february - second half.

I feel like the second half of February has gone by rather quickly, despite the frigid cold days that drag on forever. We have kept busy and on our structured schedule.
Emmett got a haircut and he seems to tolerate it a bit better each time. He definitely doesn't like it, especially the blow-drying step; but with plenty of prepping and Kristy's (my stylist) cozy home salon and a sucker bribe/reward, we make it work! And Kristy makes him look sharp as ever. ;)
We had our first family therapy session at Fraser. It was just Ethnie and I at this session because Matt was not able to make it this time, but it ended up working out well because the therapist could focus on Ethnie and her concerns/questions about her brother and what it's like being his sister. It was nice to be able to listen to Ethnie safely share her feelings. I think these sessions will be good for all of us. We will go once a month.

^^we finally got Emmett's new therapy toys/activities in the mail that he got for Christmas. thank you to our family members who provided these for him. he is very grateful!

Physical therapy has been going okay. Emmett has a hard time keeping his excitement under control. He gets very 'amped' up when he throws, kicks or jumps and cannot calm his body down. Because PT involves balls, bats, running and jumping, it's hard to avoid getting excited. So when his body gets reved up, he has a hard time focusing and listening to Kevin. Kevin wants to start doing PT every other week now.

^^playing ball with rackets

^^trying to go up stairs without holding onto the rail

^^always loves the slide

This quote applies to me. Feeding Emmett is still one of the biggest challenges. It is not fun for me; it is not fun for him. Emmett does not view mealtime as something to look forward to. He does not get excited to eat. It is something he does because he has too, like brushing your teeth or washing your hands. It is stressful for him and causes anxiety. I feel so bad that he has to deal with this. I have gotten Emmett on the waiting list for feeding therapy at Fraser.

february - first half.

The past two weeks have been busy. Emmett has been doing well with his new, full schedule and there have been two new changes to it. First, the teachers at Fraser decided it would be best to have Emmett switch to a different classroom because he has been doing so well! He seems to be doing well in his new classroom where he is expected and has more opportunity to socialize with peers.
Second, Emmett is now riding the morning bus to school. I was nervous to do this at first because the morning bus is full and does not have an aid on it. It also has kids of all ages riding. But the preK students get to ride in the front and it seems to be going well. He was REALLY quiet the first day he rode, but his teacher called me when he got to school and said he did fine! In the end, it's been easier having him ride the bus both ways.
*Also, Emmett has been putting his coat on all by himself! He uses the "flip" trick and gets really proud each time he does it. :)

Emmett's favorite spot at therapy. The sack swing.

^^trying a new kind of applesauce through a straw to build oral motor skills.

^^he didn't like it very well.

^^handwriting activities on the iPad.

^^Last week Emmett had his first accident at school. :( His teacher called and told me he wet his pants and was crying. :( He was really embarrassed and was still embarrassed when he got home. In his backpack he has an extra pair of underwear and pants for this very reason. What I didn't realize was how SHORT these extra pants were, and when he got off the bus I couldn't help but laugh! I tried asking him what happened, but he just avoided eye contact and kept repeating, "I don't know. I don't know." Then I specifically asked, "Emmett, did you go pee pee in your underwear?" and he said yes but wouldn't look at me. :( Poor guy. He felt so bad.

^^we went to Papa and Grandma's house and she gives a mean massage. :) she has some great essential oils, like lavender and thieves. these oils + massage = a calm boy. and one that smells great. :)  

thanks grammy!

january - second half.

The second half of January has been a lot for Emmett to handle, but I think he's been a real trooper considering how busy he is now! (and me.) He started day treatment at Fraser and it has been going VERY well. He handled it better than I did. I was so nervous I had a stomach ache and I was thinking about him every second he was away. I was able to ride in the van with him to Fraser on the first day to make sure he was doing okay. He LOVES riding in "the white van" and gets so excited each time it drives up to the house. There is also a two-way mirror to the classroom so parents can observe, but the children cannot see us. That way they don't get distracted.

^^Emmett's cool ride to Fraser ;)

^^this is Lindsay. she is one of the (awesome) teachers at day treatment.

We have been going to physical therapy each Thursday afternoon and it is going okay. Kevin is pretty strict with him (which is good), but Emmett tends to get frustrated and fights him on certain tasks. But Emmett is loving working with Kevin and asks me every day when we get to see him next. I thought PT would be the least of our worries out of the three therapies he receives, but I was wrong. After watching him at a few sessions and reading Kevin's evaluation, Emmett needs quite a bit of help working on basic skills, like climbing up and down stairs (a big one), catching his fall, balance, throwing, catching, and jumping. Kevin also recommends Emmett not be enrolled in any sports, unless they are adapted, until he has mastered more of these skills (for safety purposes). This news was hard to take at first, but I would rather know and make sure he is safe.

^^working on going across the balance beam.

^^floor keyboard

^^using the "stomping feet" to work on proprioception.

This week specifically has been hard. I think his new schedule has caught up with him and the "honeymoon" is over, sort-of-speak. He has been falling asleep throughout the day, irritable, and has even refused to use his words. I have been trying to give him down time as much as possible and put him to bed earlier. Yesterday he got pretty upset. We were at PT and Kevin had an emergency keeping him from work so Emmett had a substitute therapist. Normally when this happens Children's will call days ahead and let us know so we can prep Emmett for a new person, but that was not an option this time. When Laura came into the lobby to come get us, Emmett was mad. He almost started crying because he was so excited to see Kevin. So the session was not successful. Emmett did a lot of protesting, hiding and running away. :(

^^Laura helping Emmett balance while rolling a ball.

^^Emmett hid under my chair multiple times because he didn't want to cooperate with Laura and got really frustrated. :( 

^^thought this was adorable!

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. :(

the month of december.

It's that time of year when we are busier and focused on other things! Unfortunately, I've been neglecting Emmett's blog. Again.
I did some thinking and I've decided it would be better if I made posts every other week instead of each week. I feel like if there hasn't been much to report in a week, I forget to write. If there's a period where Emmett is making a lot of progress, I will blog weekly. For now, twice a month will suffice.
I've also decided to add some photos now and then. He's too cute not to. :)

Occupational therapy has been going really well. Teanna is very talented and we are lucky to have her working with Emmett. She recently started doing more physical things with him, like climbing, jumping and balancing.

This exercise was difficult for Emmett. He couldn't step from bucket to bucket without Teanna's help. If he tried himself, he would step onto a bucket, step onto the mat, then step onto the next bucket. He couldn't grasp the concept of shifting his weight and hips to step from bucket-to-bucket.  

^^ doing well!

Teanna has also been working with Emmett on getting more comfortable with having objects in his mouth, like a toothbrush and utensils. These exercises are stressful for him, but he tries to cooperate as much as possible.

^^ trying to keep the toothbrush in his mouth for 5 full seconds at a time. at first he kept turning away.

^^ doing better!

Emmett's speech therapist at preschool, Emily, has been kind enough to send us weekly updates about how school is going. I love seeing these photos of him learning. :) 

^^ Emmett told Emily: "I made a castle with big blocks and little blocks." great sentence!

^^ the kids were learning about their bodies and they got to hear their own heartbeat. not quite sure Emmett knew what to think...

^^ in this photo, Emily said the kids were playing "restaurant" and Madison was taking Emmett's order. she said he ordered bread. :) making baby steps with socializing. :) 

*Two new announcements:

• Emmett was recommended by Dr. Amy to start physical therapy. He has a PT evaluation at Children's on Jan. 8th. The evaluation will determine the type/how much PT he will need. Personally, I am not looking forward to adding more to his weekly load, but if it's necessary, so be it.
• I received a call yesterday from Fraser offering Emmett a spot in their day-treatment program! (Fraser is the #1 treatment facility in MN specializing in autism). It's exciting because we have been waiting 9 months for this call, but overwhelming as well because it would be a major adjustment for Emmett. He would go to Fraser after preschool from 1:30-4:30, MWF. The day-treatment program focuses on life skills, socialization, and any other autism-specific challenges the child has. Day treatment does not replace therapy, so he would have that during the week as well. It would be a lot for my little guy and I can't help but feel worried. However, I know he would be in the best possible place. Both of his therapists think we should go ahead with it. I am talking with Fraser on Monday to give them my answer. I'm nervous!

^^ I found this poem and absolutely love it. it is a perfect definition of the relationship Emmett and I have.

week 35.

Therapy has been going well. I feel like Emmett is hitting a wall because he has been tired at the past couple of sessions. It may be because he recently got over a cold and catching up on sleep ? Not sure, but in speech he has been lying on the floor he's so tired! He also fell asleep in the car on the way home and slept on the couch for an hour, coat and all! His brain is working really hard. 

Teanna worked with him on jumping from a high point to the floor. She set up a big thick mat and had him jumping onto a bean bag. He was scared at first, but after doing it a few times he liked it. Emmett has a hard time jumping with both feet off the floor at the same time. He normally does hops instead of a true jump. They also worked on finger painting and trying to keep the paint on his fingertips as long as he can stand. He normally wants to wash his hand after each dip into the paint, which can be exhausting in itself. He was doing pretty well this time. 

At home, we are working more on dipping foods, like dipping a cracker into yogurt and eating it. This mixes textures and tastes. The goal is to move up to ranch dip or ketchup so he can try dipping veggies or meats. We are also mixing raisins in his yogurt to mix textures. 

We are working on Emmett staying by the table during meal time. His food can only be on the table, but he walks around the table or runs into the living room between bites. Teanna feels he is doing this because meal time is stressful for him so he feels like he needs to walk away for a bit. He is also a mover in general. Teanna wants us to try making a 'perimeter' around his seat with masking tape and telling him that if he feels he needs to get out of his chair, that's fine as long as he stays within the space we made for him. We can slowly make this 'space' smaller and smaller until he is staying in his chair. This idea seems silly, but I'm willing to try it if it helps. Plus, we can take masking tape anywhere to family dinners. :)

I had Emmett's first parent/teacher conference this week. It lasted two hours and was pretty draining. We went over the progress report, tests, and the IEP goals. We didn't make any new goals because Emmett is still working on the goals that were put in place at the start of the school year. The progress report and test scores were hard to look at because there isn't much development yet. He doesn't understand concepts like rhyming, alliteration, or the direction words move while reading. He doesn't understand most open-ended questions and will repeat the question back to his teacher instead of trying to answer it. Emmett has not made any friends yet. I think this was the hardest part to talk about. I was hoping after being in school for two months he would try to socialize. Not the case. He likes hanging around his teachers, but avoids the kids. He will play by himself unless an adult pushes him to try and play with someone. This makes me so sad. I believe his classmates are trying to socialize with him, but he is not reciprocating. However, he has been touching kids' backs, hair, or face, which is a way he's communicating, but it's not appropriate in the classroom. 

There are things his teachers are impressed with. I should have stated these things first! He knows all upper-case letters and most lower-case ones. He can count to 20 and knows what each number looks like written down. He knows 3 out of 5 shapes. The other thing his teachers are impressed with is how observant he is. He knows every child's name in his class and where they sit in morning circle. He knows right away who is absent before his teacher takes attendance. I think this is really neat. I just wish he could take his knowledge and concern for each child and use that to socialize. Hopefully, he will soon. I can't wait for the day when Emmett asks me if so-and-so can come over to play.

week 33 & 34..

These last two weeks have been challenging. Therapy went great; school has been going well, but Emmett has had some struggles at home. :( He has been regressing with potty training. I always had a feeling potty training him was going to be hard, but not this hard or frustrating. Matt and I have been pushing Emmett harder to try going #2 on the potty. It's getting to the point where changing his diaper is such a pain; we practically flip a coin to decide "who's turn it is". Unfortunately, we pushed too hard for him and he has been too scared to tell us when he needs to go. He has been peeing and pooping in his pants multiple times a day. When it happens he feels very ashamed. At first, Matt and I were so frustrated because we feel he is way too old to be having accidents. We were raising our voices at him, which just made him feel even more scared. We took a step back to reassess the situation and now realize his fear of toileting is worse than we thought. It breaks my heart knowing how scared he is to do something so necessary. I guess our version of baby steps are too big for Emmett to keep up with. 

So we eliminated the new plan and have gone back to just going pee on the toilet with tons of praise. We can tell he is so much less stressed and by looking into his eyes, he's saying, "thank you for understanding." We have added one baby step; when Emmett needs a diaper to go #2, we bring him into the bathroom with a toy and have him go in there. He has been very cooperative with this and is doing great with the new rule. I think I need to consider that progress. :)

Next week we will be having Emmett's first school conference and I am a bit nervous. We will be revising his IEP and going over any progress or lack of progress he's had.