Say cheese...

Today Oatie had another awesome day at school. His usual aid was ill so it was interesting to see how it went. Another surprise, one of the ex-ignorants (people anti Oatie being at school as they thought he was a danger to society)actually asked questions about Oatie and was interested in his therapy. So glad the antagonism has stopped. Because the adults have stopped the kids seem to aswell.

My post vanished! oh well...

Oatie in the tunnel at School this morning, (with a car of course!)

Yesterday I diligently wrote a post, but with my wonderful (I really actually LOVE IT) Iphone, I swished the screen by accident and well I forgot to save it... oops!


Oatie's recognising of site words is amazing, we added a new word "pig", and instantly after being told what it was, he said the letters and then after shuffling his existing cards, he said them all correctly... I suppose what was so endearing was when he tests us back, he's started to use inflection in his voice to ask the question back, so he held up Cow and said "what's that Dadda?" so his dad cheekily said PIG, Oatie was like, nope, here's "pig", he found it in the jumbled pile on the floor and this is "COW", it was that which I was just astonished, I guess.  My daughter self started to read at 2.5, but his retention and accuracy is amazing. 

Well Yesterday I had two questions, but today I want to throw out another?

1. My first, was what should people say, when they don't know what to say, you know like when they are confronted with your child's disability, lots of people don't' know how to react, and go all funny, and look away or the next time you bump into each other ignore you... as YOUR CHILD makes THEM feel uncomfortable.  Or should they say nothing?
   
2. Well this is more on a personal note, we always wanted four children, so did/does my husband.  So I'm feeling broodie at the moment and I suppose it's been a year since his diagnosis and I'm beginning to heal a little from the shock and ready to take life by the reins again and move on from the diagnosis...  But what would the probability be to have two children born into the same family with CP?  I hope it never would, but it could and that scares me.
   
3.  Which I suppose give me a supplementary question, if people could during their pregnancy SCREEN for Brain Damage caused in the womb, I have read recently that pregnancy caused CP for example happens in the first trimester, would YOU have a scan for that? and what would your actions be?

Here is a photo from this morning, Oatie has been loving school after Christmas, he's been on the goodbye mat joining in the songs, and today he put on his own hat and one glove as he was going to take the one he put on off, to put that one on...  and today to my regular "rock" at school he said to that dad, "So X, how's it going, you going in your pizza car (it's red and all red cars are pizza cars) now?"

Wow offer of help! I'm chuffed!

Today it took me 20minutes to get Oatie into school on the 200m path it took ages to get out the car to get Oatie out, I ended up in near splits while holding Oatie. I sent my daughter off ahead as she was going to be so late. Anyway someone who was so anti Oatie at the beginning of term offered to help us back to the car at pick up. I was like WOW! I decided to park in the staff carpark in the end as the usual parking bay is dangerous for Oatie and I.

No School today...

Well for some in the area it was a "snow day" we've had extreme weather Since Saturday night, it's high winds -16 but feels like -30, you say, hey that's normal, but at the moment it's WET cold, it's 80-95% humidity... usually here it's really dry, so even if it's the -20's you don't feel it.

Well, I have taken my kids to school in some treacherous weather, and I know when they are there they'll be fine, but during that journey, I'm like what am I doing out here this is NUTS! So today, I heard some schools were closed and waited till Sunrise to make our decision to go or not. So I took my eldest two out they were both keen to get back to school after the long break. The roads were OK a bit hairy but ok. I felt bad as I took my daughter into her school but not Oatie. we couldn't park in the bay as it wasn't snowplowed at all, it was 3 feet high, so they only parking was in the staff car-park, the path wasn't shoveled and neither was the disabled ramp. So there was no way I could wheel Oatie in at all, he would have to be carried, My daughter in that situation would carry his backpack which is way lighter than his and I carry hers and Oatie and she does the doors and helps with his boots, holds his hands so I can take my boots off etc... It's like a comic act, but my daughter is just LOVELY. (The sensation of "breaking into School" is like walking up a mountain). His teacher saw me in the hall and totally understood, she said that when she arrived at school that it would be really hard to get Oatie in. The thing is that he's growing as kids do... so he gets heavier but I am not matching in strength! If I had more time, I would shovel the ramp myself. Only one family (if they see us), ever helps us, only 1 and I am thankful that it is 1 and not 0, and my point is... that it's not like England where some buildings are centuries old.... these are recent buildings where people have known of physically less able people when they were designed, planned, approved and built! Why don't they have a service road be designed around the back of the building say...that could be used for vehicles carrying people who need wheels and they could use it for emergency vehicles like fire/ambulance or even deliveries on each majorly used public building, on right from the onset, and not an after thought! I feel bad as I wonder if we will lose his aid, from Oatie's sporadic preschool attendance, but if he can't get in to school without it being an iron-man challenge for mummy, then he can't get into school. I've seen what it's like for tomorrow, so I will put on my winter camping gear, and psych myself up for the challenge!

Today Oatie got all his flashcards correct, first go, so his sister added Dad to his flashcards. We did 2 hours of manual ABR and as per usual, he'll have 11-12 hours of Machine ABR tonight.

Oatie is excited as he'll be going into school tomorrow regardless, come rain, shine, arctic storm, arctic front and mummy's burning biceps!

While I was doing guided reading with my eldest, Oatie spontaneously built a plane out of stickle bricks...

Building his plane

adding sound effects

enjoying his plane

My first reading experience

Today my brother started my first guided reading experience, my brother and sister are going to teach me to read.  My big brother told me what the words were, only once, anyway dad came down to see as he could hear everyone clapping, and even after he shuffled the words, I could recognise the words correctly and I got them all right, we started with 3 words, Cow, Bear and Dog and my sister added Car to it.  I then wanted to make sure that my dad knew what they were, so I tested him and taught them to him, just in case....  I was using my finger but I decided to use Goldie (my toy car) parking at the correct word as my reading companion!

 
(Mum posted 13 second video of me, but on mum's iphone it's just blank space, if you're wondering why there is some blank space)

Ski Day

Today we took my brother and sister for their first ski lesson, I was a bit sad, mum spotted some sit-skiers one of which is on our national team. Mum pointed out the nursery slope and told me that's where I'll be starting, one day, I told her "nope! That one" pointing to a blue black, that (pointing at the nursery) "too slow!"

In the lodge I met a few other physically restricted people with paralysis to Parkinson's. At the lunch rush people kept jostling and bumping my stroller which I hated, I might be small but I'm not invisible, a older guy in a wheelchair parked up next to me so no one could bump me and said they could hit him instead and he told them off.

Mum decided that from next we will do our ABR at home and play and stay at home and dad can take them for their ski lesson each week.

I would like to ski too! And I WILL x My favourite show at the moment is Wizards of Waverly Place. Here is a photo of me watching it

My new haircut

Today I had my haircut. Had a nice bath, I'm playing marbles with my brother, and about to go on the bench.
Look! I sometimes standup to play my marble toy. Love Oatie xxx

Oatie's best friend

Crystal

Today my mum taught my brother and sister how to put their ski gear on and I piped up with my boot, Oatie ski??!?!? My dad told one of our friends at skating this evening about what I said and she burst into tears her youngest is a boy and a few months older that me. This evening we popped out and I used a whole sentence asking for Timbits I was so cute look! "yummy Timbits!"