Wow, I can't believe that it's been two months since my last post and less than two weeks until Thanksgiving and Advent.  We are doing well at the Gonzalez' household, my baby turned four on 11-11-11, so we are recovering from all the partying. 

So Claire is now being weaned off of her braces. Every week she gets to go braces-free for an extra hour until she doesn't have to wear them at all during the day.  It's hard to believe that we have come this far.  She has "normal" range of motion and her PT is working on keeping her from regressing.  Her therapist is amazing and there are no words to express the gratitude that I have for all the work she has invested in my daughter.  Today is the first day of basketball practice and needless to say, both Claire and I are very excited.

We also have reached the end of the first marking period.  Claire did very well except that she received a C in handwriting.  This was expected but her OT is working diligently on getting her to stay between the lines and taking her time.  During the conference with her teacher, Miss Giancola expressed that Claire is anxious to move on the cursive but that she needs to slow down.  Miss G, with tears in her eyes, also thanked Michael and I on how well we have worked on getting Claire all the help that she needs.  It is very hard for me to hear this when I would go to the ends of the earth for either of my girls.  A friend of mine, whose son also has a learning disability, asked me if I thought that ignoring the needs of a child by not getting them the help they need is child abuse?  I answered with an emphatic yes.  We watched some videos from last Christmas and it is amazing how much Claire has progressed in a year but it doesn't surprise me since she has worked so hard.  A blogger that I subscribe to posted this article and it's content doesn't surprise me at all.
http://www.emaxhealth.com/1506/autistic-persons-have-strong-abilities-are-underestimated

I can't imagine that I will blog before Thanksgiving so I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday.  This will be our first gluten-free Thanksgiving but I'm sure it will be a wonderful feast, compliments to Chef Dad.  I will be running a 4.4 mile Turkey Trot in the morning benefiting our local Autism Speaks.  Cheers, love, and peace!!