Summer Growing!

I'm truly sorry for the abandoned feeling my few and faithful blog followers must be feeling.  The end of school, and beginning of summer really took over the Beeler house and made it impossible to get blogging done.  With so many important things to do like play in the sand, jump on the trampoline, and eat picnics outside we've scarcely even had time to be inside!  We do find our way in to rinse off and drop in bed every night and *usually* eat breakfast inside!  Our vitamin D levels are high, as are our spirits, and we're all sporting nice tans already.

The last post I wrote was about Natalee planting pretend flowers at school.  True to my word I took her and we purchased pepper plants and flowers and planted them directly into pots.  As I imagined, Xavier was interested but Natalee was enthralled.  She cheerily filled the pots, dug in the dirt (not sure that was totally necessary to the process), and helped dump and replant the things we had chosen.  She was in heaven picking her little plants, too, even on a rainy Sunday, and excitedly skipped up and down the aisles choosing her flowers and peppers.

 

Natalee has been diligent in watering her pots and has some beautiful peppers growing.  Her pots of petunias (not pictured below) are also waving out quite nicely and the red and white colors she chose look beautiful at the end of our sidewalk.  In the picture below: on the top step is my little aloe plant, Suzy, that I'm trying to convince not to die, and then a marigold pot that was a gift to us.  Natalee's green peppers (2 plants in each pot) are in the green pots and her yellow peppers are in the yellow pots.  She has 2 pots of impatiens at the bottom of the steps.  Also, Grammy Sara has a couple of pots out front that we babysat for her while she was in Florida this week.  At the bottom of the step there's a five gallon bucket that was a gift to us from a local boy scout (thanks, Hayden!) with a tomato plant, pepper plant, and 2 onions.  Yay! 

  

And then there's Laverne and Shirley.  Laverne and Shirley came to me from the big town of Bloomfield.  They are..... {drum roll please}..... beautiful #1 oxygen making Boston ferns!  I've been looking for Boston ferns since I went to the SPD/Autism/ADHD conference back in January and made goals for myself.  While I hadn't given up wanting them, I'd given up finding them locally and was prepared to search bigger cities when we were out and about.  Imagine my surprise when my friend, Lori, called me and said she was at her local grocery store and they had beautiful Boston ferns!...for $10.  Whoa, dude!  I was ecstatic.  Even more so when Lori agreed to go back to the grocery store the next day and get me another so that I would have a pair (she's a good friend).

Introducing...

Laverne

and Shirley.

Mike was kind enough to help me name them and he put ceiling hangers for them out on the porch so they can soak up some sun, and inside the house (one in the dining room, one in the play room) so that they can come in and make beautiful, delicious oxygen for us.  I'm in love with these two pots of leaves and delight in watching them alternate between hanging out on the porch and cheering up our home inside.  They experienced their first rain storm on the porch last night and faired fine.  When I went out to get them I ended up deciding to leave them because they were holding their own against the wind.  Right now they are mostly outdoors but you can bet that this winter they'll be hanging out inside in the learning zone (dining room) and learning through play zone (play room) to keep our minds sharp!

Our next adventure is going to be to make a small green bean plot and may try to secure some mineral tubs for more tomatoes and peppers.  Gardening seems to be therapeutic to Natalee as she's always very calm and able to communicate when we're planting, weeding, and watering, so even though I'm clueless we're going to press forward and learn together!  Here's to a blessed summer of new experiences!

It's the Little Things

Life is often all about a bunch of little things that are rolled together to make big memories.  We have some "big" things going on in our life right now but among them I have been praying about a "little" thing.  You may think it's silly but here you go:
The thought has crossed my mind many times since Natalee started therapy that a trampoline would not only benefit her but also be a great source of energy & stress relief for her....and the rest of the family might enjoy it, too!  Then I would price them and let the thought go.  Mike and I don't buy large "non-necessities" like ever so to just go buy a trampoline would not be our mode of functioning.  We had talked about and pretty much settled on budgeting part of our tax refund for a trampoline but for some reason I was still dragging my feet since the refund came.  So, I decided to just pray about it.  I've been re-reading the Duggars' books again and I find great inspiration in that they pray about every decision - big and small.  Instead of praying, "Lord if you want us to get the children a trampoline send me a sign," or something vague like that I decided to stretch myself and pray more specifically.  As soon as I did I knew that it was the reason I'd been dragging my feet...because I didn't want to "blow" that tax refund money without being sure it was a good decision.  The prayer I prayed was, "Lord, if you think a trampoline would be beneficial for our family, please show us a way to provide the children one without dipping into the tax refund."  Feeling peace, I left it at that.  I prayed that prayer on the way home from my IA shopping trip on Friday and as soon as I got home Mike left for a computer job.  He was home in a couple hours and as these are routine I didn't think much about it...but then he said, "while I was fixing that computer [someone else] called me to do some network repair on [their company] computers.  We'll have a nice little chunk of extra cash."  Feeling bubbly I shared my prayer with him, and he too saw it as a direct answer...
Since we don't believe in coincidence we can only determine that this is His way of blessing our little "extra"... the 2 extra jobs Mike did will cover the cost (with net) and the tax with maybe a little left over.  So, if you need us...we'll be in the backyard! :)

WAHOO!

Every home needs a WAHOO.  We were introduced to the Wahoo by my friend and cousin-in-law when she requested one for her little boy's first birthday.  I skeptically ordered it, blew it up & delivered it at the party, not understanding what all the hype was about.  Her little tyke was overjoyed with it, as was his big sister and my own children. 

  It's not the same as a hopping ball.  It's better.  You hold onto the ears and hop along but it's sturdy because of the 4 legs (not to say it can't bounce you off!).  This has been, hands down, one of the best therapy tools we have gotten for Natalee.  A few months after the cousin's party their family let us take their Wahoo home for a long weekend.

The borrowed Wahoo in September.  They've gotten much better at it since then!

Since then Natalee wanted one very badly and it took every mommy muscle not to just order it.  She patiently waited for her birthday to get one and specifically asked for it.  Since then she's gotten her use out of it and just this week Xavier has finally figured out how to really make it hop.  

Not only does the Wahoo help with Natalee's strength and balance it gives her a sensory input that brings her a great deal of calm.  Often she doesn't walk from one place to another in the house, she hops, but when she gets there she's calm and ready.  Just tonight I asked her to potty before bed and she went to the opposite end of the house as the bathroom, got on the Wahoo, hopped all the way into the bathroom, did her business, and hopped all the way back to the stairs for bed.  And she was ready for sleeping when she got there. :)

Every therapy department and mother of young children needs a Wahoo!  It's saved us when the weather is yucky or when tension is a little high in the house!

This is an honest review of the Wahoo product my Marky Sparky.  I was not in any way compensated or contacted to review the Wahoo.

Thursday Therapy!

This week's therapy is brought to you by one 3 year old with a very short attention span and two very patient therapists!  Natalee's poor OT and PT had to switch activities several times tonight.  We've had a similar week at school...just a scattery, jumpy, hard to reign in attention span.  

Natalee did have a fun time at therapy until the very very end when she told the PT, Meagan, that her legs were too tired to do any more!  Walking backwards on the treadmill is a chore. :)  We're proud of Natalee's progress and her Miss Meagan even commented tonight that her balance is getting better.  She is falling less and is able to recover herself when she trips instead of going down like a lead balloon.  She is also taking some steps in the one foot/one step, next foot/next step fashion that most of us walk them instead of having to put both feet on a step before going to the next one.  She's getting stronger!!  Tonight's activities included trike and soccer outside (yay for beautiful weather!), trampoline, walking with the theraband, balancing while writing, rolling the ball (focusing on tracking), and walking forwards and backwards on the treadmill.  We're waiting for Miss Meagan to have her baby and when she does we'll have a substitute therapist for a couple of months.  This will be an adjustment for Natalee but as a mama there is no better place for Miss Meagan to be than at home with her new baby!!

In OT the focus tonight was proper grasp and hand strengthening.  She worked with scissors and made an adorable stained glass cross, she used tong tweezers to clean the bed bugs out of the bed (cute game!), and wrote on the easel, working on her tripod left-handed grasp.  I appreciate that Jennifer worked our faith gently into her lesson tonight by making a cross template for Natalee to do her stained glass on.  She could have done a hundred other shapes but she chose a cross and that means a lot to Mike & I. 

Physical Therapy with Miss Meagan:

 

Occupational Therapy with Miss Jennifer:

 

We are also SO grateful that the therapists allow Xavier to use some of their equipment on nights that he comes along.  It's hard to be a little boy and sit for an hour while your sister gets lots of attention and for the most part Xabe does excellently...but tonight, when one of the therapists offered him the trike, he didn't think twice and it entertained him for the better part of 30 minutes!  Thanks, girls, for treating our family like your family and welcoming us into your work space!  You make us feel so relaxed and give us such support...we always leave feeling positive and upbeat! (and it's not just because you exhaust our kids and we know they'll be calm the rest of the night!!!)

And Mr. Xavier...we're blessed that you are such a gentle little boy that is easily entertained!  Thanks for being so sweet and usually patient!

First Hour Long Therapy Session

Tonight was Natalee's first hour long therapy session.  She had a piggyback PT/OT session.  I'm grateful the gals are considerate enough to try this instead of asking us to stay two different nights...although we would stay (of course!) I feel bad for Xabe on those nights when he's playing the waiting game!  Natalee did well.  She had one little meltdown, I think from being overwhelmed & not being able to express what she wanted.  It was right at the beginning - she ran in, got on the trike and took off but when it was time to pedal out the door she broke down in tears.  I couldn't get her to express why she was upset and crying but I went along while she road her trike and she did fine.  When we talked about it later I *think* I got that she didn't want to go without Miss Meagan on her trike ride.  She has formed an attachment to Miss Meagan.

 

After the trike the team worked on throwing and catching.  Natalee doesn't track the ball well and her OT pointed out tonight that she uses her peripherals a lot, especially when catching.  The finally switched to rolling the ball and Miss Meagan helped Natalee and then went to throwing and catching a balloon.

Natalee also got to jump on the trampoline and climb up the slide and go down.  Though these things sound "easy" to most children her age, they are difficult for Natalee.  Balance and motor planning are a huge part of why she goes to therapy sessions!

Natalee switched to OT after the PT activities and got to catch fish with a fishing pole, play hide-and-seek (visual discrimination - picking items out of a busy field), and write on the white board.  Natalee loved that Miss Jennifer let her take a turn at being in the dominant role (after Jennifer hid the cones, Natalee got to be the hider - after Jennifer was "teacher" at the white board, then Natalee got to be "teacher"). 

I expected a very very tired girl tonight after an hour of therapy but she actually wasn't as worn out as I've seen her before...perhaps because there weren't as many PT activities this time or maybe because she's getting some stamina.  She did, however, go upstairs after shower, supper, teeth, etc., before Mike or I said it was bedtime and yelled back down, "who will tuck me in??"  So she was pretty tired!

Thanks Meagan, Megan & Jennifer...we appreciate you!!!

Thursday's Uniform

Today was Thursday Therapy day.  Natalee's Physical Therapists kept her super busy again this afternoon and she was again exhausted when she got home!  She loves going and talks about her Miss Meagan often.  Tonight when we left Natalee gave Meagan a big hug and told her "thank you" without any prompting.  

Next week she will add Occupational Therapy into her schedule and will go for an hour!  Considering that 30 minutes wears her out I imagine an hour will do her in completely!  We don't make any other plans for Thursday evenings so we can come home, lounge, eat supper & send Miss Thing to bed early.  She was in at 7:30 tonight and fast asleep soon after and mostly laid on the couch or sat in her little recliner before supper.  I'm certainly not complaining because we are grateful for this service the school is providing for our little girl and know how important these therapies are.  

I'm grateful that we, as parents, are welcomed in to observe and glean ideas from the therapists that we can implement at home.  Tonight Natalee's activities included tricycle riding (I'd LOVE for her to learn to ride!...this is something we've worked on and not accomplished at homme so we need help with it!), balancing on one leg on a platform ball while doing fine motor activities, jumping on a trampoline (trying to jump independently, jumping while throwing a ball, getting on and off the trampoline without assistance), & big steps with a resistance band & walking sideways & backwards.

You'll notice Natalee is wearing the same outfit today as in last Thursday's therapy post.  This morning when I was preparing her for the day & told her it was a Miss Meagan therapy day she immediately said, "Oh, I gotta get my Cancun shirt."  Sure enough, when I racked my brain I remembered Meagan commenting on her Cancun shirt...so apparently Natalee's made this her Thursday uniform.  I will try to get her to switch things up and move past that mind frame.  Maybe Miss Meagan would like to see a sparkly butterfly shirt or a Curious George shirt! :)

Physical Therapy- Day 1

Natalee had her first physical therapy session today. Well, first session since she was dismissed over a year ago after she met her goals at that time. I'm appreciative of how kind & caring her PT & student PT were and how quickly they transitioned her from one activity to the next.  A couple of times I caught myself thinking "why didn't I think to do that with her?" I'm glad to have her in their expert hands where their minds are trained & full of ideas to help her! I'm also thankful that they seem unfazed that we come from work so we come as a family.  They even let us sit in the therapy room so we can listen and sometimes see what Natalee is working on, though I did try to stay out of her line of sight for the most part as I know how easily distracted she can be.  Today Natalee practiced balancing on one leg on a balance ball, jumping on the very resistant trampoline, catching & throwing, kicking, walking with a stretchy band around her legs & walking backwards. They were prepared for her when we arrived and didn't lapse the whole time we were there, even when she said "I don't like this game" to their catching activity!  She is also absolutely exhausted tonight!  Her little body is curled up in the chair with dad and she usually plays hard until bed...lots of work for little muscles!  Thanks Meagan & Megan!