Saturday, June 18, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Summer in Full Swing
So far, Summer has been pretty fun. Cruise has been going to Bridges Preschool twice a week, the Bridges ABA class once a week, and will start public summer school in another week or so.
When Cruise isn't at school, he and Jett are usually playing outside on the treehouse with their little girlfriends from next door: Jacaline and Diana. Jacaline is in 1st or 2nd grade and Diana is about Cruise's age (she doesn't speak a word of English). But the four of them play every day together and they all have a blast. They all seem to get along pretty well, but Diana is bossy and likes to tease Cruise, but he never really notices.
Lately Cruise has been into snails since he finds them on one side of the house all the time. (That and the recent influence of SpongeBob and his pet snail named Gary, who incidentally meows like a cat). Cruise introduced snails to the girls and so now they like to find the snails and play with them, even Jett. It's pretty gross, but hey, just as long as they don't put one on me or in the garden, I'm fine with it.
I have been taking advantage of the weather lately and making the boys eat outside. It actually elicits excellent results since the boys are usually too busy to come inside. It's a win-win situation. They eat and the kitchen is saved from another meal.
Cruise has finally mastered his tricycle! It's fun to go on walks now with the boys. Cruise will ride his tricycle and I'll push Jett in the pushcar. Finally!
Since the weather has hit the high 70s, we've been able to take advantage of our pool pass to the Scera. Cruise, as always, loves the water and especially the water slide. The other day, Dave and Cruise were waiting in line for the waterslide when Cruise jumped out of line and supermanned it onto the slide right behind another kid. Dave had to run and slide after him to catch him before he hit the water face first. I swear one of these days we're going to be banned from the slide. Jett tolerates the pool. I think he'd rather swim around without any floatation device and without the aid of an adult. So...he usually whines.
On the days where the schedule doesn't allow us to go to the pool, I fill up the little pool at home and let the boys play. Usually Jett is the one to ask for it, but Cruise ends up playing in it more. I suppose Jett would play in it if Cruise would not splash or throw water on him. He's not really into that.
Speaking of Jett, he really enjoys puzzles, especially this one Melissa & Doug Fishing puzzle. He mostly just likes to fish for the pieces; he still has a bit of trouble actually getting them into the spots. He also will finally sit for a picture book. So he'll sit and read books with me during the day while Cruise is doing his thing.
For a long while, Jett would poop in the tub when I bathed him. I would get after him and have to pull him out to clean it. So now he thinks it is funny to pretend that he 's going to poop. He'll squat in the tub, look at me with his naughty little smile and say, "Poo!" So I threaten to take him out of the tub and then he doesn't try it again for a couple minutes. That cheeky little monkey.
The garden is all planted now and things are starting to pop up. However, we still can't eat anything except the spinach; we've got A LOT of spinach. But that's awesome since it is one of the few vegetables the boys will actually eat. Dave has become quite the gardener and keeps everything alive and well watered.
Speaking of Dave, he finally got his National Phlebotomy Certification certificate in the mail the other day. WOOHOO! Way to go Dave!
When Cruise isn't at school, he and Jett are usually playing outside on the treehouse with their little girlfriends from next door: Jacaline and Diana. Jacaline is in 1st or 2nd grade and Diana is about Cruise's age (she doesn't speak a word of English). But the four of them play every day together and they all have a blast. They all seem to get along pretty well, but Diana is bossy and likes to tease Cruise, but he never really notices.
I have been taking advantage of the weather lately and making the boys eat outside. It actually elicits excellent results since the boys are usually too busy to come inside. It's a win-win situation. They eat and the kitchen is saved from another meal.
Speaking of Jett, he really enjoys puzzles, especially this one Melissa & Doug Fishing puzzle. He mostly just likes to fish for the pieces; he still has a bit of trouble actually getting them into the spots. He also will finally sit for a picture book. So he'll sit and read books with me during the day while Cruise is doing his thing.
The garden is all planted now and things are starting to pop up. However, we still can't eat anything except the spinach; we've got A LOT of spinach. But that's awesome since it is one of the few vegetables the boys will actually eat. Dave has become quite the gardener and keeps everything alive and well watered.
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| bags of spinach from the garden |
Dave is also in the process of applying to dental school again. This time I think we were a little smarter about it and did more research on the schools. He retakes the DAT in July, so he's been busy studying for that. He works on his applications every day and I am super proud of him for working towards his goal. With the application process this time, I think we both look back and see all the mistakes we made the first go round, so hopefully that will be beneficial and help him get accepted this time. He's applying to the following schools:
Howard University (Washington D.C.)
Boston University
University of Southern Nevada (located in South Jordan, UT)
Case Western Reserve University (Ohio)
Loma Linda University (CA)
LECOM (FL)
Midwestern University (AZ)
Here we go!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Cruise's Preschool Program & The Dentist
Cruise's Preschool Program
Cruise's public preschool class had their program and graduation yesterday (Cruise didn't graduate but of course got to participate in the program). They had the kids sing a couple songs and then the ones moving onto Kindergarten received diplomas. All the kids were adorable and Cruise was not only adorable, but loud. I wouldn't call him disruptive...just spirited.
After the program, they had all of us go outside so the kids could play on the playground, blow bubbles, and play with sidewalk chalk. Cruise spent most of his time with the bubbles. Then they had ice cream, which Cruise covered in two kinds of sprinkles and M&Ms.
Most of the parents left after and took their kiddos with them. So I asked Cruise if he wanted to come with me, or stay for the rest of school. He was completely torn, which led to a meltdown, so I ended up staying at school with him until it was over.
The Dentist
After school, I quickly drove home to pickup the DVD player and then headed northbound on I-15 for Sandy. It was a long drive, but Cruise did great and watched Wall-E while I maneuvered through traffic to get to his dentist appointment on time. I know there are plenty of dentists in the Utah County area, but Dr. Olson was the only one I was referred to for being a dentist good with autistic patients. I mean, the guy has a social story on his website! The man knows what he is doing and so, the drive was worth it.
After getting slightly lost, I finally found the dentist office. Cruise was in a pretty good mood, and was even more excited to be able to take the elevator. Once we got into the office, Cruise got to play in the awesome waiting room equipped with a slide, movie, bean bag chair, toys, and a table with coloring books.
He didn't have to wait very long until a super nice dental hygenist, Haylee, called for him. She introduced him to a little sink and got him his very own toothbrush. The kids can brush their teeth when they first get to the office if they'd like. Cruise wasn't interested. Then she led him to his very own private room, especially for kids with special needs.
Haylee showed him her little mirror and let him play with it, then they counted fingers. Dr. Barney Olson came in and did the same thing: showed him the mirror, counted fingers, and then counted teeth. He then explained to me what they do and that with kids with autism, he makes it a point to do the same thing every time they come. That way, they will get comfortable and eventually let them be a little more invasive.
He instructed Haylee to see if Cruise would let her take x-rays. She raised his chair and then put the lead vest on him. She showed him the x-ray machine, but he wouldn't have any of it. So that was that. Dr. Olson came back in and just took a look at Cruise's teeth, which Cruise did really well at. Everything looked good and he couldn't detect any cavities.
Then Haylee showed Cruise her tools: the mini water fountain and Mr. Thirsty (the water sucker). Then she showed him her tooth buffer and let him feel it on his finger. She lowered the back on his chair so he could see the t.v. in the ceiling playing "Tangled". He let her clean his upper teeth, but after a drink and Mr. Thristy, he said, "All done." Then Haylee painted on some flouride and we called it good!
He got a prize and then ran back to the waiting room while I arranged his next appointment for December.
Dr. Olson seemed pretty busy, but he sure seemed to know what he was doing. He made it a point to not over stimulate Cruise, and he was super flexible with everything. He didn't want Cruise's first experience to be negative; he mostly just wanted Cruise to get to know the procedure of things so that next time he came back, he would be more comfortable and willing to let them do more.
I am so happy Cruise's experience was a positive one. There is nothing worse than having your child be afraid of something that needs to be done on a regular basis. I had waited longer than the pediatrician recommended, but I was holding out for someone like Dr. Olson...Utah could use more Dr. Olsons. Definitely worth the wait (and the drive), though.
Cruise's public preschool class had their program and graduation yesterday (Cruise didn't graduate but of course got to participate in the program). They had the kids sing a couple songs and then the ones moving onto Kindergarten received diplomas. All the kids were adorable and Cruise was not only adorable, but loud. I wouldn't call him disruptive...just spirited.
After the program, they had all of us go outside so the kids could play on the playground, blow bubbles, and play with sidewalk chalk. Cruise spent most of his time with the bubbles. Then they had ice cream, which Cruise covered in two kinds of sprinkles and M&Ms.
The Dentist
After school, I quickly drove home to pickup the DVD player and then headed northbound on I-15 for Sandy. It was a long drive, but Cruise did great and watched Wall-E while I maneuvered through traffic to get to his dentist appointment on time. I know there are plenty of dentists in the Utah County area, but Dr. Olson was the only one I was referred to for being a dentist good with autistic patients. I mean, the guy has a social story on his website! The man knows what he is doing and so, the drive was worth it.
After getting slightly lost, I finally found the dentist office. Cruise was in a pretty good mood, and was even more excited to be able to take the elevator. Once we got into the office, Cruise got to play in the awesome waiting room equipped with a slide, movie, bean bag chair, toys, and a table with coloring books.
He didn't have to wait very long until a super nice dental hygenist, Haylee, called for him. She introduced him to a little sink and got him his very own toothbrush. The kids can brush their teeth when they first get to the office if they'd like. Cruise wasn't interested. Then she led him to his very own private room, especially for kids with special needs.
Haylee showed him her little mirror and let him play with it, then they counted fingers. Dr. Barney Olson came in and did the same thing: showed him the mirror, counted fingers, and then counted teeth. He then explained to me what they do and that with kids with autism, he makes it a point to do the same thing every time they come. That way, they will get comfortable and eventually let them be a little more invasive.
He instructed Haylee to see if Cruise would let her take x-rays. She raised his chair and then put the lead vest on him. She showed him the x-ray machine, but he wouldn't have any of it. So that was that. Dr. Olson came back in and just took a look at Cruise's teeth, which Cruise did really well at. Everything looked good and he couldn't detect any cavities.
Then Haylee showed Cruise her tools: the mini water fountain and Mr. Thirsty (the water sucker). Then she showed him her tooth buffer and let him feel it on his finger. She lowered the back on his chair so he could see the t.v. in the ceiling playing "Tangled". He let her clean his upper teeth, but after a drink and Mr. Thristy, he said, "All done." Then Haylee painted on some flouride and we called it good!
He got a prize and then ran back to the waiting room while I arranged his next appointment for December.
Dr. Olson seemed pretty busy, but he sure seemed to know what he was doing. He made it a point to not over stimulate Cruise, and he was super flexible with everything. He didn't want Cruise's first experience to be negative; he mostly just wanted Cruise to get to know the procedure of things so that next time he came back, he would be more comfortable and willing to let them do more.
I am so happy Cruise's experience was a positive one. There is nothing worse than having your child be afraid of something that needs to be done on a regular basis. I had waited longer than the pediatrician recommended, but I was holding out for someone like Dr. Olson...Utah could use more Dr. Olsons. Definitely worth the wait (and the drive), though.
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