Candy Land

Just a short update...

I've tried numerous times to play board games with both kids, and while Lydia enjoys it(well, at least when she wins), it usually goes over Joe's head.  Yesterday I was surprised though.  Lydia and I were about to start a Math Facts version of Candy Land, and Joe wanted to play too, so of course I let him.  Though he couldn't answer the math facts (of course not!), he did understand the game and we all had a great time playing.  Thankfully, Lydia won (always good when the 6 year old wins...).  Joe has come so far.  Looking forward to making many more memories playing board games in the future!

Thoughts of the day....

There are times, more often than I'd like to admit, that I get discouraged with where Joe is at.   I just want him to be like "normal" kids his age.  But then I think of how far he's come and I am thankful.  Six months ago Joe wouldn't have been able to tell me what he did that day and now he's a chatterbox replaying for us the events of the day on a regular basis.   Just thoughts that were passing through my mind today...

Daniel's on the move!

An unexpected season

Today is the last day of an unexpected season for our family.  Marc got laid off on October 9th.  It was unexpected.  We hit the ground running with the job search, interviews, saving money, etc.  The layoff came on the heels of other major expenses, and so the timing wasn't ideal.  We couldn't take advantage of this time, to go on a vacation, or go anywhere, because we already had many expenses, and Joe has Brain Balance appts.  However, we very much enjoyed the extra time at home as a family.  I joked with Marc that it was almost like a sabbatical.  He, feeling the weight of needing to find a job to provide for our family, didn't agree!  However, this time, although stressful, was also renewing and rejuvenating.  I will always look back on this time very fondly and with a smile on my face.  Between the job searching and interviews, we got to spend a lot of quality time together.  Marc starts his new job tomorrow, and so this season comes to an end.  BUT we are excited as we start this next chapter.  We thank God for his provision for us!

A couple more updates on Joe

More improvements we've noticed with Joe:

*He is starting to compare a lot (higher-level thinking)

*He is way less distracted by ambient noise(air-conditioners, trains in the background, traffic etc.)

Brain Balance

I had lofty goals of writing a detailed post about our Brain Balance journey.   However, I thought better to get a short post in rather than no post at all.  I also want to make sure I'm documenting this journey so we can look back and see how far he's come.

In June, Marc and I first heard about Brain Balance.  Brain Balance is a center/program that helps kids with a functional disconnect in their brain,  We had Joe evaluated in July, and he started the program at the beginning of September. The results of his evaluation revealed to us many barriers that were getting in the way of him processing the world around him, which explains his meltdowns, and low energy.  Marc and I decided that we wanted to tackle and get to the root of his sensory issues, rather than just adjust his environment.

  Brain Balance uses an integrated approach - focusing on nutrition, academics and sensory motor. We were skeptical because there aren't a lot of studies on this program, but we decided to proceed because the program produces results.  And though we care about studies, we care more about results!  

Joe just completed his first 3 weeks and has already made many improvements.  In fact his coach told us on Saturday, that they need to give us new exercises(we were just getting in the groove with the old ones!), because he's doing such a great job!  Probably the most noticeable and exciting change too me is his energy level.  He has way more energy than before we started this program.  We've also seen him become more independent, especially in the area of getting dressed.

I'm not gonna lie, it's been pretty stressful for us as a family - between the diet changes, finding time(and motivating Joe) to do exercises and did I mention the diet changes!   However, it is totally worth it to see Joe making such huge improvements in his development.  I feel like I'm seeing his neural pathways being created before my very eyes!!  I'm thankful to have discovered this program and that it is only 20 minutes from our house.  There is one family I see in the waiting room once a week, and they drive 2 hours ONE WAY, three times a week!  

Some of the most notable things about Joe's Brain Balance journey so far are:

*Much improved ability on focusing on activities like puzzles.
*WAY fewer meltdowns
*Decreased need to be around me all the time
*Increased energy level
*Increased ability in following multi-step directions
*Increased physical and core strength

I'm excited for the rest of his journey, and will try to document it often.

September 5th storm

I meant to include this in my blog post last night, but forgot. It was a little late when I posted. Here are some pics from the storm.

I

 Also a funny and precious story from yesterday...

After the tree fell and a light exploded in the house, I called Marc to let him know what was going on.  During that phone call Lydia started getting crying and getting VERY upset. She was crying and yelling, "It's my fault!"  I told her of course it wasn't.  She said(through tears),"yes it is, I prayed for a storm, I wanted to see a rainbow!"