happy being trevy

Because Miss. Barbara asked.    Any of the My First Puzzle apps are grrrrrreat!  And there’s a slew of them to choose from!  I love how when you touch one piece the others fade.  This allows Trevy visual clarity for where to place the piece he’s dragging.  Visual clarity = more success.  And more success = longer attention span.  And longer attention span = less Trevy wrangling!  Hence my appreciation for My First Puzzles .      Whimsy by David Ross is another fabulous puzzle app.  (I hyper linked the lite version) I love that the puzzles are shadow images first.  Once the puzzle is complete the real life animal picture is your prize!  The full version offers sixty different animals to explore.    Although the Red Fish Alphabet app (freebie alert!) isn’t a puzzle per se…there are some wonderful little puzzle-ish nuggets hidden within.  C for instance is just too much fun!...

    Our Young Athletes Special Olympics open house it into our local Patch (online newspaper)!     “A new Special Olympics Youth Athlete program is forming in Tiverton, for ages 2-1/2 to 8. The fall program will focus on soccer, tennis and track. It is free for all participants and open to area special needs children on a first come first serve basis. Information is also available on the group’s website www.tivertonspecialsports.com . Volunteers are also needed and can get information at the open house or on the website as well.”  read full article here .    SO exciting!     This is what happens when I don’t rush to get Trevy up the minute I hear a post nap peep outta him…         Every single thing he can reach winds up tossed into the middle of the floor.         Okay so that wasn’t really exciting…   But the next one is!         Trevy sta...

    Bristel on marriage…     I’m going to marry someone who appreciates a loving wife and knows how to take care of babies!     Sage advice from a six year old.    **********     Toby on McDonalds…     Every AllStar deserves a decent meal.     While munching his fave.  A McChicken Sandwich.       **********     Bristel on Click n’ Kids the phonetic program we’re using to bridge the summer…     Click n’ Kids is my enemy!     **********     Trevy on nigh-night time…     Sew she      (no he wasn’t craving raw fish…that’s how he says “sound machine”)     He was reminding me to turn on his sound machine from his cozy snuggle place under the covers.    **********   Whispered by Bristel during church last Sunday…     Is the next stop communion?   ...

How many months has it been now? I stopped counting…ohhhhhh…about a gazillion wet undies ago.  But for the sake of those following Trevy’s potty success (and otherwise) with interest because they’re on the fence about giving it a go (haha…get it…) with a Special little one of their own.  I figured I should try and post every now and then about how things are working out. The Report If I consistently take him to the potty once per hour he will only have one or two pee-pee accidents a day.  The biggest issue is…really who can possibly do a potty run every single hour for the rest of their life?  When we’re lazy he tinkles in his pants.  It may or may not have brewed a fight or two if one parent is lazier than the other.     I think we’re on the same page now though.  He does not communicate in any way, shape, or form when he has to use the potty.  He also does not communicate in any way, shape, or form when he has ...

    you not only let your child play in the dogs food bowl…   but you also count it as Sensory Integration Therapy!     **********   your eyes spontaneously sympathy water (because you have so been there) while watching another (amazing!) mom handle a “moment” with her child in the (much too cramped) out-patient therapy waiting room.   …danielle 

  I have a healthy interest in all things relating to intractable (med resistant) epilepsy and the (limited) treatment options available for those courageously battling persistent seizures.  It comes with the territory of loving someone in that community.    Which is why I ate up the article a fellow Seizure Mommy and friend forwarded to me the other day.  She knows me well!      The story is about a boy and his family’s journey to seizure freedom via a groundbreaking new lazar surgery.  As in…only 5 kids have ever been candidates to date!   Trevy’s brain malformation was much too extensive and the surgery Dr. Rockstar recommended was the best choice for us.    But for others…   If you have a healthy interest in brain surgery like I do…you’ve gotta click this link.  You can read the text.  But for what it’s worth, I found the video edition beautiful.  Squeezed the tears right up from my sappy spot....

  Have I mentioned how much I love Trevy’s ABA therapy?  I’m sure I must have.  Because it’s just been so wonderful for him!  I totally give them the credit for his ability to discern things that are the same .  This activity is building on that skill set.      Supplies You Need       White or Chalk Board are ideal.   However, if our special kids teach us anything it’s that anything is adaptable if we just give it a try!  Try a blank sheet of printer paper instead.  Or be even more creative and then come back here and share the wealth!  I will admit to being addicted to my magnetic white board, though.  I use it for everything!   Painters Tape.   Another tool I live and die by!  Love the stuff!  I use it to mount the kids art projects to the walls.  Bristel’s room is wall to wall coloring pages that I let her go to town with hanging for her art studio.  Jonathan ...

    Jonathan had a crazy idea.         The idea involved two kids.  A sister.  And her special little brother.  A fenced in yard.  And a double wide gate with enough allowance for a truck to pull through and seal the gate back up again thus trapping both car and kids inside.  (this is key!)  A pulled in truck which happened to be in desperate need of a bath.  A big bucket of soapy water.  And unlimited hose usage.          Oh…and also a dog.  Whom the brother would randomly decide needed a bath as well.  Totally against her will!         By now I’m sure you’ve figured out that the sister is none other than Bristel.  And the special brother…Trevy.     And did they ever have a blast.     You’ve heard of Jazz Hands, right?         We call that move up there…Sensory Hands.    :: s...

    ABC Magic Spelling 1 – FREE today Trevy loves anything that has drag n’ drop action going on.  And mommy loves that this app is teaching him pre-reading skills.  Takes gobs of patience, coaching and redirection but with mommy showing him where to place the letters – he can successfully complete two words before wanting to hit the iPad road.  Ex:  Trevy find the letter “m”.   M is a tuffy for him so I’ll usually need to tap it .  Trevy put “m” here .  And I’ll point to M’s home.  I have no idea if this is right or wrong but I always make him spell the word the right way.  My philosophy is to start teaching him now .  Bonus love – Bristel rocks it!  I’m so proud of how well she’s doing with her reading and spelling!        ABC Magic 2 – FREE today Same developer – different flavor!  Still great stuff!         ABC Magic Reading Short Vowels – FREE today ...

  I thought I’d share this with you before the drama   dies down and my daily visitor count peters back to a more normal, comfy range.  People love a good drama.     :: smile ::     Anyway …I made a new friend (he has a great post about an abilities expo he attended!  You should read it.) this past week and…     was invited to join a FaceBook group for moms of exceptional needs kiddos.        I’m a sucker for anything that smacks of community.  Although…truth be told…I don’t always fit with SNeedies.   Buuuuut…this group looks great!  No drama.  Just support and encouragement.  I love how they define themselves so much that I’m just going to copy & paste…     About Mommies of Miracles is a peer-driven support community of mothers who have children of any age (infant-adult) with complex medical issues, rare or undiagnosed conditions, and/or developmental di...

  I randomly forward Dr. Rockstar video clips.  You know, when I catch a really great one of Trevy right smack dab in the middle of a miracle moment!      Confession:  Sometimes I feel a smidge guilty about emailing him.  Because.  Well.  What a beautiful gift Dr. Rockstar gives us by opening himself to our emails!  I never want to take advantage of that gift.  I cherish it too much.  Ya know.     But he is such an extraordinary part of Trevy’s miracle that I feel this irresistible need to share.  At the time of surgery (Trevy was 2 1/2) he was 100% non-verbal.  He had no comprehension and therefore no expression of language.  In part because the speech area of his brain was among the most damaged.  The internal EEG revealed what we already knew in our hearts but did not have the solid proof in our hands.  Trevy’s brain was being electrocuted more times in a day than there are second...

  I’ve had several emails today asking if I know Mike W. of Marissa’s Bunny personally.    Trevy’s blog was linked on her site.  Although it’s not now.     I’ve posted here and there at his request.  Because…well…we’re a community.  Us IS families.  And Marissa is wicked cute.  Her daddy has a way with words.  Also who wouldn’t want the world to know about an iPad give-away?    But aside from that…I know about as much as you do.    We’ve never met in person.    Our only communication has been cyber.    I’m a ginormous sap and as such would love to believe that all is right.  That the sweet, beautiful families who were promised iPads will be getting them tonight.  Tomorrow at the latest.  That no one has been lied to.  That the personal thank you for your generosity email I sent him on behalf of other IS families I’ve grown to love and was thrilled to learn w...

    he’s got some pipes :)     If that isn’t therapy I don’t know what is!   …danielle

All these apps were free at the time of this posting.  As always…I can’t vouch for the price you’ll find if you happen to arrive late.  Happy app-ing!    See.Touch.Learn – FREE   An ABA-esque app.  Great to build receptive language skills!  The starter package is free and this weekend all the libraries are on sale for just 99 cents!    4th of July Auracle -  FREE   Just touch the screen to set off a firework.  Very cute.  And Trevy loooooves it which means I give it 2 thumbs up.   Swapsies – FREE   Mix and match game.  The goal is to match the hat, shirt and pants to each other.  A very cute app.    Touch & Say -  FREE   Holy do I <3 this app, Batman!  Every thing about it is super cute.  The emotions.  The colors.  The songs!  You just need to trust me and go download it already!   ...

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  I just had to share the email that greeted me this morning…   The Cleaning Poem   I asked the Lord to tell me Why my house is such a mess. He asked if I'd been 'computering', And I had to answer 'yes.'   He told me to get off my fanny, And tidy up the house. And so I started cleaning up... The smudges off my mouse.   I wiped and shined the topside. That really did the trick... I was just admiring my good work.   I didn't mean to 'click.'   But click, I did, and oops - I found A real absorbing site That I got SO way into it... I was into it all night.   Nothing's changed except my mouse. It's very, very shiny. I guess my house will stay a mess... While I sit here on my hiney.     Um.  Thanks May May?   …danielle

  Click the picture to see why my house looks like a perpetual pig sty lately…     So that’s what I do in my spare time.  Sorry, Mr. Vacuum…we’ll be friends again real soon.    :: wink ::     …danielle