Caleb's News

My last post marked a season of firsts, and now all those new things have fallen into the "normal" category of my every day life. So let me share some updates of the last SEVEN (gulp! Really 7?) months.

Caleb's last seven months have been huge. It started out with those new glasses. That quick-eyed opthalmologist (because that's what you have to be to give Caleb an eye exam) also brought us a little closer to a diagnosis for our little man. His optic nerve was the wrong color, pale, indicating a brain problem. He ordered and MRI of his brain. And now we know that Caleb has a condition called Agenisis of the Corpus Collosum. Meaning, the brain fiber that connects the two hemispheres in his brain didn't fully form. It seems to explain a lot.

In January Caleb started preschool at Smouse Elementary, a school devoted to special needs children. I was so incredibly hesitant to send him. But all his therapists, my cousin who has a special needs child and a close friend who is a special ed teacher all insisted it would be great for him. But he's so little, and I cherish my time with him, and he is just beginning to interact with those around him, and....I decided to send him and leave myself the option of quitting it. Well, a couple weeks in I realized that he is happy when I pick him up after school. This enriches his life. I drove home from school one day feeling quite humbled to know that as much as I love him, I can't be everything for him and that he does need these teachers, classmates and therapists.

One day in March, when I picked Caleb up from school, his teacher asked if he had been walking a lot at home. I answered no. They informed me that he had been walking all over the class room that day WITHOUT his walker. That weekend he walked for Nate and me too. Exciting! We can't always get him to do it now. But he knows he can. That's really the biggest step with him. And he finally prefers to be in the walker more than crawling on the ground a good portion of the time.

Also, and definitely not the smallest of all his accomplishments, Caleb has started to go to sleep for real at night, without HOURS AND HOURS of coaxing. This is such a blessing because although you kind friends may not realize it, Nate and I are not always the most patient people and fatigue makes us cranky. So now we will have more patience to spend elsewhere in our day. I give full credit to melatonin pills for Caleb's recent sleep success. Over-the-Counter Miracle.
The cherry on top of all this...Caleb hugs now. He's always loved to be held, but now he wraps his arm(s) around my neck and holds on like a koala.