Horse Therapy

I feel like I've been a bad blogger lately, but things have been so busy that there's just not time or if there is, I'm just too tired! I thought that with Max not being in school this month, that things would slow down. Not so much. He still has therapy two days a week, plus swimming and horse therapy.

He is doing so well lately! We couldn't be happier with the progress he has made in the last few weeks, especially with his speech! Max has started using sentences and making consistent requests. He seems to understand that if he wants something he can't just say it to a wall or a toy, that he has to tell us! This is a huge thing for him to not only understand, but also to do! He refers to us as Mommy and Daddy, and some other lucky people get their names used every once in a while too!

Max has been a little bit better but not protesting new foods or activities. But he definitely protested tonight when we took him shoe shopping! We still see a lot of scripted language and something called echolalia. Which is when he obsessively repeats things that are said. But he is actually responding to questions and when people address him. We have even seen a couple of attempted waves!

I know therapy is stressful for him sometimes but he does so good and we can seeing results, so we just keep pressing on.

At the beginning of the summer, he started horse therapy. At first, he hated it. He wouldn't wear the helmet, didn't want to stay on the horse (seriously he would just try to slump over and off the side of the gigantic horse!), and he would only stay on the horse for 10 min. at a time. He wanted nothing to do with their exercises or activities and didn't want anyone to talk to him. But now, he LOVES it. And it's about the cutest thing I've ever seen!
Now, he wears his helmet, he even willing gets it out of the drawer. He gets mad if his horse isn't prepared fast enough and usually isn't ready to be done at the end of the hour session! He knows that to get the horse to go you say, "Walk on!" and to get the horse to stop you say "Whoooaaa." He loves the activities and games, and last week he even helped get the horse's treats and held the bowl while the horse ate them! The ranch also has a lot of chickens and some goats, so after every session, we go in the pen and look at them. Max actually tried to feed a goat the other day!
There are only two horse therapy sessions left for the summer, and I'm trying to decide if we want to do it again this fall. He'll have school four days a week, and private therapy two days. Plus the ranch is a half hour away. I really want him to do it but I don't know if we have time!

So proud of our little man! Maxer, you're a rock star!

There are tons of butterflies at the ranch :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remembering August 17th, 2010

 We call Max "Monkey," but Ellie was definitely more of a monkey! I think she actually believed that her feet where an extra set of hands. And this pillow was one of her favorite things to play with. She would wrestle it!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remembering August 18th, 2010 at 9:22pm

Does this look like a little girl that has just power-puked avocado/ banana all over her crib, pjs, carpet and Mommy (twice!)?? We can still remember the smell... As soon as she was done throwing up, and she stripped her down and into some warm water, she was happy as can be. Typical Ellie. I love her little face and sweet smile and arm chub! Man, I miss her...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remembering August 19th, 2010

Maxer playing with Gramps!

Peanut just kickin' back in the swing! Look at those thighs! I love them!!

Yes, our not-even-two-year-old (in this pic) LOVES to floss!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remembering August 20th, 2010

Ellie loved her cup of water. But she would only take it out of these kinds of cups. Our little smarty-pants figured out that she could turn the cup upside down, squeeze the nipple and the water would pour out. Then she would spread it out all over her tray, play in it and slam her hand down on it!

Reading stories and watching the Twins!