As a mother, I will never give up on my child. As a mother of a child who has autism, I will never give up hope.
I look into his eyes and I see all the potential that he has to offer to this beautiful world and I just know that one day the world can see what I see.

Follow my blog as I share my life and my experiences as a person who loves someone with autism.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Hugs and Knuckles

Tonight we drove down to my brothers place to visit him and his girlfriend, and their two boys for BC Day long weekend.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Friday, July 30, 2010

Sweet Dreams

I took this picture tonight and couldn’t help but wonder what Bryce dreams of. I’ve heard of people who are wheelchair bound have dreams where they could walk, or people who cannot hear, can hear in their dreams.

I wonder if Bryce doesn’t have autism when he dreams.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Connecting people across the world with bubbles

Do you love bubbles? Show us!
BubblesMakeHimSmile.com wants your pictures of bubbles!

Send us your bubble pictures to be part of our worldwide video! We’re making a video collage of pictures of bubbles taken by people from all across the world and we want you to be part of it!

Your submission picture can be of you, your children, siblings, parents, friends, co-workers, your pet dogs, cats, birds, or whoever and whatever you want to be in the picture blowing bubbles, playing in bubbles, popping bubbles, dancing in bubbles, the sky’s the limit, as long as bubbles are somehow in the picture! Even better if you can get a landmark in the picture too!

The video will be published on our website and our YouTube Channel.

Please email your picture to bubbles@bubblesmakehimsmile.com or post it on our Facebook page.

By submitting a picture, you certify that you are the owner of the picture and you have granted BubblesMakeHimSmile.com permission to use the picture in connection with the above-identified subject.

Please help promote this idea and tell everyone you know about it!
We want to get as many people involved in this as we can!

We look forward to your pictures!!

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

The Merry-Go Round

I wake up in the morning to find that Bryce has crawled into our bed and is fast asleep. This has been something new, and probably began around summertime.

No matter how quiet I am as I tip-toe out of the room, Bryce is up and out of the bed before I can make it down the stairs. While he’s getting dressed for the day, I’m making Bryce’s favourite breakfast, which right now is Eggo pancakes.

While those are in the toaster I start to turn on the TV. It’s been broken for awhile and when you turn it on it turns itself off and on again repeatedly for a good 5-10 minutes before it actually turns on. It has become part of our routine of the day now if we plan to watch it at all during the day, to prevent having to ‘wait’ for it to turn on later.

Anyways, by the time Bryce is done getting dressed, and the pancakes pop out of the toaster, the TV is finally on and I set it to the Treehouse channel. Despite some of the craziest things I’ve ever seen on TV, it does host The Backyardigans, which continues to be Bryce’s favourite thing ever.

After breakfast the day unravels with the usual suspects in no particular order: drawing, blowing bubbles, watching a movie, and requesting KFC. No matter how the day starts, the next part always includes any of those parts.

If it’s drawing, Bryce will look for his magna doodle and bring it downstairs and curl up on the couch and start to draw. I love that he draws. I like to say that he gets that quality from me since I used to draw a lot.

If it’s blowing bubbles, well I really shouldn’t say if. The day always consists of wanting to blow bubbles, or buy more bubbles if we’re out. As you can imagine it is part of our lives everyday. It does make him smile and it’s not just our website gimmick. If we have solution, we’ll blow bubbles for a little bit, usually to allow the solution to last more than an afternoon of playing with it. If we don’t have solution, he’ll continuously ask for me to go “buy more solution”.

If it’s wanting to watch a movie, he’ll go upstairs and “pick a movie likes”. Right now he’s into Shark Tale.

And finally, Kentucky Fried Chicken. All day long, regardless if he just ate something, or is about to go to bed, he’ll ask for KFC. Now originally, when Bryce was just starting to communicate with us, and he was learning how to say things outside of parroting, one of his first things he said was KFC. It was when we were driving down the road and happen to pass by one. Out of no where he said “KFC”. This wasn’t an emotional experience as when he repeated after me and said “mommy”, but to say something on his own like that was amazing, we turned around and celebrated with KFC. I don’t know what implanted in his head to always request KFC now even if we’re no where near one, but it is definitely something we don’t reward with anymore.

Lunch and dinner pass, shortly followed by Bryce’s bedtime routine, ideally. It doesn’t always work out like that, but we try.

Now in-between all this is a day full of parroting, requesting, him showing me things he drew on his magna doodle, me emphasizing every conversation, and now we’ve just introduced some structured and scheduled activities with his Behavioural Consultant.

After he is asleep, the night is quiet. I start to replenish my energy for the next day. If it’s a weekend, the day may change a bit, but guaranteed, it’ll consist of drawing, blowing bubbles, watching a movie, and KFC.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Untitled Post

I read this quote today that I could totally relate to and felt compelled to share it with you.

“I thought I would have to teach my child about the world but instead I have to teach the world about my child.”
- Author unknown

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Monday, July 26, 2010

Bryce’s Story (part four)

By the end of grade three, Daniel and I noticed a huge improvement on Bryce’s behaviour and his communication. I honestly and strongly believe that it had everything to do with the people that he worked with on a daily basis at his school, including his classmates.

When Bryce’s 9th birthday was nearing, a couple of his classmates asked if they were invited to Bryce’s birthday party. I didn’t even think about it since our first attempt of inviting 60 friends from school resulted in 6 classmates attending. But after talking with Daniel, we felt that this year was different. We invited Bryce’s whole class to his birthday party and for the first time since kindergarten, Bryce had a birthday party with people outside of close friends and family. A real birthday party. He was accepted.

Despite that, my biggest fears did come true. Bryce has never been invited to any of his classmates birthday parties, or have a play-date, and sometimes kids make fun of him. But it doesn’t get us down.

Sunday, July 25, 2010

intelliNet raises $3,000 for Bubbles Make Him Smile Therapy Fund

Last night was intelliNet’s Summer Celebration Party. The company was great, the food was fantastic, and the energy was incredible.

Usually intelliNet’s President and CEO, David Westrheim, provides a fully hosted style night including the venue, catering service, food, and drinks, but this year David came up with the idea to donate the portion saved from food and drinks to the Bubbles Make Him Smile Therapy Fund by having everyone bring a dish to share in a Pot Luck and BYOB.

As a result of everyone in the company generously bringing their own homemade dish (or store bought ... hehe) the intelliNet staff, friends, and family raised $3,000 for the Bubbles Make Him Smile Therapy Fund. And intelliNet will also match any donations from intelliNet staff.

It definitely was a reason to celebrate!

Thank you David, and the intelliNet friends and family!
Lots of love from Bryce, Tanaya, and Daniel

Also, David and his wife have graciously donated a weekend stay in their condo in beautiful Whistler, BC, Canada for us to raffle off (soon). It’s the same place we stayed at for our Whistler weekend.

Take a great vacation with Marquise Holidays!

intelliNet

About intelliNet

intelliNet provides Network Computing Managed Services to corporate clients throughout Canada.

In June 10th, 2009 intelliNet ranked in Profit Magazine's Top 100 Fastest-Growing Companies.

intelliNet engages in partnerships with their clients by providing outsourced IT Services for their mission-critical enterprise systems. They contribute those portions of the infrastructure that support and compliment each client's own internal IT resources.

intelliNet's management team has been providing the Computer & Network Products and Professional Technical Services required by some of Canada's leading and most innovative companies and institutions throughout the country for the past 20 years time. Their management team has over 100 years of collective IT Services and experience including numerous industry veterans.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Thank You for being YOU!

One thing that mothers—all mothers (and fathers)—don't always get enough of, is thanks. So I have a few thank yous to give to all you autism moms (and dads too!) out there:

Thank you for taking the time to listen to your kids, even if they can't talk, and for trying to figure out what they mean.

Thank you for realizing that even if your child can't speak, that doesn't mean he doesn't have something to say. And for those of you, like me, who interpret script after script from television shows and movies to discover the meaning underneath them? Thank you too.

Thank you for sacrificing an income to stay home and take care of your child. Or, if you choose to or have to work, thank you for providing for your child financially, while still being there for her at home.

Thank you for learning everything you can know about special education law, IDEA, and IEPs so you can advocate for your child. Often your child doesn't thank you, the school doesn't thank you, and you probably don't thank yourself, so I'll do it for you: Thank you.

Thank you for researching therapies and then driving, waiting, and dragging along siblings to appointments. Thank you for putting up with the whining from your typical kids about not wanting to sit in another waiting room.

And thank you also for knowing when it's time to just take a break and let your child have some down time. Thanks for remembering that it's not all about therapies, learning, and treatments, but that it's also about making sure your child gets to have fun and just be a kid.

Thanks for facilitating play dates for your child even if it feels like pulling teeth. Thank you for throwing birthday parties for your child so he and you can meet some other kids. Thanks for following your child's lead on those birthday parties, whether it be just inviting one friend or twenty and also for letting him pick a weird theme. (Like magnets, which is what my son has chosen for his birthday party next week.)

Thank you for taking your kids out into the world and teaching people about our wonderful autistic children. It makes the world better for everyone.

Thank you for fighting the isolation that having a special needs child foists upon you. And thank you for extending a hand to another autism mom so she doesn't feel so alone.

Thank you for working through potty training that happens at age four or six or not at all.

Thank you for keeping your child safe, whether it be because he is a "runner," or whether it be because she has self-injurious behavior.

Thank you for wanting to punch mean, teasing kids in the face but for not doing so.

Thank you for going to bed late, if your child has trouble going to sleep. Thank you for getting up early, if she rises at four.

Thank you for getting up multiple times in the night if he does too.

Thank you for going on long walks with your child if that is what calms him.

Thank you for learning all about Star Wars or space (or magnets) or whatever your child is obsessed with, without complaint, and with a laugh in your heart.

Thank you for accepting your child for who he or she is.

Thank you for all the things you do that I can't possibly know about because I don't walk in your shoes. Thank you for being the best mother for your child that he or she could possibly ever have.

Thank you for loving your child. Even if sometimes it feels like it's not making a difference, it is everything to him or her.

And, lastly, because you probably don't hear it enough, you are doing a great job. You really are. Try to remember to take some time for yourself and to breathe. (And, yes, I really do get how hard that is. And thank you for sacrificing that time too. But try to get it.)

thank you

Source: To the Autism Mommies

Friday, July 23, 2010

I have become a human squeeze toy

For a couple of days now, Bryce has become fascinated with my forearm. He squeezes it, he pushes his face into it, he even pinches it, and when I tell him it hurts and to stop, he will “kiss better” it and stop.

It’s a stimulate similar to the white sweater, but this time I can’t hide anything to prevent it from happening again. Bryce will grab and squeeze my forearm at random times. He could be totally relaxed and just at ease, and out of no where he will come me, and just give my forearm a quick, yet gentle squeeze, and rub his chin into at the same time. Sometimes he even repeats me saying ‘Owwie, no, that hurts, kiss better,’ while he’s doing it.

This is very stimulating for him. To relate to it, it is as soothing to him as a pacifier can be for a baby. I know he likes being squeezed, tickled, and enjoys roughhousing, so I can understand that he enjoys the pressure when he squeezes my arm.

While I know he’s not doing it to hurt me, at least not intentionally, I’m still looking for alternatives that he can get the same sensation from to replace the pain my arms endure. If anybody has any suggestions, please let us know.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Thursday, July 22, 2010

The White Sweater

It all started with the white sweater. Well, it’s a hooded white sweater type jacket that zips up in the front and has been dubbed by Bryce as ‘the white sweater’. I couldn’t go anywhere outside our house without Bryce insisting I “put on white sweater” and “zip up, zip up”. At first it was a very thoughtful and innocent gesture, to make sure I wore a jacket before leaving the house, but it soon became repetitive, frustrating, and intolerable.

I’d put on my white sweater and Bryce would get all excited and squeeze my bicep, and knead his chin into it. This only happened when I wore that white sweater. I’ve had this for many years, but it’s only recent that it’s become something Bryce has been infatuated about. No other article of clothing that I’d wear had would promote the same reaction as it.

Not knowing how to end this obsession with my white sweater, I have since resorted to hiding it. While it is fairly easy to calm Bryce down when we can tell he is over stimulated, it just has become a bothersome. My decision to hide it wasn’t solely motivated by Bryce’s actions, but mostly because it’s summer now, and the weather is too hot to wear a jacket.

Occausionally Bryce will question where the white sweater is, and I tell him it’s put away for now, and he continues on his day perfectly fine.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Keeping the Olympic Torch Alive

Ever since the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics passed by us, and seeing the Olympic Cauldron relit for Canada Day at Canada Place, Bryce has been reliving the memories and keeping the Olympics alive, well, at least the Olympic torch alive.

He watches YouTube videos of the fireworks at LiveCity Vancouver, and he searches through the ‘related videos’ section and finds other footage that includes the torch runners and the Olympic cauldron. He also is constantly drawing pictures of the torch.

This type of thing makes me smile.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Let me count the ways...

Stay connected with us! Join us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please contact us! We love hearing from you!

Monday, July 19, 2010

From Echoic to Independent Labeling

You hear parents suggest to their children to “use their words” to identify what they are trying to say. But if you don’t know how to say it, how can you say it? This is a minor problem Bryce has. He’s great at parroting anything you say, but their are some words he just doesn’t know.

With the guidance from our Behavioural Consultant we have come up a communication objective.

Long term objective: Bryce will independently tact 250 items in his environment with 90% accuracy on three consecutive probe trials. This will include a range of items from across home, school, community settings, body parts, and action words through echoic to independent labeling.

Here is what we are currently working on with Bryce.

1. Find 4 flashcards with pictures of words you don’t think your child knows. (You can also use your own pictures, or books with single pages of the item you want your child to label.)

2. Hold up a flashcard at a time and tell your child what it is on the flashcard. Continue labeling all 4 flashcards, then mix up the pile of flashcards.

3. Show a flashcard and wait 3 seconds for a response. If child responds correctly, praise your child verbally. Check out our 98 ways to say “Very Good” post for some excellent suggestions of praises. If the child doesn’t respond correctly, re-label it. Continue showing a flashcard and waiting for a response for all 4 cards.

4. Mix up the pile of flashcards and repeat #3 until you have gone through the 4 cards, 5 times for a total of 20 times labeling.

Make sure you keep a paper record of how many times out of the 20 times of labeling your child labeled correctly.

Criteria for success: If your child is able to independently label an item with 90% accuracy in two consecutive 20 trial sessions.

Use the words your child has learned in their environment. Point out and label words at school, home, community settings, body parts, and action words. This will help your child understand the word more.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Quiet Time

One of our concerns with Bryce is that he cannot properly regulate the loudness of his voice. He doesn’t yet have the understanding that he needs to be responsible for how loud he is speaking. He personally doesn’t like loud noises like fireworks or loud music, they bother him.

For us we can manage and direct him, but it can be rather inappropriate in circumstances where he is playing with other children (at park, home, etc) or at school where other children are learning.

He understands when we hold a finger to our mouth, and say “quiet time”. He will mimic and repeat the words, and often quiet down.

This also becomes an issue when he is angry or sad due to changes in the environment. Tonight we had friends over, and when it was time for them to go home, we made Bryce very aware that it was ‘home time’ for them but he was screaming, yelling, and upset. This also becomes an issue during repetitive learning where he just isn’t getting it and becomes frustrated.

We’re hoping he’ll learn to regulate his own volume levels relevant to the particular situation he finds himself.

He continues to work on this with his Behavioral Consulting team and School.

Daniel

Saturday, July 17, 2010

HBOT

Today I wanted to go into depth about the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatment that we are raising funds for the Bubbles Make Him Smile Therapy Fund. This is what your donation will be funding... hope.

What exactly is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? (HBOT)

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) is a form of therapy that delivers pure oxygen to the body at greater pressure than we experience here at sea level. The pressure inside the chamber is gradually increased until the proper “depth” is reached, somewhere between 1.5 and 2.0 Atmospheres Absolute (equivalent to between 17 and 33 feet underwater). At these pressures, oxygen will actually dissolve into all fluids in the body (not just the blood, as we normally do at sea level.) This means that oxygen, which is the basis of every cell’s healthy function, can be dissolved in the lymph, plasma, and most notably, the cerebrospinal fluid, which bathes the entire central nervous system.

One of the effects of hyperbaric oxygen is that it can reduce swelling, repair the blood/brain barrier, and stabilize the cell membrane. It can also increase the ability of white blood cells to clean up damaged areas, and over the long term, create a new supply of blood vessels. In addition, if hypoxia has occurred (a period of time when the brain did not receive oxygen), hyperbaric oxygen can reach areas of the brain that would otherwise never receive it, and thus prevent more damage and promote healing.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) for Autism Spectrum Disorder

It's easy to see the promise and potential in children. When your child has an autism disorder, though, it may seem like you're the only one who can see it.

But through our work in using hyperbaric oxygen therapy to treat autism, we've been more and more able to see it, too. At the Canadian Hyperbaric Institute, we've been able to help parents find their great kid who's been trapped behind the barriers of autism.

Promising research, as well as numerous reports from parents, shows that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can have a positive effect on autism disorders to improve behavior, cognition and motor movement abilities.

Autism is a complex developmental disability. Theories about its cause include reduced blood flow to areas of the brain, birth trauma, infections, exposure to toxic chemicals, reaction to vaccines (especially the MMR vaccine), and deficiencies in certain vitamins, minerals and proteins.

Autism treatment requires that these problems be addressed, to reduce or remove all possible irritants or blockages to proper brain function. Physicians at the Canadian Hyperbaric Institute are DAN!-certified and use DAN! protocols and treatments.

Defeat Autism Now! is a set of treatments and approaches identified as effective through the work of physicians, researchers and scientists overseen by the Autism Research Institute since 1995. The ARI provides instruction and certification for practitioners in these protocols and treatments.

As well, though, HBOT can speed the repair and regeneration of injured brain cells.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy increases blood flow to the brain, providing more oxygen and nutrients. Viable brain cells “wake up” with this increase in blood flow, enhancing brain functioning and improving symptoms. Hyperbaric oxygen also reduces inflammation, reduces oxidative stress, increases metabolism of cells and mobilizes stem cells from bone marrow.

Recent studies on HBOT and autism are showing promising results. Reports from health care practitioners and families, as well as the research here at the Canadian Hyperbaric Institute, are very encouraging:

  • In a June 2006 study at the University of Virginia, 18 autistic children underwent 40 one-hour sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. These researchers noted significant improvements in energy, communication, motivation, mannerism, speech, sensory and cognitive awareness and overall health.
  • In the October 2006 issue of Family Practice News, a landmark study was presented on hyperbaric oxygen therapy and chronic brain injury. Daily living, socialization, communication and motor skills significantly improved for 21 brain-injured children (average age 4.5 years) who received hyperbaric oxygen therapy compared with 21 brain-injured children who received standard therapy alone.
  • In a November 2000 study at Cornell University, 26 children with cerebral palsy underwent 40 one-hour sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. The results showed hyperbaric oxygen provided substantial improvements in motor skills, attention, language and play.

In our clinic we commonly see children with autism becoming more present and aware of their surroundings. One child with autism’s mother explained how her son would look at flowers and his environment like he was seeing them for the first time. Being more aware and focused, they can be more present in their world.

We typically see improvements in eye contact, language, socialization, appetite, gastrointestinal symptoms, motor movements, and a significant reduction in tantrums. We have also been able to slowly wean children off drugs such as Ritalin or Prozac.

It is important how hyperbaric oxygen therapy is administered. A certified site ensures safe equipment and qualified attending doctors and technicians. Hyperbaric oxygen is a medical therapy and does come with risks. These risks are minimal when administered under safe and supervised conditions.

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy can improve symptoms remarkably and allow children with autism spectrum disorders to function more normally in their everyday lives.

Please make a donation to the Bubbles Make Him Smile Therapy Fund. Thank you.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Information from Canadian Hyperbaric Institute

Friday, July 16, 2010

How can I say no to that?!

With summer finally arriving here, we have been enjoying mini Mr. Freeze freezies throughout the day to help keep us cool. Bryce has been taking advantage of his ability to know how to count, and comes up to me and says ‘2 more’ and looks at his fingers and arranges them to show two fingers.

How can I say no to that?! Not only does he demonstrate that he knows how many two is, but he uses his communication skills to ask for more. I usually give in, or reason with him by saying things like ‘one more’ or ‘last one’ and he repeats me reminding himself.

Thankfully he hasn’t mastered counting past 10, or we’d run out of freezies before the day ended!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Thursday, July 15, 2010

WIPEOUT

Wipeout is a very entertaining game show series in which contestants compete in what is billed as the "world's largest obstacle course". As you can imagine, there are a lot of slow motion replays of hilarious, back breaking, feeling the pain, wipeouts. It has got to be one of our favourite TV shows to watch. So when we heard they made a Wipeout for Wii, we just had to get it! I’m a big fan of Wii games because they get you active and off of the couch, or in this case, into the muddy water. Tonight, we unleashed the madness.

Daniel and I haven’t played it yet, but it looks like a lot of fun. The controls were so easy, Bryce had no problem learning how to play. He seemed to really enjoy it too!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

A typical summer afternoon

Today Bryce and I hanged out with my best friend and her daughter. Bryce is absolutely infatuated with this girl. He just thinks the world of her, always wants to play with her, and just really enjoys her company no matter what they’re doing. I love that Bryce connects with people like that, on an emotional level.

We went to a water park and enjoyed the sun and cool air. Afterwards, my friend treated us to some ice cream cones, and then we ended the day swimming in our pool. It was just a typical summer afternoon. One of those days that you just can’t help but enjoy the weather and good company.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

How to clean up the oil spill

Anytime there’s a spill, no matter who caused it, or what it was from, Bryce will grab some paper towel, and clean up the mess and letting us know that their was a “Spill, spill, that’s a spill.” He is very insistent on getting it cleaned up right away, and always lends a hand to help clean it, even if it wasn’t a mess made by him. He is very particular about this ever since the first time he spilled something and we pointed out that it was a spill and that we would clean it up.

With the Deepwater Horizon oil spill being all over the news for awhile now, I couldn’t help but picture what Bryce would do about that spill. He’d probably be freaking out about it and insisting on “Clean up the spill, spill” with some paper towel.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Monday, July 12, 2010

A Reason to Celebrate

I received this e-mail today from Daniel’s boss:

As most of you know, I am in the habit of supplying fully hosted parties, usually one during the summer and another around the Christmas Season, as a gesture of expressing our appreciation for everyone’s efforts and good work. Also, just for some relaxation and fun. This year, we want to do something different. The idea has 100% support from the intelliNet Management Team and we are hopeful that all of you will agree to participate as well.

Daniel and Tanaya’s son, Bryce, suffers from Autism. They are currently working very hard to raise a needed $7,650.00 to fund a Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment for Bryce which can help him. So far, Daniel and Tanaya have managed to generate $1,564.34 towards the required total. You can see all the details at https://www.bubblesmakehimsmile.com/.

The idea this year is for us to use the intelliNet Summer Celebration Party as a fundraiser for Bryce’s cause, in the following fashion. intelliNet will supply the venue and the meat, but instead of the fully hosted style we normally do, we will make the gathering both Pot Luck and BYOB. For each couple attending, we will coordinate with you to bring a dish to feed 30 and you will need to bring your own drinks or alcohol. In turn, through the contributions of all of you, intelliNet can re-direct the thousands usually spent on fully hosting and make a contribution to Bryce’s cause for some thousands of dollars!

We all have good fortune. Please join with us to still celebrate our joint success, but also make a significant difference in the life of an innocent, less fortunate, child, related to our team. You have to eat and drink, anyways …

Thank you

D.

I can’t even describe how emotional I got over this email. I was speechless! I know how much thought and creativity goes into the company’s celebration parties, and to know that they care about us this much, to put so much thought into this, it’s just so incredibly compassionate and generous.

Thank you David and the intelliNet Management Team. Their are not enough words to express our gratitude. Thank you.

Thanks for reading,
Bryce, Tanaya, and Daniel

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Seatbelt Safety Bryce

In Canada, we have laws that keep children in age-and weight-appropriate car seats until their 9th birthday unless they have reached the height of 145 cm (4’9”) tall. Bryce has always been a huge supporter of seatbelt safety. If anyone in the car, including himself, were in the car without a seatbelt, Bryce would always say “Put seatbelt on”. He loves his routines and it’s always been wonderful that he would remind us to put our seatbelts, and his seatbelt on before we drive.

Since Bryce has turned 9 he no longer needs a car seat. He must have seen us unbuckle/buckle his seatbelt over 1,000 times. He has known what to do, “Push the button”, for a long time now. We’ve shown him how to unbuckle/buckle his seatbelt. But today was the first time he unbuckled and buckled his seatbelt himself after we parked our car. We’re very proud that he has mastered another day to day activity that the rest of us easily take for granted.

We love you Bryce.

Daniel

Saturday, July 10, 2010

He’s got the whole world in his hands.

I can’t help but think about what the future has in store for Bryce. Ideally, I hope there’s a cure for autism before Bryce’s 18th birthday. Mainly because the autism funding our Provincial government provides for children with autism ends when Bryce turns 18.

The unknown is always scary, but knowing how autism is and how it has affected Bryce’s life growing up, and what the possibilities are of what his adult life could be, that to me, is more scary.

These are just random things that cross my mind now and then. Thinking about what I was going to write about in today’s blog made me think about Bryce’s future. I’m supposed to take each day by day, and everyday Bryce is progressing in speech, personality, and truly growing up to be a beautiful person.

I really do believe he has a lot of potential for this world. I just don’t know what the future has in store for him. I hope it’s something amazing. He deserves it. He deserves that chance.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Friday, July 9, 2010

Who wears short shorts?

Not Bryce! He has recently attached himself to a specific long sleeved shirt, pair of jeans, and black socks. He has insisted on wearing this outfit every single day for the past 2 weeks now, and has the biggest tantrum known to mankind if he can’t find it, or has to wear something else.

The other day I had to substitute the outfit for something else because it seriously needed to be washed. That was the longest I’ve ever heard him cry, like real tears, just because he had to wear something else.

Today, here in Vancouver, BC, Canada, it’s 24 degrees Celsius but feels like 30 degrees Celsius, and while that is probably not hot for many of you, it is super hot for us. Bryce was sweating up a storm, and I literally had to peel his shirt off of him to get him in the shower to cool off. While he was in the shower, I hid his outfit so that I could put him into some lighter clothes to keep him cool for a little bit till the sun wasn’t so hot.

He was not a big fan of that idea and the result of having to wear something that wasn’t his specific long sleeved shirt, pair of jeans, and black socks, was picture (and blog) worthy:

He had a huge meltdown. Screaming off the top of his lungs in pure agony like it was the worst thing in the world. He kept saying ‘Want to put the pants on – want to put the pants on’ over and over again. After I managed to calm him down, he seemed more comfortable with his outfit, but still distraught on the idea of not wearing what he had been wearing over the past 2 weeks. “I’m not trying to be mean, B, I just want you to not be so hot” I kept saying throughout his time wearing shorts. With that said, it didn’t matter what I put him into. I just figured shorts because of the weather, and even suggesting a different long sleeved t-shirt still upset him.

After the sun moved a bit, and our house became cooler, I figured I’d end his ‘torture’ and give him his new favourite long sleeved shirt and jeans, and of course, I had to take some pictures of his reaction:

His clothes came off so fast, and were tossed on the ground. His attitude shifted, his personality a lot better, and he had the biggest smile ever. It was literally like night and day.

And it didn’t even matter that he put his pants on backwards. He was happy.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Thursday, July 8, 2010

A Great Night in Good Company

Today we had family over for a barbeque, and since it was so hot, we took advantage of our pool for a couple of hours before we ate. While we were at the pool, Bryce was just chilling on the stairs half way in the water, as he’s not a huge fan of getting wet, at first. But once he warmed up to the idea, he was splashing and playing along side with us in the shallow end, and even daringly grasped the edge of the pool and pulled himself around it (because he saw his cousin do it).

Daniel came home with some potatoes, steaks, and chicken breasts to grill and made a fancy Caesar salad with grapes and nectarines for our guests. After we were stuffed, all the adults lounged around the television and played a very battling game of Monopoly on XBox, while the kids went upstairs to play in Bryce’s playroom.

All together, it was a great night in good company with our family.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

It’s kinda odd, but not really

After shopping around for days trying to find a local business to print our custom t-shirt design, we found Oddball Workshop. Oddball Workshop not only did an amazing job, but we gave them shirts to print on a Friday, and they had them ready for us on the following Wednesday, which was great timing for Canada Day at Canada Place. Superb and patient customer service, reliable people you can count on, and local for easy drop off and pick up for us!

Thank you again Oddball Workshop for your excellent work!

Oddball Workshop

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

98 Ways to Say “Very Good”

If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
he learns to find love in the world.

  1. You’ve got it made.
  2. You’re on the right track now!
  3. You are very good at that.
  4. That’s very much better!
  5. I’m happy to see you working like that.
  6. You’re doing a good job.
  7. That’s the best you’ve ever done.
  8. I knew you could do it.
  9. Now you’ve figured it out.
  10. Now you have it.
  11. GREAT!
  12. Keep working – you’re getting better.
  13. You make it look easy.
  14. That’s the right way to do it.
  15. You’re getting better every day.
  16. You’re really growing up!
  17. Nice going.
  18. SENSATIONAL!
  19. That’s the way to do it.
  20. That’s better.
  21. Best yet.
  22. PERFECT!
  23. You’re really going to town!
  24. TERRIFIC!
  25. Much better!
  26. You’ve just about mastered that!
  27. OUTSTANDING!
  28. You did that very well.
  29. FANTASTIC!
  30. You’re really improving.
  31. SUPERB!
  32. Keep it up!
  33. You’ve got that down pat!
  34. TREMENDOUS!
  35. Good thinking!
  36. Keep on trying!
  37. I’ve never seen anyone do it better.
  38. I like that.
  39. I’m very proud of you.
  40. I think you’ve got it now.
  41. You figured that out fast.
  42. That’s really nice.
  43. You’re right.
  44. CLEVER!
  45. That’s great!
  46. Way to go.
  47. Now you have the hang of it!
  48. You’ve done a great job.
  49. Congratulations, you got it right.
  50. You’re beautiful.
  51. That’s RIGHT!
  52. That’s GOOD!
  53. When I’m with you I feel like singing!
  54. GOOD WORK!
  55. I’m proud of the way you worked today.
  56. You’re really working hard today.
  57. You’ve just about got it.
  58. THAT’S IT!
  59. Congratulations!
  60. That’s quite an improvement.
  61. You are doing that much better today.
  62. I sure am happy you’re my daughter/son/student, etc.
  63. You’re learning fast.
  64. Good for you!
  65. Couldn’t have done it better myself!
  66. You really make being a parent/teacher/caregiver fun.
  67. One more time and you’ll have it.
  68. You did it that time!
  69. That’s the way!
  70. SUPER DOOPER!
  71. You haven’t missed a thing.
  72. Keep up the good work.
  73. Nothing can stop you now!
  74. EXCELLENT!
  75. That’s the best ever.
  76. FINE!
  77. Wonderful!
  78. That’s better than ever.
  79. I appreciate your hard work.
  80. Now that’s what I call a fine job!
  81. You must have been practicing!
  82. You’re doing beautifully.
  83. Right on!
  84. Good remembering!
  85. You did a lot of work today!
  86. You certainly did well today.
  87. You’re doing fine.
  88. You are really learning a lot.
  89. You outdid yourself today!
  90. SPLENDID!
  91. Good going!
  92. MARVELOUS!
  93. You’re doing the best you can!
  94. Good job.
  95. You remembered.
  96. That gives me a happy feeling.
  97. Well, look at you go!
  98. DYNAMITE.

Feel free to click on the graphic below to save or print ‘98 Ways To Say “Very Good”’ for your own use. (PDF file)

98 Ways To Say "Very Good" Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Information provided by our Behavioural Consultant

Monday, July 5, 2010

Canada Day at Canada Place 2010 (extras)

Wanted to share some more pictures from Canada Day at Canada Place 2010. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic cauldron was relit for this event, and it was incredible how close you could get to it.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya