Lil'S - Sensory Breakthrough!

LONG story short, as I've not written about Lil'S and his speech and sensory issues much--especially lately, Lil'S has finally started hating speech therapy and refusing to go, so I'm now working with his speech therapist to involve fun occupational therapy / sensory activities to his speech therapy.  (There's this fabulous little sensory room adjacent to and even attached to the speech room, and it killed me to think he wasn't allowed to use it!) Here's what I emailed her this evening about our first attempts results!

Mrs. [M]!

[Lil'S] just had his best day of preschool EVER!!!  Yes, it helps that they went to the library and he's my little book lover (transportation toys and books!), but this is the first time I've ever picked him up where he was calm and centered like he often [should have written "more like he sometimes"] is at home.  (Unfortunately you and his preschool teachers don't usually see that side of him, not that I get to see it all that much either, though!)  I asked him to go to his locker and get his sandwich [ops, lunch], and despite the fact there were swarms of kids and parents and I had no hope in the world that he actually would, he made his way unaccompanied through the crowd, to his locker, retrieved his lunch, made it back through the crowd, and handed me his lunch.  I'm sure my jaw dropped!  Usually I have to really work with him to get through each step, and that's when he's willing to cooperate!  (As in not running away, screaming--car in hand--because he doesn't want to go home.)  Ms. [B] said he was attentive through each of the lessons and activities.  Usually he lasts five to ten minutes max, as you're familiar with.  When he was asked to come to an activity, he was disappointed to stop what he was doing, but he still did it and came.  SERIOUSLY AMAZING!!  [Transitions of any kind are often like pulling teeth with this darling child of mine.]

Some sensory activities have an instant effect and can last for a couple hours, but vestibular input can have an instant or delayed effect that can last up to eight hours, even if someone's given only 10-20 minutes of it.  Vestibular input is one of the things [Lil'S]'s the most oversensitive to, so I'm pretty sure only 5-10 minutes is enough for him.  

In summary, something he did this morning set him up for success through the rest of his morning.  I'm going to assume the main help was the intense vestibular paired with intense proprioception (trampoline & crash pad & swing), but it's true that the whole combination of activities may've been what is needed to be added to his home activities to help him be more centered through his typical day.

 - bean box: tactile/visual; 

 - trampoline w/ handrails & crash pad: "alerting" vestibular & proprioceptive to balance it out; 

 - swing (actually, I just found it's a "bolster"): "calming" vestibular; 

 - even the warm air from the van he commented on afterward and the cold breeze that thrilled him as he walked to preschool: calming/alerting tactile

So, anyway, I'm wondering if we could do the same activities Thursday as we did today and see if he does as well at preschool afterward.  If it works, we'll be setting up some things at home to mimic those activities so he can be centered before speech therapy and the rest of daily life.  (We just may end up investing in an OT trampoline, crash pad, and bolster ourselves if our homemade attempts don't seem to work.)  I also think doing those same speech/OT activities again may help him better learn to follow all the rules that accompany the activities.  Here's hoping!

Thank you so much!

:)

Teen H

Yesterday, after dealing with the trauma of nobody showing up for H's birthday party (I think we need to work on our communication skills), I asked H how she was going to treat her friends on Monday, as a way to open up a conversation about healthy ways of dealing with this sad occurrence that wouldn't put up an unnecessary barrier between her and those she considers to be her friends.

Her answer?

"Depends on my mood. . . ."

Well, at least she's aware of that fact! 

Marathon Birthday Review--super incredibly belated and sadly still not completed

Er, um, so here's the post I started last spring.
Sorry!

All the birthdays in our family are close together--well, maybe a month apart close together, but considering they're right in the middle of all our major holidays, it makes for one busy season.  Thus, this year, I haven't posted one bit about them, nor much of anything about any other holiday.  (Except a tiny blurb about Christmas mid-January.) Well, anyway, here's a quick summary.

December

Right in the middle of the excitement of our first ever family pictures came S's birthday!

(Cue the crying, gratefully-not-puking-at-this-moment baby!  Guess why I haven't blogged: when we haven't been celebrating something, someone's been sick.  Seriously.  I don't recommend living near two major hospital and university centers, especially if they have a strong international attendance.  We love all the culture, don't get me wrong!, but there's been a little too much "sharing" going on.)

Back to S's b-day: He's now 32!!!

I had him pick up a deli chicken, but at least I managed to get his starch-free, chocolate cupcakes baked and a chocolate sauce (or edible attempt) put together!

H invited him to her school's Fine Arts Night for his b-day.
H was so excited, and S is one good sport!
They enjoyed their time together.

And my 31st birthday:

(I finally am starting to feel like a grown-up. . . .)

S found me some German Chocolate Cake when he ran errands for me that night.  (This may seem el'cheapo pathetic when it comes to celebrations, but considering how crazy things have been and our budget and the fact S's been working on his class in the evenings on top of his typical work and daddy duties, I was more than thrilled!  German Chocolate is my favorite!)

(See how thrilled I was?)

a big glass of milk to go with it

And returning to the term el cheapo, I am!
I was so proud of Seth: he even found it on manager's special!
Expiry date?  A whopping three days away!
I swear it was baked that day--delish!

Little Miss H is 7!!!

She requested Belgian waffles with berries & whipped cream for breakfast.

The boys enjoyed it as much as she did.

(Okay, so I wasn't up to the berry mess I knew N would make!)

tasty!

This was her "smile" for the camera.

She's definitely seven.

And she STILL has her vampire fangs. 

I'm starting to wonder if those top teeth will ever grow in.

pretty dress from G&G S

She got some snazzy cards from both sets of grandparents.  They each included stickers and decorating fun, which is totally up her alley.

Look at that face: More presents? And they're huge!

Bring on the birthday cake.  

S had to keep Lil'S from blowing out H's candles for her!

Happy Birthday, Miss H!!!

sweet & simple

that's how things go around here!

hahaha! guess who got the camera!

Playing with the toy puppy G&G S sent her.

Lil'S is 3!!!

Cupcakes the day before with his preschool friends! 

(And a couple other friends we snuck in.)

Where's my cupcake?

Family Celebration

Family Band
We learned from this how awesome a "share present"* really is.  There were no fights, tears, whines, or even whimpers of jealousy.  There were simply happy, playful, totally excited kids.  I'm sure S and I shared quiet high fives about this, and if we didn't, we should have!

*When my youngest brother was three years old, he gave my dad a toy airplane for Christmas.  When my dad opened it, this blue-eyed, chubby-cheeked baby brother of mine declared, "It's a share present!"  My dad asked who he was to share it with, and, of course, the little guy answered, "Me!"  The term has been fondly used by my family ever since.  (Although, I'm starting to think the conversation may have occurred after the present opening, when my dad and brother were chatting in my parents' room, and was just retold to the rest of us by my dad.  Hmm...I'll have to check my sources on that.  Either way, the phrase has stuck!)

N is One!!!

And, so horribly, that's where this post had been left off, and I'm currently unable to finish it since all our pictures are waiting to be removed from our computer that died.
What a shame! I guess N will get to have his own post, albeit likely a year late the way things are going!

We've Moved!

States, not blogs. Thus the lack of posts, despite the hundreds of things I've wanted to post about.

We now have . . . .

a house under contract...yippee!!!!
- an apartment in Stockbridge, GA
- a swimming pool!!!
- a van
- a tablet (our computer died while Seth was in NC :( )
- a super cozy lay-z-boy (thanks M and A!!! it's made H such a happy girl! and me too!)
- a new haircut (not one pictured above)
- a new blog picture (5th anniversary...went backward in time...prev was 3 yrs ago...ah, well. It was better than the bedragled one H took of me while Seth was out of town. ;) )
- a new LDS congregation
- a new family to play with every couple weeks (kids aged 6, 4, 2, 2wks)
- a new elementary school
- an awesome 2nd grade teacher for H,
- and H successfully falling asleep WITHOUT melatonin!!!!!

I'm feeling really spoiled, which is good, because we could still use....

- a washer and dryer (EEK!)
- a keyboard for my tablet
- an unpacked apartment

- a husband available to help unpack and declutter (just teasing here, I know that isn't happening)
two potty trained boys (scary)
a housekeeper/mommy's helper so that someday the two above items might actually occur
vinyl in apt's eating area so we can allow our kids outside our tiny kitchen
kitchen table and chairs
a toddler who doesn't scream hysterically when we try to put him in his car seat because he wants to sit in his brother's forward-facing seat...or his sister's....when his head is so huge that it can't possibly be safe to let him sit forward-facing until he's like 10.
a mother who goes to bed before 12 or 3 a.m.
drs, dentists, pediatric versions of the same, and a speech therapist
and last but not least, a health screening/form that will allow H to go to school Monday....hoping to get that tomorrow!!!!

Apron Pockets

I have finally learned the true purpose of apron pockets: 

hiding the pick-me-ups that get a woman though rough evenings!
he, he, he!

Critical Thinking

I just stumbled upon the Critical Thinking Community.  Reading through its definitions of critical thinking has given me much comfort about thoughts I've had over the years about my religious beliefs.  I understand that my thoughts have been a natural, even essential, part of coming to a deeper understanding of my church's beliefs and that not asking such questions would be tantamount to closing my eyes and doing what every else told me to do.  Yes, there is such a thing as faith, but intertwined with--if not the mirror image of--faith is trust.  Trust is earned, just as faith is learned.  Closing my eyes and doing what everyone else tells me to do does not help me build trust.  My eyes have to be open, whether I do what others tell me to do or if I do what I tell myself to do.  Honestly seeking to discern between truth (good religion) and error (bad religion) is the essence of critical thinking, which is what invites the teaching of the spirit--both the teaching of one's own spirit and teaching by God's Spirit.

It's amazing what thoughts one can have when exposed to amazing thoughts.  I guess that's why my religion encourages so strongly the daily study of the righteous thoughts of others.  God is wise, don't you think?  ;)  I guess it's past time for me to watch the recent LDS broadcast for young adults:  What is Truth? by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

Hmm . . . too bad the sound on my computer isn't working.  Guess I need to try to fix that. . . .

They're here!!!

PICTURES, PICTURES, PICTURES!!!

Sending our thanks to Sabrina Short of Sweet Sassafras!
Sorry, family, no printing these.  Just let us know which copies you want
and we can arrange ordering them!

Considering how hectic everything was and that I botched everyone who had hair long enough to botch and that I didn't hire a friend to come help juggle kids and fix hair between shots (my ideal because I'm so photo obsessed), they came out pretty cute.  This is a whole slew of our favorites--some are super cute and great quality shots, some are just fun, and some are poses that I liked for future reference.

These next few were taken right near the end.

Happy 10 Years this May, My Love!!!

                       

 

Aww. . .

CUTE!!!

My Little Man!!!

So grown up!

Not the best framing, but what's a photo shoot with a little girl without a couple flower poses?

:)

We were really trying to warm him up!

  

And I knew eventually this would do the trick!

Yay!!!

Hard to choose a favorite with these next ones.

He, he, he!  Buddies!

I wish I'd been holding his hands with my index fingers for this one.
I was probably in the middle of trying to switch when she took the shot, although I think I'd tried to tickle him to get a smile at some point too.  He was missing his nap AND stranger shy, so he was not so thrilled about this whole thing.

Squished Lil'S!

We really tried to get all three kids together, and I wish we'd tried more poses and thought to take H's glasses off to avoid the glare.  It's tough to keep a two-year-old interested and a tired baby content, though, so that didn't really happen, sad to say.

Cute, but they really need Daddy in there someplace too.  

(I've seen too many single mom and kids pictures!)

These just make me laugh.

N wasn't so sure about this either.

Shy N!

Yay for smiles!

HA-hahaha!

So sweet!  Lil'S totally adores his baby brother.  

Someday I hope the same thing will exist in the reverse!

My silly crew!