Flour Power

 It's amazing what can happen while I dry my hair

    

3 year check up

Drew had his 3 year check up today.  As usual he was in the upper 90's (percentile) as far as height and weight.   He was 40 inches and 40 pounds.  Big boy.  They tried to check his vision, which didn't go over to well.  He did NOT like covering one eye.  They also tried to take his blood pressure, but he wouldn't stay still enough.  Every time he moved the cuff got tighter and then he just would get upset and move some more.  The doc said he looked perfectly healthy and was very impressed with his progress.  

They said to focus more on working with his speech and communication and not worry so much about potty training.  

I was a little irritated, because I told them about switching his milk and how he was doing so much better now with his speech and major stims, and they seemed to be excited about that.  They even said that it sounded like he might have some lactose intolerance based on his change in symptoms with his tummy.  The kicker is that they wouldn't write a note for school.  At school they give them milk with their snack and won't substitute without a doctor's note.  They said that since he hadn't been tested, that the note would read a "suspected lactose intolerance" and the school wouldn't accept that. 

Meet the Teacher

Drew starts school after Christmas Break, so we went to meet the teacher today.  She seemed nice.  Drew seemed to like the classroom, lots of new toys to play with.  They have a pretty strick routine for the 2 1/2 hours they are there.  I think that will be really good for them. 

I guess it feels like a bigger deal than it is, just because it is at the Elementary School instead of a regular preschool.  Since he is turning 3, to continue getting services like Speech he has to go to the school system now.  They offer Pre-K for 3 and 4 year olds with developmental delays.  Most of the kids just have a speech delay.  He is there for 2 1/2 hours a day, there is a teacher and an assistant daily, and a speech therapist 2 days a week.  There are only 5 kids in the class so there is plenty of attention and one on one.   So he will be in the 3 year old class the rest of this year, again next year, and the 4 year old class the following year....that is 2 1/2 years of Pre-K BEFORE he starts Kindergarten.  

Growing Up

Today we had Drew's birthday party.  I can't believe my baby is 3 years old (well in a few more days).  Drew had a great time with family and friends.

I can't believe 2 things:
1.  Drew could open presents all by himself.....I didn't even have to start ripping the paper for him. 
2.  He blew out his candles all by himself!  - granted we did hold his hands behind his back so he couldn't grab them... 

I SPY

So I have said many times before that I owe the people that make I SPY books millions of dollars. Something about those books unlocked the speech in my son (along with a dairy free diet). I don't know what it is, but it has been amazing. He can find everything in the books and his vocabulary is just huge because of all the things to find and look at in the pictures.

We decided to do an I SPY Christmas card this year, with things significant to us through this last year. We love it, but hopefully others will like it as well.

Biggest Fan

Drew loves his Uncle Matt and he is Uncle Matt's biggest fan.  Since he was born he always liked being with Uncle Matt.  After all, the first time he pooped was while Uncle Matt was holding him.  There is just something about him that inspires Drew.  

We made a trip to Indiana this week and Drew was so excited, he kept saying "Uncle Matt, Uncle Matt" the whole trip up.  Then we got there and Uncle Matt had class that night and didn't get home until late.  We let Drew stay up to see him, I just didn't have the heart to put him to bed without seeing him.  

While we were there, it snowed - A LOT!  Drew stuck his tongue out and caught the snow with his tongue!  That is so exciting because he couldn't do that before he had his tongue clipped this Spring!  You don't think about being able to do things like that when you are tongue tied.  

Uncle Matt played in the Snow with Drew and took him to see his new boat in his barn.  They even pretended to shoot carp on the boat.  Grandpa will be so proud!

We also got to spend some quality time with Tony's Parents.  Tony spent some time with his Dad and we went to dinner with him and his stepmom one evening.    We met Tony's mom at work one day and she introduced Drew (and us) to all of her co-workers and we had lunch with her.  Drew sat in the booth with his Grandma and read her his I SPY book and shared chips and salsa.  So much fun!!!


                           

YES!

Today in speech therapy, Drew answered Yes to a question!  Oh, I was SO SO excited!!!

She held up a pig and asked if it was a cow - He said "no", she asked if it was a pig, he said "YES"

So we still have a long way to go before I can ask him if he wants juice and he says more than repeat the last word I say, but the fact that he knows Yes and the meaning of it, it is SOOOO AWESOME!!!

Believe it or Not!

We went to the Ripley's Believe it or Not Aquariam yesterday at the beach and Drew had a blast!  Mom and I figured he would love it and he did.  We sat in one room on the floor for a LONG time.  Drew would just sit and watch the fish.  Other times he would get up and try to count the fish.  Drew can count to at least 15 without messing up, but there were so many fish and the darn things wouldn't sit still so he kept getting to 6 and starting over.  It was so cute.  Other times he would run back and forth across the room and chase certain fish.  

What a great way to spend the morning. 

 

  

Compliments

Drew and I were eating at Cracker Barrel today with Grandma.  Towards the end of dinner an older couple comes over to our table and tells us what a well behaved little boy I have.  They even commented on how neat of an eater he was.

If they only knew......

Sand Angels

Did you know you can make snow angels in the sand?  Drew did just that today.....face down.
Silly Boy.

Chasing the birds was one of his favorite things to do today.  I think it goes along with his love for being chased.  Luckily he didn't get to close to the ocean today, but he played and played in the cold wet sand on the beach!  We finally made him go inside to take a warm bath.  

Alphabet Soup

This little booger knows his whole alphabet.  I don't mean he can sing the ABC song.  Yes he can do that.  But he knows all of his letters in order, out of order, etc. 

We were walking into Wal Mart and he says W-A-L-space-M-A-R-T (yes he said "space") 

Hard to believe he is only 2.....and that he barely spoke any words just one month ago.

 

I just get so mad

This morning there was yet another story about autism on the Today Show.  This is not what makes me mad.  I think it is great. Today's show was about the Board of Pediatrics requiring autism screenings at 18 mo and 24 mo.  This is awesome.  

What angers me is that Drew had ALL of the symptoms listed, and I even questioned some of them and it was always brushed off.  Kids all develop at their own pace.  Boys are often slower than girls.  Let's just give it a couple months.  etc.  

If only he would have born 2 years later then this would have been caught sooner.  Of course as my mom reminded me, that if he would have been born 2 years earlier, then this may have been caught much later and he may not have gotten help.  I am thankful that Drew's autism was still caught at 2 1/2 and he is already in therapy and is already making improvements.   

I am not mad that Drew has autism.  I love him just the same, maybe even more.  His autism is mild and he is a really loving boy.  I just get angry that doctors aren't as educated on autism.  I also get mad at those people that say "I'm so sorry to hear that he has autism"  WHY-I wouldn't trade him in for anything.

I really can't complain.  Drew has only been in therapy for 1 month and he has made INCREDIBLE improvements.  When he was evaluated a couple months ago he wasn't putting any words together and now he randomly talks in sentences.  And today he even asked for "more" without being prompted......it's the little things that make me so happy. 

Lemons

 

Life has really been giving me lemons lately.

Most recently, this weekend, I realized my camera is missing. The more I think about it, I know right where it is.....or isn't.

Last weekend, my car was broken into. The window smashed out, right in my own driveway. The guy stole my Tom Tom GPS, my purse, and now I realize, my camera. I know, you are supposed to bring your Tom Tom with you and not leave it in the car, but I would just turn it off and put it face down when I was home. When I went places I would hide it in the console compartment. My purse...well I know, stupid for leaving it in the car. I had my hands full when I went in the house and it didn't have anything too valuable so I didn't think much of it. It was kinda under the seat so I figured I would just get it later. Funny thing is I had pulled out my wallet that has all my credit cards in it a couple of days before, so I could fit in a diaper and wipes case. Hehe. So the guy got from my purse, which was BRAND NEW by the way, UGH, a diaper and some wipes, my lipsticks, my drivers license, my checkbook, and a little cash. This weekend I realized my camera was missing, and the last time I remember having it was last Saturday afternoon, in the car. I remember looking at the pictures that I had taken that day at the tractor hayride with my mommy's group. Such CUTE pictures of Drew painting a pumpkin, riding on the hayride, and a GREAT family picture of us on the paddle boat. Why is it the priceless things that are missing that hurt the most!

The Tuesday before this happened, I saw a guy walking around in my backyard. Didn't think too much of it.  A little bit later I saw a police officer walking around in the backyard. So I went outside to see what was going on. He said that a little earlier a guy had broken in two houses down. From my backyard I could see the police officers dusting for fingerprints in my neighbor's bathroom window. FREAKING OUT HERE. I had seen the guy. He broke in to that house and the house behind me that morning, and everyone that saw him had the same description as me. The police officer made a comment about how I should call if I see people in my yard..... Yah, If I called them everytime someone was in my yard, they wouldn't have come, they would have thought I was just being crazy again.

As if I wasn't freaked out enough, the next Sunday when my car was broken into, this same guy was spotted at about the same time this happened. One of my neighbors saw him behind his house, so we are pretty certain that it was the same guy. I have always felt slightly uncomfortable in my neighborhood, but now after 4 years of living here, I am freaked out.

As if this wasn't enough..... A couple months ago, my neighbors car hit my house. That's right, it hit my house, right into Drew's room. Their car slipped out of park and rolled right back out of their driveway and into my little boy's room. I can't tell you how many hours Drew spent in front of that window, whether he was playing right there or looking out waving to the neighbors. That day, when we got home, Drew was asleep and instead of laying him in his bed, I laid him on the couch. This was the first time I ever did this. Not long after, we hear CRASH, glass breaking, house shaking. SERIOUSLY, who prepares for this sort of thing! So I spent over 2 months with a hole in my house while it was fixed, which took WAY to long. It is just now finally fixed and we are trying to get our lives back in order.

And by the way, we moved Drew to another room.....can't chance that again. Now just to move me to a new house.

Yes, Honey, that is an Egg

It's never a good thing to wake up hearing Drew say "egg." It always means he has one in his hand. Here we go again...

"Yes, Honey that is an egg"

"Eggs"

OH MY! All the eggs are on the floor beside him, including one smashed into the carpet. What a way to start the day.

 

An Alligator!!

Drew has started watching Signing Time DVD's and is learning SO much!  I had tried to teach him the basic signs awhile back, ones like: more, eat, drink, ball.  I had such a  hard time getting him to look at me that I gave up.  His therapist told me to do it with him hand over hand and my neighbor suggested the Signing Time DVD's (which she let me borrow-YEA!).  

He is spontaneously signing a few words, of course nothing functional.  Helicopter for one....  Bat for another.... What is so cute is that he knows the sign for signing and if he doesn't know the sign he just does that sign. 

Today Drew caught a glimpse of his shadow and started doing the sign for alligator and watching his shadow and was screaming ALLIGATOR, ALLIGATOR!  Silly boy.