Christina and Daddy choosing flash cards.



Playng in the gait trainer.



Christina likes to talk on the phone.



Wagon rides are a favorite.

Christina has been swinging, she learned how much fun it is to spin around in the swing. As christina pushed herself with her legs and pulled with her arms the swing teetered. When she let go and the swing spun around there was a look of surprise and scared. But not for long; a smile quickly came and a laugh followed. So i spun her around more winding the swing and we counted and let go. Christina was a little worried when it first started spinning but liked it enough to do again. 

Christina has also been continuing her walks in the gait trainer. It is difficult for her to move it by herself again. After the phenol and botox christina went backwards with using the gait trainer. She is getting it back and I expect she will leap ahead soon. 

Daddy's Log : 20100808

It was a good weekend overall. The weather was too warm for Christina and I so we only ventured out in the morning. We went for walks and played for short periods and then would go inside to cool off and get a drink. Then back out for something else. By afternoon it was inside only.

This gave me the opportunity to try other ideas with the swing. To avoid caring on, I will describe only one. Christina wore her harness(a child size mountain climbing harness) and we hooked to the rope and up she went. I can not describe the feeling I had of her accomplishments. Christina did not cry or have a look of dispair. She waited for this new activity with patience and I think was even a little eager. Christina held her head up beautifully. She spun around a little and I gave her a little push when I got the OK.

I was overwhelmed by Christina and will get a picture up soon to show what I am talking about.

Daddy's Log : 20100801
Once again Christina has proceeded to entertain. I had the idea that we could switch from using the flash cards to using the switch. My thoughts were not shared with Christina. Christina was tolerant of me as I placed the cards into the slots and recorded the messages. The setup: Christina was in her chair; I was on the floor in front of her; the switch was on her tray; the button choices with cards for visual are 'All Done', 'More', 'Sing', 'Bubbles'.

Christina's fun then began. With a straight face and determined movement Christina pressed all done as soon as we started. I asked if she would like sing or bubbles. Christina continued with pressing all done. After several times of pressing all done, Christina then took it to the next level and also signed all done. I continued my inquiry of sing or bubbles. Christina then started to crack a smile. After a few more presses of all done with the sign to go with it Christina began laughing. She could no longer hit all done without laughing. With a smirk Christina agreed to make a selection between singing and bubbles.

As a note to adults, be sure you can pull the bubble wand out of the bottle when you tell a child you are going to blow bubbles. Why the bubble wand is so short in respect to the bottle is beyond me. And why is the opening so small. The econo size bottle is not user friendly. And do not leave paper out that you do not want to get drenched while bubbles are floating everywhere. The bubbles can get everywhere and when they pop they leave a lot of residue.

My difficulty getting the wand out of the bottle of bubble solution made for a good time for Christina. Nothing like getting laughed at by a four year old because you are unable to complete a simple task. The more frustration I showed the harder Christina laughed.

Daddy's Log : 20100729

Today was a busy day. We started with a walk by the river. Christina picked flowers and held them until ST started. Christina had ST today, then we went home and Mary and Peg came over for a home visit. Christina was not happy, but showed them how well she eats lunch. Barb also came over today. Three appointments today; one for Christina, one for myself, and one for the two of us.

Peg brought us a wagon to try. It works great with Christina's seat2go. THANK YOU Peg. After the smiles today, I am on a mission to find a wagon that will fit her chair.

Christina even slept for nap today. A good sign it was a busy day.

Daddy's Log : 20100725

It is another Sunday and I find myself missing Christina more than usual. The house is a mess; dishes, laundry, vacumming, picking up. Nothing unusual; however, feels overwhelming.

Christina's reflux is continuing to act up. I am starting to shift from watchful to concerned. Angela has not heard from Dr. Aru, Christina's gastroenterologist.

I have also noticed that Christina's sensory triggers have not subsided even with the addition of brushing during the day. Brushing has helped in the past, but does not seem to be helping now. Perhaps it is helping and her sensors are that sensitive.

Again it was brought up to have Christina see a counselor. Angela stated she has not had luck finding a counselor. I will begin my search today. It was stated that Christina's different abilities make it difficult for her to communicate. Specifically not being able to draw and being non-verbal. Frustrating, Christina is one of the most communicable people I know. Who has trouble communicating? Sorry venting. I feel it is the adult's responsibility to listen and understand the child, not the child's responsibility to find a language the adult understands.

On a happy note, Christina and I enjoyed the weekend. I will post more detail on her blog, http://www.christinakademan.com.

DQ Miracle Treat Day August 5th, 2010

Buy a Blizzard at participating Dairy Queens and $1.00 goes to the local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. For us the local is Gillette Children's Hospital. Yes, Christina has been there.

Here is the link for the site with more information, http://www.miracletreatday.com/.

NOT ALL of the DQ's in town participate.

My favorite DQ:
Dairy Queen Brazier
3057 N Hastings Way
Eau Claire, WI 54703.

Others that DO participate are:
Dairy Queen Brazier
2801 Golf Rd
Eau Claire, WI 54701

Dairy Queen/Orange Julius Treat Ctr
4800 Golf Rd
Ste 139 Oakwood Mall
Eau Claire, WI 54701

Dairy Queen Brazier
2451 Birch St
Eau Claire, WI 54703

Daddy's Log - 20100722

Christina had ST at 10:00. We stopped in at UCP-WCW to say hi before speech started. Christina did very well in speech, only one week left(two sessions).

Christina has been a little off for the past couple of weeks. I can't say exactly what it is, but it is becoming a concern. I spoke with Angela about it this morning and both of us are considering Christina see a counselor. The signs/symptoms point to depression. I feel a heavy weight pulling me down thinking of that.

Daddy's Log Supplemental
I spoke with Angela again this evening about counseling for Christina. We also discussed the varies therapies Christina receives and/or does not receive. I must find a way to discuss these items with Christina. I have not pushed the issue when Christina does not want to discuss them. That will have to change.

Flipping through the channels after work one night I found Star Trek. It happened to be showing a spot with the usual "Captain's log, star date...". It made me think(and chuckle), "Daddy's log, date ....". After laughing to myself it sounded like it may be a good idea. Heck the blog is a journal, why not follow a similar style. So here you go, the start of the Daddy Log.

Daddy Log - 20100718
Christina and I went to Grandma Kar's this afternoon. We saw Dan, Sheri, James, Robyn, and Dylan. Christina walked in her gait trainer on the patio. She did super well. It was hot out today and Christina and I were wet from sweat. The look of pride on Christina's face when she reached her goal made it all worth it for me.

Daddy Log - 20100717
Saturday. We played outside for a short time. Christina and I walked around in the pool and did some jumping. It was too hot to be out for any length of time. So we did lots of walking in the house.

Christina has also been working on choices. We put various flash cards in the switch and she hits the button to answer. The flash cards we got from our last speech session came in very handy for our bedtime story. We read one or two pages from a book. I let Christina choose how much we read. So the "All Done" and "More" card was helpful.

Daddy Log - 20100716
Friday night Christina did not fall asleep very early. She wanted to go to bed, but talked up a storm. She slept in late Saturday morning. It threw the day off a little, but we were back on track by Saturday night. The siren went off not too long after Christina went to bed. I was worried it would wake her up. She stirred and made some noise, but went right back to sleep. The lighting was beautiful to watch.

This past weekend Christina and I went to the pool with grandma. Christina did very well and we had a blast. She takes such high steps in the water.

We also went to the park on Saturday. The slide is always a hit. And the sand makes for a good workout for Christina.