Knitters-Knitters

On the Solid Side

The first of my formal stockings is complete!  Here it is, modeled by Sabina.  It took an ungodly amount of time to make; I can only hope the second one goes faster. 

Still, I think it's pretty impressive.  It looks even better leaving than it does arriving.

I gave it extra ribbing to avoid the dreaded pooling of socks around ankles.  The yarn is Jitterbug merino--I think the colorway is called Dune--and the pattern is From Knitting Vintage Socks.

Since this pattern involves a lot of row counting and concentration, I'm indulging myself in a background Knitting Project.  I work on it in the car, when I arrive at Autism Academy early.  This will be, many rows from now, an Elizabeth Zimmermann Bog Jacket: the kind with the gathered back.  I'm also envisioning a little button tab thingie at the center back, and may even break out a few of the vintage buttons I received for Christmas.

The yarn is extra, extra special.  It's Sweet Grass Wool from Montana, and was hand dyed in Australia by the lovely Suse, whom I met on a blind date.  It occurs to me that this yarn is more well-traveled than I am.  The pictures on Suse's blog shows the colors much better than the photos I took: variegated green and plum, both Olive-ish and girly.

In other knitting news, this photo of Miss L frolicking in rural Iowa shows that the Mesosmock craze is clearly sweeping the nation.  Or at least, the Midwest.  Is she not the cutest thing ever, with her little braiders-braiders flying? There are double the number of Mesomocks in existence than there were last month.  You better knit yours soon, before the Mesosmock becomes recherche.   Thanks to Miss L's mom, the pattern now has a few corrections.  Click here to see the new and improved version.

Now that Winter has officially (and finally) given way to Spring, a young girl's fancy turns to switching boyfriends.  Apparently David Florez-Perez is so last season, and has been replaced by a fellow we'll call, oh, how about Niles?  From The Sacred Notebook:

5/1 Olive had a great day. :)  Olive and Niles took turns initiating the teeter-totter outside with the other one.  There was Olive-Niles eye contact, then one would go to the teeter-totter, and the other would go to the other seat, and the two would bounce for a bit (all with no adult prompting).  Talk about COOPERATIVE PLAY!!!--Teacher Emily

Olive's taste in music has changed, too.  Judging from her reactions, T-Pain and L'il Wayne have been replaced by Nat King Cole.  She's especially partial to Volume III of the Trio Recordings, and does all sorts of snapping, clapping and shouting of LA LA LA! when we listen on the way home from school.

I searched YouTube looking for a good version of Olive's favorite song, Just Another Blues, but couldn't find it.   I did however find this gem, which proves--at least to me--that it's possible to have a crush on more than one fellow at a time.

Sacred Notebook Catch-Up

On Tuesday, Olive and her class went to see Seussical, the Musical.:

4/15 Olive was so much fun to watch during Seussical!  She was really excited.  Her eyes lit up and she watched happily, sometimes in her seat, and --when it was just too exciting--some standing up.  Olive giggled very appropriately throughout the performance.

Olive seemed to really enjoy the blackberries today, and was excited for the sandwich.  We are almost out of pull-ups here.

As far as pottying goes, after talking to the TA's, we think Olive is wet 1-3 times per week and uses the toilet once a day here.  She is really great at sitting, and her self-help skills have come a very long way!  We'll keep working on requesting potty here!  Teacher Emily

4/16 It is only with great reluctance that I am giving Olive over to Lauren, our new OT.  My time with her has been so rewarding and I will always look forward to seeing her but I am taking on more Early Intervention clients and will be at the Academy only one day a week now.  Olive has made so much progress and brings such joy to the school!  She is able to focus and attend to activities visually and physically and is really involved in her day.  She taught me that salsa is a great motivator for fine motor skills (I didn't know!) and that flour makes great indoor clouds.  Lauren is great, but I'll still be around for consult whevenever needed and to catcth that beautiful smile of hers.  Jody--OT

4/17  Today we started our family related activities in OT/ST group.  Today was all about "me."  We started out by singing, dancing and waving scarves around to music.  We also spent some time looking at ourselves in the mirror; labeling body parts, playing imitation games, and generally seeing what we look like.  After that we checked out pictures of ourselves.  Just like in moning  circle, we had to select our picture from a group of pictures.  We used glue sticks to paste our photos onto poster board and then traced the letters of our names.  Next week we will put the rest of the family onto our posters.

Olive really did nicely today.  She enjoyed her picture and posting it onto the paper.  In the mirror she watched herself but also was attentrive to her friends. - Jennie, ST

Olive was really happy today. :)  In free time, she traveled to request "book" w/a picture.  She was very excited to read with me.  Have a great weekend!  --Teacher Emily

The Flour, the Flour!

Last night LB and I watched The Celebration, a Danish movie with English subtitles.  The fact that we viewed the entire thing believing we were watching a Norwegian movie with English subtitles was embarrassing, yet amusing enough that I'm willing to admit it here.

This time I'm going to break my tradition of flagrantly dropping spoilers right and left, because I really want you to see this movie--if for no other reason than to help me sort out how I feel about it.  I'm gripped by two equally strong compulsions: one to view the movie a second time, and one to gouge out my own eye with a runcible spoon.  That may sound dire, but when I saw Million Dollar Baby--considered by many to be a great movie--my only compulsion was to do the latter.  Perhaps the greatest irony of  The Celebration is that though most scenes take place over a multi-course meal, it will not make you hungry.

I had expected to carry this film with me for an unpleasant amount of time, or at least, until I had a chance to replace the images therein with several reruns of Frasier.  But then, Olive had a very good day at school, and the Sacred Notebook entries for today had the same effect as a few bons mots from Niles and his big bro.

4/9 From Teacher Emily: Olive did REALLY well at work with me!  She matched photos with 100% accuracy, no prompting.  She also only needed 2 prompts total for the left-to-right routine with six tasks!  Olive and two friends had a great time--smiling, giggling, very engaged with EACH OTHER--playing with flour in the sensory table.  Olive seemed to love it, and she made great eye contact back & forth.  It was much more like co-operative play than parallel play. 

(This was surprising to me, because one of my greatest aversions is the sensation incurred by stirring batter or cookie dough, and having clouds of flour fly up out of the bowl and onto my person.)

4/9 From Jody, OT: Olive is improving in her work at her station with needing less tactile cues (tap at elbow) or limiting the pieces so she doesn't just toss them around. Nice focus, great smiles, and I am pretty sure when I asked her if she was "all done," she said yes.  Wow!

Will Work for Pudding

3/5 Olive did a nice job attending today and imitated a clap upon request during circle.  She also participated well during circle-time songs.  Just so you know, Olive has been pointing to a classmate's chocolate pudding at lunch.  She didn't eat it here for awhile, but we could try again if you'd like.  She seems to really enjoy her own food, too, and has been motivated enough by it to use pictures to request.  :)  Teacher Emily

3/6  Olive needed prompting to use her pudding picture at lunch today (it has been awhile!) but then she devoured it in less than two minutes!  She appeared to really enjoy it and spent time scraping the container clean.  We got a kick out of her reaction!  Also, the salsa was much easier for Olive to handle today. :) Thanks!

Olive did a fantastic job at work today.  She is mastering new matching tasks at a rate that is hard to keep up with!  It is really exciting. :)  Teacher Emily

3/6 Olive did the pudding in, as Emily said.  First she took David Florez-Perez's, but when I opened her book for her choices and reviewed the pictures, she was on it.  Olive is sitting and attending for longer times these days.  She's really doing well in OT, from fine motor to washing hands.  Today with cuing to keep going, she cut a 12" piece continually and then started up again to finish (with cuing) 2 strips-36" long.  I would squeeze her hand to help her get going again for the scissors (spring loaded) but she did great.  Judy, OT

From Scratch

Citrus Mesosmock is almost done!  I'm going  to be sad to see this one end.  So sad that I may have to immediately make another, in purple Malabrigo, for Sabina.  When this smock is complete and blocked, I plan on retracing my steps and writing out exactly what  I did.  I'll type up my pattern here so that if any of you are inclined to make one yourself, you can join me. :)

In other news, Olive got scratched on the chin by a friend at school today.  It's funny how the mind works: when Teacher Emily told me about this turn of events, my first thought at hearing the word friend was that a particularly aggressive Quaker had scratched my child's face.  It is a very small scratch (thoroughly disinfected, of course) and apparently, this sort of thing is not unheard of at preschool.  It's Olive's first negative 'Nother Kid experience, but I'm guessing it's more upsetting to be the parent of the scratcher than the scratchee.  Nonetheless, some chocolate may be required to facilitate recovery.  And I'll probably give some to Olive, too.

Other than that (Mrs. Lincoln...) Olive had a very good time at school today.  From The Sacred Notebook:

Olive was terrific in our OT/ST activity today.  Bird songs played while while they painted/decorated birds on the wall.  She waited her turn, requested which decorations by pointing, and really enjoyed all of it! --Teacher Jody

Olive had a great day today.  She was really happy.  She seemed to really enjoy using a brush to brush the therapy dog!  She was ALL smiles. :) --Teacher Emily

Love of Travel

Given the ill health over here and ensuing lack of creativity on my part, it seems like a good time to play catch-up with the Sacred Notebook.  In fact, it's not really a good time to do this, because we're in the midst of an ice storm which means Olive is home from school today, everywhere, all the time, and requiring a level of supervision that can only be described as constant. 

Sometimes she likes to impersonate the other children--hiding in plain sight, as it were--and lull us into a false sense of harmony.  Look how nicely they're all working together!  How it warms a mother's heart!  Following the click of the shutter, Olive snatched Dana's pencil and ran into the living room, cackling.

1/31  Olive did a fantastic job using PECS today! In free-time, she opened her book, found the picture of stringing beads, and traveled across free-time to give the picture to Roseann.  In the bathroom, Olive took the picture of lotion off the wall and handed it to me.  Later, she took the lotion picture out of her book and traveled ACROSS THE ROOM to give it to an adult TWICE--once me, once Megan.  She is doing a great job!  She has also been very consistent in matching her transition pictures for fee time and potty.  She's doing a GREAT job!

Olive is out of salsa here.  She would eat a bottle a day if we let her. :)  By the way, Olive seemed to absolutely LOVE the curry she had for lunch yesterday.  It was the most attentive we have seen her while eating!

Ed. note: all emphasis above is Teacher Emily's.  Apparently this traveling thing is a very big deal, and a good thing--not at all like traveling in basketball, which is kind of like cheating.  Her willingness to have Emily apply her lotion (Olive has chronic eczema) is a little surprising, since at home, any mention of the word lotion is followed by shrieks and the pitter-patter of little mousefeet taking off with the speed of a Japanese bullet train.  But we suspect it's related to the giant girl-crush Olive has on Teacher Emily. 

2/4 Olive did a great job requesting today at lunch using pictures.  She was really motivated by the meat. :)  She traveled, one time, to request lotion this morning.  Olive also requested salsa several times today at meals, but she's out here.  I think she would enjoy more, although she is eating other foods here, too.  Olive went potty again today!

Me again: the Peruvian Gentleman is out of Olive's preferred brand of salsa.  We tried another kind, but this was met with stern disapproval and throwers-throwers.

2/5 Today at circle we sang "If all the raindrops," and Olive did a great job sticking her tongue out, just like the adults. :)  She was very happy today!  Also, this afternoon in the gym, Olive walked from the middle of the gym over to the wall to get the picture of "bubbles" and brought it over to Jennie!  Yay!  Olive's dress went into the toilet...sorry...

Late yesterday afternoon, Olive had her weekly visit with Cate, her speech pathologist.  Cate got very excited and squealed a bit when she read the notebook entries referencing traveling.  Cate is not an all-caps, exclamation point-y, smiley-face drawing, yay writing sort of person, and sqealing is so un Cate-like that my first thought was she'd sprung a leak.  You can understand why LB and I are very encouraged. 

I mentioned to Cate that Olive wouldn't eat the other brand of salsa I'd sent to school with her and Cate said (not squealing this time but nonetheless pleased), "Preference is a cognitive skill."  I like that.  Boy, it's a shame I don't know anyone who does machine embroidery, because I think that would look nice on a long-sleeved T-shirt in girls size 5.

Gentlewomen

The Sacred Notebook, as you might have guessed, is always positive in tone; even the most frustrating of learning impasses and behavioral snafus are phrased as delicately as possible. And it's safe to assume the pony-tailed young women who comprise the faculty and staff at Autism Academy find joy in what they're doing, because their motivation is certainly not the scads of large-denomination bills raked in hand over fist by those who work with special needs children.  It's sometimes necessary to read between the lines when it comes to interpreting how our children are progressing, and what we, as parents, are doing to help...or hinder.

1/18 Olive was very spirited today!  She showed lots of personality--a little feisty at times.  We absolutely LOVE seeing that side of her!  It shows such a strong sense of self and a desire to be independent.  We encourage that attitude, even if we discourage some of the behaviors (throwing pictures, for example).  That attitude will be really useful as she continues to develop. :) 

1/22 Olive went potty this morning!  Yay!  She had a really nice day with lots of great interactions and requesting. :)  She and David Flores-Perez spent awhile in the gym riding the platform swing together, all smiles, and good peer interactions!

1/22, from the speech therapist:  Olive did a nice job of going about 2 feet to select highly motivating activities in the gym.  She did need some prompting but consistently made a selection from 2 choices.  She selected just one card and brought it directly to me.  We tried some new things in terms of encouraging sound production.  I used a different swing to help position her body to encourage different sounds.  At this point we were just playing, but I heard a b, th, and ch sound!  We'll keep trying this and see where it goes!

Lately, when I prompt for the "please" sign, she leans in for a hug!  I wonder if it's switched meanings. :)

1/23, from me to them:  I'm so glad to hear Olive is doing well in selecting activities and playing with David Flores-Perez!  I'm pretty sure we're to blame for the sign for "please" turning into hugs.  We've all been so excited with her learning how to reciprocate hugs and respond to requests for them that we've inadvertently replaced the sign. 

1/23 We love that Olive is learning to reciprocate hugs!  What a great interaction.  The sign for hug is crossing your hands on your chest as if giving someone a hug. 

1/24 Tomorrow will be too cold for swimming again.

1/25 Olive has been doing a great job going potty!  Today, after she went potty, she pulled the lotion picture off the wall and handed it to me!  Very nice. :)  It was the first time I saw her do that completely independently, no prompting.  Olive had a BM this afternoon, FYI. Have a great weekend! 

25 Things I Never Get Tired Of

I'm very late to this meme, but honestly, I'm not a patient person and I'm not sure I can list a whole 25 things I wish to see remain unchanged.  And since I always feel a pang of guilt at indulging the compulsion to list, I'll intersperse this meme with exciting and colorful photographs taken by my children, at the Shedd Aquarium, when some of us were home eating pie.

1.  Sunlight.  We have not had any of it for weeks.  In fact, when the sun emerged briefly at around 9:06 this morning, it caused a rubber-necking slowdown on the Edens and made Olive late for school.

2. Seeing Olive do the sign for "please."

3. That giddy sense of irony I get when I'm driving in Chicago, and a song by the band Chicago comes on the radio.

4. People who say they are going to pop something in the mail and then they really do.  Since I only have a 79% success rating when it comes to actually mailing the things I promise to mail, I am always touched and amazed by people who follow through. 

5. The Human Aloe that is LB.

6.  The Scared Notebook.  Today's entry:

Olive had a great time with the pet therapist today!  She was all smiles!  She threw a ball for the dog several times and then, in true Sweet-Olive style, handed the ball to the dog gently.  She also knew exactly what to do with the dog brush!  She really seemed to love the whole experience.

Olive Goes to the Library

Here's a bit of catch-up from The Sacred Notebook.  The accompanying pictures feature Miss Olive in her new Christmas outfit, made by my friend Debbie.  The ladies at Autism Academy know I sew and it's entirely possible they assumed that I made the adorable little appliqued swing top with hoodie and slimfit leggings, but of course, that's beyond my control...

Olive had a great day!  She was very happy and made great eye contact today. :)  She did well transitioning in and out of the classroom for her trip with Judy.  OLIVE WENT POTTY THIS AFTERNOON!  YAY!--Teacher Emily

***

Yesterday morning, Olive went on a special field trip to the Public Library--just Olive and Teacher Judy. They are going again together tomorrow, and then on Friday, I'll go with them.  The goal is for Olive to learn how to enjoy the library, and how to behave while there.

From Teacher Judy, on the outing:

Olive and I went to the library.  I read her a social story about going to the library.  I had visuals for sit down, wait, stop and walk [PECS].  We used the Wait and Walk.  Olive walked into the library, up the stairs to the children's section.  We would sit on the couch, walk to pick one book, walk back to couch and read, and repeat.  After 10 minutes we walked through the library (Olive held the Walk picture).  I stopped to look at some books (Olive had the Wait picture).  We then went back to the children's section and I read more books.  Successful outing!

As you can see Teacher Judy is not as effusive in writing as Teacher Emily.  What the notebook doesn't show is how excited Judy was when I saw her after the outing that afternoon, and how pleased she was with Olive's level of participation.  Judy and I had both been expecting more protest from Olive about walking in and out (instead of running or being carried), having to wait, having to sit still for the books, and having to be relatively quiet.  When Olive and Judy go tomorrow, Judy is going to have Olive wait while she checks out books.

These three private field trips were arranged by Judy after I told her (in passing!) during her home visit, that one of our hopes for Olive is for her to be able to come along when LB takes the kids to the library every weekend, instead of having to wait at home with Mommy.

We Love School

Yesterday's entry from the Sacred Notebook:

Olive enjoyed the salsa immensely this morning.  :)  She's still congested, but was really happy throughout the day.  Olive spent a long time this morning playing basketball (shooting baskets), and she really seemed to enjoy it.  She was all smiles, and loved when we cheered for her.  OLIVE WENT POTTY!  YAY!  Finally--generalization [ed. note: she uses the potty regularly at home, but had never done so successfully at school before]!  Olive did a very nice job at work with me this afternoon, too.  Great job with 1:1 ratios and making eye contact to request tickles.

And today's entry:

Olive had a really good day!  Our social worker, Rebecca, commented on how well Olive participated during movement (running, walking, jumping with the group) and how happy she was.  Rebecca also noticed that her eye contact has improved.  It's so nice to hear other people notice the same great progress!

When I picked up Olive from school today, the speech therapist told the grandparents of David Flores-Perez and me that during swimming lessons, Olive and David played together.  Not next to each other, in the same room as each other, or in spite of each other, but together.