Gabe turns 9

Today is Gabe's 9th birthday. Here is an update on all things Gabe: School: Gabe will be going into 3rd grade next month. He loves reading, being silly, and playing with friends. His reading fluency has much improved. Math is challenging with money and time. He knows the names of the different coins and how much they are worth. Adding different coins together is hard for him. Time is going okay. He can tell you the time when the big hand is on the 12, or 6, but if it's on the 1, he'll say 1, not :05. It is complicated if you think about it. Practice, practice, practice. Gabe made friends with kids in his class year. He's really interacting with peers, not just side by side and it's so great to see. Speech: Gabe's articulation is improving. Others are understanding him well, not just our family. We are working on same and different concepts. We are also working on word problems and him explaining why with different pictures or readings. Gabe still scratches his throat, making a crocking sound for oral stim. It's usually if he's hungry, tired, or anxious. He is aware of it though, b/c if we ask him to stop, he does for a short period. He still often quotes TV shows or songs, but we mainly just ignore it. They say be happy he is making sounds and putting the sentences together and he'll learn more of the social norms as he progresses. Occupational Therapy: Gabe is currently working on handwriting. His letters have greatly improved. He is able to write smaller and much clearer when he wants to. We are still working on hand strength for buttons, snaps, and zippers. PT: Gabe's core strength continues to be our key focus. How do you make planks fun? He'll do crab walks, crawl, one leg balancing, etc. He is able to ascend and descend stairs with alternating feet when he has a handhold. His gait twists some and is very broad b/c of his lack of core strength. He still likes to bump down the stairs at our house, but will stay on his feet sometimes with reminders. Gabe still prefers to sit down a lot. It's less effort which I get, but whenever he's hot, or been playing for awhile, he demands to sit. Behavior: Gabe continues to improve in social settings. He's getting less overwhelmed with crowded areas. He also takes turns with other kids, even strangers, and ventures off to explore different parks, play centers libraries, etc. He loves routine and will participate well in the structure of his routine. When things are hard for him, or demanded of him, we often get "no". We track it and often after 2-3 requests, he'll comply, but somethings he just turns dead weight on if he doesn't want to do it. General compliance tends to always be the theme. Token charts to earn a reward are helpful. Making things more difficult as a punishment (picking up blocks, walking into the other room and back, etc) tend to resent him. Health: Gabe's sleep apnea is now just mild. He is sleeping well and it is being treated with Singulair and Flonase. Next sleep study is December. For ENT, Gabe passed a hearing test without a tube in place. This is huge. Those tiny ear canals are growing! Gabe is still suppose to wear glasses. He doesn't like things on his face. He'll sometimes wear them when reading or watching TV. We go back to the eye doctor next month. I may try to get him lighter weight frames to see if they are more comfortable for him. As for Cardiology, Gabe's mitral valve leak remains mild and unchanged. They continue to monitor him with an EKG and ECHO annually. Feeding: We continue to see feeding clinic about every 6 months. Gabe is eating well. His variety is great and he eats what we eat at all meals. He has some texture issues with slimy and gummy things (grapes, blueberries, gummies), but overall does great. He's drinking at least 30 oz/day of milk and water. He still has his feeding tube...ugh, but the good news is, we don't often use it. We may give him a couple ounces of water/week so he doesn't get constipated, or to help him out if it's super hot outside, but that's it. He's eating all his calories. What we really need to work more on is self feeding. He'll bring the fork to his mouth, but he needs to start stabbing the food. Also, if we are eating somewhere other than our house, we sometimes have to just feed him bites to get food in him b/c it's not his routine and he's less willing to help out. He eats great when there is a show on or some type of distraction, but we always try to get him to take a few bites independently to earn that reward. His weight has maintained since dropping the pediasure, however I'm unsure if he's really gained. He seems taller though. We go back to feeding clinic in September. The marathon of feeding is no fun, but progress is being made. Self Help: Gabe is able to use the restroom independently, pulling his shorts up and down, flushing toilet, and washing hands...when he wants to. He will do all of this when he really has to go. Getting him to go pro-actively b/c you are leaving the house, or should try before going here or there is when he often throws fits. He hasn't really had any accidents for us, but I want him to go before it becomes an emergency b/c with his tone being poor, he can't hold if for long. Gabe is dressing/undressing himself pretty well. He takes awhile, so if we're hurrying, he needs help, but when there is time, he can get his underwear, shorts, and shirt on independently. He needs help putting on socks, orthos, shoes, but can take them all off okay. Gabe lets us brush his teeth. He'll hold it in his mouth for a few seconds. I count this as a win since he use to bee so orally averse. Gabe is starting to get in and out of the car independently and pull his seat belt over and help fasten. Things Gabe loves: Toy Story, Books (trying to advance past his love of Clifford), screen time (he loves leap pad and TV), the park, jamming to music, bowling, the zoo/aquarium, chucky cheese, pop a shot, playing catch, yelling boohoohahaha to scare you, and saying "ta-da" when he's done something he thinks is fabulous. Stay gold buddy. Thank you for making me a mommy 9 years ago. You have taught us patience, determination, how to be supportive, and unconditional love. Thanks for bringing so much light and goodness into this world. "I would not change you for the world, but I will change the world for you."