We've Been Hiding Out
So where have we been?!?!
Soaking up summer the good old fashioned way! Cooper is done with preschool for the summer and is only attending Fraser. Which is still five days a week. He is also getting speech 1x per week and OT 1x per week. He handled the transition like a boss. As rigid as he can be that kid can go with the flow on so many other things.
We found out that Cooper knows all of his letters and numbers up to 10. He also knows his colors and shapes. I was amazed. I cried. He laughs at me because I make such a big deal about it. Nonverbal is hard though. I want him to shout all of this stuff so everyone can hear him and celebrate how wonderful he is. Sawyer never stops talking. And I love every second of it. But I would give anything or Cooper to ask me to play with him. Or say I love you mom.
He is making a lot more sounds though. And he does say ‘yeah’ and ‘hi’ pretty consistently. That is something. We are crawling in the right direction.
Cooper’s new favorite thing is watching videos on YouTube. He navigates it on my iPad. He is so stinking cute and sometimes I catch him watching videos in French or Spanish. Makes me chuckle.
A wonderful lady made this comment on my instagram account. I swear to God these comments keep me out of the wine bottle. No lie. I don’t like to talk about Cooper talking or not talking. It hurts my heart to much. Love this so much!
We were spending a lot of time at the beach and the local parks until I broke my ankle. Absolutely no fun and the healing has been slow. And Cooper has no idea. Sawyer manages to tell everyone that his mom broke her ankle dancing and drinking but Super Cooper is staying quiet. It reminds me of Christmas and how Cooper never seemed to notice the day the Christmas tree came and the day the tree left. If he noticed he doesn’t let on. He does like my icepack though. And jumping on the bed when I am laying there in pain. Awesome.
You know what’s funny. No matter how good it is going with Cooper…the worry is always there. The deep questions are just under the surface. The tears can spring up at anytime.
Jamie and I were chatting about Cooper starting kindergarten. We are still unsure which school he will go to since we are very close to three elementary schools. And we still have another year of him attending preschool and Fraser. Whew! Anyhow, we were chatting about which school will have the autism program and which school will be better and then I said….’well, he has to go to the same school as his brother.’ And we both kinda thought about it. I had these flashes of Cooper acting up in the hallway and Sawyer being embarrassed. Or Cooper hitting his head during an assembly and Sawyer sitting with his friends watching. Should they go to different schools? Is that something we would want?
Lastly, I am thinking about starting Gemiini with Cooper. Click on the link if you want to learn more about it. I am very hesitant about starting new therapies with Cooper. I spoke with his Speech Therapist about it and she said it can’t hurt him. Which wasn’t the resounding ‘hope’ I was looking for. It’s also ANOTHER thing. ANOTHER challenge. But it also might work. Please comment if you have any thoughts about Gemiini.
You are so lucky you have another year!! Minnesota must be late starting for K. 🙂 Plus a 12/6 bday is perfect because he will be older. He is saying words!!! Aren’t you screaming for joy? Lan says “yea” also and I am starting Gemiini next week…. we crawl along as well. XO
Hey there lady. I remember when Cooper was around 2 thinking THANK THE LORD that Cooper wont’ start school until 5.5. Whew. I want to hear all about Gemiini!!!! I hope you are doing well!!
Sweet, precious boy. Sorry about the ankle – that just stinks.
It totally does stink. I am thinking about bedazzling my boot. 🙂
Fabulous idea!!
First of all, sorry about the ankle. Second, awesome for Cooper knowing the letters, colors, shapes and numbers! That’s better than a lot of NT kids.
I may have totally leaped out of my chair when I saw that you said Cooper is watching foreign language videos on YouTube. This is going to sound completely insane, but hear me out – Autism is a communications disability. I have spent my whole life looking for a language that I can communicate in that makes sense to both me and the person listening to me. To that end, I have studied (and can speak) 5 languages, plus American Sign Language… I hope to some day find a language that is comfortable for me to communicate in.
I also know several other non-verbal children who love foreign languages (though aren’t they all foreign for us on the spectrum anyway?). One that pops to mind is called “Butters” who is the son of Mother Autism. I believe he is high school now and he got a B in Spanish last semester… a nonverbal student who knows Spanish!
Get Better Soon!
Hi there! Really?!? That is so interesting. Searching for a language that makes sense to you. I worried that Cooper was completely unaware of the language but after reading your comment I wonder if he is hearing the other language. I hope so. This comment is awesome!! And thank you!
Hi! I’m an ABA teacher in Richmond. You’re son sounds wonderful! I’ve never heard of Gemini before now but after watching the video it seems like it could be beneficial! I have a few students who are nonverbal who are starting to use a few words. It’s very exciting. I have an extremely “language rich” classroom. Every thing is labeled with PECs pictures. We sing Andreas books often. One thing I do (that sometimes makes me seem crazy) is narrate my entire day while with my students. I always talk about what we’re doing and where we’re going. I will often ask my nonverbal students questions throughout the day pertaining to what we are doing. The other day I was talking to my student about a box of crayons I asked him what color he wanted, and out of nowhere he said “green!” I was so shocked that it probably scared him. But since then he has identified several other colors. So never give up hope and never stop trying!
Thank you for your comment! I love having a little hope sprinkled my way. Trust me..I need all that I can get! And thank you for doing what you do. Mama’s like me are more thankful than you could ever know. All we want is people to love our kiddos!
I’m sorry, but I choked on my Twix ice cream bar when you said that Sawyer is telling everyone that you broke your ankle while dancing and drinking… That is SO. PERFECT. I am so excited for you that Cooper is saying some words!! Fabulous! One step at a time! Banks has in the last couple of weeks picked up Mom, Daddy, Mimi, Pops, “EE” (for Ellie) and NO- his personal favorite! Both boys say yes and juice. Davis doesn’t care to say anything else. I was also happily surprised to find out that the boys know their shapes and colors. I am sure you understand the elation and the heartbreak at the same time 🙂 I am sending prayers your way that you will see some huge progress soon. When there’s nothing else, there’s hope!!!
Right! Sawyer is such a little stinker. And he’s obviously telling his friends because I got asked by a 4 year old if I broke my ankle dance. Wow. I hope you are doing well!
Yea for words! Gemiini also has a secret discussion board on FB. They’ll let you join the board as soon as you register, but you can be added by contacting the moderator. Let me know if you’d like the name. (Not sure if I can add you myself. If have to check if you are interested.) My son’s been using it (inconsistently) for about a month now. He is verbal but delayed. We’ve seen good progress so far!
I’m sorry about the ankle. That looks painful!
Hey there. I think I am on the facebook group. A friend added me. I get so nervous though. I think nervous about having hope and trying something new and all that goes into that. I’m so glad you like it!!! And yay for you son.
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Yikes your poor ankle!!! *hugs* I am so happy hearing that Cooper is working hard at making sounds and showing that he is learning at school. I type “showing” because I find at times that becomes one of the big hurdles is for an Autistic child to really show what they know. I am really intrigued with Gemiini. Video modelling is a REALLY good way to teach kids on the spectrum. i.e. I can tell him how to wash his hands and hang a bunch of picture symbols but if i show him a little video of how to wash hands it seems to imprint way faster and stick. I have a friend who makes a bunch of her own videos and now her son who is 10 makes his own so he remembers how to do everyday tasks that we might take for granted. He likes to bake and might forget “what is sifting ingredients” and he has his own DIY video to go back to and check on his iPad so…wait for it…he becomes independent instead of doing what most typical kids do..”Mom..MOM!!!” I hope you have an amazing summer with your boys!
Hey there, I keep hearing the best things about video modelling. I am so intrigued by it. I know it sounds silly but I don’t want to get my hopes up. I should just try it with Cooper and have no expectations. 🙁 I hope you have an amazing summer too! This broken ankle is a real downer. Mommyfail.