My non-verbal, high sensory ASD DS is now verbal!!!! At 3.5, it's been a long time coming. And his vocabulary is only about 30ish words. But HE IS TALKING!!!!!
There is nothing more sweet than those few words coming clearly and distinctly out of his mouth. I love hearing his voice. I love hearing him communicate. I love that we have made it this far!
One of our long term "IEP" goals for him is to go to regular/typical kindergarten. I love the special needs program in our school district. I love the Autism program in our district too. But he would thrive and do very well in a standard classroom, leaving those few precious spots for a child who needs it more. But the teachers and specialists say he has to talk to be in a typical classroom.
It's going to happen! His teacher talked to me today about our goals. We have this year and next year of preschool to get through first, but it's going to happen.
When I look back at the last year with him, I am reminded of so many challenges. I remember all those days when he would cry and cry and cry with frustration and I would cry because I couldn't help him.
I remember just praying for him to talk. Even 2 words! I remember dragging him to speech therapy week after week after week, and not getting a single sound.
The pediatric development specialist said speech may come, but there was no guarantee. He was sure that my special little boy just wasn't ready to talk yet.
So, he has made some major accomplishments. He managed to bridge some gap in his brain. He has figured out what communication is for and how it works. And we are so happy! He is so happy!
He said during nap (I could hear him through the baby monitor), "MOMMMMMMY!!!!! Brody up!!! Brody up!! Brody eat! Brody eat, Mommy!"
Not huge big sentences. But words. Words that have a purpose and make sense. Words that have meaning.
And he called me "mommy".
Monday, September 26, 2011
Monday, August 01, 2011
Boys will be Boys
I have 3 amazing, sweet, loving, adorable little boys. I have 1 amazing, sweet, loving, adorable little girl. There is definitely an unfair advantage in our home.
But I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my special "girl time" with my daughter. We love shopping together, getting pedicures, and just having time without her brothers.
And I love my little boys. They are still young, so we don't go out and have adventures much. But building train tracks and playing blocks are sweet wonderful moments. I wouldn't trade a single one of them in for another girl.
In fact, I wouldn't want my family any other way. (Well, except maybe we need a dog.....one day.) But we are a perfect little (okay not so little) family of 6. And yes, the girls are outnumbered by the boys, but hey that's the way it works!
The point? I was having a nice little chat with a mommy at therapy the other day. We were waiting with our kiddos for our therapists. We discussed the usual. Why we were there, who our therapist was, and bits of our family life.
She was the mother of 3 little girls. I say, "I have 3 little boys! How funny!" Her response, "Oh, that's too bad you didn't get a girl."
Hmm. Where was this going? "I have a daughter too, she is my oldest. Then it's, boy, boy, and boy!"
"Well, at least you got one girl." Then she stands up and heads into therapy.
Well.
I had no idea that girls were better than boys. I didn't realize that by having a girl I had an advantage. I was slightly dumbfounded that my boys didn't rank the same as my daughter.
And do you know what? (And I'm sure you don't really care) but, this is not the first time I have been in this conversation.
Since my daughter is in preschool, it's usually just me and the boys doing errands. The lady at the post office seemed to feel genuinely sorry for me that I had 3 boys and no girls. (Sometimes I omit the fact that I do have a daughter....just to see how the conversation goes.)
It blows my mind that people actually feel sorry for me. Really sorry. Like girls are all sorts of wonderful and better than boys.
Hmmm.
Let's evaluate.
Girls: toys, diapers, clothing..... Boys: toys, diapers, clothing.....
Don't really see much difference there. Yeah, the colors are different, but what is it exactly that makes girls better?
Sweet and cute little dresses? Nope, total pain in the ass with tights and playground manners, and they are totally impractical 9 months of the year.
Hairbows and ponytails? Nope, they lose them ALL THE TIME!
Pretty pink diapers? Nope, my boys have super adorable diapers too. (And remember we do cloth)
Barbies? Okay, you have me there. I would never tell my boys they can't play with Barbies, but I'm pretty sure I would never purchase one for them. And I love Barbie.
Now if we were to have another baby (and please, God, do NOT give us another baby) I would hope it would be a girl. But, not for myself. But my daughter. I would love for her to have sister bond. I think that would be a special gift. But since she doesn't (and won't) ever have a sister, I don't think she will grow up to be any less of a person. I don't have a sister bond and I think I'm doing okay.
She has 3 cute, crazy, crabby, and creative brothers. She has plenty of sibling love. She is an awesome sister to them. She loves them. She plays with them. She lets them play with her toys (and yes even my beloved Barbie).
So why is it that when I was pregnant with baby #4 (who is a boy!) people would ask, "Is it a girl?" and my response was always, "Nope! Another sweet baby boy!" And they would actually say, "Awe too bad for you." And I actually had a family member say this to me.
So apparently there was some memo I missed about girls being better than boys. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm pretty happy with my 3 boys. If you have an issue with the gender of my children, you should take it up with my DH, he is the reason I have 3 darling boys.
But I wouldn't have it any other way. I love my special "girl time" with my daughter. We love shopping together, getting pedicures, and just having time without her brothers.
And I love my little boys. They are still young, so we don't go out and have adventures much. But building train tracks and playing blocks are sweet wonderful moments. I wouldn't trade a single one of them in for another girl.
In fact, I wouldn't want my family any other way. (Well, except maybe we need a dog.....one day.) But we are a perfect little (okay not so little) family of 6. And yes, the girls are outnumbered by the boys, but hey that's the way it works!
The point? I was having a nice little chat with a mommy at therapy the other day. We were waiting with our kiddos for our therapists. We discussed the usual. Why we were there, who our therapist was, and bits of our family life.
She was the mother of 3 little girls. I say, "I have 3 little boys! How funny!" Her response, "Oh, that's too bad you didn't get a girl."
Hmm. Where was this going? "I have a daughter too, she is my oldest. Then it's, boy, boy, and boy!"
"Well, at least you got one girl." Then she stands up and heads into therapy.
Well.
I had no idea that girls were better than boys. I didn't realize that by having a girl I had an advantage. I was slightly dumbfounded that my boys didn't rank the same as my daughter.
And do you know what? (And I'm sure you don't really care) but, this is not the first time I have been in this conversation.
Since my daughter is in preschool, it's usually just me and the boys doing errands. The lady at the post office seemed to feel genuinely sorry for me that I had 3 boys and no girls. (Sometimes I omit the fact that I do have a daughter....just to see how the conversation goes.)
It blows my mind that people actually feel sorry for me. Really sorry. Like girls are all sorts of wonderful and better than boys.
Hmmm.
Let's evaluate.
Girls: toys, diapers, clothing..... Boys: toys, diapers, clothing.....
Don't really see much difference there. Yeah, the colors are different, but what is it exactly that makes girls better?
Sweet and cute little dresses? Nope, total pain in the ass with tights and playground manners, and they are totally impractical 9 months of the year.
Hairbows and ponytails? Nope, they lose them ALL THE TIME!
Pretty pink diapers? Nope, my boys have super adorable diapers too. (And remember we do cloth)
Barbies? Okay, you have me there. I would never tell my boys they can't play with Barbies, but I'm pretty sure I would never purchase one for them. And I love Barbie.
Now if we were to have another baby (and please, God, do NOT give us another baby) I would hope it would be a girl. But, not for myself. But my daughter. I would love for her to have sister bond. I think that would be a special gift. But since she doesn't (and won't) ever have a sister, I don't think she will grow up to be any less of a person. I don't have a sister bond and I think I'm doing okay.
She has 3 cute, crazy, crabby, and creative brothers. She has plenty of sibling love. She is an awesome sister to them. She loves them. She plays with them. She lets them play with her toys (and yes even my beloved Barbie).
So why is it that when I was pregnant with baby #4 (who is a boy!) people would ask, "Is it a girl?" and my response was always, "Nope! Another sweet baby boy!" And they would actually say, "Awe too bad for you." And I actually had a family member say this to me.
So apparently there was some memo I missed about girls being better than boys. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm pretty happy with my 3 boys. If you have an issue with the gender of my children, you should take it up with my DH, he is the reason I have 3 darling boys.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
I have an opening in September.....
I am embarrassed to say that my life has gotten away from me for the moment.
I have been ridiculously busy. Crazy busy. And I love it! But it leaves little time for writing. I have several posts that are in progress, but haven't had a chance to polish any of them for the public yet. (And I'm not posting crap just to *have* something new on here.)
Why am I so busy, you ask? It's summer. And we spend lots of time outside!
I try really hard not to be "couch mommy", I try and be on the floor (or at the table or on the grass) with my kiddos. So instead of doing housework while they are playing, I'm playing too. This means that instead of writing during nap time, I'm cleaning.
And I also started a little online Etsy store. So instead of blogging at night, I'm sewing. And not to diss you guys, but I love sewing. It's very therapeutic and stress relieving. I didn't really need anything new on my plate, but I'm a little bit of an overachiever, and I needed a "me" project.
As a mommy to 4, I do few things that are only for me. I can't even tell you the last time I had a pedicure. But sewing is for me. Only me. It doesn't involve my children, my husband, my job, or anything else. It's all about what I can do, and what I can create.
And it gives me a personal sense of pride.
Plus, I make some pretty cute stuff!
But I do have a lot of things on my plate right now. I need to learn how to say "NO!" more and take on less. Before summer started we had began simplifying our lives for the better, but when that sun shines, it messes with my "NO" gene, and therefore I have a super-duper full calendar.
And I like having time for my children. I will not compromise that. We have parks and picnics on the books, and I try really hard not to cancel (except when our awful Washington weather kicks in). We have squeezed in as much fun stuff as we can before my little girl (gulp!) goes off to kindergarten!
So if you want to get together, you should have called 6 weeks ago when I was booking out through August. I don't have many slots left for coffee, play dates, or grown-up dates. I am booked and full. And I like it that way!
So, I apologize to all who like to read my mindless droning, but being an almost-perfectionist, I just haven't had time to sit and proof read much. My kiddos want to play in the sand box, we have walks to take, picnics need to be done, and fun in the sun is way more important than the computer!
And by the way, I spent one evening looking into graduate school. That ought to fill any gaps in my schedule!
I have been ridiculously busy. Crazy busy. And I love it! But it leaves little time for writing. I have several posts that are in progress, but haven't had a chance to polish any of them for the public yet. (And I'm not posting crap just to *have* something new on here.)
Why am I so busy, you ask? It's summer. And we spend lots of time outside!
I try really hard not to be "couch mommy", I try and be on the floor (or at the table or on the grass) with my kiddos. So instead of doing housework while they are playing, I'm playing too. This means that instead of writing during nap time, I'm cleaning.
And I also started a little online Etsy store. So instead of blogging at night, I'm sewing. And not to diss you guys, but I love sewing. It's very therapeutic and stress relieving. I didn't really need anything new on my plate, but I'm a little bit of an overachiever, and I needed a "me" project.
As a mommy to 4, I do few things that are only for me. I can't even tell you the last time I had a pedicure. But sewing is for me. Only me. It doesn't involve my children, my husband, my job, or anything else. It's all about what I can do, and what I can create.
And it gives me a personal sense of pride.
Plus, I make some pretty cute stuff!
But I do have a lot of things on my plate right now. I need to learn how to say "NO!" more and take on less. Before summer started we had began simplifying our lives for the better, but when that sun shines, it messes with my "NO" gene, and therefore I have a super-duper full calendar.
And I like having time for my children. I will not compromise that. We have parks and picnics on the books, and I try really hard not to cancel (except when our awful Washington weather kicks in). We have squeezed in as much fun stuff as we can before my little girl (gulp!) goes off to kindergarten!
So if you want to get together, you should have called 6 weeks ago when I was booking out through August. I don't have many slots left for coffee, play dates, or grown-up dates. I am booked and full. And I like it that way!
So, I apologize to all who like to read my mindless droning, but being an almost-perfectionist, I just haven't had time to sit and proof read much. My kiddos want to play in the sand box, we have walks to take, picnics need to be done, and fun in the sun is way more important than the computer!
And by the way, I spent one evening looking into graduate school. That ought to fill any gaps in my schedule!
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