So What Wednesday

It's been awhile, but why not? Linking up with Shannon for "So What Wednesday"!

So what if...

- I used to think it was weird when parents would put pictures of their kids as their FB profile picture. Like they didn't have their own identity anymore. Now that I have a kid, I get it.

- I almost stopped blogging because of this constant feeling of being watched/judged/criticized... then I figured, it makes me happy. I've been blogging since college (before I knew that's what it was called) and keeping private diaries since I was a kid. I don't plan to stop anytime soon. I love the friends I've made through the blog world, and I definitely don't want to lose them. If people don't like what I post, there's a little X readily available at the top right of their screen.

- I had a moment of weakness during a particularly rough week last week and ate half a tub of Nutella. Straight out of the carton, with a spoon. I also was embarrassed and hid it from my husband in the back of the pantry behind the bag of ground flaxseed (which I probably should used instead...). I'm not proud.

- I could never go full-on Paleo. I live in the South... butter is in e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. I've been trying to apply the lifestyle as much as possible at home, but there's no way I'd be able to do it 24/7. Not in the land of Paula Deen and my MamMaw's cheese potato casserole. ;)

- I'm a big fat liar when it comes to limiting the amount of pictures I give clients in my photography packages. I get too excited and end up giving them more than what's listed. Maybe not a particularly smart business move, but I can't help myself. I've been lucky to have some awesome clients. Maybe if I ever get a big meanie one day, I'll stick to my guns.

- I'm kind of excited that the school year is almost over. It means no more driving Noah to therapy almost every day. He'll still be going once a week to the one we pay for. It's not like it even lasts that long. I'm just a hermit and would rather spend all day playing with my kid at home or the park or something than sitting in an office with a bunch of germy kids (seriously, we've been sick more this year than the last 4 years combined).

- I've been letting my kid go commando in our back yard almost every day lately. He doesn't like to be nakey indoors, but outdoors? He can't get those pesky swim trunks off fast enough. :) Thankfully, we have a big privacy fence, lots of sunscreen, and an umbrella.

Lately (with an 8 second clip of Noah singing!)

I've been so overwhelmed lately. It's not really just one thing either. It's lots of little things that have piled up and are making me feel like crawling into a corner and crying. Or inhaling an entire gallon of ice cream (which is why I haven't bought any...).
And I feel like I'm going to let somebody down. No one in particular. It just seems inevitable. If I focus on getting one thing done? Something else is going to suffer. For example, I'm doing pretty well trying to keep up with my business stuff. Photos are edited ahead of schedule, and I'm in the process of rebranding (which is stressful enough in and of itself...). But my house? Yeah, it looks like a family of 15 just ate at my house... then tried flushing an entire roll of toilet paper. And spilled veggie smoothie all over me. And picked at blue chalk, so there are little chalk bits on the floor. Oh, and the 15 people also decided to have a party all night long. Except those 15 people? They happen to be one toddler.

I just feel like there's not enough of me to go around.
I need like 3 more me's to make my life work out a little more smoothly (can I get an "Amen", mommas?!).

Noah had his IEP meeting Monday, and it went well. It's very laid back compared to what I've heard most meetings are like. His speech therapist wasn't even there for it. But I was happy with it overall. I think they sort of get a decent idea of where he's at. However, they're only with him for 30 minutes a week, so they don't get to see all of the successes we have at home. While I was there, I had Noah say his little phrases like, "Oh no, George!" and sing songs for them. They were stunned.

Seriously, where he is at this year compared to last year at this time? It's like having a completely different kid. He no longer lives like he's just existing in his own world, but he's present. He gives us spontaneous hugs and kisses. If I give him a choice between milk or water, he'll answer, "wa wa". If I give him simple directions, he's following them (for the most part... he IS still a toddler, after all. ha). He's added like 20 new words to his vocabulary in the last few weeks. I'm still waiting for "Ma-ma" to surface again. :)

Seeing as how the words are starting to come, we've decided to pay for private speech therapy, especially since school will be out soon. After next week, he wouldn't be getting anything until September. So after his IEP meeting, we had to run to the same place where his OT is at for a speech evaluation. Because he was sleep deprived, he wasn't quite on his A-game. But she did get a "ready, set, go!" out of him. :) I'm really excited about it, because she uses sensory integration as part of her speech therapy, which is perfect for him.

So that's where I've been. Add in a hospital visit for Brad a couple weeks ago (he's okay!), a much needed girls' night, Mother's Day, and Noah's sleep getting all messed up again... and well, that's why I haven't been blogging. Dude, I haven't even been reading blogs. I've missed my blog buds. :)

Hopefully I'll be back before another 2 weeks passes by.
And with that, I'll leave you with a quickie video of Noah singing. The song is from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (which, fyi, has been a total gift from God... his speech, social skills, and self-care skills have totally blossomed because of this show).

It goes, "I like you, I like you, I like you.... (then Noah finishes) Just the way you are!"

Bubbles

While we were at Biltmore, I handed Noah one of those cheap plastic pinwheels at the toy store, just to see if he'd try to blow on it. And to my shock, he did.
For some reason, kids with autism don't seem to like certain activities like blowing bubbles or blowing out candles. Noah has yet to blow candles out on his birthday. I've read it could be sensory related or that they have low muscle tone in their face. At any rate, that's where we were at with Noah.

So on a whim last weekend, I decided to try getting him to blow bubbles again.

And HE DID!!

I know it seems like such a little thing to most people, but this is 2.5 years of work finally paying off. So I'm doing a little happy dance over here. He even says, "Bubbles" now... like perfectly.

Also, the way he blows bubbles? Adorable. His cheeks get all puffy and he sticks his lips out. So so cute. Also, if you're trying to work on fine motor skills with your kids? These bubble tubes are perfect.

So here he is, showing his new found talent:

Noah Update

 

 I've been wanting to do a Noah update for a while now, but it feels like every time I start a post, he does something new again!

His progress these last couple of weeks have been absolutely unreal. And compared to 6 months ago? He's like a different kid. Well, the same kid... but an enhanced version.

 

He's now repeating words, or at least attempting to. He'll take me to the freezer, and I'll ask if he wants a popsicle. His response: "Possssicle???" His little talking voice is so so cute. But he's going beyond just repetition and mimicking. He's actually using words to communicate now. Just the other night, he handed me the bubble bath container and said, "Bu-bu". He wanted bubbles in the bath, and he actually verbalized what he wanted. He knows who Jesus is, and he loves me to sing the Jesus Loves Me song. When I stop, he'll say, "Jesus". He thinks it's hilarious when I sign really fast.

 

He's picking up random phrases, and even though he may not understand what they mean yet, he's at least saying them. Every once in a while, he'll randomly start saying, "I know! I know!". So one night, I was changing his poopie diaper and told him he smelled... he responded, "I know!" haha

 

 

I'm not sure if any of you mommas out there have seen Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood yet, but that show? Totally sent from heaven. It's based off of Mr Roger's Neighborhood (they even kept the songs and characters on there). Anyway, they teach social skills, self-care (like brushing teeth), and routines. Every thing they do involves some sort of little song. Normally, I would think the songs are annoying (Brad goes around with their thank you song in his head constantly, lol), but I can't even begin to explain how much it's helped Noah. Now when it's bedtime, I'll say, "Okay, let's go brush your teeth..." and he immediately runs into the bathroom, ready to brush his own teeth. Of course I have to do a follow up brush, but the fact that he's showing that kind of independence is so awesome. The other night, he was watching an episode where they were preparing a fruit bowl. Daniel Tiger asked where the strawberries were on the plate. Noah didn't know that one, but he did see the apple and bananas sitting there, so he responded to the tv, "Apple! Nana!"

And I proceeded to fall on the floor into a weepy mess. No not really. But this kid definitely gets his own cheerleading squad every time he does something awesome like that.

 

 

His therapists are noticing all of the changes going on too. His special ed teacher told me how he seems to be progressing so much from week to week. Brad took Noah to his OT appointment last week, and she told him she could tell I've been working with him.

 

He can now trace almost all of the letters of the alphabet on his ipad and all of the numbers. He can still count up to 30 (I think he can go higher, but we can't understand the numbers after that) and go all the way back down. He's learning to spell certain words (thanks to the ipad), and those letters make sense to him that way.

 

 

He's seeking out social interaction with others, which makes me want to cry. I know he wants friends, but it's hard for him. And that part makes me sad. We joined a little playgroup recently, so I'm really hoping he'll find some good friends there. If anything, watching him be accepted by other kids will make this momma's heart hurt a little less for him. Kids love to play with him, but they get bored easily, since he doesn't understand phrases like, "Let's pretend you the monster, and I'm the princess..." or "Let's play duck duck goose". And for the first time last week, when other kids walked away, he stopped to see where they went. So this is happy and sad news. Happy that he wants to play with others, sad because he doesn't know how quite yet.

But it doesn't seem to bother him too much. He just keeps on playing, just as cheerful as ever. Seriously, this kid's attitude is amazing. That's the first thing that strikes people about him... his sweet personality and smiles. He can do no wrong. :)

 

I just love this kid more than I can even say. His progress has just amazed me, and it's only going to get better from here. He has the purest little heart, and that's going to take him so far in life.

 

 

Have a happy weekend, friends!

xoxo.

Noah stuff

Noah has been having a bit of a rough time lately.
He's realized that he's 3. It took a while, but he's finally having normal fits and meltdowns. They're still really mild compared to most kids (his OT actually laughs at them, because they're just so... cute).
He also got some sort of weird virus on Friday night. He would randomly break down crying over the silliest things, or over nothing at all. He wouldn't eat anything all day. On Saturday, he finally drank some water and proceeded to throw it all back up. After that happened two more times, he then ate half a bag of tortilla chips and was totally fine. So weird.

But the cranky mood hasn't completely left. Yesterday, he got wimpery as we came up to the McDonalds (at a red light). I figured, what the heck. So I went to get him some ice cream. Except? He didn't want it. And when we pulled out of the parking lot, he proceeded to have an epic (for Noah) meltdown and threw the ice cream cone at me from the back seat. I didn't get on him too much, because I know he's not himself right now. Plus, I had a hard time not laughing.

I just feel so bad for him. He's now understanding more and has opinions and wants, but he can't express them. When he felt bad over the weekend, I didn't know why. We were guessing everything from ear infections to a stomach ache. It's just sad. So while I'll never accept ugly behavior, I also know I have to extend a little grace to him. He's just now becoming more aware... of his surroundings, other people, himself. He expects us to just know his thoughts, and it must be so frustrating when we don't get it. It's like having a newborn in a toddler form sometimes.

***

Yesterday, he had a little bit of a rough time at his OT. She knew he wasn't quite himself when he would just randomly sob at things they always do.
After it was over, we walked out of the little side room. Noah quickly walked into a different room (the lights were off), grabbed a very specific toy, walked into a different room, sat on the floor, and proceeded to play with it for the next 20 minutes. See the door to the left of the slide? Obviously, this vintage Fisher Price cash register had caught his attention when he was sliding.

His therapist felt terrible. He probably thought she was being mean by not letting him play with it. She had no idea that's what he wanted. She even said she would've grabbed it to help him transition had she known. Whoops!
At one point, I asked him if he was ready to leave, and he politely stuck his hand out for me to back off (it's his way of saying, "no thanks").
So being that this is the ONLY thing he's gone crazy over lately, I immediately did a frantic online search for one of these things. I found one on ebay for like $20 (including shipping), which was the cheapest option. After I bought it, I realized I didn't check to make sure it came with coins. Sure enough, it does not. So I searched for the right coins for that particular model.

Then it dawned on me to check craigslist. There's a mom nearby selling theirs (WITH coins) for $10. WHY did I not think of that BEFORE purchasing the non-refundable one?? I've already emailed the guy and asked for him to cancel it (it had only been an hour or so, and yes, I was totally that mom and mentioned "my autistic son who wanted this for Christmas with the coins").
Now I'm just praying he taps into the spirit of Christmas and gives me my money back. Otherwise, I'll just save it and give it as a gift later on down the road. And don't think I'm above calling him a Scrooge if he makes me keep it. lol. I'll just make sure to cook an extra awesome Christmas dinner for Brad to smooth over the fact that I've bought two of the same toy.

***

The owner of the OT company plopped down on the floor with us to chat yesterday (they're all so cool), and she asked how Noah's sleep was going. She then asked if we were using a weighted blanket. I told her that they're just too expensive, and we don't want to spend that kind of money (we're talking at least over $100) on something he'll just throw on the floor.
She then tells me that someone donated one recently, and I was more than welcome to take it home and try it out for a couple of weeks. How awesome is that?!

I hope we never move. These people have been so amazing for Noah.

***

His OT is beginning food therapy with him now, to help him expand his palate a little. She told me about this new technique called "food jagging" that seems to be working well.
Basically, you offer them three kinds of simple foods, one of which you know they will eat. Everyone at the table gets the same thing. There's an empty plate in the middle of the table, where unwanted food can be discarded. She also suggested putting Noah in a contained seat at the table (not a high chair) and placing something on the floor that he can rest his feet on. This gives them added stability when eating, instead of that wiggly, dangly-feet feeling.
So I used his old travel chair last night and put a big speaker we weren't using underneath his feet (perfect height!). He ended up sitting there for 30 minutes, eating everything on his plate. He never does that. He even ate his lima beans with his fork... so exciting!

There were a couple of times where he pushed on the table, like he was ready to get down. But then it was like something in his head clicked, and he was all, "Oh wait, I'm still hungry...".

***

I'm not sure if I'll be back blogging before Christmas. I hope so, because I have plenty to document. But honestly, I'd rather be soaking up this time with my little family. If not, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!! :)

leaps and bounds

(This post has been sitting in my draft file for weeks now. Every time I plan on posting it, Noah does something else new. So there may be a few "the other week" or "the other day" references, when really... it probably was 2 months ago. lol. But in any case, I need to brag on my boy. If anything, to document how far he... we all... have come).

***

Noah has totally amazed me with how far he's come in the last couple of months. I give most credit to his Occupational Therapist, Kim. When we first started going there, Noah spent the majority of his sessions sobbing. It was absolutely heartbreaking. Even his EI coordinator wrote me after she witnessed it and offered to find another option. She couldn't take it either. But I'm so glad we stuck with it. It's obvious why he was crying... she was drawing him out of his world and into ours. For a child with autism, that's a really uncomfortable process.

Now? He loves it there. When we're waiting on his turn in the lobby-type area, he often peeks around the corner to see if she's coming. And when she does, he giggles and runs off, ready to play their transition game.

Before we started there, Brad and I both were feeling helpless.
We were sad, because even though we desperately tried, there wasn't a huge connection between us and Noah. Of course we knew Noah loved us, and he would sometimes play with us. But for the most part, it was as if he couldn't care less if we were there or not. It was breaking our hearts, especially Brad's. Noah mostly came to me for help, because I was the one who was with him all day. He didn't care if Brad left for work or came home. He was just there.

Now? If Brad is around, he asks him for help. He plays with him. And after Brad takes Noah out for a daddy-son date, Noah is always super clingy to him. It's so sweet.

Noah gives kisses freely. In fact, he made a game out of it recently, where he'd walk to Brad at the end of the couch, kiss him, then walk back to me and kiss me. He thought it was hilarious. If I ask him for a kiss, he'll usually give me one.
He's learning to follow directions (simple stuff like "push the button") and is understanding language way better. When I ask him if he's ready for a bath, he'll either get upset or excited (depending on his mood). If I ask him if he'd like a popsicle or milk or whatever, he'll go to the appropriate place to get it. He still doesn't understand a lot, but he's made huge leaps from a few months ago.

Noah's social skills are growing more and more every day. He gets excited to play with others now. At Chick-Fil-A a couple of weeks ago, he played with these two other kids in the play area, and he was having so much fun. The cool thing is that most kids are really patient with him. I'm not sure if they figure out he's "special" quickly or not, but the bigger kids typically follow him around like he's their baby. Little girls adore him, mostly because he's not wild. He's quiet, so they can be as chatty as they like without anyone interrupting them. haha.

Last night, he tried to drink his bath water out of a cup (which is both gross and awesome, since he still mainly uses a sippy cup). I told him it was yucky and made a face, saying, "Blech!" He thought it was hilarious and wanted me to do it again. So he copied the exact face I made. While looking me in the eyes. I wanted to call up his OT and give her a big hug over the phone for helping him get this far.

My family keeps making comments about how he used to never interact this well with them. He actually wants to play with everyone. At Thanksgiving, he walked up to family members and "chatted" with them. He's playing with (all) of his toys in the way they were meant to be played with. He's recently become enthralled with Mr Potato Head, building train tracks, and putting together simple jigsaw puzzles. He no longer mouths objects or does lots of visual play. He still flaps his hands sometimes, but it's gotten much better.

Noah's eating habits are improving too. In the last few weeks, he has reintroduced to his diet: popcorn, peas, lima beans, Annie's noodles, Greek yogurt, and grapes. He also tried some tomato soup but wasn't too impressed. I really think most of this was sensory related, since he used to eat peas and lima beans like candy.

His eye contact is AMAZING. With us, with family, with strangers... doesn't matter. If someone talks to him, his eye contact is almost always spot on.

The most exciting part though? His language development.
Part of the issue, I wholeheartedly believe, was just bringing him out of his world. It's hard to learn something if you're not even aware of it.
The best part... I'm the one teaching him. He hasn't had a speech therapist since he was a baby. We can't afford one, so it's all on me. Now that he's more aware of his surroundings, it's SO MUCH EASIER to teach him!

We've been so amazed at all of the words he's picking up. Not only can he count from 1 to 10, he now counts back down. From what I hear, this is a really big deal. I didn't realize this, but turns out most typical kids a year or two older than him don't normally get that concept. But he really gets numbers. They make sense to him. In fact, everywhere we go, he's always looking for them. He'll count the numbers on the aisles at Target, clocks, the radio... if he sees them, there will be a little voice counting them. He couldn't find the number 10 with his bathtub foam numbers the other night, so he took a 1 and a 0, put them together, and said, "Ten!". He says, "Ready, Set, Go!" almost perfectly and uses it in the proper context. He says, "Da-da" still for Daddy. Any kind of round object he sees gets labeled as a "Ba-ba" (ball). He called the onions at the grocery store a ball the other day. lol.

The other night, in the bath tub, I started signing "Jesus Loves Me" to Noah. For the last 3 years, I've always signed it with him in my lap. That way he could understand how the signs were supposed to go, and I could do the hand-over-hand thing with him, if he needed help. However, since he was in the tub, that wasn't an option. We also hadn't sung it in awhile... like months... so I wasn't sure he'd even remember it.
But he amazes me with his memory. He proceeded to sign it, completely on his own, watching my every motion and copying when he couldn't remember exactly. After we were done, and I applauded, Brad and I started talking about how awesome he's doing. Then... THEN... Noah shocked us and sang, totally unprompted, "Je-suh uv ee, Bi-uh teh ee soooo...." (translated: "Jesus loves me, Bible tells me so...") while doing the signs.
I thought both of us were going to lose it. Brad and I both held back tears and made a massive deal over him. And the look on Noah's face told us how proud he was of himself.

 

It's been so amazing watching him grow and make such huge strides. It gives us so much hope that he's going to be okay.

Oh hi. It's me. Y'all still there?

Sorry for all the silence lately, y'all.
There's just been SO MUCH going on in my life right now. Most of it overwhelming. Some sad. Sprinkled with a little good. The last couple of weeks, I felt like I had a million deadlines, my house was a wreck, Noah's sleep is a constant battle, and I had no plans for my 30th birthday. One of those milestone birthdays, right? Yeah, I was blank on what to do.

Frankly, it all just left me in a funk. I had lost all motivation and inspiration. But I took a break and am feeling a tad better now.

***

I feel bad leaving everyone hanging with the whole OT debacle. I did finally speak to her, and she was super receptive. In fact, she was almost appreciative that I brought some of Noah's own toys for her to use. And I realized how little these therapists are actually informed about their kids (at least in this area). I also think she's fairly new to this role, and to have a non-verbal, sensory-seeking toddler just threw her off.

Anyways, it's better now.

***

I've also been hired to photograph my very first wedding. It's in less than two weeks, and I'm teetering on the line between total excitement... and fall-on-the-floor fear. I was completely up front with her about my experience (or lack thereof), so she's been fully informed. It's an amazing opportunity for me, and I'm so so honored she insisted I do her wedding. Had she wanted me because she thought I'd be cheap? Then no way. But she saw my work before she ever talked to me or looked at prices, so according to her, she was sold before she ever contacted me. Do you have any idea how awesome that made me feel?? Biggest. Compliment. EVER.

The good news is that Brad will be going with me, so I won't be totally alone. I've been spending every free moment studying and practicing. And praying. Lots and lots of praying. haha.

So while this is GREAT stuff, it's still totally overwhelming me and stressing me out. I go to bed and dream about photography and weddings. It's ridiculous.

***

I'm not sure if y'all watch much news, at least the national news. But last week, the grandson of a family friend went missing. The family is from Charlotte, but he's a grad student in Boston. His grandfather used to be our worship leader at church (and ironically, when I started going to a church closer to home, that worship leader studied music under Dr Dailey... small world, huh?).

 via

After days of searching, they finally found him in a river. The whole thing is still shrouded in mystery. It's been so heartbreaking, and although I didn't know Jonathan Dailey personally, it's such a tragic scenario, and I've just been so sad for his family. They're taking solace in the fact that he's a believer, so the promise of being with him again is there. But it's still just so awful. To read more about the case, go here.

There are a few other bits of sad news that I won't go into (nothing that personally affects me or my family though, so no worries, we're fine). But there just seems to be a lot of heartbreak going on lately.

***

Combine all of this with regular life stuff, and basically, I was in an all around funk. Anything I attempted to write (and did write) came out as whiney and blah.
So I've been keeping quiet.

However, we did manage to get ourselves to the beach for the last half of the week last week. And somehow, the funk followed us there. It wasn't ALL bad, obviously. And most of it is pretty comical, now that we look back on it. But in the moment? Yeah, it pretty much sucked there for a while. More later.

See? I'm doing it again. Just talking about being in a funk brings out the funk in my writing.

So we'll end this on a positive note.

It's finally cool enough to wear jeans!

And we're pretty excited about it.

I love my baby in Fall clothes.

Here's to a much better week.

Last week in my 20's? Think I'll spend it being happy, thankyouverymuch.

Happy Monday!

Life Lately.

Right now, I'm taking advantage of a few minutes to myself and writing. Well, sort of. Obama and Mitt are in the other room, going back and forth with their respective ideas. I'm not much of a debate watcher. I'm listening, and of course I believe in getting all of the facts (as hard as that may be...) in order to make an informed decision when voting. It's not the information overload that I don't like. I can handle that.
I don't like conflict. Debates make me nervous and antsy. And when one guy makes a great point, while simultaneously putting the other guy's ideas down, it just makes me want to give the one in question a hug. Tell them they're doing a good job, as if they're a 5 year old in a school play. That if it were me, I would've wet my pants by now.

***

You know you've taken too long to update the blog when it still says "summer 2012" at the top and people are emailing to make sure you're okay. haha.

Honestly? I'm just a little overwhelmed with life right now.
I have a lot going on.... nothing crazy, but enough to stress me out and keep me busy.

I feel like I have 20 million projects going on, and instead of getting any of them done, I'd much rather curl up in bed and watch cheesy, girly movies for the rest of the week. Pretend those projects don't exist.

As for the lack of blogging? Besides being busy, I'm feeling a little less-than-inspired lately. As if I'm just creatively spent. Not that my writing is all that magical normally. But I sit down to write.... and blank.

So here I go, attempting to formulate some sort of cohesive thought.

***

Work is going well. I've had a few photoshoots recently, which makes me happy. Especially when I see the clients happy. But I also see how far I have left to go, when it comes to growing. And that thought alone? Totally overwhelms me. As if I'll never get there. As if I don't deserve to even be doing what I'm doing. It's just negative thoughts that I keep having to ignore. Remind myself that the only one I need to compare myself to is me.

Noah is doing amazingly well. I'll go more into it in another post, but the strides he's made in the last month have been so awesome to see. I thank his OT all the time for being so wonderful. God couldn't have given him a more perfect therapist.
His public school OT, though? I'm having a really hard time trying to decide how to handle the situation.

Part of his IEP is that they want him to eventually copy block patterns. Right now, though, he's definitely not there yet. This goal is for June of 2013, and she's expecting him to do it now. She speaks to him like he's an 8 year old, with lots of verbiage and descriptive words. Noah is nonverbal. He responds best to 2-3 word phrases. Too many words, and he completely ignores everything you're saying. She brings zero toddler toys. All of her toys are boring to him, and she doesn't understand why he wants to run around towards the end of the session (even though I've explained his sensory needs and that he uses movement as an escape when he's overwhelmed). Last time, she attempted to make him stop. First by repeating, "Stop running. Stop running" over and over (not sure if Noah even knew she was talking to him. lol). Then by physically stopping him. His regular OT? She gets that he needs small breaks. That he needs regular sensory input, and that moving around solves that for him. Heck, ALL of his other therapists get that.

When Noah dropped a couple of the blocks, she told him, "Noah I need you to pick up those blocks before we do something else. Pick up the blocks..." She then holds out the bag of blocks for him to put the others in. He thought she was offering more blocks to him, and every time he would reach for more in the bag, she would shut it on him. He began to get very frustrated, and had I not stepped in, he would've spiraled quickly. I swooped in, put one of the blocks from the floor in his hand, and said, "Clean up". He then understood and did what she wanted.
But see... I shouldn't have to do that. She should know Noah's level of communication. She should know that, even though the goal is to get him to respond to adult directions, he's not THERE yet. And that you don't get there immediately. You take baby steps. Otherwise the therapy is going to be completely useless once Noah sees it as a negative experience.
Later when she asked him to clean up, she put the bag next to a table. When he leaned over, he hit his head pretty hard on the edge of the table. With tears in his eyes, he looked to her for comfort. Her response? "Oh, you're fine." No hug or anything. Maybe this is the momma bear in me, but that was a huge moment for her to gain some sort of relationship and trust with Noah. And instead, she blew it off as no big deal.

The other therapists? He'll climb in their laps and play with them. This particular one, he pretty much ignores or has zero relationship with her.

I've talked to his Special Ed teacher, his SLP, his private OT, and his former IE coordinator. All of them agree that I need to say something. That she needs to start small with him, bring toys that he'll enjoy, and make it a positive experience. I'm just trying to figure out how to explain what Noah needs without acting like an overprotective jerk.
The thing is? I feel like I keep having to step in and explain how to handle Noah. Explain his sensory needs, his limited language, and what he responds best to. I shouldn't have to do that. Not after it's all written in his IEP and after she's had several sessions to get to know him. Had I not been in the room for these therapies, he would've spiraled quickly and had no idea what she wanted from him.

So this has been weighing on my heart a lot lately. I think she's just used to working with older kids, not toddlers. Noah JUST turned three. Boring beige blocks and a squiggly pen just aren't going to be motivating enough for him. I've been advised to bring our own toys next time and to make suggestions on how to help Noah most effectively.
I don't have a problem sticking up for my kid. I just want to do it in a way that doesn't offend her.

And that's what's been preventing me from writing happy posts. I'm trying to avoid being a total downer. But yeah. This is where my head and heart have been.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to curl up on the couch and watch a Gilmore Girls rerun (okay not really. But I would like to...). :)

life lately (and a progress update on Noah)

Can you tell we've been a bit busy lately?
Part of it is due to the temperature drop (finally) around here. It feels absolutely awesome out, so we've been taking advantage of it.

Meeting up with friends:

Going out as a family:

 (Noah behaves so well at restaurants, even nicer ones. These were taken at the Cheesecake Factory)

 Soaking up the last little bits of summer fun:

 Monkey Joe's:

 

We bought Noah an Autism Awareness shirt, mostly so that others will be a little more mindful of him. I've watched people's faces completely change once they see it. It's like something on the inside softens, and they begin to reach out and play with him. Those who aren't aware of autism will ask polite questions. Kids become selfless, handing over their toys for Noah to play with. A sweet cashier at Target runs to their break room and back just to hand Noah a box of raisins or a sticker (she remembers Noah's name every time, asks how he's doing, and talks to him the whole time we check out). It's been so refreshing to see that there is still good out there. It's as if Noah teaches people to tap into a more sensitive part of themselves that often goes ignored.

For a little guy who used to be terrified of Monkey Joe, I think this can be counted as progress. :)

 Willing Fall to hurry its little heiney up:

Guess what made a comeback into Noah's diet again this week! That's right... raw pumpkin.
The kid still loves it. Go figure.

I may be a tad bias. But oh my goodness, his cuteness just slays me sometimes.

Pumpkin face 'n all.

 Btw, baking is a GREAT sensory play activity. And cheap.

Just get your vacuum ready, set yourself up next to the sink, and let 'em at it.

I use flour, white sugar, and brown sugar for the different textures.

Once he's done, I suck it all up with the vacuum and wipe the rest right into the sink. Pretty simple. When he's older, I plan on using baking to help teach fractions and measurements (I really wish someone would've done that with me. I probably would've done better in math had I understood what the numbers actually meant).

The other reason for the silence? Well, we've been doing a lot of transitioning the last couple of weeks. Noah has officially aged out of the EI program, much to the disappointment of his coordinator (we're still keeping in touch though! I talked to her yesterday!).
He now is enrolled as part of the public school's "preschool" program, even though it's not really preschool. Noah is going to therapy every day of the week except Wednesdays. Three of those days are at the local elementary school down the road. He's enrolled in OT, Special Ed, and Speech. We've only had one session of each so far, so it remains to be seen as to how much this will benefit him. I'm sure they're all great at what they do. It just takes some time to adjust and figure Noah out. It also doesn't help that they only have 30 minutes a week to do so. But we'll see. Anything is better than nothing.

He's also still doing OT with the private company (looooove them!!) on Tuesdays. His therapist, Ms Kim, is absolutely wonderful with him. She's a mom and grandma, so she has that perfect balance of wisdom, knowing when it's time to push Noah's limits and when it's time to ease up and cuddle him. :) And he's finally stopped crying! He participates well and actually enjoys it.

 (doing his pre-OT run... it's his transition tool of choice. ha)

The other therapists are also there, working with their kids, and they're all so friendly, greeting each kid as they come in. We've introduced brush therapy with Noah this week, and he loves it. I swear I could sit and listen to Kim explain this stuff to me all day. How it affects Noah, how Noah processes the sensory input, and certain signs to look for in the next couple of weeks. Fascinating stuff.

We've been seeing some really great progress with him, and I truly believe it's his OT that's helped. His stimming has decreased so much, and he's becoming a little more verbal.
A few nights ago, I asked him if he was ready to take a bath. He responded with, "Tay ba-ba". That was his first time ever using a two word sentence. I just about invited the neighbors over for a party to celebrate. I was so so excited for him. He's also saying "bye-bye" again.
Noah also knows how to count to 10, but in the past, he hasn't enunciated the words well. It comes out as, "uh-oo-ee" for 1, 2, 3.
This week though? He began to hop around the room, counting each hop and he said both "two" and "six" perfectly! Baby steps. But steps in the right direction.

He's currently obsessed with Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. He randomly does the motions, attempting to sing along. Even on the trampoline (please ignore our neglected, ugly garden beds. we kind of didn't bother this year.). 

(how do you like that hair??)

Because he's learning to process sensory input correctly, he's getting braver. More aware of his own body and what he's capable of. While most parents freak when their kids start going up the slide backwards or do a superman jump off the arm of the couch, I'm over here encouraging it! It's typical toddler behavior, and I'm all for it!

 A couple of months ago, sitting on a swing unassisted wouldn't have happened. He's never been able to balance himself and wanted to lean back on me for support. Now? No help needed.

Noah's making lots of progress, and it's so exciting to watch. I love seeing him learn and getting to watch him make big steps firsthand.

Anyway, sorry for the novel. Just wanted to get this stuff written down before I forget. I love blogging, but frankly, sitting at a computer just isn't as enticing as getting outside and enjoying the awesome weather with my family. :)

Hope you're having an amazing week!

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I also have a few new posts over at the Poop Whisperer. Check them out if you want!
Why You Gain Weight After Working Out
Pumpkin Spice Latte (vegan friendly option)