The few times I go to catch the little ones on video they see me and then stop doing whatever it was I wanted to capture on film. But this mommy persevered and I have been able to catch a few milestones on video that say more than I could say in words. To some it may look like nothing extraordinary is taking place but for my little ones this is something they have been working on or just been introduced to.
For Evelyn, we have been working on her talking or at least making sounds for quite some time. Due to our displeasure with our last speech therapist wanting us to try things with our children we and our pediatrician did not agree with we stopped taking her to that place and began working with Evelyn on our own. One way we have been doing such is to play a lot of music and sing to her. We also like to put on silly conversations with her while we do different things. She really likes changes in voices so we have tried that. All the while doing these things we sign to her. It is just fine with us if Evelyn never says words with her mouth because we are also teaching her to sign and she will need that in order to communicate with her brother who is deaf. Tonight she got out of her shower and saw herself in the mirror. That was all it took and she had a full blown conversation with herself. I only recorded part of it because I was just smiling and giggling at all the noises she was making. Just look at what Evelyn can do!!
Reagan really likes to be with Madelaine wherever and whomever she is with. While the big girls were trying out the new Dance 4 Wii game Reagan so desperately wanted to play. What Reagan did not know was there were only a few remotes that would work with it but the girls told her she could use this one remote so she could dance too (they did not want her to not be able to play). Reagan was the happiest little dancer once that remote hit her hand. She definitely has some original moves!!
Ethan is taking drum lessons for his music class this year. Santa brought Ethan this drum set so he could practice. Well, Hudson thought he would take a turn at it and has been hitting the drums ever since. I think he can feel the vibrations put out by the drum and that is what he must like. Also, note that this is physical therapy for Hudson as he is not very good at standing so this forces him to work on that while having fun putting an infinite ring in his mommy's ears.
Since we are able to home school the children we can tailor their learning to not only their style but also to practical ways that they are interested in. One of the things I like most and always have is that as a teacher I can always learn. My children are constantly teaching me what they can do and ways to do just that. It does not go for just my little ones with special needs but for ALL of my children. Sometimes I have found that I was getting caught up in what so and so was doing with their children and how that was turning out instead of seeing what my little ones were doing. I know as parents we all find ourselves in that place once or twice or often but what I think is important is not how many people we impress but how happy my little ones and I are at what they have done. That has certainly been a good lesson for me to be partaking in.
Home schooling also has helped us to work with our children on various therapy related topics without having our home turn into therapy central or spending all of our days running back and forth to therapy appointments. We do have a fantastic OT who comes and works with the children each week but what we really like the most about her is that she does not come to do her "agenda" only but works right along side us with what we are doing for their school work. I feel this really reinforces to the children what they are to learn. As parents of 6 children with special needs, Brian and I have really found a great group of families who are leaving the role of solely relying on therapists for therapy and are now creating therapy that works best for their child at home and with other family members. I have to admit I have seen so much growth from the children probably because I am able to enjoy them more rather than driving them all over and having other people teach them rather than me. I know not all families can do that and I say great. But for us this seems to be working for us right now. We may have to alter that in the future as our family dynamics change but for now we are really happy with how things are going.
For Evelyn, we have been working on her talking or at least making sounds for quite some time. Due to our displeasure with our last speech therapist wanting us to try things with our children we and our pediatrician did not agree with we stopped taking her to that place and began working with Evelyn on our own. One way we have been doing such is to play a lot of music and sing to her. We also like to put on silly conversations with her while we do different things. She really likes changes in voices so we have tried that. All the while doing these things we sign to her. It is just fine with us if Evelyn never says words with her mouth because we are also teaching her to sign and she will need that in order to communicate with her brother who is deaf. Tonight she got out of her shower and saw herself in the mirror. That was all it took and she had a full blown conversation with herself. I only recorded part of it because I was just smiling and giggling at all the noises she was making. Just look at what Evelyn can do!!
Reagan really likes to be with Madelaine wherever and whomever she is with. While the big girls were trying out the new Dance 4 Wii game Reagan so desperately wanted to play. What Reagan did not know was there were only a few remotes that would work with it but the girls told her she could use this one remote so she could dance too (they did not want her to not be able to play). Reagan was the happiest little dancer once that remote hit her hand. She definitely has some original moves!!
Ethan is taking drum lessons for his music class this year. Santa brought Ethan this drum set so he could practice. Well, Hudson thought he would take a turn at it and has been hitting the drums ever since. I think he can feel the vibrations put out by the drum and that is what he must like. Also, note that this is physical therapy for Hudson as he is not very good at standing so this forces him to work on that while having fun putting an infinite ring in his mommy's ears.
Since we are able to home school the children we can tailor their learning to not only their style but also to practical ways that they are interested in. One of the things I like most and always have is that as a teacher I can always learn. My children are constantly teaching me what they can do and ways to do just that. It does not go for just my little ones with special needs but for ALL of my children. Sometimes I have found that I was getting caught up in what so and so was doing with their children and how that was turning out instead of seeing what my little ones were doing. I know as parents we all find ourselves in that place once or twice or often but what I think is important is not how many people we impress but how happy my little ones and I are at what they have done. That has certainly been a good lesson for me to be partaking in.
Home schooling also has helped us to work with our children on various therapy related topics without having our home turn into therapy central or spending all of our days running back and forth to therapy appointments. We do have a fantastic OT who comes and works with the children each week but what we really like the most about her is that she does not come to do her "agenda" only but works right along side us with what we are doing for their school work. I feel this really reinforces to the children what they are to learn. As parents of 6 children with special needs, Brian and I have really found a great group of families who are leaving the role of solely relying on therapists for therapy and are now creating therapy that works best for their child at home and with other family members. I have to admit I have seen so much growth from the children probably because I am able to enjoy them more rather than driving them all over and having other people teach them rather than me. I know not all families can do that and I say great. But for us this seems to be working for us right now. We may have to alter that in the future as our family dynamics change but for now we are really happy with how things are going.
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