JOEL CAN COUNT TO TEN!

I will let the video speak for itself...

(make sure your volume is turned up!)

I am so full of joy!  I feel like I am walking on air.  :)  For those of you who know Joel or read my post "When Your Child Can't Talk", you know what a surprise this was and how much it means to us.

The amazing woman you hear in the video is one of Joel's ABA therapists (the one I call "K").  We have been working on teaching Joel to talk in ABA, with excellent progress, but he is still needing a lot of prompting.  We had not been trying to teach him to count.  That still seemed a ways off.  We have, however, used counting to ten several times in the last few weeks for taking a "break" when Joel has not cooperated with what he was told to do, or told not to do.  He occasionally repeated the numbers with slight interest, so you can imagine how shocked we were today when he took the lead in counting!  Our jaws were hanging on the ground!  I had tears in my eyes as I listened to him count over and over, every time he ran off the playground into the planter.  I am so thankful that K suggested to take video so Joel's other therapists would believe us.  I was able to show the video to Isaac (Joel's daddy) when he got home from work and my heart swelled as I  watched him get tears in his eyes.  I love that I will be able to watch it over and over, but even better, I love that I can walk into the back yard right now and sit Joel down and count with him.  :)  I can't stop grinning from ear to ear.  Tonight it's time to celebrate!

One of Those Moms

Apparently I am one of those moms.  You know, the one who can coordinate two doctors crazy schedules AND a hospitals schedule.  Yes, I actually was told by a doctor's secretary the other day that "well, you are one of those moms who knows how to coordinate doctors busy schedules, so just talk to the doctor about it when you are in."  "Those" was definitely emphasized.  I think it was meant as a compliment.  To me it means I've been doing this a lot of years now.  Over seven years.  I never could have pictured the present even a few years ago.  But now here we are, and I am happy to be called "one of those moms".  I welcome myself to the club.  It is an awesome group of women to belong to.  I can't say that I always wanted to be "one of those moms".  That would be lying.  But I can say that now that I am here, there is no place I'd rather be.

I must also say that I am one of those moms who knows when they need help (especially after weeks of procrastinating).  I was able to accomplish my long list of phone calls by using a couple of respite hours.  It is amazing how much easier it is to accomplish a bunch of phone calls when there is another adult to field questions, comments, children who can't talk, and attention seeking toddlers.  Something they don't warn you about when your child is diagnosed as special needs is the hours and hours and hours you will spend on the phone with doctors offices and insurance.  Enough hours that nurses and front desk personnel will remember you and your child by name or even voice occasionally.  I guess it does have it's perks.  ;)

So now that I have complex scheduling figured out, anyone have tips on how to get a personal, full-time assistant?  Pretty please and thank you?!  One can always dream, right?