Swing!

Two therapies today and they both went well. Gotta point out that having Chinny around to take Ronin out of the room really helps keep distractions to a minimum.

We started the day with Denis helping get Nikko dressed. I woke up late, with Audrey next to me, because late at night I had to pick her up and take her into the bed. She was very congested and was waking up frequently, so I elevated her head and kept her close. She still stirred a few times, which is why I probably slept until 8:30, which is very late for me nowadays. Because we ran out of bananas, I toasted some Eggo waffles with chocolate chips and sliced them up for Nikko. I must say, he probably enjoyed the change from bananas. No complaints this morning! Before Bo came for DT I tried to start feeding the kids early because they both seemed hungry even though I felt our breakfast was late. Nikko started eating and was more than halfway finished when Bo walked through the door. He actually freaked out a little bit, more than Ronin reacted. Not sure why. But then he noticed her bag of toys and couldn't usher me fast enough into the living room so we could sit down and play with them. Once we settled, with Audrey next to me and Ronin & Chinny in the kitchen duking it out over lunch (he eventually fell asleep in the high chair), therapy seemed to go smoothly. Bo brought out plastic food and dishes but Nikko wasn't that interested. Elmo came out and he liked putting the arms in. Feeding Elmo was sort of successful but short-lived. Then came an animal puzzle with little knobs on the pieces and Nikko put it together well. He played with the peg board and a teddy bear book. Bo also broke out bubbles and Nikko seemed to enjoy them more today than in the past. He tried to pop them by flapping his hand at them instead of poking them with a finger, but he still tried. The air must have been funny today (it rained a lot) because the bubbles seemed to stay in the air much longer than the usual lifespan of bubbles. Weird. Nikko had pretty good transitions between activities. He was hanging on to a plastic watermelon slice but Bo switched it out and he didn't protest. Same with some of the utensils. Bo thought our session was a good one. She also gave me the # for a company called Community Alternatives, which I know nothing about, except that they help offer services for kids with autism. I'll have to check them out or call them to see what they offer.

It takes really long to get out of the house around here, no matter how much prep I do. I tried to usher us all out the door so we could go to OT with Shelly, but it seemed to take so long. Diaper changes, readying diaper bag, food bag, socks and shoes... We got there around 3pm and the Autism Resource Center was having an open house. I really wanted to go to it, but unfortunately it wasn't going to happen since Nikko's therapy was going on, plus I didn't have an opportunity to leave despite Chinny's presence. I had Audrey, too. The Center was a small room and the kids wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get something out of it. I have the coordinator's number, so perhaps I can call her to see how the laminating process works since that's the most important thing I'm looking for. Ronin and Chinny went into the other room to play with the vast amount of toys and objects in there, Audrey woke up and sat nearby, and Nikko ran around the obstacle course first to get his ya-yas out. He didn't paint well with the foam soap, but somehow Shelly was able to get him to rest tummy down on the swing. He didn't even had a stim toy in his hand. She was able to gently swing him back and forth, side to side, and a little round & round. Mind you, Nikko has totally avoided the swing for over a year and just recently took a slight interest in putting a foot on the base of the swing. But today he was on it like he loved it. The reason for this? I deduced that it was the mirror. He could see himself on the swing and was captivated by it. Sure, it was a little stimming for him to look at the floor and the mats back and forth, but he also watched himself swing and wasn't bothered by changes in movement at all. He even ventured to stand up in the swing and let Shelly push him. It was truly amazing. I wonder if he'll be able to swing on an outdoor swing without a mirror in front of him.

We went to Costco after OT. Nikko and Audrey fell asleep in the car so I left Chinny to watch them while I took Ronin inside since he was awake. Toward the end of my excursion I spotted Leticia Ferina, an old high school friend whom I connected with on Facebook, with her 4-5 year old daughter and her 20 month old twin boys. I acknowledged her in front of the diapers and wipes and she gave me a hug, glad to see me. She said to her kids, "This is a friend of mine who I used to play volleyball with!" The kids just looked at me. That's ok. Ronin whined a little, no biggie. We agreed to have a playdate in the future some time. She told me that her twins were starting speech therapy because they don't have a lot of words, and I remarked that the same thing will happen to Ronin.

We came home, snacked the kids and I lamented that their dinner would be late because of it. And it was, but Nikko ended up eating his nuggets heartily. Bathtime was late because the Bulls were playing game 6 vs. the Boston Celtics and the Bulls won in triple overtime. Denis and I got stuck watching it, but we recorded it on the DVR because we had to get the boys in the bathtub.

I received two phone calls recently regarding the two applications I sent out. The first was from Marianjoy for Dr. Keen, referred to us by Rupak Parikh after he saw on a Facebook post that Nikko was autistic. I think she's a doctor in Pediatric Rehabilitation. They set up an appointment for Nikko for October 2, but if someone cancels then they'll call us to move up. Yeah, that's a long time to wait, but I'll do it. The second was from St. Alexian for Dr. Keck, referred to us by Dr. Santiago. Dr. Keck is in the department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. The appointment here is in less than two weeks, on Wednesday, May 13th! I have to find out if Mom can babysit the little ones for this.