We are expecting another boy in our little family this August! I am totally out numbered and couldn't be happier about it! We do realize that with this news comes some worries. We were told at our appointment the "statistics" we have on possibly having another child with autism. Our chances would have been significantly lower if we were having a girl. Now that we know we're having a boy we have a 1 in 3 chance that this little boy might have autism too. Yes, the numbers aren't great, but we're hopeful. The one positive we can take from this is: We are more prepared this time around. We know the warning signs, we know what to look for, the moment we see anything remotely looking like autism we can catch it even sooner. My attitude on "the numbers" is, we'll cross that bridge if/when we get there. I'm not going to lose sleep over something that "might happen". If it happens, then we can start worrying about it. Until then, I'm only going to lose sleep over this massive belly I'm growing.
As for our first little boy, he's doing great! Growing and growing and growing!! Our little boy isn't so little anymore! He may have just turned 2 but he is in 3T clothes and 4T pajamas!!! He is our tall husky boy! He still loves Sesame Street, snacks, and chicken nuggets. Trying new foods is still a challenge, but we're hoping this will turn around in the future.
His therapy life is much the same, expect for ABA. Desmond's ABA therapist Rachel has had some health problems and has chosen to be at home to focus on her health. This means we had to say goodbye to Rachel this week, but got to say hello to Lynsee. Lynsee is Desmond's new therapist and she is great. This week was a struggle for Desmond though. Change is hard, but we're hopeful that he'll be able to adjust to having Lynsee here.
Another change in the ABA world is that Desmond is now doing ABA full time. He has ABA for 3 hours Monday-Friday. Desmond is still doing an hour of speech and OT each week as well. So grand total, Desmond is doing 17 hours of therapy every week. We are a busy bunch over here!!
Speech and OT have been going really well lately. Desmond had a really great speech session this past week. We are still really pushing for him to vocalize what he wants. In this session he was able to consistently vocalize when he wanted something. Greg uses food quite a bit to keep Desmond motivated. For example, Greg will show Desmond a cracker and Desmond can't have it unless he vocalizes for it. It takes some time for Desmond to understand that he needs to vocalize, but once he gets it he starts vocalizing. Once he vocalizes something Greg will hand the cracker to Desmond, reinforcing the objective "You vocalize, you get what you want". Again, the end goal is getting Desmond to understand that his voice has power, meaning, and purpose.
OT is going really great too. In the beginning Desmond didn't seem to show much interest in any of the toys or gym equipment. He wouldn't laugh, smile, or show any kind of indication that he was having a good time. This past sessions he was laughing, smiling, showing a lot more emotion. I know this probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but for us it is a BIG DEAL. Desmond's autism doesn't allow him to show much emotion. At home and in these sessions we have been seeing a lot more of his fun personality because he IS laughing more,smiling more, playing more, interacting more!
Even though there seems to be so much change going on over here, we have much to be grateful for. I'm so grateful that Desmond gets a little brother. In my heart of hearts I hope this next one doesn't have autism. I think what Desmond is going to need so desperately in the future is a friend; a little boy who will love him unconditionally. What better friend can one have than a sibling. I was lucky enough to be a little sister to my older sister Jillian. I know from personal experience how amazing it can be to have a sibling that is your best friend. I'm hoping that Desmond will have a similar relationship with his little brother that I had with my Jillie. I hope this little boy can be a support to Desmond and be that little unconditional friend he will need in the future. We are thrilled to be growing our family and can't wait to meet this little guy!
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