My Little Firecracker

I write a lot about Alex's accomplishments here on the blog and even though Evan is a typical 2.5 year old, his accomplishments don't go unnoticed. Here's a look at what he has been up to lately.

Back in September, I was a little concerned because I thought he should have a decent vocabulary after turning 2 but he was only saying maybe 5-10 words. I enrolled him in speech therapy at school alongside Alex and slowly words trickled in. Still, nothing major. Then, the more people I talked to didn’t really seem to think it was a big deal. They kept telling me he will get there. Just give him time. He also has the “twin” factor; He and Alex spoke to one another and I think for a long time that is all he needed. Now that he has been in school for 7 months, his vocabulary has expanded and he is finally taking off!

He has gone from his basic words to colors, to shapes and now knows almost the whole alphabet by sight and sound. For weeks we have been playing a game where he tells me things to draw on his chalkboard and then he will erase whatever I draw. Whenever he would ask me to draw a heart, I would draw it and write his name in it. Then, I would say his name but he would only point to himself… until the other night. Out of nowhere, he said his name when I drew it in the heart! We were so excited and made sure he knew it! I made him say it five more times and every time it made me smile even more! He is growing up so fast and as much as I miss my little baby Evan with his bald little head, I am really enjoying seeing him learn and grow. I am very proud of him.

Not only is he smart but he is a good little helper when it comes to Alex. He acts like the big brother a lot but technically he is the little brother. He will help him with a toy or he will want him to sit in his Mickey Mouse chair next to him. He does so many things to entertain Alex and make him laugh. They now even fight like brothers! Evan can be a little rough sometimes and not realize it, but recently Alex has started fighting back when he can! It’s actually cute. Sometimes it’s hard for me to discipline both of them at the same time because I think they are so cute. Having a child with CP you just aren’t sure what they will or won’t do and seeing Alex give it back to Evan once is actually something that I am happy about. Not too many parents can say that, but I am happy to say I can!

Today I had to register him for Preschool next year and it was at the school he currently attends with Alex. When I was leaving, he was playing outside on the playground which is adjacent to the parking lot. I began scanning the playground and spotted him right away on the tricycle. He was SO cute. His back was to me, but for some reason (instinct I guess) he turned and spotted me. I just got in the car because I didn’t want him to be upset. As I sat in the car for a minute, he stared and then went back to playing. I don't know if he actually knew it was me or not, but he was piecing to together for sure! I wasn’t close to the playground by any means, he just knew. I drove away and smiled because he looked so happy and was having fun which made me happy too.

 

 

Evan is an amazing kid. I will admit, he can drive me absolutely nuts at times but then he will turn around and melt my heart. He has come a long way from that little 3lb 11oz baby who spent 48 days in the NICU. He is ALL boy and constantly on the go. He has a very vibrant personality, he's loud and he's determined, but he can be a love bug when he wants to be.
I like to think of him as my little firecracker!

 

 

WATCHING EVAN GROW

 

6 weeks

 

4 months

10 months

 

15 months

20 months

2 years

 

2 years, 9 months