Upcoming surgery

Dear Family and Friends.
My right kidney will be removed on Sept. 24th, 2012 at 8:30am. I will be at Baptist Hospital in Columbia and will be listed in the directory. Thank you for praying.

It is due to a birth defect and the kids will also all get checked out to make sure they all have healthy, correctly formed, functioning kidneys too. Please pray for them also.

Coffee and Music Therapy

 Nathan sitting on the table stealing Lydia's coffee:)

The girls playing the piano during Music Therapy


Three out of four of us in our family LOVE coffee! The only one who doesn't is MJ. I found that Lydia would take my coffee so I started making her own cup, then Nathan started taking her coffee. So now I make him a little bit in his sippy cup. It's mostly milk and sugar and just a little coffee for the kids.

The girls have been taking music therapy this summer and they love it! They are introduced to all kinds of musical instruments and songs to sing. At the end, Nathan and I get to come sing and play too! MJ and Lydia both love the drums and the piano.

Summer Fun with Family

Family is so important to children in general but even more so for children with autism. The kids have been able to spend some time this summer with their dad, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins while I recover from a medical procedure.
They've been able to play outside until their heart is content, go swimming, on little trips and also to the Music Therapist and Early Intervention (for Nathan)too. They might've even been able to play a little on Nana's keyboard and grow in music. I think that the girls have hidden musical talent and I can't wait to see how they grow in this area as I find people to help discover it and bring it out, as I am not musically inclined myself other than I like to make a joyful noise.
Nathan has really took off in walking and will be running when I get the kids back next week. That reminds me I'd better go to the next phase of child proofing the home.
I love them so much and I miss them greatly, but they've needed this time with their family. And I"m so glad they were able to do so!

Update on funding for lessons for the children

Wohoo! God is so good! I got a phone call yesterday that funding through the Dept. of Disablities for the girls swimming lessons and horseback riding lessons were approved! I got an email today from the Respite Care Coalition that respite care funds are available to us. I got another phone call from a good friend of the family who will also be our nanny so I can work and get my small businesses started on the right foot and also substitute for the schools in the fall and also at the children's room for our public library. So the only thing that I am really looking for right now are iPads for the girls and apps to go with them.
They have an iPad on each of their wish lists at amazon.com.

Team Page Family is raising funds to help the children with autism and developmental delays become all they were meant to be! Join us in this endeavor by donating to assist in purchasing much needed products and services! We are looking to purchase iPads, apps, lessons for dance, swim, gymnastics, and horseback riding. Thank you for considering us when choosing where your donation funds go!
Sincerely,
Ronda Page
https://www.wepay.com/x1upqnk/donations/team-page-family-autism-fund

Sensory Friendly Films and AMC theaters

The following description on the AMC website describes it better than I can.

http://www.amctheatres.com/programs/sensory-friendly-films

There's a list of movies, dates, times and cities on the website. Look for one near you! We love going to these viewings!

In Partnership with the Autism Society, We Bring AMC Sensory Friendly Films to Families Affected by Autism on a Monthly Basis to Select Communities.

The program provides a special opportunity for families to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment. The auditoriums dedicated to the program have their lights up, the sound turned down and audience members are invited to get up and dance, walk, shout or sing!
The idea for the program began with a request from a parent with an autistic child for a special screening at AMC Columbia Mall 14 in Columbia, MD. More than 300 children and parents attended the first screening.
We are thrilled to now offer the program at many locations nationwide — please see below for a complete list of participating theatres. As a leading theatrical exhibition company, we are so proud to be making a difference in the estimated 1.5 million Americans living with an autism spectrum disorder by offering families a chance to see a movie together — often for the very first time.

The iPad and autism

There are voluminous articles and research on how the iPad helps individuals with autism from communication to academics. There are PECS apps that you can get that has the picture (I think you can upload pictures also), word and says the sentence too. At lease from what I've heard anyway. We don't have any type of tablet so we are definitely behind in technology. The iPad has been very instrumental in helping children with autism with speech and communication especially. I've been trying to get both girls one each through fundraisers, grants, etc. but no luck yet. We can't afford one ourselves. The Autism Speaks website has some great recommendations for apps. Here's the website.

If you do a google search for Autism iPad apps there are a lot of resources available. The iPad is on my much sought after list. So hopefully soon I can do an insiders look at how the iPad helps our children with autism. MJ is already very familiar with both the iPad and iPod as teachers and parents at her schools have allowed her to use one as well as the other students. I've never even touched one. That really bothers me since I have a Communications degree and all. Have you used an iPad with your children? How has it helped you?
Here are some website that assist in fundraising or grants to assist in getting an iPad.

Grant
 http://www.letschatautism.com/ipads-for-autism-application/

 Grants for iPads occasionally but also grants for emergency situations
http://www.autismcares.org/site/c.mqLOIYOBKlF/b.4745901/k.BD21/Home.htm 

Fundraising for an iPad
http://thepuzzlingpiece.com/    

iPad apps
http://www.autismspeaks.org/family-services/autism-apps