Well we finally got some templates finished for Maria’s communication device, the Tech Talk. It has room for 8 pictures, and you can have 12 templates. We have to decide what words and pictures we want, then place them in the proper place, pick the background, dependent on if it’s a verb (pink background) or noun (yellow background), etc. Take for example bed or bedtime. Those are nouns, but if you say let’s go to bed, that’s more of a verb. So anyway, it’s not as simple as it sounds. After we pick the words, and backgrounds, and locations, then we have to print them (on 8 1/2 x 14), and for some reason it’s printing a bunch of blank pages…. Then we have to cut them to size, but the size indicated is too big, so we cut it smaller. Not done yet! Then I had to go to Kinkos to laminate them (of course the laminator wasn’t wroking so the chicky behind the counter had to do it, much to her dismay). By this time, hours have passed, Maria’s getting cranky, and I still have to cut them so they’ll fit in the device. Of course, I didn’t quite cut the paper small enough, so when I cut the laminated pages, some of the lamination doesn’t totally overlap with the paper, which just means that moisture can leak in, but it still works. Whew! Now we can use it. THAT is why we wanted the computer-based device, but WhatEver!!!
Yesterday, Maria hit the “all done” with her elbow twice. We weren’t sure if she did it on purpose, so I gave her a couple bites just in case she didn’t mean it (she hadn’t eaten much). Then this morning, I put it in on the floor with her and she touched “I want to eat” a few times. It was kinda late, she slept in because she didn’t sleep well last night, so it’s quite possible she really did want to eat. So I immediately put her in her high chair and gave her a few bites while I got her milk and medicine and breakfast ready. Hmmmm, could have been on purpose…