Summer Update #1

Playing in the sprinkler at Grammy & Poppa's house. This kid really loves the water!

We haven't put alot on here regarding Joshua's progress in the past several months. He really has come quite a long way. Eight months ago he could only say a few words. Now, he talks in phrases most of the time....I would say sentences but he leaves out some of the smaller words still. We have even heard him singing (!) along with some songs recently (seriously, we NEVER thought that would happen)! His articulation isn't clear most of the time but John & I can usually figure out what he is saying. He really likes being understood :) He also really likes getting his way, which doesn't happen all of the time! Having a little brother has been quite the learning experience for him....he isn't used to having someone else have an opinion on which cartoon to watch or what we do. Joshua finished preschool in May & will be starting kindergarten this fall. I really can't believe it! Joshua has become slightly better at dealing with changes in his routine. We are working with him on self help skills. Doing things on his own is really hard for him, but once he has practiced a few times he seems to get things. He has difficulty in trying new things, like physical movements, but once he is shown how to move (for example, how to squat, tip toe, twist, kick a ball, etc) he can generally do it own his own & often really enjoys it. That is something he worked on this past year during school & we are now applying that to things like getting dressed, washing hands, etc. Joshua often amazes us with how smart he is. Of course, he has known his letters & numbers for quite a while now. We are pretty sure he can read at least some words, & that he knows how to spell some words. He seems to have an excellent memory. He remembers all the words to his signing time DVDs & all of his favorite books. He knows the Super Why episodes we have on DVR by episode title. Life isn't perfect by any means....he still has meltdowns on occassion, he yells & cries, he still has seizures every couple of months; but, overall things are so much better than they have been in the past. Summer has been quite an adventure since his routine is totally different! He is doing three different therapies this summer - all of which he seems to enjoy. And, he still loves going to church. He went to VBS for the first time this summer. This fall should be interesting for us....maybe I'll do a better job of posting about his kindergarten experience on here!