Year in Review

The year in review is one of my most tedious and time consuming posts to write, but I absolutely love it because it's just so encouraging to look back on where the kiddos were a year ago, and all my posts along the way show how much progress they've made and the adventures we've been on.  And so, without any further ado, our 2015 in review, plus a current progress report, because I haven't posted one in a while.

January:  I posted speech videos of the kiddos so we could see where they started the year at.  After viewing them, Kiddo was saying two word phrases and Little Brother was saying lots of words like "yeah!" "no" and animals and their sounds.  No two word phrases yet.

February: Kiddo started asking questions (whoo hoo!) Little Brother started jumping and Kiddo started contributing to bedtime prayers.

March: We visited with family and had a grand time with all the cousins and family members on Hubster's side.  It's the first time Kiddo was really able to communicate some thoughts with peers, and was awesome to see them having a blast together, especially because two of those cousins live across the world in Australia and we miss them, and seeing all of the family together.  It was a great time for all of us.

Kiddo with his cousins who were all born in 2010. :)

April: Kiddo started talking in three word phrases and we finally found him a good physical therapist who taught him really quickly how to alternate his feet on stairs.  Little Brother got a speech evaluation, where he was diagnosed with severe speech delay, possible mild apraxia, and qualified for speech services through school when he turned three.

May: May 14th we celebrated Apraxia Awareness Day and also said goodbye to our school therapists.

June: We celebrated Kiddo's 5th birthday, which was incredible, because it was the first year he was excited about any holiday or celebration, and the first year he was able to tell us how he wanted to celebrate it. We catered to his every desire (this year at least, haha) and had a b-day party at Chuck E Cheese with a Minion cake and friends from church.

July: We made it back to George Washington University for a three day intensive with the amazing Jodi Kumar.  Kiddo worked hard on his F and D sounds and learned a few new phrases.  I also got to see how much progress Kiddo has made gross motor wise by going to this fun place.  I got Kiddo's OT reevaluation (17 months after starting OT) and found the results both discouraging and filled with progress.

August:  We celebrated Little Brother's third birthday amidst our move across the state where Kiddo could go to an amazing new school and he is FLOURISHING there.  Worth the move, just for that.

First week of school!

September: Lots of new words and phrases from both kiddos!

October: Kiddo gave me a very special b-day present of singing to me the Happy Birthday song.   Kiddo started asking "What's this?"  And the kiddos had a blast trick or treating for Halloween as Woody and Buzz Lightyear.


November: November I didn't post much, because Kiddo had an allergic reaction at school, where they administered him an epi-pen and then we took him to the ER.  We kept him out of school for a few weeks until we could get allergy testing done to see what was going on.  Kiddo is fine and dandy, but it was a stressful time.  For Thanksgiving, my in-laws came to visit, and they helped build a ball pit for our kiddos to play in (great for the sensory issues!) and also my amazing mother-in-law made the kiddos weighted blankets (also great for sensory issues!) which the kiddos love, and Kiddo calls a "Nana hug all night long."

December: Kiddos were uber excited about Christmas, counting down until the days, adding new words and phrases to their vocabularies.  It was the best Christmas ever, just because of the kids' excitement and how well they can express themselves now.  My parents watched the kiddos for us for a few days so Hubster and I could have a much needed few days to ourselves, which we enjoyed at a nearby beach.  It rained most of the time, but the view from our hotel was great, as was being able to sleep in and eat wherever we wanted and watch a few movies.

Little Brother now asks "Why?" and is being potty trained.  He says lots of 3-4 word phrases now.  He can sing his ABCs though he leaves out G, N, and W every. single. time.  He LOVES to draw and color and is such a rough and tumble kid but oh so snuggly too.

Kiddo is learning how to pedal a bicycle and singing songs and has so much to say.  He loves school and has lots of friends and even a girlfriend at school.  I asked him what he and his girlfriend do at school.  He told me "Play. Learn. Hold hands."  He loves showing us how much stronger he is getting, and helping (he's great at putting away the silverware from the dishwasher and helping me with the laundry).


There were lots of ups and downs, stressful yet joyous times, and of course, lots of progress and victories.  This year, 2015, was the year we began to feel like the kiddos are really flourishing, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for us in 2016.  :)