Evan v. 2.5

Evan is now 2 1/2, and it's been almost 1 year, 9 months since his surgery. Overall, he's doing fabulously and you would never know what he's been through. His speech is catching up and he is very articulate and clear when speaking. He puts two and three words together, and occasionally 4 words. He definitely has an opinion about things, which doesn't surprise me given who his parents are. I asked him if he would like crackers or raisins for a snack and he replied, "No. Wheat Thins please." (We don't give him Wheat Thins. He sees Jeff eating them and somehow picked up that this was the name of this particular cracker. They are indeed little sponges!) He understands and uses possession "Mama's office" and is starting to comprehend plurality, "two buses" vs. "one bus." He reads numbers, counting to 12. After 12 comes 20, of course. (Twenty is the equivalent of "a lot" in his mind. I'll ask him how many trees he sees and he replies "twenty!") We are teaching him please and thank you, and not surprisingly, because it's a prerequisite to get what he wants, "please" has resonated more than "thank you." I'm confident both will become habit, eventually.

In addition to being an avid reader and Thomas train fan, Evan's becoming quite the sports nut, which comes as a surprise to no one. Jeff shortened a hockey stick for him, and he will play for hours either inside or out, yelling "he shoots, he scores!" as he handles the stick with agility; left handed of course.

Trying to wake up Rocco, his dog-cousin, with "tickle tickle." Rocco is a saintly, patient dog.

Evan still has 1-2 gelastic seizures a day, always when he goes to sleep. Because a sliver of the HH remains, it is likely these will continue throughout his life, but there is no way to be certain. Evan receives OT once a week and is being phased out of speech therapy, now just twice monthly. A preschool teacher comes once a month to meet with him and make sure he is developing on track and will be ready for preschool. So far, she says he's doing great, especially given what he's been through. This is a nice service and it's paid for by the state, so I'm happy to oblige, even though there is no rush. Because he has an October birthday, we're going to wait until next fall, when he's almost 4, to start preschool.

Because Pennsylvania is set up on the county system for early intervention services, I will be transferring his records to our new county coordinator at the end of the month. Fortunately, Evan's therapists all wanted to continue on with him after we move. He only has 5 months left on Early Intervention, so this continuity will be the best for Evan. We really like his therapists, so we're happy they are also available to work in Delaware County and can stay on with us. Because Early Intervention goes to age 3, we are hoping that just a few more months and he'll be in good enough shape that he doesn't have to go to the Intermediate Unit and continue OT once he's 3. Because of his dyspraxia, he might need to continue on, though. We'll see what they recommend.

Any struggles he has are so minor compared to many other kids with a history of HH and infantile spasms. Every day we are amazed by Evan, not only because what he's been through, but also just as parents raising a 2 year old. He's doing everything he's supposed to be doing at 2: throwing tantrums, running, climbing, pretending, and wanting to do what we do. Even in the frustrating times, I count my blessings. I shudder to think of what we could have been facing without the surgery and it puts everything in perspective.

Evan and cousin Lucas (3 mos apart) read up on the latest business news. These buddies are so cute together and had a great visit!