Caleb signed Potty today in church...

I was snuggling with Caleb during the sermon today at church.  He was being rather good and not making to many humming noises as he usually does.  About 3/4 the way through the sermon he gets a little goofy.  Starts giggling and starts squirming.  Then out of no where, he signed "potty" to me.. I asked him if he signed potty and he shook his hand yes.. I sat there for a moment wondering what he was signing potty for.. just to show me that he knows the sign, to get out of the rest of church by getting to go down stairs to the bathroom, or to actually go to the potty??!!  In another two minutes or so, he signed it again. I asked if he HAD to go potty and he signed "yes".  Off to the potty we went.

No expectations. I was just happy that he had asked to go.  

Once we got to the toilet and pulled down his pull up I was S H O C K E D that he went to the potty!!!!!  We moved into pull-ups about a month ago.  We take the boys to the potty several times a day, but often they just try real hard and we praise them for trying.  They have pee'd on the potty a few times and we have a goofy little potty dance we do.. but they have NEVER signed it and actually held it long enough to get to the toilet.

Today is a HAPPY DAY.. I think this is a big step and I hope one that will continue.  Our preacher Keith said look how God Blessed us today at church.... Oh what a blessing that was!!!!!!!!

Pee Pee in the Potty... woot woot!!!!

Summer camp is FREE for children with special needs??....

Caleb and Isaac were able to attend their first summer day camp program last summer at Camp Friendship.  They attended two camps actually.  One was for children with a variety of "different abilities" and the other one was for children with Autism.  They enjoyed both camps very much and we look forward to making this a regular part of their summer.

Its amazing that these camps are free.. My daughter went to Girl Scout camp a few summers in a row and the cost continued to go up and up until we discontinued sending her.  Boy Scout camp has a fee involved as well.. Why is Camp Friendship FREE??  Because The Arc of Jefferson and Clearfield Counties puts on an annual Run or Walk for Someone Special.  2012 will be their 33rd year.  Camp Friendship is funded 100% from this event.  We used to walk the Buddy Walk in Pittsburgh, we loved meeting other families and seeing all the beautiful faces, but two years in a row we raised $1000 or more and we really never saw the benefits of our efforts..

The 33rd Annual Run or Walk for Someone Special proudly is as able to say that ALL money raised stays right here to benefit the children and adults with disabilities right here in our own community. I am really big on that!!   Our family will walk the 2 mile fun run/walk in honor of Caleb and Isaac.

Which is why I am blogging my plea today.. Please help us to raise AT LEAST how much it costs The Arc to offer my twins two weeks of summer camp in the summertime.  The average cost is $150 per week, times 2 week long camps, times 2 children.  We need to raise $600 just to fund my boys.. Won't you please sponsor us now and help us keep summer camps free for kids with special needs, how can you resist these adorable faces??

Please click here to donate securely online to our team Hanzely Clan: http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/stacy-hanzely/33rd-annual-run-or-walk-for-someone-special

If you are uncomfortable donating online please email me at pookeymom@msn.com and I will provide you with my mailing address.

Thank you for your consideration!!!!

Kindergarten Transition Meetings have begun.....

Kindergarten Transition Meeting went well today.. Tom and I met with Assistant Special Education Director of our school district, the school psycologist and their preschool teacher.  We went over what level of academics the boys are in Preschool and discussed some of our options. Will have psychologist review their evaluations in depth, we will tour different class room settings and then we will start making some decisions.. They told us today that our final decision will come in May. So we have dipped out toes into the water, lets see if we can swim!!!

And to end on a BRAG!!!!

The school psychologist met with us last year when we decided to hold the boys out for another year.  Through discussions last year we told him about how the boys were beginning to read.  He seemed skeptical so we showed him.  We found out today that he was so very impressed he ran back to Special Education Department to say "You'll never believe what I just saw!!"  THAT PUT A SMILE ON MY FACE. And he totally remembered us just from that demonstrations..

Thank you "Your Baby Can Read Program"

Day Two.. Self Feeding

Caleb helped me document Day #2

Isaac taking down bowl #2 this morning

Self Feeding Proof

6 1/2 years and one thing that we still work on everyday is feeding.  They are getting better and better but I am honestly thinking that perhaps they are just relying on us to feel them because that is what we have done.

• Holding sandwiches, getting better but still need hand over hand.
• Drinking out of a cup, working on it but prefers sippy cups still... no straw drinking yet
• Stabbing with fork, they still do not get this, but if we load the fork and set it down they pick up and feed themselves.
• Eating with spoon is almost completely independent (with prompting)
• Sitting at table and eating without being made to do so.... never!!!

Today Miss Camille is home sick again so I called off the TSS staff for the boys.  So here I am with a sickie and the twins who I have to get ready for preschool this afternoon.  I was trying to get a few things done and they came and signed "cracker".  I told them no cracker, cereal for breakfast.  Each of them shook their head NO but I proceeded to get them a bowl of cereal.  I gave Caleb a choice because he often likes several brands of cereal.  Isaac I dished out the good ole Cheerio's, his cereal of choice.   Caleb picked a brand that I bought for Elijah.  Its a Chocolate Peanut Butter cereal.  I didn't think Caleb would really like it so I dished out a small bowl to try it.  He shoveled it down!!!!  

Isaac took one bite of his and looked at his brothers bowl and pushed his aside and began eating from brothers bowl.  I was amazed!!!!  As I dished out Isaac a bowl and refilled Calebs bowl I walked away from the table to see if eating this cereal had them so involved they would sit there themselves while I washed dishes....  YEPPER!!!!  They sat and ate the first bowl, then signed for more... and ate a second bowl..  This was breakfast.

Then for lunch I asked what they wanted and they both signed cereal.  Well certainly boys, anything for you.  I then stood IN THE KITCHEN and watched them in the dining room sit for an ENTIRE MEAL and eat by themselves..  WoW  WoW  WoW.....

Happy Mama Today!!

Here's Proof:

Ear...Hurt..Doctor..Please

That is exactly what Isaac signed to me the other day..  He had been signing doctor for three days.. then Friday he signed  Ear...Hurt...Doctor...Please.. How could I NOT call.. He was not showing any signs of an ear infection really.. No fever, not drainage, no fussy kid, BUT I was not going to not listen to  him when he signed something like this.

We headed off to the doctors anxiously waiting to see if he did in fact have an ear infection so that we could Praise God for communication via sign language.  Doctor came in, Isaac was very excited to see her (n-e-v-e-r the case) and I was sure he had an ear infection.  Looked in left ear..no infection.   Looked in right ear..no infection.  Boy was I kinda bummed.  Not that he was not suffering from an ear infection, but that he mis-communicated.

Another issue he was having was the fact that he was very constipated.  Doctor felt his tummy and said we need to do another Miralax cleanse to get him cleaned out.  Then doctor came up with a theory that we are all going with.  She said perhaps Isaac relates the doctor with looking at his ears, so when he signed Ear..Hurt..Doctor..Please, perhaps he was saying his tummy was hurting and he needed to see a doctor that would look at his ears too??!!! Who knows, but I am glad that I took him.  I told him that mommy was happy he could tell me he hurt and needed to see a doctor to make him feel better.  He smiled and then politely asked for Crackers Please...

I LOVE that they are really signing these days.  We get to have conversations with them.  Guess its time to brush up on some new signs and keep the conversations going a little longer!!!

Caleb crowning his brother Isaac king for the day too!!

Attitude Adjustment Needed?

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” -

 Scott Hamilton

This is a quote to remember and reflect upon.  This quote should be considered by everyone from the small school aged child, to parents like myself, business owners and politicians and well... everyone!  

I made it through my childhood with a neutral to bad attitude, which I feel I was surrounded by.  I remember feeling very negative about many things and I remember not feeling so great about myself.  I often worried about what someone else thought of me and if they liked me or not.  I remember doing things that I might not have felt comfortable doing just for a response or for the attention it brought.  Some days I was a clown, other days I was mean and disrespectful.  I remember my grandma telling me that I needed an major attitude adjustment..  I often wondered what in the world that really meant.

Oh the wisdom of our elders.  If only we would truly hear them and listen to the words.  

I now "am" an elder to my children and what a responsibility it is to teach them to have a good attitude.  I thought that and attitude was a learned behavior.   I thought that by being a positive role model my children would automatically become positive happy children.  I thought...

Today's kids have it so tough.  How do we as parents teach them right from wrong, when there is so much wrong going on in our world and even own communities?  The stress that our children deal with at a much younger age than I did when I was growing up is beyond comprehension.  The internet and all the access these kids have to ungodly issues,  in a sense make these issues acceptable and normal.  They also see BAD ATTITUDES towards everything being voiced in newspapers, on tv, online, in music, everywhere!!!!  How do we.. the "uncool" old parents top the trends of the cool people and what they are doing?

We are raising five children.  All of them beautiful and amazing in their own ways.  Being blessed with identical twin boys who are both non-verbal, have an extra 21st chromosome causing them to have Down Syndrome and dealing with the diagnosis of PDD Autism for them both, I thought I really had an understanding of what a disability really was.  But I think I was wrong.

I did a disability awareness training for a boy scout troop last night.  They had a handsome young fellow who had Down Syndrome in their troop.  I explained what a disability was to them and the first question that I asked the boys was: "Do you know anyone with a disability?" Only half of them raised their hands.  That spoke to me.  The ones that raised their hands were most likely thinking of a family member or had been told that their fellow cub scout had a disability from their parents.  The other boys,  by not raising their hands let me know that this little boy with Down syndrome in their troop was no different than them.  This put a smile on my face.

A disability is a condition or function judged to be significantly impaired relative to the usual standard of an individual or group. 

People with physical or mental disabilities often still have positive attitudes.  This makes those of us without limitations wonder .. How?  Why?  Something that I often hear about people with Down Syndrome  specifically is "Oh they are such happy people", and is that a bad thing?  I would rather be known as someone that is always happy than grumpy.  What a compliment that saying truly is.. How do I go about getting such a compliment for myself or for the rest of my family?

A bad attitude is a decision, as is a positive attitude.  A bad attitude is something that consumes ones thoughts and actions, as is a good attitude.  A bad attitude is contagious much like a good attitude is.  How do we as parents teach this?  I am struggling with this.  I pray about this.  I ask God for wisdom on this.. Now I'm asking you my readers, share some of your wisdom and offer some suggestions?  I think I am getting that slap across the face waking me up saying HEY you have a 14 year old!!!!..  You have to be ready and confident to release her into the world to make her own decisions confidently in the very near future.

My husbands response is he thinks we should become Amish to get away from technology, BUT I have read that they too are adopting technology as acceptable to run businesses, which gives them the same access as we all have... its just everywhere!!!!