Raising Asher

Check out this tall dude!

Gotta love seeing years of therapy paying off!

discipline vs. exploring

As you can see, Asher is mastering the art of "getting into crap."  In fact, he's so good at it that he can actually scoot his roundabout (the thing he's sitting in here... not just the seat, but the ENTIRE thing) all the way from the couch to the entertainment center just so he can grab at stuff and... well... make a mess.

He pulls the baskets he can reach out of the storage cube, then he proceeds to grab each of the DVDs/Wii games, examine them, and then toss them down.

Don't worry - we don't intend to let our Kini run rampant for the rest of his life.  There will come a time when we teach him what is and is not okay to touch.  But for now, this is such great learning for him.  He can't move freely and independently yet, so he's limited on what he can "get into."  I'm not going to deny him the opportunity to learn and explore.  Yes, for now it's lots of stuff to pick up and put away when he's done (ahhhhh!  Type A!), but I can live with that.  :) 

not really a hiatus

Just enjoying the summer... in the meantime, happy 4th of July!

Used=Awesome

We have a store here in town called Once Upon A Child that sells used children's clothing and toys.  Awhile back I won a $25 gift card in a drawing (that NEVER happens to me!), so I went today to spend what was left on the card.  I got this epically awesome wooden toy for just $15!  The trolley on the top (zoo theme) is detachable and can be played with separately, and the four sides have an abacus, a peg maze, a xylophone, and a whiteboard.  It's so cool!  I imagine it was rather expensive new.  Asher started playing with the abacus beads right away, as well as flicking the little blocks on the trolley on top.

The other toy I got for Asher was this alligator xylophone.  One of the skills he is working on in OT is holding a drumstick in his hand and banging on something.  He has drum toys at home, but they're all hand drums.  The xylophone on the wooden toy didn't come with a stick, so it didn't really help in working on that goal.  The alligator fits the bill.  He was only $5.50, too.

All in all, it was a good shopping day!

If there was ever any doubt that Asher's an Elmo guy

It can now be removed.  ;)

(this is his early interventionist, Susie - lots more fun pics of this session to come!)

the time has come

For the handicap placard.

We probably could have gotten it awhile back, but I wanted to wait until Asher was at least 2 before getting one.  Now that his wheelchair is on the way, it was time.

I guess the coveted parking space is one of the "perks" of living with a physical disability.  Don't get me wrong - I'd make everything better and walk from the back of the lot every time - but as Monty Python said, always look on the bright side of life.  :)

They see him rollin'

Today was our appointment with the Wheelchair Clinic at Vandy.  I wasn't completely certain what to expect, but it turned out really well!  Both the therapist and vendor were really nice and presented us with our different options (which, frankly, are few and far between with a tot like Asher).

He's getting a Quickie/Zippie Kidz wheelchair.  I was hesitant to post the picture here, because it really doesn't do it justice.  Asher was so adorable in it, and he started to figure out how to propel himself almost immediately!  It was like it was somehow intuitive for him.  The chair is really, really small, too, and anything in miniature is just plain cute. ;)

We're getting some pretty swanky bonus items.  For instance, the little wheels on the back will light up like kids' sneakers!  How cool is that?  The frame is going to be Toxic Green, and it's going to have a detachable tray and armrests.  That way we can switch between having a wheelchair he can propel himself (as shown above) and having a space where he can play and we can just push him.  It comes with a handle for us to push him around, but it's not shown in the picture.

We also got a special, breathable seat for him that will help keep him from getting too hot.  It has a meshy foam in it that was originally developed by NASA (what's up with NASA and foam, anyway??), and the entire pad is machine washable.  Can I get a hallelujah?!

I have to admit that I was unsure at first.  I mean, let's be honest: it looks like a wheelchair.  Until now we've just used a regular stroller with Asher, so nothing about it has appeared any different than any other kid's equipment.  He will most definitely stand out in this.  But in a way, that's a good thing.  It gets hard feeling obligated to explain that he has a disability to people when he does his gagging thing or we're feeding him through his tube or he starts shaking his head back and forth in a strange way.  The wheelchair kind of explains it for us.  Does that make sense?  Maybe not... I dunno.

All in all, we're pleased.  It will take anywhere from 6 weeks to 3 months for it to come in because we have to do the insurance dance, but our insurances have been very good to us in the past and have a good track record in general.

More finds!

Lotsa pics - you've been warned!

Target had these Elmo plates and bowls in their bargain aisles up front for $1 each.  Too cute!  The tray came from Hobby Lobby and was $6.99, I think.

This DVD isn't a deal, per se, but it has tons of awesome Elmo segments that are fun for both Asher and mommy - folks like Jason Mraz and Feist make guest appearances!  It also has the Elmo's Ducks segment, which is my favorite Elmo skit of all time.

WARNING: gallery of boring homeschool finds below!
(click a thumbnail to enlarge)

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 List of items

Dr. Seuss flip chart ($11.88)
Giant flip chart ($9.99)
The Complete Book of Arts and Crafts ($6.88)
Comprehensive Curriculum of Basic Skills (preschool edition) ($7.86)
Scholastic Alphabet Mats ($10.04)
Write, Slide, and Learn Phonics ($9.99)
Basic Skills box set (1st) ($5.99)
Getting Your Preschooler Ready to Read ($3.99)
Getting Your Preschooler Ready for Math ($3.99)

rainy Thursday

Rain, rain, go away.

Like, forever.

Okay, not forever.  But come back only at night, okay?  Summer is meant for the outdoors!

After a lunch out and some Targeting (finds to come!), we're chilling at home and inside because it's raining buckets out there.

Our light-sensitive Kini is totally cool with that, though. ;)

Upsy Daisy

One of the skills Asher is working on in PT and EI is going from lying down to sitting.  He needs some guidance, but he's really doing a lot of this muscle work on his own.  This was yesterday in PT:

Let's Practice Sitting Up! from Cayla Wilkerson on Vimeo.