IEP and Long Drive

Well we had Sam's very 1st IEP meeting on Monday and in my opinion it was a great start. I got very good vibes from her teacher and the whole meeting was very well done. I took Sam's ABA therapist, EI, and Godmother with me. They all had wonderful insight and questions. I was so glad to have them there for input and support. We will look at the set goals again before school starts next Fall and make sure they are still relevant. Until then, she will continue EI services for the summer with Tara!

We are currently in Kansas visiting family. Sam's loving life with Grandpa and his new drum set! She's thinks he's just pretty darn cool letting her play his drums. We will be here several days and I hope to get a chance to see those we love so much while here. Sam is adjusting well to a new environment and is glad the long drive is over.

A Glimmer of Hope and Trying Something New

This morning my mom in law called and told me there was a segment on the Today show coming on about a child who recovered from autism. I turned it on in time to hear of a 13 year old boy whose story was identical to Sam's. He developed normally up until about 12-18 months then showed signs of regression. He was initially diagnosed as hearing impaired, then found to have normal hearing. Eventually he was diagnosed with high functioning autism. All of the therapies and services he received are the exact same that we are doing for Samantha. Now at 13 years old he is without an autism diagnosis and a fully functioning kid! While I understand that this is only one story out of thousands and thousands, it does give me hope. It reassures me that I am doing the right thing with the early intervention, speech, ABA etc. We can only pray to be so lucky when Sam is 13 years old. If she's not, it sure won't be for a lack of trying. I'm so glad to have been given the chance to see this.

We also, after hearing of good success from others, have taken Sam off of cow's milk. She is strictly on rice milk, water and juice. I have read many accounts and heard personally of two parents having great success with an improvement in their child's behavior once taken off the cow's milk. Even without cutting all dairy out it's shown to be good. So we are going to try it and see how it goes. Sam loves the rice milk, and to be honest...so do I!

Being Sam's Best Friend

Every morning Sam comes into my room and we spend time together watching Noggin, snuggling, laughing, and just enjoying the time. I love that she has developed to an interactive point where she also loves this daily tradition. Her humor is really showing as well. I know to really soak up these moments when I am still her very best friend in the world. Soon enough she'll be off to school and no doubt mommy's signifigance will be scaled back. I look forward to her reaching that point, but I really love this part too!

Her signing has hit a surge and she is really advancing well with her ASL vocabulary. It's fun to "quiz" daddy and see if he knows as much as she does. He's keeping pace with her but she always stumps him on at least one. It's quite fun to watch.

Sam and Danny (the horse)

Home From Camp!

Well, we are home from camp...and worn out! This weekend was so much fun for Samantha and for us as a family. We got to see Sam experience so much and take joy in her excitement. We arrived Friday afternoon and checked into our lodge. The rooms had bunk beds and Sam had a blast going from bed to bed (6 in all) trying them each out. Figures, she ended up sleeping with me the 1st night. We got to meet our designated councilor, Rachel, and she was so nice. She spent the weekend with us during different activities. She's also a lifeguard at the camp. We had dinner and explored the camp before turning in for the night.

Saturday morning we hit the ground running. After breakfast we headed to the stables and Samantha got to ride a horse. She loved it! I was really nervous that she would change her mind about it once up close and ready to saddle up. She took off and left mommy and daddy in the dust! Matt and I marveled at how independent she was about it all.

After horses we went and did some arts and crafts, bowling, swimming, lunch, nap, egg hunt, dinner, more swimming, and movie time. The events were structured yet we were able to choose our activity during set hours. It was nice to have the freedom to choose, and the ability to give Sam the choice.

Sunday we met up for breakfast and then went back over to the arts and crafts center. Sam jammed on the drums a bit and ran about playing. Then it was time for the closing slide show and to say good bye.

All in all it was an amazing weekend! We met other parents from all over who were full of insight and information. It was great to have the quiet understanding among all of us when one of our little ones got over stimulated or rowdy. There were no looks of annoyance, or embarrassment. There was just compassion, fun, and new friends! We'll be going back for sure!

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