Braids, Barrettes, and Balls...

This morning I decided to braid Katelyn's hair. Katelyn thought it was great and asked for "more braid" and began to pull on her hair. Since she had pulled some strands of hair loose, I decided to put a barrette in her hair. Well, that was all it took to bring out the girly girl in Katelyn! She began demanding more and more barrettes! I finally had to say it was enough because otherwise she would have the entire box of barrettes, clips, and scrunchies in her hair all at once :)

Later on while the girls were napping, I decided to bring up Katelyn's old ball tent/tunnel set that she hasn't seen in about a year. The thing is huge, so I only assembled the ball tent and two tunnels. When the girls got up from their naps, I brought them over to the tent. Katelyn immediately became ecstatic and wanted to get in there and play. Ashley also was very interested, so I plopped her right in the middle of the tent.

The girls had a blast, Ashley sampling every colorful ball and Katelyn going in and out of the tunnels. Katelyn also learned to "shoot hoops" with her bumpy ball.

It is indescribable how rewarding it is to see the girls playing so well together. As Ashley gets older and is able to interact more with Katelyn, Katelyn is becoming more and more interested in her baby sister. And of course, Ashley absolutely adores her big sister; her smile lights up the room when she sees Katelyn. Nothing beats seeing my two girls sharing special moments together, making memories that will last a lifetime.

Chalkin' It Up...

Today, Katelyn, Ashley and I went to my friend Melissa's house for a playdate with her two daughters, Mia and Megan. Mia is a few months older than Katelyn and Megan is only a few months old. I wasn't sure how Katelyn would be since we hadn't been to Melissa's house in over a year. When we first arrived, Katelyn met their dog, Fenway, and she said, "Tucker," who is her uncle's dog. Then Fenway began licking her face and rubbing her and Katelyn clenched her face and said, "Okay, okay, doggie, okay!" It was the cutest thing.

Katelyn was much more interactive with Mia than I had expected. She even played dinosaurs and blocks with her, and shared some snacks. We then went outside since it was such a beautiful day today. Mia brought out some sidewalk chalk and started drawing on the driveway. Katelyn hadn't used sidewalk chalk before, but she went right over and took a piece and began drawing nonstop for a good while. She used different colors and was really focused. I then asked her to draw a circle and she did, which is huge since she usually only draws straight lines. Then I asked her to draw a heart, square and triangle, and she did those as well!

She and Mia collected sticks and played with the wood chips and then it was time for us to leave. Overall, it was a really great day for all of us!

Making Music Together...

Since Katelyn loves music and craves rhythms and movement, I have been looking for a music and movement class for her to attend. I had asked around, but no one knew of any local classes. However, after a very quick Google search, I stumbled across a listing for a Music Together class, and the best part about it is that it is right down the street from our house! Also, it is offered at 9:30 on Monday mornings, which is when she normally has her Early Intervention playgroup, but since she will be starting the Tuesday transition playgroup next week, she will no longer need the Monday playgroup. So we are free to take the Music Together class!

The next session starts in April, but we were allowed to try a free demo class this morning to see how Katelyn liked it. Needless to say, she LOVED it! The instructor played the guitar and she also played songs off of a CD. The songs were really fun and the kids really got into the movements. The children also played with a variety of instruments, including bells, tambourines, drums, and more. Most of the class consisted of all of us getting up and moving to the music, walking around in a circle, pretending to be doing certain activities like driving a car or hopping like a bunny, etc. It was really, really great! There was also opportunity for Katelyn to interact with other children, including rolling a ball back and forth, which is a social skill that Katelyn really needs right now. Katelyn even ran to the instructor and sat on her lap and gave her a hug! And she was also approaching other children and parents and saying hi. It was like a miracle! This class couldn't be any more perfect for Katelyn!

After the class was over, the instructor asked if I had any questions. I informed her that Katelyn is autistic and she said that she has had a lot of experience teaching music to autistic children. She also commented that she never would have guessed that Katelyn was autistic because she had excellent eye contact and was very outgoing. Hearing someone tell me that she couldn't believe Katelyn is autistic was the most incredible feeling. Katelyn truly is improving more and more each day, and it is almost scary how rapidly it is happening!

Since Katelyn had such a wonderful experience today, I asked if it would be possible to join the current session instead of waiting until April to start. The instructor said that normally they do not allow this, but that she would make an exception since she could see just how much Katelyn loved the class. She also said that she could tell that Katelyn is very musical. She pro-rated the current session for us since there are only three classes left, and she even came to my house and dropped off the songbook and CD! I also signed Katelyn up for the next session, which is from April to June.

I am so excited that Katelyn will be involved in an activity that she truly will enjoy and learn from. Music is her biggest strength and most cherished interest. We need to cultivate her love of music, and also provide opportunities for social development, so that she can continue to blossom. I believe that this will be an experience that will stay with her for a lifetime.

Boston Medical Center, Here We Come...

I was not expecting to hear from them this soon, but the hospital called this morning to get the ball rolling for Katelyn's 24-hour EEG. It will take place next Wednesday! We have an appointment for a neurological evaluation at 10am and then she will be admitted for the procedure. The pediatric neurologist who will be doing the procedure sounds wonderful, and he has experience specifically with autism, which makes me feel very comfortable.

We started Katelyn on the low-dose Keppra and so far she seems to be tolerating it. She actually seemed to be able to focus more and was actually interested in playing and interacting today, which is a very good sign. She also did not appear to have any of the strange facial movements that we suspect could be the seizures, but she did cry spontaneously and thrash around a little bit from time to time, for no reason that was obvious to me. I really hate the idea of having to medicate her, especially since we are not even 100% sure that she is having seizures, but we have put our trust in the doctor. Hopefully we will be able to get some answers after the testing next week.