First of all, I just want to say thank you so much for all of your sweet words of encouragement and all of your prayers for our special little Moose. The post on Shepherd's development was one of the all-time most read blogs. It is really moving to know that we have people, like you, who love and support us. People who don't just laugh at our funny posts, but who cheer for us and encourage us for the hard times too.
It's been a litte over a month since Shepherd has been working with his EIS (Early Intervention Specialist) and his SLP (Speech Language Pathologist). Even though it has only been a short time, we have seen incredible improvement.
First of all, Shepherd has added several new words to his vocabulary. He now regularly says: juice, circle, green, apple, yes, bowl, phone, color, triangle, and even a few more that he has said once or twice. He also calls me mama all the time.....sweetest sound to my ears.
One of the main things he has been working with his EIS on is following directions. By age of 2, most children should be able to follow two-step directions. We have been working with Shepherd on following simple one step directions and he has made vast improvements. One of my favorite things are that he gives kisses. Oh my mushy heart, yall.
He also has walked around the whole cul-de-sac holding my hand without letting go. It's the first time he has ever walked holding my hand. Even when he was learning to walk he wouldn't hold my hands. He would plop down on his bottom and throw a fit if we even tried to hold his hand. This has been particularly frustrating when we go somewhere and I need him to walk so I can hold Fischer. While we aren't at a place yet where I can trust him to walk somewhere holding my hand where he doesn't want to go, these little improvements are huge and give me great hope that we will be able to soon.
He has gotten very good at putting toys away. He's way better than even his big sasster. We will say "in" and he will help pick up his toys and put them in the bucket they go in.
Another thing we have all noticed is how good of a memory he has. Even his specialist has commented on it. For example, one of the things he does with the EIS is read books and point at pictures. This last time when he first saw her come in the door, he ran and got the books they left off with the last time and brought them to her on his own initiative.
I was telling Kyle earlier today that I think it has greatly improved my relationship with him. Due to the nature of his therapy, I am spending more intentional time with him and not only is it helping to improve his skills and speech, but it is bringing us closer together. I am so very thankful for this.
While we still have a ways to go, my heart is swollen with hope for Shepherd's future and joy for the accomplishments he has already made. Thank you for reading and thank you for caring.
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