So after a very VERY long hiatus, we are back :) S has been making oh-so-much progress!

At the end of the school year, he was taking 2-5 steps unassisted. He was still pretty wobbly and not very consistent with his walking. He could stand for longer periods of time, but his therapist said he still needed LOTS of work. He's speech was progressing, albeit slowly. His speech still continues to be an up-hill battle. His cognitive skills are up there, but he's just not able to express himself vocally.

Over the summer he has been making steady progress on his walking. He can now walk 8-10 FEET without assistance and no troubles. He still struggles sometimes with his balance, but he is doing SO much better. He stands most of the day. Now that he can stand, he's not a fan of sitting. :) I'm sure that will change once adolescence kicks in LOL When we are out, we try to walk with him but holding his hands. He still gets tired and just wants to crawl, but we try to keep him going. He likes to walk, holding only mommy's hand, in the parking lot. The S from April and the S from now are two completely different peeps :) He's really starting to dig the walking thing. He has also started to try running. I think I may want to start getting in better shape. Once he has this stuff mastered, I'm in BIG trouble. I can't wait to see how his therapist react come this school year.

He is still struggling verbally. He is using ASL A LOT! He's a very polite boy, signing 'please' and 'thank you.' He can say a few words, probably no more than 8. He doesn't seem very consistant with his speaking either. Some days, I swear it's clear as day and other days, eh not so much. I know he's trying. He's very vocal. I need to hopefully get a one on one meeting with his Speech Therapist this year. I have a feeling, we just need to kick start his brain and he'll start talking like a parrot :)

School starts in 3 weeks. WOO HOO

I am so sorry I've been slacking like crazy! I should have time this week to update you!! S has been kicking trash! I have a lot of fun things to catch you up on! Until then...here's a preview picture.

Oh yah! He's standing all by himself!!!!

Today Cap'n S has a pretty good day. It started out kind of rough tho! He woke up p'ed off at the world. Breakfast was a war. But he made it to preschool on time :) His teachers said he had a good day. He's been doing really well :) He's gotta work on drinking from a big boy cup tho'! He didn't really wanna drink too much today at preschool. When he got home, though, holy smokes!! He guzzled his tang :) He's been trying to take more and more steps. Mommy taught him how to write on the window in the condensation last week, so he had to do that first thing when he got home. Mommy had been making chicken soup :) He didn't' have a huge nap either today. However, at dinner, the little stinker ate 2 whole pieces of pizza in like 10 minutes :) He was a starvin' marvin. If I didn't know why he's still skinny, I'd think he had a tape worm or something :) We watched more Baby Signing Time again. He's getting so good. He is getting to be a signing fool :) So there. That's our update for today :)

I love little surprises!

For those of you that haven't checked out the Baby Signing Time DVD collection, I highly suggest it. Well, me and S have been watching disc 1 at night at least twice a week. Generally we watch it on the days that Daddy's at school. It's just me and the Bug. Tonight, Daddy stayed home from school tonight, but we watched it anyways. We started watching disc 2 and we going over the articles of clothing. He was doing really well making mommy do the signs :) Then we got to 'hat' He did it with no problem. It was like he knew it already. I asked him to show mommy the sign for hat and he got a huge smile and showed me with NO prompting!! I LOVE it :)

Lately, I've been making a more concentrated effort to bring back the basics! We've been so blessed and I need to acknowledge that. I want my son to know the reason we're so blessed. I've been making a better effort to bless our food at every meal. Not just dinner. It makes me so happy when I place Bugga's food in front of him and he automatically folds his arms. :) When we have family meeting and family prayer/scripture study, he's doing so well. He LOVES when it's time to pray. He's being more attentive when we study scriptures. It warms my heart.

Just had to share :)

Oh my goodness! It's been a busy week! S has been doing fabulously :) He did not go to preschool Tuesday. He was a very sleepy boy and didn't get up until about 9am. He's still be struggling with sleeping, but Mommy has been trying some new things and it seems to be working. Daddy had been giving him his melatonin with his bottle at night. I decided to try something new. I have been giving him his melatonin in a big boy yogurt about 1/2 hour before bed time. He's going to bed with a full belly and some helpful stuff. He's been actually sleeping through the night. He's been waking up around 8-8:30 instead of the normal 530-6am. It makes for a much happier Bugga :) He does so much better when he's had some sleep. He's still struggling with naps, but hey! One sleepy time at a time :)

Thursday Preschool went well :) He's making so much progress! He's still taking a few steps around the house and at preschool. He's such a musically inclined little boy. When they do "music time" at school, his teachers say he just lights up. I love singing with him. It's so wonderful. If he's cranky, music 99.99% of the time will calm his down. I use songs to help with everything we do-whether it be getting dressed or taking a bath. If we make it into a song, he tends to pay more attention and is more inclined to repeat the actions. He will try to sing with us. He's just so blasted cute :)

"Without patient and meek endurance we will learn less, see less, feel less, and hear less."

Neal A. Maxwell

I know that a lot of you mommies out there think you're son is the coolest. I hate to break it to ya, but I have the coolest son. He is just kickin' butt and takin' names :) I love it! Preschool Tuesday was fabulous! They went to the gym again and he took two unassisted steps :) :) His teachers were ECSTATIC! When Josh went to pick him up from school, they were all a buzz because of the progress he's been making. He pushed himself away from the stage and tried to walk. He's been just impressing everyone. On Sunday he took 6, yes SIX steps on his own. He's been talking more and just been more active. He's been a lean mean eating machine too! Today, holy smokes! he ate a bowl of fruit loops, a WHOLE can of spaghettios with meatballs, a whole pear, a small piece of chocolate cake, a big helping of cheesy tater and ham casserole and shared a bag of popcorn with Mommy. I think he may be going through a growth spurt :) I love it :) I just can't wait to see him again in the morning. He's such a snuggler and just an all around happy boy. Tonight when i went to get my temple recommend, I was talking to the 1st counselor in our stake presidency about Stevey. He said he just had to meet Stevey. I told him it was his lucky day because he was playing the in gym with Daddy waiting for me. After the interview, we went to the gym. Stevey was so sweet! The gentleman put out his hand and Stevey shoke his hand and smiled :) Stevey loves to shake your hand and we always say "nice to meet you." Josh is getting him ready to be a missionary :) :) I'm so blessed!

Today was a great day for S at preschool! Man I love this little man. When Josh picked him up from school, his teachers were very enthusiatic about his day. They went to the gym for music time and to play ball. Stevey's favorite teacher (the cute one) said that while they were singing, he kept trying to open her legs so he could crawl in her lap and cuddle with her. Josh explain that at home, singing time is usually cuddle time. We use singing alot to calm him. He really enjoyed playing with the ball in the gym too! They took his walker in with them and apparently, he was a speed demon! He went everywhere!!! I'm so proud of him! He's really beginning to get even better at so many things! I'm feeled with so much hope! I love it!!!

Happy Weekends!

This weekend, due to a very sick hubby, we stayed home. I'm sad that I was unable to make the sealing of two very good friends from high school. I am super happy that their happy family was sealed for all time and eternity :)

Well, it turned out to be one of the best weekends for Steven. He made so very big strides. He's been struggling with walking. The balance and confidence thing is causing us some drama :) Well, I got up a little early Saturday morning and made my boys pancakes and eggs for breakfast. Stevey LOVES him some pancakes. He ate 2 pretty big ones :) Apparently, starting his morning off with a tasty breakfast was what he needed. He and Josh were playing on the floor while I was getting laundry and I hear this WOOHOO! I called from upstairs. Stevey had just got from squatting to standing all by himself! I was sad that I missed it, but happy he did it. I went downstairs and was chatting with my Dad when he did it again, and again and again! :) AND!!! He was standing for much longer periods of time!!!!! He was even taking a few steps between his chair and Daddy. I was so impressed!! He was very proud of himself. We cheered like he had just scored the winning touchdown in the Superbowl. Then, we were doing lunch and we asked him if he wanted to watch Blues Clues. We had had the TV off all morning. He got excited and said blues! He actually said BLUES!!! I was so excited!! He's starting to talk more and it's not just Mommy that can understand him :) I Love it!!! So..there. Nay sayers be danged :)

So, no preschool this week. S has had a funny week. He hasn't been sleeping super swell, so when he wasn't awake by 9am Tuesday morning, Mommy decided no preschool. I wasn't about to wake him up. Thursday morning, similar situation. Only Wednesday afternoon he has the big D in an explosive fashion. I wish I could figure out his schedule. It's been all kinds of strange lately. The preschool probably thinks I'm a loser mom. S has also been wakin' up at like 12:30am and just screaming. Sometimes he can get himself back to sleep, sometimes mommy's not so lucky. Ugh. Crazy kid!

On a good note!! He has been taking more unassisted steps!! Today he took 4, yes FOUR!!!, steps on his own to get to his favorite loungin' chair. I was extremely proud!! He's getting so much better. Once he realizes he can get to places faster by walking, he's gonna be off like a rocket :)

fun discoveries

He's getting so big! It amazes me how tall he's gotten! He's turning more and more into a big boy every day. We recently got him a happy meal from the Golden Arches as a treat. I let him have the normal cup with a straw instead of his sippy cup to kind of test the waters. Before he's always just dumped it all out. I left him to his own devices to start dinner for the rest of us old folks. I was making dinner when I would randomly just check on him. He was drinking from the cup!!!! he didn't' spill ANY of it!!! He knew that if he tipped it too far it would spill. He also pulled the straw out. Normally he would spill things trying to get it back into the cup. BUT!! Again, no spills! He got the straw back in the hole in the top of the cup easy cheesy! I was VERY proud. Most parents wouldn't think this is such a big deal, but for a child who struggles with his fine motor skills, this is a big accomplishment!!

Speaking of big accomplishments-this week, Stevey was able to put his pants and socks on with just being asked to do so. He didn't require any other direction. This is a big step. He is comprehending and following through! His cognitive skills are doing so well! He's also been a real chatty cathy! Albeit, Mommy is the only one who can understand him alot, but he's trying!!!!!

Today Stevey's day started out rough. He was still sleeping when it was time to get up for preschool. I HATE waking him up. He was soooooo sleepy. He struggled to make it through breakfast. Off to preschool he goes. The assistant told Josh that about 11am, Stevey refused to sit in his chair. He started doing his "rollin' on the floor to stay awake" bit. She asked if we wanted to bring him in a half hour later. His sleeping schedule has just been so crazy. I wish we could get this all figured out!! My poor little man. So he was in bed at 8:30pm tonight. Hopefully, he can get some actual sleep tonight!

Whew! I got tired of having the teacher givin' me no answers. I called the head of placement at the district. They're not just gonna move him to a different class. There will be lots of "data" gathered before it's even an option. There will be lots of observations done in class with Stevey. Then the teachers and "observers" will present everything to a committee who decides if he will be placed in a different class. The other class they are talking about actually might be better for my son. It's a class that will have the option to do more one on one stuff with my Bugga. He is really good at identifying things in pictures but not vocalizing at all. This class will help him with his speach. that is really good. he struggles alot with that. He will "talk" to Momma but not to really anyone else. So, we shall see. I feel alittle bit better after talking with Ms Cheryl.

Preschool

Captain S started preschool after his 3rd birthday in November. It is a "normal" preschool class for children just turning 3. I was super nervous when he started. He loves it! He instantly bonded with one of the teachin assistants. Of course, it's the cute one :) I thought that we knew what was going on, but I hate to say we were anything but. It started out...okay. Then S got sick. It took a while for him to heal. So,when we went back after Turkey Day, we were greeted by his "teacher" stating that we shouldn't be here. Apparently, they had switched him to the new Tues/Thur class. No one had bothered to call us. There was a note with someone's name scribbled out and ours added. It's like the just added it before we got there. I asked if there was another option. My work scheduled had been set. I was informed that they couldn't take into consideration the parents needs. They had to do what was best for the teachers. I then asked for the like 5th time if anyone knew when the therapist would be there or if they knew the time of the therapist. NOTHING. Apparently, it was not her job to know that information. When I asked more about Stevey's schedule, she advised me it was final. She implied very heavily that I need to drop everything and adjust my schedule to theirs so Steven could attend. I apologize that I have to work to support my family. I don't like it being implied that I don't do enough for my son. My whole life is my son and has been since the day we found out I was pregnant. I do not appreciate being made to feel like I'm a bad mother or that my husband and I are not fit parents. Steven is a very special child and we try to do our best to make sure he is able to accomplish anything he wants to. That same day we were a few minutes picking up Steven from preschool. I had therapy and there was actually some traffic coming to school. This is the first time we have been late. Generally we are early. The teacher proceeded to lecture my husband on the importance of her time. They have to get ready for the next class and don't have the time to sit with our child waiting for us to come the class. While, I understand that promptness is important, lecturing a parent is not important nor acceptable in this particular situation. There have been mornings where we had to wait for them to open the class or let the children out at 11:30. Those mornings have resulted in my receiving a verbal warning for tardiness at my work. Have I lectured them about the importance of my time? No. I accept that there are moments when things arise and take it with a grain of salt. Needless to say it's been rough. So I sent an email to the school district regarding my concerns. Now, less than 2 weeks later, it's being suggested that maybe my son should be in a different program with a different school all together. Am I pissed at the teachers? Oh yeah. Do I want to change? Oh yeah. He has school tomorrow. Lets see how it goes.

new year new goals

Well folks, I sure failed on my first attempt! :)

So, here we go..new year..new goals. we can do it!