One of Ella's favorite things to do is give hugs. She will even give things to me and request that I hug them (using sign language). So here is a list some of the many things that Ella has hugged.
her Mickey Mouse doll
balloons
flashlights
my leg
blocks
her Elmo doll
a container of goldfish crackers
books
pillows
a cardboard tube from the center of a roll of wrapping paper
sippy cups
and once (this is my favorite) she hugged a can of soup when we were in the grocery store
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
things I have gotten used to, and some things I haven't
Things I have gotten used to:
-" How old is your son?" (come on people, she is a GIRL)
- people telling me how hard it is to get their 2 year olds to string 3 words together. (Ella doesn't even talk at all)
- women at the playground exclaiming how big Ella must be for her age. (because they assume that, since she isn't talking or running, and needs a lot of help climbing on things that she must be a lot younger than she is)
I really have gotten used to this stuff. It doesn't annoy me at all anymore. Actually, this is a really funny story. The one woman who was talking about how hard she was working with her son (who was only 1 week younger than Ella) on stringing 3 words together, I ran into her a few days later at a different playground. We had been talking about using sign language with our children, and so she knew that Ella hasn't started talking yet. So, when we ran into each other again, she apologized to me for being insensitive and complaining about her son when my daughter was so much "worse off" (her words, not mine). I found myself comforting her and assuring her that we all have work to do with our children and that it doesn't really matter what level they are on, it is still work.
What I haven't gotten used to :
"What is wrong with her?"
Do you blame me for not liking that one?
How about I use this as a response: "What is wrong with you?"
-" How old is your son?" (come on people, she is a GIRL)
- people telling me how hard it is to get their 2 year olds to string 3 words together. (Ella doesn't even talk at all)
- women at the playground exclaiming how big Ella must be for her age. (because they assume that, since she isn't talking or running, and needs a lot of help climbing on things that she must be a lot younger than she is)
I really have gotten used to this stuff. It doesn't annoy me at all anymore. Actually, this is a really funny story. The one woman who was talking about how hard she was working with her son (who was only 1 week younger than Ella) on stringing 3 words together, I ran into her a few days later at a different playground. We had been talking about using sign language with our children, and so she knew that Ella hasn't started talking yet. So, when we ran into each other again, she apologized to me for being insensitive and complaining about her son when my daughter was so much "worse off" (her words, not mine). I found myself comforting her and assuring her that we all have work to do with our children and that it doesn't really matter what level they are on, it is still work.
What I haven't gotten used to :
"What is wrong with her?"
Do you blame me for not liking that one?
How about I use this as a response: "What is wrong with you?"
Thursday, August 7, 2008
sorry it been so long
Mental Father has been writing up a storm lately and I have only just started to get back into writing. So, if you want more detailed and reliable updates on Ella's progress, please check his page out.
Yesterday was a very happy and surprising day. While at the mall Ella walked about 50 feet all by herself, not touching anything. She would have gone further, but she was starting to veer away from me and where we needed to go so I called out to her to follow me. She then realized that she wasn't near anything to hold on to and she dropped into a crouch with her hands touching the floor. Later in the day she walked to whole distance of the house (also about 50 feet) from front to back 2 times without touching anything.
It is so freeing to be able to walk around with her and not have to hold her hand all the time. And she seems to like her new freedom of movement, too.
More later, including a list of all the things that Ella likes to hug.
Yesterday was a very happy and surprising day. While at the mall Ella walked about 50 feet all by herself, not touching anything. She would have gone further, but she was starting to veer away from me and where we needed to go so I called out to her to follow me. She then realized that she wasn't near anything to hold on to and she dropped into a crouch with her hands touching the floor. Later in the day she walked to whole distance of the house (also about 50 feet) from front to back 2 times without touching anything.
It is so freeing to be able to walk around with her and not have to hold her hand all the time. And she seems to like her new freedom of movement, too.
More later, including a list of all the things that Ella likes to hug.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
music class
I enrolled Ella in a Music Together class. She has had 4 classes so far.
She spends most of her class time (45 minutes) trying to get at the instruments in the bins that are piled up under a bakers rack that is used for storage/desk purposes. She also loves playing with the blinds that run along one side of the room.
Her teacher (Ms. La La) says that it takes them about 6 classes to get into the participation, etc. She does participate some of the time, other times she will stop what she is doing and look at all of us, or listen to the music and dance a little.
There are some articles out there about how these music classes can help to stimulate children with disorders and help them learn better. It is a little early to tell if it is helping Ella, but time will tell.
She spends most of her class time (45 minutes) trying to get at the instruments in the bins that are piled up under a bakers rack that is used for storage/desk purposes. She also loves playing with the blinds that run along one side of the room.
Her teacher (Ms. La La) says that it takes them about 6 classes to get into the participation, etc. She does participate some of the time, other times she will stop what she is doing and look at all of us, or listen to the music and dance a little.
There are some articles out there about how these music classes can help to stimulate children with disorders and help them learn better. It is a little early to tell if it is helping Ella, but time will tell.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
sensory stimulation
So, her therapists are putting more emphasis on giving her sensory stimulation. This means a schedule where she gets to spin and move around in a desk chair, swinging in a blanket, or moved around in a Billibo (cool toy that is impossible to describe) 3 times a day. Also, she is supposed to have "messy play" with yogurt, shaving cream, or something like that.
One other sensory stimulation exersise is letting them play with a container with sand, beans, rice, etc. in it so that they can feel what it is like to pick it up and let it fall, bury their hands in it, etc. We did this for the first time yesterday. We used rice in a large plastic container. It is a good thing we did it outside because her favorite thing to do was put her hands into the center of the tub and pull toward her so that the rice came up over the edge and covered her legs. She had a great time playing in this way. And when we were done, her hands and face were covered in rice startch!
One other sensory stimulation exersise is letting them play with a container with sand, beans, rice, etc. in it so that they can feel what it is like to pick it up and let it fall, bury their hands in it, etc. We did this for the first time yesterday. We used rice in a large plastic container. It is a good thing we did it outside because her favorite thing to do was put her hands into the center of the tub and pull toward her so that the rice came up over the edge and covered her legs. She had a great time playing in this way. And when we were done, her hands and face were covered in rice startch!
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
New Foods
OK, so another one of Ella's issues is with chewing. So you can imagine that significantly effects the different kinds of foods she will eat. Well, that is changing. I have managed to teach her how to use her teeth and gums to chew food.
Some of her new foods include chicken nuggets from both McDonalds and Chic-fil-A (made better with sweet and sour sauce), fish sticks (also made better with sweet and sour sauce), and veggie burgers (made better with ketchup).
Notice all new foods are proteins. The only protein she got for a long time was from dairy products, peas, and the occasional bean.
I am happy that she is eating more, although this does mean that I have to cook more often.
(sigh)
Some of her new foods include chicken nuggets from both McDonalds and Chic-fil-A (made better with sweet and sour sauce), fish sticks (also made better with sweet and sour sauce), and veggie burgers (made better with ketchup).
Notice all new foods are proteins. The only protein she got for a long time was from dairy products, peas, and the occasional bean.
I am happy that she is eating more, although this does mean that I have to cook more often.
(sigh)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Happy Accident
One of the big issues with Ella's current gross motor development is her inability to go from a standing position to a sitting position.
Yesterday she was doing her usual walking ping pong back and forth between furniture in the living room. Then, as she was going from the rocking chair to the ottoman, she discovered an obstacle. I had left a blanket roughly folded on the floor. She walked up to it, stopped, balanced for about 1 second, leaned forward placing both hands on the blanket, and then dropped to her knees from there. This is the first time she had done anything like this.
If I had realized that the best way to get her to try new things was to be more of a slob, than I should have allowed myself to be more lazy a long time ago!
Yesterday she was doing her usual walking ping pong back and forth between furniture in the living room. Then, as she was going from the rocking chair to the ottoman, she discovered an obstacle. I had left a blanket roughly folded on the floor. She walked up to it, stopped, balanced for about 1 second, leaned forward placing both hands on the blanket, and then dropped to her knees from there. This is the first time she had done anything like this.
If I had realized that the best way to get her to try new things was to be more of a slob, than I should have allowed myself to be more lazy a long time ago!
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