January Update

Reece is now potty training! We started on Winter Break from school and he is now in underwear 24/7. It is a little unnerving for me but accidents are only about one a day, sometimes none. Last Sunday he did decide he wanted his Pull-Ups back. I would bring him in the bathroom and he would stand in front of the potty and just smile. Then he would have an accident within minutes of getting his clothes back on. Luckily he seemed to be back on track the next morning after realizing that no matter what, we were doing this.

He has been playing with all his Christmas toys and even is okay with sharing them with his sisters. He will take one plane and give my husband another so they can fly them together. He is being really silly and loves to make us laugh. We are getting more language--he really, really wants to say "helicopter". His newest word, courtesy of potty training is "no"! I think it's great that he can finally say this!

Last night we started a new supplement called Nutriivida. He will get two drinks a day, each with one scoop in it, along with his regular meals. I had heard about a girl who started this supplement (actually a weight maintenance supplement) and started to talk and have better motor skills. She has severe global apraxia as my son does. Nutriivida is GFCF and easy to digest. It has amino acids which we are seeing are so important for kids with autism. It is also Ayurvedic. One of the ingredients it contains is turmeric which we are already giving Reece through Enhansa with good results. He had one drink last night and another with his breakfast this morning. The strange thing is this supplement seems to help you lose weight if you need to, yet underweight people are gaining on it. You can check out this product at www.pursuitofresearch.com and get the nutritional and ayurvedic info.

Now I can't say that the drink had anything to do with Reece doing so well last night, but he did great! He actually went in to the bathroom on his own to go potty! TWICE!! The first time he went in, his sister was cleaning the bathroom and I thought he was just being nosy. I told him to come out. Then he went back in and went to the potty to go. Later, my son was watching him and his potty watch alarm went off as they were starting to have a snack. My older son told Reece that after they ate their cookies, he would go potty. After Reece finished his cookie, he grabbed his big brother by the hand and brought him to the bathroom! This is a huge step forward in potty training. Reece really likes his potty watch but would only carry it, never wear it. I had tried putting it on him and making a big deal about it but he hated it and pulled at it to get it off. Last night he was trying to put it on by himself so I helped him get it on. Then he wouldn't take it off! I had to wait until he was sleeping to get it off his wrist!

Hopefully, next week I will be able to get in to his classroom to show his teacher how I am working with Reece with the flashcards. His teacher is wonderful but there are some things I just disagree with her on. She has had animal sounds on his "goal list" forever. (Sounds for a cow, horse and sheep) He has been doing these sounds since last school year. But because he won't do them for her three sessions in a row, she won't move on! I already explained that he not only can do this, but does the sounds on his own in play. I thought that was the point of all this, to get him to use his skills on his own. So I need to try to explain to her that she really needs to move on or he is going to still have these sounds as goals at the end of the year--he is done with them. He knows he can do them and knows you know he can do them. He probably is tired of being asked to say the same sounds for the second year going!

We weren't able to do our round of chelation last weekend because Reece had been sick with strep and I wanted to give him time to recover. I plan on starting today for the next round when he gets home from school. I am so proud of him and all the progress he is making!