In control

or not :-)

Mira is trying out new skills that show she is more in control of her body. She is learning to clap and blow raspberries. She stands unassisted at every chance she gets. And she gets very frustrated when you take a toy away from her.

Joshua has started a new program on the computer called handipoints.com It is a way for us to keep track of the tasks he completes during the day and reward him. He loves the time in 'kitty land' and since we have been using it for a week we have noticed that the very negative behavior has been on a decline. I think the structure is helping. Also, he receives 3 bells at the beginning of the day. He has the ability to loose the bells for any negative behavior without any prior warning (hitting, kicking, spitting, leaving the house, yelling, etc). He can as get them back if he performs some extraordinary task (bringing mommy a diaper without being asked, playing nicely with Mira) Then at the end of the day he can pick one special activity for every bell (Go to the park, eat a treat, play with daddy, read a book, etc). If you want to try handipoints for your kids, please indicate that we referred you (nettie_owens@yahoo.com) so that Joshua can earn a cool robot costume on the site!