31 for 21 - Life Happening

I wanted so badly to have one blog for each day of 31 for 21, but life has again happened.  Between lessons with the children, doctor's appointments, outings, classes, family coming to visit, and the usual household day to day stuff I wasn't able to do it.

I thought I would give a what can happen in a month's time for a wonderful child with Down Syndrome.  In the past month my son's vocabulary has more than doubled for both spoken words and sign.  He's also answering appropriately when someone asks his age or how he is.  He's asking questions too like when I told him he would see his Granny and Papa the following day, Cameron asked me, "With my eyes?"  He's also understanding emotions for both identifying emotions in himself and others.  He also is using it for his own benefit like when he wanted an extra cookie and told us he was sick, asked for a cookie and told me, "Make better."  Manipulative little guy!

The Myomunchie is a wonderful tool.  It has helped with his teeth grinding, lessened his thumb sucking, and I've noticed an improvement with his articulation in just the week he's been using it.  I don't use it for a straight time period as he will not tolerate keeping it in for 20 minutes at a time.  So whenever he starts grinding I put it in and keep putting it back in every time he spits it out until he's done grinding.  We've made a game over growling like a monster to make it more fun to use it and it's working.

Cameron is also using the potty more.  Every night before his tub he is able to go potty on the potty.  We can't tell him to get on the potty or ask him to go because he always tells us no.  He's a very independent little guy and will do this on his own when he's completely ready just like everything else he's ever done.

He's also started using a fork and spoon regularly and in fact gets frustrated when he struggles with it.  He really wants it to do it like everyone else and even tries to use a knife to cut with.  He hasn't been as successful with that, but at least he's trying.

So it has been quite a month with Cameron.  He's an amazing little guy to say the least.