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Dakota's Days
Aug. 24, 2008
I guess I never came back to add these
Right before we did the cake he decided he didnt want to wait any more so he helped himself, SIGH!!!
So like a good mommy I improvised.
he got a veggietales playset, which he LOVED.
& some Veggietales books. Here he is reading one of them.
All in all it was a good day.  |
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Aug. 12, 2008
Today is Dakotas birthday
he s 8yo. His birthdays are always a bit hard on me. Most times I am able to accept that as hard as life is with him I know that God makes no mistakes & he is this way for a reason. His birthdays are when I struggle though. Looking back & remembering the perfect baby I gave birth to. The first year of his life, & then the regression  . Its hard to mark the passing of another year when he is still struggling with things other dc would have mastered 3 years ago. I just want to stop time & give him a chance to catch up.
We will have cake, we will do presents & then I will probably go take a bath & cry for a bit. Life moves on & its not going to stop just for him. I will rejoice in who he is rather than who I thought he would be. I will hold him tight & be thankful he is my child. I will look to the future & not become bogged down in the "could have beens". I cant imagine life without him. He is a true blessing to us.  |
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Jul. 17, 2008
Dakotas doggy
She is not special trained but has seemed to know from day 1 that he is special & needs her to watch him. She sleeps right beside him at night, barks if he trys to climb the fence, lays with him to watch tv. When he swings she lays by the swingset watching him & if he is in the yard & anyone comes too close to our fence she barks at them. He loves her & she fully believes she is his personal dog.
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Jul. 13, 2008
recently heard
He has been getting his own clothes out of his dresser & getting himself dressed most days. Yesterday he wanted me to help him. I was rushing cuz we had an appt in town & I handed him his clothes & told him to dress himself, that I knew he knew how. He just stood there, looked at his clothes & said "I think we have a problem"   |
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Jul. 13, 2008
his speech
I am asked on occasion about Dakotas speech. I still consider him non-verbal because he dosnt really use his own words to express himself but really he is quite verbal. He talks constantly but it is pretty much all repeated stuff. He almost never uses his own words to relay an idea. If he needs to get something across he will use a word or phrase that he has heard elsewhere, most times in a context that makes his point but not always something that would make sense to an outsider. For example... "Seatbelts everyone!!" (Magic School Bus) is generally a request to go in the car somewhere. "what kind of cucumber are you?" (one of the Veggietales shows) is his latest expression for when he is confused by something. "Alfred, we have a problem" (Larry Boy) sometimes with & sometimes without Alfred at the beginning, or "What are you thinking?" are his comments when he is supposed to do something & dosnt want to.
I have heard him repeat entire scripts from veggie tales shows, including changing the voice for each character, & I have heard him sing songs yet he cannot/willnot  answer a basic question. He can read words aloud that we cannot get him to say when not reading, of course when reading them he sounds them out then puts them together. That is actually how he learned to speak in the first place, making each letter sound then putting them together into the full word.
Some things he does use properly though. For example, if he has an accident & messes himself many times he will come to me & say "bath??" (started one time when he had diarrhea & got a bath after each accident cuz it ran down his legs  )
He is FINALLY starting to follow directions though. I can simply call him from across the room that its time to "go potty" or "come inside" & about 95% of the time he will come right away, as opposed to me having to escort him. Also he has finally reached a point where I can say "go ask Daddy" or "go to Daddy" & he will go to dh. Up until just a few months ago if I said that he would look around blankly & dh had to call to him & one of the older dc would have to take his hand & walk him over to daddy. |
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Jul. 13, 2008
sandwich maker
A few days ago my 10yo made himself a PB sandwich & left everything on the table. I was nursing baby R & saw Dakota walk up to the table & survey everything. He got himself out bread & opened the PB & I started to tell him to wait & then decided to watch & see what he did. He picked up the knife, calmly & carefully spread on his PB, put the other piece of bread on, closed the PB (thats more than my olders remember to do at times) & walked away eating his sandwich.
Im not sure why it surprises me, my other dc were quite proud of the fact that they could make PB sandwiches by themselves by the time they was about 5yo but with Dakota I many times forget to give him chances to try that stuff. I know he is almost 8yo but with him not really speaking much & his seeming lack of understanding of so many things I guess I forget that he is capable of that stuff too. |
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Jun. 13, 2008
would you believe????
Jun. 12, 2008
what a wonderful day!!!!
the last week has been TERRIBLE with Dakota. He went into a MAJOR overload last Sat & has been off ever since. Even to the point of not sleeping one night. Usually when he does this it means the beginning of a major downhill spiral that consists of him not sleeping for several days, behaviour getting worse & worse until he finally crashes from sheer exaustion. Thankfully he slept wonderfully the next night & we didnt go into that spiral. He has been really hard to handle still though & it has been wearing at me. Today though we had a WONDERFUL day. Several great things that I needed soooo much after this last week.
#1.. G. had been REALLY wanting to go to a buffet place near us. We had told him maby for his birthday so even though it is a bit late we went there today as a combo G. & Daddy & Fathers Day meal. Just as we was finishing up an older lady came over to me. "You have such wonderfully mannered dc, are they all yours?" I proudly told her that yes they were.  She told me "They are so well behaved! I had my back toward your table & didn't even realize I was sitting near a group of children until my friend commented that she wondered if they was all from one family cuz she had come from a family of 8. They are all so well mannered & just wonderfully behaved. Its a pleasure to see a family like this." Oh boy did I need to hear a compliment like that!!
#2 After leaving there we went into Petco to get something since they was right next door. As we checked out the cashier told me "I just cant believe how well behaved your dc are for having such a big group of them". 
#3 While at the buffet restaurant Dakota did GREAT! He waited patiently in line, came with me to pick his food, went back to the table & sat quietly & ate. When he was done he asked to go & we told him not till everyone was done so he sat quietly & waited so patiently. You would have never been able to tell he wasn't a typical child, he acted totally normal.
#4 We stopped at the farm store to get chicken feed. He walked quietly beside me, holding my hand. As we was leaving he asked for a sucker  They sell wonderful suckers that have NO food coloring for fairly cheap so I got him one. I had to let him go to pay & was a bit worried he might run off, dh had taken the other dc to go look at something in the garden center so wasnt there to help, but he stood beside me quietly & when I was done he reached for my hand & walked calmly to the car.
#5 Then to the farm. I was getting worried he might overload but we had to stop there for a bit. He played in the dirt right near me the whole time. Once he started to walk away but returned as soon as I called him . When it was time to go I was trying to push baby R in her stroller & carry her car seat both because everyone else had their hands full with something. (in case you are wondering why we had both there the stroller had been left there before & I had her sitting in it while I did something & I wanted to take it home. She had been asleep when we got there so I had taken her car seat out to let her sleep in it.) I set her car seat down for a minute to wait for dh. He said he would bring the seat so I started toward the car with her in the stroller & Dakota. Dakota stopped & picked up the car seat to carry it for me I thought it might be too heavy & told him "thats ok , daddy will bring it" He turned & looked at me & said "be a helper, be a big helper" (its a line from his favorite Veggie tales book) He carried the carseat all the way from the garden to the van & then tried to lift it in for me even. I cant hardly believe this is the same child from just a few days ago, hes acting like a totally different person. |
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May. 10, 2008
I am SOOOOO proud of him!!!!!!!!!
Dakota is doing SOOOOOO well the last while. We had a couple weeks where I was ready to slip away for some Calgon time by the time dh got home from work each day & then all of a sudden it was like the sun coming out after a storm. He is happy, he is cooperative, he is actually trying to do what we ask of him instead of ignoring us.
The other day I got his clothes out to get him dressed. He *can* dress himself but he rarely will without tons of prodding. I put his clothes & a pull up on a chair & went to pick up the baby who had just woken up. When I came back he had undressed & was dressing himself in his clean clothes.  After dressing he came to me, took my hand & pulled me to the back door. It was still locked & he wanted to go play on the swingset. He looked up & said "outside?". I about fell over in shock.
He has been trying to eat with his hands all the time, no matter what we are eating. We put his silverware into his hand & he puts it down & scoops up a handful of food. This has been going on for awhile no matter what we do & we cant figure out what started it. A few days ago I made lunch & got the dc settled at the table. I then walked away to change the baby before I ate. When I came back Dakota was sitting there as nice as you please, calmly eating his lunch WITH HIS FORK!!!! No one had reminded him, he just did it. Ever since then he has used his silverware for almost every meal.
When at the farm recently a chicken walked past us. I said "look a chicken". He turned & looked at it & said "hi chicken" .
He LOVES to pet the baby chickens & will feed them & say "eat, eat!!" LOL
He LOVES to swing. Last summer he would just sit on the swing if no one was pushing him. This summer he started pushing off with his feet to make himself go, no one has showed him that since last summer. He still wasnt really pumping though. Yesterday he was on the swing & I was in the kitchen making cookies. I can see the swing from the stove & all of a sudden realized just how high he was going. He was pumping his legs & actually swinging!!!!! To look at him at that moment you would have never known he had any delays whatsoever. He looked like a typical 7yo enjoying swinging. |
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May. 5, 2008
singing
he has been singing lately. His latest song went something like "We are the Pirates, who don't do anything..... Do the Mu-shu!...Kung pow chicken, Mongolian chicken.... Mu Shu!!!!!.... We don't do anything!!!!" LOL
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May. 1, 2008
bath time
During the late part of my pregnancy & while healing from my c-section my dh took over giving Koda his baths. I never took that back over because it was just so easy to have someone else do it for me. Tonite both littles were asleep when he took his bath so I sat & talked to him while he played in the water. I realized that not only do I miss that but it is SUCH a great learning time for him.
We played with his toys & I got out his old foam letters that stick to the tub walls. Most have been lost so we could only spell about 3 words but he had so much fun sticking them up & saying their names. I put up some letters & he read the words to me & then he would take a letter down & sound out the remaining letters. Like I had put up F-U-N, he said "fun" then took away the f & gave me a grin & said "un".
I also discovered that bath time is the perfect time to read to him. He loves books but hates to sit still to be read to. He played quietly in the water while I read to him & every few lines would look up & repeat one of the words back to me so I know he was listening. At the end of the book was a picture of a jack-o-lantern, (it was a book about Winnie the Pooh growing a pumpkin & then he carves a face in it after he picks it) Koda looked at it & said "pumpkin face". LOL
I decided to try something new with him. I got out the shaving cream & put a blob of it on the side of the tub & showed him how to write letters in it. He LOVED it!!!! He was giggling & sticking his foam letters in it. If I wrote a couple letters he would copy me. When he ran out he gestured for me to get more for him. I asked him if he could say more & he didnt but I got it anyway because he was doing such a great job with eye contact & gestures to make his wants known. When that ran out he started gesturing again. I told him no, that it was time to get out of the tub now. He looked me right in the eye & said "more?" . Yes he got a tiny bit more to play with  . After he got out of the tub & dressed for bed I walked away for just a minute & came back to find him with shaving cream all over his hands & jammies. Whoops, I had forgotten to put it away the last time . Definitly will need to hide that now or I will be cleaning up a lot of messes. I may have created a monster LOL.
I had forgotten just how much learning he seems to do during bath time. It seems like it is just so soothing to him & without other distractions & noises he can really concentrate on stuff. I need to make sure I remember the benefits of learning during bath time.
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Mar. 7, 2008
3 months??
oops, how did I ignore this for so long?? Well lets see, what has been happening these last 3 months with Dakota? Its actually been a very good winter for him. He absolutely LOVED Christmas, especially the lights. 
We had snow in January. Snow is rare around here. He didnt care much for going out into it but LOVED watching it thru the windows. His big brother brought in a bowl of snow for him to play with & he thought that was really neat too. Got mad when it melted though. LOL
He has made remarkable improvement in following directions. Still needs to work on that but the progress he has made is just amazing.
He likes his baby sister & on occasion will come up while someone is holding her & touch her & say "baby". The other 2 dc who are younger than him he never really paid any mind to at all so this is improvement.
His verbal skills are greatly improving. Things that he would just shriek about before he will now actually say "mine" or "no, or "stop it" or "give it to me".
Sharing skills are improving. Just a few months ago he would shriek if anyone touched something he thought should be his & his alone. Now he will actually share a book or a toy with a sibling, grudgingly I admit, but he does share.
He is finally staying in bed at bedtime without someone needing to stay there to make sure he does. we can actually turn out lights & if he gets out of bed all we have to say is "No Koda, bedtime" & he will crawl right back into bed & lay down. 
He has gotten to where he can tollerate crowds much better. In Jan we went to watch my mom Square Dance. He didnt like the noise & kept covering his ears BUT he was not freaking out like he would have done just months before that. We also took him to a big fund raiser garage sale a couple weeks ago. Last year he was crying & trying to run outside so we didnt get to stay long. This time he sat quietly & waited while I looked thru things. A couple times he started to walk away from me & I simply said "Koda, stay with momma please" & he turned around & came back to me. MAJOR improvement there!!
Im sure there are more things I wanted to post about but my dh is waiting for me to come watch a movie with him so I'll have to add them later when I think of them. LOL
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Dec. 12, 2007
"Christmas!!"
Dakota is REALLY enjoying Christmas this year. He LOVES the lights & the tree. He is already trying to find & open all the presents. LOL Anytime he sees a decorated tree or house he gets excited & exclaims "Christmas!!!!!!!!!!".
Im really impressed with how he is coping too. Our life has been pretty much as far from routine as possible for the last month or so & he is dealing with it sooooo well. (see my other blog for details) |
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Oct. 24, 2007
is it possible his sensory issues are diminishing????
| Dakota will NOT wear jeans. HATES them. He will wear denim shorts but not long jeans, I think because the bulk at the knees bothers him. Yesterday he got his sweats wet so he took them off & went & got a pair of his brothers jeans & put them on. I noticed something the other day too, though of course I cant remember what it was now LOL, but he was doing something that he normally would have avoided due to the sensory issues. Is it possible for them to outgrow this to a point or is it related to something else I wonder?? |
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Oct. 2, 2007
that little stinker!!!!!!!
We have known for a LONG time that he is smarter than he lets on. We also know that he fights doing anything that isn't his idea. Problem is, we didn't always know what he was just being stubborn on & what he really didn't understand. At 7yo he is not reliably potty trained. He tells us right after he goes, but never in time to make it to a bathroom. We never was sure if he was being stubborn or if he really didn't feel the urge to go until too late. Recently he has given us a few clues that he does know exactly what going potty means & that he knows how to stop himself from going when he wants to. So today we tried an experiment. We put him in sweats & real underwear just to see what he would do when he needed to go potty. He has been dry all day except for 1 accident. This includes taking HIMSELF potty several times when he thought no one was looking. At one point when I took him potty he kept trying to get up & I told him no, that I wanted him to sit & try to go potty. He looked me straight in the eye & VERY stubbornly said "put diaper!" Huh???????? Ok then, so basically he does know exactly what he is doing. I cannot believe this little stinker sometimes.
So now the question is... HOW do I get him to cooperate & go potty rather than just be stubborn?????????? When he dosnt want to do something he just shuts himself down.   |
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Sep. 21, 2007
Words of the week
"dog! Stop it!" When dog was standing closer than he wanted her to be.
"drink" While handing me a cup.
"keys, go!!!" While holding my keys & trying to pull me to the door.
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Aug. 28, 2007
dressing himself
| Dakota is getting much better about dressing himself. Of course if he dosnt want to he either gets stubborn or else he acts like he dosnt know how. Recently though he has been cooperating more often than not but of course I need to get the point across that it is time to get dressed. This morning he wanted to go outside, normally he will go out barefoot but for some reason did not want to today. He went & found his shoes & socks & very slowly & carefully put them on all by himself. He was so proud he was just beaming. I am so proud of my boy. |
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Aug. 28, 2007
Happy/sad birthday
Earlier this month we celebrated Dakotas 7th birthday. It is amazing to think he can be 7 already. Somehow though his birthday is always a bit sad for me. It makes me think of the child he once was before Autism became a common word in our home. I don't know why we were chosen to have a special child. I have been told & heard so many times that "God gives special kids to special parents for special reasons". I certainly don't feel special in any way so why did God think we were special enough to be the parents of one of his special blessings?? I guess we will never know. All I know is that I have a beautiful child who cannot speak to me to tell me what he needs, wants or even that he loves me. Birthdays are hard. 
Even with all the hard stuff though I also know I would NEVER trade this child for anything. He is so sweet, innocent & pure in heart. He is a true joy in our life. He has taught us to rejoice in the little things that we so often take for granted. He is truly a blessing & I cant begin to imagine life without him in it.
Happy belated birthday my precious blessing.
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Jul. 18, 2007
he ate what?????
| Dakota does NOT eat hamburger in any form. We have not been able to get him to eat it since about 18 - 20 months old. He has also refused to ever try bacon. Not a huge deal on that one I guess since it really isnt that healthy anyway. LOL Last night we had to do a quicky meal so I grilled burgers & made bacon for bacon cheeseburgers. I was going to make him hot dogs instead but had something come up I needed to deal with first & the other food was already starting to get cold so I just told the other dc to go ahead & make their burgers. Dakota was happily looking at a book so I told them to just let him read for a minute & Id fix his food as soon as I could. When I came back he had taken a hamburger patty & a handful of bacon & was eating them. This cant be my child. |
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Jul. 17, 2007
Big changes
Wow, I cant believe I havent updated here in this long. Well lets see, what is new???
Dakota recently was put on a new supplement. We are seeing wonderful changes with it. He is following directions now most of the time. One night a child didnt close the gate to the back yard quick enough & Dakota walked out. I saw him walk thru it from the kitchen window & told Dh. As he was heading out the front door to get him I tapped on the glass & said "Koda, come back!", the plan was to get his attention for a second till dh could get to him. He turned & walked right back in. A few days earlier he was on the swings & it was time to come in for the night. I called him & said "Koda come in please" He immediately got off the swing & said "coming" & walked right into the house. I can now call him to get dressed or to put on shoes or whatever & 90% of the time he will come to me, before he started his supplement he would come maby 10% of the time & the rest he would either act like he didnt hear me or give me a blank look like he didnt understand what I wanted.
One night I called him & he looked right at me, started to giggle & ran & hid. To me this is HUGE because while he did do the opposite of what I wanted he has never before PURPOSELY tried to make a game out of something like that. He does NOT start chase games, ever. Any game we play has to be initiated by someone else & then it takes a little bit for him to really get it. This was all him, being a little pill just like a typical child can be.
I have even seen him put things away on his own or go get his own shoes on now. Both things that took MUCH hand over hand prompting before.
He is also spending a lot of time calmly reading, Im about 100% sure he isnt just looking at the pictures, & he is able to settle down to sleep at night instead of being awake till midnight or later every night.
He is MUCH less aggressive now too. He had recently started getting aggressive toward me & his dad, everytime he had a meltdown. When he started this he was becoming aggressive toward us about 4-5 times a day, now it is about 2-3 times a WEEK!! He also isnt hitting overload nearly as easily & is having waaaaay fewer meltdowns. I cant believe how much of a differance this stuff has made in our life. 
He was supposed to be taking a second one too but when he started it he started holding his ears, being uncooperative, more stimming & avoiding eye contact again. We took him back off it & all that pretty much stopped. So he is off it for 2 weeks & then will start it again at a half dose. If the same problems start he goes off it for good. |
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Apr. 30, 2007
words really can hurt
Recently a child was at our house playing. The dc were in the backyard & Dakota was sitting at the top of the slide on our playset. I was in the kitchen & could hear everything out the door. The other child & my ds G-8 had climbed the playset to go down the slide but of course Dakota was there. G said "Koda, can you please move?". The other dc said "why are you asking him? Hes to stupid to understand you. Just shove him out of the way. Hes to stupid to talk so he cant tattle on you anyway." Needless to say I was VERY upset & hurt. Dakota is NOT stupid. In fact he is probably smarter than many dc his age, at least in some things. I know it is hard for dc to understand Autism but it was still a very hurtful thing for me to hear. I was proud of my ds though. He turned to his friend & said "He is NOT dumb. His brain just works differant than yours".
Just because a person cant talk does NOT mean they are stupid!!!!!! |
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Apr. 12, 2007
Yet again
He has shown me that he knows more than I give him credit for.
About a week ago the dc were reading. I was sitting in the chair reading over a chapter in a Pearables book I was going to go over with S-11. Dakota crawled up on the chair beside me & I head him mumbling but wasnt paying attention till T-13 said "is he reading?????". I started to listen & he was reading the Bible verses on the page.  After he finished those I reached down & picked up a Bible lesson reader I had laying by the chair, very late 1st grade or possibly 2nd grade level. I opened it up & he started to read out loud.  He read 4 chapters, mis-reading only a small handful of words. |
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Mar. 19, 2007
That boy....
| I bought a CARS easy reader book awhile ago. I think it is Level 1 so very basic, 3-4 words per page. Last night he was sitting on the floor looking at it & reading it out loud. No one has ever read it to him because he only wants to look at it himself & will take it away if you try to read it. I have seen plenty of proof that he can read & it still amazes me everytime he does something like this. He hardly talks, basically just echoing, will almost never sit long enough to be read to, no "reading lessons" of any kind except for his Leap frog DVDs & yet he is reading. It just amazes me. |
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Mar. 6, 2007
What a day...
Yesterday Dakota was SO wild. There are days when to a stranger he would probably look pretty much typical, though slightly delayed. That is the type of day he is having more often than not lately. Some days though he looks VERY Autistic. Yesterday he spent almost the entire day spinning, flapping hands, running in circles, holding his ears, screaching & giggling that Autistic giggle at nothing. When called instead of coming to me, like he has been doing SOOOO well with lately, he would stare at me with a glassey look in his eyes. I could NOT figure out what was going on, it just seemed so out of the blue.
Finally towards evening I realized what I think it must have been. Sunday night I had made one of dh's favorite meals. It is a dish where you mix uncooked rice with cream of mushroom soup & water, lay pork chops on top, season & bake. Dakota has never eaten that before. I only use Cream of Mushroom soup in 2 recipes, neither of which he will touch. He normally has a hot dog or something simple like that if we eat one of those meals. Sunday night he decided to eat some of the pork chops so I fixed him a plate. I was surprised that he would even eat it with the soup mixture on them. He ate probably close to an entire pork chop, maby even slightly more. He has never touched pork chops before but has eaten ham with no problems so I doubt it was the meat but Im wondering if it wasnt the soup. Obviously it has milk in it which he isnt really suposed to have, though he gets small amounts on occasion in things. Probably not that much though. It also has wheat which he is mildly allergic to AND it had SOY PROTIEN CONCENTRATE. His allergy tests show a higher reaction to soy than to wheat. Im thinking that had to be it. It never even occured to me to read the label because he has never been willing to even touch that stuff before. I guarantee he wont be again either. Next time I make that I will make him a plain pork chop of his own now that he has decided those are ok. |
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Feb. 24, 2007
Im so proud of him
He is doing so well lately. The day dh & I decorated the LR to surprise the dc for Valentines day he stood beside dh handing him balloons everytime dh asked for one.
The other day he was writing again, of course it was on a shelf  but he switched to paper as soon as I gave him some. I gave him a blank notebook & he filled the whole thing with his writing too.
This morning when he was done with his bath he said "towel?". (This is a child who still will hop out of the tub & run into the LR if Im not RIGHT there to catch him.) I was combing my hair & told him just a minute. He got out of the tub & picked up his towel & wrapped it around himself. I said "Koda, can you let the water out of the tub?" He looked at me & immediately leaned over the tub & pulled the plug, then wrapped the towel around himself & walked out. We have been working on following simple directions for so long & to see it finally clicking like that with him is just SUCH a wonderful feeling.
Im just so very proud him. |
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Feb. 22, 2007
Well the good news is...
He is writing again. For some reason he decided awhile ago that writing is no longer interesting & he had no desire to do it. Tonite S-11 called me upstairs to see what Dakota was doing. This is what I found...
Yes, that is a shelf he is writing on. Sigh. Oh well, one of the joys of "special" dc it seems. At least he is using his washable markers instead of big sisters gel pens or something like that. He certainly was intent on what he was doing.
Yes, I did get him to switch to a piece of paper for the last picture.
Note the intense look of concentration on that precious face. |
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Jan. 31, 2007
"You are amazing"
This is what Dakota said tonite & I dont think I could have come up with a more fitting statement.
Three - four months ago I made him some cards with differant words on them. They had dissapeared one day & when we traded in our Suburban last month we found them under his carseat. I was busy & tossed them in a bin in the house & forgot about them untill I came across them the other day.
So tonite I sat down to rock & read to him & picked them up to look at with him instead of a book. All five of the other dc were with Daddy & it was just him & I, no one interrupting for anything. He has not seen these cards in probably close to 2.5 months. I started reading them to him & then all of a sudden he started to read them to me. He read each color card to me & about half of the others. What he didnt read he said the letters for & then copied me after I read it. He even copied his siblings names & I dont think I have ever heard him say any of them except his oldest brothers. After every 2-3 cards he would say "Good job!" or "Great!" & when we finished the stack he said "You are amazing!". I couldnt agree more, he is amazing. |
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Dec. 23, 2006
"We gotta hurry"
Dakota... "We gotta hurry! We gotta go!"
Mommy... "Where do we need to go?"
Dakota... "China!!"
ROFLOL
He LOVES Dora the Explorer & has been really into watching the latest hour long episode where she travels around the world. She goes to France, Africa, Russia & China. Im guessing his statement was taken from that show. |
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Dec. 18, 2006
oh my word!!!!!!!!
Dakota!!!!! Yesterday I was on the Amazon website looking at one of the toys from the Cars movie. Dakota saw me & was just fascinated. Later I walked into the room & he was on the computer, on MY user account, which BTW is passworded so the dc cant mess up my files. He was on Amazon. I did NOT leave it on that page so he apparently went backwards till he found it. he was looking at the Cars toys. Not only was he looking at them but he was TYPING the names of the characters into Amazons search engine to find specific ones.      This child amazes me. I cannot believe all the things he knows how to do. We have been around people who act like he is stupid because he cant talk much. Im guessing he is smarter than they are. |
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Dec. 13, 2006
sigh, red food coloring
Its bad enough the rest of the year but this time of year it is in EVERYTHING. Neither Dakota or his 8yo brother handle red food coloring well. I have been trying to keep it from them but it is almost impossible. It is everywhere. They get it in something & then I get to deal with EXTREME hyperness, crying & screaming & just all kinds of fun. Why cant they make food without all this nasty stuff that sends my boys into a tailspin????
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Dec. 13, 2006
what does he have against sleep????
5 am!!! Dakota was WIDE awake at 5am today. I finally told him he could get up at 7:45 & what does he do??? He gets back in bed & falls back to sleep around 8:15. Normally not a huge problem, he could sleep some while I make breakfast & get the dc started on their schoolwork but not today. Today is therapy day, he needs to actually be up so he can eat & get dressed to leave. Hes going to be sooooo grouchy when I wake him back up.  |
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Nov. 29, 2006
"Artistic"
Earlier today my 8yo was telling me about another child. He said "I think he is Artistic, like Koda". That made me smile. Artistic is such a good term. Maby Dakota isnt an artist as most people define it but he has such a creative mind. He is so smart & clever. He has a unique way of looking at things. Artistic, that sounds so much better. 
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Nov. 29, 2006
"Christmas"
Yesterday we got a little snow. We rarely get snow in our area so the dc were very excited & I let then head straight out to play since I knew it would be gone by noon. Dakota got up right after they went outside & he came into the living room & sat down on the recliner. He turned toward the window in time to see his 12yo brother throw a snowball & then he did a double take cuz it was snowing. He went over to the window & looked out & then said "Christmas!" Snow is NOT common in our area but almost ever Christmas movie has snow so apparently he associated snow with Christmas.
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Nov. 29, 2006
A one & a two & a three & a four
This is how Dakota was counting yesterday. He counted all the way to 32 before skipping a number.  I knew he could count to at least 15 but I had no idea he could count that high.
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Nov. 27, 2006
LOL he knows what he likes
On Thanksgiving Dakota kept coming into the kitchen to watch. At one point he walked in & I had just pulled the pies from the oven. His eyes lit up & he said "pie!!" A bit later as I finished the other dessert he came in & watched a bit & said "chocolate". He certainly knows what he likes. 
I was a bit worried as he had a bad day the day before but he did so well on Thanksgiving, even with extra people in the house.
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Oct. 29, 2006
He's getting pretty sneaky
| The other night as I tucked Dakota into bed he wanted to play. I kept laying him back down & telling him "bedtime". After 3 or 4 times of this he turned & gave me a heartmelting smile & said "I love you". Now I have heard him say this maby 3 times in his 6 years of life so of course it got me. I ended up sitting & playing with him for a bit before making him lay back down. He is so smart, he knows exactly what will make Mommy melt.
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Oct. 14, 2006
"you in big twubble!!"
Last Wednesday, on our way home from therapy my 8yo was in a bad mood. Dakota kept reaching in front of him to try to grab something & it made G. mad so he smacked his arm.  Dakota turned to look at him & as clear as can be told him "You in BIG twubble!!!!" I just about choked trying not to laugh. That is the EXACT phrase my 8yo uses when he is really upset with someone, "I'm gonna tell & you're gonna get in big trouble". To hear Dakota use a version of it really surprised me.
Then last night my 3yo was being a pill. He decided that he wanted something Dakota was playing with & was going to take it. Again Dakota said "Big Twubble!!!", only this time he came & said it to me. He is starting to tattle on his siblings! Now this is not something we allow (though it obviously still happens at times) but the fact that he has gotten the concept of doing that just makes me want to  . It shows us that he IS understanding concepts that he never used to understand & quite frankly I would MUCH rather have him come "tattle" to me than to push or hurt a sibling. I am just thrilled that his language has reached a point where he can let us know about things in a way other than just screaming or crying. |
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Oct. 8, 2006
such a little stinker
yesterday Dakota was up sometime between 6 & 6:30 am. He is very good about staying in bed, we have never allowed him to get up unless someone else was up, but when he is awake I cannot sleep. Partly because I can hear him giggling & being loud in bed but also I worry that one of these times he might decide to get up anyway & try to get outside or something. So I stayed in bed listening to him, hoping he would fall back asleep. No such luck. Between 7:30-8 I heard a sound & got up to check what it was. As soon as Dakota heard me moving around he popped right out of bed. I met him in the hallway & he flashed me a beautiful grin & said "Good Morning!", then walked on out to the Living room & tUrned on the tv. Little stinker! I was NOT feeling very cheerful over not getting enough sleep but his greeting certainly made me smile. |
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Oct. 1, 2006
Hay Ride
This was a week ago but I just had to blog about it so I dont forget. 
Last week my Grandmas church did Heritage Days. One of the things they did was a hayride for the dc. I wasnt sure if Dakota would like it or not but my 3yo wanted me to come along so I figured we would try. He LOVED it. Was giggling & playing with the hay. Didnt even want to get off the wagon after it was done. Funny thing though, he didnt want to go on another ride later when I tried to take him. 
Dakota is the middle child looking down. I wish I had taken another picture when he was looking up. he was having so much fun.
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Oct. 1, 2006
Teaching him to accept no??
Ok I realize that most toddlers dont want to accept no as an answer & he is toddler-like in his reasoning ability so I guess this is actually fairly normal BUT he must learn to accept that no means no without getting mad & trying to hit people. He is a very strong 6yo. I cannot have him hitting at me or a sibling if he dosnt like the answer. I guess it is just a matter of being VERY, VERY, VERY consistant with him. Boy that is hard though, especially since he can hold out for a LOOOOOOOONG time if he really wants something. |
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Oct. 1, 2006
communication progress
Dakota is using a few new phrases lately. For a few weeks now he has been using "Help me" & "I want". Usually only one of those phrases & then he leads us to what he wants. Yesterday I told him it was time to turn off his computer game. He was NOT happy with me & kept fighting me so I just turned off the computer, as far as he is concerned if it is on he has a chance, if it is off that is the final word. When he saw me click the button to turn it off he get very upset & yelled "Stop that!!!!". 
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Sep. 25, 2006
how little people know about Autism
We went to a Heritage Day at our church on Saturday. Dakota was riding in the stroller. He is almost to big for it but he feels safe when in it. I was talking with a lady from the church who I hadnt seen for awhile & she asked if he was crippled because it surprised her to see a 6yo riding in a stroller when there was so much to do. I told her no he isnt crippled but he does have Autism & the stroller helps him to feel safe & function at things like this. She replied "Oh, thats not so bad. Thats something he will outgrow right?" Sigh, I wish she was right.  It surprises me sometimes how little people know about Autism. Please read the facts & learn for yourself.
http://www.autisminfo.com/Whatis.htm
http://autism.emedtv.com/autism/autism-statistics.html
it can be summarized that between 1 in 500 (2/1,000) to 1 in 166 children (6/1,000) have autism.
As many as 1 out of every 166!! That is a lot of children & the rates are rising everyday. Chances are that in your lifetime there will be someone you know & love affected by Autism. Very sad fact but very true.
There is nothing more comforting than knowing that the people you love care enough to educate themselves about your childs condition. Autism is hard enough without having people tell you "if you would just not allow him to......... he would get better" It would certainly be nice if that were true but ufortunetly neurological disorders arent that easy to fix. |
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Sep. 25, 2006
sometimes I worry
What am I going to do as Dakota gets bigger & stronger?? At 6yo he is strong enough to make it VERY difficult to get him to do things he dosnt want to do. If he dosnt want to go somewhere it is almost impossible to get him into, or out of, his carseat. Recently I had to stop at a store & he did NOT want to go in. It took me almost 10 minutes to get him out of the car. His seat is in the far back & he kept fighting me & grabbing the seat to prevent being gotten out. He can be very stubborn when he wants, or dosnt want, something. It scares me a little. How will I manage when he is 12yo & choses to fight me on something? |
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Sep. 19, 2006
Oops, falling behind again
I havent been keeping up here very well I guess. Lets see, last week Dakota was sick. Apparently just a 24 hour bug but it came complete with throwing up & all the fun that goes with that. 
The last few days he has been kindof "off". Not sure what is up, maby the weather?? We have had rainy weather again for about 4 days now so it would definitly fit the time frame. Yesterday he woke up with a nasty rash & was off the wall hyper, I suspect yeast issues flaring up. I allowed him to have a cupcake & some ice cream at his brothers birthday party on Sat night so the time frame is about right for that too. 
He did have a few good moments today though. While watching a kids tv show he was fascinated by a song on the show. When it finished he turned to me & said "music" with a big grin on his face. He loves music.
Hopefully tomorrow will be even beter. |
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Sep. 4, 2006
a day at the beach
We went to the beach yesterday. Ive shared most of the day on my family blog but am adding Dakotas highlights here.
He was FASCINATED by the ocean. Kept saying "water, water".
There were fishing boats all around us & he would stare at them saying "Boat, water, boat!!"
We saw a bunch of sea lions laying on a dock & stopped to watch them. He was totally fascinated by them, just kept staring & staring.
We went crabbing with SIL's family which he LOVED. Would get really excited when a crab was caught & very upset when one was thrown back because it wasnt a keepable size. He kept sayng "crab, crab!!!" At one point one was thrown back & he started crying & asking for "buddy". Another time some keepers were put into the cooler & he stood watching them & saying "sorry, sorry". He would try to pull the rings up himself because he was so excited.
He just had the best time at the coast, no meltdowns except one time when we started to go into a really crowded building but he calmed down as soon as we left. he enjoyed watching the salt water taffy machine thru the window at the candy store & even when we went inside to buy some he did ok, even though the machine was really loud & about to make me feel like I was hitting overload myself. He just did so well. It was a wonderful, relaxing day for all of us.
watching sea lions
crabbing
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Aug. 22, 2006
Bob, Bob, Bobby
Aug. 22, 2006
thats the longest thing hes ever said
Aug. 20, 2006
I dont like this
& I dont know why it is starting. The other day Dakota got mad at me because I told him no about something. He grabbed my arm & squeezed & pressed his chin into me hard. He has done that before when he is mad but usually stops right away when I tell him no. This time he kept doing it. I was holding the baby so I only had one free hand & when I would try to move away he would follow me & continue. When I pulled my arm away from him he went behind me & did the same thing only pressing into my back. It may not sound like it but trust me, when a strong 6yo is using his chin to press into your body as hard as he can it does HURT.
I finally got him to stop but the next day he did the same thing because I wouldnt come sign him onto the computer while I was nursing the baby. Except this time instead of doing it to me he did it to the baby, pressing his chin into L's back. This is the first time he has EVER done anything like that. I have seen him get upset with the other dc & push them away from him & I know he has done the chin thing to my 12yo a few times but not in a long time. He is usually so very careful around L. I do not like that he is doing this, it scares me. Im not sure how to deal with it. |
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Aug. 15, 2006
Food Neffwork
My little boy is just so sweet. Last night I was finishing up some stuff & he brought me the remote for the tv in my bedroom. he handed it to me & looked me in the eye & said "food neffwork??" I took the remote & went & turned on the tv & put it on Food Network. he gave me a BIG grin & crawled into my spot in the bed & said "Food Neffwork...Nite nite" Apparently he thought he was going to lay in my bed & watch tv till he fell asleep. 
The other day my dh had a very long work day. Dakota was on the verge of a meltdown, the older dc were asleep, the baby was fussing & I was tired so I took both boys & went to lay down in my room. I figured Dakota would maby settle down if I turned on the tv. I turned on Food Network & he started to calm down a little & watch it, then all of a sudden he leaned in close to me & said "Good Eats? Brown???" He absolutely LOVES watching Alton Brown, especially the shows that have the burping yeast puppets on them. Another time he saw a preview with Rachael Ray & said "Money, money, money... Rachel!!" (I LOVE watching $40 a day)
It is so fun to hear what he is thinking. |
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Aug. 14, 2006
6 years old!!
My sweet Dakota turned 6 on the 12th. How can it be 6 years already??? I remember the day he was born like it was yesterday. I remember the sweet smiling toddler before he regressed. I remember the day we noticed he seemed differant & the struggle to find out why. As hard as some have been, I would never trade a single day. He is such a precious child. So sweet & innocent. So trusting & loving. His smile lights up a room.
Happy Birthday sweet Koda. Momma loves you!!
1yo
2yo
3yo
4yo
5yo
6yo!!!!
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Aug. 9, 2006
falling behind
Goodness I have not been doing well keeping up with this blog the last while.
Dakota is doing MUCH better. Still some hyperness that wasnt there before but sleeping normally again & using his words again too. Last night dh brought me home some zucchini & cucumbers from my grandmas garden & Dakota saw them. He grabbed them & said "cu-cum-ber" Very drawn out like he had to work to get it but he said it!!! Then he took them & was playing with them on the table, walking them around like little people. I have mentioned that he LOVES VeggieTales before right??
A few days ago I lay my 11 month old on my bed after nursing him to sleep & Dakota crawled up beside him. I was watching very closely to see what he was doing. He lay down beside his brother & then scooted in till he was touching him. Then he put his hand up & was very lightly rubbing his head. He has always been very careful around him which I am so glad of. He is just such a sweetie. |
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Aug. 2, 2006
the Dr finally called me
My first instinct was the right one. We are stopping all suppliments & diet changes for a few days & letting him even out. After that we will restart the suppliments, one at a time about a week or so apart. After that we will restart the diet. Dr said it was probably just the body releasing the toxins but we may have started too much too fast. I started everything on the Drs schedule so maby Dakota is extra sensitive or something. |
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Aug. 2, 2006
Should've grabed my camera
LAst night at bedtime Dakota was playing in my room. I went to get him & he had found the brand new markers. He had drawn ALL over himself. Both legs, hands, face covered in marker. I didnt even think to grab the camera & get a picture. It was past bedtime & had been a tiring day so I just headed him to the tub. Oddly he did NOT want a bath, which he normally LOVES. I managed to get a little off but not all of it. They werent permanent markers but not washable ones either unfortunetly. I guess he will have blue skin for a few days. |
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Aug. 1, 2006
what a week
Its been a "crawl in a hole & cry" kind of week. We started out about a week & a half ago with HOT weather. 110 in an area that almost never sees over 100. Dakota does NOT do well in heat so he had major problems with it.
Even after the weather cooled down some we have been noticing changes in him. Not as cooperative as normal, stimming again, not wanting to interact & refusing to try to write. Yesterday it hit me that he is not using his words as much as he was & I started mentally going backwards to see when that started. Hes definitly been going downhill for a week or so. He is barely speaking spontaniously at all & only repeating things about 50% of the time as opposed to about 95% before. Hes also been giggling & spinning again & last night was up at 4am, totally hyper & acting wierd. We havent had that happen in ages.
A month ago his Dr put him on a special diet & added in some suppliments. Im thinking one of those is causing this but it is scaring me. It took us so long to get him to this point & now it is all going away. I just want to cry. Seeing these changes makes me very aware of how far we had come in the last few months. I have a call in to his Dr & am hoping he will call me back soon. My first instinct is to pull everything & get him back to normal & then sloooooooooowly try again but I will wait till I talk with the Dr before I do anything. I just cant stand seeing this. |
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Jul. 30, 2006
videos
musicalmom1998 asked me about Dakotas videos. We have collected quite a few over the years & he tends to switch off with them. We have
LeapFrog:
Letter Factory - he learned to recognize all the letters & their sounds from this.
Word Factory - teaches spelling basic words.
He learned to sound out simple words like C-A-T before he could say the words.
Word Factory 2, Code Word Caper - moves up to more complex words. Silent E, 2 vowels together like in WAIT or TEAM. He has a great understanding of all those concepts now.
He is getting the newest one for his birthday in about 2 weeks. It goes a bit deeper into real reading. It is called Learn to Read at the Storybook Factory. I LOVE the Leap frog dvds & HIGHLY reccomend them to anyone. They are very well done. All concepts are set to very catchy tunes, my 3yo knows all the songs.
We also have the math one by Leap Frog. it teaches counting to 10 & the concept of how many 10 is as well as very basic adding & subtracting. Also very well done.
Baby Bumblebee:
we have the 5 Vocabulary Builders, the 3 Action Words, & both Numbers DVD's.
Signing Time:
My First Signs
Playtime Signs
Everyday Signs
Family, Feelings & Fun
ABC Signs
My Favorite Things
There are 13 differant ones all together. You can see them at www.signingtime.com When we got them he was totally nonverbal & we had hoped he would use the signs to communicate. While he does know them all he never would use them for communication. Now though he is learning to say the words & also to read them, they show the words on the screen.
We also have a DVD from www.preschoolpower.com
Kindof a Montessory school type dvd that shows little children teaching how to do basic things. Hes not quite as thrilled with it as some of the others but has picked up a few things from it.
That is mainly what we have. His other favorite things to watch are Dora the Explorer, Veggie Tales & believe it or not Food Network. |
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Jul. 18, 2006
he is definitly reading
Today he picked up something that said Blue Bunny (Ice Cream) on it. He sounded out both words. Yesterday he was spelling some words that I know are not on his videos or in his books. He also told me the words on something he was playing with. I cant remember what they were anymore but I know they were words that Im sure he didnt know.
I spent all these years trying to find the key so we could open the doors to reach him & all this time it was right in front of me. Ive always known letters & words were a big thing with him but who would have known it would unlock all this. |
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Jul. 18, 2006
counting
Numbers havent been as big of a pull for him as letters but he is becomming more interested in them. He likes to take a ruler & name the numbers on it. The other day he was sitting outside on the motorcycle while daddy was working on it & we heard him say "10, 20, 30". He was reading the numbers on the speedometer.  I knew he could count to 20 & I knew he recognized a lot of the numbers up to 20 but that kindof threw me. |
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Jul. 18, 2006
color his world
He loves crayons. I recently bought some new ones & he is fascintaed with them. he will bring me a crayon & have me read the color to him. Sometimes he will sit with the box & pick them out one at a time & say the color. He even names the odd ones like Yellow-Green. He has taken to pointing out the color of things we see. My SIL recently gave him a pillow that she thought he would like. Silky material & kindof an odd squishy feel to it. He kept bringing it to me & telling me "Pillow..red pillow". When watching Dora he will say "red firetruck", "yellow bulldozer", "blue train". Color is almost as big of a deal with him as letters & words are.
I have been thinking of painting his bedroom with a differant bright color on each wall & then big letters & numbers in contrasting colors painted all over it. I dont know when I will ever get around to it but maby someday when I have a spare moment. |
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Jul. 18, 2006
asking for things
It has clicked!! He realizes now that words can be used to request what he wants!!!!! He will come to me, get right in my face & stare into my eyes to make sure I am listening & then ask for something. When he wants to watch tv he will come say "Dora" then usually tell me which episode he wants. So like "Dora..ABC's" or "Dora...Ice Cream". Just a bit ago he brought me a cup & said "Drink..thirsty". |
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Jul. 18, 2006
animals
He is developing an interest in animals. We stopped at my Grandmas farm the other day & when we drove in the driveway Dakota got really excited & started saying "Sheep, Sheep!!!!" My uncles sheep were by the yard fence. we took him over to see them & he had the most excited bright eyes. Just staring at them. Kept saying "sheep!!!!!". He wanted so badly to pet them. He even tried to climb the fence to get in with them. Can this be the same child that was terrified of puppies just 6 months ago???? When we left he started crying. He was trying to run back to the sheep. |
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Jul. 13, 2006
maby we're getting there after all
I have noticed with each of my dc that just before "getting" the concept of potty training they would start to let me know when they are needing changed. Its one of the best signs that they are ready. Dakota has been showing signs that he is starting to get it & has even used the bathroom once or twice but it is more like a game to him not a true understanding of what he is supposed to be doing. Most times he hates to sit on the toilet or potty chair & could care less when he is wet or messy. Today he was outside with Daddy & he came to me & said "diaper". He was saying another word too that I could not figure out. I asked him "do you need a diaper?" He repeated both words again. So I said "ok lets go inside & I'll change your diaper", he ran in ahead of me & waited while I got one & then started saying the other word over & over again. I was still not getting it, when I picked up the wipes he got excited & repeated his word again. That was when it hit me, he was saying wipes! Diaper & wipes. |
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Jul. 11, 2006
not all writing is good
I bought a new box of markers the other day & it didnt get put away. I have 6 dc, I KNOW better than that. So Dakota found them & got out a marker, without anyone noticing. I could see him from where I was working & thought nothing of it. He was sitting on the floor with his back to me & I assumed he was *reading* like he so often does. When I walked thru the dining room just a few minutes later I found giant purple words written on my floor. Fortunetly they wiped up with a baby wipe.
Note to self....lock up the permanent markers. |
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Jul. 11, 2006
I cant believe how much he is talking
6 months ago I thought he never would & now its just amazing. He will come to me & just say word after word. All the things he knows that were locked inside. He knows all his colors. He can count to 20, maby higher, & he recognizes the numbers too. (he says five-teen for fifteen  ) He can tell me the names of many fruits & vegetables. He can spell so many words, big words. He is talking to people some now, trying to have conversations. He will come get us & say "go bye bye" if he wants to go somewhere. He now says "Signing time" or "Dora" to request movies. He will say "bath" when he wants to take a bath. Last night he had something & he came & told me "dont like". When he gets tired he will say "night night". He will have me read him a page from a book, over & over till it is memorized & then he will recite it. The entire page! If I read something to him out of order he will correct me by saying it the *right* way.
Ive always known he was very smart but with all this coming out so quickly after all this time I am just amazed. |
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Jul. 5, 2006
Woohoo a breakthrough!!!!
Dakota has been using a lot of words the past few months but basically just repeating them. Off hand I cant think of a time that he has ever used a word to request something. I have been trying to give him things if he says the word in hopes he would connect that he can ask for things he wants but he didnt seem to be getting it. Today he came to me with a cup in his hand. He handed me the cup, looked me straight in the eye & said "drink, thirsty". I have heard both words many times in the last week, they are on his Signing Time dvd that he has been watching & he has been repeating them each time. I have even heard him repeat th | |
