My son, Clayton is THREE.
He will be four next month.
He has Apraxia--a speech delay where he can't say the correct words he thinks in his head. Due to this, he constantly has to work harder, be more determined, and have more patience than most kids his age. A HUGE task for any kid.
BUT he has us. And the HUGE support group around US which include grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins, friends, his amazing speech therapist, and even strangers on Facebook!
We have continually fought hard for this boy.
Multiple speech therapist, hearing tests, doctor visits, IEPs.
Multiple phone calls, emails, letters to different schools, his teacher, therapists.
Hours of research, Facebook groups, reaching out to others.
It's the fight itself that breaks our spirit and makes us question our doings.
But we will continue to fight.
To give him THE best learning environment.
To provide what HE needs.
To surround him with people who truly LOVE him.
It's our son's bright, vibrant, contagious personality that KEEPS us going.
His openness to others.
His energy for everything.
His love of life.
Our latest struggle is finding the right school (that "fits" him) for him. We will NOT change our mission in helping our boy. We will continue to push on with our son's best interest in mind. Because truly, his parents and the ones that love him know best.
Top 10 for the Week of
March 16th, 2015
10. Pot Holes. They are everywhere! Welcome to Spring in Michigan right?!?!
9. Clay NOW Sick. Clay came home from school on Thursday totally out of it. Come to find out he was running a low temperature. Diarrhea came later. Of course. We are on day FIVE. At least last night BOTH of our kids slept through the night. Which hasn't happened in like....yeah, not even sure WHEN!
8. Mal's Cold. Mal's digestive issues are now back to normal. Unfortunately, she's gotten Jay's cold. I feel terrible for her. Her nose hasn't stopped running. One sickness after another. However with a little cold/cough medicine in the morning she is good to go!
7. Clean Sheets. I cleaned ALL of the sicky sheets on Friday. There is something about the smell of clean sheets that calms me. I'm still waiting for an outdoor clothes line which would totally make clean sheets even better!
6. St. Patty's Day. So, yeah, I wasn't totally prepared for St. Patty's Day. Like I didn't have outfits for my children to wear to school--which is totally fine. But my 6 year old daughter did not think so. She was quite upset with me. Fortunately, I have met some rockstar moms this year! And one of them unknowingly saved my butt on this fiasco! She texted me that night stating she had purchased a St. Patty's Day Tshirt for her! Talk about a saving grace:o) Thanks again for the help my friend! I did the whole leprechaun footprint thing and colored the milk green. Thank goodness both kids didn't see the green dye I accidently spilled on my fingers!
5. Walk Around Pond. We had a few nice nights this week which caused us to head outside and take a walk around our pond. I really enjoy this time. Being outdoors. Watching them get interested in little things. I'm SO glad they appreciate and love nature as much as Jay and I do.
4. Park Play Date. Monday was beautiful. And Clay and I got a chance to meet a friend (his FAVORITE friend) and his mom at the park. I wore a T-shirt and capris. Bliss. Can't wait until this is a regular occurrence.
3. Clayisms. This week we are practicing on his N's. We were gifted some new-to-us dinosaurs from a dear friend. He has fallen in love with them and every other dinosaur. SO we were able to work on new, neck, nose, and need words. Play therapy does wonders with our boy. And play outside for this boy is even 10x better. He's just like his dad. Would rather be outdoors than anywhere else. It's amazing to me how quickly he can get dressed (coat, boots, hat) to go outside but when it comes to going anywhere else--it takes him forever! Smart boy I guess. He still continues to take naps. I think the structure and having to stay so together during the school day wears him out.
2. Malloryisms. Mal has really enjoyed being in Girl Scouts. I was impressed that she sold about 100 boxes--which were all delivered within a week of getting them. I can't imagine selling more than this. 100 was enough craziness for me!! Jay doesn't think so. He thinks we should go all in. I told him--if he wanted to, he could. But I wasn't delivering all of them! Mal and I helped out at a cookie booth in front of Walmart. It was cute seeing her approach strangers and friends, asking them if they were interested in buying. Her ownership and maturity really shined. Mal has missed a lot of dance due sickness and being out of time. She has been upset by this--I have to admit I am too. This year she has two dances to memorize--Tap being one that she has just joined this year. This week I realized she is holding her own. She really is--which makes me so thankful and amazed at her memory and determination. Our 6 year old is growing up. Becoming so much more than I thought she would be. TWO cute, adorable Malloryisms: "Hey Dad, what seed is this?" As she's playing under the apple tree. "Mallory that's rabbit poop." Seriously. Cracks me up. And then the other night I was on the phone and spelled out the word KIDS. As in I was trying to get away from the KIDS so I could talk. She said it right away after I had spelt it. Sometimes I am shocked by how smart she is getting!
1. Great Outdoors. We spent the majority of the day outdoors on Sunday and it was bliss! Every one of us enjoyed it! Feels great to be back in the yard, enjoying what our property has to offer us. Looking forward to warmer days (even though as I type this SNOW is falling!).
Part of me questions everything. But I know going with my "mom gut" is powerful and real.
Have a great week!
Feels great to be back.
Until next week,
Mrs. Newell
