more inchstones have been reached.
by way of Moosey’s speech therapist, a first sentence.
which of course, was related to food: “I want pretzels.“
behold, the power of gluten-free snack treats,
able to evoke the first subject and predicate from my son’s soul.
i wish i could have heard it
but the look on Ms. Emily’s face was worth every penny of therapy
to me, this is more important than that first step or first word
a return to the boy he was…
{Moose at 15 months, pointing…}
*Kids with “autism” don’t point, curious, right?*
{Moose at 12 months…with appropriate play}
and there are the subtle things this week
like walking with me through the grocery store without insisting on a cart,
without flailing on the ground,
without protest
and come to think of it,
the protests in the car if i deviate from the expected route
have vanished too
but these steps forward
come at a price
his stomach has been a nightmare
his sleep fractured
but the gains…
coloring, really coloring without chewing the marker
truly engaging and playing with others
finally opening the car door by his big boy self.
and the words
more words are coming
slowly like train cars
the wait is painful,
the hardships sometimes too much to stomach
the fights suck energy you didn’t even know you had
but the the joy
of each day and every inchstones,
plentiful
Thanks for reading,
Nicolette
Great to hear about the progress. I thought I was the only one that had a kid who would melt down if I would deviate from the expected driving route! Funny thing, my kiddo at 3 couldn’t tell me where he wanted to eat one night, so I let him give me driving directions! We got where he wanted to go.
Such fantastic news! I hope with all the power of the universe that your boy comes back to you!
Jo-Anna
A sentence!!!!! Forget inches, that’s BIG. Congrats on the progress! Thanks for sharing.
How exciting! Good job Moose (and Mom and ST) for working so hard! What a great start to the summer
I’m so happy for you…and for Moose!
Awesome. Such an encouragement.