Flexible OT Jam Session

James had a great OT session yesterday.

First of all, let me say that I am thrilled that James has progressed from missing all OT sessions (despite our best efforts) to managing his own school schedule and being ready for the remote OT sessions on Google Chat.

Second, each session is different, with his OT teacher being flexible to accommodate how James' day is going. This keeps James interested.

Today I got to watch some sensory breaks with stretches, breathing, and a sensory brush. His therapist then caught sight of the practice guitar on our kitchen chair, and turned the session (which had been stalling out) into an impromptu play session with guitars. He got James to strum a bit, then played songs and invited James to guess the song that he was playing and to sing along. It was great!

James is still not exercising much (and our heat advisory is not helping that) but this does help get him moving around and shaking things out. It also gives him an opportunity to engage with someone in a playful, back and forth manner, which James loves.

NYE Countdown: 9PM

Even at the end of Kindergarten in May, you still look so much younger to me than just recently in End of November/December.

You don't fit those shoes and that shirt is a little small on you now. I'll bet the pants are almost floods.

Still, we did enjoy the nifty sheeps' clothing at the Healdsburg Future Farmers' Fair.

More activities with your sister: Dining outdoors at the Hungry Puppy Cafe.

Drawing together with chalk on the sidewalk. You both loved doing that this year!

For the first time, you did writing: Dad, Mom, Anna, and ....

James

You're still my sweet boy, which is lucky ....

because I remember that when you're naughty.

The boy who cried at the Christmas show, five months later turned out to love doing
the Chicken Dance in front of everyone ... including me.

Big Development: James can sit criss-cross applesauce. This was the first time I ever saw him do it.
Also, he is letting the face paint stay on his cheek. Usually he swipes it right off.
End of year Kindergarten field trip at Haworth Park.

See this shot? This is Mommy enjoying the poolside while both kids swim in the pool, without fear or floaties.

That Left-handed Thing Again

A YES! moment: James' teacher, aide, and O/T are finally coming around to looking into the possibility that James might be left handed.

We are going to start trying to encourage his left hand for writing. This is totally against conventional wisdom (you are supposed to put the pencil in the middle and let them choose which hand to use), but that is James, who is now having a meltdown fit if I turn left instead of right on the way home (he is that tied to routines). I think that he is choosing to write with his right hand because it's been his routine to do so.

He throws and kicks with his left. Without a pencil or crayon in his hand, he will write with his left fingers. My mom's family is full of lefties. When he grips a pencil with his left hand, the grip is better than with his right one, and while the writing is messier, he can still write using his left hand.

And I would like to clarify that even though this issue has been frustrating me, I still admire and have confidence in his team at school. They are looking at James, not just pushing him through a system, and I really appreciate it.

I Think He's Left, But Is That Right?

How do we determine hand dominance? It's a question about James that's been bugging me for almost a year. His sister was pretty easy to determine as a right-handed and footed person because she consistently used the right side of her body to write, draw, kick, and throw. James, in keeping with the mysterious/super powers aspect of his personality, is keeping the whole dominant hand card game close to his chest (with both hands).

Last year, when he had better mastery of eating with utensils and was starting to use markers and paint brushes, I started watching his to see which hand he used. A lot of times it was his left. Then he started to use his right. I know that many kids do this, but by a certain age, children need to have a dominant hand to support. I started discussions with his preschool teacher, who recommended a wait-and-see approach, as well as a helpful suggestion of not handing him something, but rather putting it on the table in between his left and right hand. James continued to experiment, but then picked it up with his left and transferred to his right.

Through this Spring and Summer, he continued to throw consistently with his left hand, kick with his left foot. He also used his left fingers to draw in the sand and WRITE HIS NAME IN THE CAPRET (this, when his teacher and O/T said he could not write and needed to concentrate on making circles and crosses). Yet for table activities he usually picked up with his left and transferred to his right.

I am not trying to discount the knowledge and experience of James' preschool teacher or O/T (the same O/T as in his preschool), but I continue to push the question of hand dominance with James. There are many left-handed people in my Mom's side of the family, and my uncle has shared stories about being punished when using his left hand and being made to use his right (which he hated and now no longer does). My mother taught SpEd for many years and I remember her talking about how not determining hand-eye-foot dominance can make some learning disabilities harder to overcome. In short: I worry that James' development will be negatively impacted by this protracted waffling about which is his dominant hand.

I am now being told that "some people" are ambidextrous, which is "fine". That "some people" don't settle on a dominant hand "for a while". That "some people" have a dominant left foot and a dominant right hand. This adds to my concern, because while I am sure this is fine and dandy for many of the "some people", this is our James, and I think we need to start supporting the appropriate hand NOW, because he is just getting this school thang, is absolutely in love with it, and does better when he builds consistently on a routine.

I've watched him get excited about playing a game with other kids in a room full of beach balls, just waiting to be kicked. I've seen how long it takes his brain to process (1) the ball (2) the activity (3) triangulation of said ball in regards to his body (4) figuring out where his legs, then feet are (5) shifting from one foot to another to find his starting foot and then (6) brace on one foot and start the kick with the other. Somewhere in between steps 4 and 6, I watch another kid zoom in and kick his ball out from under his foot. Yes, that's a game; he had fun and practiced; it won't always be like that. I want this to limit this happening with him at school, learning-wise.

I'm his mom and I worry. It goes with the job. If anyone has any helpful ideas, I'd love to hear them.

If It's New, He'll Try It

James saw this balance beam in the play area at the County Fair. He had to try it.

"Moooooom, don't hover!"

I wonder how hard it would be for me to try and build one myself?

T-minus 4 days to Kindergarten!!!!

Summer at the River

Here's where we hung out this afternoon: a stretch of beach along a local River.


It's been The River to me since I can remember. It feels good to be sharing it with the kids. I could actually relax because their Nana came with us, so James and his sister both got some personal attention.


James spent some time in the water, testing his balance against the rocky, sandy bottom and the River's gentle, yet persistent, current. He threw rocks, dug in the sand, and tried to scoop real live minnows with a net. He and I had splash wars (he's holding his hands better for this than he did before) and tossed the net back and forth to each other. He picked a flower for me and even started to gather and count the rocks. Before throwing them. I'll bet that's a couple of P/T sessions right there.


Felt soooooo good!

Good heavens, I adore those floaties from the Dollar Store. It gave both kids confidence to play in the water and try to swim on their own. They are bright and easy for me to spot.

Magic Marker Monday: Sparkle Power

I finally got around to looking at some of James' paintings from his Dino, Dragon, & Unicorn camp program.

At first, I only saw the outlines and paint colours.

Then the sunlight hit it and WOW! Sparkle Power!

I had to smile at this guy:

I can't decide whether it's because I put in several years enjoying toddlers and preschoolers who liked Dragon Tales ... or that they no longer watch it. More the former than the latter, actually.

Since he's been doing crafts at the summer camp, James has been a little more interested with paints and glue. Excellent, because Kindergarten starts in almost 2 weeks (yikes!).

Visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Monday.


  

Magic Marker Mondays: Face Painting with Frosting!

James loves finger painting. Usually too much for me to feel like I can keep up with it. I have a beaut of a photo of James, clad in a diaper, finger painting in the backyard. He is wearing the paint all over his hair, face, and body. He looks like Baby BraveHeart.

Well, I have yet to find that photo tonight. Meanwhile, here is one of James' first forays into painting with his fingers, using the frosting from his first birthday cake. His first taste of sugar and all those bad dyes.



Man, he had a blast! My mom had tied helium balloons behind his chair and he started beating them with his hands in a completely joyous session of baby smack down. Completely adorable, and he totally destroyed those balloons by coating them with frosting.






Way to go on those artistic boxing endeavours, James!

Visit 5 Minutes for Special Needs for more Magic Marker Mondays.

Adventures in Baking

Chapter 4.5 -- James discovers the oven

Well, we had a deadly 40-minute gap to bridge until SHAPE started. They kids were tired and I am trying to cut down on the TV. I decided to have the kids help me make and bake scones.

One of the first things I do is turn on the oven. Luckily I always peek inside the oven when I turn on the gas, because this is what I saw there, lying on a baking sheet:



After I went "OMG!" and laughed hysterically a bit, we got down to business. It was good OT for James, who has trouble holding a fork and using it to stir dry ingredients and low muscle tone in his hands.

His big sister got a kick out of being the mentor, and they both loved kneading the dough.





(Shhhhhhhh! Don't tell her that James and I made them again today by ourselves)

I think it was good for me to cup my hands over his to help him gish the dough with his fists. He'd hold the dough, but not scrunch it. He needs more scrunch action. Darn. I think we'll just have to bake again!

Exploration

James has always liked water. The fountains on the Town Green have fascinated him since the first time he saw them. This year, he is finally able to explore around them.


On his first fountain expedition, he toddled over to them and immediately tried to get his feet in the water, shoes and all. He'd lean over the sides and stick in his hand, usually up to his shoulder. Once, the entire side of his head almost kissed the bottom. Most un-fun. I'd have to hold him in a flying position and zoom him into the mini waterfalls. He'd let the water spill over his hands and laugh. The gravel nearby was obviously meant to be scooped up and thrown into the water. To be fair, his sister was fond of this too.

This year, James can hold onto part of the fountain and reach out to let the waterfall spill over his hands. He is not so interested in plunking his shod feet in the water. Although he will do it if he is sufficiently bored.

The gravel goes into the grates in the ground.

He walks along the fountain edges, trying to keep up with his sister.

James will also cross the fountain, counting his footsteps. I can tell he is getting much more self-confident, because he is doing it much faster now. And has fallen in twice.

I love trips to the fountains. They are like an OT session. Maybe a little more fun. With a lot less driving.