First Dance! - Jan 29th, 2016

Saturday

We had a lazy morning and Ashley is starting to enjoy her swing more! We went to Chic-fil-a for lunch and Ashley said "eech-eye" for French fry! After we got home she asked for "water" and said "awesome". She had a fun session with daddy and made lots of eye contact.

We went to swim lessons and when she got out of the car said "swim"! Ashley still seemed hesitant to go into deep water and I am not sure what is going on. :(

Tonight we went to Special Needs Family Winter Dance hosted by Round Rock Recreation. It was Ashley and Noah's first dance! We had no idea how it would go but wanted to try. I found some cute clothes at consignment shop for both kids! Ashley seemed to love her dress and wearing mommy's necklace! She did say "dress" when I asked her if she wanted put on her purple dress.

 

As soon as she arrived, she was nonstop moving to the music and the kids did not want to pause for a family picture. Ashley walked right out onto the dance floor and started her rocking to the music! Ashley also LOVED swing dancing with daddy and did that a lot! She loved being twirled around by him and made such great eye contact with him. It was hard not to cry watching because it was so special!!! They had some cupcakes which was a challenge to keep our kids away from eating all of them. Ashley did say "this one" looking at a chocolate cupcake and "water" when we went to get drinks! She loved the dance so much that she threw giant tantrum leaving so I hope they will have more family dances!

Here is some video of her when she first went into the dance. She immediately went onto the dance floor and these are her moves!

I was also able to capture short video of Daddy and Ashley dancing! I love how she comes back to him for more twirls and you can hear her happy squeal!

Sunday

Ashley had a great time at church today and was in a great mood! Alissa said she sang "boppy" a lot and also sounded like trying sing ABC song! After church, I had a good session with her and we played peek a boo with her tent. She enjoyed us reading Brown Bear book together and liked me singing Whole New World. She said "water, no, tih (for tickles), boppy, & wah-way (singing this to tune of Whole New World)!"

Jeremy took her to a park to enjoy great weather and they had a great time! In the evening we had my parents and brother's family over to celebrate Noah's 3rd birthday. We all sat in dining room eating pizza and Ashley did great! After we got Noah's Star War cake to sing happy birthday and Ashley was patient waiting. When we started serving the cupcakes, she was watching me so I said "everyone gets 1 cupcake". Today she finally understood this and did not have meltdown after finishing hers super fast. We wiped her hands and she went off to play. This is one reason why we can't attend birthday parties because she has huge sweet tooth. We opened Noah's gifts and he got some new robots. This is where it got really rough because Ashley wanted to play with them too and Noah didn't want to share his new birthday gifts. We had to separate them because she started getting really mad and hitting herself.

Monday

At school, she said "water & ready". At recess, she sat on the sidewalk and waited patiently for a swing to become available. Once a child got off, she walked over to the open swing. Yay!!! She normally throws big fit because patience is something we are still trying to work on. She also went to restroom today on her own with no prompting!

At OT and speech, she said "tube" for the tube swing. She also did great following directions and pointed to items on her visual schedule they made for her. Her best friend D has therapy there at the same time and today they were in the gym at the same time. Ashley wanted to get in the big hammock swing with her so they sat back to back. When D had to leave the gym, Ashley got really upset that she left.

At home, we did a short session downstairs since she seemed interested in the swing. She sat in it for probably 8 minutes today with me pushing gently and she made great eye contact with me smiling! When I finished drinking water at table, she came over to sit on my lap and pulled my arms around her. She wanted to cuddle with me!!! she gave me several kisses and thought it was funny to move close to my face and pull away. She also liked me giving her tickles and kisses on her arms! She sang "bubba bubbles" several times and I sang bubble guppy song with her which she seemed to think funny!

 She was also a great listener tonight with letting Oscar out to potty and closing all the blinds! I came around the corner to observe a sweet sibling moment. Ashley was sitting in her swing and Noah was pushing her. She was laughing and enjoying it!

Tuesday

Today she had a great day at school and said "water & bubbles". Her OT was so impressed with her today because she followed directions for a 6 step activity to make snow! She also listened really well to her teachers and did great job today during transitions.

When we got home, Noah and Ashley were both in great moods. Noah asked Ashley to come help him at the train table. She started lining up the trains and cars and Noah helped her! She got in her swing and he came to push her again. They were both laughing and it was so cute! He is going to be such a great brother to her!

In session, she started saying "watree" for everything which got a little frustrating so I started playing dumb when she was requesting items. She wanted me to say all the Brown Bear characters today and then wanted to listen to music. She wanted me to sing A Whole New World and watched my mouth again. She also wanted me to sing Tangled song but I didn't know all the words. She eventually said "chee-cha (for cracker), no, ball, want, boppy, woe-way (singing to tune of Whole New World)." She kept yawning and seemed so tired so I thought we would change it up.

We went downstairs to make Brownies for Tracy who comes tomorrow. She did great cracking the eggs, pouring in the butter and brownie batter. When we washed our hands after cracking eggs, she said "wash". She almost stirred the batter until it was fully combined which can get really thick and tough to do! She then poured it into the pan and now seems to understand it has to go into oven to bake! Then I let her lick the spoon so she was super happy!

Tonight Ashley started a new project and put most her stuffed animals into the swing. :) However she had a process and decided which one went next. She didn't want us helping but she did let me stay to watch. After she put all the animals in swing that she wanted then she pushed them in the swing! When Jeremy got home an hour later, she took his hand immediately to pull him to see her swing! It was interesting because she wanted to show off her work to her daddy!!!

Wednesday

At school, Ashley had a cute interaction with one of SLE peers! The teachers told me her peer was sitting down playing with some toys and one item had ball attached. Ashley walked over, grabbed the ball, and ran off laughing! The boy was laughing too and came up to her with his hand stretched out. Ashley smiled, made eye contact and put the ball into his hand. They said it was only about 2 minutes but this was Ashley's first interaction with him and she initiated it! She also said "bubbles, chips, water, &  strawberry shortcake". She didn't sleep well last night so they did mention she wasn't very focused during work time but still in a great mood today!

In session with Tracy, she said "cha-cha (for cracker), cra-cha (for cracker), mu (for music), water, eat, this, want it, mouth, boppy, ju (for jump), pooh (for poop), no, that and no poo" several times when tracy asked if she needed to go poop. She enjoyed bracelets, books, jumping, counting and dancing today! After session, I asked if she wanted to put her stuffed animals in the swing again but she responded "no". I turned on TV while I was making dinner and Mickey Mouse show came on. She brought her Ipad over to me to ask for Mickey Mouse figurines and then said "mouse".

Ashley has been enjoying swinging all her stuffed animals yesterday and today. She even let Noah help her place the animals today! When I said "listen" to Noah, she said "isten" (for listen). She seems pretty proud of herself! Last night when Jeremy got home, she even took his hand to lead him over to swing so he could see what she had done! Tonight was sooooo pleasant with both kids and they got along so well!

Thursday

Today at school she worked really hard and has almost mastered tracing her name perfectly!!! She said "glasses, bubbles, watching, & water"! When one of her teachers put her sunglasses on for going outside, Ashley seemed very intrigued by them so that is when she said "glasses" after teacher said sunglasses.

In session with me, she said "ball, che-chee (for cracker), boppy, no & woe-woe" singing to tune of A Whole New World. today she wanted to listen to some music, shake pompoms, throw fabric in the air, and play with doctor set.

Friday

She had a great day at school today and was very talkative! She had no challenges today and said "trash, yes, bubbles, toy story, water & puppy".

In speech with Brooke, she said "push, no, bo, yes, watching veggie, no potty, tank eww (for thank you) & want to swing"!

After dinner, Jeremy took Ashley to local school park. There was another family there with 2 kids and Ashley played with them for almost 30 minutes. She made great eye contact with the boy and they chased each other laughing! Jeremy said it was so great to watch seeing her engaging with another peer and playing so well!

Letters!!! - Jan 22nd, 2016

Saturday

Jeremy took Ashley to special needs hour at Mt. Playmore this morning and she got some great exercise! She even played with her best friend D for about 20 minutes!!! They made eye contact and followed each other around! :)

Ashley had a fun session with daddy in Playroom! She was not really vocal today but was in a great mood with lots of eye contact! I took her to swim lessons and she seems to be getting use to new instructor and indoor pool! She even said "yes" to one of the questions Amy asked. Toward the end of the lesson, Ashley was listening much better to instruction! Her instructor had princess toys as motivators and even a bucket with holes in the bottom! Ashley still was not ready to go into the deep part of the pool but Amy didn't force or push it since they are still getting to know each other!

Sunday

She had a good morning at church today! Her buddy Haley reported that Ashley said "duh-duh (for dum-dum), I want, chip, bo (for book)" and she was also engaged during circle time! Her buddy Alissa said that during 2nd hour Worship she sat down during story and seemed to really be listening also! Normally she will sit but look all over the room. Today she was focused on speaker and hopefully soaking it in!

We bought her a used swing that can hold her weight so we will see how she likes it inside and we are hoping it can help with her sensory needs.

After church, she requested on her Ipad - lake, river and bathing suit! :) She loved the swimming lessons and pool yesterday. Jeremy took her to a park and enjoyed the great weather! She said "shoes" and "water" before leaving!

At bath time, she said "water" to request faucet on and then after was super affectionate. She wanted me to keep giving her bear hugs while wrapped in her towel and she gave me 3 kisses! I would have kept holding her and enjoying that sweet moment but Noah wanted out of tub too. She also said "I want" and "nana" for banana.

Monday

We went to Catch Air this morning with special needs group and both kids had a great time! Ashley was in her own world this morning but she had a great time! She even transitioned to leave very easily!

She said "watching, I want, no" and sang "boppy" a lot today!
After lunch we went to a park and enjoyed the great weather! She found a ball left there and said "ball". Noah wanted to follow Ashley around so I tried to get a picture of both kids together but Ashley was not in mood for smiling.

In session with me, she let me read her Umizoomi book and we counted the numbers each page. She picked out 2 princess crowns and watched me put it on my head. She let me put the other one on her head and then walked over the mirror. She smiled and made some sounds! We admired our crowns in the mirror for about 1 minute and then she was done! She doesn't like things on her head so that a was fun! She said "I want, water, straw (for strawberry shortcake), and chee-chess (2x for cracker)".


Tuesday

Today at school she had a great day and was very vocal with lots of happy sounds! She said "watching" and "yes" when asked if wanted to go next door to sensory room! She also said "tee-tee" on the way to the potty again! She did really great at sorting different objects of same color and also is now independently pointing when they work on counting! They also loved hearing her sing a lot today! When I picked her up, her teacher was trying to describe the singing so I just sang "boppy" like Ashley always does. Ashley looked up fast, smiled at me and then sang "boppy"!

In the afternoon we had another follow up doctor appointment and Ashley did great! We have finally broken the bad habit of having dum-dums at doctor offices. She does enjoy this counting App on my old iphone and then doctor had some toys she played with. When the doctor asked if she wanted help opening a toy, Ashley said "yes". She even wrote her name independently for the doctor and is getting really good at letter A and e. When we got home she said "bath" 2 times and "water". She was very excited to play with daddy too and great eye contact during their tickle/run time!

Wednesday

Before school, Ashley wanted ice chips so I asked her if she wanted purple or pink bowl. She said "burple"! Then she was very interested in letter toy that sings a song about the letter and said "D" after Leap Frog toy did. I asked her if she could give me the letter A and she gave it to me quickly. I then asked her for D, C and B separately and she did it correctly!!! She is learning her letters now!!!

At school, they said she was very vocal with lots of sounds and only said "lunch box" today! At recess she wanted to go play with her peers playing basketball. One of the boys gave her the ball and then she rolled it away! :) She was making great eye contact with the kids and laughing when they were dribbling the ball!

In session with Tracy, she seemed very tired and did lots of stemming. She did say "straw (for strawberry shortcake), bubbles, this, want, eat, nack (for snack) and I want." She enjoyed playing with new rocks we got so she could pour them between buckets, count, make patterns, etc.

I read this poem again in Bible Study this morning and thought it was so fitting. Book is "Surrender Your Junior God Badge: Every Woman's Battle With Control" by Jackie Kendall. This poem can apply to so many areas in everyone's life but it definitely applies to having a child with special needs.

Thursday

She had a great day at school and was super vocal! She said "I want, water, watching, A, B, D & tee-tee" on the way to the bathroom! They enjoyed hearing her sing "boppy" a lot today too! They confirmed at school that she is identifying letters A, B, C, & D! They are also using manipulatives to make other letters like H, L, M, N using sticks, rulers, pipe cleaners, etc.

In session with Tracy, she said "eat, nack, crit (for cracker), what, more, tree, want, mommy and bobby" and sang bobby a lot!  She enjoyed rocks, drawing with crayons, lining up crayons, bracelets, counting and dancing! She did really well counting today and did that for almost 40 minutes! Great eye contact today and lots of sounds!

Friday

We had to get her blood drawn again this morning with fasting and Ashley handled it so well! It was a big change in her morning routine and she handled the blood draw like a champ! At school, some of her peers had a really rough day so Ashley was not very vocal. Thankfully she is starting to handle it better when others around her are upset and does not hit herself or cry as much! She said "water & lunch box" at school today!

In speech with Brooke, she was very vocal and loved the tire swing at the end. She was making great eye contact on the swing and did not want to leave. When I came in, this is what I saw so couldn't help but capture picture of Ashley loving speech therapy! She said "swing (2 times), I want swing, more swing, more push, bupples, boppy, oh no!, wait,  no match, push, quack-quack, help, yeah, yes, no, water, I want, watch, veggie, I want watch Tink (said after she made sentence on her Ipad)!

She picked out the Brown Bear book tonight so I started reading it to her while she was on the potty. She then made eye contact with me, watched my mouth, and would point to the next animal. She loves the last page of the book where it lists all the animals on one page. After we read, I asked if she could point to the purple cat and she did! I asked her about a few other animals and she pointed them out correctly too! She also said "e-u-duck" after I said yellow duck! I just love how she is listening and comprehending better than she ever has! God is so good!

Writing her name!!! - Jan 15th, 2016

Saturday

Today we just relaxed this morning which was great for all of us! We went to the park for a little but didn't stay too long since it was pretty cold. Before we left for the park, I kept saying to everyone Lets go the park. When I was putting Ashley's shoes on, she said something like "I want to bubba chee" (for I want to go park) while looking at me. Jeremy and I both looked at each other realizing she was trying to say full sentence to us without repeating us or prompting!!! Wow!

At lunch, she said "drink, juice & chips". In session with me, she said "want, I want, water, che-bar (for cracker) and bubba (for music)". We had fun hitting balloons around and she loved me blowing up balloons to let them go flying around room! So proud of Ashley!!!! Today she was interested in tracing her name on paper pinned to Playroom wall. After I asked her if she could write her name and picture #2 is what she did totally independent!!!!! I was so impressed and she was proud of herself! :) normally she would just scribble ALL over the place but she really tried to write her name!! We wrote her name about 10 more times and picture #3 at bottom is end result (I only gave a little hand over hand on A to get her started and let go)!

Grammy & Papa got Ashley some swim lessons for Christmas with a special needs swim instructor. Today was our first evaluation and Ashley LOVE being back at the pool. However, she did not want to listen. She took a while to warming up to the new instructor but by the end she was holding on to her! It is a great indoor pool so excited Ashley gets opportunity to keep swimming! I think she could do swim team in a few years if she wants to! During time there, she said "reach" after I said it in pool demonstrating arm pulling. She did have meltdown leaving which we knew was coming. She always does leaving the pool since the loves it so much.

After we went to Chic-fil-a since I forgot to make dinner casserole this morning. Ashley said "dench die" for French Fry. I am realizing that I have never heard her say the f sound. In the playground she had a lot of fun and would make great eye contact with us! She would even come up to the window, put her face against it and smile at us!

Sunday

At church, she said "dum-dum, bubbles, want, more bubbles" and also told Haley with picture that she needed to go potty! She had great time in Kings Kids A getting to play with sensory toys too! A sibling of special needs child that knows Ashley saw her from down the hall and said "Hi Ashley!" Ashley paused and looked at her which really impressed the family that she acknowledged her name and looked at them! :) Its great when outside family people see the difference and progress in Ashley!

In session, she did a lot of rocking today so I just joined her. I have to catch myself sometimes that I just enjoy the time with her and not try push her do something she doesn't want to. She did such a great job yesterday trying to write her name so its easy to get in mindset of what else can she do today. She was really into Strawberry Shortcake pictures & small figurines. She kept taking my finger to point at each one and wanting me to say their names. She also wanted music today and her favorite is A Whole New World song from Aladdin. She watched me sing along the first time and opened her mouth like she might try sing too. The second time we played it she took my hand and pushed it away basically telling me to not sing. :) She did say "want, eat, straw (for strawberry shortcake), muba (for music) & water."

We went to a friends house for dinner and Ashley did pretty good sitting at the table with all of us. She was not interested in what they served and let us know she did not want it. She loved playing in their backyard and did not want to leave!

Monday

At school, she said "done, watching, water, bubbles & want" and did her work well! At speech and OT, she was verbally trying to tell them sentences! They tried to introduce some yoga poses for OT but she was not really into it.

In session with me, she said "want, mubar (for cracker), water, teetee, bub bub bubba (singing bubble guppies song)" and she also sang "ew wool" for Whole New World Song!!! She was interested in music, play doctor kit, Chicken Little book and puzzles. We have been trying to incorporate counting whenever possible so when she has a few crackers left in Ziploc bag we start counting how many are left each time. I normally have to hold her hand, she points, and I do hand over hand counting with her. Today when we got down to 5 crackers left in the Ziploc bag, I asked her if she could count how many are left. She pointed to EACH cracker independently while I counted aloud! Then we did same for 4, then 3 cracker, etc! Yay!!!


Tuesday

At school, Ashley was very happy and vocal! She said "done, water, bubbles, I want, & teetee". She said "teetee" to her teacher and then walked into the bathroom to go!!!! After school we had to go to a follow up appointment and get some blood drawn. She kept singing "dohbot" over and over while we were waiting for doctor. I started singing it with her and she looked at me smiling! She did great when they did blood draw as we explained all that was going to happen and explained all steps!
She had a great session with Becky and I know my mom was so glad to be back!



Wednesday

Before school Ashley was looking at her Bubble Guppies book and started singing "bub-bub-bubba"!

Today at school Ashley worked really hard and was in a great mood! She somehow sensed it was almost time for outdoor morning walk so she went to her locker, pulled out her sweatshirt and put it on all by herself! :) She said "want, one, bubbles & water". Her teacher also sent me a picture because Ashley was making a large parade in the middle of sensory room and they had not seen this before! Too funny what she choose to be apart of her special line! :)

In session with Tracy, she said "eat, cracra (for cracker), eating, balls, mus (for music), I want, Bubbles, Tray-she (for Tracy), bite, &  Bubble-Bubble-Bubble-Bye". When Ashley said Tracy's name she smiled so big looking at her! Tracy tried some new games with Ashley like drawing with feet. Tracy helped her keep pen between her 2 toes and Ashley thought the whole thing was so funny! She also tried to blow ping-balls using a straw but she was not interested. She loved dancing with music, brain flakes and counting!

Noah was in a great mood this evening and he gave Ashley a spontaneous hug when she walked by. He kept hugging her from behind while she was walking slowly and they both were laughing! It was a sweet moment! She did a great job letting Oscar outside again and cutting up strawberries for dinner! When I got her ice, she tried approximation like always but then said "awesome" while walking away! :)

Thursday

At school, she said "I want, done, water & tee-tee" again for needing go potty!!! She did great work today, listened to teachers but hard time waiting today.

In session with Tracy, she said "me, up, want, whee, water, eat, bobby, bubble" and lots of eye contact! She enjoyed playing with Petshop toys and even asked Tracy to help stand some of them up also! She liked music, dancing, counting and jumping!

At bath time, she said "water & want" for me to turn on faucet and then she wanted to help rinse out shampoo from Noah's hair using a cup! He did not like that. When Jeremy got home, Ashley was so excited to see him and wanted to run! She made great eye contact during their play time and lots of laughs with tickles!

Friday

At school, she said "water, good job &  bubbles"! She also played peekaboo with teachers several times today by covering up her eyes laughing and then looking at them! She had a great day and no sensory challenges at all!

In session with me, she said "water, one, red (2 times), watching, I love you, & new woe"! I let her choose between red or green jelly beans to count today and she said "red". She wanted the song A Whole New World and wanted me to sing it! She was making great eye contact and then watching my mouth to intently! I tried to see if she wanted to write her name but she shook her head no.

At dinner, she helped me cut up the strawberries and then let Oscar out to potty! I pulled out pen and paper at table and she showed interest. I asked if she wanted to write her name so we did that for a while. She is getting much better with the A! At potty time she said "push" and when wanting ice she said "iii". She really wanted to play with daddy when he got home so she enjoyed running around stairs with him and getting tickles!

Star Wars & Chase! - Jan 9th, 2015

Sunday

Today Ashley woke up really happy and eager to go to church! She said "mubba" for muffin. At church she said "dum-dum, yes & no" multiple times for when asked if she needed to go potty.

She had a fun Session with Jeremy after church and enjoyed eating her lunch in there! Haley took her to Hop N happy to play and said "no" to one of her questions! After bath, she brought me her bupple guppy book and starting singing "bubba bubba bubba"!

Monday

They said she was really tired at school, whiny, but also compliant in her work. In the afternoon, we went to use our free gift certificates at Baked By Amy for free cupcakes. She looked at display and then pointed to the Brownie Cupcake! :) It was so cool to see her pointing out which one she wanted!!! She sang "bubba bubba bubba" several times this afternoon for Bubble Guppies song!

Papa brought us over dinner since my mom is out of town. Ashley noticed when car pulled up in front of our house so she watched my dad walk all the way to our front door. She made eye contact with my dad too which made him feel very special! Noah was super fussy during dinner but thankfully it did not bother Ashley tonight. After dinner we played with lightsabers and had to pull out some different sticks so all could play! When we all split cupcakes after dinner, Ashley said "awesome" when I brought them out!

Ashley also let Oscar outside again and let him back inside when he finished his business! I wanted to get a picture of it since we are so impressed she is doing this every night now!!!! She watches Oscar walk out the door and then closes it once he has passed through. Sometimes she will watch him in the yard and then open door back when he runs back! :)

 

 

Tuesday

 

Today was another rough day at school and I believe it is due to her waking up 4 times last night. They said at morning recess she went behind the fence and got her back into area she is suppose to play at. Then she looked at her teacher, smiled, and deliberately sprinted off to portables. I hated hearing this and thankful her teachers keep good eye on her. She was not allowed to go out after lunch so hopefully she understands consequences. She did say "watch & want" at school!

 

Despite her being tired and bad day at school, she was super happy and enjoyable to be around this afternoon! In session, she said "ball (3 times), want, water, one, tih (for tickles), & shoes (2 times)" when were were completing shoe part on the Minnie Mouse puzzle! We did counting again using the brain flakes and it is always great seeing her demonstrate her colors! I would ask if she could put 1 red on the #1, 2 blue on #2, etc. using different colors for every number and she got it right!

 

After bath, she dressed herself again even if shirt and shorts were backwards! :) She gave me 2 kisses after bath which is always a treat since she is giving those just because! She then started singing "bubba, bubba, bubba" to let me know she wanted bubble guppies!

 

 She also did great letting Oscar outside and letting him back in! Kids made their mini pizzas again and Ashley said "sauce" while making it! When daddy got home, she wanted him to pick her up and she gave him a kiss too without him saying anything! At night, she also said "mubba (for muffin), I want, & run (2 times)" when we were running around the stairs!

 

Wednesday

 

Hard to believe Ashley was diagnosed with autism 4 years ago. She has made some great progress since then and we cannot wait to see what God has planned for her! As she is getting older, I realize fear over her safety will always be there and the struggle to trust God completely. Yesterday her teacher told me she tried to sprint off playground....VERY frightening to hear. I am thankful her teachers keep close eye on her and can run fast. (She tried a few times last semester t...oo.) Her sleep issues over last few weeks have caused some extreme behaviors. So it's time we take some precautions since she got away from me once at break too. Hope she can get use to wearing....

     On a happier note, today I got much better news!!! At recess Ashley engaged with peers in playing chase!!!! She didn't play game exactly right but was running around with them, laughing and then she wanted this boy to chase her. Haha! It all lasted about 15 minutes (which is long for her) and her peers were sweet including her!!!! She only said "water" at school today.

 

 

In session with Tracy, she said "yum, water, more, mumu (for music), cr (for cracker), bonny (for pony), bee, Dracee (for Tracy), up, this one, baba, months, red, & Barbie." She enjoyed playing with music, puzzles, counting, strawberry shortcake, & brain flakes! She liked dancing to music today and then walking on the brain flakes too! She also got the pictures of dum-dums in order #1-5 without the numbers shown on board!

 

When she came down from session she wanted ice chips and then took my hand so I would come sit on the rug with her!!! She helped me cut up the strawberries and then waited patiently for me to get dinner on! After we had fun running around stairs and Ashley said "ruh & awesome"! I tried to teach both kids how to play chase by tagging....I will keep trying. Noah started crying when I tagged him like he was scared. After a few times I would ask Ashley to tag me but she would touch her own hand! She was in a great mood today and I think it helped that she finally slept well last night!

 

Thursday

 

 Today at school she said "water, bubbles, ball & enough"! At recess, she sat with a group of girls and then they all transitioned together to sit at a table. It lasted about 5 minutes and teacher couldn't hear conversation but again it is wonderful to hear of other kids including her!!! Also when the ball rolled down the hill Ashley did not go get it. She waited for her teacher to come get it for her! :)

 

In session with Tracy, she said "what, water, monts (3 times for Monster toys), pease (for please), up, more, one" and lots of sounds! She did great at sorting colored muffins and counting! She enjoyed brainflakes as sensory toy, monsters, music, play rood and jumping!

 

Papa came to visit again since Grammy is out of town. Ashley made great eye contact with him when he entered and asked him for help to stand up a Monsters toy! Before he left he asked her for a hug and she gave him a side hug and wave! She also asked for French fries using her Ipad since Papa brought BBQ but he didn't have any. The great thins is that after she selected on the Ipad she said "chee tries" for French fries 5 times!!!!!

 

 

Friday

 

At school, Ashley seemed to work very hard today and said "water, want, & bubbles." I pull her out early for OT & speech on Fridays but I was not told her OT wouldn't be there. Ashley was really patient in the waiting room for 15 minutes until Brooke could come get her early! She had a great speech session with Brooke! She said "yes" and "no" to multiple questions! At night we had a fun running session and she said "I want" for ice and did great letting Oscar out to potty again!

 





New Years Week! - Jan 1st 2016

This week she did indicate independently 6 times that she needed to go potty!!! She also has started helping let Oscar outside to potty and letting him back inside! :)

We had some rough times over the break where Ashley would have multiple meltdowns in a day because she was not getting her way or just change in schedules. She throws herself on the ground screaming and then starts hitting herself on the head or thigh. It is so hard to watch her doing that but now we are seeing that it is attention seeking behavior. Once we figured that out, we did our best to ignore the behavior and if necessary move out of the room. Then I would keep moving out of her sight and she would calm down. That was rough but it got better by Sunday thankfully!



Saturday

This morning I asked Ashley if she wanted to get her stool from pantry to help me make breakfast treat and she got up quickly! While she was bringing the stool into the kitchen she said "breakfast" and when I put the Breakfast Treat into the fridge she said "treat"! She loves cracking the eggs and stirring! She was a big help making it and has a good memory because later in the day she asked for it using her Ipad for dinner! :)

Jeremy took her to park to get outdoors before the rain came and they had a great time! Before she left I said Come on let's go potty first and she said "come on". She helped me pack her backpack and said "water" when she grabbed her sippy cup.

We had a special needs event at local bounce house and it was so great with low numbers so our kids did not get overwhelmed! Ashley's classmate D from last years ESLE class was there and she followed D around for about 30 minutes. I am also good friends with D's mom so our girls see each other a lot but we have not seen them engage with each other like this before!!!! They made great eye contact with each other and Ashley really wanted to play with her. At beginning they were almost hugging each other and holding hands! However, towards the end she started grabbing D's arm to try get her go on slide with her. D did not want to so she started running away from Ashley. It is a good problem to have BUT not yet sure how to teach Ashley how to play properly. I would say Be gentle and you cannot grab her arm to pull her, etc. The first time I said "be gentle", Ashley petted her head like she does with Oscar sometimes! Haha! It was hard to get good picture since they were both nonstop moving!

Haley also took Ashley out that afternoon and had a great time! She said "jump, sli (slide), I want, no, yes, & straw" for strawberry shortcake book! She also climbed the big tall stairs all by herself!

At night she said "mubbin (for muffin), iii (for ice) & awesome" when she found strawberry shortcake stickers! We also had good family time running around and giving tickles!

Sunday

Before church Ashley went into the potty on her own with no prompting and used bathroom. Then later she selected potty on her Ipad to let her know she needed to go!!!! She also said "straw" 4 times when I was talking about her characters in strawberry shortcake book and "bubbles" for Bubble Guppies book.

Today at church was a little challenging since low attendance and some regular people were not there. She did bring her Strawberry Shortcake book and matched her multicolored fruit chews to the shortcake characters. She also said "straw (2 times for book) and no" to Haley's question.

When we got home from church she wanted to go straight to her Playroom to decompress. I asked if she wanted a sandwich and she shook her head no! I asked if she would let me eat first and she waited patiently for me to eat!!!! Yay! We are looking for more opportunities to have her practice 'wait' and praising her when she waits patiently! In session, she said "juice, want, what, water, tuh (tinker bell book), buh-ball (for balls), rib-it (like frog) & straw" 3x when we were looking at her book.

Alissa took her to Jumpoline and she got her some great exercise. Jeremy and I are both fighting sinus infections again so it was great to have some rest time. Tracy & Haley got Ashley a new toy called Brain Flakes so we all enjoyed building star war ships! :) Ashley liked picking handfuls up and dropping them almost like a sensory activity.

Monday

This morning she went in to use the potty independently and with no prompting again!!!!

We went to Hop N Happy this morning with Austin Special Needs and we carpooled for the first time! A good friend and her daughter (Ashley's BFF named D) needed a ride so we thought we would try it! When we were all walking to the garage, Ashley said "awesome" since she loves Hop N Happy and probably because D was with us too! I didn't have time to prep Ashley for it but when we got to the car I asked her if she could sit in the center seat. She  moved over without a fuss and then watched as D got into her seat. She handled it REALLY well!!!! Our first carpool was a success!

When we got home she wanted to go straight to the Playroom but we couldn't go then since just me and 2 kids. Noah is battling allergies too so he is a little fussy and hard for them to be around each other. She said "water & cheeps" at lunch and then "shoes" when we left do run some drive-thru errands. She got a little frustrated waiting.

When Tracy pulled up in her car, Ashley was so excited and said Tracy's name 4 times like "Day-cee"! When I gave her bowl of ice chips to take up to Playroom Ashley smiled and said "awesome"!

In session with Tracy, she said "trays, Tink, this one (for puzzle piece), spu (for spin)" and other approximations. She did great following directions, dancing, puzzles, and laughing at herself in the mirror! We put 2 new puzzles in Playroom today she had never seen that were each 16 pieces. One was Toy Story and the other one was My Little Pony. There was no picture for her to see layout either and Tracy said she completed both independently. When she could not get a piece to work she did not get frustrated but just grabbed another one! yay! Tracy also did counting today using the Brain Flakes instead. She asked Ashley to put 1 yellow piece on the index card with #1. These are same index cards #1-5 we have used with dots and putting jelly beans on it. So with each number tracy asked her to put the correct number and a different color each time! She did it correctly!!!

She did a great job washing and cutting up strawberries! Then she sat at the table waiting so patiently for the Mexican Casserole to finish cooking!


Tuesday

In session with Tracy, Ashley said "that, ball, sp (for spin), mus (for music), yet, this one, whee, and nack (for snack)". She was not very vocal today but she had fun playing with brain flakes, balls, puzzles, music, books, and her new Umizoomi counting book! Tracy even tried to prep her for our painting class by drawing some snowmen with her on paper! :)

After lunch, she came over to me with her Ipad and selected Chicken Little to watch. She then looked at me and said "che-che little"!!!

Painting With A Twist in Cedar Park created a "Special Families Class" today for special needs kids and all family members! They made great accommodations for our kiddos including shortened class time & smaller canvas! Ashley did soooo great and I am so glad she got opportunity to try! It was our first mother & daughter PWAT painting!

She seemed to really enjoy it and wanted to use green/blue/black/white for background color! She even outlined the 3 circles for snowman!!! She was losing interest after 3 circles and snowflakes in sky so we did hand over hand for finishing off details for snowman. Papa came to paint with Noah! Noah liked it but had a mind of his own for his first painting! Haha! While we were waiting for background to dry, we went in other room to eat a snack because painting is hard work! Noah immediately saw the Star Wars painting so Papa held it up for him to put his face in!

 

 

 

 

When I was making dinner Ashley was patiently sitting at the table! Oscar came to stand by the back door so I thought I would try and see if Ashley could let him out. I asked her "Can you open the door and let Oscar outside?" and she got up and did it watching Oscar walk out!!!! Then when Oscar was ready to come back in I asked her again and she got up to open it for him!!!! Wow!!!!

 

Wednesday

 

Papa came over this morning to join us for special needs field trip to Austin Aquarium! Both kids loved it and Noah is very curious. Ashley actually went to the other side. She also noticed the display with stingrays and 2 Nemo fish!  Ashley went from room to room but still loves the stingrays. My dad got us stingray food so we got to feed them for the first time ever! It was a weird feeling having them suction off hand and Ashley preferred to just drop it on their nose so then they couldn't get it. My friend got some pictures when we were feeding them! In the car she said "water" wanting her sippy cup!

 

 

After we went to Chic-fil-a and then to local park to get some more exercise with sunshine. Ashley and I tried making a gingerbread house but apparently I did not get an easy one already assembled. It is suppose to sit at least 1 hour to dry before you start decorating. However, Ashley did not want to wait and only wanted to add icing to roof so I just let her start adding candy. Thankfully I got one picture before it all fell apart. Oh well! We still enjoyed eating some of it!

 

 

 

She brought her Ipad over to me today and requested potty all by herself!!!!!

 

Noah and Ashley made their own pizzas tonight and seemed to really enjoy making & eating it. While adding cheese, Ashley said "cheese" and "puh" for pizza! Bonus is that they hardly made any mess either! Ashley also listened really well to let Oscar outside to potty and to let him back in!!! We also did some running around stairs for fun and Ashley said "ruh" 2 times!

 

 

 

We have created an interesting problem...Noah randomly started singing "happy birthday Jesus" from when we celebrated last week. Ashely immediately paused, looked at me and walked to her Ipad. She selected a sentence her therapist programed. It said "my birthday is July 1st." She was waiting for the cake sitting at the table and sadly it led to a meltdown. So we need to make sure no one says happy birthday around her right now.

 

Thursday

 

This morning we got to go to Catch Air with Austin Special Needs and try this place for the first time. It was great because maximum of 50 kids, no music or super flashing lights! Haley came to help me with Ashley since I was told this place a little to large to keep track of both kids. Haley was a huge blessing and Ashley loved holding her hand to take her everywhere! It is a great place and we will definitely return during special needs family times!

 

This was fake kiddie pool and Ashley loved it. It seemed like a waterbed and you could see all the fake fish below moving around! She would probably love this as her bed!

 

Ashley kept trying to climb up and Haley was so patient with her. Ashley got a little higher each time but never made it to the top. I know she will get it next time! :)

 

 

 

After we got home, she brought her Ipad up to me and selected Potty!!!!!! At lunch she said "want" for her juice! She also let opened to door to let Oscar outside again!!

 

Our New Year's Eve was filled with Papa Murphy's pizza and watching a Netflix Care Bears countdown! We all still went to bed on time with no regrets!

 

Friday

 

Today was a pretty rough day with LOTS of meltdowns so not much to report. She did go into the potty by herself in the morning! We did go try Lunar Golf indoor mini golf with other special needs families. Ashley was not too into that so it did not last long.

 

 

 

She did want me to get out her Bubble Guppies toys so I started singing the theme song. She started singing after "bubba bubba bubba"!

 

Saturday

 

This morning we went to JumpStreet and had a great time! We had to work on Ashley's patience by waiting in line. It didn't get any better with each time.

 

 

 

In session with me, she said "water, want, ball, uice (for juice), tuh (tink)" and we just enjoyed being in their together today. Yesterday was so rough that I just wanted to love on Ashley. Later in the day she came up to me with her Bubble Guppies book, looked at me and clearly said "bubble guppies"! :) We went to chic-fil-a for dinner with a few other families but the playground was crowded and loud so she wanted to wander the restaurant scavenging for food!

 

Last night I asked if Ashley would open back door to let Oscar outside to potty. She listened so well and opened to door waiting for him to go out!!!

 

 

If you have read this far and are interested in Christmas week, then here is blog for Christmas week

 

For the 2 weeks Ashley started lining up random toys. Normally she keeps things grouped together but I took a picture the first day because it was so different. After that she would add more each day so I thought it was fun to see her additions and changes. The Bubble Guppy toys, Nemo fish, & Olaf  were always included! :)

 

 

We had a great year and are soooo thankful for Austin Special Needs! It is a wonderful community of families and we have a lot of fun together! Here is the ASN 2015 Video Yearbook so that we can see some of the fun events over this past year that Ashley got to enjoy! Huge thanks to all the organizers who volunteer their time!