We passed and now SUMMER!

Z is going to Second Grade! Little E is going to be a First grader! These boys are doing so well, I couldn't be prouder.
Yes, Z still struggles but he's doing fantastic!
Yesterday he insisted on reading to me the card attached to his gift given to him in class, I was so tickled to hear him.
But with all this goodness I am already stressing with next year.
He gets over stimulated for the first 2 weeks or so when school starts.
Will he get yelled at?
Will a cafeteria worker insult him again?
Will someone who has no idea whats wrong or going on in his head get in his face?
Will they label him trouble?
YES, this is what I go through every new school year, even every summer.
I know the outcome will be okay but I still am such a worrier..such a mommy.
I guess I will have to be up there for 2 weeks in the beginning huh?
Am I crazy for wanting to do that?
Nah just a mom who wants to keep her baby's spirit intact.
Which brings me to this.
I can tell when Z is just being spoiled or honestly having a hard time.
Nick and I learned to read him quite well from age 3.
If he's being a toot, he gets punished like any other child.
If we see he's overstimulated, we jump in and redirect his behaviour, try to help him.
We don't let him just do what he wants because of a diagnosis, if we did that we'd have a hot mess in our hands...don't you agree?

Little by little

Z is almost done with First grade and Little E is almost done with Kinder.
Having two boys is tough....having one with AU and one with Articulation is even tougher!
But everyday I count my blessings. Z is in General Ed classes and doing well, he struggles but doing well.
Today he walked into the room where Nick was watching "Adventures of Barron Munchausen" or something like that...I know I totally butchered that title.
Well Z stood there watched for a second and then asked "Can we watch Spongebob Dad?"
Nick replied "I'm enjoying this Z."
Then Z replied "But this movie is lame."
WOW!
To many having their 6 year old say this is no biggie.
For us this is HUGE!
Nick ran over to me in the next room to tell me.
We both giggled like school children and just sat there...soaking everything in.
It's been tough...it still is tough.
But were working hard with him and Little E, and they are blossoming...oh so blossoming.
Feels like yesterday he was still being tested, me in a corner crying because I felt like they were studying my baby like some kind of lab rat.
Wondering if he would ever talk?
Would he ever make friends?
Crying myself to sleep at night, never letting my babies see me cry.
Now look how awesome he's doing!
God is good, we are blessed.
He has friends, he's talking, he's progressing slowly but surely.
If you have a little one, just hang in there.
Work hard to help them, work with your school, therapist and Resource teachers.
All together wonderful things happen, as a team we can open our kids up.
It's like my dear friend told me when Z was 3 and freshly diagnosed.
She said "Liza, Z is a beautiful child with a beautiful heart he will go far."
"Work hard and one day you'll watch Pandora's box open right before your eyes and be surprised what you'll find inside."
You know she was right.

From here

I decided to write this blog because since my boy's diagnosis because I at times felt alone.
Like I was the only mom in the world who's child wasn't talking, playing with others or just down right uninterested in anything.
I tried to keep with this blog from how it all began, what we did to help Z to now.
But to be honest it's hard.
Why?
Time goes so fast moves at a speed that I can't seem to keep up with what I did. So I will stick to the now.
How and what we are doing to help him and his brother as of this moment, as a 6 year old Z and 5 year old E.

So here's were I begin.

E is doing well in school, he loves it beyond measure! Nick and I swear if he didn't look like a mini Nick we would most certainly have thought E was switched at birth. Both Nick and I were not the biggest fans of school.

Z is doing well. He's come far for a child who struggles with so much.
We recently put him in resources for reading and are hoping all will go great.
He truly is doing so much better now than he was in the begining of the school year.
Though we still struggle with over stimulation and his attention span from time to time and I find myself stressing, especially if I'm in a situation like a birthday party and Overstimulation kicks in and I'm going at it alone without Nick.

Advice given to me by mom.
**Don't stress! Z can feel that. Keep calm and he'll keep calm, take a deep breath and help him, don't let him see your anxiety.***

Thanks mom I will take this advice 100%.
Because as mom's were only human and we do tend to stress when the "Overstimulation" hits.
But we also have to remember were not the only ones who struggle with our kids...ALL kids have bad days, we just have to remember that.