Just a swinging!

 One of my last post talked about Susie's new sensory swing that she got for Christmas. Susie's teachers told me about a sensory swing that she uses at school and I got to researching one that would work for our home and our limited space. Susie does so well with her belt, we were hopeful having a swing at home would help keep her busy and engaged. I found this swing on Amazon that would attach to our hallway. It hangs from a strong metal bar and the swing itself is made of a thick stretchy material. 

The first night we put it up she needed assistance getting in and out and I was feeling doubtful that this was going to have the same affect her swing at school did. Boy, was I wrong. Susie has easily swung 20 miles in this swing. It is quite amazing to watch her, we call it her "circus act." She gets all the way in it like a hammock, or she sits in it like a playground swing, or our personal favorite is when she locks her ankles and swings through the air! It is truly amazing to watch what she can do with her swing. 

For a long time I tried to fit Susie into a mold, especially when it came to buying her gifts and finding toys for her to play with. I tried to get her gifts that I thought kids her age would want to play with. Through this journey, I lam earning that what Susie likes isn't always "typical." However, the more we figure out her likes and differences, the happier she is. 

                                                       

Jumping on her trampoline and playing with her sequin board. 

As if her swing didn't take up enough space, sometimes she grabs every bag of Dot's Pretzels she can find and INSISTS they are right beside her! 

This was a first, she put herself to sleep in the swing! 

Susie gathers random items throughout the house and puts them in the hall with her as she swings. It's like an obstacle course trying to get to the bathroom. 

Birthday Girl!

 Today our sweet girl is 5! Much like the year she was born, we are facing cold winter weather and storms! The weekend she was born in 2019, we got around 12 inches of snow. Most of Susie's birthdays have been delayed or canceled due to snowstorms or illnesses! Luckily, we were able to celebrate a few days early at the Trampoline Park! Susie had a really great time jumping and playing and really enjoyed her cake! Susie gravitates towards red things, so we made her birthday cake red! 

Susie hates fire so we put a candle on the cake but didn't light it!

Notice the pigtails, that's a big step! 

Before her party, we got to put 5 Pennie's in the bank at church! This is a sweet tradition that we enjoy at our church. Thankfully she got to participate, as this weekend church is already canceled due to impending weather. Susie is not much for gifts, and with Christmas just ending, she didn't need much! She was showered with lots of snacks and Pepsi! My sister also made her an amazing fidget blanket that has built in pop-it's.

My mom also got her a fidget chair that spins and she loves it, but I was having trouble getting a good photo of her on it! 

Enjoy some pictures of Susie's past birthdays. 

Ready for Susie Claire to be born! 

January 11, 2019 7:58 am, 7 lbs 3 oz

1st birthday, snowed in at home! 

Susie is 2! 

Silly girl eating some corn on her 3rd birthday! 

Susie did not feel the best on her 4th birthday. This was in the middle of us having many sleepless nights and ear infections before she had her tonsils out! She did get to go swimming a few days before her birthday to celebrate! 

We are so blessed with Susie and impressed daily with her progress. She definitely keeps us on our toes and there is never a dull moment with Susie. We hope year 5 is her best yet! 

Christmas and December update!

Hello everyone! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas season! We sure did! I wanted to write about Susie's Christmas and some things we did to ensure she had a successful Christmas! But first, I want to share a few big things Susie has done this month.

Susie does not do well in environments where she is expected to 1. Sit still or 2. Be quiet. A few weeks ago we tested her at 2 different events in which she had to sit still, and be quiet. The first occasion was at Sally's gymnastics recital. It was a 3 hour long event and Susie had to go. We were nervous as it was going to be a long time for Susie. However she far exceeded our expectations and made it the entire show, only leaving for about 20 minutes to go to the lobby. That same weekend, we took her to a church Christmas program. Susie loves music, so she did well with listening to the kids sing! She was rewarded with a cookie, or 5! 

   Trying her best to be quiet at the church Christmas Program! 

Susie also didn't do the best with Santa the first 2 times we saw him. I got to thinking that maybe she was overwhelmed by the crowd and the lines. The County Library had pictures with Santa, I went hoping it would be a smaller crowd and we could go at Susies pace. It was just that and Susie did amazing and we got a wonderful picture of her and Santa! 

                  

At Thanksgiving, we did a buffet style table. Susie had a really rough day because she doesn't like to share food and tried to take over the whole table. At Christmas, we decided to have a table dedicated to Susie. We laid out a cheese ball (her favorite) chips, pretzels, and croissants to name a few things! Susie did so well with her own little grazing table and was so happy! 

It is hard to buy gifts for Susie, she doesn't care for many things. However when she likes something, she really likes it. We put a lot of thought into her gifts this year and decided to get her some sensory items that she is familiar with using at school. I did a lot of research and found a sensory swing that would fit in our hallway and Nana bought it for her. Santa also brought her a sequin board and a small trampoline. This was the first time that Susie actually showed interest in her gifts! We aren't able to get many pictures or videos of her, as she has kind of sworn off clothes this Christmas break! However I do have a small clip of her in action on the swing which keeps her entertained for hours!