Summer Break 2026

Noa had such a fun and busy summer break, it's hard to know where to start!  

Hanging out on a swing, after a train ride in Portland

TRAIN!

Noa has been signing "Train" for a long time at the table, and we weren't even sure if that's what she really wanted but I'd promised a "train" over summer break and so one of the first things we did was to drive up to Portland, Maine and take the Narrow Gauge Train which (no surprise) she LOVED!

​The ride itself was only about 30 minutes but they had open air cars and played music that Noa really liked before the ride, and during short break mid-ride (which she called "5 minutes dancing." She was not happy when the ride was over, but later asked for a train where she could put her feet up (so I guess it wasn't totally perfect). 

CAMP!

Noa did one week of literary camp which she love... in great part because James was there and she got to play "Bring it down with James" every single day. What could be better???

GREEN COTTAGE

Noa did three different overnight stays at Green Cottage: one 2-day stay, two 3-day stays. 

I worked with Noa to fill out her Green Cottage Communication Book, and she was excited to have it, as well as her ipad.  The folks at Green Cottage reported that she used both of them very successfully. Some of Noa's peers at Green Cottage have learned to sign their names, so she is starting to interacting more directly with them. ​

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HORSEY

Some amazing developments at horseback riding! Noa has started to guide the horse entirely on her own! Below you can see her riding coach directing her when to turn left or right, and even manages to get the horse going again when he stops for a bit.  AND as you'll see in the 2nd video, she also trotted for the very first time this past weekend.

MYSELF!

Noa was very big on doing things herself over break. She used to have me recite the alphabet while she brushed each section of her teeth, now she signs the alphabet herself. She liked doing her ear drops herself and starting/stopping her YOTO music player by herself. As we got closer to back-to-school time her efforts seemed to ramp up. Today she even did her own hair!

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Noa was very chatty over break. She did a great job communicating and seemed to be very happy to feel like she was being understood. Interestingly, she decided to change up some of her usual routines - for example, she switched up which zuzzies went with with which activity, added an additional monkey to her bedtime routine, and when she was especially proud of herself she would ask for a new shape to be glued to a specific zuzzies. 

Noa is also taking more initiative getting herself up in the morning with additional side coaching (she turns off the alarm, puts her toys and blanket in a basket, gets up with her walker and navigates to the bathroom). She is also enjoying doing her shower independently using her new wall dispenser for shampoo, conditioner and soap. 

I also see her explaining her thought process in new ways. When she wanted me to put shapes on her shirt, she told me I should use glue. On a visit to Green Cottage, Noa didn't want to get up to do her second bathroom trip after bedtime. When I asked her why, she signed "shoes."  She also told me she wanted her desk chair to be purple, and she wanted to be able to put her feet up which to led to yet another new development.

As a reward to getting her a soft purple cover for her desk chair, and a foot rest, Noa said she wanted to give a present to Mom. So she went shopping with Dad and got me a coloring book. The next day, she wanted to give Dad a present and got him a shirt at Goodwill. When we had a visit from Bo - who can make the swing go very fast - she decided to make him some artwork as a present.

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SPECIAL WALKING

Noa also liked walking with her gait trainer, but with the extreme heat it was often challenging to find a shady spot for walking, so when we spotted a under desk treadmill at a yard sale, we decided to see if we could set it up to be able to use the gait trainer indoors. Noa loved it! 

All in all, a great break!