Hello 2014

Thomas had a really good first week of 2014.  He was in very good spirits and his confidence seemed to be increasing.

He started waving hello and goodbye to people up close when I’m holding him.    He will not respond to a wave hi or bye, but he now seems to be getting comfortable being the one initiating it.  This is brand new for him.  It usually helps to remind him that he can get a sticker for playing the waving game.  He has many games to play as part of his cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and this is one of them.  I just put him on the front line by holding him up to the counter of places and he is starting to wave.  He waved to the cashier when we were checking out at CVS and also up close with the librarian.    

Another part of his therapy is being on the lookout for common questions-"What is your name?,  How old are you? , etc.  Thomas and I made some common question flash cards together and he is excited to use them.   He is still having a very hard time with the “tell me” approach, which is part of our therapy and so I think this will help.  We brought them to the grocery store this week, but no one asked any of his questions.  At the end of the trip, he kept saying “How come no one asked me any super questions?”  So I am thinking he is ready to answer them and he will feel comfortable with the flash card aid. 

We are meeting many of his therapy goals for this month, including scavenger hunts using full sentences when asking for things, ordering, waving hi/bye and utilizing his scary chart.

Also for the 1st three nights of 2014, little brother who is now 6 months old slept throught the night for the 1st time ever.  It only lasted those three nights, but it gave us a chance to catch up on a little sleep before the night wakings began again!