Sleep issues resolved! - March 4th, 2016

Saturday

We tried a new sleep medicine last night for Ashley and she slept really well! Today she was happy and seemed more alert! I finally got more pictures printed, laminated and velcro added for her visual schedule so she got to see everything we were doing today. In the past, if she saw pool picture she would want it right then at that moment. Today she pointed to swimming picture and looked at me. I told her she would get to swim with Ms. Amy later today in the afternoon. She seemed to accept that and did not get upset!!! :)

We went to Catch Air this morning with special needs group and both kids love it there! Ashley kept wanting to ride on the balls shown in picture below. Hard part was that she needed lifting and I couldn't get her on. Jeremy was able to get her on the ball but then she wanted him to help about 20 more times. Finally his back couldn't take it anymore so he tried to hide behind me. Ashley found him though and then he tried make a game of chase so he could get a break. :) She was chasing him and laughing which was fun to watch! 

In the afternoon, I took her to swim lessons and she did even better than last time! She did not get out of the pool to run around and she listened so much better to Ms. Amy. Towards the end, she was taking Ms. Amy's hand and making great eye contact! She is starting to bond and get to know her better! She did say "no" once to a question.

In the evening, we did our weekend tradition of Chic-fil-a and Ashley did great waiting at the table for our food to arrive! On the way there, she said "dench-dies" 6 times for French fries! :) After eating, she went to play in the playground. However, today she wanted to get out and run around restaurant. She did it 2 times and we had to redirect her quickly so she didn't try to make it into a game. What we started realizing was that she was bored in there since only noah and another child. We went in there to sit and play with her and she liked climbing all over Jeremy's shoulders. She liked me giving her tickles when she would come out of the slide and running to the steps. I also caught a sweet moment when she was sitting next to Jeremy on bench!

Sunday

She did great at church this morning and always has a good time with Haley & Alissa! After church she went to her last Basketball Champs League and had a great time! She ran all around and even got a trophy! At home she helped me wash and cut up strawberries while saying "straw". She also is saying "issa" for ice now! While eating her dinner she said "awesome".

Monday

After I got her hair done this morning, I hugged her from behind and said I love you. She responded back with "love you"!!! :)

At school, she did not have any challenges or sensory issues! She said "French fries, lashes, water" and tried say her peers name! At recess, there was a volunteer dad who was playing chase with all the kids. Ashley got involved in the game too! They said she was going up to the man making eye contact and grabbing his hand so he would chase her!

In speech with Viki, she said "push, it, duck" and also did great using Ipad! Viki said she had excellent session and no whining at all!

Noah did not want to nap so I tried to do a session with both kids downstairs. Noah seemed to be very interested in building Legos so I did get some focused time on Ashley! We played the tickle game and she gave me some kisses unprompted. She also just cuddled with me on the couch for a while which was sooo nice! Ashley was so alert tonight and making such great eye contact! She requested Monster figurines and on the way to get them down she said "Awesome!". When she requested another set of figurines I asked her if she could clean up her Petshop toys. She walked away without whining and picked them up quickly. Then looked at me eagerly for next set of toys! Great listening!!!

I love how Ashley is helping more around the house and listening sooooo well! She can now feed Oscar, let him outside and watch for when he returns to open the door! It is really helpful while I am getting dinner made!

Also some good news is I think we got her sleep issues managed! The last 3 nights have been VERY good and everyone in household is extremely happy to have decent sleep! :) (She is almost sleeping 8 hours straight which we do not believe she has ever done). Her teachers even commented on how great she did today following directions, no tantrums, no challenges, very vocal, super happy mood and playing chase with peers on playground!

Tuesday

At school, she said "bubbles, drink, water" and was super happy! They said she was really focused and hard working until after recess she seemed to lose focus.

In session with my mom, she had a great time and was more interactive with Becky than she has been in over a month due to sleep issues! She had fun matching color of jelly bean to colored easter eggs in new book. They also had fun tying ribbons in their hair and admiring themselves in the mirror! She also did a few puzzles really fast!



Wednesday

Today at school, she said "ready, lashes, trash, & bubbles." She went potty on her own today with no one asking and it was not normal time on schedule! She also waited patiently  on the sidewalk for a turn on the swing. She also played with one of her peers by coming up and holding her hands. She wanted to play with her peer and was making eye contact! Her teacher sent me this picture so I could see how happy she has been this week!

In session I tried it again with Noah and Ashley in the Playroom. It went a lot better than last time and we spent most of the time playing with Brain Flakes. I made a light saber for Noah and asked Ashley if she wanted a crown. She looked at me eagerly listening so I asked if she could help me make an orange and yellow crown. She picked them out in right order to make pattern and actually helped me connect the pieces!!! We also looked at some books that show items on the side and you are suppose to find item in the Large picture. Ashley was looking at her own book so I started asking Noah to find the items in a similar book. One of the pages showed pizza and ice cream to find in picture. When I said those words to Noah, Ashley looked over and was then engaging with us. I asked her to find those items and then the pink box which she did perfectly! At the end I asked Noah to give Ashley a high five which she gave laughing! During session, she said "cree (for cracker), izza (for pizza in book), and tih (for tickles)".


Thursday

Today at school she sat by her peer at recess and was looking at her! She said "wait, yes, water & bubbles" and seemed a little unfocused on her work compared to other days this week.

After school, I took both kids to get their hair cuts and they both did soooo great! Then we needed to go to Walmart to get a few supplies before our short trip tomorrow. It wasn't the easiest visit to Walmart but it was better than last time I went by myself with both kids! The only words I got of her today were "water & more."

Daddy came home early and Ashley was soooo happy to see him! Both kids were fighting over him so we are practicing on sharing and taking turns getting tickles!

Friday

Ashley had a fun Friday at school today and said "straws, water, I want". She sat and watched the 4th grade specials showcase and gestured "yes" with head shake! One of her SLE peers got to have nail painting party as reward and Ashley showed interest also! She sat down and put out her finger to be painted! :) I never paint my nails so I have never thought to try this. Her teacher texted me to ask for permission and I responded back "sure! I doubt she will sit long enough for it to dry." I was wrong. She got pink on all her nails and it looks so pretty! It makes me wonder what other "girly activities" I am depriving her of! Haha!

In speech with Brooke, she said "ducks, gym, swing, jump, on, push, push me, help me, yeah, on, down, home, watching veggie, chicken, go, poo, happ (for happy), & oop (for oops).