The Coolest Kiddie in the CITY!

SCHOOL'S COOL!!!!!!!!!


What an exciting week we had! Saf had her first speech and OT sessions at what will eventually be her school. They made us a video to help prepare Saf. We named it "school", and by the time Wednesday rolled around and I told her she was going to school she was thrilled. On Friday when I told her she was going to school, she clapped her hands and did major happy feet.
While both days were great, as with all things Saf...the ending is rarely as sweet as the beginning. Transitioning for kiddos on the spectrum is rough, rough for all kids....EXCEPTIONALLY rough on kids like mine. See, the classroom Saf was in is full of stuff. Stuff on the walls, floor, everywhere. Neat, neat stuff. Whimsical, colorful, FUN! Saf experiences everything with much more intensity than most of us. Kind of like seeing flourescent instead of pastel...being center stage for the Stones instead of in the last row for Yanni. Catch my drift? Because of this, it takes her a little more time than most to take everything in. Once she's done that, she can actually concentrate on getting meaningfully involved with her environment. The bummer....by the time she's comfortable, focused, and really rockin' something out its often time to go or time to move on to something else. Imagine how frustrating that must be. Add to that the over stimulation of the world in general and you have a recipe for internal disaster. Its one of the reasons why Mike and I are often left feeling frustrated after we try to do something special for Saf. It almost always starts off amazing....and then we crash and burn. We know its coming, its just a matter of time. Nevertheless totally heartbreaking, draining, and crushing when it finally happens. Still, we will continue to try new things with the hope that we'll keep getting better at reading the signs before the crash and burn and maybe just end up with a fizzle.

Ok, back to our great week. We were even able to get out of the car on Thursday for Nixi's speech and OT session at Saf's old treatment space. The week before we were unable to go to Saf's last 2 sessions there becuase she began crying and screaming when we pulled up to the building. On Thursday, I told her that Nixi had to go to "house" (what Saf calls it) and becuase she's a baby we had to go with her. Well, she got out of the car with enthusiasm, went into the room, and once I put Nixi on the ground Saf pointed at her and proceeded to have a blast doing her own thing. She pointed at Nixi to make sure that the speech and OT teachers knew that that's where their focus should be. Pressure off...Saf relaxed and used therapy equipment she had never really showed an interest in before. It was AWESOME! What a smart and spunky kiddo!

Nixi has been having a rough patch since getting over being sick. She's just an all around generally unhappy chickadee. Lot's of crying, doesn't know what she wants, grabbing for us then pulling away. Its hard, and its scary. When you can identfy the problem its easy....when you can't, its frustrating and sad for everyone. Her Early Interventionists have noticed a shift this last week in her openness and tolerance level, too. Poor kid doesn't sleep very well at night, so she's tired a lot of the time as well. Oh, Nixi...what to do with you?

We had a great weekend outside and in the RV! Check out the videos..I'll post them in this entry on Tuesday, Youtube isn't agreeing with me tonight! All in all, a busy, exciting, and tiring week. This week will be even more exciting...Nixi turns 1! Send all of your good thoughts our way Friday for an amazing, drama-free 1st birthday! Have a great week!

Sarah

RV fun......


Saf tends to use a lot of metaphors when she speaks because her intelligible vocabulary is so limited. Also, folks on the spectrum tend to be pretty concrete and literal...Saf is no exception. Here she is at school and about to go into the play area for the first time. She stands for awhile taking it all in, nervous, "stuck"...then she musters up the courage and takes the plunge....


Here's Nixi's first experience on grass. Notice how she keeps her feet curled. Due to her Sensory Processing Disorder, she doesn't like the feel of it and wont relax her feet in an attempt to avoid touching it. Later she tried crawling, holding her feet off of the ground to avoid touching the grass. Silly girl.