Judah's Class

After spending a day in Judah's class today I must say that I am very happily surprised. The ladies there are very focused on the boys (all boy class). Usually they are doing one-on-one as they have about the same number of staff as students. I was making a mental list in my head of things I saw there that we could continue at home. I saw him match colors, put foods on the food page & trucks on the trucks page, do puzzles, paint with watercolor, build track (usually Sebastian runs our train table), request what he wanted for snack, when he wanted to drink, and when he was all done. They use the PECS system to help kids who are non-verbal communicate with them. These are simple drawings of objects, places, etc. about 3 inches by 3 inches & laminated. You can find them online, which is great because we could use the same ones here that he sees at school. One lady carries a bunch on a ring on her belt (genius!). You could also Velcro them so the kid could rip them off something like a poster board & pick out what he wanted to do, eat, etc. We tried these pictures for a while at home about a year ago but we didn't really know what we were doing & Judah wasn't in school yet (just home visits) so he wasn't familiar with it either. The teachers also use these or just laminated shapes to hand to the children so they know what is next. For example, when it is circle time they hand them a circle. The kid takes it to the circle time area, drops it in the box & sits down. If he doesn't sit down the lady with the pictures on her belt will show him the "sit down" picture. Next week they are switching to the "Star Program". I wish they would have started school with this so the kids don't have to deal with such a huge change.

Judah does very well in that class, although I think they need to start challenging him more with the puzzles, matching, etc. He absolutely loved recess time. He ran out into the field by the playground many times. He wasn't supposed to be out there, so the teachers would have to chase him down. Of course he loves being chased so he loved it. At one point he ran into the field & slipped & fell into a big puddle. As he was getting up the teacher running after him slipped and took a big splash in the puddle as well! Judah thought it was so funny! He was smiling, looking at her muddy pants & then looking up at her. Thanks goodness she had a change of clothes in her car! It was really funny though (although Judah & I seemed to be the only ones to think so). I had to hold in my giggles.

Below are some notes I made after class:

• He loves the slinky.
• He can match colors, put cars on cars page, food on food page - use file folder, Velcro, laminate pics
• He likes puppets.
• Trace train track pieces on poster board & have him put the real track pieces where they go.
• Tunnels - tape/staple construction paper folded over side by side for easy train tunnels.
• Sand timer- use as time or cue to wait. He's also just fascinated by them.
• He really liked the story, "Five Little Pumpkins".
• If you're happy and you know it song was something he enjoyed too.
• Hello & goodbye song he might learn to do if I practice it with him at home.
• Likes painting with water colors.
• Hands you cue for type of food, you hold pic up and say it (hoping he will repeat), and then give him a bit of the food (so he will need to request more. Also make sure he has a picture for "I want" so he can put a sentence together using that & something else. Drink cue if he wants a drink, "All Done" cue.
• Likes these puzzles - you have to fit pieces into spaces that are the right size, foam that piece together
• Make visual strips for bathroom- potty and sink (these are step by step photos in a line that he can follow)
• New ideas for sensory table - oatmeal, cornmeal. Let him be messy!
• Squeezing arms to calm him.
• If he is upset just wait for him to be ready, cue and if still not ready wait again.
• Bathroom at same time everyday (every 2-3 hours), potty on toilet & put diaper on while standing.
• Consistent schedule
• Lots of PECS (picture exchange system)

 Willow spent part of the morning with Greta & part with Gramma. Greta is our 2nd friend to ever watch one of our children. Greta's 3 year old boy was there to play with Willow. Greta sent me pics of some things Willow did - she was only there for an hour and a half & it was really early in the morning!

Sebastian had the first family dinner meal that he has completely enjoyed. That made the meal easier for everyone, haha. Turkey bacon & sausage, omelet (with turkey & a little cheese) & toast. If we can get some fruits & vegetables in there it will be a complete success! Judah kept looking under the table and saying, "Dog, ruff ruff!!".

 

The Calls

I don't think I slept enough last night, functioning & remembering has been increasingly difficult all day.

Scott was in a meeting most of the day, so he wasn't able to make the calls regarding the events of yesterday. First call was to the Salem/Keizer transportation. I let them know that I needed to take Judah off of their bus schedule. She couldn't do that. WESD has to do that (called & taken care of). Before I hung up with the transportation department I let her know that we have not had a good experience with their bus system this year. She apologized & thought I was finished. As I went into detail about what happened yesterday she was completely quiet. I told her it was very upsetting. At that point she took information from me. Those kids didn't deserve that yesterday. Next call was to the teacher. I was convincing myself that she was going to give me a good explanation - a completely believable story about what happened yesterday that would put me at ease. I asked her about the soaked clothes in his backpack. She said, "Didn't you get my message??" I told her that I did, but why were his clothes soaked? She told me that he had taken his coat off, gone down a slide & landed in a puddle (which is partly what her message was). I had assumed that's why the shorts he had on when he came home were wet (who knows what happened there). Apparently the puddle was the size of small lake & he went for a swim. I was quiet for a minute, contemplating whether or not to let it go. I cried so much yesterday, there was no way I could just let it go. "If he fell in a puddle I could understand how his clothes would be a little wet, but his clothes were soaked." I had to reiterate that for her one more time later in the conversation. I couldn't tell from her story, but apparently the kids were either playing in the rain or on a wet playground. Either way, they shouldn't have been out there. I'm guessing it started raining & they had to go in because she told me Judah was very upset (probably didn't get to play long enough). She said they had to do a 2 person carry on him in the rain. It's hard to think about your little kid being carried away by 2 adults kicking & screaming. If that wasn't bad enough she said it in a manner of  "Look, your kid is a pain in the ass. We try." or "Seriously, it took TWO PEOPLE to carry this kid in the rain! Give us a break!" I told her that I assumed they were letting the kids play outside to keep them happy while waiting on the bus. She said, "No, they were playing out there during the day." She didn't seem to think that that was at all significant. So now I'm realizing that they made a conscious choice to let a group of 3 year olds play on a wet playground in really cold weather. After carrying Judah inside they changed his clothes. For the rest of the day he was in summer clothing wearing sopping wet tennis shoes & no socks. They never called to ask me to bring warm clothes & shoes. To make matters worse they had him outside in the cold dressed like that! Judah will do anything to avoid being barefoot on a cold, wet floor. I can't even imagine how distressed he must have been in wet shoes with no socks on for hours! That's really upsetting to think about. Tomorrow I'm spending the day there to see what it's like. Scott wants to call a team meeting right away. There is another early intervention school that would be more catered towards his needs in Aumsville. We've been on the wait list for that one for some time. We will call them tomorrow.

Judah played outside in our water table for a long time today. We have big stones in it covered in water. It looks like a stream. He loves it. I couldn't get him to come inside & eat. Although, when I told him Papa was coming (just one time) he bolted inside like cheetah.

All of the kids came home from Gramma & Papa's tonight buzzing around the house full speed. Sebastian was just streaming conversation. Sebastian decided he was going to do a Spanish project after they left. It was so cool. He drew pictures & told me in Spanish what they were, even pronouncing the first letter of each word in Spanish (practicing the Spanish alphabet). It was very impressive. Willow & Judah fought (without hitting) over who got to be held by Mommy all night long. All of them went to bed quickly.

I had four and a half hours to myself today since Mom & Dave had the kids. I can't remember the last time I've had that much alone time! It was so nice. I had forgotten how nice it was to have alone time.

We are starting Judah's music therapy on Saturday! I can't wait!

The Art of Distraction

Today was crazy busy.

Sebastian has been wonderful today. He has been doing what I ask with little argument & has been working very well with his siblings. Tonight at dinner he got up from his chair, went over to Willow & told her he wanted to tell her a secret. As he whispered into her ear, she smiled & giggled. Then he went back to his seat & ate his dinner. How sweet is that! I wonder what he told her.

Willow understands so much. I can ask her to do just about anything. Even if she doesn't completely understand she will still try to figure it out. She learns quickly! She imitates us physically & verbally all the time! My most valuable tool to use with her is the art of distraction. She goes from one activity, person, toy to the next within seconds. I can't predict where she will go or what she will do, but it isn't hard for me to predict what her emotions will be. When I know she is going to get upset I distract her with something completely different than what she is focused on. And it works most of the time, because she forgets that she was getting ready to have a fit. However, there's no doubt in my mind that she will catch onto my trick very soon. She's a smart one. Judah hit her a few times today & she did not cry. She didn't react at all, but I comforted her regardless. Obviously that's not something we want her to be getting used to. With the hitting I can usually predict as well, unless I'm too far away, then I usually can't stop it before it starts. Today we drove by McDonald's and Judah kept saying, "Look! Chip!" This meant that he wanted French fries. He can't have fries due to his constipation issues, so of course I couldn't stop. I reached back & held his hand & danced it around to the music, making silly noises. Sebastian joined in and before I knew it they were laughing! I guarantee he would have hit Sebastian, probably more than once, if I had just kept driving and done nothing. Distraction is one of the most useful keys I have when it comes to my children.

Judah arrived home on the bus over 45 minutes late today. His teacher called me after I had been waiting about 20 minutes. She said the driver was late & made it sound like Judah would be home soon. She said that Judah was very upset about the bus not being there on time & that they had spent a lot of time calming him down. She also told me that Judah's pants (which were actually now shorts) would be wet because he went down a wet slide, which they were. She did NOT tell me that he would be in a summer outfit on a freezing rainy day wearing no socks & tennis shoes that were so soaked I could wring them out. His little feet were wet & freezing! Why didn't they call me to bring in warmer clothes other than the ones that were in his bag? Why was the outfit I sent him to school in soaking wet inside a plastic bag in his backpack? Was he out in the rain without his raincoat? Why didn't she mention any of this on the phone? Did they think we wouldn't notice? I have no idea what happened today! It is so upsetting. I depend on the staff there to take care of him - he can't do those things on his own.

This morning when I went into his classroom the teacher did not motivate him to find his cubby & instead allowed him to hang his coat & backpack wherever he wanted. The fact that he took his coat off and hung it lets me know that he could easily learn to put it in the right place (given some consistent guidance). I tried to show him his name & photo on his cubby, but he was off & running. And at that point she should have given him his cue to go to his chair where he starts class everyday, not let him run around doing whatever looks fun. I was so disappointed that she was not starting him off with his routine, there's no excuse for that. It's very important. And she's the teacher, which means the aides likely follow her lead. Given all that happened today I feel like I need to stay through his entire class on his next school day. I talked to her about this recently and she asked me to wait a few weeks. I don't feel I can do that now. If it is not a healthy, safe environment that helps him to progress we will have to request a new classroom.

Back to the bus. I see the bus go down our street, turn around & come back again. Our street is about half a block long & our house is clearly marked with our address. He parked across the street & I went inside the bus to get Judah. Judah was not happy. I snatched him up & gave him lots of kisses. I didn't even know what to say to the driver. He immediately apologized and started talking about this & that, not making much sense but in a way letting me know that this situation was his fault. He told me he had gotten lost (not to mention he was late to work). He asked when the bus usually drops Judah and I told him, "45 minutes ago". I let him know that Judah gets very upset when his routine is disrupted like this. He annoyed me even further by asking me if the kids on the bus are the same or different each day. I told him I didn't know. It's so unnerving to know that your non-verbal 3 year old has just been roaming around town on a bus somewhere, not headed in your direction at all. It's even more unnerving to know that it's THIS GUY driving the bus. To make things even worse he tells me that he is going to "fix this problem" by asking to become a permanent driver on our route so we won't have different bus drivers all of the time. We'll be calling tomorrow to discuss these issues. Scott was probably more upset than I was. He will be the one calling. We will be calling about the classroom too. Unfortunately for Judah he won't be riding the bus anymore this year. Sebastian, Willow and I will wait for Judah to get out of class, half an hour after Sebastian. The bus system has been continuously awful this year. They have forgotten to pick up kids on more than one occasion (when they only have to pick up maybe 5 kids total!), been extremely off schedule making kids very late to school, tried to drop a kid at our house and then couldn't figure out where to take him. I can't keep putting Judah in their hands.

When Judah got home (way past lunch time), he rushed to the table to eat. It was upsetting to see. Amazingly enough, he bounced back to his normal self, probably just happy to be home. He didn't let all of the situations he had just gone through (that NEVER should have happened) get him down at all. I am very proud of him.

Judah has shown more progress today - trying to say words that he hears in music, on TV & that I say. Through his words & actions he is letting us know that he understands. Today I told him I needed him to get up from the table so I could clean it off. He got up from his chair, said "bye!", walked over to the couch and sat down. We were having lots of snuggle & play time tonight, but then it was time for bed. I gave him a kiss and hug & headed off to the bedroom to put Willow down. Normally he would try to follow me & cry & scream when he couldn't stay with me. Tonight he said, "Goodnight", walked up to Daddy & motioned for Daddy to carry him. He acknowledged that Daddy was the one who puts him to bed & that Mommy had to get Willow to sleep. Serious progress!!

The kids all made a Play-Doh racetrack on the kitchen table today. I had to remind Sebastian a few different times today to share with Judah & play with Judah. I told him that was the only way Judah was going to learn to do those things. So Judah helped Sebastian make the racetrack, he rolled out the Play-Doh and then ran his car down the track. Willow joined in as well. She attempted to eat the Play-Doh a few times. Sebastian & Willow did a wonderful job cleaning up the Play-Doh with absolutely no fussing from Sebastian.

This evening Sebastian slid into the bathroom on the wet floor & banged his ribs against the toilet. There was no cry for help. He just asked me to help him get up. Minutes later Willow slipped on the floor & banged her head on the wall. Again, no crying. She just got up & kept going! Sebastian dropped a rock about the size of my fist on the top of Judah's head today. Judah cried hard for a bit, then stopped & went right back outside to play some more with the rocks. These kids are fearless & tough!!

Judah's constipation pains are lessening, but still there. He had a big, liquid poop today that seemed to make him feel better. I had to take a poop sample from Sebastian's stool today. Yuck!! All of the kids came into the bathroom as I was doing that. None of them seemed remotely affected by the stench that was making me hold back vomit. Sebastian looked at the face I was making & asked in a very concerned manner, "Mommy what is wrong with you?" 

There May Be Something to That Gluten-Free...

Judah has been gluten-free for nine days.

I have a friend who's son basically started talking overnight after being on a gluten free diet for a while (I don't know how long). I have another friend who's baby had a bad rash on his face. She was still nursing him. She took gluten out of her diet without even realizing it & suddenly the rash was gone, and has been gone ever since then. Some of the thoughts behind gluten-free are that we aren't eating the same wheat anymore. The new wheat has been chemically treated & bleached, not to mention other things. Since wheat isn't wheat anymore, it's obviously going to affect us differently. The kids above may have had gluten intolerance or modern wheat sensitivity. I'm reading that allergies to modern wheat are not too common, but that could have been a possibility as well (especially with the rash). Thankfully there are gluten-free sections slowly growing at grocery stores & other places. This will make it easier for those affected by wheat & those choosing gluten-free diets to transition.

We aren't a family that diets well. Scott can do it. He gave up sugar & caffeine for months once. I lasted a month (which felt like a year). When the doctor told us a gluten-free diet might help with Judah's constipation I was nervous that we wouldn't be able to follow through 100%. But for 9 days we have, especially thanks to the support of Mom & Dave. His constipation pains are still there, usually about every 10 minutes. I really feel like we need to take him to a gastroenterologist. We saw the doctor less than a week ago & have called for assistance twice since then. Today they basically told me to give him piles of Miralax, crush a laxative & hide it in his food & then go back to the Miralax until the doctor says to stop (which she said could be a very long time). Worst case scenario was to use an enema. So the 9 days of gluten-free hasn't shown a huge effect on his bowels. He did poop twice today & was in pain much less frequently, but the fact that he is still not even close to okay (in my opinion) makes me feel that there may be a deeper issue. I hate seeing him in pain. This has to end soon.

So the gluten-free hasn't done much (if anything) for the constipation, however, it may have done something for his development. I swear he was understanding instructions today like I have never seen before. It wasn't a dramatic change in understanding but it was enough to make me cry. He really seemed to understand quite a bit. But you never know if it's a coincidence or if he is really understanding. There are many things that he consistently understands, but today was far better. For example, we were walking up the sidewalk to a building & were still pretty far from the door. I told him to push the button. When we got to the door he went directly to the button & pushed it. In the elevator I asked him to push the number 3. He pushed the number 3. ???!? He was very engaged in a television show & I said his name twice & then asked him to come eat. He turned around & came to the table. He was definitely responding to his name well today. He was laying on the changing table & I told him we could do the potty next time. I asked him to say potty, repeating it a few times for him. At that point he said, "Pa - dee" probably 4 or 5 times. I began enunciating the "t" very clearly & he looked at me & said, not once but twice, "Potty", clear as day. Tears of joy.

So I'm questioning.. was it the new diet or is he just progressing? Of course there is no way of knowing. We will stay on the gluten-free though, I'm not risking it!

The microwave went off tonight and Willow said, "Boffee!!", because she knew my coffee was in it. She is so funny. Scott & Sebastian went to the dentist today. Sebastian let the hygienist know that Daddy does not floss, ever. Sebastian got his teeth cleaned today. It took over an hour. Scott was with him.  Apparently Sebastian would curl up in the chair & refuse to open his mouth. At one point he got up and tried to run away. The hygienist (who used to work at a dental office specifically for children) tried everything. Finally she suggested that Scott leave the room. What do you know, Sebastian was done in no time! The hygienist's daughter is in Sebastian's class at school. He had a sub at school today. She was a little, old Asian lady. I asked Sebastian if the sub knew Spanish (the last one barely did) & he said he never heard her speak any Spanish during the entire class. Very frustrating. Their snacks are frustrating - parents bring in cookies, gummy candies, etc. on their snack days. His old school required at least one fruit or one veggie & a gallon of water. These kids don't get anything to drink & snack is distributed to them 5 minutes before they leave for the day. They can stay & eat or take it with them. Why are we bringing snack if they are just running out the door with it? Why aren't they eating together & acknowledging the kid who brought the snack? He is learning a lot of Spanish. I suggested we do a craft with my magazines this evening. He cut out anything he saw in the magazine that was blue & said it was his "azul" page. It's really cool. He worked on it for hours. So there is definitely motivation coming from school. He also read with Daddy tonight. He worked hard today.

Again, another un-edited entry. We've just got some important stuff to get done tonight. Tomorrow I'm meeting with Judah's teacher for a bit so she can explain the new curriculum they are going to start using. We talked on the phone today for quite a while. I told her I plan on spending a day there to see Judah in action. She was pleased. We somewhat agreed to a time of the month to have a team meeting. Apparently every member of Judah's team is new this year. She said it's like that every year. So much for consistency huh. These new people don't even know Judah, how are they going to help write up an IFSP containing things like his goals, the amount of time he should get with certain therapists, etc.? I'm planning on reading up on IFSP's before we actually have our meeting. Dad is sending me books. That way Scott & I can be prepared & able to direct our son's school time in the most productive manner. His teacher is actually his new case manager. From talking with her on the phone I was much relieved to discover that she had a pretty extensive knowledge of how to work with the students. She seems to know her job & seems anxious to get plans into action. I was pleased.

Daddy is home with Taco Bell.. goodnight.

Magic in Music

Willow & Sebastian spent the day with Gramma & Papa today. They went out for breakfast, where they both devoured stacks of pancakes. After that they went home & turned Gramma & Papa's living room into a haunted house! It took me all of three minutes to get Willow to sleep tonight. That alone tells me that they had a very awesome day.

Such excitement splashed into our world today! It was happiness mixed with a huge sigh of relief. Today we took Judah for a music therapy consult in Portland. Yah, it was a bit of a drive but it was definitely well worth it. We spent 45 minutes with a woman who taught us that there are people out there who can work beautifully with children & are incredibly prepared with a mix of wonder & motivation to help kids progress in different areas. These are people that LOVE their jobs. Her strumming the guitar & singing was a bit over stimulating for him at first, but it didn't take long before he pulled his head out of my lap & began to explore. This woman knew what she was doing. She would transition him from one instrument to the next, keeping his attention fresh & his motivation strong. She sat on the floor with him (staying at his level). He LOVED all of the instruments & was so creative with them, which she seemed to enjoy a lot. After watching him for a while she let us know, in a very genuine way, that he was obviously a brilliant engineer. I've never heard anyone (besides family) talk about our son in such a positive, admiring way. She looked at him & saw strengths not weaknesses. She got to know him through music & playing as well as asking us questions about him along the way. She seemed genuinely interested in Judah, passionate about her work and very good at it. She would play an instrument while singing a song. Sometimes these songs were well known children's songs. Sometimes she would stop and see if he would fill in the word. Other times she would stop when she could see that his attention was going elsewhere. At that point she would engage in his current interest (which is very important) & work from there. She had asked me a week prior about his interests & favorite songs so she could work them into the session. Unfortunately I emailed her back last minute with that info, so she wasn't able to do that today. She used her I-pad while she played on the piano. She used a letter app, had him pick a letter & then she would play the piano & sing a short melody about that letter. In every instant of that session she was teaching, in many different ways. It was so cool to see. Judah played, he enjoyed the music, he learned how to use different instruments, he had new curiosities and new discoveries every minute he was there. He absolutely loved it. There's no doubt in my mind that speech progress could be made for him there. He was using words & making sounds during the session. She has free music therapy sessions with kids once a month in Portland. We've already signed up. She will work from the studio (where we were today) or from her mother's basement in Aurora if it gives a customer a shorter drive. She charges on a sliding scale, so price depends on what works for your financial situation. Like I said, she is passionate about her work. She has a few music therapy degrees, some pretty impressive experience & work titles, but she doesn't seem to let any of that get to her head. Working with her today put hope in my heart that we may have found a venue Judah could happily progress from. It was a great day.

Music therapy is still pretty limited. I don't understand why though. We could only find one music therapist in Salem & it looked like she was focused in a lot of different directions, not just on music. I've recently found communities of music therapists online. Did you know that you can get a doctorate in music therapy? I predict it will become a strong form of therapy once more & more people discover it. From what I've read, it sounds like it's something that could work wonders for Judah. Speech & music actually overlap as they both work a certain area of your brain. There have been studies done that show that nonverbal kids like Judah will have LESS activation in that area of the brain through speech stimulation and MORE activation through song stimulation. Today I saw that in motion. It was pretty amazing.

We went to Einstein Bagel's after the music session & Judah had the worst bloody nose I have ever seen. He continues to be constipated, no bowel movements at all today.

ps- I'm sorry this entry is not edited. I was just excited and wanted to share!

Progress in Theaters

Last night a friend sent me a post from a local movie theater website. It was about a "sensory sensitive" movie the theater would be showing today. I read through the post and learned exactly what a "sensory sensitive" movie experience was like & boy did it sound fun! Kids with sensory issues can sometimes find loud noises and bright lights overwhelming & upsetting. For this reason, they adjust the lights and sound during a sensory sensitive viewing to keep the environment tolerable. They allow everyone to bring their own food, which helps with kids on special diets, allergies and picky eaters (sometimes another sensory issue). This also allows for healthier movie snacks! During the movie, the kids are free to get up and move around, dance, and do what they enjoy without being considered a "distraction". Movement is very helpful for sensory processing in children. This could obviously be a very fun experience for children with or without sensory issues. I got even more excited when I saw that the movie was one the boys had been wanting to see! Tickets were only 3 bucks too! So the plan for today was to go to the movie & afterwards the grandparents could spend time with the kids while Mommy and Daddy had a break. Unfortunately, the movie had to be taken out of the plan since Judah was constipated and not feeling well all morning, poor guy. However, I was very pleased to learn that this theater has sensory sensitive movie showings once a month! We will definitely make the next one!!

The kids are out now with Grandma & Papa. They said Judah pooped at McDonalds & then fell asleep in the car on the way to the bounce house place. Apparently he is up now & bouncing! I hope he will be up for music therapy in Portland tomorrow!
 

"The truth of the story lies in the details." - Paul Auster

Rain off & on all day. The wet season has begun. We've discovered that our dog, Pixie, is not a rain dog. Although she does like to swim, she seems to have a real disdain for the rain. It's highly unfortunate that she resides in such a rainy place. Her plan of action is typically to wait until it's barely sprinkling outside & then dash into the yard. It seems to be working for her so far- we just end up taking her out 20 times a day!

Today I was worrying about my Judah. I think he knew that. He seemed to be doing as much as he could today to let me know that he will be just fine. I don't know if I've mentioned how closely he pays attention to detail. One time we had a Lightning McQueen (that he had never laid eyes on before) covered with a small blanket. We didn't realize that an inch or two of the car was not covered. It didn't take long before Judah spotted the red & got excited. He knew exactly what it was. Today I printed up a black & white photo of the potty chair in the bathroom.  It was a picture I found online. Since Judah takes to visual cues well I thought this might help with potty-training. He was excited when he heard the printer because sometimes I will print the cover of his favorite movie in black & white. He will carry it around all day. He even took one to school on Thursday and showed his teachers! Today it was very apparent that Judah needed to potty, so I showed him the picture of our potty chair and he followed me to the bathroom. That was easy! I set the picture down near the potty. He GLANCED at the picture, looked down at the potty & pulled out the purple piece on the side of it. Why? Because that was the ONLY difference between the photo & the real potty. Apparently his attention to detail is quick too! He's also pretty amazing at knowing the precise second in a movie that something is going to happen. He won't even be facing the screen & he can look at you and make noises that correlate to what's going on in the movie at that exact second. He doesn't have to see the movie more than once to do this. He will sometimes imitate a character's facial expression or body movement without looking at the screen as well.

Willow has been her usual funny self today. Tonight she was pumping her arms in the air & chanting, "Will..OW! Ju..DAH!.. Da..DA!" It was pretty funny.

Scott has all the kids out at the "big" McDonald's this evening. I talked him into it. Judah goes through phases. Not long ago he was terrified of the play areas at McDonald's. He would act as if he couldn't get back down from the Playland once he made it up a step. This was strange because weeks earlier he had loved those same play areas & seemed pretty fearless! He has very recently returned back to the fearless stage. Scott didn't want to go to the big McDonald's because usually he has to chase Judah around while Sebastian goes crazy in the Playland. I'm betting tonight will be different. Scott was very hesitant, but they went anyway.

Scott took Judah to his speech therapy for the first time today. I really wanted him to experience that. Since I was able to stay home with Willow, and Sebastian was in school, Scott could go on his own. Had I been there, Judah would have thrown a fit if Daddy tried to take him in. So we took advantage of today's situation & Scott had a good time partaking in Judah's special time. Judah's progress at home today was very apparent. His confidence was high & he was not clinging to me nearly as much. I can't say the same for Miss Willow. She thinks the top half of my body was built to be her carriage. Unfortunately, as she gets bigger this carriage may lose some wheels.

I'm home alone. Time for a bath!!