Wednesday, December 29, 2010

bel peppers.

So, we have known for a while that Dominic just doesn't like belpeppers. Of any variety. Went out to lunch today. Got him grilled chicken and steamed veggies, which were squash, carrots, broccoli and red bel peppers. He ate EVERY bite except the bel peppers.

Rod put some bel pepper on a fork and handed them to Dominic. He very clearly said "Yuck". We were highly amused.

Sunday, December 12, 2010

December Bullet Points...

Which I wont' publish for another week or three, I want the virtual xmas letter staying at the top until all my cards are out.

School District:
Dominic seems to be doing much better under the stricter guidelines of his new para. Our Sped let us know that the K classroom teacher had in fact come by to specifically say how much better he was doing in the classroom.

We had a meeting with our SPED to review the verbal data for the last 6 or so weeks - definately on an upswing, and actually it was even before we switched para's. It was the behavioral training issue that was the clincher for the school district in switching para's.

Alpine:
Dominic threw up the first Friday of December and we had to go pick him up.It was a short lived tummy thing, however, while they cleaned it up and waiting for me to get there, he repeatedly said he was sorry. Sowwy actually. Cutest thing.

We had our ALpine parents meeting on 12-17. Dominic has overall had a much better month behaviorally. Verbals are averaging roughly the same as November. But... he really didn't say anything the day he was sick, so that kind of blows the average.

Random:
Dominic can swallow pills now!!!!!!! This means I don't have to either open capsule and empty them, OR cut holes into gelcaps and squeeze out the contents... or morter/pestle tablets. This is SO cool. He's not swallowing them with liquid, but inside some applesauce. Very big step.

Dominic did great at my office xmas party. he stayed pretty close to us the first half, and by the end had warmed up and was playing with the other kids. Everyone noticed how much he's grown in the last year

November Data
We got the November CSMR from Alpine and data looks good. Behaviours were back under control, compliance significantly improved, and verbals were slightly above October. Given the numbers that are coming back on the daily reports in December, I'm excited to see the December CSMR....

Things I have removed from the fish tank this month:
Baby Carrot
GFCF pasta
Crayons (2 of them)
Toy dinosaur

Sunday, December 5, 2010

2010 Virtual Holiday Letter

Happy Holidays!

This year has been up and down for us… We’re so glad you’ve come to the blog, and if its your first visit, we hope you’ll continue to check in. This is where we chronicle our daily ups and downs with Dominic.

Dominic
We seem to finally be on the right track as far as Dominic’s therapy goes – the combination of ABA therapy with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy has made a huge difference. Dominic still has a long way to go – and we’re still searching for anything that might help make that a bit easier for him – but we are moving in the right direction. We did learn this summer that pulling him off all the supplements is a bad idea. Won’t be doing that again. He’s in kindergarten with the local school district in the mornings, and after some juggling of their resources, appears to be progressing there as well. He’s growing like a weed.

Rod
This was a sad year for Rod, as his oldest brother passed away unexpectedly in August. He continues to teach in the fitness industry – yoga, tai chi, pilates, spin, and has expanded this year with teaching a circuit training class. We’ve been very grateful that his flexible schedule has permitted him to be able to take Dominic to various therapies throughout the week. Recently, he’s started training to be referee with a local professional wrestling organization, ACW, and is having a wonderful time.

Joy
Joy is still employed by Verizon, and has now been with the company for 13 years. She’s doing implementation and project management for the Verizon Financial Network, and has been extremely busy this year. With all the time she’s spent in a hyperbaric chamber with Dominic this year, she’s really glad to have a library card and has resumed her earlier in life habits of devouring murder mysteries.