"Big Night Out"

We decided to do Thanksgiving a little different this year. As I learned last year, there is no part of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner that you enjoy. We did make a lot of progress last year and you ate a few bites of everything but as I said then, you gagged on just about every bite. So, instead of having you gag, and anyone sitting in your general area have to watch the show you put on, I decided that we would go out to eat. It was also an easy decision to make considering we have not been Ohio all that long and we were unable to go back to VA for this holiday.

Mommy, feeling somewhat courageous, decided we would attempt the Melting Pot. Anyone who has been here knows that you go for the entire experience, not just the food. I also had to take a deep breath and decided that I would not battle the food with you. If you enjoyed it, wonderful, if not, it was not the time to fight it and we were just enjoying our Thanksgiving. In the long run, you ate a lot of the first course cheese (you preferred not to dip anything in it and instead just eat it by the spoonful), you had a little bit of the salad, and then the main course of meats came. I know I picked this mostly for me as we had lobster, shrimp, steak, chicken, and pasta. I cooked the chicken first for you and put it on a plate. You didn't even touch it UNTIL that lovely pot of chocolate fondu came out. The chicken was gone immediately and you loved dipping all the fruits in the chocolate for dessert. Overall, the entire "experience" took about two hours and you behaved perfectly.



Later that night we did video chat with Uncle Mike and Aunt Suzanna. For the first time, you actually understood the concept of talking to them on the computer and carried on quite the little conversation, you even used some "real" language that was understandable. They were very proud and impressed with the progress you are making just as everyone else is.

Keep on Truckin Baby
Love
Mom

Talking Machine

As they walked you out of school today I did not expect a good report. You had a little bit of a struggle going in this morning - a two person escort to be exact - and I thought for sure the Honeymoon period was over and it was going to be a rough day. Well, yet again you had to prove me wrong and they not only said you had a great day but that you were a "Talking Machine!" I am so proud of you and this really shows how comfortable you in your new school environment. That you trust those around you and you are making progress everyday.

It is a short video but your joint attention and willingness to work is what surprises me. Just the fact that you would sit and do homework with me tonight was a huge step and I could actually be your mom, not your therapist. Your articulation is getting better and your imitation is huge. Great things will continue to come!

Having A Blast

We found a new park near the house - You remind me of Mission Impossible!



Watching a Cars 2 at LifeTime Fitness as you enjoyed a little swim at "Dive in Movie Night"


A great ending to a wonderful day!

I am so proud of all you do - You continue to amaze me everyday

Love you Baby
Mom

Hot Mess

So, since when does a child's hair change from straight and thick to thin in curly overnight? Evidently, as you follow no rules, yours does. You look like a "hot mess" by the time the day is over and each day it becomes more and more curly. I will admit I love it and it just goes to speak to your personality.

We Have Arrived

Well, it was actually a week ago today that we arrived in Dublin Ohio to start from scratch. A new home, a new neighborhood, a new school, new expectations, and overall, a new life. The movers arrived last Wednesday and quickly packed everything into the truck. I then packed you up and we spent the night at Nancy's before hitting the road Thursday morning.

It was sad to leave behind our friends and family and the only true life you have ever known but I know we will not lose the people in our lives and that this will create a much better life for both of us. As I have told you many times before, whether it like it or not, you need an education. Helping Hands Learning Center will be able to provide you this education, the techniques to help you use your device, and the tools to be successful.

You have four teachers in your classroom and needless to say you looked like a "hot mess" when you came out of the building Monday afternoon. You also proceeded to fall asleep within five minutes of getting into the car. From this I know you are having to think on a whole new level and that they are staying on top of you. Instead of you running circles around your teacher they are now running circles around you and all four of them are consistently holding you to high expectations. They have described you as such a happy child though that is a joy to have in class! Very nice to hear this for a change.

I have always seen great things in your future and now you will be able to accomplish more then you ever even knew.

Since Helping Hands is a private school only for children with special needs I am working on finding outlets for you where you can continue to be involved with typically developing peers also. Down the street from us is an indoor sports facility where you can do ice skating and lacrosse. I am also trying to find swim lessons for you again as I have not given up on the fact that you will be holding your own in the water by next summer. There are so many opportunities in front of you, we just need to find the ones where you can continue to thrive!

Fall Fun

Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag

Well little man mommy has been holding onto a secret. Only our closest friends have known this, and you have known something is going on but it is a little difficult to explain to you at this time. But, next week we will be leaving for Ohio, for good. This was not an easy decision for me to make for us but I had to put your best interest in mind, look at the whole picture, and decide what was going to be the right move for us not only now but for our future.

I have found a wonderful school for you in Columbus Ohio called Helping Hands Learning Center. This is a private school for children with special needs that is fully based upon the principals of ABA therapy. The golden ticket to this school is that they are a LAMP (language acquisition through motor planning) center for excellence meaning that everyone is trained in device usage and teaching language through a device. This is going to be huge for you, your communication, development, and prospects for the future. In addition, their speech therapy team is trained in PROMPT which is a methodology that has worked extremely well for you from your private therapist. As much as your expressive language grows everyday and we hear new phrases and words, there is still a connection missing for you.

It is as if you have this huge brick wall around you and we have been able to move some of the bricks, here and there, and create "peep holes" for you to see the world and interact in small segments but not enough bricks have been removed for you continue to grow and develop. We need the wall to be taken down, for enough bricks in one area to be removed that you can just walk through and fully show us what you are hiding inside.

There are times I wonder if I am reaching for straws. That you have shown us all that you have to offer, and that I love you for it, and that my focus on your education needs to change, but then you continue to thrive even in the worst educational situations. Even when no one in your current school believes that you can speak, that you are potty trained, or that you thrive off peers (and don't just use them for punching bags) you take another giant leap forward in the home or community with a smile on your face, and you show those of us who you trust that you have so much more to offer.

You have shown us just how resilient you can be and I do not think it is fair for me to ask you to continue to bounce back every time school sets you back 50 feet from their inconsistency, lack of methodology, and not seeing the potential you hold. For this reason, I know Helping Hands is a school where you will thrive, where you will love to learn, and an opportunity to remove those bricks that are standing in your way.

Since this is a private special needs school we will find the balance in the community for your peer interactions on evenings and weekends. At school you will receive group and individual physical, occupational, speech, and music therapy. The school is actually huge into music therapy so I am looking forward to this new outlet for you. I know things will not be perfect, there will be an adjustment period, and that change does not happen overnight. What I also know though is that with consistency, and individuals who want to educate you and see all the potential inside of you, you will blow us away with your ability, strength, and one day with all that you have to say!

Here is looking forward to bright and exciting new future.
Keep on Truckin'
Love you
Mom