Signs

It’s amazing how quickly things can turn around here; One day we’re up, the next we’re down and then we bounce right back up again! It seems that my recent weeks-long bout of sluggish energy and really poor concentration— to the point that I have felt the need to nap after working out and couldn’t remember what I’d said or done mere hours before— and a few other symptoms, including the muscle cramps and migraines I had at the end of last week, may have been the result of a fairly significant potassium deficiency. With my efforts to lose weight (pretty much at a standstill right now) and my working out quite vigorously, it seems I don’t consume enough potassium in the normal course of my day to sustain the amount I actually sweat out of my body.

Good thing my husband, the LPN, is such a smart guy! He caught it and bought some potassium supplements yesterday. After taking a few doses throughout the course of the day, most of my symptoms cleared up by mid afternoon. By this morning I felt more “normal” than I have felt in a few weeks! I even had a great workout and felt completely revitalized afterward. Wow. Now I know the signs to watch out for —and what to do, too!

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As I’ve mentioned a time or two, Nik has become enamored of Signing Time videos. The progress he has made in the short time we’ve been watching them is, to me, nothing short of amazing. (Don’t believe me? See here, here, or here!) Lately, Nik has been making such clear efforts to communicate —including asking for help— and having fewer and fewer instances of extreme frustration which lead to potentially self-injurious behaviors. Of course, I’ve learned many more signs than Nik but he watches and takes it all in —even if he cannot replicate the signs he sees. We’re learning how to adapt and helping Nik find ways to make choices and needs or wants known; whenever possible, I ask him to “use your words” or “show me your words” as I model them for him.

We’ve progressed to auditory and visual scanning in many cases, too! When I know what Nik wants, I will play a game with him and present— with both words and signs—a variety of choices including the one I know he wants. When I get to the one he wants, Nik will often sign “please.” Then I will say “Oh, you want Mommy to open the box?” for example. “Can you use your words? Can you show Mommy how you say open?” All the while I am showing him the sign so he can imitate me. When he has shown me the sign for what he wants, I ask Nik to use his “nice words.” [One of the ST videos has a great song about Please, Share, Your Turn, My Turn, and Thank You.] He almost always signs “please” or “thank you!”

Much to my surprise and delight, Nik has recently begun imitating the intonation of certain words. When I am expecting to see him signing something, lately Nik has instead been making the tonal sounds of the word as he simultaneously signs “please.” I’m still getting used to the idea that I have to listen more closely to the specific sounds he is making and put them in the right context.

The layering of language in the videos is so effective; the music and printed words, the singing, the video modeling by both adults and children —of all walks of life and abilities, is so powerful that I often find Nik gesticulating wildly in an effort to try to communicate! He knows he is “signing” in his own way. I must confess; it’s adorable to see though it’s not always easy to interpret!

I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that these videos have changed our lives significantly. I’ve also not made any mystery of my desire to own the series but they are not cheap!

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Back in May, I filled in at the last minute for a parent-presenter at a conference which focused on how to build successful relationships with and work with practitioners —primarily educators, therapists, and medical professionals— to advocate for causes relating to our children with special needs. It was an honor to have been asked and I wasn’t sure what I had to contribute; the professional I was partnered with had things well in hand. But, I willingly stepped up and served where I was needed. It was a tremendously enlightening and fulfilling day; I was surprised to find out— after the fact— that I was to receive a stipend! My past experience with stipends for this sort of work has been that it’s really a small amount which might cover the cots of gas. Imagine my surprise last week when I received a fairly sizable check in the mail!

I’m not talking about a buy-a-new-wardrobe kind of check but something in the neighborhood of a buy-a couple-of-nice-outfits check.

I finally decided to buy this; it arrived today! I threw in a copy of this, too; it makes me weepy and emotional sometimes!

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