Andrew's first week of school

Oh what a handsome boy waiting for the school bus! every time I mentioned to Andrew that school was going to be starting he said "want back pack" so he was excited to start. I have trepedation because it's hard waving goodbye to your 3 year old that get's on a big bus. Even after the first week I still get a lump in my throat when he leaves. After his first day when he got off of the bus he said "want to watch the bus" so of course we had to say goodbye to the bus as they left. I found out the bus is the best thing about school.

Andrew has done incredibly well from the time he started preschool last year to now. Back then he struggled to tell me what he wanted, he would stutter "I waaaaaaaa nt" and he would continue to say that until I repeated what he said "I want" and then he would say "I want....." and he would finish by telling me what it was he wanted. Back then he would echo everything we would say which at the time we were overjoyed with that because at 18 mo old he didn't say anything unless it was a random sound or he would say things once and wasn't able to repeat it. I remember he would stand in front of the fridge and scream and whine, then I would have to ask him while holding different things up until he would grab what he wanted. So echoing was huge for us to hear him say words.

He has recently started to say his own words and not echoing from what he hears as much. When were going places he'll say "hurry up mommy" because he's so excited to go. If Abbey's crying he'll go up to her and give her a kiss and say "it's ok Abbey". Just today after he came home from school he asked for a banana and while I was getting a banana he said "One pear" and there was only one pear in the dish among the bananas. Very exciting!!!

Andrew is doing so well at distinguishing emotions and he'll say to me "happy mommy" or "Mommy's Angry" and he says it in such a way that if I am angry it makes me smile and I tell him "mommy's happy now" and he'll then ask " I want an angry face" and then he adds "Angry" in the cuttest voice. I think he thinks having the angry face is a fun game to him because it makes mommy happy in the end. He'll look in the mirror and make different faces which when he was younger he didn't even like to look at himself. His teacher Miss Kristen told me his favorite book is about feelings and how he watches her face intently when she reads him the story, which is very good because the more eye contact the better!

The journey we have had with Andrew has not been easy, mainly worrying about how Andrew will be received with peers and sometimes how exhausting it is to keep up with him, sometimes his melt downs have been pretty unconsolable but one awesome thing I've been doing recently is I have him breath in deeply and then blow his breath out slowly and he does the hand movements with me and it calms him down within a minute.... that's WOW!! That's one of the huge rewards we get much like how he starts doing something on his own and he gains more independance for himself. One of the many things I have learned from Andrew is how to not take little things for granted. I remember hearing some moms say how much their child jibber jabbers and they wish they didn't talk so much, I'm so opposite I welcome any good word and I see this with Abbey as she says new words and talks up a storm in church I let her go for it. I love communication!!!! It's been so hard for Andrew when he gets hurt he has a hard time telling me what happened. There was an experience that made my heart literally sink and I wanted to put a bubble around Andrew but I knew I couldn't. Andrew was playing w/ a couple of his cousins and some of their friends one of them said "hey if you kick him he doesn't get hurt" and one started to kick him in the shins and at this point I ran into the room and stopped it immediately, I attempted to tell the kids that Andrew does get hurt even though he might not cry or run and tell me about it. I think that was one of the pivotal moments that hit home for me, some of the things we are going to have to face and deal with throughout his whole life and the fact I can't put some protective bubble around him, so I pray that his guardian angels will always be there to help protect him, which I know Grandma Allen is right there.

I was listening to Enya the other day and the song "If I could be where you are" just totally struck a cord to how I feel about Andrew and how at times when I'm talking with him he doesn't seem to know what is going on around him and that's when my heart breaks because I so desperately want him to understand what is happening around him and to him.

These are the words to the song: If I could be where you are, Enya

Where are you this moment? Only in my dreams. You're missing, but you're always a heartbeat from me. I'm lost now without you, I don't know where you are I keep watching. I keep hoping, but time keeps us apart.

Is there a way I can find you, is there a sign I should know, is there a road I could follow to bring you back home?

Winter lies before me now you're so far away. In the darkness of my dreaming the light of you will stay.

If I could be close beside you, If I could be where you are, If I could reach out and touch you and bring you back home. Is there a way I can find you, is there a sign I should know, is there a road I can follow to bring you back home to me.

We love our sweet little boy, he truly is such a strength to us. He brings such sweetness to our family.