Tag - special needs

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Here Comes The Bride?
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The Look Of Big Girl Shoes WITHOUT Having To Tie Laces!
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The Time I Told My Child With Speech Delays To Stop Talking
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Gymnastics At Home
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You Make Life Better—A Love Letter

Here Comes The Bride?

This girl is a perfect mix of sporty spice and Barbie Girl. She’s equally happy climbing trees and examining bugs or shopping for “bootiful” dresses and experimenting with clip-on earrings and pink nail polish. But lately she’s been decidedly more girly, obsessed with fru-fru frilly and smitten with wedding gowns. (This video snippet is Avery wearing her cousin’s bridesmaid gown…like a boss.) The matrimonial fascination started shortly after my cousin Kelsey announced that she’s getting married. When Avery heard this exciting news she wanted to know who was going to the party and would there be cake and what will her dress look like?! To add to the wedding whimsy we watched a video of my cousin Allison’s wedding. Avery watched intently, admiring the beautiful wedding gown, the flowers, the dancing. She was mesmerized. On the car ride home so told us she would be getting married. “Who are you going to marry?” I asked her. “My brother Bastian,” she answered with absolute certainty. I get why she’d want to marry him—he’s sweet and funny and he makes a mean bowl of mac and cheese. He’s a catch. “You can’t marry your brother,” I told her. “He’s already part of[…]

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The Look Of Big Girl Shoes WITHOUT Having To Tie Laces!

My daughter has always had petite feet (petite everything actually). Even now at the age of nine, she’s sporting size 12-kid shoe. In one way, this is a good thing. As a special kiddo with motor skill delays, tying laces isn’t an option. So, having small feet means there are still lots of shoes to choose from that have Velcro closures. The thing is, she may be little in the tootsies, but she’s a big girl—grade four this year. Fourth Graders tie up their own laces. Avery can’t tie up her own shoes (Yet! We’re working on it!). This is another thing that sets her apart and it frustrates her. So this year she went back to school with BIG GIRL LACE UP SHOES…with a helpful twist. The two pairs Avery got for BTS have the look up lace ups, but can easily be slipped on. 1. Skechers Girl’s Twinkle Toes: Shuffles – Heart N Sole How fun and funky are these sneakers? The high tops provide extra ankle support which helps to keep kids like Avery with weak ankles more stable. Plus, they have a flexible rubber traction outsole which makes them safer for running around on the playground.[…]

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The Time I Told My Child With Speech Delays To Stop Talking

  Yesterday I posted a story about our daughter’s “profound” speech delay and you left such kind and supportive comments. It means a lot to my husband and I that people care so much. But it also makes me feel like a bit of a dick. Like my sharing/over-sharing about recent trials is an attempt at garnering sympathy or even worse, asking for a pat on the back for stellar parenting. I’m not a stellar parent. I’m just a parent who is crazy about her kids and wants the best for them. Pretty par for the course I’d say. We all want that for our children. We can’t even help it—it’s instinctual. A few people commented on how patient I am. Very lovely to say, but it made me laugh. If only they had seen me this morning… We were running late and I asked Avery to put on her socks. The first time I made eye contact, got her attention by saying her name, and spoke slowly and simply—”Avery, put on your socks.” She didn’t put on her socks. I found her a few minutes later playing with ‘Veterinarian Barbie’ so I asked, “Avery, what did I ask you[…]

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Gymnastics At Home

It seems my daughter and Culture Club share a mutual fondness for tumbling. I spent countless hours of my childhood turning cartwheels and standing on my head. No iPads just “get outside and roll around on the lawn until dinner is ready!” Thirty-ish years later I’m more turnovers—of the apple variety—than walkovers, but my little girl is in the midst of full-on gymnastics adoration. Here’s a clip of her on the uneven bars. Okay fine, that’s Olga Korbut at the 1972 Olympics. But with practise Avery will get there. Minus that ‘Korbut Flip‘ on account of it being all holycrapcanyouevenbelievehowcraythatmoveis?! A few years ago we signed Avery up for her first session at Schlegel’s Gymnastics Centre. I shared a bit about that here: “Schlegel’s Gymnastics Centre Gave My Special Needs Daughter Exactly What She Needed.” This gymnastics centre serves all children, treating each equally, fairly and funly. Okay, funly isn’t a word but it should be. Just look at the smile on Avery’s face with coaches Andrea and Fiona. Pure. Happy. So with some gymnastics fundamentals under her belt and a love of the sport deeply embedded in her leo clad soul, Santa Clause decided to give Avery more of[…]

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