october

October is already halfway over, I can hardly believe it... I always seem to find time to write when I'm exhausted and not feeling good, but I won't talk about that much because it's just too depressing.

What's new? My kitten Chloe thinks she's a dog. Weird, yes, but also entertaining. She begs for human food ranging from marshmallows to popcorn to enchiladas. She is also proficient at the game of fetch with her preferred toys: wine corks. She will bring back corks that have been tossed across the room until she is tired out and panting. Until we got her I had never seen a cat actively pant- I have heard cats wheeze and even mouth breathe, but Chloe actually opens her mouth, lets her tongue loll out, and pants. It's hilarious. As I type this sentence, she is gazing up at me waiting for me to get the cork out of the couch cushion (where she just dropped it) and chuck it across the room for her. If I don't please her fast enough, she will dig in the cushion to try to get it herself, but she is ultimately unsuccessful. Did I mention she also drools? Yeah, like a dog. At night she likes to sleep curled up around my head, and most nights this is fine with me (additional heat source) but some nights she drools and it's pretty revolting. So instead of getting a puppy I got a kitten who acts like a puppy in some of the fun ways but she's not as much work as a dog, right?

This week I have been particularly productive in the kitchen. I made pumpkin puree and bagged it to freeze and pull out when I want to make pumpkin recipes. I also used some of our ripe tomatoes and made some tomato sauce to freeze, but I only had the energy to make about 2 cups that night, so that won't last long. I also made cranberry pumpkin spice bread last night. It's hard having Jesse gone, and since I love to be in the kitchen, I think I find peace and comfort when baking or cooking. Tonight I am making granola to take with yogurt and pumpkin spice bread to my class tomorrow.

Speaking of which, I only have two more weeks of the NDT (Neurodevelopmental Treatment) course after tomorrow. I started this course back in June and it's been held approximately one week a month since then. Sometimes I feel like I should probably feel a lot more knowledgeable and proficient at taking this treatment approach with children who have motor disorders (namely cerebral palsy) but then I think about how much I have learned since I started this course. As a speech-language pathologist, the background I received in how the motor system works (e.g., muscles, bones, how to get kids to move differently and break up abnormal motor patterns that can be damaging in the long run) was very limited - pretty much non-existent. I now understand and recognize many normal and abnormal movement patterns and have some skills for how to change those in the children I see. I am still processing how this will tie in with my specific profession, since most of the therapists in the course are PTs or OTs who definitely target movement and the motor system more regularly and directly than I do. I have had some inklings of how I will use all of this information that I've gained, but it will take more processing and practice before I realize how useful it will be. For one thing, with children who require alternative communication options because their motor impairments make verbal communication less accessible will be good to use this info on to increase their skills with pointing, and will help guide me decide what devices might be the best for their current and projected skills. I also already feel a little more comfortable with the idea of seeing kids who have difficulty feeding/swallowing for due to motor impairments. I enjoy the course, but I am definitely looking forward to being done, having all my Saturdays back each month and full pay each month.

My enchiladas are done cooking so it's dinner time... plus, Jeopardy's on and I really can't answer the questions while I'm typing. ;) Until next time...