Field Trip

Sam's class went to the Austin Science and Nature Center his first day back to school. They needed drivers, so of course I volunteered to go along!

Here's several of the kids watching a worker clean the cage of a red fox. 

We got to see animals, dig for Dinosaur bones, and use magnifying glasses to look at nature close up. 

 

All the boys liked to look at the bug collection. 

Sam did really well on the field trip. I was a little worried he would have a hard time going on a trip the first day back after two weeks away. In reality, he did really well. One building was really noisy, so he had a little trouble with the noise, but otherwise, he stayed with his friends rather than hanging around with me. I was so happy to see his ease with his friends. 

The trip was a success!

Home Again

We made it home! It was a very smooth travel day. The flight was quick. Sam played iPad during the flight, so it went by in a hurry. 

It's good to be home!

Speech Therapy at STAR

While we talked a lot about OT while here at STAR, we also had 6 speech therapy sessions with Carrie. Last time we were here, Carrie is the therapist that diagnosed Sam with apraxia. She is such a talented therapist, so we took advantage of our time here to have therapy with her too. 

Here is a link to a video with Sam warming up for therapy. Both Carrie and Sam are wearing headphones. These are special headphones that help Sam feel the sounds as he's saying them. 

https://youtu.be/Al0Fhc9BLV8

Enjoy!

Last Day at STAR

We are sad that it's the last day at the STAR Center. We really feel like they understand Sam and provide wonderful therapy and support for us as parents. We just love it here. 

This morning Sam painted a rock to leave on the playground at STAR. 

When it was time to paint with the blue paint, he thought it smelled too strong. 

He kept on painting, but he held his nose the whole time. 

So funny!  We have one more therapy this afternoon. We pack up to leave early tomorrow morning. I have a feeling we'll be back!

STAR Videos

Over our time at STAR we've taken many videos of Sam's occupational therapy.  We like to document where he's at right now.  We also like to see how much fun OT can be.  Here are several links to short videos for you to see. Now you can really see Sam in action!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtmxVruUaxw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV4uf1xwOl0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7ioc99ROJU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMHWEINMb_Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcH8V--v7ng

You can copy and paste these links into your address bar.  Enjoy!

Climbing High

Sam had a good day at therapy. In speech therapy he is learning how to say more complex sentences. He was making pizzas for Jason and I and had to ask us, "Do you want ...cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, tomatoes." He also working very hard to say the word "you".  It comes out "wou" often. We remind him to smile big to start with "eee" and then can move to the "ooo". Speaking is so much more complex than we even realize. 

Then this afternoon we played with Lindsay. Sam climbed high on the rock wall. He also played on a swing and rode of the belly slide. Fun times today!!

Climbing on the ball. 

Starting his climb to the top. 

Almost there!

Sliding on the belly board. 

Good News!

I received a call today confirming our new occupational therapy! We've known that our current OT situation needed a change.  We've been on a waiting list for a different occupational therapy clinic since early February.  I talked with the owner in March and was told they would be able to take Sam as a patient as soon as we returned from Denver.

I called the week before we left for STAR to make sure we were still moving forward with the new OT.  I was told there had been a change of plans because one of their therapists had to make an unexpected move out of state.  So, that has left us hanging about our OT future until today.  I received a call from the owner, and although they've wait listed all of their other future clients, they have moved schedules and worked really hard to get Sam into the schedule this summer.  In fact, Sam will start the week we get back from Denver!

Our new clinic, KidVentures, has two owners that are STAR trained.  Since they knew we were serious about Sam's OT needs and have come to STAR for therapy, they worked really hard to get Sam in this summer. We are so thankful for their willingness to work with us!  We also thank God for creating a soft spot for Sam in the heart of the KidVentures staff so they are willing to take us on.  Awesome news!