Mock PT Clinic at CSUS

Julia was invited to participate in another mock PT clinic at CSUS this spring. She has participated in two other clinics several years ago, but has not recently been able to attend. It is very exciting for Julia to recieve this opportunity. Her former PT, Michelle is a professor at Sac State now, and gave us this chance. The clinic began last Thursday, but we were attending Rush and Brittany's wedding :o) and weren't able to be there. Julia was home sick...she didn't even get to be at the wedding :o(.

So...today we met the students who will be working with Julia for the next 2 months. They are Travis and Heidi, and Julia gave them a run for their money today! She is definitely opinionated and was not in a compliant mood. Sigh.

Julia is extremely jealous over Michelle and was NOT HAPPY that Michelle was working with other kids! It's kind of like the school bus thing...we can't convince her that EVERY bus is not HER bus. I don't know how to get her to understand that Michelle is LOTS of kids therapist! She thinks Michelle is hers exclusively.

Here's something kind of neat...there were toys there that Michelle used to bring to our house when she worked with Julia 3, 4, even 5 years ago and JULIA REMEMBERED the toys! It was amazing. I wish so much sometimes that I could get inside her brain and know what she knows...understand what she understands.

I DO NOT think that she is as cognitively impaired as it seems she is. I think she understands, remembers, calculates much more than she is able to express to us.

I TUTE!!!

This last week we had our church's annual No Limits conference. I help in the hospitality suite and had Julia with me one morning. She was hungry and asked me for a donut. She was very insistent that it be a SHOCK-YIT (chocolate) donut. Wanting her to have something healthy I also put a strawberry on her plate. Please keep in mind that the strawberries were right out of the fridge.

Julia was going to town on her donut when I offered her the strawberry. She bit into it and then said:

"Mom! No! I SHOCK-YIT!!"

Being the pushover I am I gave her another bite of donut and then offered her the strawberry again. She bit down and then pulled away and said:

"No, mom! Berry code!!" (berry is cold)

The neat thing about this is that Julia was able to communicate what she wanted AND tell me WHY she DIDN'T want something. YAY, Julia!

While we were sitting there some people came in and were making over Julia...complimenting her on her dress, hair, etc. After listening to them for a minute or so Julia looked at me with a knowing look and said "I tute!" (I'm cute!)

We all laughed...but inside I was amazed that she could translate their compliments into a positive comment about herself. Distill them down, if you will, and express to me the essence of what was being said. YAY again, Julia!!!

Oh...and she did eat the whole strawberry...after it warmed up!