january - first half.

Emmett had a legit meltdown on New Year's Eve. :( We had two families over to celebrate and there were four extra kids in our house. Emmett did really well with them almost the entire time. He tolerated them touching his toys and he shared really well. He didn't socialize with them; just observed. We were planning on letting our kids stay up later to "ring in the new year". At around 9:00, Emmett had had enough and got really upset when one of the other boys were being rough with his trains. :( He started throwing toys and rolling on the floor yelling/crying. He was really tired and overwhelmed. I took him back into his room and told him to stay there while I went to get him some milk. When I came back, he had stuffed himself into a doll tent that Ethnie got for Christmas. He was trying to hide from the world and had his head buried in Ox. :( I tried to coax him out, but he didn't budge. I felt really bad that he was having such a hard time. After a few minutes of "disappearing", he let me take him out and I snuggled with him and put him to bed. He was so happy to be alone in his bed. Lesson learned. So sorry, buddy!
 I have seen some progress with Emmett in the past two weeks. He has been doing so great with talking in more detail and not giving up when he's frustrated. He tries so hard to say the right words in the correct order. His brain is working really hard. He still has trouble processing questions and some sentences, but he wants to talk to you. :)

baby step: Emmett dipped a tomato and carrots in his yogurt! he didn't eat the veggies, but put them in his mouth to lick off the yogurt. way to go, bud!

^^ he has been loving his kinetic sand that he got for Christmas. he got three different colors and this cute sandbox to play with it in. he touches it a lot! a listening session goes really well with this too.

^^ playing in the tub has been his favorite thing to do lately. he will ask more than once a day to take a bath. I think it is calming for him.

^^ sometimes he likes to hang out in the tunnel.

^^ Emmett tried a new therapy swing in OT and he really liked it. it's a really soft, stretch material (it reminded me of material you would use for a cape) and hugs your body really tight. when Emmett got into this swing and started moving, he was SILENT. it was really interesting to observe.

• Emmett had a PT evaluation with Kevin at Children's. It went really well. Emmett loved playing with Kevin and didn't want to leave. Kevin has such a great way of explaining how Emmett's brain works and how he is able to process information. When it comes to doing things with his body, he choses the simplest and most safe way of following through with a physical task. For example, to go down stairs, his brain tells his body to sit down when going down the stairs because it is easier and safer for him. Kevin wants to work with Emmett on how to do things necessary for everyday situations, such as recovering from tripping on something, rolling an ankle, or being pushed. He will help to teach his brain how to develop these necessary skills.
• We went to an orientation at Fraser for the day treatment program. I am nervous, but really happy to say that Emmett will be starting day treatment on Wednesday, Jan. 21st. He will go MWF after preschool from 1:30-4:30 pm. At first, I will be driving him there and back. Eventually, there will be a bus from Fraser that will pick him up from school and transport him to and from day treatment. It will be a huge adjustment for him and a long day, but I am confident that this is the best place for him to be and know he will make great progress there. While we were there, Emmett was really comfortable and seemed excited to come back. He will be in a classroom of 7 children and the teacher-to-student ratio is 1:1! That is amazing. I think once Emmett adjusts to this new schedule he will be really happy.
• Because we will be going to Fraser MWF, we had to switch Emmett's therapy day to Tuesdays. We will also be seeing Kevin for PT on Thursdays each week until he knows exactly how many sessions Emmett will need each month. Most likely he will need PT two times per month. Wow! So, basically my little boy will have something going on every day of the week. I'm hoping he will be able to handle everything okay. It is going to be so weird having him gone most of the day three times a week. I am going to miss him. :(