I have been meaning to start a blog for some time now... here goes nothing!

Let's get caught up...

Emma is now 6 months old! I cannot believe how fast time is flying! She is the love of my life and brings a smile to my face every single day. She is now rolling all over the place and grabbing everything! She has started eating oatmeal and she had her first veggie this past week: carrots! It was the most uneventful "baby's first food" moment ever. She literally acted like she has been eating carrots her entire life. No funny faces. Nothing. Up next... apples! I'm hoping to get a reaction, I'll keep you posted.

Autism...
This last week, I went to a Social Thinking Conference with Michelle Garcia Winner which focused on teaching executive functioning, and social skills to individuals primarily diagnosed with high functioning autism, aspergers, and ADHD. I'm going to be honest, the conference was not as great as I thought it would be, however the first morning there was a speaker named Sara Ward, an SLP who was AMAZING. I tried to find a link on the Social Thinking website and couldn't find one. I'm wondering if she stepped in last minute to cover for someone else?? Anyway, I learned a ton of great tools from her lecture. I did however discover a new curriculum coming out in March called The Incredible Flexible You. (The first volume in March and the second volume in the fall.) I am DYING to buy it! It looks really fun for the kiddos.

Another autism related note...
I just jumped on the Parenthood bandwagon and it is a wonderful show. As my friend Erin put it, I am emotionally involved with the characters. For those who haven't seen it, it is about a couple who have 4 grown children who are now raising their own children. One of the children has a diagnosis of aspergers so it is really neat to see a show portray the ins and outs of the world that many of the families that I work with struggle with on a daily basis. (As well as my own parents.) The child, Max, even has a behavioral therapist come into his home and work with him! (That's what I do for those of you who have always wondered what the heck a behavior analyst is.) Obviously, it's a little skewed, but it's awesome, go watch it!

I have to wrap this up for today. I need to go wash bottles before Emma Grace wakes up from her nap! (OK, and I'm going to have one of the delicious chocolate chip cookies that my hubby brought me last night from Tiff's Treats.)

XOXO,
Lexi