Things I don't want to forget

Carver gave me a dandelion yesterday on the way home from the bus stop. I can't be sure it's the first time, but I think so. Very sweet.

He played outside yesterday while I weeded and got all friendly with worms and caterpillars. He wriggled a worm back and forth between his thumb and forefinger until it became 2 worms. :) He kept saying, "friend - worm!"

On the way to the bus stop today, a wasp landed on his arm. I looked down in the stroller and he was saying, "awww" to his new friend like he does for hugging babies and stuffed animals. I flicked it off and smashed it. No more wasps for friends, please.

We had jello at lunch yesterday in little plastic cups because he watched me make it the day before and saw Lydia take one in her lunch to school. He was SO excited. Sat right up there, asked for a straw and tried to drink it! :)

I keep forgetting to blog about the lack of SPIO. After months of hoping and trying, I decided it wasn't helping and it wasn't worth the hassle of keeping it clean. I still completely support SPIO and encourage it for others. I've heard enough amazing success stories first hand to believe it works for a lot of kids. It just didn't help Carver.

He's telling me lots about school lately. "Dance. Circle Time. Freeze. Stop." Or "Brown table. Snack. Cereal." I love it. I'm hearing more and more verbs, too. "eat snack" or "play sand" or "watch Kipper." Hurray!

sunny day in the sandbox

Today we did therapy outside and it was BEAUTIFUL. Finally the summer days I've been dreaming of, right after school starts! :)

We practiced walking on the edge of the sandbox and he did great. We practiced concepts like under/over, in/out. Mostly it's a great sensory activity for him. I asked Ellie to give him some space while he walked on the wall and he repeated "space" 10 more times, delighted that he could say it himself. What he thinks it MEANS is another story, but the word is a great start! :)

Ah, the SPIO suit saga continues. But I think we've reached a happily ever after. The red one is great, but the top started to slide up over the tummy (reminds me a little of pregnancy...). One day at the park, he wore his SPIO and I started to hear little snagging sounds on his pants while he climbed on logs and immediately panicked about our $200 lender. I whipped it off him and discovered a pulled seam in the top at the same time. YIKES! I talked to our ST today and she called the SPIO rep and they're getting us a new top (their fault, not mine on the pulled seam - whew!) and they don't mind delaying billing til January when our insurance gets upped a notch. At least I am banking on that increase in benefits. ANYWAY, next week after we get the new top, we'll be giving the SPIO suit another go-around and see what we think. She said to watch to see if it helps his posture at all - I think I'll research what it might help so I can pay better attention. I really like the idea of something helping him all the time - especially at preschool - so I am happy to try again.

Also, our ST recommended talking to the pediatrician about the curdle-y milk spit-up thing. She thinks it's worth investigating, especially if it might a reflux issue fueling his desire for milk products. I'll ask in October.

I let Carver play in the bubbles in the kitchen sink this morning and learned a couple new tricks to curb the mess. Kind of embarrassing that I didn't think of these sooner...

1. use a lot of soap so you don't need as much water to fill the sink with bubbles.
2. don't give him full size cups - just measuring cups and spoons

It made SUCH a difference in the mess. He still tried to put his leg in a few times and dunked his head in the bubbles once or twice, but the mess was manageable. I don't mind changing his clothes afterwards, it's the water streaming down the cupboards and puddling on the chair, rug, floor, counter, etc... that drives me nuts.

Carver learned to say "peach" this week for his yogurt and is so proud of himself. It's wonderful to see how excited he is about words. He even bit his lip for the "f" in "off" after watching and practicing and trying so hard. What a challenge to have everything take so much effort. I admire his efforts to do things like his sisters and friends, no matter how hard it is for him.

SPIO suit

SPIO stands for "Stabilizing Pressure Input Orthosis" and is used to provide all over pressure for children with sensory issues. It works for both hyper- and low- sensitivity and is designed to give that steady pressure/input all day so the child feels more organized and ready to tackle other things. The pressure also helps kids like Carver have a greater sense of body awareness. It is in two pieces, a shirt and pants. They overlap a lot and stay in place great.

It is generally recommended to give a 2 week trial, every day all day under clothes. Here the pictures are without so you get an idea of the super tight "super suit" concept. I ordered one back in July and have 90 days to try it out and send it back. So we're taking advantage of the cooler weather to give it a shot. Honestly, I can't tell a difference. Not this week anyway. I haven't given up yet, though. I'll keep trying it.

The black suit is the official SPIO suit. It costs $200 out of pocket or $380 to insurance. Ouch!! It has to work pretty well or it's not worth it to me. Hence, the red suit. My fabulous aunt Joann is a whiz of a seamstress and she duplicated our black one in red. The lycra is a little thicker and tighter, but it went on okay. And for less than $10, it's well worth a try! I have to say that black isn't as noticeable, but the red is pretty fun. I wonder about a white shirt for church days... :) hard to imagine those red sleeves peeking out of his short sleeve white button-up, huh?

The pictures aren't great, but let's face it - Carver isn't photogenic. Hardly ever do I get a decent shot of the kid. So here's the best we can do!