We did notice that she lined up her Petshop toys about 5-7 times each day this week. She would put them in 2 rows, a different order each time and the same 4 Petshop toys were not allowed to be included. :) She seems to line up her Petshop toys when she is anxious so that is hard to watch.
Saturday
Today was a fun day and Ashley was in a great mood even if not super vocal! We decided to go to Mt. Playmore this morning for Special Needs hour since Ashley seemed very active. We haven't been there in a really long time because last time Ashley wouldn't go inside the large playscape and just kept staring at the ice cream display. Today she loved it and was climbing through ALL of it. It was sweet how she kept taking my hand and wanting me to go inside with her. She really wanted me to follow her and play with her!!!! She said "Awesome" before we went on the slide once and she gave me good eye contact during that 1.5 hours of play. Towards the end I was getting exhausted and sweaty climbing in there with her and those small tunnels. If I tried to step outside for break and she didn't see me, then she would take closest adults hand to come in there with her! :) Both kids were not happy when we left but I know they were getting hungry. In the car Ashley said "water" when she saw all 4 of us drinking water!
At lunch, she said "juice, awesome, & water".
In the afternoon, Jeremy took her on a Therapeutic Riding field trip at ERCT with other special needs families. One struggle we have always had is Ashley being patient for her turn and waiting. The start of the trip was tough until she got on the horse 20 minutes later which was her riding time. She loved riding and afterwards enjoyed the hammock & tire swing. She said "more" to request more swinging on tire! During that time I was able to get the Playroom closet organized better so we can be prepared for this week of no school or speech therapy.
In the evening, Ashley had a fun session with daddy and loved that he was jumping with her! She loved listening to music and played with her teapot!
Sunday
Ashley had a great morning at church and said "I want, um-um (for dum-dum), no & yes" to questions. When Ashley was eating her animal crackers Haley tried to make it into a game! Ashley would show Haley each animal cracker and Haley would tell her what animal it was. Then she attempted the sound of the animal and Ashley seemed to really enjoy it! I was surprised to hear this because she is normally eating her food fast! At lunch, she said "juice."
In session with me, she was very focused on Strawberry Shortcake Memory game cards. She woke up at 4am this morning so I think it was starting to hit her. She only made a few approximations and no words today. I did try a new game playing Memory with 12 cards that had 6 of the Strawberry Shortcake images on each. This was the second time I tried with her and she did better this time. Once we got the match, she would grab them and put to the side. After she arranged her 6 characters and I joined her by arranging my characters the same way.
In the afternoon, Haley took her to a park and they had a great time outdoors! My parents came also to give us a much needed date night! She had a short session with my mom and then wanted to come down when she heard commotion downstairs. Aunt Miranda & Chloe came so that Chloe could go home with Grammy & Papa for an overnight visit. Ashley was excited to see them both and took Chloe's hand several times during her time here and even sat shoulder to shoulder with Chloe on couch watching tv!
Monday
I took the kids to Hop n Happy this morning with Austin Special Needs and both kids loved it. Ashley wanted my help to climb stairs up to a slide on one of the bounce houses. I asked if she wanted help and she said "yeah". She really didn't need my help but I guess it gave her extra confidence. She tried to interact with 2 of her friends there and made great eye contact. Both interactions was Ashley making eye contact, jumping next to them and smiling! It only last about 5 seconds each but it was something! When we walked to the car, she said "water" so it was nice to hear her say what she needed!
At lunch, Ashley said "chee (for chips) and juice". She also requested watching Chicken Little show on her Ipad and then looked at me saying "chi".
After Hop N Happy, our day got pretty tough... We had a follow up doctor appointment for Ashley and then had to run 2 errands. All of that made Ashley upset since they were not fun places and really no way to help her understand these errands. Her frustration just keep building up throughout the day and my patience grew shorter. :(
In session with me, she said "beewee (for berry of Strawberry Shortcake cards), water, petze (for pretzel), motzel (for pretzel)". Our frustration with each other seemed to spill over into the Playroom so I kept it short today. We ended up going into the backyard to change things up and enjoy the nice weather before rain comes. I got the sidewalk chalk out and she said "chalk" 3 times!
In the evening, we all went to Chic-fil-a for dinner because I did not want to cook. Our outing went sooooo well and the kids played in the play area so nicely! We cannot remember the last time Ashley played so well and appropriately! Normally Ashley would rock in corner and cover her ears. We just got to watch them from outside and they got great exercise! We might just make this a weekly event since it helped pass that evening hour where kids cannot get grumpy with each other at home.
Tuesday
This morning we went on a field trip with families of Austin Special Needs to the Austin Aquarium. It was so much fun and Ashley was ALL over the place. Last time she stayed with stingrays the entire time but she went back and forth between 4 areas this time. When I asked her if she liked the stingrays she said "yeah". I had a scare at one time when Ashley got out of my sight from playground...I am so thankful for our special needs community because two other moms went looking for her too and I must have overlooked her when I was jogging through. She was playing with the starfish bending down. One of my biggest fears is her wandering off from our house or in public because she is basically nonverbal and not always aware of what is around her.
When Tracy arrived before the aquarium, Ashley took her hand and said "play"! Tracy stayed home with Noah and brought Samson so the 2 boys could play while I took Ashley to field trip! In session with Tracy, she said "one, tuh (for two), tree (for three), water, ball & more." I also brought up Chic-fil-a for them to have a picnic lunch and Ashley loves their food! She enjoyed Strawberry Shortcake cards again, music, and counting. She was not very vocal or active today.
After lunch, I took Ashley and Noah to a local elementary park so we could all get some exercise. This is the first time I attempted to do this solo with both kids. Overall it went pretty well and I could do it again at this park. At first, Ashley thought it was funny to run away from Noah. I don't think she was trying to initiate chase but just trying to get away from brother. Noah is a trooper though and thankfully stays pretty close to me as we follow Ashley. Two times he did try wander far away but he listened and came back. Ashley likes climbing the walls so Noah wants to do everything she does and he does great holding onto the big kid swings! At the end, he finally grabbed her hand and wanted her to come on the slide. Ashley wasn't too happy but then she came with him. She paused and then brought both his hands to her chest looking at his eyes which I got on camera. I wish I could know what she was thinking at that moment because it was sweet! Whenever she got to top of the slide she would have biggest smile on her face. I got it once on camera and once she looked at me and said "cheese" while smiling! :)
We did a Playroom session and again she really wanted to focus on the Strawberry Shortcake Memory game cards. She actually held up each card to me, made eye contact and waited for me to say their name. She said "straw, straw, moosuh (for music)" and some approximations for the character names.
Ashley helped me make the Mexican casserole by pouring in the contents and was super attentive to all I was doing and saying! She then helped with washing & cutting Strawberries. She knows without me saying anything to get a butter knife, paper towel on counter, stool from laundry room, open fridge and grab strawberries!!! She sang "Straw, straw, straw, straw" once when starting process! Before she ate them, she said "mine" and started putting them in her mouth!
Wednesday
This morning when I went into her bedroom she was on her bed rolling around. I asked "what are you doing?" and she repeated "What are you doing?" mumbled together!
In session with Tracy, she said "straw straw (for Strawberry Shortcake), buffo (for buffalo animal cracker), jump, more, muse (music), want, water, my, one, yum, & eat." She liked hearing Tracy name all the animals of her animal crackers just like Haley did on Sunday at church! Ashley did really well at following directions and enjoyed counting with skittles again!
After lunch, we did water play in the backyard since it warmed up and forecast doesn't look to good next 4 days. Ashley said 5 different times "water" to request the hose being turned on. Ashley loves the hose but Noah does not like being sprayed with it. We had one last set of water balloons to use up and Ashley wanted to squeeze the water out while Noah wanted to preserve them all. :)
In the afternoon, Haley took Ashley to a local park and she had a great time! In the evening, she was so excited to see daddy home early and wanted to run around with him! She also said "mubbin" for muffin.
Thursday
Today it started raining just like it did last year on Thanksgiving. We needed to all get out of the house so we went to Walmart to look at toys just like we did last year. Before we left Ashley wanted a hat off the shelf and wanted Jeremy to help her put it on. That was interesting because she doesn't like wearing things on her head. Noah then wanted one too so how could I not catch my two cuties in baseball hats?
My parents came over at 11am so we could start some food preparation and Jeremy took Ashley to the Playroom for a session. We thought today would go best if she was in Playroom until it was time for us to all sit down for Thanksgiving lunch. Uncle Chris, Aunt Miranda, cousins Chloe & Lyla came around noon. When Ashley came downstairs she seemed excited to see everyone and was eager to sit down for food. She sat with us the ENTIRE meal and dessert which has NEVER happened! I have been trying to work on all of us sitting at the table together these last 2 months and Ashley got better each time waiting until I finished eating. At Thanksgiving lunch, she touched some food on her plate but only ate the strawberries and oranges. She was content to watch all of us eat and never even tried to get up! Then we all had Pumpkin Dump Cake and Ashley tried that after watching all of us. She liked it a lot especially with redi-whip on top! :)
This was the most memorable thanksgiving we have ever had with Ashley! Last year she sat with us maybe 5 minutes, then ran around screaming or rocking making very loud noises. The years before that were even worse so we were so thankful we ALL got to sit at table together this year and enjoy each others company! It gives us hope for future family gatherings!
After lunch, Ashley wanted to go back to Playroom so Aunt Miranda took her up for a little! When they came back down, she wanted ice and played catch with Papa for 3 turns! When I pulled out my camera to take some more pictures, she smiled and said "cheese" while walking towards me. We helped her take a selfie with Miranda and me! She also enjoyed playing with Chloe & Lyla. Later she wanted to go back up to Playroom with Grammy and they had a good time! It was so great that Ashley had a place to escape when she needed a break and that she let us know! We all got to visit for almost 3 hours this year which is longer than we have ever been able to do before!!!
After everyone left, Jeremy took her to walk around a different Walmart since it was still raining. She needs opportunities to get activity and exercise because it helps her sleep too! In the evening, she said "water & mubba" for muffin.
Friday
This morning we went to my parents house so kids could have a different place to play and no crowds! They like the new toys there and the big bath tub to play in! One activity the kids like is throwing foam blocks off top banister and having one of us throw them back up! We did that for about 10 minutes and this time Ashley participated without even being encouraged! At potty break, she said "wash" after I said lets wash our hands!
We went to chic-fil-a for lunch since we didn't have any more Thanksgiving leftovers and again Ashley played so great in the playground. There was a girl her age that Ashley really wanted to play with and she kept taking her hand to lead her up steps. Once I explained to the girl that Ashley doesn't talk (just easier to explain it this way to a 6 year old) but she really wants to play, then the girl seemed a lot more understanding! I asked Ashley if she wanted to say "hi" to Alexis and then she waved to her making good eye contact! It was cute to watch but I do hope one day Ashley can communicate even better with a friend how she wants to play and what she wants to do! On the drive home she said "water" since she got a great workout there!
Haley took Ashley to local bounce house and she had so much fun running around! She made great eye contact with Haley but did not say any words. In session with me, she said "want, boppy (for music), wee (for weebles), & wash" at potty time! She seemed tired and worn out from all the exercise but we just enjoyed the quiet in Playroom away from fussy Noah!
Saturday
In session, with Jeremy this morning she said "bay" for bacon and wanted to line up Strawberry Shortcake cards again! In session with me, she said "water, ink (for pink) & wash" at potty time! I took Ashley on a lunch date to Qdoba since we needed to keep kids separated today. When we got ready to leave she got her shoes, my shoes and then said "shoes". When we were in line to order food, I would ask her if she wanted rice, beans, chicken, etc and got no response. However, when I asked if she wanted sides of chips and juice then she chimed in with "chips" and "juice". I asked if she would try her burrito bowl and she said "try". She did eat 5 small bites which is a great start and she didn't fight it.
When we got home I thought we would make some gfcf brownies together and she really enjoyed it! This was her first time to make brownies and they turned out very yummy! I should have planned more things in the kitchen for us to do together this week during break. She liked spraying Pam, cracking the eggs (hand over hand), stirring, pouring in the melted butter, & pouring in the brownie mix. It got hard stirring the entire mix so she looked at me and gave me the whisk to help. She then scooped the batter into the pan! I the let her lick the whisk and somehow she got the perfect circle around her mouth! haha! After she asked for a PBJ sandwich so she helped me spread peanut butter and jelly while saying "jeh" for jelly. She put paper towel in the trash and said "trash" while walking to it. Then she took her plate, sat at table and said "Awesome" while looking at her creation! :)
In the afternoon, Jeremy took Ashley to a place in Round Rock that she has never been to before. They had about 8 different inflatables and Ashley wanted Jeremy to go everywhere with her to play! She loved it there and did not want to leave! He took a few pictures because she finally accomplished climbing those harder stairs!
I seem to have a new favorite praise and worship song each week so the kids got to listen to this one a lot this past week. Noah even started singing along by the end of the week. When things get tough with kids or they start getting upset with each other, I try to turn on music to calm them down and myself! :)
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