Eight!

I know I’m two weeks late, but life is too busy to spend time in front of a computer typing.  This is good, we are spending more time together!  But it’s also not so good, leisure time to do stuff is rare.

Anyway, Nicholas is 8 years old now.  I guess it’s important to compare how he is today to how he was a year ago.  What has happened in a year?  A lot.  He has physically grown, which is always a plus medically but a bit sad personally.  He no longer fits nicely in my arms though we still try quite often.


In a year he has received several different evaluations, has gotten several different diagnoses and has different kinds of therapies.  We have some answers and a direction.  He has made lots of progress in many areas.  He can read and at grade level in math!  He is learning to deal with his emotions and reactions.  He is also working on fine motor skills and writing.  I am very proud of the progress he has made.  He has, sadly, lost a lot of the mispronunciations that made him sound so adorable.  But YAY! for progress with speech as well.

Of course there are still lots of things to work on.  He is still in a Special Ed class and has many goals to work towards.  What the evaluator from the Regional Center noticed at the park was also observed by a behaviour specialist at school: he does not engage other students during recess.  He does the same things he did at the park, either circles the play area or digs in the dirt, eating it.  While this was heartbreaking to hear, I was not surprised.  He is getting help with that now along with some other things to work on while at school.  His anxiety seems to come in waves and has some more self care skills to learn but we’re all working with him on that too.

There are also more evaluations coming up.

But he is happy.  And he is growing both physically and mentally.  He is silly and loving and caring.  He is trying new foods!  And actually liking them!!  He loves pasta and cheese.  He still loves legos and is currently into dinosaurs and Captain America as well.  He is interested in learning music and we will probably be picking that up as well.

When he grows up he wants to be a construction worker.  He also wants to be an archeologist.  He wants to get married one day and have children.  He is so eager to grow up and I just want to slow down time.