Would you believe that since we took that fateful ambulance ride at 7:30am on Wednesday, that we haven't seen a seizure yet - not even a tiny one?  Nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  Now after 3 years, I know waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than to even begin to celebrate.  But I will say, it's been a nice break.  At the hospital wed. they loaded Cody up with so many drugs he was a zombie for 3 days -- but the haze is starting to lift and today there were definite signs he was getting back to himself.  He giggled, played, even had a good ABA session and worked hard.  But he's sleeping a lot, really wobbly when he walks, and still a tad bit dopey.  But as his neuro emailed me, "I'll take dopey over seizures any day of the week!"  Our neuro has emailed me practically every day since Wednesday.  That was really scary.  Status Epilepticus can kill you.  And his seizures were coming so close together they were blending into one "big one."  You know it's a big deal when you're on the phone to your neuro saying "he's having another one!" and the neuro says, "call 9-1-1!"  What a week.  Two ER visits.  Fearing Cody was dying.  All to culminate in 5 seizure free days.  It's all or nothing, ya know?!? 

I've been recouperating.  It's amazing the toll it takes on you.  After a day like Wednesday I'm not myself again for about a week.  And I find that all I want to do is escape into television, sugar, magazines - anything other than reality.  Cuz reality is just too much.  But I'm making it back to the land of the living.  We had a big school meeting last week and another one this wed. to revise his IEP (individual education plan.)  It's grueling - coming up with goals for Cody to aspire to.  Things like:

4.Cody will respond to greeting initiations and closures (hello, goodbye) by orienting to speaker and waving hand with 90% accuracy for 3 data sessions.

A.       Full physical prompt

B.      Partial prompt

C.      Visual Cue

D.      Independently

1.Cody will kick a ball/throw a ball to a person/catch a ball/roll a ball to a person with 90% success 3 times (each) within the course of 1 week with

A)     Full physical prompt

B)      Partial physical prompt

C)      Visual Cue

D)     Verbal Cue

E)      Independently

2.Cody will walk up and down a flight of 4 stairs with 100% success 3 times a day over 3 consecutive days.

A)     Full physical assistance

B)      Partial physical assistance

C)      Independently

When you transition to public school from Early Intervention, it is a STEEP learning curve!  You have to learn how to write IEP goals, read progress data, fight for your child's rights, it is exhausting.  And I'm smack dab in the middle of it! 

But Cody gives me inspiration.  Just today he went from matching "nesting" objects like cups & bowls to "3-D objects" like little stuffed animals.  I was scared he'd have no idea how to do it without his trusty cup and bowl.  But he instantly matched when he heard "match elephant" he put one elephant right on top of the other!  He understands matching.  Amazing.  And of course 10 minutes later Casey is imitating everything I do - if I put a block on my head, so does he.  If I blow a raspberry, so does he.  It amazes me watching Casey how fluid and unnoticed development is in a "typical child."  Everything Cody does is hard fought for and pain staking.  But it flows out of Casey like breathing.  I'm glad I had my "typical" child second - when Cody wasn't developing as a baby I really didn't know what I was missing. 

That's it for now - must go to bed.  Love to all,

Shawna