Everything seems to be down to routine now. Ella is away at school everyday from 8 am to about 2 pm and then she spends afternoons with Beth. Friday is a bit shorter day at school and she gets home at around 12:30. Ella’s been talking, or rather vocalizing more and I’m beginning to think that part of the reason she’s not really saying any words is low muscle tone around of the lips and mouth. She seems like she really wants to say some things but her voice comes out in this high pitched singing sound and it is hard to decipher anything from that. The other problems is that she gets confused easily which I think is a neurological issue. For example, she’ll want to say “bye” and I think she tries but what comes out instead is “all doooonnnneee”. She’s very inconsistent with her responses. The day before yesterday she was pointing to her toes everytime we asked her “Where are your toes?” Then yesterday she wouldn’t do it or couldn’t do it. She may not like performing, which is understandable. Who knows? On the potty front, there has been a big regression in that she doesn’t agree to use the toilet at school with any of the teachers. That’s a big problem. She holds it in and then invariably there is an accident. I went in last Thurs. and Frid. and took her myself. She went just fine. We bought Kim (her teacher) a “Once Upon a Potty” book which in the Hebrew version is her favorite. Maybe that will help. Kim has suggested not going back into diapers anyhow, so we’ll just keep on going. I can’t say that Ella is thrilled with school yet. She seems a bit hesistant to make any judgements. At least now when she gets into the van in the morning she immediately looks over at her traveling companion and classmate, Jide, as if to say, “Let’s be friends”. It’s clear that she’s trying to make contact because he’s on her left side so she has to turn way over see him squarely.