What are Chad and Conner up to?

Chad, Conner and Daddy!





Swimming, swimming and more swimming!





I have been spending so much time blogging about all of Cam's great stuff, that I have neglected Chad and Conner in the pics. They are still swimming a bunch and finally went to the beach. Conner is getting better at swimming. He's swimming under the water about 5 or 6 feet to the steps! At least I'm starting to feel like he could make it to safety if he fell in, but we are still being extra careful, don't worry! Other than those things, nothing more to report. Well, other than Conner is very ready to go home. Chad wants to be on vacation forever! Now for pics!




Conner getting ready to swim to Chad








1..2..3.. Go!




...and back to the steps!




They really do love each other (at that moment anyway!!)

A Cloudy, Summer Monday!

Well when Cam was asked what day it was this morning, he was very quick to say "Monday"!. The weather was a little difficult, but he looked out the window when they talked about it being cloudy. It's usually sunny and if it weren't for the trees and Spanish moss waving in the breeze, I would be tempted to accuse Erika of putting a picture of a sunny sky and trees in the window! The season was another thing he did well this morning. This took a little while, but he finally got out "mur"! Hey! I'll take it!

It was a really great day for Cam. Seven stickers, two of them for going to the potty!! I cannot tell you how thrilled I am at this! He really does so well on his potty chair. That was on of our best purchases without a doubt.


Academics was very good today too. We started working on big and small. We had a big teddy bear, plastic ring and ball, then we had the small versions of them. We mixed them up and had them pick out the big item and put it to one side and then the small item on the small side. He did really well with eye gaze, but he did make small attempts to move his hand toward the items.

He was so excited about standing up today. It made it difficult for me to hold onto him, but he had fun! He also did very well eating. I gave him carrots and bananas today and he ate everything I put on his plate! He really seemed to enjoy eating too, which is wonderful.

I hope to have more good news tomorrow as we count down our last week at The Grace Center and in HHI!

Week 4 - HHI and The Grace Center 2008

Well, it's the end of week 4 and it was a much better week. Cam started out strong on Monday. This week's lesson was shapes. Cam was pulling shapes from under the scarf by feeling them and he found them pretty well. Erika once again came up with some really creative ways of getting the kid's to learn shapes. We cut them out of Play-doh and felt them, then destroyed them ;) She also placed cut out shapes on a page in front of the kids and then would take away a shape to see of they could tell which one was missing. We talked about each shape beforehand, so Cam actually did very well with this through eye gaze mostly. Erika asked which shape was missing and he would look to the spot. He would also look to the correct spot when we told him to look at the square, circle or triangle. I'm so proud of him! He was not quite as impressed with Friday's lesson. We colored shapes, Erika cut them out and then we pasted them on paper to make a house. Erika just laughed at him and his indifference!

Each day we practice getting socks on and off and shirt on and off. We've been having trouble getting him to do this so Erika decided to have him sit up rather than lay down. This really seemed to work very well and he did better. It seems that laying down and working against gravity is still difficult.





Cam working to get his socks off








It's a lot of hard work!




Pottying continues to go very well! On Wednesday, he pottied twice during the program for the first time! Two potty stickers in one day! He did this two days in a row. On Friday he never went, but stayed dry the whole time! I took him about 4 times while we were there and he never went. Not sure what happened that day.

Eating continues to go well. He loves bananas, sweet potatoes, chocolate pudding and applesauce. He continues to eat about 1/3 to a 1/2 of a container of what he likes. Pears and fruit mixtures do not go over as well. He also tolerates apple and grape juice very well. He will stop eating and refuse food until I give him some juice. When he's done, he will let me know as well by closing his lips to both food and juice, or trying to stand.

Speaking of standing! Cam's new shoes have really made a difference in standing. He is doing well in this area too. He still tries to turn his right ankle over, but his new shoes help to support his ankles so he can't turn it.

We continue to try to get Cam to walk out in the gait trainer. I think by the end of the day, he is just so tired that it doesn't appeal to him quite as well. Erika and I will continue to encourage him to go though. He really likes chasing the other boys up the hall, but they are usually gone way before he gets to the end. The great thing is that he continues to tolerate it without getting too upset. He will whine because he's tired, but he will not go into one of his fits and flat out refuse to move! Once again, this is huge for him!



Cam working hard to reach and get the ball.





Erika tells me just about every day how impressed she is with Cam this year. His tolerance and strength are what impress her the most. She is so proud of him, and so are we (do I say that enough??).

Okay, one more praise and I'll close out this week's blog. Cam's rolling continues to improve. He is really starting to get the idea of what he needs to do to roll over. He still has a ways to go, but he is making progress!

Thanks again for supporting us as we spend this valuable time here trying to help Cam progress. I promise more pics next week of all the different activities. Next week, Lisa and Teresa (Cam's Teacher and OT) are coming to check out Cam's progress. It's our last week, so I hope we can make it count!! I'm ready to get home, but, once again, will desperately miss The Grace Center!!


Here are Cam's new BFF's :) aka: the kids he works so hard with every day!




Go Jake, climb that plinth table!




Even though the picture is a little blurry, I'm sure you can still see why Cam loves Hannah Grace!




Sweet, sweet Cody!

Week 3 - HHI and The Grace Center 2008

Well, it's been a week of highs and lows for Cam working at The Grace Center. We started off slow, picked up a little and then ended the week on an off day. I'm not sure what's going on, but I hope next week is much better! He is getting so strong though. I put him in his bed one night he began lifting his head up off the bed, almost like he was doing crunches! Mom and I were so amazed at his strength! I know I've said this before, but I so wish he could do this year round! Keep up the prayers!! Dawn and I are more determined than ever to get The Therapy Place going.

Monday was just a sleepy day for Cam. He has been doing so well at pottying, but he wouldn't do it on Monday. Erika began introducing counting and read a great story about 10 Hungry Monsters that I had never heard before. I'm not sure if counting just was not interesting to him, but he would just turn off during the academics.

The middle of the week was a little better, but academics continued to be an issue. Cam did continue to potty well through the rest of the week and walking in the gait trainer down the hallway to leave at the end of the day went fairly well. Friday, as I said, was very off. The Grace Center had some visitors come through to view the class and Hannah was very distracted and cried (something I've never seen her do during a class!). I think she just wanted her Grandmother to save her! This caused Cam to loose it some. He loves to play Mr. Sympathy! On a positive note, he is really enjoying being on his stomach even more than last year. This is huge for him! Oh!! I almost forgot! Friday, he ate almost a half a jar of bananas. This is also huge for him! This eating has become more than just tasting for him, he is actually taking it in and swallowing it! He usually becomes kind of congested (aka junky) sounding while eating, so I really have to watch him to be sure he doesn't aspirate the food. Well, on Friday, he really didn't get "junky" sounding at all! Another answer to prayer!

Erika came up with very creative ways to try to get them to understand counting. One day, she put Play-Doh under the scarves for them. When they pulled off the scarves to reveal the Play-Doh, we were all excited! Erika explained that she wanted us to make 3 balls and help them to count the Play-Doh balls. Well, me and the other Moms thoght forming Play-Doh numbers would be much more interesting (not to mention fun for us!), so we made 1,2 and 3 out of the Play-Doh. We were all comparing our dough forming skills and complimenting each other when Erika very kindly pointed out that she wanted balls, not numbers! The purpose was to get them to count objects. She would also use them to divide into groups, "you have 2 balls on your right and 2 on your left, how many do you have total?" Very creative, huh! Sometimes I have to remember that it's not about me and my fun!

Thanks to donations from kind friends, we were able to purchase a gait trainer for Cam like the one he has been using at The Grace Center. I was worried that he would not be happy about having one at home, but I was wrong! I put him in it to see what adjustments would need to be made, then I took him out to fix it. He was mad at me! When I finally put him back in and moved him to the hardwood floor where he could really go, he laughed at took off! I could just imagine what kind of new world he was starting to enjoy! He immediately started trying to take out the furniture in the rental house! I have to stay right behind him. He must have stayed in it for about an hour before he complained. It was nice to see him act so content in a therapy item. He is usually very resistent to new things.

Well, check in again next week. I'll also be adding some pictures from this week over the next couple of days. Thank you all for checking in on Cam's progress! Oh, Chad and Conner are doing well too! Chad is swimming like a fish in the pool and Conner is swimming like a fish wearing a life vest or swimmies! Cole and Smurf came to visit this weekend so Chad and Conner are having a blast. They have gotten to see a couple of movies and go play putt-putt this week. They really are troopers through all of this. We don't really get out much and have yet to see the beach (yes, I'm a little ashamed!) but we have the pool which is the whole reason I got this house. We will go to the beach soon. This house has been wonderful though. Mom and I want to move here. Oh, to dream!

I'm adding some pics of us at the Crazy Crab with Clark's brother, Richard, his wife, Lorraine (aka Smurf!) and their son Cole. We had a great weekend together.

Week 2 - HHI and The Grace Center 2008

Erika helping Cam stand

Cam rolling toward Jakob







Cam and Mom during academic program



Well, it's the end of week two! Time sure is flying this year. We are really enjoying our time here. Chad and Conner have throughly enjoyed the pool. Chad has been swimming well, but is becoming even more of a "fish"! Conner is getting braver and more confident with his swimming, although we still need our Spider Man floaties. He is jumping in and going under, no problem. Grandmother and I are having to enforce very strict pool rules! Cam has enjoyed the pool as well. He will kick and kick the entire time. If you take him out before he is ready, he will let you know!

In Grace Center news, things kind of went a little downhill for Cam after Monday, but he finished pretty well. Cam decided that 4:00am was a great time to be awake two days in a row! He ended up sleeping through class. When he wasn't nodding off, he was fussing or only halfway working. Thursday night he slept much better and I had to wake him up at 7:30 Friday morning.

Cam's best work was during the Academics program. Erika took three items, a ring, a wooden puzzle piece with a knob and a beanie baby. We talked about each item, their different textures and felt them. Then we placed all of the items under a scarf (Cam loves the scarf!). Erika would then hold up an item and ask them to find it under the scarf. Cam did so well! I even mixed them up to add a level of difficulty. He was able to find the items she was asking them to find! I just looked at Erika and said, "Wow!", I didn't know what else to say! She was happy with him too! Erika is also very pleased with the way he has been holding his head up this time. Still not perfect, but he definitely has better control of it. Not as many bruises this year!





Cam trying on a bike helmet from The Little Red Dog Foundation



Stephanie Reed had a group called The Little Red Dog Foundation come out to the Grace Center today at the end of our session. They help raise money so that they can donate bikes and trykes to disabled kids. You can take a look at this group at the following website: www.thelittlereddogfoundation.com. Cam enjoyed being on the bike and we cannot wait until we have one for him. Hannah really enjoyed her time one the bike and did not want to get off of it so that Cam could try! She crawled over while Cam was on it and tried to unstrap his feet! That little girl is so funny! She knows when something is hers and she has a hard time sharing! Cam has been borrowing her knee immobilizers for the Standing Program (the help him bear weight through his legs). The whole time she will just look at me with those big brown eyes and this concerned expression.

Oh, if you come to Hilton Head Island, check out this restaurant called AMIGOS. It is a Mexican restaurnat that mostly locals go to. It is in the Bi-Lo shopping center close to Forest Beach and Coligny Plaza. They have a salad called the BBQ Chicken salad that is out of this world!! And, be sure to share, unless you are starving, it's huge.

A Spectacular Monday for Cam!

All of the kids and their families along with their Conductor, Erika, pose outside of The Grace Center



When I began this blog, I had planned to do posts about once a week. Well, Cam did so well yesterday that I just had to do a one day post!

At The Grace Center yesterday, we started the week studying Animals. Erika gave each one of the kids a card with a different animal pictured on it. She made sure each child knew what the other ones had. Cam was given a picture of a dog and after we talked about it, we turned it face down on the table. Hannah was given a picture of a cow and after we all talked about the cow, she turned her card face down. Erika went through each animal asking who has the pig or who has the squirrel. When she got to "Who has the dog?", Cam stood up (with me steadying him of course) and yelled! Kind of made it easy for the rest of the kids! When she asked "Who has the cow?" He turned his head quickly and looked right at Hannah! Wanting to test this (sometimes I have a hard time believing how much he does know!) I asked him again. Once again, he turned his head quickly to Hannah! He is just so amazing! Pottying also continues to go well! Yahoo!

Cam's first week of Conductive Education - 2008!

Hello to everyone from sunny Hilton Head Island! Just wanted to give you all an update on Cameron's first week of Conductive Education at the Grace Center for 2008! He is still in what we call the adjustment period, getting acclimated to working for 3 hours every day. He has done surprisingly well with that part. Last year, working with the potty was a challenge. The children are rewarded for their hard work and accomplishments with stickers throughout the morning. Last year the sticker count for going potty was zero. This year, thanks to Mrs. Annie working with him on his new potty chair at home, his sticker count for the first week is three! This week we focused on colors. Cam was trying his best to tell the Conductor, Erika, what the colors were, and would say a very adamant "No! No! No!" when the color being said was wrong! He said yellow and blue. He tried to say red and green. He did very well picking out the correct colors. In fact, Erika had to take the number of color choices from 3 to 4 to keep him interested as 3 was just to easy! The lying program where we spend a lot of time on the plinth table is still difficult for him, especially on the stomach. He was doing better by Friday, but he hates it. He will be doing so much better by the time we get through the next couple of weeks. Eating is also going well. So far, he has tasted chocolate pudding (loves it!), applesauce, sweet potatoes and carrots. He also drinks grape juice every day. He is swallowing much more and not loosing as much as he has been. Last year toward the end, he began rejecting the food. I think the mistake I made last year was also using snack time to brush his teeth (which he hates!). I am keeping that entirely separate from eating now.

Hannah Grace is the daughter of the wonderful lady who started The Grace Center (www.thegracecenter.org). Hannah is a month younger than Cameron and has been doing Conductive Education since she was about 18 months old. She began crawling just over a year ago. Erika and Hannah's Mom, Stephanie, have had about 4 different meetings with the school Hannah will begin attending for Kindergarten next year. They have finally proven to them that Hannah is capable of learning and despite the fact that she cannot speak and has physical limitations, she can still be mainstreamed! This is such a testament to what Conductive Education can do! I wish all of you could see her in action, you would not believe it. She is already ahead of where most other Kindergarenters are when they start school. She knows all of her letters and can choose the right ones to spell.

Erika told me about a Conductive Education Conference happening in Chicago August 28 and 29. Not only do they have sessions regarding Conductive Ed., but they have some great non-profit information as well as CP issues. I am attaching the files she sent me. I think Dawn and I are actually going to try to find a way to do this, anyone else want to join us? Information can also be found at the following website: www.acena.org