Trying to stay positive

Here I am with another day of being thankful for what I have, and trying not to want much more. At 34 months, Andy continues to push his bottom off the floor, but isn't army crawling. However, he is trying to self-feed more and more each day. Also, we are going to stick with speech therapy for now. I talked with his therapist about introducing AAC, alternative augmentative communication, and we are starting out with ipad apps.

The therapist purchased "ispeak button" for her ipad, and I got it for my phone and ipad. This way we can see if Andy will start pushing the button for the word "more".  You can record any message you want, and you will hear it back when you push the button. Since I have an iphone, I can take it anywhere with me, and don't have to have the ipad. 

School is also on the horizon, which I think will be so beneficial for us as a family. Right now, we are working on self-feeding at home, but the school will also work on it twice a day with him. We are also introducing a cup with handles to Andy.

I still have my days where I can't believe I have a three year old that can't walk or talk, but I have come to stop looking at traditional milestones. I think he will eventually do all the things he is supposed to, just in a different realm. I kind of feel like we are a family in a different dimension, like some crazy sci-fi movie. I find myself gravitating more towards people who are accepting of Andy, and just being around them.

We are looking forward to summer and getting outside more. Andy has been extra irritated lately when we stay inside too much. It can be hard to go into public places, because people don't understand why Andy can't walk. Some times, I just don't want to deal with it. But recently, the swim instructor at the pool has a sibling with cerebral palsy, so she is happy to see me bringing Andy into the pool more often. That kind of stuff makes a big difference. I also want to take Gabby to open gym/gymnastics more often, but it will involve me playing on the floor with Andy while she runs around. Again, a lot of questions with all the other parents, but we have to do it for Andy to be happy as well.

We are also thinking about getting a mini-van. I currently drive a sedan, Mazda 6, and it seems a mini-van would be better for our family at this time. Especially the fact that the doors would automatically open for me, while I'm carrying Andy out to the garage. It would be great.