goes to so she must think all knowledge maxes out at 4th grade. :) I plan to email her teacher to figure out what it was about.
Ryan had speech therapy today. He is such a hard worker. His speech therapist also works on his occupational therapy goals. One of his goals the past couple of weeks is to learn how to do the shape sorter. He has trouble with this because he doesn't really stop to look at the shape first. He just grabs it and starts trying to shove it into a spot. He usually gives up after the first couple of shapes because it just seems too hard. Today I told him that if he got it right, I'd tickle him. We had so much fun doing that shape sorter after that. He really worked at finding the right hole for each one and didn't give up so easily. He loves to be tickled and it's so cute! He especially likes it when he gets the little goosebumps all over his legs. :) Heather (the speech therapist) and I talked about increasing his sessions to twice a week. She mentioned it a couple of weeks ago but never followed through. So, hopefully he'll start getting ST twice a week. I think it'll be good for him because he really does work harder in therapy than he does for me. I know I've mostly avoided discussing Ryan's developmental delays and therapy. But, for better or for worse it's part of our lives. I've hoped and hoped that it would only be for a short time. But, the reality is that it's looking like therapies will be part of our lives for the foreseeable future. Ryan is due for his next round of evaluations in November. His speech therapist says she's sure he'll still qualify for services. So, that means in January he'll be starting a "developmental preschool". He'll attend 3 half days a week. His speech therapy and occupational therapy will be done at school. They will also work on any other delayed areas. It sounds like a great program. There are only 8 students in the class. 4 are special needs students and 4 are typically-developing kids. So, he'll have plenty of good role models. The preschool is completely free for him since he has more than a 25% delay in 2 areas of development. The therapy he receives now is all free as well.
Not much to say about AJ at this point. He's still a VERY big baby! In fact, it's looking like Ryan and AJ might be sharing clothes this fall. AJ is growing out of his 12-18 mo clothes and the next step is 18-24 mos (or 2T). Ryan is still wearing mostly 2T's. He has a few 3T's, but they are still quite big on him. I just find that so funny. I always knew they might wear the same clothes one day, but I had no idea it might happen so soon!
Monday, August 27, 2007
The First Day of School
Kaeli and Paige are over halfway through their first day of school by now. Steve was able to go with me this morning in case I needed some back-up during drop-off. But, neither Kaeli nor Paige gave me any trouble.
Paige just walked right into her class without a moment's hesitation. No clinging, no crying, no complaining.....is this what it's supposed to be like? I even had to ask her for a hug. She made it so easy on me that I didn't even cry. I'm just so proud of her and I hope she had a wonderful day. I will admit I'm slightly nervous that she will be wet when I pick her up. In the past, she's been known to wet her pants because she's too shy to tell anyone she has to go. Then, she doesn't even tell anyone that she's wet. But, I really hope she's past that by now. I think it's been almost a year since it happened last (beginning of 4 yr old preschool). Other than that, I'm betting on the fact that she's had a wonderful day!
Kaeli tried to cling a little bit when she first had to go into her classroom. But, it seems that each year gets a little better. This year her teacher just had to take her hand and guide her into the class. At least no one had to pry her fingers off me and drag her into the room screaming. So, I would say we've made TREMENDOUS progress! I'm sure she had a great day as well.
I can't wait to hear all about their first day!
Ryan seems a little lost without his favorite playmate-Paige. He has asked about her several times today. He also doesn't know what to do without her. To occupy himself he did make up a new game this morning. The beanbags were at the bottom of the stairs. He would walk to the top and pretend that he was going to jump to the beanbags. Let me tell you--it scared the heck out of me when he did it the first time. I really thought he was going to jump from the top step. But, instead he walked down as fast as his feet would go then jumped off the 2nd to bottom step landing on his KNEES into the beanbags. He just kept doing that over and over until he actually hurt himself. I have no idea how he didn't get hurt the first 5 times, but that's Ryan for you! I'm thinking he's going to have to put on some weight and just become a football player one day. He loves to run into things and it takes a lot to hurt him! I don't think ever wrote about this....but this is as good a place as any. Last Wednesday Ryan had to have some blood drawn for some lab tests. I was anticipating crying and fighting. But, instead he didn't flinch! He never once seemed the least bit scared and the actual needle going in didn't seem to hurt him at all! I could not believe he watched the lady get the needle ready and then watched her as she poked that needle into his arm. I was just in awe. I asked the lady if she's ever seen a kid react that way and she said maybe a few, but that it's very rare. She said they usually start crying as soon as they see the needle. But, Ryan has never let shots or needles concern him. When he got his last immunizations he just very calmly said "ow". The nurse was stunned--she said she'd NEVER seen a kid react that way. I'm telling you, the child must have very dull pain sensors! He's napping now. Soon after he wakes up it'll be time to go get the girls. I'm sure he'll be happy about that!
AJ's world didn't change much. He still just crawled around and tried to put anything and everything in his mouth.
Me? Well, I can say that the day has gone MUCH faster than I thought it would! It's already 1:00 and I feel like I just dropped the girls off! We spent some time running errands this morning, so hopefully we'll have more time just for fun the rest of the week. Ryan, AJ, and I will probably have lots of stuff going on every day. Ryan is still getting speech therapy one day a week (1 hour). Within the next week or two they'll most likely be adding a day of early childhood education therapy. I know therapy sounds boring, but really it's alot of fun! Ryan loves it. His therapist always brings a bag of cool toys. I'm also going to start taking the boys to a developmental play group once a week. Most of the kids there also have developmental delays and there are therapist available to help guide the kids during their play. I've been wanting to go, but it was just too much with all 4 kids at home. It should be a good opportunity for both Ryan and AJ. And, hopefully we'll have time to go to library story time once a week. So, as you can see, we are going to have plenty to keep us busy! But, I'm very much looking forward to it!
Paige just walked right into her class without a moment's hesitation. No clinging, no crying, no complaining.....is this what it's supposed to be like? I even had to ask her for a hug. She made it so easy on me that I didn't even cry. I'm just so proud of her and I hope she had a wonderful day. I will admit I'm slightly nervous that she will be wet when I pick her up. In the past, she's been known to wet her pants because she's too shy to tell anyone she has to go. Then, she doesn't even tell anyone that she's wet. But, I really hope she's past that by now. I think it's been almost a year since it happened last (beginning of 4 yr old preschool). Other than that, I'm betting on the fact that she's had a wonderful day!
Kaeli tried to cling a little bit when she first had to go into her classroom. But, it seems that each year gets a little better. This year her teacher just had to take her hand and guide her into the class. At least no one had to pry her fingers off me and drag her into the room screaming. So, I would say we've made TREMENDOUS progress! I'm sure she had a great day as well.
I can't wait to hear all about their first day!
Ryan seems a little lost without his favorite playmate-Paige. He has asked about her several times today. He also doesn't know what to do without her. To occupy himself he did make up a new game this morning. The beanbags were at the bottom of the stairs. He would walk to the top and pretend that he was going to jump to the beanbags. Let me tell you--it scared the heck out of me when he did it the first time. I really thought he was going to jump from the top step. But, instead he walked down as fast as his feet would go then jumped off the 2nd to bottom step landing on his KNEES into the beanbags. He just kept doing that over and over until he actually hurt himself. I have no idea how he didn't get hurt the first 5 times, but that's Ryan for you! I'm thinking he's going to have to put on some weight and just become a football player one day. He loves to run into things and it takes a lot to hurt him! I don't think ever wrote about this....but this is as good a place as any. Last Wednesday Ryan had to have some blood drawn for some lab tests. I was anticipating crying and fighting. But, instead he didn't flinch! He never once seemed the least bit scared and the actual needle going in didn't seem to hurt him at all! I could not believe he watched the lady get the needle ready and then watched her as she poked that needle into his arm. I was just in awe. I asked the lady if she's ever seen a kid react that way and she said maybe a few, but that it's very rare. She said they usually start crying as soon as they see the needle. But, Ryan has never let shots or needles concern him. When he got his last immunizations he just very calmly said "ow". The nurse was stunned--she said she'd NEVER seen a kid react that way. I'm telling you, the child must have very dull pain sensors! He's napping now. Soon after he wakes up it'll be time to go get the girls. I'm sure he'll be happy about that!
AJ's world didn't change much. He still just crawled around and tried to put anything and everything in his mouth.
Me? Well, I can say that the day has gone MUCH faster than I thought it would! It's already 1:00 and I feel like I just dropped the girls off! We spent some time running errands this morning, so hopefully we'll have more time just for fun the rest of the week. Ryan, AJ, and I will probably have lots of stuff going on every day. Ryan is still getting speech therapy one day a week (1 hour). Within the next week or two they'll most likely be adding a day of early childhood education therapy. I know therapy sounds boring, but really it's alot of fun! Ryan loves it. His therapist always brings a bag of cool toys. I'm also going to start taking the boys to a developmental play group once a week. Most of the kids there also have developmental delays and there are therapist available to help guide the kids during their play. I've been wanting to go, but it was just too much with all 4 kids at home. It should be a good opportunity for both Ryan and AJ. And, hopefully we'll have time to go to library story time once a week. So, as you can see, we are going to have plenty to keep us busy! But, I'm very much looking forward to it!
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Tomorrow is the Big Day!
I can't believe tomorrow is the first day of school for the girls! I'm not going to know what to do with myself when I only have 2 kids at home during the day. But, I'm definitely looking forward to it. Not only because the days will be slightly easier, but also because it'll be nice to have the opportunity to focus more of my energy on the boys. Most days I feel like I'm just on autopilot doing what has to be done. I envision myself now slowing down to really enjoy more of the special moments with Ryan and AJ. In the blink of an eye they'll be heading off for their first days of Kindergarten. I'm already shocked that AJ will be a year old next month!!
I just tucked the girls into bed. It's so funny to see the contrast between Kaeli and Paige. Kaeli is this big ball of energy! She's so full of excitement and nervousness all at the same time. She was talking non-stop--which she tends to do when she's feeling nervous. She kept squeezing her stuffed animal really tight as she talked. I know she wants to feel excited, but she's so afraid of the unknowns. So, I think the nerves are taking over for now. I wonder what time she'll finally fall asleep? Now Paige, on the other hand, is kicked back in bed with very little emotion either way. I know she's excited because she's very much looking forward to starting school. But, she's not tipping her hand at this point. This is so typical of Paige. She just isn't the kind of person to outwardly show a lot of emotion. I'm wondering how drop-off will be tomorrow. Will she just walk into her class without a care in the world? Or will she actually shed a few tears? I think this is exactly what Paige likes to do--keep everyone around her guessing. :)
I'll update tomorrow. I will be sure to add some pictures, too.
I just tucked the girls into bed. It's so funny to see the contrast between Kaeli and Paige. Kaeli is this big ball of energy! She's so full of excitement and nervousness all at the same time. She was talking non-stop--which she tends to do when she's feeling nervous. She kept squeezing her stuffed animal really tight as she talked. I know she wants to feel excited, but she's so afraid of the unknowns. So, I think the nerves are taking over for now. I wonder what time she'll finally fall asleep? Now Paige, on the other hand, is kicked back in bed with very little emotion either way. I know she's excited because she's very much looking forward to starting school. But, she's not tipping her hand at this point. This is so typical of Paige. She just isn't the kind of person to outwardly show a lot of emotion. I'm wondering how drop-off will be tomorrow. Will she just walk into her class without a care in the world? Or will she actually shed a few tears? I think this is exactly what Paige likes to do--keep everyone around her guessing. :)
I'll update tomorrow. I will be sure to add some pictures, too.
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