Sarah Kate’s new Tweety Bird braces came in. As usual, I’m not looking forward to shoe shopping. She wished aloud for Tweety pajamas. I told her I’d buy her some if she’d wear her night splints every night – all night long. She enthusiastically agreed to the deal.
I’m not holding my breath.
Nathan’s yearly Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) meeting was Wednesday. Good news: he tested at or above age level in most areas, and only slightly delayed in the others. Bad news: his PT services are being cut.
I didn’t fight it this time. Honestly, I don’t think he needs PT, and I think I’m even a tiny bit relieved that we’ll have one less appointment to schedule our lives around for awhile. Sometimes a break can be good – you’ll see why when you get to snippet #7.
I’m leaving Mr. Andi to handle all four “kids” without me this weekend while I have girl time with ten of my friends at the beach. I CAN’T WAIT. Most of my away from home trips that don’t involve the kids are quick race weekends or working weekends, so being lazy on the beach sounds divine.
Stella is settling in nicely. She definitely considers herself to be Low Dog on the Totem Pole, but she’s much less timid than when she arrived on Tuesday. We are mighty curious what she’ll look like when her hair grows back. Until then, we have this to make us smile:
So I had this great idea yesterday to wear everyone (Nathan, Daisy, and Stella) out in the back yard. After throwing the frisbee 100 times and removing Nathan from the vicinity of the planters 200 times, the main one worn out was me.
Speaking of rescued animals…Mr. Andi has his own story for the week. A seagull got tangled about 50 feet in the air in kite string between two trees at the beach. One of his employees went up in a bucket truck to get him down. Mr. Andi unwrapped the string off his wing, and they turned him loose.
Finally, please go read “The Power of Hope” right now. It’s especially beneficial if you’re the mom of a kid with a disability who hasn’t reached school age yet, but it’s good for all caregivers and therapists, as well. When you finish, come back here and give me your thoughts.
Have a great weekend!
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I get Kathie Snow’s articles as well. Great points and so true. I feel very fortunate to have a PT who always asks, “What do you want Aidan to be doing functionally in life right now and how can I help.” She’s the one who actually helped me see therapy not as a rote drill but as a tool of independence and functionality. And yes, breaks are great. Have a WONDERFUL time at the beach! That’s the best break ever.
Hooray! A girl and her dog in pigtails! Adorable. I’m glad Stella is fitting in so well.
The Power of Hope is a powerfully written paper and is so often the story of these kids and their families. Many doctors and nurses said the same thing about our Emily Grace. They told me that if I took her home I was setting myself up for a lifetime of trouble. She left the hospital with a court order at 3 lbs. and no hope from any professional in the town she was born. I brought her to USA Medical Center in Mobile and our troubles began. The trouble is how am I going to be able to keep up with her. I would love to send those people in the town she was born pictures of her after Sat. night completing her third year dance recital and in two weeks when she completes kindergarden and is the star of the program. I say listen to your heart and NEVER give up on HOPE!
I decided early on with Colton that I wasn’t going to revolve my life around therapy. He gets 4 services and we only do 2 a week. All the therapists that work with Colton are very nice and helpful. I use their techniques as a starting point but don’t dwell on it if he isn’t picking it up right away. I do lots of other activities with Colton that incorporate fun with therapy. I really liked this article because it relates to how I feel about Coltons life too. We work on his strenghts and hope that he outgrows his weaknesses with time, but we know that those weaknesses will not define him or hold him back.
The Power of Hope IS a lot to chew on. You can ask any parent of a typically developing two year old, “What can most typically developing 30 month old children do?” and they will NOT have an answer. But ask any parent of a 2-year-old with disabilities and they will give you an impressive list…most often a list of skills and behaviors their own child is NOT doing.
It’s difficult from an educational standpoint, because informing your interventions must be based on the “typical” standard. However, there are clearly ways to inform parents and employ those interventions in a positive, encouraging manner that focuses on what a child has accomplished and the gains and achievements they have made.
Lots to think about…not only in what I ‘expect’ from the professionals working with my children but in how I present my children to those professionals and how committed I am to being actively engaged in goal-setting and informing the direction our therapy is headed.
I LOVE Kathie Snow. so sharp without bring edgy or bitter. I grok this both personally and as a mental health professional. It seems like services should be individualized to each needs and, if there wasn’t such an adversarial aspect to getting services we’d probably save money that way sincesome need more and some need less.
Anyway- that dog and gal act are wonderful! And enjoy with the gals! Jealous am I….