An update on Ethan

Hello All, Ethan Here!

We've got lots to talk about so here's what's been going down in Ethan town!

A few weeks ago we met with my entire case team along with a few of my teachers at the daycare.  It was the single largest gathering of people in one room working together for my benefit since back in my hospital days.   The meeting consisted of the following usual suspects:

Lori (my OT from kidsability)
Laurie & Cheryl (my feeding team from CCAC)
Tracy (my resource teacher)
Jenn (my toddler teacher)
Marcia (the school EA)
Mommy & Daddy (my parents)

If you've been keeping track, Catherine, my PT was unavailable to join us as she was rocking a vacation...

The meeting was an opportunity to get everyone together and on the same page regarding my progress, my goals, and unify a plan for the future!  From the meeting everyone learned a lot about what I am capable of.  Mommy and Daddy learned that I have eaten some additional foods at daycare including carrot cake, banana bread and a chicken burger which I will not eat at home and have not eaten again since the meeting.... argh.  The daycare ladies learned that I have many spoken words which I will only use at home.  I also use many signs which they didn't realize were attempts at communication.  Overall everyone's eyes were opened and it was a very successful meeting.

Here's a nearly complete list of my spoken words (bear in mind that I don't really say them perfectly but the point comes across anyway):

Hi                         Pee                     No                   Buh (Bus)             Woo (Two)
Bye                       Up                      Ya                   Eee  (Jeep)            Eee (Three)
Mama                   Down                 No Way           Ow (Meow)         Aht (Hot)
Dada                     Ease (Please)     Go                   Dash (Crash)        Waow Waow (fire truck)
Papa (Grandpa)    Eeze (Cheese)    Mine               Bee Bee (Beep)    Ha (Half)
Ba (Grandma)      Oh Boy               Dat (Cat)       Wuh (One)           Eat

Here's a nearly complete list of my signs:

Hi                       All done              Friend               Music                  Shoes            Ten Minutes
Bye                     Finished              Hurt                  Train                   Shut              
Up                      Play                     Cold/Scared     Help                     Book
Down                 Bird                     Music               One                      Monkey
Mine                  Drive Car             Eat                   Two                     Dog
More                  Sippy                   Water               Sleep                   Thank You

Occasionally I have manged to string two of these words/signs together but no major sentences or complete thoughts.

In other news from daycare I have now sat on the communal potty twice and even peed in it once! booyeah, baby steps towards potty training.  My mom and dad even rewarded me with a sweet Lightning Mcqueen potty for my bathroom.  I'm happy to sit on the potty with a good book but by no means am I ready to pee by myself on a regular basis.  I'm still content to enjoy the warm feel a full diaper.

My Ipad skills are continuing to develop.  I now play Angry Birds, and furiously demand to do so regularly.  Also, I have been dabbling in an app called Endless Alphabet.  The app consist of many words whose letters are scrambled up and the goal is to reassemble the word by matching the scrambled letters to a sample of the word.   Have a look at the video below to see what I mean.

Next we're off to the Zoo!  Last weekend we took Papa and Wayne to the Toronto Zoo.  It was a nice day filled with animals I could have cared less about.  All I really wanted to see were the elephants and the giraffes.  The elephants apparently weren't available for me to see due to "maintenance" but the giraffes, oh the giraffes! I loved them!!!! I even got some cool pics with my long necked spotted friends.  After the giraffes, I was pretty much spent, so we went to the gift shop to commemorate my first zoo trip. I ended up scoring a sweet $20 stuffed elephant, yay for zoo inflation! My Grandpa got me a train with various wood animals who sit in the freight cars attached to the train. Awesome! Then it was onwards towards home.

Speaking of animals this past weekend I went to the farmers market with mommy, daddy and grandpa. I must have been a good little boy because my parents rewarded me with my first pony ride! I was VERY hesitant to get on this pony, that was being called Dynamite! However mommy calmed me down and we were off! OMG I loved it! I was smiling from ear to ear and I didn't want it to end. But alas all good things must come to an end and I thanked my pony, Dynamite and continued on my way until NEXT TIME!

At home I love to go on my nightly "dog walks" no folks, our family did not get a dog, I just love to walk around my neighbourhood to find other people walking their dogs. I am very lucky since we have a neighbourhood pet store and the owner keeps his 2 biiiiiiig dogs at the store. I'm talking like horse sized dogs! AND I know just how to get there on my own!

Since I would be running away on my own to find dogs, my parents bought me my own get away "neat and tidy cottage" that I can play in with my cars and animals. So far I love going in and out of the cottage and calling grandpa from the play phone!

Now off the fun stuff an on to my therapy and home work....
As you may know, my speech therapy program "Target words" was cancelled before it even started, so I was stuck in limbo for a few months. During our meeting at the daycare, Lori was informed about what happened and she went to talk to someone so that I could at least get assessed again by their therapist. That day mommy was called to book a speech appointment for me. Then the day before my appointment it was cancelled because the therapist had emergency surgery. I am sad that she had surgery, however this sucks! My appointment has been rescheduled yet again this time for the end of June. Cross your fingers folks that my appointment goes as planned!

I saw Lori again to schedule me in for another block of therapy, I have been signed up for once a week for 4 weeks. In these sessions, Lori will be trying to get me to play with different textures (wet sand, glued cotton balls, paint and lastly soy butter, peas and cooked macaroni. As you can image the last few items are not going too well. The first few items are only going slightly better. Lots of homework for me.

Lastly I met up with Catherine, my physiotherapist after being off block since the beginning of January. She was happy to see that I am walking! We did a few exercises and will meet up again Mid-August where the decision will be made if I need these things called "SMO". SMO is a type of orthotic (Supra-Malleolar Orthosis).The SMO is designed to maintain a vertical, or neutral heel while also supporting the three arches of the foot.  She says my foot position isn't too bad, but I have been walking for 6 months so I shouldn't have this issue anymore, yet it remains, she says that I wouldn't have to wear them all the time, so half with them, half the time not. So I have 2 months to whip my supra-malleolar into shape!

I will be visiting my Pediatrician tomorrow for my first weigh in in 2 months, please think fat thoughts for me!