I have learned as I have gotten older that time really does
fly by. The days, weeks, months and now years are zooming by. I think when you
have children the time goes by even faster. I had a lot of hope for 2013 when
it came into sight one year ago. Not that it wasn’t a good year, it just had a
lot of ups and downs.
Alex and Evan are still at a very tough age. There are still
tantrums, whining, crying and lots of NOT LISTENING. I feel like a robot many
days as I find myself repeating the same things over and over and over. This
tests my patients a lot as a parent and let me tell you they are SUPER thin
right now. As a parent you think things will get easier as your children get
older but they really don’t. Those things just change and you always have
something difficult to deal with.
Here's a quick overview of Alex and Evan in the last year.
Alex
Alex is coming along pretty well. I will always want more
for him so that is why I say pretty well. I am not at all disappointed in his
progress, but we have had some issues with his PT getting his paperwork turned
in on time and turned in correctly to insurance so those mishaps have resulted
in him missing out on 4 months of therapy this year. This has not sat well with
Eric or myself and the issue has been addressed. We are hoping that this doesn’t
happen again because he really needs all the therapy he can get. Not only is it
crucial at this age, but it really helps keep his muscle tone in check as well
as keeps him strong. We have been out of therapy for 2 months now and it shows.
His muscles in his legs are really tight which makes it harder for him to sit
comfortably and not cross his legs when he is in his walker. We start back on
Thursday and I am just hoping for the best. It also doesn’t help that as he
gets older, he grows and this also causes his tone to increase. I just wish his
therapist would see what this means and take her job a little more seriously so
this doesn’t happen. Alex is such an amazing boy and I am very proud of all of his accomplishments!
This fall we enrolled Alex in a Horse Therapy Program near
our house. He goes once a week for an hour and he really liked it a lot. There
were a few nights where he would cry getting on the horse but once he got going
he loved it! That program ran from September 3 – November 12 and we start up
again on January 7th. I am really excited for him because I have
heard so many amazing stories of kids with CP really benefitting from these
kinds of programs. I am excited to see where he will be next year at this time!
My hopes for Alex in 2014 would be to really start using his
Gait Trainer (Walker) to get around more on his own. He will walk if I guide
him, but he doesn’t really move on his own. He does such a nice job too so I
would like to see him mobile in it come summer. I am also hoping to hear some
words out of him as well. He still does not talk and he has a few gestures he
does to communicate with us but I want more. I would love to hear him and Evan
communicate with one another. He makes a lot of noise and has some good sounds,
but I would love for him to start saying some words. Alex loves playing with
his toys, remote controls and he really likes my cell phone and their new
tablet we got them. His favorite books are Hands, Hands Fingers Thumb and Bears
in the Night and he has so many favorite songs I can’t list them all!
Evan
Evan has really come a long way this past year. He is
talking and communicating very well and he has become very independent. It is
really nice to see how much he has grown. He has an amazing memory and is a
very smart little boy and then there is his stubbornness. Wow is he stubborn.
He and I butt heads a lot only because we are so much alike…although I don’t
like to admit it. (Eric has a lot to say about this) He is very independent,
very strong willed and thinks he knows it all…and doesn’t like to be told
differently. He is a challenge for me every day of my life. I know a lot of
people would think that Alex would be hard on me because of his needs and what
not but Evan is definitely a tough child.
He yells, screams and fights me every chance he gets. Then, there are times when he will just come
right up to me out of the blue, wrap his little arms around my neck and give me
a kiss. Of course that always makes it better…until he acts up again. He keeps
me on my toes. He loves pushing his shopping cart around, playing in his kitchen and his car ramps. He loves all the Disney Junior shows, the book Ten Apples up on Top and Bears in the Night. His favorite song is Counting Stars by One Republic which he calls "Sleeves". Don't ask.
My hopes for Evan in 2014 would be to listen better. Obey
Eric and I as parents and respect us. I know he is only three but this is HUGE.
This one thing would make my life SO much easier. Despite that, I am very proud of him and I am excited to see what this year will bring for him.
We were very blessed to take two trips this year. I took the
boys to Georgia in April to visit family and in August we went to Myrtle Beach.
Both trips were amazing and we made a lot of great memories.
Alex and Evan both started preschool this year. They are in
two different classes at two different schools. It is a bit of a challenge on
me at times, but so far I have been able to attend functions for both boys
without anything conflicting. They love school and they love their teachers.
I could go on and on about our lives, but I will stop here.
Here’s to 2014!! Cheers to a good year!!
I have always wanted a family photo on the beach. We got one this year while we were in
Myrtle Beach.
