The iPad has entered the building

The week of Christmas, Isaac was crabby on and off (nothing out of the ordinary) and would often hold his g-tube site and say "ow" repeatedly. This was something new, but he also says "ow" when we walk toward him with his jacket in hand, or his shoes, or a diaper, so we thought, maybe he's just being two and a half. Well, after a couple sleepless nights, I finally called his GI doctor and managed to take him in for a last minute appointment. The kid was right, something was up with his g-tube (which became more obvious to us when the site started getting red) and he's been on antibiotics for a week. We were lucky we didn't end up in the hospital on IV antibiotics, and also that since having his tube for over a year, this is his first infection. Thankfully, he is doing really well, and I haven't heard a tummy related "ow" in several days. It is a big step for him developmentally, to be aware of pain and the location of pain, so we're thankful he has reached this milestone, and also that he was able to alert us that there was a problem.

Walter has been off from work for two weeks and we have been enjoying every minute of it (except for that brief span of an afternoon where he was mad at me for letting the kids play with too many toys at one time (what?) and not organizing the toys properly. He later apologized and I said, "I accept your apology, and forgive you for being crazy." Isn't marriage grand?). We have greatly enjoyed our two-week at-home vacation, or, if I want to be trendy, our stay-cation.

We were given Isaac's iPad on Friday. I already broke my rule and put games on it. In my defense, that Talking Tom Cat somehow gets Isaac to make more sounds than he ever would otherwise. Aside from that, the whole iPad thing is stressing me out. The goal is for him to use it to expand his potential for communication. This means that I have to take a million pictures and establish folders, and record my voice for all of the objects, and then have it handy at the appropriate moment. Easy, right? I'm struggling to see how this device will fit into our every day life, for its intended use, and frankly, sign language and our deciphering of his sounds within context, seems so much easier. I really want to hear from a mom who has implemented an AAC into their life...how long did it take for you to set the whole thing up, how do you keep it handy for your toddler, etc. Share a message or e-mail me if you are a parent and have used an iPad with your child for communication.