It's been a hectic week - I met my Tues/Thurs morning client last week, for the first time. It took about five minutes for me to feel totally overwhelmed. He's unlike any autistic child I've ever worked with and I was at a loss as to what to do with him. I spent the majority of the session looking over his notebook and familiarizing myself with his programs, all the while trying to keep him from darting out of the room and disappearing. He's nonverbal for the most part and has a scream that could shatter glass when he doesnt get his way. We had a team meeting for him and I do feel better about future sessions, but he's going to be a tough one. He is, however, incredibly talented with play-doh and art supplies. He built things that amazed me - it would have been difficult for an adult to make these things, much less an 8-year-old autistic child. I have my first "real" session with him tomorrow morning and I'm going to attempt to begin his programs and am a little anxious about how it's going to go. Sometimes 3 hour sessions are just too much to be with one specific client, other times, it seems to fly by. My Tuesday afternoon child is precious - I've been with him for several months already and they kept me on his team when we changed schedules, as he and I have a strong bond already. He's very much verbal, as any of you who have met him will attest to. Verbal, and hilarious.
I got a phone call from a......friend/acquaintance/I'm-not-really-sure-what-we-are-anymore.....this morning on my way to work. She was "let go" from her job this morning, with no advance notice or pay - just "we no longer employ your position, goodbye" type of scenario. I haven't seen or really spoken to this person since my wedding and really am unsure where we stand. We were best friends for fifteen years and once we graduated, everything seemed to just ebb away - we got busy with separate lives and you know how that story goes. Anyway, she was interested in seeing if my workplace was hiring and I got her an application, as we are almost always hiring new therapists. I do not know that this type would be her cup of tea, however, but I'm more than happy to do what I can for her. I wish we could have the type of friendship we used to have, but we have grown apart in a lot of ways and no longer have the same values or morals that we were both raised to have. I disagree with a lot of decisions/choices she makes and I do not mind saying so when she asks, and that almost always causes a rift. I try to be conscientous of her feelings, but at the same time, I'm not going to lie. It makes me so sad to hear of some of the past choices she's made.
I took Baylee with me tonight to Petsmart to get some more goldfish for Lynyrd. He ate his last two this morning and has been thrashing around all evening.....usually an indicator that he's hungry. I tried a worm but he clearly did not want it. We graduated him from the feeder goldfish and have been getting him medium-size goldfish instead - he eats about 2 a day now. It's hilarious to watch him stalk them - he gets so antsy when I put their bag in the water to let them acclimate to the temperature, and he attacks the bag so many times its usually punctured and I have to let them out early. Then he starts this cat/mouse game - he lays still on one side of the tank and waits for one to venture his way, then he chases them back to the other side. He likes bullying them more than eating them most of the time. He could easily catch one but instead he nips its tail and swims away. Such a jerk fish, lol.
I'm really looking forward to our family cookout this Friday evening - for several reasons. I think I'm going to make blackberry cobbler and chip dip and anything else that's needed (Mom?). Three days away!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Random things I love.....
This one's been a long-time coming - I've been compiling it for weeks!! I'll add on as I think of more (my ADD brain is always circling, lol)
1-down comforters
2-fans on high when i'm sleeping
3-daisies
4-air conditioning
5-fresh cut grass (the look, not the smell)
6-dryer sheets
7-sound machines
8-Olive Garden's angelhair pasta w/ alfredo sauce
9-rain falling hard on the roof
10-having a dog curled up beside me in the bed
11-favorite tv shows
12-having a dayplanner (not always using it but HAVING it)
13-puppies & kittens (shocking, I know)
14-parrots
15-being married
16-90s country (when it was still country, not the pop junk they're turning into)
17-family dinners/get-togethers
18-fall (the season, not falling....though I do that often)
19-hugs (not from weirdos, mind you, just friends/family)
20-Jay's laughter
21-cold milk when i'm really thirsty
22-a breakthrough with an autistic child (those of you who work with them will understand that)
23-favorite songs when i'm in a bad mood
24-the smell of Jay's cologne on Sunday mornings
25-loud music when i've had a bad day
26-the beach
27-grocery shopping (not sure why i enjoy it, but i do)
28-going out to eat
29-the smell of fresh laundry
30-extra sharp cheddar cheese
31-bagpipe music (hence my bridal processional)
32-the smell of fresh air when the windows are open on a spring/fall day
33-sleeping late
34-long naps
35-margaritas at Texas Roadhouse
36-the stand-up tanning bed
37-getting my nails done, though i never do it
38-going deer-hunting with Jay, even though I'm never quiet enough lol
39-bass-fishing
40-Pete's french fries
41-bare feet
More to come later, I'm sure!
1-down comforters
2-fans on high when i'm sleeping
3-daisies
4-air conditioning
5-fresh cut grass (the look, not the smell)
6-dryer sheets
7-sound machines
8-Olive Garden's angelhair pasta w/ alfredo sauce
9-rain falling hard on the roof
10-having a dog curled up beside me in the bed
11-favorite tv shows
12-having a dayplanner (not always using it but HAVING it)
13-puppies & kittens (shocking, I know)
14-parrots
15-being married
16-90s country (when it was still country, not the pop junk they're turning into)
17-family dinners/get-togethers
18-fall (the season, not falling....though I do that often)
19-hugs (not from weirdos, mind you, just friends/family)
20-Jay's laughter
21-cold milk when i'm really thirsty
22-a breakthrough with an autistic child (those of you who work with them will understand that)
23-favorite songs when i'm in a bad mood
24-the smell of Jay's cologne on Sunday mornings
25-loud music when i've had a bad day
26-the beach
27-grocery shopping (not sure why i enjoy it, but i do)
28-going out to eat
29-the smell of fresh laundry
30-extra sharp cheddar cheese
31-bagpipe music (hence my bridal processional)
32-the smell of fresh air when the windows are open on a spring/fall day
33-sleeping late
34-long naps
35-margaritas at Texas Roadhouse
36-the stand-up tanning bed
37-getting my nails done, though i never do it
38-going deer-hunting with Jay, even though I'm never quiet enough lol
39-bass-fishing
40-Pete's french fries
41-bare feet
More to come later, I'm sure!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
June 17, 2009
I am REALLY slacking with blogging lately! Things have just been so busy and hectic......I know I always say that, but it's true. We finally started the summer schedule at work and it's been quite confusing for me. Last week, half of my regular sessions were canceled b/c the kiddo(s) was/were out of town. I did a few substitute sessions at the center to make up for it. This week, one kiddo is still out of town and I'm making up his session with another client of mine at her home. I will be glad to get into a "final" schedule next week with all of my clients. For the most part, it's gone really well - the one client I was worried about is definitely going to make me earn my salary. There are just so many things that I as a parent would refuse to put up with, and it never ceases to amaze me what some parents choose to ignore.
I'm loving all these thunderstorms we've been having lately - thunder is so relaxing to me......don't ask me why. I would enjoy it more if Gavin weren't so upset during them - I may have permanent scars from where he's tried to literally climb me during these last few episodes.
For those of you who have Facebook, you probably already know that we recently got a new aquarium for Lynyrd. We had been keeping him in a 10-gallon tank on top of our microwave (baked fish, anyone?) for the last few months but, with all the worms he'd been eating lately (6-8 daily), he quickly outgrew it. I found a listing on Craigslist for a 55-gallon aquarium w/ stand and accessories for decent price and was able to talk the owner to about half her asking price. We picked it up that afternoon and set it up for him - it took us about 45 minutes to get it filled and another 45 minutes (uh-huh) to wrangle Lynyrd from the little tank and put him in the new one. He swam off immediately and I'm sure he thought he was in heaven - he has really gotten to swim freely in months and now he has all the room he needs. I couldn't figure out how to give him worms b/c, even though he still shows excitement when I hold up the worm container, he fails to see them falling for him to catch and then he just gets irritated and swims off.......so I bought a bunch of feeder goldfish and minnows at Petsmart for him. I attempted to let the bags float in the water to acclimate them to the temperature but Lynyrd attached the goldfish bag and popped it (ha!) so I dumped all the fish in. He went NUTS!!!!! That was yesterday evening and he is still in "hunting" mode. He's eaten about half of them and I think he's just bullying the rest.
How many ppl do you know that can spend ten minutes writing about a fish? Lol
We're looking for a good home for Sammy, if anyone knows of one. Preferably one where he can be indoor/outdoor and not just outside all the time. He does need to be housetrained but he's a great puppy. After the training session Monday, Jay has decided to rehome him - he just doesnt have any hunt in him and it's not fair to keep him as a pet, b/c he'll just spend all his time in the kennel outside. We certainly have enough indoor dogs as it is, so he can't come in. So if you know anyone interested in a beagle puppy, let me know. He's 8 months old and up-to-date on all shots & wormings.
Gotta go finish cooking dinner. =)
I'm loving all these thunderstorms we've been having lately - thunder is so relaxing to me......don't ask me why. I would enjoy it more if Gavin weren't so upset during them - I may have permanent scars from where he's tried to literally climb me during these last few episodes.
For those of you who have Facebook, you probably already know that we recently got a new aquarium for Lynyrd. We had been keeping him in a 10-gallon tank on top of our microwave (baked fish, anyone?) for the last few months but, with all the worms he'd been eating lately (6-8 daily), he quickly outgrew it. I found a listing on Craigslist for a 55-gallon aquarium w/ stand and accessories for decent price and was able to talk the owner to about half her asking price. We picked it up that afternoon and set it up for him - it took us about 45 minutes to get it filled and another 45 minutes (uh-huh) to wrangle Lynyrd from the little tank and put him in the new one. He swam off immediately and I'm sure he thought he was in heaven - he has really gotten to swim freely in months and now he has all the room he needs. I couldn't figure out how to give him worms b/c, even though he still shows excitement when I hold up the worm container, he fails to see them falling for him to catch and then he just gets irritated and swims off.......so I bought a bunch of feeder goldfish and minnows at Petsmart for him. I attempted to let the bags float in the water to acclimate them to the temperature but Lynyrd attached the goldfish bag and popped it (ha!) so I dumped all the fish in. He went NUTS!!!!! That was yesterday evening and he is still in "hunting" mode. He's eaten about half of them and I think he's just bullying the rest.
How many ppl do you know that can spend ten minutes writing about a fish? Lol
We're looking for a good home for Sammy, if anyone knows of one. Preferably one where he can be indoor/outdoor and not just outside all the time. He does need to be housetrained but he's a great puppy. After the training session Monday, Jay has decided to rehome him - he just doesnt have any hunt in him and it's not fair to keep him as a pet, b/c he'll just spend all his time in the kennel outside. We certainly have enough indoor dogs as it is, so he can't come in. So if you know anyone interested in a beagle puppy, let me know. He's 8 months old and up-to-date on all shots & wormings.
Gotta go finish cooking dinner. =)
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