It was an interesting week.  Nixi struggled a lot on the heels of the visit from Nana and the movie outing.  She's just been really sad.  When Nixi's sad...Nixi's mean.  She doesn't mean to be, but she is.  She says "no" to everything, stares at people with this really mean face, and uses her mean voice.  It upsets me a lot and usually when I can't take it anymore and snap...I'm the one who gets in to trouble.  Mom and dad know its Nixi who starts my downward spiral, but other than her getting in trouble for the above mentioned behaviors...it wouldn't be fair for her to get in trouble for being sad.  So, mom and dad are working on reminding her to tell them that she's feeling sad.  When she does that she gets lots of hugs.  Hopefully Nix will catch on and eventually just go to mom and dad for hugs in the first place.

Summer school is going great.  I'm trying not to let Nixi's moods affect me and I'm doing a pretty good job at it.  I can't ignore it all the time, but I'm doing much better.  Seems I need to do some work in the initiating play department.  See, I really like playing with my friend Logan.  So, whenever he's playing with something I take it away and laugh like its a game of keep away....or put my hand in front of what he's playing with.  Mom reminds me that I need to tell Logan I would like to play with him and when she does I do my best.  He was playing with a ball and I took it and started throwing it in the air...because I've got parallel play down pat!  Mom reminded me and I asked him if her wanted to play catch, what I was really wanting to play all along, and he said yes and it was awesome!  So, I've got a lot of work ahead of me but I'm determined to get this down pat by the end of summer.  Other than that, we're all just having a lot of fun!  We used the sheet we painted last week like a parachute and we made "waves" for Nemo to surf on while listening to "Wipe Out!" and "Catch a Wave."  It was super fun.

Had a mellow weekend visiting the pet store and doing our bounce house clubhouse.  The weather has been in the mid to high 80's so it's been really nice.  Looking forward to a nice week.  Hopefully Nixi starts feeling better.  We'll see....

xoxo
Safi


Afternoon concert....

Ending the week on a HOT note....108 degrees for Father's Day!  No, none of us melted, but we thought we just might!

We had a really exciting week.  We started summer school at the park and it was awesome.  We're doing an ocean/summer theme this month and this week was "Finding Nemo."  So, we did a Finding Nemo obstacle course ending in us having to rescue Nemo from a net filled with seaweed (streamers and Easter basket grass), and we painted a big blue sheet (the ocean) with brushes and spray bottles filled with colored water.  It was really fun and mom says we're going to use the sheet for a cool activity this next week.  It was exciting  to see our friends Logan and Zoey who we haven't gotten to see since last summer, and we had a blast playing with Kameron from Safi's school and his sister Jewel.  This next week we might be getting a new kid that mom has never met and the week after that one of Safi's old classmates and her sisters will be coming.  It was just really fun and we can't wait to go again this week.  I'm having a hard time being in circle time because its so close to the other kids, but I'm asking to wear my vest and then doing pretty good so I think its going to be a great summer!

Nana came up for a visit and that was super fun.  We took her out for sushi, to the movies, and to the pet store.  It was an exciting and jam packed weekend and we all held it together pretty well.  On the last day we Safi and I struggled a bit but we both did really great jobs of keeping it together and getting back on track.  It was a great visit and we missed her when she left.

This week we both go together to see the nutritionalist at Regional Center, Betty.  She's really nice and has good ideas for ways to naturally get our GI issues under control.  Unfortunately, we have a hard time tolerating most of them so we have yet to see a whole lot of success...but we love her for trying and as long as she has hope we do too!  Its going to be after summer school and during my normal nap time, so hopefully that doesn't throw things off to badly.  We shall see.

So, that's about it...hope you all had a great week.  Catch ya later!

Peace
Nixi

Who needs the fountains when you have mega sprinklers!!

Its been kind of a draining day so I'll keep this brief.

School's out and it was our first week of summer.  Mom made sure to have things super structured but her and dad also fell in to the neurotypical parent trap.  They wanted us to have lots of fun so they let us play in the pool  longer than normal, let us have McDonald's for dinner one night, and bought us a playhouse.  Ahh, all things with good intentions and for most kids it would have been awesome.  However, for Safi and me its just too much.  Remember, we do Christmaukkah all December long just so we can enjoy our gifts and not have it ruined by being overwhelmed.  You'd think mom and dad would lean their lesson, but I suppose sometimes its hard for them to remember because they get so caught up in the fun.

So, we're really overwhelmed and spent the better part of today letting mom and dad know that through screaming jags, fighting, and ending in tummy aches.  Mom and dad feel bad but its a bell that can't be unrung so now we all have to ride the discomfort until it subsides.  The road to our hell is ALWAYS paved with your good intentions.  That said, as you can see in the pictures, in between meltdowns we really had fun with our new stuff and we just wish we could keep the good joo joo going for longer than the bad joo joo.  In time...

We start summer school on Tuesday and we're really excited, and nervous, about that.  We've been helping mom get all of the toys together that we're going to share with our friends and that's been helping us prepare.  We also have a visit from our Nana coming up and another sensory friendly film, Madagascar 3, on tap for Saturday afternoon.  So, exciting week ahead.  Make sure to check back in next week to see how it all pans out!  We also want to wish a Happy Father's day to grandpa Seifert, grandpa Cummings, great grandpa Cummings, Dan, and all of the father's out there who love and take care of a kid(s)...there's no one in the world that can play like a dad, goof off like a dad, hug like a dad, and make us feel safe like a dad other than, well, a dad.  Now that's pretty darn special!

Peace
Nixi

Memorial Day was awesome.  We had BBQ, played in the pool forever, and ate watermelon until we were about to burst!

Dad was home all week on vacation and it was awesome having him here...so much so that we're a little bummed that he has to go back to work this week.

We had water day at school and mom, dad, and Nixi came.  It was really fun playing with squirt bottles, looking for shells, blowing and chasing bubbles, and washing stuff with sponges.  Nixi squirted dad with her squirt bottle and she thought that was pretty darn funny.  I really liked chasing bubbles as Kameron sent them floating over the playground.  It was really fun.

I also had my last day of preschool, ever.  Mom took Nixi and I to buy flowers for Teacher Mel and Teacher Joanne.  We picked them out ourselves, daisies...and we were so proud to give them to them.  It was a fun day because we didn't do anything special, we just did what we are supposed to do in school just like any other day.  When mom, dad, and Nixi came to pick me up I was fine until I started walking down the hall towards the parking lot.  I ran back in to the room and start really crying.  We had been talking about what the end of school meant, i.e. no more preschool, me and my friends would be going to different schools/classes, etc.  So, when the time came I understood the finality of it and it just made me really sad.  I've been in school with my same group of friends for two years.  I love my friends, and they love me.  I still don't know where I'm going next year but I do know I wont be in class with anyone from preschool and that's going to be rough.  Not only am I used to those kids, but I really like them.  I know all of their quirks and they know mine.  We all know how to bring the best out in each other, and we often do.  I'm feeling a little bit better about things today, but its still really sad.

Luckily, we had Dreamnight at the Zoo the next day, and everyone knows that the zoo makes all things right in the world!  We were so excited.  Mom told us we were going on Wednesday night.  Nixi could hardly stand waiting until Friday, asking if we could go to the zoo then crying when mom reminded her it wasn't Friday.  By the time Friday rolled around we soooo ready.  We headed out there after a good nap, hit a McDonald's en route, and were there by 5:15pm.  When we arrived it was 104 degrees outside, but we didn't care...we were at the ZOO!  We saw the wolves first then my favorite, the reptile house.  There were tons of volunteers there doing behind the scenes tours and we got to pet a tiny tortoise!  We saw the elephants, two orangutan moms with their babies, seals, lemurs, a tiger, and tons more.  We got to pet stingrays, although Nixi wasn't long enough to touch one.  That didn't stop two stingrays from sandwiching together and flapping out of the water to splash her in the face, they really didn't want her to feel left out!  I got to pet a horseshoe crab, Nixi got to stim on the sand in their boat home.  The best of all...we fed giraffes!!!  They were huge, their tongues were long and purple, and they smelled funny, but boy was it COOL!!!  We also got to hang with some goats and various livestock in the petting zoo...only serving to bolster the idea that one day we MUST own goats!  We stayed until 7:45PM with not a single meltdown between the 4 of us!  It was truly a dream night.  Just the best ever.

So, we've spent the weekend coming off of the high of the zoo and the low of school ending and we're prepping for the week ahead with dad at work and us left to our own devices.  Summer school will start the following week, and we're super pumped about that.  We have a potentially great summer ahead.

And that's all I got to say about that!!

xoxo
Safi

The zoo!

Because its a holiday weekend and we've been enjoying it to the fullest, I'll keep this entry short and to the point.

 Safi had a great week at school. I had my last day at big girl school and now I'm out for summer. It was a great day and I even asked a girl in my class to play ball with me. My speech therapist set that as a goal for me 2 classes ago and I was finally ready. She said yes and we tossed the ball back and forth two times! I was very brave, just like the social story Teacher Mari made for me about Buzz and Jessie being brave and asking friends to play. Everyone was proud of me and I was proud of me, too!

Mom's birthday was interesting.  Safi and I were both having an off day so it was a bit dicey.  However, it ended on a high note with a sushi dinner and cupcakes!

 Mom and dad finally got my psychological report back from the Regional Center evaluation. The following are highlights from the 10 page report:
"Test Results:
Chronological Age: 2yr10m
Mental Age: 4yr10m
IQ:  155+

At the time of testing Nixi's chronological age was 4 years 10 months, with a mental age of 4 years 10 months. Her IQ performance score fell outside the standardized normative samples used in both the original  and Arthur Adaptation forms of the Leiter.  By estimation using the two scoring systems as reference, Nixi's performance yielded an IQ score of 155, at minimum, placing her overall nonverbal intellectual functioning in the genius range."

My scores on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition (CARS2) which is used to differentiate autism from other types of developmental disabilities, as well as assess level of severity of autism symptoms.  There are 15 different areas commonly associated with autism that are scored from 1-4, 1 being normal - 4 being severely abnormal..with a maximum score of 60 possible.  Severe being a score of 36 or higher, with a score of at least 3 in 5 areas.  Nixi scored mostly 4's, with a couple of three in 14 areas.  The 15th area being verbal communication where she scored a 1.5
"Total CARS2 score = 53
Nixi's overall score indicates that she is exhibiting severe symptoms of autism spectrum disorder."

In reference to DSM(psychological diagnostic manual) criteria for Classic Autism:
"According the DSM-IV-TR, at least 6 criteria must be met to qualify for an Autistic Disorder diagnosis.   Nixi met 11 out of 12 criteria."

Diagnoses

Axis I  299.00  Autistic disorder

Axis II  V71.09 No Diagnosis (Genius Nonverbal Intelligence with Mildly Impaired Adaptive Skills

"Although Nixi appears to be cognitively superior at this time, her overall presentation and current level of adaptive and social capabilities suggests an increased risk of falling further behind in her development."

Then the psychologist recommended I continue with current services, address sensory issues with a qualified Occupation Therapist, etc.

So, I'm a brain inside this confusing little shell just waiting for someone to bust me out!  I'm sure mom and dad will find the key to my world and make a terrific bridge leading back to theirs.

This week is lots of excitement.  Dad is off from work all week, Safi has water fun day at school and I get to go, Safi's last day of preschool is Thursday, and Friday night we get to go the zoo!!  Its called Dreamnight at the Zoo, 32 countries participate in it the first Friday of June every year.  The park opens from 5-8PM just for families of kids with special needs.  We're really excited!!  So, make sure you check back in next week to see how it all went down!

Peace
Nixi

The super magical, totally awesome, never boring, uber amazing new popcorn popper!!!


Safi singing a song that Teacher Mel sings at school...."You got a line, I got a pole X....you got a line, I got a pole X.  You got a line, I got a pole we'll got down to the xx hole, honey..baby of mine!"

An interesting week...I swallowed a plastic Strawberry Shortcake shirt, we went to the sand park and I actually ENJOYED watching the bugs and played in the middle of them, Nixi had a great day at big girl school, we went to dinner at the China Buffet, and we had fun at the fountains over the weekend! Also, I got to hold some baby chicks at school and it was amazing...and I bought Squinkies with my allowance and Nixi bought a remote controlled dog she named Kayla! Tonight was a rough night for me, so this post is going to brief. Every night before bed Nixi and I each get to pick a TV show to watch. As you know, we're on a big My Little Pony kick. We can only watch Ponies through Netflix connected to the TV off of mom's phone and the internet wasn't working. No Netflix, no Ponies...no bueno. Yeah, I love the show and all but what I love..no NEED..is the predictability of the routine that is picking a Pony show before bed. So, I had a meltdown. See, mom and dad gave me about 5 minutes of screaming, going into the bedroom, and coming out again screaming before they just had to move on and let Nixi pick her show. Usually I pick first at night, but me being upset can't throw off the whole house or I'd be more upset and Nixi would be, too. So, Nixi picked The Wiggles. I couldn't take it......... I know I'm saying it hurts my ears, so it looks like mom and dad are torturing me. In reality, mom has taught Nixi and I to say "It hurts my ears" when each other is screaming instead of starting to scream ourselves. I have generalized it to any situation in which I do not like what is being said. Mom, dad, Heather, or a teacher can say something to me taht I don't like such as "no", and I reply with "ouch, that hurts my ears." So, that phrase for me has become a means of expressing my dislike for something...generally a rule or boundary. Anyhow, my ears were just fine...my "center" was not. Eventually I got it together and watched the end of The Wiggles. Low and behold, by the time Nixi's show as done the internet was working fine and I got to pick a Pony show. Still, rough half hour or so for everyone. Even though I'm happy that I got to watch Ponies, I never feel good about myself after a meltdown. No matter how much mom, dad, and Nixi love me...its hard for them to feel amazing after my meltdown, too. Everyone is just a little cautious and a little on edge around me and taht makes me sad. I get it though, so I try my best to say I'm sorry either directly or through my actions. By the morning all will be back to normal so I'm not too worried about it..just drained. So, I'm going off...more to report next week I'm sure. Oh, and I passed the Strawberry Shortcake shirt this afternoon in case you were wondering! xoxo Safi Some video from Friday...check out the intense imaginary play going on before Nixi went to school! Looks like it primed her for socializing because she interacted with her peers for the first time without prompting and she modeled her play after this play on the video. Her new buddy Carter loved it!

It was a fun in the sun Mother's Day, not without its dramatic moments...but generally a fun, exhausting day. So, I'm keeping this brief because we're all pooped! Safi had a great week at school. She's really in to the ocean theme and she got the biggest kick out of Teacher Mel letting me sing Slippery Fish with the class. It was super fun. I went to big girl school again and it was ok. I really like my speech therapist and the teacher, I'm just a little uncomfortable at this point with the kids. I also had a hard time "reading" one of the adults there and thought that she was mad at me so I decided I'd be mad too! Mom explained to me that the lady wasn't mad, but that that's just how her face was and I kinda bought it. Either way, I went, I did what I was supposed to and I was happy to see mom and Safi at the end of it! Mom went to Safi's IEP and it was ok. There wasn't really much for them to talk about because we still don't know what school Safi will be going to next year. The school psychologists from both school that are in the running were there but mom's really anxious to meet her new teacher. So, once they find out where she's gonna go they can pick a teacher and then mom will get to mee with her and tell her all about Safi. Hopefully it will all get figured out soon. We got to go to the fountains at the park with week twice after school and it was super fun. We also got to take Safi's best buddy Kameron to school one day this week and after we got to play at his house. He has a little dog that I thought was really cute and Safi was excited because his big sister put Spongebob on the TV for us! It was awesome! We also got a slip n' slide and a new canopy for the front yard so we have lot's of shade...super cool! We also got paid for doing our jobs and Safi bought a Pinkie Pie pony with the money she saved up and I bought a Cinderella electric toothbrush. Its really neat and we're just doing a great job of keeping up with all of our chores. Mom and dad are super proud! Mother's day was great until it wasn't anymore. I have a hard time remembering things. I thought Safi took my cup but it was really her cup. I started screaming and then Safi started screaming to the point that mom had to take her inside. On the way in to the house she clamped down on mom's hand and bit her. I played for a little more than me and dad went inside. After Safi calmed down she apologized to me and to mom. She felt really bad and told mom, "I'm sorry I made you mad." Mom just cried and scooped her up, telling her she didn't make her mad...but the bite hurt like heck. After they had some tears and some snuggles we had a great rest of the night. There you have it. hope you all had a great week and a great Mother's Day. Peace Nixi Water fountain fun!