ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) came out and did Austin's evaluation on Monday & it went really well! Both a developmental specialist & a speech therapist came for the evaluation, and spent about 2 hours at our house. I really like that they do the entire program in homes- just makes it easier and more comfortable for the kids to be in the home environment. Anyway, most of the 2 hours was spent asking Shane & I VERY detailed question about things Austin is doing (milestones) & his routines. They spent a little time interacting with Austin & took his height (34 1/2 in) and weight (34 lbs), before we put him down for a nap.
To qualify for the program, the child must be at least 3 months delayed in any 1 of any of the 5 areas. I'll list the area & how Austin scored:
Social/Emotional- 18 mos
Cognitive- 17 mos
Adaptive/Self Help- 18 mos
Communication/Language (expressive & receptive)- 14 mos
Fine/Gross Motor Skills- 26 mos
Not surprising that he scored so behind in language... seeing as he says 2-3 words total & does not do things like make animal noises. On average, kids around 2 years of age use 50 words and begin putting words together. I was also not surprised that he scored high on his motor skills. Evidently that is normal to see children behind in one & ahead in the other (and especially this way for boys.) I've always known he was ahead in his motor skills from watching how much he does & how daring he can be with physical activities.
Anyway, ECI has decided to come out to the house 2 times/month to work with us. The will just integrate into play time (or whatever we are doing) & work with Austin. They will also work with me in helping give me suggestion on how to work with him on a daily basis. The speech therapist was very helpful & gave me a few things to start working on. Basically I need to be talking to him NON-STOP. She said "you should be tired of your own voice by the end of each day. And sing if you don't have anything to talk about." She also told me I need to "play dumb" with him more. Right now he can point & grunt enough to give me a general idea of what he wants- so he's getting his needs met without having to talk. So that needs to change. We're also going to get his hearing checked just to make sure there are no problems there.
The things she said I need to continue doing are 1) keep him involved is social activities such as The Little Gym, Preschool, play dates, church, etc, 2) continue learning/teaching him sign language, 3) only allow the paci during sleep time. So I feel like I was doing a pretty good job so far- just need to work on the playing dumb and talking more. I talk a lot, but not enough evidently. He is so good about playing by himself, but I need to make sure I'm constantly around him pointing out toys, giving him choices, making sounds, etc. So lots of work on both our part.
I'm definitely glad I called them, and wish I'd contacted them sooner. ECI will work with him until he's 3, and then he would move into the Keller schools program or private therapy (if necessary.) Overall I was very happy with the information/service they provided & am looking forwarded to soaking up this new information & helping Austin get to where he needs to be.
I'll keep you posted!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Destin 2010- Part 4
On Friday (the day before we left), we went to the park with Gigi & Nana! It was weird to be at a park with sand, but he loved it!
Going down the slide all by himself
Nothing like having 2 more Mamas
Looking for fish at the gazebo
Swinging with Gigi
He wasn't so sure about sitting on this branch (hopefully that means he won't be a tree climber)
Checking out the pine cones
Sliding down the pole picture sequence- HILARIOUS!
Going down the slide all by himself
Nothing like having 2 more Mamas
Looking for fish at the gazebo
Swinging with Gigi
He wasn't so sure about sitting on this branch (hopefully that means he won't be a tree climber)
Checking out the pine cones
Sliding down the pole picture sequence- HILARIOUS!
Destin 2010- Part 3
We ate lunch several times at Pompano Joe's (my favorite place to eat in town!) Their fresh tuna dip is WONDERFUL! Austin also loves it because the view is great!
Outside with Papa Jim & Gigi
The beach
Looking at the water
Gigi spoiling Austin with coke..... (don't worry, just a few sips!)
And cherries
Austin also loves counting- well not counting himself, but us counting and him pointing.
And this one is just funny- messy face after dinner!
Outside with Papa Jim & Gigi
The beach
Looking at the water
Gigi spoiling Austin with coke..... (don't worry, just a few sips!)
And cherries
Austin also loves counting- well not counting himself, but us counting and him pointing.
And this one is just funny- messy face after dinner!
Destin 2010- Part 2
This post is a bunch of random pictures from the week, and things I want to remember about the trip:
*Austin loved sitting in his highchair after dinner while my dad would hide from him. My parents' house is very open, so he could peek around the from the living room, kitchen, or hall- and it was funny to watch in anticipation to see where Papa Jim would pop up next!
*He was able to show Papa Jim & Gigi that he is not perfect & is officially in his terrible 2s. Several fits (one where Gigi had to spank him), & several moments of pouting. This is one of them.
*Our favorite cowboy
*Reading with Gigi- every time I walked in the room they were reading, coloring, or she was pulling him around the house in a wagon.
*Austin was terrified of my parents bedroom/bathroom and also their new front loading washer and dryer. By the end of the week he was playing in their room, taking baths in their bathtub, and fascinated with watching the clothes spin in the washer/drying (and helping Gigi do laundry.) He probably thinks our old machines are SO boring now.
*Visiting Papa Jim's office- everyone at the office loved seeing Austin & he enjoyed closing/opening the doors & running around the conference room table.
*Visiting Nana & Jim's new house (my parents best friends). Every time we went over he wanted to go out to the pool- so finally Nana took him out there! Nana is another one of his favorite people- he even called her Nana at church on Wednesday night. We were all in shock since he doesn't talk!
*Austin loved sitting in his highchair after dinner while my dad would hide from him. My parents' house is very open, so he could peek around the from the living room, kitchen, or hall- and it was funny to watch in anticipation to see where Papa Jim would pop up next!
*He was able to show Papa Jim & Gigi that he is not perfect & is officially in his terrible 2s. Several fits (one where Gigi had to spank him), & several moments of pouting. This is one of them.
*Our favorite cowboy
*Reading with Gigi- every time I walked in the room they were reading, coloring, or she was pulling him around the house in a wagon.
*Austin was terrified of my parents bedroom/bathroom and also their new front loading washer and dryer. By the end of the week he was playing in their room, taking baths in their bathtub, and fascinated with watching the clothes spin in the washer/drying (and helping Gigi do laundry.) He probably thinks our old machines are SO boring now.
*Visiting Papa Jim's office- everyone at the office loved seeing Austin & he enjoyed closing/opening the doors & running around the conference room table.
*Visiting Nana & Jim's new house (my parents best friends). Every time we went over he wanted to go out to the pool- so finally Nana took him out there! Nana is another one of his favorite people- he even called her Nana at church on Wednesday night. We were all in shock since he doesn't talk!
Destin 2010 - Part 1
Austin & I made a spur of the moment trip to Destin last week! Shane has been traveling a lot, so my parents decided to use some of their mileage and fly the two of us to visit them for the week! I was nervous about the flight, but anxious to get there and have a mini vacation! The flight there was OKAY. The 1.5 hour delay was torture, but once we got in the air (with the DVD player and tons of snack)... he was fine!
Our week was VERY relaxing! We had no plans.. just took everything day by day! The week started off cool, but it was almost 70 degrees when we left! I have lots of pics, so I'm going to break it down into a few posts!
We flew in on Sunday & spent the evening with several of my parents church friends- they all love playing with Austin, and he loved being the center of attention! For the next few days we had the same schedule- hanging out at the house in the morning, meeting my dad and friends for lunch at the beach, and a fun activity with Austin after nap time.
Playing at the house
Playing with Gigi
You need sunglasses when you eat at the beach!
So what if they are Gigi's sunglasses...
Coloring (which he has recently started loving)
Looking at the water out the window- he kept trying to stand in the highchair to see & point at the beach.
Being silly with Papa Jim
Riding the carousel with Gigi (first time)
A few things I really enjoyed about the trip:
*Relaxing- my parents (especially my mom) took care of Austin a lot! I even slept in several mornings!
*Eating on the beach- some of my favorite places to eat are in Destin! So it was nice to have some good seafood with beautiful views.
*Going clothes shopping for myself... ALL alone. At least 3 or 4 days I went shopping around town for some new clothes while Austin napped! I forgot how nice it is to shop without a stroller, wining toddler, diaper changes, and constant snacking. I just took my time & ended up getting LOTS of great deals!
*Eating at home almost every night- home cooking by my mom!
*Catching up on movies- I rented 2 movies that I've been wanting to see & watched them on our portable DVD player in my room at night!
*Visiting my parents alone with Austin. I know that sounds weird because, of course, I wish Shane could have gone with us- but it was different to be there alone. I haven't been to my parents' house alone since before we got married!
Our week was VERY relaxing! We had no plans.. just took everything day by day! The week started off cool, but it was almost 70 degrees when we left! I have lots of pics, so I'm going to break it down into a few posts!
We flew in on Sunday & spent the evening with several of my parents church friends- they all love playing with Austin, and he loved being the center of attention! For the next few days we had the same schedule- hanging out at the house in the morning, meeting my dad and friends for lunch at the beach, and a fun activity with Austin after nap time.
Playing at the house
Playing with Gigi
You need sunglasses when you eat at the beach!
So what if they are Gigi's sunglasses...
Coloring (which he has recently started loving)
Looking at the water out the window- he kept trying to stand in the highchair to see & point at the beach.
Being silly with Papa Jim
Riding the carousel with Gigi (first time)
A few things I really enjoyed about the trip:
*Relaxing- my parents (especially my mom) took care of Austin a lot! I even slept in several mornings!
*Eating on the beach- some of my favorite places to eat are in Destin! So it was nice to have some good seafood with beautiful views.
*Going clothes shopping for myself... ALL alone. At least 3 or 4 days I went shopping around town for some new clothes while Austin napped! I forgot how nice it is to shop without a stroller, wining toddler, diaper changes, and constant snacking. I just took my time & ended up getting LOTS of great deals!
*Eating at home almost every night- home cooking by my mom!
*Catching up on movies- I rented 2 movies that I've been wanting to see & watched them on our portable DVD player in my room at night!
*Visiting my parents alone with Austin. I know that sounds weird because, of course, I wish Shane could have gone with us- but it was different to be there alone. I haven't been to my parents' house alone since before we got married!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Record Snow
We were supposed to get 1-3 inches of snow today, but there was already 3 inches on the ground when I got out of bed this morning. There is at least 8-9 inches right now & they are saying it will continue snowing until 3am.. WOW! So lots of pics~
Big smiles this morning over the snow
Watching the snow- can't wait to go out in it!
Jack & Max- thankful to be indoor cats
Petting Max (the bowl- he ate a snack out of it, and carried it around all morning)
Austin's new trick- climbing on the bed to bug the cats (then he slides down the side & does it over again)
Austin's new trick- climbing on the bed to bug the cats (then he slides down the side & does it over again)
FINALLY OUTSIDE- Running up and down the driveway
Not sure about what is on his hands
Sitting in the snow
Playing with daddy
Eating snow- from the expression, I'm not sure if he liked it...
The backyard this morning at 10am (notice the amount of snow on the bird feeder already)
The house
Looking down the street
Our front sidewalk
Shane shoveling the driveway (he couldn't get up the driveway when he came home at 2pm)
Somebody was NOT happy when we were done playing in the snow
A few other random pics not related to the snow:
Austin is still convinced that he can slide down the ramp of his Little People Garage- he tries, and tries.... and tries
Practicing sitting on the potty- yes, it's in our bedroom still. And no idea on the facial expression...
Austin's first tattoo- Scooby Doo (from one of his school valentines)
Eating chocolate chip cookies on a stick that mommy made (trial run for his bday party)- he LOVED the stick!
UPDATE- total snow at our house measured 12 inches (and over 12 inches at DFW airport)- setting the all time record for most snowfall!!
UPDATE- total snow at our house measured 12 inches (and over 12 inches at DFW airport)- setting the all time record for most snowfall!!
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