Great week back

We started the week going back to school and going to the dentist. A great way to start the week in Stephanie's world. She loves going to the dentist. That doesn't mean she is totally cooperative but we have learned how to make it fun and still get the teeth cleaned and looked at. We've learned to bring her toothpaste from home and if she doesn't like the toothbrush that is loud and spins, use a regular one. She loves the whole process of getting them cleaned, counted, and getting a new toothbrush. She could do without the pictures, those little films in her mouth make her gag. They have learned that taking pictures of her teeth is a 2 person job. Her favorite is Mr. Thirsty, the instrument that sprays water in your mouth. Brushing her teeth at home is sometimes a challenge and a team effort. I do the best I can with what she allows me to do. Now it's a long wait to go back in 6 months. I would much rather have it that way then her not wanting to go.

Stephanie went back to school for 4 days last week. We had to end the week with another "teaching resting" day as she needed to stay home on Friday per her school exposure rules. She had a great week and so glad she's been able to keep up with all the changing schedules. She spent her day off packaging the new wristbands that are now available on the website. She can't consistently count to 15 or know 1:1 correspondence with numbers higher than 4. So I was trying to figure out how she was going to count to 15 to package the wristbands. By making 15 squares on a piece of paper and having her put one in each one square, she got the job done. She wanted me to hold the bag for her to put them all in but she closed it when it was full. But this is something I am confident she will be able to do independently very soon.

We had visitors stay with us Saturday night. This is something that can go either way. Stephanie usually loves people but you never know how she will react to a change in her routine. Jeff's high school friend and his family just moved back to Wisconsin after living in Australia for 16 years. They stayed the night which meant different sleeping arrangements. It worked out great because Stephanie has been sleeping on her floor since October so she had a bed open for us to use. I knew she would love it and every night since she has been talking about me sleeping in her bed again. I keep telling her I will sleep in her bed again when they come back. She made a new friend, as the moms name is the same as her cousin. So now she keeps saying 2 [name]. And keeps saying "my new friend". So it was definitely a great visit. We got old toys out since 2 of their kids were younger than ours and Stephanie had fun finding all the Lego people and putting them together. Somehow we have more tops and are missing legs and heads. Neo of course had to join in on the fun.

Surprisingly Stephanie doesn't have a consistent song of the week. She is listening to "Count on Me" by Bruno Mars, "Away in a Manager" by Silent Night, and "A Sky Full of Stars" by Targon Egerton.