Adoption Tax Credit (Refund)

Please sign the petition so that the Adoption Tax Credit will be renewed so other families can afford to save one more orphan and give them a family. Thanks for taking the time to do this!

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/support-hr-4373-and-s-3616-help-make-adoption-affordable-keep-tax-credit-and-make-it-refundable/GknZZR2H

Pre handwriting ideas...

Today we worked on drawing a straight line from the left of the page to the right side of the page.
We then also did straight lines from top to bottom holding a small crayon (broken in half) so he had to hold it in his pincer grip.
I drew dots on a page and he had to draw a circle around each dot with the same broken crayon. We then cut paper until his little hand was tired (1 page of construction paper). Another idea we have done in the past is putting stickers on dots. With the holidays coming and the traveling we will be doing, we won't start the brushing and compressions until after the holidays. He has a bouncy ball he bounces on and we put cushions on him and make him a sandwich. Thanks Viviane and CeAnn for the suggestions.

Great ideas for our adopted kiddos

Sensory Table Ideas

Occupational Therapy Store

Sensory processing Disorder Chart

Sensory Processing...

Now that Calvin has been home over a year I am noticing certain behaviors that weren't as noticeable at first because of him learning to trust us and experiencing new things. We noticed he fell a lot (were told he had low muscle tone), couldn't hold instruments (crayon, fork, pen, scissors) properly (his index finger not being used), he couldn't dress himself (pull on his socks). We have noticed the last 6 months that he has to touch EVERYTHING, smell (or make a comment about a smell ) ALL THE TIME, which is fine until we go into someone's home and he says very loudly, " house stinky". He still is not very coordinated, can't hop without holding on to a wall, bumps into most things, chews (puts things in his mouth) the majority of the time, which isn't great now that he is at preschool and getting sick ALL the time.
I was thinking the other day it is like he is seeking stimulation all the time in his mouth, touching things and smelling things. It is quiet frustrating most of the time. He gets really 'worked up' some times where he will grab at his sisters and squeeze. I have started looking for things on the internet to do with him to help him. We were doing brushing and compressions when he first came home but I didn't really see much of a difference. I am going to start doing these again (every 2 hrs) for 2 months to see if there is a difference. I will post what I find on this blog to keep track of what we are doing and what works.
He is still a sweet precious little boy who has come along way. He always wants to know the routine of the day, what he will be eating at meals and is very proud of himself when he accomplishes something like putting his coat on by himself.