First of all, I would like to thank ALL of you for getting onboard with this blog idea. I am very excited about the fact that this is a huge and wonderful way for us all to communicate.

Next, I would like to comment on the fact that thus far, Tony has had a WONDERFUL week. As of this afternoon, we have some picture symbols in place for his use. We have installed two small magnetic boards for his symbols to attach to and copied some of his favorite pictures. These will go into use tomorrow.

Lastly… YOU GUYS ARE THE GREATEST! Look below for your individual messages (and ignore the fact that many of these are NOT 100% serious messages… We are a humor filled family, so I guess it’s important that our blog has touches of humor as well!)….

Jill…. You absolutely were right one target when you told us to make picture symbols out of the food items…. And, Tony does love you! Thank you again for the great suggestions! (and yes, he is cute and beautiful!)

Whitney…. Have a good weekend- we’ll miss you on Saturday, but we’ll look forward to more “sticker” work next week! Just think…. now you know what Lambrusco is thanks to ABA… LOL!

Elizabeth…. I can’t hardly wait for you to get here tomorrow. Since you are the queen of ABA and singing to Tony, I am sure tomorrow will hold great new strides! I am REALLY excited about you helping me get all of these pics in place for him.

Debbie… Where the heck is your post??? LOL! Seriously though, I know you are also on vacation. Have a great weekend and we’ll see you Tuesday.

Megan… OUR EI NEEDS TO COME HOME…. LOL! Enjoy your holiday weekend in MA (Boston, right?) and we’ll see you next Wednesday.

Jodi… Thank you so much for your comment! It will be very helpful to us and the therapists to have you input. We really value your help and simply can’t thank you enough for it!

Toni… I know you are reading this too… LOL! See you Sunday for respite and thank you for your insight!

You guys are the greatest! Now, I must go to bed before I fall asleep on my keyboard. Thanks again for all of your hard work this week. Trust me, it never goes unnoticed.

On Saturday, the Abbott-Ross family will be off to Beaufort to visit the paternal grandparents. I will update on Sunday with how that trip went. Tomorrow, Friday, we will have ABA with Elizabeth and no OT since Debbie is out of town. See everyone after the holiday!

Marlaina

Let me start by saying…How cute is this kiddo that I’m working with?! Great improvement from last week. It looks like Tony has made peace with the transition from office life to home. I’m excited to hear and see all of the communicative intent that Tony is displaying. Marlaina, I guess the chat we had last week about using picture symbols was on target! I think it’s so awesome that Tony has already taken the initiative to communicate via pictures w/o our assistance. We’ll just make it easier for him by eliminating the work of looking through magazines to find his lunch! Anton mentioned that you guys were going to create a picture board for home. We can talk more on Tues., but I was thinking that maybe you could section it off and catergorize the items (foods, toys, activities, etc.). Another idea…the pictures can be used for a visual schedule that either Tony or you or a therapist chooses. This way he can see which activities have to be completed before he’s all done. I also mentioned to Anton using a small photo album with pics in it for travel. We have continued to work on the use of signs and vocalizations in speech. He is getting pretty consistent with verbal for tickle and jump. Today Tony imitated a sort of blowing sound, not quite like a motor boat, to request me to blow a zerbert on his belly. Watch out for little things like this…sometimes they’re easy to overlook but are just so great! I’ll end with the sweetest thing. I was giving Tony a hug as I was about to leave and I had my cheek pressed against his. When I went to pull away, he gently pulled my cheek back to his. It may have just been a sensory liking, but I’m going to believe that he liked me, he really liked me! Have a good night/weekend! Jill- Tony’s Speech Pathologist

Let me start by saying…How cute is this kiddo that I’m working with?! Great improvement from last week. It looks like Tony has made peace with the transition from office life to home. I’m excited to hear and see all of the communicative intent that Tony is displaying. Marlaina, I guess the chat we had last week about using picture symbols was on target! I think it’s so awesome that Tony has already taken the initiative to communicate via pictures w/o our assistance. We’ll just make it easier for him by eliminating the work of looking through magazines to find his lunch! Anton mentioned that you guys were going to create a picture board for home. We can talk more on Tues., but I was thinking that maybe you could section it off and catergorize the items (foods, toys, activities, etc.). Another idea…the pictures can be used for a visual schedule that either Tony or you or a therapist chooses. This way he can see which activities have to be completed before he’s all done. I also mentioned to Anton using a small photo album with pics in it for travel. We have continued to work on the use of signs and vocalizations in speech. He is getting pretty consistent with verbal for tickle and jump. Today Tony imitated a sort of blowing sound, not quite like a motor boat, to request me to blow a zerbert on his belly. Watch out for little things like this…sometimes they’re easy to overlook but are just so great! I’ll end with the sweetest thing. I was giving Tony a hug as I was about to leave and I had my cheek pressed against his. When I went to pull away, he gently pulled my cheek back to his. It may have just been a sensory liking, but I’m going to believe that he liked me, he really liked me! Have a good night/weekend! Jill- Tony’s Speech Pathologist

Let me start by saying…How cute is this kiddo that I’m working with?! Great improvement from last week. It looks like Tony has made peace with the transition from office life to home. I’m excited to hear and see all of the communicative intent that Tony is displaying. Marlaina, I guess the chat we had last week about using picture symbols was on target! I think it’s so awesome that Tony has already taken the initiative to communicate via pictures w/o our assistance. We’ll just make it easier for him by eliminating the work of looking through magazines to find his lunch! Anton mentioned that you guys were going to create a picture board for home. We can talk more on Tues., but I was thinking that maybe you could section it off and catergorize the items (foods, toys, activities, etc.). Another idea…the pictures can be used for a visual schedule that either Tony or you or a therapist chooses. This way he can see which activities have to be completed before he’s all done. I also mentioned to Anton using a small photo album with pics in it for travel. We have continued to work on the use of signs and vocalizations in speech. He is getting pretty consistent with verbal for tickle and jump. Today Tony imitated a sort of blowing sound, not quite like a motor boat, to request me to blow a zerbert on his belly. Watch out for little things like this…sometimes they’re easy to overlook but are just so great! I’ll end with the sweetest thing. I was giving Tony a hug as I was about to leave and I had my cheek pressed against his. When I went to pull away, he gently pulled my cheek back to his. It may have just been a sensory liking, but I’m going to believe that he liked me, he really liked me! Have a good night/weekend! Jill- Tony’s Speech Pathologist

Let me start by saying…How cute is this kiddo that I’m working with?! Great improvement from last week. It looks like Tony has made peace with the transition from office life to home. I’m excited to hear and see all of the communicative intent that Tony is displaying. Marlaina, I guess the chat we had last week about using picture symbols was on target! I think it’s so awesome that Tony has already taken the initiative to communicate via pictures w/o our assistance. We’ll just make it easier for him by eliminating the work of looking through magazines to find his lunch! Anton mentioned that you guys were going to create a picture board for home. We can talk more on Tues., but I was thinking that maybe you could section it off and catergorize the items (foods, toys, activities, etc.). Another idea…the pictures can be used for a visual schedule that either Tony or you or a therapist chooses. This way he can see which activities have to be completed before he’s all done. I also mentioned to Anton using a small photo album with pics in it for travel. We have continued to work on the use of signs and vocalizations in speech. He is getting pretty consistent with verbal for tickle and jump. Today Tony imitated a sort of blowing sound, not quite like a motor boat, to request me to blow a zerbert on his belly. Watch out for little things like this…sometimes they’re easy to overlook but are just so great! I’ll end with the sweetest thing. I was giving Tony a hug as I was about to leave and I had my cheek pressed against his. When I went to pull away, he gently pulled my cheek back to his. It may have just been a sensory liking, but I’m going to believe that he liked me, he really liked me! Have a good night/weekend! Jill- Tony’s Speech Pathologist

Let me start by saying…How cute is this kiddo that I’m working with?! Great improvement from last week. It looks like Tony has made peace with the transition from office life to home. I’m excited to hear and see all of the communicative intent that Tony is displaying. Marlaina, I guess the chat we had last week about using picture symbols was on target! I think it’s so awesome that Tony has already taken the initiative to communicate via pictures w/o our assistance. We’ll just make it easier for him by eliminating the work of looking through magazines to find his lunch! Anton mentioned that you guys were going to create a picture board for home. We can talk more on Tues., but I was thinking that maybe you could section it off and catergorize the items (foods, toys, activities, etc.). Another idea…the pictures can be used for a visual schedule that either Tony or you or a therapist chooses. This way he can see which activities have to be completed before he’s all done. I also mentioned to Anton using a small photo album with pics in it for travel. We have continued to work on the use of signs and vocalizations in speech. He is getting pretty consistent with verbal for tickle and jump. Today Tony imitated a sort of blowing sound, not quite like a motor boat, to request me to blow a zerbert on his belly. Watch out for little things like this…sometimes they’re easy to overlook but are just so great! I’ll end with the sweetest thing. I was giving Tony a hug as I was about to leave and I had my cheek pressed against his. When I went to pull away, he gently pulled my cheek back to his. It may have just been a sensory liking, but I’m going to believe that he liked me, he really liked me! Have a good night/weekend! Jill- Tony’s Speech Pathologist

Let me start by saying…How cute is this kiddo that I’m working with?! Great improvement from last week. It looks like Tony has made peace with the transition from office life to home. I’m excited to hear and see all of the communicative intent that Tony is displaying. Marlaina, I guess the chat we had last week about using picture symbols was on target! I think it’s so awesome that Tony has already taken the initiative to communicate via pictures w/o our assistance. We’ll just make it easier for him by eliminating the work of looking through magazines to find his lunch! Anton mentioned that you guys were going to create a picture board for home. We can talk more on Tues., but I was thinking that maybe you could section it off and catergorize the items (foods, toys, activities, etc.). Another idea…the pictures can be used for a visual schedule that either Tony or you or a therapist chooses. This way he can see which activities have to be completed before he’s all done. I also mentioned to Anton using a small photo album with pics in it for travel. We have continued to work on the use of signs and vocalizations in speech. He is getting pretty consistent with verbal for tickle and jump. Today Tony imitated a sort of blowing sound, not quite like a motor boat, to request me to blow a zerbert on his belly. Watch out for little things like this…sometimes they’re easy to overlook but are just so great! I’ll end with the sweetest thing. I was giving Tony a hug as I was about to leave and I had my cheek pressed against his. When I went to pull away, he gently pulled my cheek back to his. It may have just been a sensory liking, but I’m going to believe that he liked me, he really liked me! Have a good night/weekend! Jill- Tony’s Speech Pathologist

Let me start by saying…How cute is this kiddo that I’m working with?! Great improvement from last week. It looks like Tony has made peace with the transition from office life to home. I’m excited to hear and see all of the communicative intent that Tony is displaying. Marlaina, I guess the chat we had last week about using picture symbols was on target! I think it’s so awesome that Tony has already taken the initiative to communicate via pictures w/o our assistance. We’ll just make it easier for him by eliminating the work of looking through magazines to find his lunch! Anton mentioned that you guys were going to create a picture board for home. We can talk more on Tues., but I was thinking that maybe you could section it off and catergorize the items (foods, toys, activities, etc.). Another idea…the pictures can be used for a visual schedule that either Tony or you or a therapist chooses. This way he can see which activities have to be completed before he’s all done. I also mentioned to Anton using a small photo album with pics in it for travel. We have continued to work on the use of signs and vocalizations in speech. He is getting pretty consistent with verbal for tickle and jump. Today Tony imitated a sort of blowing sound, not quite like a motor boat, to request me to blow a zerbert on his belly. Watch out for little things like this…sometimes they’re easy to overlook but are just so great! I’ll end with the sweetest thing. I was giving Tony a hug as I was about to leave and I had my cheek pressed against his. When I went to pull away, he gently pulled my cheek back to his. It may have just been a sensory liking, but I’m going to believe that he liked me, he really liked me! Have a good night/weekend! Jill- Tony’s Speech Pathologist

Let me start by saying…How cute is this kiddo that I’m working with?! Great improvement from last week. It looks like Tony has made peace with the transition from office life to home. I’m excited to hear and see all of the communicative intent that Tony is displaying. Marlaina, I guess the chat we had last week about using picture symbols was on target! I think it’s so awesome that Tony has already taken the initiative to communicate via pictures w/o our assistance. We’ll just make it easier for him by eliminating the work of looking through magazines to find his lunch! Anton mentioned that you guys were going to create a picture board for home. We can talk more on Tues., but I was thinking that maybe you could section it off and catergorize the items (foods, toys, activities, etc.). Another idea…the pictures can be used for a visual schedule that either Tony or you or a therapist chooses. This way he can see which activities have to be completed before he’s all done. I also mentioned to Anton using a small photo album with pics in it for travel. We have continued to work on the use of signs and vocalizations in speech. He is getting pretty consistent with verbal for tickle and jump. Today Tony imitated a sort of blowing sound, not quite like a motor boat, to request me to blow a zerbert on his belly. Watch out for little things like this…sometimes they’re easy to overlook but are just so great! I’ll end with the sweetest thing. I was giving Tony a hug as I was about to leave and I had my cheek pressed against his. When I went to pull away, he gently pulled my cheek back to his. It may have just been a sensory liking, but I’m going to believe that he liked me, he really liked me! Have a good night/weekend! Jill- Tony’s Speech Pathologist

Let me start by saying…How cute is this kiddo that I’m working with?! Great improvement from last week. It looks like Tony has made peace with the transition from office life to home. I’m excited to hear and see all of the communicative intent that Tony is displaying. Marlaina, I guess the chat we had last week about using picture symbols was on target! I think it’s so awesome that Tony has already taken the initiative to communicate via pictures w/o our assistance. We’ll just make it easier for him by eliminating the work of looking through magazines to find his lunch! Anton mentioned that you guys were going to create a picture board for home. We can talk more on Tues., but I was thinking that maybe you could section it off and catergorize the items (foods, toys, activities, etc.). Another idea…the pictures can be used for a visual schedule that either Tony or you or a therapist chooses. This way he can see which activities have to be completed before he’s all done. I also mentioned to Anton using a small photo album with pics in it for travel. We have continued to work on the use of signs and vocalizations in speech. He is getting pretty consistent with verbal for tickle and jump. Today Tony imitated a sort of blowing sound, not quite like a motor boat, to request me to blow a zerbert on his belly. Watch out for little things like this…sometimes they’re easy to overlook but are just so great! I’ll end with the sweetest thing. I was giving Tony a hug as I was about to leave and I had my cheek pressed against his. When I went to pull away, he gently pulled my cheek back to his. It may have just been a sensory liking, but I’m going to believe that he liked me, he really liked me! Have a good night/weekend! Jill- Tony’s Speech Pathologist