Dora

Dawson has had a variety of fixations over his lifetime. When he was 1 1/2 or so, he was fixated on cars and the spinning of wheels on them. After that, he became fixated on Veggie Tales, then it was Nemo, and now it clearly is Dora.

We watch (and play) Dora from the time we wake up till the time we go to bed! If you are at all familiar with Dora, Dora and Boots always have someplace to go. They always have three steps to get to their location, such as jungle-river-Dora's house!! or Bridge-rock-waterfall!! We, as parents and caregivers have the honor of distinguishing which episode he wants to watch by key words such as: "River", or "library", "friends" or "Baby Dino"(that's a pretty easy one). At this point, we rummage through our brains to figure out which episode has that item in it. Then we locate the DVD or VHS (copied episodes from TV) and find the right location on the movie to watch. At that point, Dawson rushes to the closet to pull out his bin of "Dora blocks", finds all the charachters, and away he goes. He acts out the movie perfectly, and ALWAYS knows exactly what the next scene will be. He quickly finds the correct props, be it a string for the 'zip cord' or an empty container for the 'tram car'. He usually has the charachters in the right order just before the next scene, and when checking against the TV, they are in the exact right position! Unbelievably excellent visual memory! Often, when you hear him sleep talking at night, he frequently says phrases from the show in his sleep.

Tonight we bought some 'emergency' toys. The kind that you pull out when you either pull out a new toy, or your hair!! Guess what? Everything was Dora something or another! But he loves it; and it's a safe show, so who cares? We all will know the songs or catch phrases from the show till well past retirement, but, it makes him happy.

Now does anyone know of an equally catchy show about Bible stories?

-st

The Last Sale

It's almost that time again...
Twice a year, for several years now, a local store has been donating all of their returns and write-offs to us, and we have been hosting a garage sale to raise funds for Dawson's therapy-related things. What started out as a small operation selling plants and donated items has now ballooned into a huge sale that needs to be done 2x a year in order to sell everything. We have been so blessed by this endeavor, and we would have never imagined that it would become so big.
But alas, as with any fundraiser that happens, one gets burned out quickly- and it becomes very hard to manage the enormous task every six months. The list of people that have been involved is endless, especially our immediate family- but none more than Grandma and Grandpa W. Their tireless efforts of hard and painful work have been tremendous through the years. Aside from simply being normal grandparents to Dawson, they have heaped hours upon hours, and evenings upon evenings into this project. There is no way to properly thank you, except to say that may God find a way to bless you, and may Dawson's next kiss on your cheeks carry loads of gratitude and love for what you've done.
So here we go- tomorrow we start, and Saturday we complete the last time we will do this particular project.
Honey, did you bring any Tylenol with? -t

Learning for parents

Spring is here, and Dawson seems to be enjoying the outdoors this spring. What a blessing!

We've been doing lots of learning again, as Spring seems to be the time of year that conferences and appointments come around. As the picture shows, Dawson doesn't mind brushing his teeth, and based on one session I attended, it's a great thing! Prevention is the key! Actually, his front two teeth are a little wobbly, so it appears we may be close to reaching the next stage of his life! I wonder if he'll notice it when they come out. We expect to complete this task one night while he's sleeping, with Daddy's assistance, of course. I don't think the comprehension is there for the 'tooth fairy' quite yet!

Of course, the more obvious situation in this picture is the intense love for his father! Interesting how one moment, Dawson is completely overwhelmed with love for us, and the next moment, he's ever so angry! We do feel the love - most of the time!

Other sessions we've been able to take in recently include one on sleep for FAS children and an intense appointment with his developmental pediatrician. We are also planning on attending a full day session shortly on Sensory Integration from two renown people in that field of study. I'm really looking forward to it! I find this field of study, with all of the conferences I've attended, to be most interesting, as the sensory issues are often underlying issues to anything he does.

It is truly amazing how much we've learned over the last few years, and how that is helping us work with him. With this knowledge, I think he has come much further than he would have been without all of the strategies. Now if only we were more faithful at implementing the strategies all the time!

As you can tell from the posting time, it's late, and life must go on, so off to bed I go! Have an excellent week! -s

Water, Water, WATER!

So this entry is dedicated to one of Dawson's first loves- H2O.

How do you encompass, and properly explain how much water means to kids? Of course Dawson is no exception. He has always loved water- splashing, swimming, wading, drinking, soaking- and tommorow, he'll do it all over again.

If the weather's cold, he'll stand at the sink- shirt off of course, and take his Nemo characters through the regiment of reinacting different scenes from the movie. When the weather gets better, it's time to pull on the rubber boots and check out the latest mini lakes that have been created (that's him and Sylvia, exploring together).

Of course, the biggest joy for him has always been to pull the trunks on, and actually go into the pool. There is no secret to how therapudic water is. The pressure on a person's body does many things, including a secure feeling around them, allowing them to regulate their movements better, and have better impulse control. We are blessed to have family and respite workers that are willing to get wet with Dawson in the pool, the puddle or the sink, and make him truly happy. They are the heros that give him an opportunity to be in his element. Thanks everyone!

Of course, most of us love water too, but for kids that have disabilities, it's a whole new level of appreciation for what it can do, and the way it leaves you feeling. Now, where did we leave the towel? -t

A Great Easter!

First of all a big shout out to all the friends and family members that read this blog from time to time. Hope your Easter went well.

We had a great weekend. I think that Dawson enjoyed the nice balance of family and friends- but not too much! He really does enjoy his cousins, and finds pleasure in the people around him- just like anyone would. He has a limit though, and I think that we were able to read him well this weekend. This resulted in a good memory- it's not always that way.

I would like to say a special thanks to the aunts, uncles and cousins that were so encouraging and gracious to us on Sunday night, in spite of not having brought Dawson with. You showed a lot of understanding, and it resulted in a nice and relaxing evening for Sylvia and I. Many times, people are suspicious of us when we don't bring him with, not trying to understand the reasons. Thanks for being there for us in so many ways.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week, and God bless. -t

Easter with Dawson

This Easter, as with most holidays, we will have decisions to make. When do we take Dawson to Church- He doesn't understand why there's no Sunday School, and usually gets angry over that.
Which family gatherings should we go to (kids, crowds, babies, etc.)- and how long should we stay if we do go?
These are a few of the things that any family with kids with disabilities deals with every holiday. Above all, though, we're praying for a weekend where we can tangibly show him the meaning of Easter, and give him a better chance to grasp the concept of a Savior that loves him.
Happy Easter!-t

ALIVE!

This entry is strictly spiritual, and I make no apologies.
Jesus is alive!
You may have heard it in church years ago, or some guy shouting it on the street, but let me say it again, Jesus is alive!
This Easter weekend, we will be hit from every angle, with every sort of commercialized take on the bunny, or the egg or just simply chocolate. The truth is, all of this is utterly meaningless without the knowledge that there is something much greater to Easter than these things.
We believe that Jesus Christ took the punishment that we should of had, and he shed His very precious blood to pay for it. But all of that would be meaningless, had he not had victory over death, and risen again. We have a RISON SAVIOR! This is why we do not carry crucifixes- He is not on the cross anymore. The cross is empty- but more importantly- so is the tomb! We are not bound by a religious- driven order to pray a certain number of times a day, or to make ammends with the gods. We are invited to feast with the King Himself, and to have direct dialogue with the Lord of lords. We have a personal message from Him in the Bible, and follow our lives after it.
This Easter, I pray that your time will be more than the usual, and that you will celebrate life- yours, your family's and above all, Jesus Christ's. -t