Waiting on C

We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of C.. my dear sweet niece who I absolutely love to pieces and have yet to meet. In our waiting state, we hung near home in case we got the go time call. We didn't, we are still waiting... eagerly, excitedly!

Here's a little looksie into our weekend at home.

Lots of happy, lots of playtime!

Home is comfy!

Is there anything as comfortable as your home? 

... Even when a bathroom remodel takes over. 

... Or when you stay in your pjs all day even when therapists and construction workers arrive?

...Even when you see a Packers dump on the road while running out for a tea. When I spied the dump while Daredevil was at home with Mammy and his therapists, I had to snag a picture. 

I'm sure not in Kansas anymore. But home is so sweet, even with its chaos. 

IG

I'm on Instagram! Follow me at danibrown1607. #crafthouse #whatevercampcreate for pictures from all of us here this week!

It really feels like a Pinterest, God-loving summer camp. Clearly right up my alley! 

Bugs & Kisses

I'm prepping a lot for Halloween! I know, I know... way early, but I have lots to do! I'm making 4 costumes, making school treats, getting stuff ready for Disney and making some little treats for our army of therapists and teachers. Here's what we're making for our army!

We've got our bags and our bug and kisses mixture.

Dump our mixture into their bags!

 Fold over, whole punch, add some festive ribbon.

Finalize with some cute tags and the treat is complete!!

Dude is Funny

Daredevil's language keeps having these mini-explosions, if you will. We are amazed at his progress in just a few months.

He is combining two or three word phrases all the time now! Tickle neck, stop singing, open gate, hi kelly, bye bye danny, i love you gammy, move please, didaddy drink, big blocks, gray castle, red dump, yellow bus, yellow digger, more french fries, read more, blue thomas, go up, come down, white ice cream, inside store, and on and on and on! Literally everything is 2 words or more. I love hearing him talk and sing all the time... and the words are understandable (at least to me)! It is unbelievable!

We're working on his articulation and strengthening some of his mouth muscles. We're also working on his eating habits and we're about to start potty training! He is a busy boy, but I just would never have imagined how far he'd come in a few months!

I know it's hard to believe, but I think yesterday is the first day in the history of Daredevil's life that I haven't taken a picture of him.... I know Gammy and Aunt Stephie will be upset... sorry! He was super cute! He stayed in his pajama shirt all day... he refused to let me change his shirt until bath time. :)

Another reason dude is funny. I found some material similar to his Aden and Anais blankies that he always has with him, so I decided to get a yard and attempt to make one for him on the cheap. Hah. As if I could pull one over on him. Every time I hand it to him, he hands it back and goes to his closet to get a "real" one. I've attempted this on several occasions since getting it finished. I guess he just isn't having the fake kind.

PHOTO DUMP

Here's our weekend photo dump!

It was a lazy, chill weekend in Madison. We avoided downtown because of the Badger game and the Ironman competition this weekend, so we really stayed close to home. Since we had so much free time this weekend, we were able to have some spontaneous outings! A long drive by all the construction vehicles at Epic, brunch with a friend, drinks and dessert with the girls, etc!

How was your weekend??

It's Friday, it's Friday!

This week is flying by! 

We've enjoyed getting play areas to ourselves now that everyone's back in school! 

We'd forgotten how nice it was to be the only one somewhere... 

Aunt H told us about these awesome cups! It holds a drink but also has a spot for a snack in the top, complete with a flip top lid. I finally found one and Daredevil loves it. I try to have it ready after preschool!

Our feeding group went well this week. He liked eating with his friends. I really enjoy talking to the other moms so I don't feel so isolated. Daredevil ate veggie straws and the green goddess naked juice drink today. He tried some yogurt for gagged after eating it. Still progress every week! I was extremely proud of him. 

Enjoying more playtime without a multitude of friends. 

My first block of the month club group met tonight! We all made three blocks. I'm so excited for my crazy, bright, and lively quilt! 

TGIF! 

Prepping for Disney

In Daredevil's 2.5 years on this Earth, we've been to Disney World and Disneyland a total of 5 times; 6 coming up here soon! I'm an over-planner by trade, but this time I'm doing even more research and planning to ensure Daredevil's safety and enjoyment while there.

Safety:

Although we will be packing our stroller, Daredevil will be wanting to walk and explore solo. While he is getting great at following verbal instructions, staying near and holding hands, there's always that one time you fear he'll wander, refuse to listen, run. In an effort to let him walk on his own - holding our hands 99.9% of the time - we're spending a lot of time in stores, malls, zoos, etc letting him walk solo and asking him verbally to follow instructions. He's actually done remarkably well! We've been doing this in a variety of settings and building up his (and our) confidence.

We've also ordered the Buddy Tag. Daredevil will have a bracelet with a bluetooth chip in it that will alert my phone when he's further than 40 feet away and direct me to his current location.

http://www.mybuddytag.com/choose-buddy-tag/

We're also ordering temporary tattoos and stickers with our cell phone number listed. Then we'll apply it to his forearm and backside of his shirt every morning we go into the parks as a back-up plan in case he does get away from us. It may be overkill, but I feel more secure and prepared having a few failsafes in place.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/200949520/12-custom-disney-temporary-tattoos-for?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_search_query=temporary+tattoos+emergency&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184439438/2-emergency-contact-temporary-tattoos?ref=sr_gallery_2&ga_search_query=temporary+tattoos+emergency&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery

https://www.etsy.com/listing/187516212/safety-id-stickers-autism-mickey-puzzle?ref=related-2

Enjoyment:

Since Daredevil is on the spectrum, with a note from his physician and therapist, we can get a Guest Assistant Card. This card will allow us to wait for our ride/experiences in a different, less crowded location. It won't lessen our wait but it'll lessen his frustrations. If your child has special needs, this is a must. I'm hoping this will alleviate some overstimulation.

Daredevil's senior therapist and I will be working together to create a couple things that should help us on our trip. 1. We will be making some social stories for Daredevil so he will know more of what to expect. He is really great at understanding first, then but when there are several steps involved he gets a bit confused. The social story show the airplane, hotel, parks, etc. It will help Daredevil to visually understand what the steps will be for his days while on vacation and thus out of routine. 2. The second thing we're working on is a Disney activity "menu" that we'll take with us. The folder will have pictures of each of the Disney parks, Universal Studios, Downtown Disney and the Disney beach/pools. That way, we can use it like a menu for Daredevil to select his choices for the day. Daredevil has mastered requesting using 1-2 word utterances, but sometimes it is hard to understand what he's requesting so this should alleviate some problems and miscommunications.

It may seem like a lot of work, maybe overdoing it, but a little preparation could make our time away a little more enjoyable. And, let me tell you, this boy deserves every ounce of downtime and enjoyment he can get!

Neglect

It's been over a month since I lasted posted. I know I've been neglecting you, but life is busy. A different busy. A hurry up and wait, day in and day out busy. I'm the personal assistant to an extremely busy 2 year old. I hustle and bustle him from one place to another or one appointment to another. I either wait on him during his therapy or join him, depending on what it is. We are currently getting 33 hours a week of ABA, 2 hours a week of speech and 1 hour a week of SOS feeding therapy. This is all on top of 6 hours of mainstream preschool and a 1 hour a week Zumbini class. He has a super full schedule. When I'm not joining him in therapy, I wish I could say that I'm reading a novel or watching a soap opera, but I'm not. I'm busy. I'm calling to verify that he'll get proper accommodations during said Zumbini class. I'm prepping for my next meeting with my therapist (we're doing Beth Moore Bible study together which has .5-1 hr of homework per day give or take). I'm learning to be an autism mom, cleaning up between therapists, giving the dogs attention, scheduling the maintenance guy, managing renovations, prepping snack for his class, charting my food/calorie intake, making dinner, managing meltdowns, and on and on.

I'm not telling you this for pity. I don't want pity. We are all busy. But simply to give you a real life glimpse into what it's like when your child has special needs. I'm so blessed that we're getting our ABA intensive therapy at such a young age! Daredevil is growing by leaps and bounds.... but there are days when I'm appalled at the condition of my home but I can't cancel therapy because my house is a wreck so I have to begrudgingly let these people into my house that looks like toys r us threw up inside and a veggie garden reproduced on my counters. Pre therapy, on those days, I could shut the door and pull the drapes. We could hide away and play the day away. Not anymore. My 2 year old has a full time job. His schedule is tetris. It seems unbelievable, but it all works. But I tell you what, he works his booty off. Some days he just craves quiet, alone time. Some days therapy is fun, some days therapy is hard.

I'm rambling now, basically just to tell you that the neglect hasn't been intentional. A day turns into a week, turns into a month. So here we are.  

This is what we were doing while I was neglecting the blog.

I'll post soon!