NUMBERS 1-5!!! - Oct 30th, 2015

Two weeks ago, we started working on numbers 1-5 in the Playroom again after she started showing an interest! After a week, she was able to get all 5 numbers in correct alignment and orientation which was huge! Today she mastered putting numbers 1 -5 in correct ORDER!!! She also is starting to answer questions with a yes or no which was recorded at least 8 times! She also initiated a peer interaction on Wednesday! What a great week!

Saturday

This morning Ashley said "I want" for her muffin, "I want" for ice, and "cha-cha" for cracker! She had a fun session with Jeremy and was so happy to have one on one time with daddy! She made great eye contact and loved hearing daddy sing with the music! She loves play time with daddy! They worked on numbers too and she almost got numbers 1-5 lined up. What is great is that she is getting the numbers 1-5 in correct alignment and orientation!!!! That is new because before this she would have them turned upside down or sideways.

We got 4 free Austin Aquarium tickets from Haley so we went this morning since it was raining. Ashley LOVED the stingrays and Noah kept looking for Nemo. Ashley had no fear reaching into the stingray tank to touch all the stingrays. She did say "touch" one time! I kept having to remind her to be gentle though and not to splash! There are 3 sides of the stingray display so Ashley would go back and forth making happy noises while flapping her hands! At the end, Ashley wanted to start splashing and get into the tank with stingrays. I think she misses swimming! :)

At lunch, she said "unch (for lunch), cheeps (for chips), juice, and piece."

In session with me, she did so great at working on counting! Counting is one of her favorite activities right now because the last counting activity involves a few jelly beans! We are using images of Dum-Dums and Cookies to match to the numbers right now. Then we turn the cardboard over and she lays out numbers 1-5 with dots on each number. She matched number of jelly beans to each number with help of dots on the numbers. (At school, she has been putting small blocks on the numbers.) One of the times she lined up the numbers 1 - 5 correctly!!!! However, she didn't get it correct after that so I wasn't sure she really knew the order.  She said "one, tuh (for 2), this, I want, uh (for up), water, burple (for purple), bath, I, me, and Bobby." Today she seemed to sing the word Boppy several times for wanting the music. I am wondering if it was meant to be broccoli from line in Veggie Tales song. We also worked on the colored bears and I love seeing her demonstrate she knows the basic colors!


At night, she helped me wash and cut up the strawberries again! She really enjoys that and I love seeing her progress with each time! I made Mexican Casserole tonight and fresh green beans for dinner. We have not been able to all sit at the table each night to eat since Jeremy's needed to work late or been able to all eat the same thing. However, we will get there slowly! Tonight was a great night for us to sit at table and eat together. Jeremy and I kept commenting how good the Mexican Casserole was and Noah started eating quickly. Ashley was watching all of us eat it so she started poking it with her fork. Then she got a little onto her fork and put in her mouth with no fuss at all!!! She ate all of the casserole on her plate and requested more! Normally I have to ask her to at least try it and then she might start whining. Tonight she was really watching all of us and it was so great to see! She also ate all 4 of her green beans on her plate too!



Sunday

This morning I actually had my hair down and Ashley kept looking at my hair almost in fascination. I asked if she like my hair down and she smiled! It was like she didn't recognize me because I wear my hair in a ponytail almost every day.

Noah was super fussy today and allergies are bothering him. We realized this would be one of those days we have to keep our kids separated. If Noah cries or gets upset, then Ashley cries but also starts hitting herself. It is soooo frustrating to see her do that and today she kept wanting to hit her face. I try to blog about all the positive moments and show progress but this is also apart of our reality and struggles we have.

Today at church, Ashley said "um-um (for dum-dum), I want, water, try it & otty (for potty)". She loved dancing in worship again with her buddy Haley & Alissa!

In session with me, she was so interactive and I got a lot of green lights! I asked her before we went up "Do you want to go to Playroom with me?" and she responded quickly "Yes!". In session, she said "this, beans (for jelly beans), water, tent, I want, baba (for cracker), try, baby, piece & drink". She also sang "Bobby" again 3 times for the CD player followed by tuba part in Veggie Tales theme song. She loved piggy back rides on my back so we did that for probably 20 minutes. During that game, she said "wun-wun (for run), Wow!, & Go". She also started repeating "I want" over and over (probably 30 total times) so I joined her in saying it and she just thought it was sooooo funny! I growled it like her and it really started hurting my throat. Later she started singing "Watt-tree-bobby" which we have heard before but not sure what it is from. I asked if she wanted more rides and she answered "yes". I LOVE how she is starting to answer some of our questions! I also had a hair tie pulling my hair back and she took it out for me. She then smiled seeing my hair down. I would keep trying to pull my hair back again to see what she would do and 4 more times she would pull it out for me!

We also worked on counting again and I took some pictures to describe to her teachers and our team! She seems sooooo close to getting it! We have been working on it last 2 weeks in Playroom and she has done it at school too!

 

1) Matching dum-dum images to corresponding numbers & then count each image.
2) Matching frosted cookie images to corresponding number & then count each image.

3) Turn cardboard over and give Ashley numbers 1 -5 shuffled and some turned over/upside down.

4) Ashley puts jelly bean on each dot shown on numbers, take her finger and count each number, & then she can eat!

Monday

At school, they said Ashley was not very vocal and only said "water". At speech and OT, she got to do part of her session outside finding Mr. Potato Head accessories! They did say her eye contact was really great though! She had a good session with Becky and they played with so much! Today was an "off" day for Ashley and she was extra whiny.

Tuesday

This morning before school Ashley said "shoes, drink, & water". She had her dentist appointment before school and she did soooooo well!!!! We have been working on brushing her teeth, flossing, and having her see us brush our teeth too! Hopefully each visit gets better! She was happy to get 2 lollipops from the dentist after her cleaning so she had one for each hand to enjoy at same time! :)

She was in a fantastic mood today at school and was ready to learn! She said "water, cheep (for chip), & unch box (for lunch box)."

In session with me, she said "I want, cha-cha (for cracker), Wow!, try (3 times), eee (for eat), ush (for push), one, & tuh (for 2)." Before we went upstairs, I asked her if she wanted to go to the Playroom and she said "yes". We did counting again and she was almost able to put 1-5 in order again! She keeps mixing up 2 & 3 or 3 & 4.

In the evening, I asked her if she wanted to help me wash and cut strawberries. She responded immediately with "yes"! She brought me the tent to initiate peekaboo again and then initiated running circles around stairs. Later she also asked for "mubba" (muffin) and "water".

Wednesday

Before school, we had numbers on the table and she said "one". She also said "ice" very clearly!

At school, she sang "happy baby" a lot and "water baby" when trying to put baby doll in water table. She also said "water balls & bubbles". Ashley initiated peer interaction!!! She went up to one of her classmates, who she is with everyday in SLE, and put her hands on her shoulders. They both made eye contact at each other and Ashley said something directly to her! Then they parted ways and teachers are not sure what she said. I think she might have wanted to say "I am so glad you are my friend".

After school, she said "try" and "up". I also asked Ashley if she was staying dry (potty check) and she said "yes".

In session with Tracy, Ashley was really verbal and loved jumping with the balls! She said " more, nack (for snack), blue, mumu (for music), want, want this, yes (in response to question), marbles, what, One, Two, this one, up, down, no, treats, banana, sticks, drink, yummy, raisins, bunch, & eat!"

Ashley and Noah's first concert was seeing Veggie Tales Live this afternoon! They both really enjoyed it and we know Ashley loved it because she did not want to leave during the show! It might have been a little overwhelming but she was memorized! :) She hummed the tuba part of Veggie Tales several times after we were home too!!!

Thursday

This morning before school Ashley said "no" when I asked if she needed to go potty. I tried to get her picture and she looked at me saying "cheese" for the camera! :) Jeremy was still here so he got a good laugh since she has never done that before!

At school, she said "water, bubbles, & ball." She did really well stopping in the hallway and waiting for her friends today!

In session with Tracy, she said "more, eat, drink, sticks (pretzels), snack, mumu (music), Tink, balls, mow-mow (for Mickey Mouse), Boots (dora toy), I want, purple, pink, book, water, Toy Store (asking for Toy Story book), Buzz, chips, Barbie, & cheese." She did great with matching pictures to the numbers again also!

Before dinner, Ashley helped me with the strawberries again and she said "strawberr" 2 times really slowly while looking at me! Later that night I told her to Tell me when me needs to go potty and she said "tell me" 2 times. I also heard her say "Awesome!" when she was playing with Noah on green chairs.

Friday

Today she said "shoes" when we were putting them on her feet and she also said "mubba" for muffin.

At school, she did retakes for school pictures and they actually got her smiling while sitting still! Her teacher said she was jumping around and making goofy noises! :) I just love her teachers!!! She sent me image so I could see it right away which was really nice of her! At school she said, "water baby, water balls & bubbles". They also said she was really vocal and answering their questions a LOT but they couldn't understand what she was saying. However, that means she is interacting with eye contact and understanding what conversation is!!!

At speech with Brooke, she sang "Watching Veggie Tales" & "tato" for either Potato or Tomato in the Veggie Tales song. She said "help" 3 times and also initiated peekaboo putting hands over her eyes.

NUMBERS!!!!!

In session with me today, I was getting a lot of eye contact and green lights. I think it helped that she got to decompress in bath before. What is SUPER exciting is that she got 100% today on putting Dum-dum images to corresponding numbers, Cookie images, & putting numbers 1-5 in ORDER!!!!! She did it all so quickly too! I saw her put numbers 3 & 4 down in wrong spot, pause and then switch them! I gave her the number 1-5 again 3 more times shuffled and some flipped but she did it correctly! So she demonstrated 4 different times that she knows the order of 1-5! So exciting!!! I am thankful I was able to grab my camera really fast at end of each activity! She said "cheese" when I took her picture! She also said "one" and "tuh" for 2.

In the evening, she said "bath, water, yes & nose". She responded with yes when I asked if she wanted ice.

Kisses and Dancing - October 23rd, 2015

Saturday

She said "nana" for banana. She had a good session with Jeremy and said "uh" for up. Today Ashley seemed very tired and was really whiny so it made it challenging. Jeremy had a stressful week at work so I was going to take Ashley out when Noah napped. We went to the mall but I made a bad judgment call. She was so focused on wanting ice cream with her increased appetite which she cant have dairy right now being GFCF. She had a meltdown in the middle of the mall and threw herself on the floor 2 times. It is so hard when things like this happen in public places and I had forgotten to wear my Autism Awareness shirt. That always seems to help people be more understanding. I know I would be baffled if I saw a girl that is size of 8.5 year old throwing herself on the ground like a 2 year old. I should have stayed home and done a session with her. So we left as quickly as possible and went home to decompress in the Playroom.

Sunday

At church she said "bubbles" for bubble machine. In session with me, she said "bubbles, bath, water, drink, cheeps (for chips) and "cha-cha (for cracker)."

She also ate 4 pieces broccoli at dinner from the vegetable stir-fry I make almost every other night!!!

That evening Ashley came up to me and pulled my face down to hers. She gave me a quick kiss on the lips and then ran off! It was so sweet!!!! She did it just because and not because she wanted anything!

Monday

She said "mubin" for muffin and "shoes" twice while I was helping her put them on.

At school, she said "lollipop, walk, & candy". She seemed to really enjoy stringing beads onto the string to make a bracelet. That was surprising to hear since she doesn't like crafts too much!

In speech and OT, Ashley sang "Watching Veggie Tales". She also said "help me & yeah".

In the late afternoon, she said "mubba (for muffin), bath, I want, shoes (2 times), and Straw (2 times for strawberry at dinner)".

Tuesday

This morning I was giving the kids each a piece of turkey bacon. I said here is Ashley's piece and here is Noah's piece. Ashley then said "piece"!

At school, she was very vocal and happy! She said "walk, I want, water, baby, more, chips, watermelon, and dollhouse." She loves their morning walks outside! She even put her hands over her eyes to initiate peekaboo with her teacher!

In session with Becky, she was very vocal but did a lot of babbling. Her attention span seemed super short but she had a great time playing with my mom! They listened to some of her favorite theme songs and my mom tried to engage her with dancing to songs but she wasn't interested.

After we all sat on couch and watched Yo Gabba Gabba. Ashley had her chocolate scented chewy tube and actually cuddled next to me!!! It was really nice so I didn't move or say anything. :) She then got upset when I got up to make dinner so she must have really enjoyed cuddling!

In the afternoon, she said "water, bath, mubba (for muffin), I want, ness (for princess)".

Wednesday

This morning Ashley brought the folded up play tent to me after I had just my finished coffee! It is so cute because she has the biggest smile on her face and makes great eye contact! She showed me 2 more times today that she wanted to play peekaboo in the tent! She said "shoes" again too! When we were walking to the car to drive to school, I sneezed 2 times. I said God bless me and then Ashley said "bless" 2 times!

At school, Ashley said "water & cheese". In session with Tracy, they had a fun time playing with green trucks, counting out some jelly beans (and then eating!), and music! Ashley said "this one, that, want, Rex, Buzz, up, down, water, mus (for music), nack (for snack), and no" to answer a question.

In the evening while Ashley was washing the strawberries, she said "water, straw (for strawberries), & next one"! She also said "chicken, I want, & nana (for banana)!"

Thursday

This morning she said "I want" for her turkey bacon.

At school, she said "water & cheeps (for chips)." Her teacher said she did really good forming majority of the letters they were working on during her first attempts.

In session with Tracy, Ashley was really verbal today! She said "yes, nack (for snack), no, want, mus (for music), Buppy (for bubble gubbies), more, eat, yummy, treats, some, this one, Tink (for Tinker Bell), whoa (when she dropped food), number, Barbie, shoes, marbles, whee! (repeated after Tracy when rolling marbles), balls." She enjoyed counting out jelly beans again and we are working on numbers 1-5!

In the afternoon, she said "bath, water & happy". 

Friday

Ashley woke up really cranky this morning so I don't think she slept too well especially since her hair was all crazy. At school, they said she didn't have the best day since she could not go outside for morning walk or recess. She did not appreciate the change in routine or the rain even though its really needed right now. She did say "banana, water, water balls, cheeps, and water baby".

She had good session in OT and they really helped with her sensory needs today. In speech, she said "yeah, wait, more (5 times), yuby (for yucky), yes, umm (for yum), listen, & app (for apple)." Brooke used the Veggie Tales theme song to motivate Ashley today and got her dancing with her at the beginning. At the end, Ashley initiated 4 times with Brooke that she wanted to dance with her!!!

In session with me, she said "no, I want, yeah, water, Barbie, try, bean (for jelly bean), & bath." She is doing better each day working on counting and loves using jelly beans for it! After bath time, she always lets me wrap her in the towel and give her a bear hug. Today I said I love you and she said "love you" back!!

Tonight she wanted to play chase for a long time and she was so full of giggles! She said "Wun!" and "yes" after I asked if she was smiling!  I wanted to capture her glowing face tonight since didn't take many pictures this week.

Advanced Patterns - October 10th, 2015

I have been debating how much to share regarding Ashley's health.... but how can I not share how God heard our prayers? This week was a roller coaster of emotions (frustrated tears, anxious tears, and happy tears) and we are so thankful it is behind us. Ashley was such a trooper during the entire experience on Wednesday and God answered specific prayers!

 It will be a day that we will never forget because fear over your child's health is never easy to deal with. I wish we could say we handled it all without any worries or fears but I know I learned to trust in Him even more and was reminded again how powerful Prayer is!

Saturday

This morning Jeremy and I both had sessions with Ashley and she was so eager to go up to her Playroom! We played with balls, playdoh, doctor play kit, Tinker Bell, marbles, books, hats, and jewelry! She said "water (4 times), ball (2 times), drink (2 times), bubbles, I want, this, Viggie (for Veggie Tales book) & Debba (not sure what meant but said at least 10 different times)." I started running in circles which she thought was funny and then she eventually joined me running! Her playroom is the best place to get words out of her where it is distraction free and demand free!

We went to an enclosed playground with other special needs families and Ashley followed around her school classmate. It was so cute seeing the eye contact they were making with each other and Ashley was really wanting to play with her! She did say "juice" while were there. Our challenge with her appetite and being GFCF now is that she will look in other peoples bags for food or try to take others items.

In the afternoon, she had a fun outing with daddy at Play for All Abilities. We all ate together at table tonight and ate same food which we haven't been able to do last week. Ashley did try green beans and ended up eating 2 small pieces!!! She also said "try" during that and later said "muffin" , "this" and "nana" for banana.

Sunday

Ashley had a great time at church and dancing in worship again! She said "dum-dum" and "what" after Alissa said it! After church, she said "juice" 3 times at lunch! She helped me cut up daddy's bell pepper slices for the week and was very interested in seeing the top that we pull out with all the seeds. She saw me eat some of the orange bell pepper so she touched it to her mouth. Then I thought I would cut it up in small pieces so she could start with that. I asked if she would like to try and she said "try" 2 times. She saw me eat a small piece so then she opened her mouth for one! She ate it and then wanted more!!!!! Yay!!! Finally after all these times she has been exposed to them she finally ate it!

She pulled out the tent and brought it to me in the kitchen wanting help to fold open. She was smiling and I asked Do you want the tent to play peekaboo?. She looked at my eyes and said "tent"! She said "tent" 2 more times after that and we had fun again playing peekaboo with tickles! I tried to capture a little on video so she could watch later. I asked Do you want to watch peekaboo? and she said "watch"!

In session with Jeremy, she said "yes" to one of his questions and enjoyed playing with balls. When I was getting her shoes on to leave, she said "shoes" 5 times. We had sweet and sour meatballs for dinner tonight so I asked Ashley to try it. She said "try" and eventually did eat 1/2 a meatball! She said "bow" for bowl to get ice chips and "Awesome" this evening.

I have started giving Ashley a chore each night and that is to help me close all the blinds. She seems to enjoy it and does almost all of them by herself (if she doesn't get distracted)! She is so tall that she has no problem reaching the cord.


Monday  

Today was school holiday so this morning we attended an Austin Special Needs event at local bounce house! When I pulled into the parking lot Ashley said "Awesome"! Both kids love that place and it is very hard to get them to leave. We went to a doctors appointment later and she said "pop" for lollipop and "Viggie Tale" for Veggie Tales video! At lunch she said "chips" and "juice".

In session with Becky, she made great eye contact while my mom was singing Veggie Tales and was so intent on listening! She also loved taking my mom's finger and pointing at each Toy Story character in printout. She likes it when we say their names and seems to go back to Mr. Potato Head a lot! 

At speech therapy she made great approximation for yellow while they were playing with colored spiders.

In session with me, she said "yes, my (for my turn), big, doct (for doctor), want, tent, brush (for toothbrush), and no 2 times." She said no when I put toothbrush up to her hair and I asked Is this a hair brush?. I brought the tent up to the Playroom and she enjoyed playing peekaboo again! I just had to save a short clip of it here because I love her giggles and her "anticipation" laugh. We also played with doctor toy kit and we practiced looking at each others teeth. I am trying to get her prepared for dentist appointment in a few weeks......

At night she said very clearly "Kitty" for character in Monsters and "ma-buh" for muffin. Sometimes she changes how she says words but we keep acknowledging her words. Lately she is saying "what-tree" for water now but that is only time she says that sound is when requesting water.


Tuesday

At school, she said "yes" and "water".  Apparently one of her peers was not feeling too well so this student was fussy all day....Ashley cannot handle being around other kids or babies that cry so today was really stressful and lots of anxiety for Ashley. She came home upset and started lining up her Petshop toys. She has not done this since we started Son-Rise program so I think she was doing this to decompress and "control" her surroundings. Next time I hope they can keep her separated or call me so that I can come pick her up. 

In session with me, she said "want, water, ball, bath, & cra-chur" for cracker. We had a good time jumping and running in circles! She said "Awesome"


Wednesday

Today will be a day that we will never forget and how faithful God was to answer specific prayers! Ashley had to get an MRI of the brain at Dell Children's hospital and she did sooooooo well (even recovering from anesthesia). It was the last of several tests (multiple blood tests, bone scan, sonograms) to rule out anything "bad" that is causing a surprising issue. There was a 10% chance she could have had brain tumor causing this to happen. It was a small chance but it was still frightening because it was our baby. For Ashley's privacy, that is all I will say about this. I did write out all that happened because we were in awe of just how smoothly it went! Knowing our daughter this was not envisioned going well especially with fasting.

We pushed her bedtime back last night so she could have big meal before bed which means we changed her bedtime routine. She adapted so well and went to bed quickly (other times we change up routine she head bangs). We were praying too that she would sleep in because she always wants eat first thing and our MRI schedule time got pushed back. She did sleep in and Jeremy took her straight to the bath to play but made sure she didn't drink any of the water. She adapted to that change in routine too! We immediately left for hospital and they took us quickly to our own room. Then they told us our MRI time was pushed back again by an hour...Ashley was already starting to request for food using her Ipad but no full meltdowns yet... How is she suppose to understand why we are starving her? Thankfully our anesthesiologist we requested is a friend and has 5 year old with autism. He was able to pull some strings and get us back on original schedule so she was taken back pretty quickly. The staff at Dell even came in to show her pictures of what would happen and tried to explain it all.

 

Thankfully they just used gas instead of narcotics so faster recovery and less side effects! Ashley didn't freak out with anesthesia mask and went out very easily while still watching Veggie Tales song on hospital's IPad. That was still hard to watch. Afterwards she awoke slowly and I warned the nurses she would pull out her IV which she started doing. After IV was out, she tossed blanket off and got in her sleeping position.

 

I took a picture to send to my parents so they could see how she was doing. Do you notice her foot by her face? She prefers to sleep with legs crossed in front and I don't know how she finds that comfortable. Once she awoke from short nap, said "juice" pretty quickly and we got to go home shortly after! By 2pm, she was bouncing back so quickly and already wanting to run around house while wanting to eat tons of food....wow! I think she heard the nurses say that she can eat whatever she wants today since her stomach could be upset! :)

God answered specific prayers today with how Ashley would handle the entire experience and for our peace of mind. It went soooooo smoothly! Good news is that we got results really quickly the next afternoon and we found out that all tests and scans came back clean! Praise God!!!! We are so glad these last few months are behind us and no more waiting! We are thankful there is a treatment too (even if it is super expensive) and we are determined to stay grateful for ALL HE has given us because He will provide! We have 2 beautiful, sweet and healthy kids! We do not understand why this is happening or why Ashley gets an added challenge but we know God is in control & He is good!

I love how God can speak to us through His word and it is exactly what we need at that time. This was my prayer today rewritten from Psalms 62. May my soul find rest in you God. My hope comes from you. You alone are my rock and my salvation. You are my fortress, I will not be shaken. I will trust in you at all times and pour out my heart to you. For you, oh God, are my refuge.

We had our family and bible study classes praying too and it was a huge comfort knowing they were all praying! I love the encouragement, prayers & support that we receive from our church family! We saw God's love poured out onto us by so many texts and emails that morning from these prayer warriors. Marilyn emailed me her beautiful prayer that morning and I had not even thought to pray Ashley would go out peacefully since we haven't had to experience this before. I just had to include it so we can always look back at how powerful prayer is and that God is always there even if He doesn't answer our prayers like WE want! :)

'Lord, surround this family with your supernatural peace and everlasting love.  Thank you that you love Ashley even more than they and we do.  This condition she is experiencing does not surprise you because Ashley has been “fearfully and wonderfully” made by you.  We ask in faith Lord that  you would be with Ashley during this MRI today.  Give her the perfect amount understanding for what is happening and help her feel your arms around her.   I pray that she will go to sleep easily and will wake up peacefully.  Help her be brave as she has to wait a while for food and drink after the procedure is over.  Lord, we trust you for the cost of this and other procedures for Ashley because you “own the cattle on a thousand hills” and nothing is too hard for you .  In Jesus precious name we pray,  Amen

 

Marilyn

Psalm 139:14, Psalm 50:10, Jeremiah 31:3 and 32:27'

This is one of my favorite songs right now "Just Be Held" and it has been fitting for all that has been going on.

She said "juice" at lunch time and "muffin". In a short session with Tracy, she said "Buzz, Rex, balls, shoes" when trying on Tracy's shoes!

Thursday

Today she said "shoes" again when we were putting them on for school. At school, she said "walk, yes, water" and she worked really hard on tablework today!

In session  with Tracy, she said "Rex, Buzz, Wood (for Woody), more, nack (for snack), Moose-Moose" (for music and guided Tracy's hand to CD player).

In the evening, she said "bath, water, Awesome and mubba (for muffin)." When I was getting picking up all the shoes that night, Ashley got in front of me and bent down to put her face about 1 foot in front of mine. She was smiling and looking at my eyes! I realized she wanted to play and I needed to stop what I was doing being given that obvious green light. I especially want to encourage her to do that again so I gave her some tickles!

Friday

At school, she said "water, yes, walk, I want, baby, cheese, yes, and buh (for banana)"! They reported that she had an amazing day and was super vocal today! Ashley also made an AABAAB pattern with blocks at school!!!! NO verbal or physical promting!!!! She picked out blocks on her own and did it! Wow!!!! They have been trying to get her to do simple ABAB patterns for last 3 years and she jumps to doing an advanced one! Her teacher sent me this picture and looks like she is so proud of herself! So proud of our beautiful, sweet and healthy girl!

 

 

 

 

In OT and speech with Brooke, she said "off, yeah, bath, ok, no, veggie, duck, dem (for them), yellow, pillow, quack off, du off (for duck off), water, knees, hah (for hand)" She also did really well working on using a dot paint pen to trace shapes and lines!

 

In session with me, she said "chee (for chip), chips, water, my, bath, Awesome, and Pet (for petshop toys)". She seemed tired by the time we got into Playroom but she still wanted to go in there. We just jumped and rolled balls today so she could relax and decompress from ALL that she accomplished today! She worked really hard today! At night she said "drink, I want, mubba (for muffin)."

 

 

She is also doing so great with her IPad that Zach's Voice organization gave Ashley! She uses it at school and outside the Plaryoom if she needs it. She is making sentences and its great she is hearing the words repeated off IPad and from us. I tried to capture this one on video where she made "I want muffin" sentence so we can always see how well she navigated it and you can hear her repeat "want" and then "mubba" for muffin which she can say really clearly sometimes!

 



Peekaboo!!!! - October 9th, 2015

It looks like Ashley is starting to initiate peekaboo now and letting us know she wants that social interaction!!!! She did it last week in session with my mom and then with me several times this week! She is such a different girl than she was 1 year ago and I love how Son-Rise has given me tools to help draw her out of her world! The Women's Retreat last weekend was the break I needed to get refreshed, to give God my worries and to remember that He is in Control! I started reading Autism Breakthrough book again and is getting me motivated again to keep going!


Sunday

She had a great day at church and enjoyed dancing again in worship! She said "um-um (for dum-dum), water, no, I want, da (for dance), yes, bar (for granola bar)."

She went to the park with Haley and said "swing, I want, no, sli (for slide), sa (for sand), yes, and wee! (while swinging)." She also said "bye-bye" to Haley at end with no prompting!

She also had some nice cuddle time with daddy over the weekend since I was gone at HCBC Women's Retreat! Jeremy said she would put her hands on both sides of his face and look into his eyes. Then she would touch his nose, eyes, and mouth like she was exploring his face! Jeremy also mentioned that she cuddled with him for 1 hour watching TV and that was special for him! Ashley rarely sits still for 5 minutes unless she is sick which thankfully is not much! He just said how affectionate she is becoming and he is really enjoying that!

In session with me, she said "ball, water, & baby". She wanted me to keep singing Mickey Mouse Clubhouse theme song while she played with Mickey Mouse ears! At dinner, she said "juice & water".

Monday

 She said "bay-bay" for bacon. At school she said "trash". In speech, she really enjoyed the gym and said "more".

In session with me, she said "ball, balls, Dona (for Donald duck), Roll call (great approximation after I sang it in song), try, drink, me, no, yeah, yes, I want, this". Ashley was really into the Minnie Mouse book and kept wanting me to say the character names. Then she kept watching my mouth while I was singing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song. She also wanted lots of tickles and she said "tuh-tuh-tuh" 4 different times requesting tickles and only at that time! In the evening while I was heating up her muffin, I gave her kiss on cheek and said I love you. She said "I love you" back! :)

Tuesday

Today at school she was really focused and did her work well! She said "yes" and even came off playground from recess today with no whining for the first time!

In session with me, she said "ba-ber (for cracker), water, iii (for ice), ball, balls, Awesome!". After session, we went to work in kitchen since she wanted a snack. She helped me cut up Squash and Zucchini but she was really wanting to get to the strawberries. I got out the strawberries and explained to her the process again while showing her with one. Then she did 6 more strawberries ALL on her own (pull off stem, wash, set on paper towel, repeat). Then I helped her cut the strawberries up and she got to eat them all up! I was so proud of her for helping me with the entire process and then eating after all the work was done! She is also still eating stir fry squash and ate fish sticks tonight!

Wednesday

This morning I was getting her lunch together and noticed she wanted to get her shoes on for school. I said we need to get your hair fixed first. She jumped up, got the hairbrush out of bathroom drawer, and brought it to my hands! :) I am glad she is eager to go to school because that means she likes it there!

At school, she worked really hard on her work today and did tangram puzzles without any help or prompting. She also said "no".

In session with Tracy, she said "buh (for Buzz Lightyear), Buzz, wha-wha (for Woody), Bah-Lare book (for Bob & Larry book), purpa (for purple lizard), ball, water, up, down, Barbie, boat, nack (for snack)!"

When Tracy was leaving I asked if Ashley wanted a bath. She replied "I want it" 2 times! She also said "iii" 2 times to request for ice and sang the two words "Veggie Tales" while Tracy was writing session notes.

Once Noah woke up from his nap, they seemed to play really well together and loved getting inside the Tinker Bell tent. Normally Ashley would crawl out of tent because it is a small space but she was laughing with Noah. I then started playing Peekaboo with them and they just loved that! I tried to get some pictures since it was so cute but most are blurry.

Thursday

This morning when we were getting ready for school she said "water" and "shoes" 4 times after I did! At school, she did really well with ABC puzzle and also said "water" and "I want".

After school, Ashley crawled into the Tinker Bell tent again and started laughing. She was waiting for me to come find her!!! It was so cute and when I opened it to say peekaboo she had the biggest smile! I just love her laugh! Noah decided to come join and sat in the tent with Ashley with big smile. So we played game for probably 8 minutes where I would ask Where is Ashley? and then pause saying Where is Noah?. I loved hearing them laughing in there with anticipation that I would open flap any second to tickle them! It was a great way to get eye contact from Ashley and I love how she was wanting to interact.

In session with Tracy, she said "want, Buzz, Princess (for Sophia), Balls, water, up, down, and more". They had fun with counting game, having tea party and listening to music!

Friday

While I was putting on her shoes and saying just that word, she said "shoes" also 2 times! In session with my mom she made really great eye contact, played with balls, read books and had a lot of laughs! She said "Do" for Dora and "bah" for bath. In the evening she said "I want" and "Awesome". She helped me cut up the squash and zuchinni again! She also took stems of strawberries, washed them and cut them up! We worked on her washing each strawberry for 5 seconds today (I'll add more time each day). She does not cut it up perfectly and the squash ends up being 5 big sections but it does not matter! :) She is also now aware to move her fingers out of the way when cutting!

When daddy got home, the kids were so excited since he worked really late hours this week and Ashley would NOT let go of Jeremy's hand. It was sweet how she wanted to play with him right away and pulled his hand down to the ground. He complied and then Ashley sat on his back for a horse ride! Noah and Oscar wanted to join too! I couldn't help but grab my phone fast for a picture!

Daddy also got to play peekaboo with the kids so he enjoyed seeing how much the kids LOVE it!

Dancing at Worship - Oct 2nd, 2015

Saturday

This morning we all met at local school to celebrate Cousin Lyla's birthday! We had a lot of fun and Ashley seemed happy to see all the family. It was a bit challenging at cupcake time since Ashley ate hers so fast and she had a special GFCF cupcake. She wanted to eat Noah's and Lyla's since they eat slower and actually enjoy it. :)

 Today Ashley said "more, swing, and water" during her park times with daddy. She had great sessions with Jeremy and Becky too! My mom said Ashley listened and watched while she sang Jesus Loves Me with hand signs. She also seemed to really enjoy that my mom was participating with her and joining her!

Sunday

At church, she said "dum-dum, bubbles and no" when Haley asked her if she needed to use bathroom. This is a beautiful, blurry video of what inclusion looks like during kids worship at Hill Country Bible Church! Ashley dances by rocking side to side and really enjoys the music! I also love seeing her sweet friend Tawni (on left) dance like Ashley! A few weeks ago Tawni decided to join Ashley and they were both smiling at each other! Thank you Haley for capturing video and being Ashley's buddy! We are so thankful to HCBC for loving and accommodating our daughter!

At lunch, she said "juice" and "chips". In session with me, she said "Bah (for ball), I want (2 times), Whoa! (3 times), Op (for open), Mih (for Mikey), Ball (4 times), I, me and I want it." At night she said "muffin, nana, and I love you!"

Monday

Today at school she was not as vocal but she did go walk into bathroom on her own with NO prompting again! In session, she said "ball" 2 times and "bah-bah" for bath. We had to cut session short today since Noah woke up early from nap and was very mad. In the evening, she said "iii" for ice.

Tuesday

At school she said "water" when wanting her water and loved the swings today at recess. She also seemed to really enjoy music and playing drums at school!

 In session with Becky, she had fun playing with marbles and listening to songs! She really loves theme songs to kids shows so my mom got really goofy and starting dancing to the songs. Ashley was watching her very intently and made great eye contact! She didn't join in the dancing but she was entertained by my mom so maybe next time she will dance too! She also said "water" in session. At dinner, she said "chips".

Wednesday

Every morning she wakes up pretty hungry so wants breakfast immediately. We are trying to work on her patience and waiting but I know I get pretty grouchy if I am hungry too. I was slightly bending over to put on my socks and Ashley came over. She bent over right in front of me, put her face 1 foot from mine and looked into my eyes smiling. It was really unexpected and then I asked if she wanted breakfast. She gave me a bigger smile and pulled my hand to the table.

She had good day at school and only said "water". She even helped pick up trash in the classroom that was not hers without anyone asking.

In session with Tracy, we did a Toy Story theme since she has really been into the Toy Story 3 Movie Cover image. I printed out some group images and taped in the room for her to find. Then the stuffed dolls were different places around the room and figurines were in the closet. I also added the Mr. Potato Heads bin and Barbie inside her car so she had ALL possible characters. She said "Rex, Buzz. Woo (for Woody), Barbie, water, my eat, and Toy Story!"

Thursday

At school, Ashley said "swing, chex & water". Ashley had a really great session with Tracy today! She wanted book off shelf and Tracy accidently knocked one off. Ashley said "not this" meaning she did not want that book. Ashley was looking at Minnie Mouse book but it would not stay open so she said "help" to Tracy. She also said "Rex, Bu (for Buzz), ball, balls, up, baba (for bathroom), apples, eat, Barbie, Toy Story, Gree (for green jelly bean), Two (when counting jelly beans), Get them (requesting item), and Tray-tree (we think she is saying Tracy)!"

At night she said "muffin, water, nana (for banana) and I want it!"

Friday

At speech Ashley said "quack-quack, more, help, duck, gym". In session with Becky, she initiated a game of Peak-a-boo behind a book while jumping. Ashley thought it was so funny that my mom was doing the same thing so they were laughing a lot! She always makes great eye contact while jumping!