May 2010
Andrew went on his first cruise with Grandma Sue over spring break. Andrew, along with eight other brothers, went on the biggest cruise ship in the world, the Oasis of the Seas. This cruise ship features a park, more shops and restaurants than other cruise ships and even Broadway theater shows. Andrew had a great time. We were really pleased with Andrew's ability to navigate around the ship. After the first few days Andrew was able to help the others find their way around. I was also happy to hear that Andrew keep his comments, for the most part, positive and was willing to try new activities and adventures! I am sure with Andrew's enthusiasm and appropriate behavior that Grandma Sue will be sure to invite Andrew to cruise with her again!
November 2009
Andrew has struggled more with his behavioral challenges lately. He even was suspended from school for several days due to his aggressive behaviors. He especially had a difficult time while I was out of the country for two weeks. I am not sure if my absence triggered some old issues. Although Andrew and I kept in contact through text messages while I was gone it wasn't enough to keep him stable with his behaviors. Andrew dealt with the death of his mother at a young age. While she died of multiple medical complications, Andrew's perception was that his birth mother died suddenly. Since I've been back Andrew has settled down. He is particularly excited about his recent move into his own home. Andrew is now receiving supported living services from our Regional Center vendored program. He is happy about taking his first big step toward adulthood.
July 2009
Andrew is having a wonderful summer. As soon as school ended Andrew started out on a five day trip to Las Vegas with Ann, Jim J., Ivan, Nikolai, Alin, Michael and George. We flew on Jet Blue and stayed at Treasure Island Hotel. Andrew complained at first, as he does with any new experience, but was very quickly enjoying all that Las Vegas has to offer. Andrew enjoyed the buffets but really should some self-control when choosing what foods to eat and how much. He ate well but didn't go crazy. Andrew also enjoyed the shows. We went to a different show every night. Andrew's favorite show was the Lion King closely followed by the Terry Fator show. After that show Andrew had a chance to meet Terry Fator and to take a picture with him. Andrew did a good job walking the strip despite the hot weather. We took our time and he was able to walk from one end of the strip to the other. Andrew loved riding the roller coast at the New York New York Hotel and Casinoas well as playing the arcade games there. Andrew is now planning his next trip to Las Vegas. It was great to see Andrew have a good time and for his brothers to encourage and support him to maintain appropriate behavior. We will definitely take Andrew on another trip soon.
March 2009
Andrew has been doing great in every
aspect. His social skills are improving
and his social behaviors are getting
increasingly more appropriate. Andrew
is also losing weight. He is making a
conscientious effort to make healthy
choices with the food he eats. Andrew
has gone from a size 4X to XL since
July! I am so proud of Andrew's efforts
although buying Andrew a new wardrobe
every couple of months is financially
killing me! :-) Andrew also has a new
girlfriend with whom he enjoys going out
to eat and to the movies. He can be
quite a gentleman when he is around his
sweetheart. The best news is that
Andrew's adoption was finalized on March
23, the day before Andrew's 18th
birthday. Here is the e-mail Andrew's
former social worker wrote to him
following his finalization:
Congratulations!
Adopted, at last!!!
Andrew has a Forever
Family!!!
Andrew,
Being your Social Worker
was an absolute pleasure! You are one
young man who will reside in my heart
for a very long time. May you have a
wonderfully blessed life. I wish the
only the best life has to offer, be sure
to pass on the same! Take care and be
good!!!
C. H.
Social Worker, Adolescent
Unit
November 2008
Andrew continues to make great strides with his social development. After years of neglect, isolation, and group home living Andrew has developed quite a mouth on him. Andrew also tends to be impulsively and routinely negative in conversation. As you can imagine, the negativity can be very tiring. We are working with Andrew to make more positive comments when conversing with others. We are also trying to encourage Andrew to use more appropriate language when conversing with others. Andrew really wants to have friends but initiating and maintaining friendships can be very challenging for Andrew. Although Andrew does not the diagnosis of autism, he is clearly on the autism spectrum. We have Andrew involved in lots of social recreational activities to maximize his opportunities to practice his social skills. Andrew does seem to make use of situation specific social scripts and is slowly making positive changes with his social communication skills.
September 2008
Andrew is really shaping-up both physically and behaviorally. When Andrew joined our family he was significantly overweight. He was compulsively over-eating at his previous placement. We noticed that Andrew played a lot of video games and did a lot of sitting around at his group home in Washington. In California we are keeping Andrew moving. He is busy every day after school with recreational activities that require he move around. On the weekends Andrew loves to go shopping and swimming. Both activities can be physically exerting for Andrew who also has mild cerebral palsy. Since joining our family Andrew has dropped two inches in his waist and lost a little over ten pounds. Additionally Andrew was on a lot of
psychotropic medication when he joined our family. Currently Andrew is not on any medication and is developing more appropriate social skills at home and in the community. Andrew is attending Fountain Valley High School where he has a new girlfriend and has already attended his first high school dance. Although Andrew has lots of things to work on, we are very pleased with his progress!
July 2008
Andrew joined our family this month from the
state of Washington. Andrew is 17 years old and
spent most of his life in Washington but he has
also lived in Florida when he was young. Andrew
has spent many years shuffling through the
foster care system but always longed for
permanency. We have been working on Andrew's
placement for about six months and we are
finally glad to have Andrew home in California.
Andrew will attend Fountain Valley High School
in September as a sophomore. Andrew loves to
play video games, meet new people, and most of
all he loves playing with dogs. We are
enjoying having Andrew home, having him hang out
with the family and showing him around Southern
California.
|
