August 12

This week we got 22 hours and 15 minutes.

Everything is set for Sarah not to attend kindergarten in the fall. There is no school requirement in PA until the age of 6 so I don't need to do any home schooling forms or anything. In Feb/March of next year I will contact the appropriate people who will help with any paperwork and evaluations that need to be done. It is a relief to have spoken to people who know what they are talking about. We have been quite impressed overall with the public schools here and how they take care of their "students with exceptionalities."

On Friday and Saturday Carl, A., S., J., and I all noted an extra burst of language coming from Sarah. We didn't alway know what she was saying but she was quite verbose.

I have been working with her with the alphabet song, pausing more and more often for her to fill in more and more letters. Yesterday she basically sang the whole alphabet by herself (with very little help). This afternoon during my Sarah-Rise time I said it was time to clean up and then sing our abcs. As I was putting the playdough containers back on the shelf I realized that she had started singing. I celebrated her hugely and then requested that we sing it together. I waited for her to start and instead of us doing our usual turn-taking, this time we sang it together. This was a first! We sang a song together!!!

Last night we went camping for the first time in a few years. Sarah was excited to sleep in a tent and overall the trip went well.

We've been experimenting with time-outs, especially when trying to enforce safe behavior around streets. In the past when we had tried time-outs it didn't seem effective or useful. Now it seems that her understanding has increased so it has seemed more effective. Now there can be an actual conversation about what we don't want her to do and why.

When Sarah was getting dressed this morning she was having trouble with one pant leg and Carl said he thought she could get it by herself. She said "push wey ha(r)d" (push very hard). When we were taking a walk in the woods she said that we were going to the castle, which is a candyland reference. I love that she can joke and that her imagination is increasing. When we talk about cats she says "meee" or "meo" and "pur pur."

This week I came up with a new game which we both love. Typewriter kisses. I kiss the length of her arm and then say "ding" and start at the beginning again. After a couple of times she will then be the one to say "ding."