End of Summer

Nothing too exciting to report. We have just been hanging out at home and getting ready for the school to start. Deanna has been having a great time spending time with her brothers. What will we do when Jeremy goes back to school??? Deanna (and I) will miss him terribly.

Preschool starts next week, and we attended the open house this week. Deanna already is familiar with her teacher and classroom from camp and vacation bible study so she is quite comfortable.

We have decided to try gymnastics, and that also starts next week. Deanna has been practicing at home and is ready to go!

Lake Tahoe Vacation

We just returned from a very fun family vacation to Lake Tahoe with our friends Rick and Debby and all of the kids, and a few of their friends (except Jordan who opted to stay home because he hates car trips).

This was our longest road trip with Deanna, and she did fine. About 10 hours in the car each way. Fortunately we had lots of Disney movies. On the way home she recognized our exit off the freeway and started cheering!

Deanna had an great time with our friend's daughter Krista. They spent A LOT of time together in and out of the pool. Krista was very patient with her and she will be a great babysitter (we get first dibs). Deanna lost her fear of water and was diving in, going under and paddling around the pool by herself (with the swim vest on).

Jeremy and Jeff had the run of the resort, and visited the casinos as well. Two of their high school friends (and baseball team members), who happened to be in the area, came by for a few days and stayed with us. It was fun to have all those young people around.

We had some fun sight seeing on the lake with the wave runners. Jeremy took me for an extended death defying ride and it was gorgeous when I could manage to open my eyes. He also took Deanna out for a much gentler outing, although I'm sure she would have loved a daredevil trip!

We all had a great time and are so glad they invited us along. If Jordan would have been there it would have been perfect!

Dance Class Finale

Today was the last day of the summer dance class. Deanna really enjoyed herself and did well following instructions and interacting with the other girls. I think we will try something new and a little more challenging this fall.

Tackling Speech Therapy

Deanna had her much awaited speech therapy evaluation with the cleft palate specialists at Doernbecher Childrens Hospital yesterday. (Even though she has begun speech therapy with a speech therapist I found myself).
First some history.....Deanna has a history of "misbehaving" at medical appointments. She gets a cute, yet blank smile on her face and sits there like she doesn't understand. Sometimes she starts wandering and getting into things to tests her limits. When asked to speak or demonstrate something, she might cooperate for a minute or two then sighs and acts totally bored.
Well, before this appointment I had a talk with her and asked her to REALLY TRY HARD to do everything they said, and be really good because we will only be there for a little while. I have tried this tactic before speech therapy appointments and it has helped.
Deanna of course reverted to her "doctor's office behavior". By the end of the evaluation the speech pathologist thought Deanna could barely utter a sound, had a limited understanding of English, and had trouble following instructions! (They were not interested in my input only their own observations). I do have great respect for these people but they do not know the real Deanna, and could not have possibly figured it out in this short visit with the show she put on.
I was not happy with her behavior and we had a talk afterward. I told her she really was naughty and did not do what I asked and also reminded her that she was going to have to work very, very hard to learn to talk, etc...
That evening at home she said more words than she ever has. She was initiating (not repeating) three word sentences for the first time!
She must have been paying attention to her prognosis and decided it was time to get with it!

Home 5 Months

We have been home 5 months and everything is great. Looking back on all the pictures Deanna has changed so much. She is taller and thinner, and looks so much healthier. Her feet have grown at least 2 sizes. Her hair is much longer and just short of an attractive pony tail (very important to her).

She loves to run and play catch. We may find our way back to the baseball field soon! She also loves her dance class and loves to tumble. I think she'll make a good gymnast because she is coordinated, tough and a bit of a daredevil. Deanna is also somewhat bossy and has a way of charming everyone to do things her way. Hopefully we can channel this energy into leadership qualities! (Pictures courtesy of my friend Debbie Mehlhaff, more to come)