This n That

Angela is just entering her last week of floor hockey season. She really loves floor hockey! Unfortunately the season started right when she got sick. She missed the first 3 weeks and it's a short season. Angela has been playing since 7th grade but last year was the first she really seemed to understand the game. Unfortunately "understanding" and "keeping up" are two very different things. She is usually several seconds behind the puck. The good thing is, she doesn't care!! She does lot of running around and it's great exercise for her. She's easy to pick out in this video, wearing her new bright pink shoes. LOL


This year she's been so busy with cheerleading, soccer and swimming, then floor hockey. While most people have trouble keeping their kids busy during the winter, we have the opposite problem. Angela is super busy all winter long but when softball season rolls around (in two weeks!) the activity level drops significantly. Special Olympics track and field wills start while we're in Serbia, but it's only twice a week. Maybe I will get us moving more with family walks this summer.

Axel is doing tremendous in school. He is really hitting some developmental leaps right now! He has also started writing and drawing on his own.

He wrote Tyler's name on his own. He got it almost right. LOL

He drew a bus. It starts with "B". Can you see where he drew himself in the door of the bus?

 We're really working on his last name now. I won't let him just write his first name anymore. He's getting it. 

Asher...Asher...Asher. We had his IEP last week. The district is hoping to have a new special ed classroom on our end of town next year. I asked how many kids they need to open it. ;-) This  year he has been fully included in a regular ed. kindergarten classroom and it's been going really well, particularly once he got a 1:1 aid who is fluent in ASL. (Asher adores her!) His teacher is fantastic too. While Asher is developmentally 24-28 months old, it has been really good for him to see that kids TALK, and the play with toys, and just generally how they act. Never in his life has he been around typically developing kids. This has been really helpful for him and he's trying so hard to talk now. We have a solid "bye!" which is adorable. He has several other word approximations he uses as well, and his singing has increased exponentially. Asher has never been fishing in his life, nor has he been in or seen a boat in real life. As I type this Dean is sitting on the couch stringing fishing rods and Asher just signed to him "boat" and was all excited to see what he was doing. 

Asher is a daddy's boy. Yesterday we got paint for the main bathroom. Asher helped carry the paint.

I have implemented a "tough love" program for Asher and his eating. He doesn't have the stamina yet to eat and entire meal but he'll never increase his stamina if he's not made to do it. On Thursday he came home from school and I gave him pancakes for lunch, cut up as finger food. He isn't very fond of finger food since he was never allowed to use his fingers in the institution, but using his fingers allows him to place the food in his teeth.  When I gave him the pancakes he ate 2 or 3 bites and politely pushed it away. I didn't say a word. I gave him time to eat while I ate my lunch, and when I was done I put it all away. When lunch is done, it is done. 

We went to therapy where he had PT on an empty stomach. Dinner time rolled around and I knew he had to be starving. I gave him a 1/2 tuna sandwich and  he wolfed it down!  Then I gave him some stuff that doesn't require chewing. 

Friday he's at school full day so I have to send food they don't have to worry about so it was a wash. However, Friday evening he fell asleep on the couch at 5:00 and slept until 6:00 the next morning! He had slept right through dinner so I knew he'd be famished at breakfast time. He came to get me out of bed carrying his box of baby cereal then got himself a bowl and spoon. Sorry buddy, no baby cereal for you! I made him a waffle and he ate the whole thing without any prompting. Then I gave him a yogurt and some fruit puree to top him off. 

Except for breakfast this morning he has eaten finger food all weekend! He gets about 1/2 the meal as finger food then when he's done with that I give him something easier. We'll keep it at this level for a couple of weeks then up the ante to eating full meals. I'm so proud of him. This has been a real challenge for Asher - and me - but will make some things in life so much easier, particularly going to restaurants and eating at school.