Chalk drawings!

My daughter LOVES her chalk drawings! LOVES them! Hates getting her hands dirty but loves to draw with chalk. Summer is only on its second week & its only the beginning of that week to boot! I have SERIOUSLY gone through SO many tubs of sidewalk chalk, I swear, I should buy it in bulk, like by the palette! We use FAR too much! Here are just SOME of the drawings we have done this year!

 Her rainbow that's 3D

 My butterfly with her heart around it

 Our 3D hopscotch

 Our Flower. I did the outline, she coloured it in

 We love daddy! 

 Her butterfly

 Our heart, I drew it and coloured 4 sections, she coloured the other 4!

 A message for daddy! 

 Her butterfly

 Her butterfly landed on my flower :)

 Practicing her writing

 Her jelly fish

She copied a picture I had done & did an impressive job in my opinion!

I find chalk is one of the easiest self expressionary art forms for her in summer time! I just wish we had more space to do them all! I have SERIOUSLY been tempted to paint my basement in chalk board paint, not sure my hubby would like that though! But it would be a LOT of fun & would mean even if it rained, we could draw in chalk!

Art Therapy

ANYONE who knows my daughter, KNOWS she LOVES art!!! All kinds of art! She will do canvas work, chalk drawings, colouring pictures, drawing, ANYTHING! She loves it all! Today, we did something we haven't done before. I didn't think THAT was possible!

Today, we painted BIRD HOUSES! We did 4 in total. 2 for our house---one for the gardens she planted in memory of her sisters & one for our vegetable garden. One for her grandparents house & one for G-Mags her "autism grandma"!

It was a fun task, that I was surprised didn't get too messy! We choose our colours, 6 in total if I recall correctly. Put them in a painters plate on the table & got to it! She actually sat for about an hour, working HARD on her bird houses! She did 2 herself & designed 2 for ME to paint! After we were done painting them, we added some glitter (it's not complete in her eyes without glitter)!

FINISHED PRODUCTS:

The two on the left are the ones she designed for me to make & the two on the right are completely done by her! ALL have glitter on them :) 

PROUD MAMA!

Conquering Sensory Fears

You know those balls you can buy for kids that are squishy & have spikey rubber bits sticking out? You can also get bugs, fat snakes, etc. Well my daughter has had a fear of these forever! She would run screaming & then break down into a fit of insane tears if you even looked at one in her presence. It was that bad of a fear. But it was also a sensory thing. IF you could get her to touch one or you touched her with one, she would FREAK!

Today all that changed. We were in the dollar store and she saw this soccer ball designed ball! It was exactly the type she was scared of. I hoped to rush past that part of the aisle and avoid a meltdown. Instead, she ran for it, picked it up and started playing with it! I was SHOCKED! So, I bought it! Hey, if she was going to overcome a sensory fear, I was going to support that!

Squishing the ball & having fun!!!! A mothers dream moment :)

Teachers Lie

You know, it sucks when anyone lies. Plain and simple! It's not a pleasant thing! HOWEVER, its worse, when they have spent 2 years lying to you, dodging you, keeping things from you, pushing your child forward when shes falling further and further behind. It sucks even more because, they were someone you are SUPPOSED to trust your child with! They are your child's teacher!

My piece hasn't always been delayed. In fact, until 20 months, she was so far advanced we were just as lost as we are now! Then overnight, it was ALL gone! We didn't know what to do, say, think. Even when she was SO advanced, I KNEW something was wrong! I knew she was different!

So, my daughter JUST finished Senior Kindergarten last week. Literally 5 days ago. The teacher I knew wasn't being totally honest with me, we had had issues with her all year and she avoided me, lied and deceived! I wasn't blind. How badly though, I wasn't to know, till now!

I work endlessly, day in and day out, with my child, to make her life better, easier, help her cope with her traits, her autism concerns & make her a better person! I do therapy from home, I do extra school work to help her, I work on the areas she really struggles in, I do it ALL!

I knew her reading, writing, math, sight words & all that jazz wasn't up to "par" for a 6 year old ending Senior Kindergarten. But to have it tested and then find out, her level is actually at a 2 year olds level, well THAT just pissed me off! WHERE were the teachers on this one? Why did they constantly ignore me? Okay, I can quickly become a Mama Bear....who can blame me, when my child has been disappointed, physically and mentally hurt at school, forgotten in regards to CRUCIAL health problems, just to name a few!

So, to have my child tested & find out shes at a 2 year old level, well that pissed me off! WHY didn't they work with her at school, why didn't they have concerns? Why didn't they get her HELP? Why did they ignore it? Why did they not test her? Bring in someone to work with her? Why is this so bad after all the hard work I put in?

I don't have all the answers, but I do know this: I refuse to give up on her! Todays one of those days, I admit, Autism is getting the better of me, but I will NEVER give up on her! NEVER!

But this situation just goes to prove to me, that even those who "have my child's best interest at heart" only "have my childs best interest at heart. for their pay cheque"

The people who REALLY care, are the ones, in it for NOTHING but her! The ones, who the money doesn't matter! Who love my daughter, care about her and for her, who help us care for her & don't ask for ANYTHING in turn! Who just want to see her smile, be happy, grow up to be the best person she can be! THOSE are the ONLY people I can trust now! I've learned my lesson! If it involves a pay cheque, chances are, they may not really care about her!

My Autism Support Team

Last Wednesday, the day before the last day of school, I was thankful to be able to meet with both of my biggest Autism supports!

I met with Maggie in the early morning. We had a nice visit, had a bit of a chat & as always, she encouraged me to keep being the great mom she thinks I am & not to give up!

That afternoon, I met with Meghan after a LONG time without seeing each other. It was a great time, chatting, catching up & discussing ways to help my piece COPE with all the MAJOR changes that are coming our way. In 2 days the hubby goes back to work! 10 months off, have her SO used to him ALWAYS being here. Then theres big school changes....a new teacher, after 2 years with the same teachers. Going into grade 1 in and of itself is a hard thing for her. There is also the change of Principals in the new year. Daddy going back to work. It just seems that the more we try to regulate things, the MORE upheavel comes and she gets upset & starts to try to pull away and regress!

This summer she will be seeing MANY specialists! I am hoping to get some more answers and HELP!

Meghan, gave me some GREAT ideas on how to work the daily schedules, how to give her some control back without it being overwhelming for her, she gave me suggestions for how to handle the hard times, the meltdowns and the self harming! She also reassured me, I am NOT alone, that other parents have their times, when they WANT to give up!

We are all only human! There is only so much we can do on our own & part of making it through each and every day, each and every problem, is to prepare ourselves to the best we can! Have a support team, have people you can go to when you need help, who you can call when you need to scream, cry or rant....or do ALL 3!

My autism team may be small compared to many peoples, but they are the most AMAZING team I could have EVER hoped for! So to EVERY SINGLE PERSON who supports my family, with love, encouragement, time, energy and kind words! THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! You are all the reason, we are successful at what we do as parents!

Daddy's Little Girl

I know, that many people feel their daughter is "daddy's little girl". I know I was growing up & I am still very close with my dad & my mom, at the age of 28. I love them both to pieces. I have a connection with my parents that most people NEVER have!

Then there is MY daughter, who has honestly redefined the definition of Daddy's Little Girl in my eyes. When I think of the two of them, it brings tears to my eyes. And this song to my head http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmC3rJR7E98. May be over done by some, but its perfect for my husband and daughter.

My daughter, has been a daddy's girl since before she was born. She was a wild one in my tummy, but the second daddy touched my tummy or started to talk to her, she calmed right down. It was a wild thing to see! Then less then an hour old, when he spoke to her, she had been laying on my chest, she lifted her head on her own, eyes still closed and turned to face him. It was amazing! 6 years later, they're like the best of friends! She loves her daddy more then you could EVER imagine!

When she gets hurt, when she has a problem, when something happens, she needs support, a hug or kiss, whatever the case may be, its DADDY who she NEEDS! When she learns something new, she has to master it before she can show daddy! He is her world! And I love seeing it!

Yesterday, we did the balloon release for our twins we lost last year to still birth. Addisyn & Analeigh. It's been a really tough year, but knowing she had daddy there to support her, has really made the difference in helping her get through this tough first year! Yesterday, she told me something that I will never forget: "Mommy, I know daddy loved them as much as we did, but I am so thankful that he has stood by us through this". She is 6 years old!

Yesterday meant the world to her, because it showed her that she has family that cares!

 The group just as we released the balloons!

 My daughter released the first two by herself, as a special moment for her and her sisters

The balloons all ready to go

Those are some of the shots, that I took at our event yesterday. It was a beautiful day after the rain in the morning & it was a perfect event! 

To me, my daughter is proof to the world, that Autistic children, are special beyond words & they have hearts of gold! They may not communicate in all cases, but they are understanding the HARD parts of life & they all cope in their own ways! She proves to me, that the negative label people have put on her, won't hold her back, because I have instilled in her a great deal of self respect, self love and a love for everyone and everything!

Most importantly though, her father has ALLOWED her to cope in her own ways, hes let her cry, hes let her do what she NEEDED to do to cope! She loves him more then you could even imagine and that makes it even more special! I have NEVER seen a relationship like they have, between ANY two people EVER! He's her rock, her world! He is a large part of who she has become! She is the luckiest girl in the world, in my eyes!

Summer shaken

2 days left of school. Crunch time, right?! Oh BIG time! So many changes have gone on lately & it's been VERY distressing for my piece! For a while there, I thought I was all set....then a life upheaval happened to all our plans!

Tomorrow, I am SO fortunate, to say, I am meeting with my Autism coach extraordinaire! This lady is AMAZING! Years ago, I met her at Starbucks and we got chatting. Suddenly, I had someone who UNDERSTOOD my struggles with my daughter and who helped me realize I was NOT insane! These things WERE happening & it was NOT my fault! Now this lady is my amazing go to for all things Autism related! And I LOVE her blog! http://imamomtoo.wordpress.com/ So worth your time! She is AWESOME! You can also find her page on facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/IAmMomToo?fref=ts

She has been the biggest inspiration to me for years. She is the reason, I know as much as I do & I have come as far as I have with my daughter!

I have mentioned in previous posts as well about Maggie, who is my other AMAZING go to support person for my daughter! Her and my daughter have an amazing connection! My daughter is not big on touching people at all & she will ALWAYS run to Maggie for a hug!

So, with the summer shake up, as I am referring it to, I am looking forward to being able to sit down, discuss some concerns and frrustrations with Meghan as well as get help setting up a game plan for summer! This year, because we have had a lot of big changes, I need to start fresh!

Last summer was a HARD summer for all of us. The end of the school year was rough, my hubby was working overtime, we had just lost the twins, I was trying to cope and my daughter was falling deeper and deeper into a HUGE regressional state. It's been over a year now, and although she has made some good progress, she is still not up to par with other 6 year old kids. Not that we would have expected it. It's hard for ANYONE to adjust to losing 2 siblings, let alone a child who is unable to fully grasp or understand it!

This summer, I know there is a LOT of things she needs to work on. We need to work on adjusting her diet some more, we need to grade 1 prep: reading, writing, sight words, tying shoes, the mile long list goes on forever! Then of course, there is the simple coping with day to day life. We're still trying to get the hang of that one. I have been a sleep deprived mom for 6 years now! 7 if you include my pregnancy! I no longer feel like I can handle these all day/ all night situations!

So with basically 2 days till school is out & 6 days till we figure he goes back to work.....I have my work CUT OUT for me, to prepare for the major upheavel that is our lives this summer!

Wish me luck and stay tuned! I will be writing a post after my visit tomorrow with my AMAZING friend Meghan!