Monday, August 29, 2011

First Day of School

Casey started back to school today. She had a great day. Her teacher met us at the car and started with a tour of the school. Last year Casey went straight to her classroom so she never really saw anything else. She LOVED the library. Her teacher is going to find a time when Casey can go back and check out some princess stories. After the library Casey visited the gym. There was a class listening to the coach give instructions. When Casey noticed the class she yelled, loud, as if she were saying "Hi guys, I'm here!" It was pretty cute.

After the tour Casey made it to her classroom. The sensory area was ready. Officially the sensory area, unofficially it is called the princess tent. There are a lot of special tools that light up, and respond to sound and motion that are great for keeping Casey's attention. The school put up a black out tent around a corner of the room. The top of the tent is actually a parachute with neon yellow stars. Then, in order for it to not just be a boring black tent, Casey's teacher wrapped it in sparkly fabric. The sparkles are princess approved :)

Casey had fun being inside the tent. She really likes the stars on the roof. She was able to spend some time in the tent and fully check things out. She was making me laugh the entire time I was there. She kept making her happy sounds every time she saw something new. I think it is safe to say Casey loves school. She is such a good student, and she works so hard while she is there.

While we were doing the tour there was a little girl (may 7-8 years-old) that came out of her way to tell Casey how pretty she looked. It was so sweet. The camo outfit that Casey wanted to badly came in on Friday. She was able to wear it on her first day afterall. I am sure the little girl telling her how pretty she looked in it only made Casey love the camo even more. Who knew Casey would like camo?

After we got home Casey was exhausted. She took a good nap. I think she is excited for a new school year. She will be going back tomorrow for another adventure.

We hope everyone is doing well. Have a great school year to all the school kiddos out there.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Back to School

Our school district started back up today. We talked with Casey's teachers and decided it would be best to avoid the craziness of the first day. The plan was for Casey to start back tomorrow. I just got off the phone with her teacher though, and her teacher has gotten sick. Instead of trying to get a sub for the first day (that would not know Casey) we decided to wait until next week for Casey to start back to school.

A few extra days actually works out well. Casey had a GI appointment this morning (she is up to 31.8 pounds now). After we took Casey to pick out some school clothes. She found a few things that were okay, but the one outfit she really wanted was not in her size. When I told her she could not have it she was so upset. She refused to even look at anything else. I ordered it when we got back home. Maybe since we won't start school tomorrow it will be here in time for her to wear it on her first day back. She is such a little fashionista. Her usual look is purple and/or pink. Every now and then she throws me off though. Last year she had to have a blue dress. I think even today that is the only blue thing she has ever picked. Today it was camo. She had to have a green (traditional camo) tutu with a graphic tee. I guess since they were all out of her size she is not the only one that wants it. She makes me laugh sometimes.

We have a couple of new switches we are trying out. A few extra days at home should give us some time to get a better idea on if we like them or not too.

I will post some pictures next week of Casey going back to school. We are going to start with 4 hours a week and build to the 6 hour weekly total. I am not sure how we will split them up. We will wait and see how Casey responds. Until then, have a great rest of the week :)

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Special Needs Dance

For any of the special needs family that read this blog, I want to be sure you know about 2Dance2Dream by Legacy of Hope. I LOVE this idea. They will work with your child's ability and needs (all types). Premier Dance in South Austin has teamed up with Legacy of Hope to offer dance class to special needs kids. There will be a recital at the end of the program. All of the classes, costumes, everything is included at no cost to the families. The classes start next week, so if you are interested sign up as soon as you can. There are a few spots left, but they may fill up quick.

This is one of many programs Legacy of Hope is offering. Currently they also offer tutoring and respite. In 2012 they will be adding family counseling, art, and music.

Thursday, August 04, 2011

July Review

July was a hectic month for us. Tim had to travel for work one week. Our day nurse had 2 weeks off (luckily not the week Tim was gone) and our night nurse had a week off. There were 2 weekends our weekend night nurse had vacation too. I really miss Tim and our nurses when they are not here. August is getting back on schedule. We are still catching up a little on things that got pushed off last month, but we are close to being back.

On Monday Casey had a fun outing. One of her nurses and I took her to a place where she was able to paint and decorate her own pottery. They had mosaics as well, but Casey wanted to paint not tile. She painted a lovely bowl for her Daddy's birthday. We will pick it up on Saturday. She liked that we went on a "Secret Mission" too. She didn't tell him about it until his birthday. It was really cute.

Last week Casey had a neuro appointment. It was just a follow-up. We did end up changing and adding some new medications to try and help with stiffness and seizures. We are slowly ramping up the dose. It will take 6 weeks to get to her full dose. So far it is too soon to tell if it is going to help or not.

Casey got fitted for new AFOs this week. She picked purple butterflies this time. We should be able to get them in about 2 weeks. Her last pair just did not work for her. I hope this pair does better.

School starts later this month. I am sure I will start working with her school in the next few weeks to get her new schedule worked out. I think we are going to start with 4 hours a week (2, 2 hour sessions) then build to 6 hours. That means we need to go school shopping too. Casey loves to buy clothes. She is such a little fashionista.

That's about it for now. As always, we hope everyone is well.