Support Josiah

Prepping for CALM

Tile for the Bathroom

Progress continues! The Sheetrock guys are almost done prepping the walls for paint. Our dear friends Bill and Toni Brown are here working on the tile in the bathroom. My brother Jonathan had the idea of tiling the entire bathroom (ceiling to floor) which will make for very simple clean up. The electrical switches are all on the wall outside the bathroom so that we can spray the room down with no concern. The knob for the shower will be on the outside of the shower so that we can control the temperature of the water without getting soaked and so that we can protect the knobs from Josiah's urge to wrench them back and forth. We are so grateful to everyone involved who has helped us carefully think out even the smallest details to create the best space possible to care for Josiah's needs. 

The paint color in the therapy room is going to be a very calming shade of blue. We are extending this color to the ceiling as well. White ceilings can be overstimulating to children with sensory needs. We are hoping this pale blue will be very relaxing to Josiah. 

We hung our old hammock to test it out in the room.

We have started collecting items for Josiah's therapy room. Some items have been given and some we have purchased. We have a weighted blanket for the bed, several sensory toys, a few DVDs that Josiah particularly enjoys, a therapy peanut ball, and a large stuffed teddy bear that he enjoys cuddling and climbing on. We also have a platform swing and hammock for the room to provide Josiah with the movement his body is always seeking. To address Josiah's sense of smell sensitivities, we have an essential oil diffuser that will help provide aroma therapy. We are trying to include something calming for all of his senses. 

Below, I am going to list some items that we are still needing to get. Perhaps you have some of these that you might be willing to donate. We are all about gently used "hand me downs" that are in good condition! 

-exercise trampoline

-sensory toys

-used children's books (Josiah will "love on" these to the point of destroying them.)

-full size simple bed frame (We have the mattress and box springs.) 

-2 full size white waterproof mattress pads

-2 sets of full size white or lightly colored sheets (bleached often)

-2 white down or down alternative blankets (bleached often)

-6 white towels for the bathroom (bleached often)

-mini fridge 

-DVDs (Elmo's World, Blues Clues, Cinderella, and any other animated Disney movies.)

Josiah clicking a fidget cube. :)

There are a few items that we know probably need to be purchased new. We need a TV and TV mount for the room, a DVD/BlueRay player, and an Apple TV device since we do not have cable television. We are also hoping to include a few other sensory items that will incorporate light and bubble therapy. But we are still trying to figure out which of the options out there would be most economical and best for Josiah. 

Perhaps you have some ideas for things that would be sensory calming for Josiah's room! We are open to suggestions and would LOVE your input! You can contact me via Facebook or email me at christyverroi@gmail.com with your ideas. :) Thanks to everyone who is helping us complete this project for Josiah! We cannot wait to see how God will use this therapy room and therapy pool to improve our boy's quality of life!

Because of His grace,

Christy

*Rain is still preventing the concrete from being laid around the pool, but doesn't the Sheetrock looks great! :)