Requesting for Daddy! - Feb 26th, 2016

We are entering a new chapter in our life because Noah is outgrowing his naps. The challenge is that during his nap times, I would do a 1 on 1 session with Ashley. We might have to start doing group session and thankfully Ashley does not get too upset anymore when Noah throws tantrum. We are also still dealing with sleep issues so her behavior seems worse at times where she is defiant and is having some crazy mood swings. She also is not saying as many words since her sleep issues started happening.

Sunday

My parents gave us 24 hours away to celebrate my birthday and it was so great to have that time with Jeremy! My parents took the kids to church like normal and my mom took this picture below of them holding hands when leaving the church! Haley took Ashley to Champs League and sounds like she was all over the place again but got good exercise!

Monday

Ashley had a good day at school today and she said "lashes". She was focused on her work of labeling, counting, colors, ABC's, writing and days of the week. In speech therapy with Viki, she did great using her Ipad to request items. Also said "no, push & open" at speech.

In session with me, we started out in her room swinging on the hammock together. Then Noah decided he was not going to nap so he came to join us. We all moved to the Playroom and I thought we would try it out today. Thankfully Ashley did not mind him being in there. It was a little challenging because Noah is very verbal and can dominate sometimes. We did play with Brain Flakes and Ashley loved pouring them out multiple times. Noah wanted me to build lightsabers so we did some doing ABAB patterns. Ashley kind of looked over a few times but not interested in helping us. Then I decided to build a Princess Crown with pink and purple pieces. She watched me as I put the crown on my head and then came over asking for it. She went to the mirror and put it on her head for about 10 seconds. Then she walked around the room holding up the crown using different angles to look at it. I made another one for me and then she came to the mirror so we both put our crowns on. During session she did say "ber (for cracker), boppy, no, & water".

After dinner, she requested her daddy on the Ipad multiple times! This is a NEW thing she is doing and its so great to see! The last one I captured a picture to send to Jeremy so he could see how much she missed him! :) She seemed to like that the flash was on so smiled at bright light. Got a cute picture on first try!

It was also cute seeing Ashley playing with Noah for about 10 minutes. She kept trying to get in his face, chase him, and would grab his hand to pull him to couch. I think she was trying to give him a kiss a few times but Noah didn't want it! I loved hearing them laughing and playing together!!

Tuesday

Ashley said "trash, water, I want, & that" at school today. She did really well with eye contact and working well at table. Her challenge has been last few weeks (has been challenge at home too) is her not listening to word no. Since these sleep issues started she has been more defiant and a lot more tantrums & meltdowns.

My mom took her out to get some exercise this afternoon since they didn't get to go out at school. It started out well but did not end to well.

Wednesday

At school, her mood was all over the place from happy/giggly to tantrum on the floor. Outside she wanted take shoes and socks off again so she had to come inside. She still did great at her table work!

In session with Tracy, she said "want, up, drink, snack, this, trees, boppy, body, what". She loved playing with brain flakes, strawberry shortcake, books, jumping & music. She made it very clear she was not interested in colors, shapes or patterns today.

After bath, she was very affectionate with me and gave me several kisses! I cherish those moments! :) She also requested for daddy again on the Ipad! When I tell her that he is on his way home from work and will be home soon, she seems to accept that answer and not get upset!

Thursday

At school she kept her shoes on all day but had a hard time listening to no again. She did say "ball, trash, water, and straws." When I picked her up from school, she waved and said "bye-bye" to her teacher while we were talking. I think she was making her point that she was ready to go. :)

I took Ashley to her specialist doctor and traffic was horrible getting to their new location.  Her doctor is going to give us one more med to try to help with the sleeping but if it doesn't work she wants to refer us to psychiatrist. I have mixed thoughts about this because I hate that we have to go to a different doctor to get stronger meds but also glad she is not saying we have nothing else to help....

When we got home she asked for "water" and "dench-dies" (for French fries) which we did not have. She was very excited to see daddy at home since he worked from home today!

Friday

At school today she said "straws, water & please." She also helped her peer put on her jacket to go outside when teacher asked! She also went and sat next to her teacher today leaning against her. Then she took her teachers hand to her side and that is how she likes request tickles! She made a really long train today with colored animals so her teacher send me a picture!

In speech with Brooke, she said "push me, help me, yeah, woody, chicky (for chicken little), go, little, jump, duck, more, blue, red, green, buzz, swing, & watching veggies". She loved playing in the gym today and did great holding on to swing she had to straddle.

In the afternoon, it was challenging because Noah would not nap and was very fussy. Noah did sing lollipop song at one time so I joined him. Ashley then said "pop"! She also requested Mickey mouse figurines using Ipad so I started singing the theme song. She gave me a big smile and great eye contact! She also requested daddy again after dinner and was really excited to see him after bath time.

Social skills improving! - Feb 19th, 2016

I took last week of blogging since we were dealing with major sleep issues. It was tough last week with her behaviors and she did not say much. Sleep can affect so much. The hammock is not working for sleep issues but she is really enjoying playing with Noah in it. She will even get in the hammock and then make eye contact with Noah like she is waiting for him to climb in also. Good news is we might have found a new sleep med that can help so it has gotten better slowly this week.

Saturday

This morning we attended Special Needs Kids & Siblings Bowling Event! Ashley and Noah seemed to both love bowling! We worked on Ashley waiting for her turn and she did much better than last time we went. She only lasted one game today but she actually watched her ball until it hit the pins. Last time she let the ball go on the ramp and would walk away. Noah did great too and carried his own ball.

In the afternoon she had a great session with Jeremy and loved buildings things using the brain flakes. We also went to her swim lessons and finally got her all the way into the pool. After about 5 minutes she seemed to be her normal swimming self! :) She did a great job of listening to Amy and me about staying in the pool which she did the entire time! In the previous lessons, she kept trying to run around the pool which is so dangerous. During lesson she did say "water" 2 times when splashing!

In the evening, we decided to go Chic-fil-a because I had no energy to make dinner. When I asked Ashley if she wanted to go there, she responded with "dench-dies" 2 times for french fries! We went to chic-fil-a for dinner and Ashley sat waiting so patiently while I ordered the food and until they brought us the food!

After dinner, Jeremy and I assembled Ashley's new hammock. Ashley's doctor had a great idea to buy a large hammock to help with her significant sleep issues of head banging. We are getting desperate.....we will see how it goes this week. Looks like both kids love it and Ashley likes having Noah sit with her. She even gave him 2 spontaneous kisses tonight and lots of eye contact while they were playing in it! The bottom picture she just put her hands on his shoulder and laughed! I think we will get a lot of use out of this hammock! :)

Sunday

Ashley had a great morning at church and even told Haley when she needed to use the bathroom! She did not say many words but she hasn't said too much this last week due to sleep issues.

Ashley got to start Champs Basketball League at WAYA last Sunday and loved it! The league is 4 Sundays and they pair each child with a buddy. They have stations set up to help teach skills and meet kids where they are at even if they refuse to wear shoes! Last Sunday Ashley just wanted to run all over and roll the balls but she had a blast and got good exercise! She especially loved the popsicle they gave out after practice! Today Jeremy took her and he said she loved it again!

Monday

Before school, she said "Barbies" after asking on Ipad with full sentence I want Barbies! At school she worked really hard at writing her name and did lots of work with less prompting! She said "juice & shoes".

In session with me, we stayed in her bedroom so I could try to get her used to the hammock. We played in hammock and I talked to her about how she could sleep in it at night. We put some of her stuffed animals in there too. Our session got cut short since Noah did not nap so he came to join us playing in Ashley's room!


Tuesday

This morning Mickey Mouse show came on so Ashley asked for Mickey Mouse figurines using her Ipad. When I got them out, I asked her if she wanted Mickey Mouse and she looked at me saying "mouse"! At school, she was not really vocal but she learned a new game of animal dominoes! She also played chase on the playground with some other 1st graders and a parent volunteer! The parent starting chasing the kids for fun and Ashley joined in laughing. Her teacher said it lasted about 5 minutes! I love hearing stories of her being social!

After school, my mom took her to local park to do a session outside. They had a great time and Ashley got really dirty! We got all the toys organized downstairs and she seemed to enjoy the kitchen being back in the living room. In the evening, we all played in the kitchen and it was great seeing Ashley give me the correct fruit when I asked for it! She seemed proud of herself! She would watch me pretend to eat the fruit and would kind of wait patiently so I would give it back! :)

Wednesday

Today at school she said "yes & thank you" when teacher told Ashley she could get her lunchbox. She did really well waiting to go outside for recess today also! She seemed to love the swing and played peekaboo with her teacher at the same time. Her teacher sent me these pictures below.

In session with Tracy, she did great with counting numbers 6-10 and playing muffin game for the first time! The muffin game has small different colored muffins so you can work on colors. It also comes with a large dice of numbers and a large dice of colors. Tracy was able to get Ashley to participate in 6 rolls where it would show on dice number 3 and color yellow! Ashley did great giving her the correct color but we are still working on the right number. She said "water, eat, more, me, me treat, snack (for snack), bee, boppy, busy & baby" during their session.

Thursday

Today she was not too vocal at school and seemed to be a trouble maker. She dumped the bottle of bubbles into the AC even after being told no. She did have great focus during table work time though! When I picked her up, she did say "bye-bye" to her teacher but it might have been because she was eager to leave!

In session with Tracy, she did great with her colors, matching figurines to her Sesame Street book, counting 1-10, and great eye contact with Tracy! She said "want it, want treat, water, up, busy, busy bee, boppy" and lots of other sounds. Tracy was wearing her glasses so Ashley thought it was so funny to get close to her face. She was almost touching her nose to Tracy's nose looking at her eyes. She would laugh and run off and then repeated probably 6 times! After session, Tracy's grandson Samson played with Noah and Ashley. She seemed to make eye contact with him and watch him since he kept climbing over the couch like she does!


Friday

At school, she said "watching & water". She interacted with her class peer by playing in the sensory bin and making great eye contact! Also at recess one class was celebrating a girls birthday with cupcakes. Ashley walked over the group and sat down patiently with them. Her teacher said it wasn't her party and she needed to get up. Ashley got up and went off the play with NO crying. WOW!

When we arrive at therapy place, the receptionist and another mom always greet Ashley and ask how she is doing. It is so great that they engage her each week to practice this even if she doesn't always respond. She didn't immediately respond to Monica and Laura today but did eventually wave and make eye contact. In speech with Brooke, she said "little, game, gym, duck, jump (5 times), come on, green, I do, time to jump, mouse (for Minnie mouse), watch me, go and more"!

When she got home, she saw Noah's left over chips so she said "chi" and "want". We finally got the right training wheels for Ashley's bike and Jeremy got them put on so we could try bikes again. She saw him putting on the training wheels outside so she made a sentence on her Ipad of I have to ride with picture of bike! :) It took about 40 minutes so by that time Ashley lost interest in wanting to ride. We tried after dinner to do bikes and I asked Ashley if she could help Noah put his shoes on. She got one of his shoes and tried put his foot in it!!! :) It was so cute. She looked at him before almost like seeking permission. I helped her push the shoe on and then we did his other shoe. She seemed pleased with herself and loved the praise. We did ride the bikes down driveway but she really just wanted to get into the car and go somewhere else. We will try again when she wants to and at least training wheels work and no waiting next time!

Sentences and Sleep - Feb. 5th, 2016

This week was challenging since kids and I have sinus infections. On top of that, Ashley's had major sleep issues last 3 nights that affect the entire house. I am ready for a vacation. :) Very thankful for my mom, Tracy, Brooke, and her teachers this week!


Saturday

This morning we all went to the gym and Ashley did great in childcare area! After we relaxed at home and did chic-fila for lunch. Ashley said "dench-dies" for French fries! After lunch, Jeremy took her to park to enjoy the great weather. They had a great time and got some great exercise.

In session with me, I tried to stay energetic but having a sinus infection is tough. She had a very short attention span today and wanted change activities every minute. We played hungry hippos, rolling balls, doctor play kit, throwing fabrics in air, using cookie cutters on playdoh, and drawing using toes. She thought it was so funny when she was laying on her back and I was holding the marker between her toes to draw on the paper pinned to wall. We did this for about 5 minutes and I even tried help her write her name using her toes. I was saying all the letters of her name while she was writing them and she said letter "e" when writing out name. She also said "ange (for orange slices), yes, water, che-cha (3x for cracker), eat, straw, straw-straws (for strawberry shortcake), stuh (making stars with playdoh and cookie cutter)!"

Sunday

Ashley had a great time at church today even though her buddies were out of town. She enjoyed playing with Tawni in Kings Kids A and loved the parachute. After church the kids relaxed with daddy while I went to the doctor for to get medication.  Then Jeremy took Ashley to a park to enjoy the 82 degree weather in January.

 

Tonight we went to our first Special Needs Family Friendly Dinner at Kerbey Lane. We were able to get the back room reserved for free and there were 7 families who came to try dinner in restaurant! We thought we would make our rule of no apologies during dinner since we all understand! :) They brought the food fast and tortilla chips for kids to munch on while waiting. Ashley and Noah both did great and we lasted almost an hour there. We would definitely try it again!

Monday

Today we went to Hop N Happy this morning and kids got some great exercise! Before we left Ashley said "shoes & awesome"! At Hop N Happy, Ashley seemed to engage with a boy her height. He really wanted to play with her using ball she was interested in. They had a few interactions and it was so fun to watch!!!! Here he was trying to throw the ball up to her while she was at top of slide. Ashley also enjoyed his mom too and took her hand to different places several times!

The kids and I all have sinus infections and are antibiotics again. I am so thankful my mom was able to come help because I was so tired. The kids seem to be happy and still active but its really affecting my sleep. Ashley was eager to do a Playroom session with Grammy and then after they went to the park to enjoy the sunshine.

Tuesday

We had a great time at Pump It Up this morning and kids got great exercise! They even turned on the music and dance lights so our kids could try it out for a little. It got to be a little overwhelming for some but a few enjoyed it! Ashley started dancing right away and it seemed like she was back at the dance again! :)

Ashley had a great speech session and then after my mom took her to the park to play. She loves being outside! One event I do remember happening was my mom got out the light sabers to play with Noah because she was trying to distract him from toy that kids were fighting over. He was not interested but Ashley came over to get the 2nd light saber and actually started fighting with my mom!!! She was swinging it appropriately and making contact with other light saber! Noah then got mad she was playing lightsabers and came to take it. We discovered Ashley was being very clever here! Once he got his lightsaber she ran off to get that toy she wanted. Both kids then were happy! :)

Wednesday

Ashley decided to wake up at 230am this morning which meant rest of the house was too. She seemed wide awake...She still had an okay day at school and said "drinking, I want' & yes".

In session with Tracy, she enjoyed books, brainflakes, bubble guppies, jumping, balloons and dancing! She said "this, tuck (for touch), water, eat, nack (for snack), want, book, up, bubble, pret (for pretzel) & boppy". She seemed to have a great time at the beginning but started getting tired towards the end.

Thursday

Ashley woke up at 1am but thankfully fell back asleep by 230am. She still had a great day at school but her energy decreased after lunch. She said her first sentence at school  of "I want bubbles" and also said "Nemo, water, drinking, banana, Ashee (for Ashley)!"

In session with Tracy, she liked playing with kitchen toys, balloons, dancing, music, lining up crayons, lining up teddy bears and playing with balls! Tracy tried to work on patterns but Ashley made it clear she was not interested today. She did really well counting today and handing her the correct color bears! She made great eye contact today and also made a sentence of "I want water". She also said "I want (3x), this, bite, crackers, eat, me bite, and dance!"

Friday

Last night was even worse with sleeping and she woke up 4 different times. She is so loud so it wakes up entire house. At school, she was pretty whiny, tired but still did great job on her work. She said "yes, I want". She picked up her friend's juice bottle and handed it to her today!

In speech with Brooke, she somehow said a lot of words despite maybe getting 3 hours of sleep. She said "shoes, help me, no, swing, yeah, duck, wee, circle, feet, I do, pin (for spin), ducks, watching veggie, strawberry shortcake, Disney, and Buzz light"! Amazing she said some big words!