What a difference a year makes. I've probably said this before and I hope to continue to say it - but this is not the same boy we had last year!
I never in a million years would have thought I'd hear myself say "God! He's so fun to go shopping with!" I said that one day last week. Last year, I would not take this child to the grocery store or the mall unless it was absolutely necessary.
And now it's fun.
He really is. He is so good and the fact that he's "chatty" now is just so unbelievable.
As I type this he is in his bed singing "The more we get together, together, together..." And it's clear.
And this evening I decided to take Cam to the mall to get him out of Seans hair(err...he's bald...so to get him out of Seans way). Cuyler heard me and ran downstairs.
"Cuyler mall. Cuyler sandals on. Mall! Going to mall!" So I guess he's coming too.
Cam was being a booger and didn't want to go, but as Cuy was climbing into his carseat he kept saying "C'mon Cam. Get inna van. Going to mall. C'mon Cam!"
Sean and I just looked at each other with the "our kids a frikkin genious" smile.
He was so good at the mall and was pointing out and labelling everything that he saw.
On the way home I heard him say "Sandals wet." I looked back and the bottom of his sandal was a tad wet from a tiny puddle. That impressed me. Yep - your sandal is wet. And your telling me because you want to! Again - the smallest "unimportant" phrase meant the most for me to hear today.
I meant to post last week about how he did on his class trip. The went strawberry picking. He did amazing on the bus and wanted to sit with a friend, so his teacher sat in the seat in front of him. I was thrilled. He did a great job at the farm too. That was a huge relief. I was unsure whether I wanted to send him or not - but Sean and I have always said that he will do what his same age peers do and I have to work really hard at getting over my "issues". I have to stop letting him be autistic and I have to ensure I let him be 3 1/2...it ain't always easy. But Sean's really good at reminding me.

We were offered more speech for the next year. Finally. It only took 2 years. He'll be discharged from the program next summer as he transitions into kindergarten. They are now giving him blocks of 12 sessions. And it's funny becuase we don't want it now. It's alot of work to get him there. It's not really convenient at all for us to get to and most importantly - the gains he has made thus far have amazed us and his team. He hasn't seen a speech path since last November. We're going to keep doing what we're doing. We really think that the RDI will focus on alot of the issues that he'd need other intervention for. As our consultant said "His issues are autism related, not speech related." When and if we feel he needs tweaking with articulation or other areas related to speech - we'll just go private with someone who has more experience with ASD than our current ST has.

Today, Sean and I begin our holidays. We're off tomorrow and for the next week. And when I go back - I'm only working 3 mornings a week from now on. I'm sick of my job most of the time. I don't mind it - but I think I'm expected to do MUCH more than what I should be doing for a job that is only 15 hrs a week. I think I'm going to stick it out as Team Leader until the end of summer and then ask to be taken off that position. I've been stressed out way too much over one project that was delegated to me - that I didn't know was delegated to me. I have lost 3 staff in the past 3 weeks and I have been spending far too many hours on this computer trying to figure out what I now refer to as "the fucking schedule". I need to have a minimun of 3 people working each morning and its been pretty impossible to fill. Especially now that school is out and everybody is now much less available than they were.
And Sean keeps saying "You're pregnant. You don't need this stress. Get someone else to do it." And he's right. We've had enough stress the past few months. I think we're FIANLLY over the shock of this pregnancy. And now I've been stressed to the max at work.
Speaking of pregnancy - here's my first Belly Shot. Taken today at 12weeks 4days pregnant. The size 2's have been packed away. I doubt I'll be in them next summer. I tend to stay pretty chunky when I nurse. I am hopeful that 2 summers from now I will be back to skinny. For now, I am getting further and further away from it.
All for a good cause!