Funny Things They say

I was cleaning up the house, no that's not the funny part, and I tarted folding a blanket. Grace ran into the front room and started saying she found the chair with the hole. "c'mon mom I found the chair with the hole". She was telling me she had opened the cedar chest (with cushion on top) for me to put the blanket back. It reminded me of funny things the kids have said. Steven used to say "oh faroline" and "honk shoo" when he wanted to go to sleep. Grace calls Steven & Caroline tse tse & ca ca. She knows how to say their names now but likes the old way. She calls Dora dodo and waffles fwaffles. If I remember any more I'll let you know.

Season of Change

It occurred to me today how many wonderful changes gave cone our way recently and I thought I'd list a few. Steven - started 3rd grade, likes his hair longer (not buzzed), riding a two wheel bike (finally), can call his friends on phone Caroline - started 1st grade, is no longer missing 4 teeth in front so her speech has cone around, has grown like a weed, riding 2 wheel bike Mitchell - started kindergarten, repeating tons of words, speaking some words independently, rides bike with training wheels (faster than I can run), does his business on the potty, wipes & redresses, responding to directions, waits nicely at restaurants for our table, uses Dynavox to keep himself busy while waiting for food, can play in front of the house or park for 30+ minutes w/o running off Grace - dresses & undresses herself, pees on potty 1x/day, speaks in paragraphs using grownup words, knows more nursery rhymes & cartoon songs than I do, makes her own jelly sandwiches These may seem like little feats but they are huge around here. Everyone is growing up do fast. Today was one of those good days that allowed me time reflect on our positive traits.

iPad

My friend Nicole & I were taking last week about iPads and how it's in the news everywhere these days how well they help kids with Autism. She was saying how we need to get the school to buy them for the kids. There are apps that can help kids on all ends of the spectrum get through their day socially and academically. Plus an iPad is a socially acceptable piece of technology. Mitchell carries his Dynavox everywhere at school but the verbal children don't have devices. This started me thinking of the way Mitchell uses our iPad at home. The day we recorded Mitchell using our iPad to learn words then typing them on his Dynavox, we had just watched a news segment on a tablet and it's many uses. In the segment though, all the parents could say about it was how their son will read books on it instead of real booms and play games instead of other video games, Really ? That's why it's so great? My son uses the iPad for apps that teach him things and he does this without prompting. He incorporates the iPad with his Dynavox, learning things most 5 year olds don't know how to teach themselves to do. Tonight Mitchell sat in his favorite chair with his Dynavox and began typing the words from the same flash card app as before except Grace had the iPad so he was doing it by memory. Coffee, duck, egg, frog, giraffe, hat, ice cream, jam , koala. He didn't just memorize these words, if you ask him anytime how to spell nurse or orange he can type it. How is it the school has not tapped I to this? Without the iPad & Dynavox we wouldn't have any idea Mitchell could read or spell. This week, I had emailed Mitchell's intensive teacher to let her know that tracing lines confuse him and he just needs a prompt to write his name or any other word or number. Then I also told her he can read/write most color words and many other site words. She seemed to be aware of this but now she knows I am aware of what they are doing/not doing at school. Mitchell is pretty good at writing, but needs reminders on his grip. But give him a keyboard and he sails through. I know other children in his class who don't write well either, having a portable computer would allow them to show what they too have learned. I am glad Nicole brought this up and maybe we can get the ball rolling with school. I wonder if the school knows what is in store for them when us moms get together and brainstorm?

Oh what a week

I can't believe the weekend is here, never thought it would come. I actually have a few minutes to sit and drink some coffee. The week started with some froggy throats & ended with 2 trips to see the Dr. Last Friday Steven stayed home from school just not feeling well & slept the whole day. On Sat he awoke feeling great. Monday Steven came from school with a frog in his throat but said he felt fine. Caroline borrowed the frog on Tuesday but had no other symptoms. I sent everyone to school on Wednesday even though I had an uneasy feeling about it, but it was the first day of the new MOPS season and I was in charge of the craft. Sorry but I wasnt going to miss it, I would only be angry about it later. So at 1:30 I picked up Mitchell from school and drove him to therapy. Grace & I returned home right around 2:30 and were just about to hop in bath when the phone wrang. Caroline has 101 temp and needs to be picked up. When I got to school I asked how I can get one of the reserved spots up front, ha ha. Now the one thing that helped me feel like things weren't really going down hill was I got a text from my girlfriend on the way to the school saying she wasn't going to make bowling tomorrow because her daughter fractured both her wrists and she felt like she had an infant again she needed to care for. Sorry Beth, I was laughing since I was glad it wasn't me. The evening went ok. Steve had work things all week and didn't get home until after bedtime each night but I was managing. Sick kids means they're tired at the end of the day. Well Caroline woke up coughing & grasping for air at 1:30, 3:30 & 5:00 am. I was giving her Albuterol breathing treatments but it wasn't doing the trick. I told Steve we were going to the ER and oh ya, Grace's fever spiked at 106 during the night. Make sure she drinks her Tylenol laced juice and have fun getting the both off to school, I'll be at the hospital. Turns out Caroline has croup & bronchitis. They set us up with a breathing treatment with a miracle drug in it , a steroid crushed up & a zythromax script and said she should be better soon. Things went ok at home too, I went back to sleep until almost 3:00pm. Grace's crazy fever broke during the night and woke cool to the touch Friday morning. It was only then she started acting whiny & coughing/crying. While she was running at 104 during the weekdays I would say "grace you feel warm" and she would say " no mommy I feel fine, I ok" and play around like normal. Now when she doesn't have a fever she's acting sick. Ugh. We headed to the Dr after dinner and the confirmed she was sick....with the common cold. Thank you for your time & money, have a nice night. They are on the mend, Caroline has a bit of a temp still but the coughing is productive and doesn't interfere with breathing. Knock on wood, Mitchell & Steven are feeling ok. Let's start next week off well.

Amazing Grace

She really is an incredible little girl. She is not quite 2 1/2 yrs and she says things like that's amazing, wow mom, you can do it - yippee, Mitchell got on bus and I stay here with you today, I come with you pleeeease. She will narate the day so we know what everyone is doing every second and is a mother hen to Mitchell. She is peeing on the potty 1x a day (it's a start)and can pick out her clothes and dress herself, including socks and shoes. She also will occasionally grab one of the other kid's underwear and slip in on over her diaper. She us the perfect finale to our awesome family and a fabulous addition to this world. She is going places someday, I have no doubt. She may have to fight Caroline for the spotlight though.

Spelling with the Dynavox

Steve & I were sitting in the front room this morning enjoying conversation & coffee when we hear "coffee" coming from the Dynavox. He was using an app on the iPad to find a picture and it's spelling then types it out in the Dynavox. See the video on the side.

Give & Take

Mitchell has been doing fantastic on his potty training, even managed to catch a few poops in there too. Unfortunately the rest of his behavior has gone to the toilet too. He has got to be the most resourceful child I have ever met. We have installed blaring alarms on our outside doors and gates just time for him to pop out screens to leave (and enter the home.) Last week he was found sitting in his second floor bedroom window, feet dangling. My mom warned us we may come home one night after her babysitting to find she has had a heart attack. He also is scaling the 3ft high brick ledge around the family room like spiderman. After he is done with that he moves the patio furniture against the house to climb onto the windowbox and sit on the kitchen window ledge. But hey as we are tracking his potty success he get a thumbs up! This evening the air lightened up as Steven is trying to complete his homework, I am cooking a casserole, Steve is placing blind ties on the windows, Caroline is telling me she doesn't know her spelling words & they are too hard (ie. A, cat, the, man), Grace is alternating on the Dynavox the fart button, my butt hurts and I have to go potty, all as the Angry Birds them plays in the family room with Mitchell. Have a good night!