Noah update

Noah's progress in the last few months really has been so phenomenal that I can't NOT post about it. The kid is now speaking in small sentences ("Need help", "More ice", "Go in the water", etc). A year ago, he had an extremely limited vocabulary. It's been amazing to watch him grow.

(Swimming at a neighbor's house, and he's now tall enough to touch the bottom!)

His interests are also broadening as well, and he's able to tell us about them. He's taken an interest in sports. He's not really competitive, but he really loves baseball and bowling right now. He prefers to pitch to us rather than hit, which is fascinating to me. Normally kids like to be the one batting all the time.

He's also recently become obsessed with bowling. I have Calliou to thank for that actually. He fell in love with an episode where Grandpa takes Calliou bowling. And while I can't stand the whiney kid, I'm kind of excited it spurred an interest in Noah. He actually asked to go bowling and has asked to go back almost every day since. I'm so so glad the bowling alleys in our area do free kids bowling in the summer. Perfect timing!

I had no idea bowling alleys did this now (or maybe they always did?), but they have ramps for kids, mostly for the really little ones or those with special needs. Noah still has low muscle tone in his arms, so after he starts to get tired, he'll use the ramp. Still uses those muscles, but the ball doesn't stop midway down the lane. haha.

And of course, we've been doing lots of swimming and water fun. There's an aquatic center nearby that has a cool outdoor playground pool. Noah loves it there! My sister came with us last time to help me out. We decided she'd be a lot faster getting to him if something were to happen. lol.

People keep asking me how Noah's been handling the pregnancy or if he seems to understand there is a baby coming. We've talked about the baby a few times, especially now that the crib is set up. I'm not sure how much of it he gets, but I've learned not to underestimate his comprehension of things. Brad and I realize that he can take in information in one quick glance and remember it forever, whereas most people need to think about it first. This is one reason we're very cautious about what people say in front of Noah about autism and his development. We actually have made the decision recently not to allow him to be around a particular person anymore. Every time she's around him, she picks him apart... his diet, his mannerisms, etc. The fact that I haven't strangled her yet, given my insanely hormonal pregnant state, is nothing short of a miracle. So yeah, no more of that. 

I do think Noah is at least picking up that something is changing. He's become incredibly clingy to me, bursting into tears when I have to leave for a Dr appt or just to get my hair done. I had to go to the OB last week, and Brad had an interview to go to. My sister came over to stay with him while I was gone, and she said he watched me back out of the driveway then bawled his little eyes out. Ugh. Mom guilt, anyone??

I totally get this is a phase and most likely being triggered by all the changes going on. But it still stings.

The good thing is that the tears don't last long, and he's happy once I come back. It'll be interesting to see how he handles my attention being divided after the baby is here. I'm also a little worried about being in the hospital for a couple of days. I know he'll be fine, but I can't help worrying about him just a little.

The good thing is that we live so close to family, and it's going to be a team effort taking care of him. My mom, stepdad, and little sister will be staying with him. But my dad and stepmom will be helping out too. And hopefully this go-around will be much smoother than it was with Noah. With Noah, I was in the hospital for four days. This time, I'm hoping I get to leave as soon as possible. :)