From time to time i enjoy going back through Marshall's blog and re-reading some of my posts. I do this to remember how hard things were, as i often forget just how far Marshall has come, and how quickly he has done so. I find myself often coming across parents with horror stories of bath time or birthday parties, and i laugh and tell them, "Go back and read that post!!". I've been there, we've been there, and look at where we are now! I love that i continue to be surprised at the child that Marshall is today, considering the child he used to be. Last month i came across this post of 'Marshall's World at Home' from last year. As i was reading through it, i was smiling the whole time. To think, these were mostly positive and shocking at that time, and that Marshall is doing even better a year later. I thought it might be fun, both for me and hopefully for you, to just copy and paste the post, and then add in, in RED, the updates or changes that we now see in our son.
Marshall's World at Home - October 17, 2011
There`s been a lot of cool things going on
here at home lately.
Marshall is doing really well everywhere he goes!
... and let me clarify that i mean 'really well... for Marshall'.
He does and always will have Autism.
We are in month 5 since the diagnosis and more recently,
Marshall is just becoming so independent.
It is awesome... most days ;)
I've been making a list of all the little things
that he is doing, doing differently, doing better lately,
and i am happy to share them with you!
Get ready for a lot of exclamation points -
i can't help myself!! :D
Marshall continues to push towards independance,
although it is not nearly as frustrating as it was sometimes.
He has conquered a lot and now are just part of this normal
things that he does on his own!
Also, Marshall's comprehention is coming along nicely,
and if i tell him i need to help him,
he often is fine with that.
Marshall has learnt how to ride a tricycle
using the pedals!
He is now riding a two wheeler with training wheels!
He will totally master it withough the little wheels next summer,
i am sure of that. We didn't have a bike for him
until he was 4, but just before his birthday we went to
Toys R Us and both Danny and i started
laughing in shock as Marshall climbed onto a bike at the
store and started cruising around (with training wheels)
like he'd been doing this forever!!
He is helping me do laundry and willingly put his
favourite blanket in to be washed when i requested it
on 2 occaisions now!!
Marshall still happily puts his favourite blanket into the wash,
actually he requests it sometimes, bringing it to
me when i have other laundry i am doing :)
Marshall's original blue blanket knitted by Nana
fell apart months back.
She made him a new one...
which he rejected immediately. lol.
We've been trying to trick him but it hasn't worked.
His old blanket didn't even cover him at night
anymore. Then randomly one night,
he decided to make the trade all on his own.
I couldn't believe it when i saw the new blanket laying
on my kitchen floor the next morning!
The old one got one last wash and is now in hiding for life :)
We haven't had to change up Marshall's blanket since
this time, but i have been trying to introduce his quilt to him
made by Nana, for night time sleeping.
He is warm enough with his blue blanket, so i haven't pushed
it too much. He does cover his pillow with the quilt
now and sleeps that way... as well as on top of all of his stuffies! lol.
Marshall has discovered his love for wa-wa's,
otherwise known as waffles.
This is not profound, but definitely a loved
and muched talked about food option for him
in the morning these days. lol.
Marshall still loves his wa-wa's, but he now calls them "waffles".
I did have to work on him getting those 'f''s in there
for a while :)
He also loves cinnamon buns for breakfast, or toast.
He has eaten some cereal with milk recently,
but definitely prefers a warm carb for breakfast...
and chocolate milk or juice with everything!
My kids never seem to have actual pajamas for bed.
I have some hand me downs from my oldest
for my younger daughter,
but Marshall is usually naked.
Now with fall settling in, he needs to be wearing
something more than nothing at bed time.
In the past, i've just thrown on an older
muscle shirt or tshirt on him.
Well, i tried that last week and M was freaking out!
I guess he thought i was dressing him for the
day or something, when all he wanted to
do was go to bed. lol.
I went out and bought him a pajama set,
Two actually as they were on sale.
Marshall rejected those at first too,
and the first night only slept with the bottoms on.
But the second night, he let me put on his shirt
and he fell asleep wearing it :)
Now, he loves his pj's!
It is no longer a confusing thing for him,
which was mostly my own fault.
Marshall's pajama wardrobe now has several options for him.
He had a slight resistance to adjusting from summer type pj's
into fleece ones for winter, but all in all did well with it.
He loves wearing pajamas and there are no issues with
getting him to wear them now.
Bed time all together has improved by leaps and bounds!!
Brushing Marshall's teeth has looked like this
most of his life: Chase him down, sometimes he
opens his mouth, sometimes he doesn't
and i have to fight him,
but they get brushed one way or another,
and the toothpaste is swallowed.
Suddenly, Marshall is interested in brushing his teeth at the sink!!
He will open his mouth bigger if i show
him in the mirror by opening mine.
He likes to watch me brush,
and he is a big fan of the spitting part!! lol.
He will take several sips of water
and spit them out and he is so happy to do so!
Of course, the first time i made a huge deal out of it
and i told him to go and show Daddy his teeth.
Off he ran into the living room beaming from
ear to ear to show off his pearly whites!
Daddy of course, plays it up too for him :)
Marshall is eager and excited and actually runs
into the bathroom when i suggest brushing teeth.
It's great.
Such a big boy!!
Bed time routine is very scheduled now, and Marshall loves it.
Both of the kids understand what is going on,
and they both enjoy the hour of getting ready for bed :)
Brushing teeth is no sweat, and Marshall does brush on his own
sometimes after i have finished.
He even lets me floss sometimes... thankfully his teeth all
have spaces between them so we shouldn't have any
worry of cavities for a while.
Marshall has been to the dentist twice, and both times were
successful!! He watches his sister first and waits
patiently for his turn. He loves the chair that moves up and down
based on which body part he touches (nose or knee).
He lets the dental hygenist brush them with that little spinny brush,
and lets her floss!
At the last visit we tried to put in the floride cups,
but Marshall started to cry... he'll get there in his own time, plus,
I don't like that part either so i get it. lol.
He doesn't enjoy it, but he even let the dentist scratch off some plaque
with that nasty sharp tool that gives you goosebumps!
Marshall has continued to bathe well.
He is helping me wash him.
His hair is getting on the longer side,
so washing is becoming a bit harder as it just takes
longer. He will be getting a buzz in the next couple
of weeks for sure.
Marshall is now laying down his head in the bath in order to
wash his hair! I think i have mentioned this already, but it
is still sooo exciting :)
He lets me wash him the same as i would Devyn,
and bath time is just fun and productive and wonderful.
This is gross, but he even lets me clean out his nose
afterwards to avoid any runaways the next day. lol.
Ahh... being a Mom ;)
A routine that Marshall has after bath and nose cleaning,
is to ask me to, "Lift me up!"
I pick him up in his towel like a baby, carrying him into
the livingroom where we've set up pillows and a
fluffy blanket for me to throw Marshall into :)
In talking about mastering sensory issues
with Marshall's in regards to his head...
Over the past year, Marshall has been getting regular
haircuts!! We go to a friend of mine for this task.
The first time was a little shaky, but now he
looks forward to it, allowing for her to both
buzz the sides and cut the top.
You can see his discomfort at times,
but he is pretty good with a little verbal coaching
to sit through it.
He looks so handsome with an actual haircut :)
Also a side note,
he lets me cut his nails when i ask him to
without complaint now.
Evenings are great with the routine down pat.
And what is even greater,
is that suddenly Marshall is interested in actually
reading books!!!!!!!!!!
That one gets extra '!!!'
Up until recently, Marshall has only had interest in looking
at the pictures and talking very briefly about what
we see. But now, when his sister goes
to pick out her bedtime book, Marshall picks out his own too!
He even says "book" after showing
Daddy his smile :)
Both the kiddies climb to the top bunk and eagerly
await reading their books together.
Marshall is even waiting to read D's book first,
as long as he can turn the pages, he is happy...
and also, as long as there are not too many words.
But he'll let me read a Franklin book which isn't super short!
Then he gets his book out and we mostly talk about
the pictures, but sometimes he waits until he hears my
`reading voice`for a few sentences and then turns the page!
It has become such a great time with him.
I wondered if he'd ever get to this place.
And just like that, when he decides,
he really can do anything it seems!
Marshall loves bedtime reading,
and now lets me read the whole book.
Both he and Devyn choose their own
and let me turn the pages :)
Actually, Devyn often has home-reading from school
so she will read at bedtime.
Marshall will select his book of choice for me to read.
Last Spring i started using the calm bedtime to
prompt Marshall to work on his 's' and 'f' blends.
I have 3 pages now with drawn images that we work through.
Marshall knows that if he focuses and does his words
that i will read his bedtime book to him.
He also knows (i only had to do it once, and it was hard!)
that if he is being silly and goofing around,
that after two warnings, i will take away his bedtime book.
About half of the words that we work on
Marshall now says properly in his normal speaking!!
Today, our first SNOW DAY,
Marshall is still talking about all of the "(s)now"
and about making a "(s)nowman". lol.
He'll figure it out eventually!
He has been requesting for me to "sing"
at bed time every night for the past several weeks.
Just recently he has started to sing along :)
It sounds nothing like what i'm singing,
but it's music to my ears!
Since he is so calm at night time now, i have been
able to start prayers with him.
We do the
Now i lay me down to..."leep"
I pray the Lord my soul to... "keet"
May your love go with me all the..."nigh"
and wake me up with the morning... "ligh"
"A-men!"
M finishes the last word of each line proudly :)
I love it.
Marshall still loves to sing at bedtime,
but will not let me pray with him anymore. lol.
His one and only request each night is to sing,
"Up, up, and away we go!"
which is from VBS last summer.
It's about God so i've decided that it serves as
worship/prayer and that works for us. ;)
Marshall sings along the whole time.
I believe i have shared that Marshall can successfully
put on his velcro sandals.
He is now putting on his velcro shoes all by himself!!
He knows to push the tongue down and he lines it
up just right. Pretty cool.
I remember seeing a documentary about a year
ago about a young autistic boy,
and they showed how he had mastered
putting on his shoes...
and for some reason i was moved by how hard
that little boy tried, and then succeded.
And now i can be proud of my son
for accomplishing something that a year ago,
seemed like a lost cause.
How cool is that?!
Marshall is a shoe master now.
He puts on his boots, shoes or sandals with ease.
He often puts them on the right feet without help,
but if he gets them wrong,
he is cool with switching them around now when i ask.
He used to get very mad about this request. lol.
There is an example of how he's grown in his need to be
independant!
Marshall is also putting on his hat or toque,
as well as zipping up his jackets,
all on his own.
He also helps pack his lunch and tucks it into his
backpack, zipping it up himself :)
Marshall is also putting on his seatbelt himself
in the car. He's in a 5 point harness, and as long
as i give him a bit of extra belt,
he does it up all on his own!
and again, proud as ever of himself.
He is becoming so independent lately, it's crazy!
Marshall is a pro at putting on his 5 point harness
without giving him any extra belt now.
We use just a booster sometimes,
and he can buckle and unbuckle himself as well...
and he understands that it is not something he does
without asking either, so no worries of him unbelting
while driving :)
Marshall is trying to say any word we
ask of him lately, and he's even saying words on his
own too!
He has just started making "ch" and "j" sounds.
Words like "orange" actually sound like orange now!
The first word i heard him say with that sound was
"pinching". lol.
After several times of me having to be stern with
him about pinching his sister, and my having
to get right to his level and say, "no pinching",
he repeated it.
I was at a cross roads...
"Yes that's right Marshall, NO pinching,
and good talking Marshall- yeah no pinching-good boy!
Now NO pinching your sister." lol.
Even i had to laugh afterwards.
I don't even know where to begin with this section!!
Marshall's language, his biggest challenge,
has come along sooo much in a years time!!
I believe in his diagnosis at 3 years of age,
they put his language at a 1 year old level.
I have no professional to tell me where he is at now,
but i'd be comfortable saying that at 4.5 years old,
he is definitely at a 3 year old level if not more.
He has a LOT of words and talks constantly,
can't shut him up sometimes! lol.
Much of what Marshall has to say needs to be spoken more
clearly, which he is always working on and improving.
Also, just figuring out how to piece together sentences
using the words like; the, and, a, you, me
all appropriately is a daily challenge.
Right now, we are working on Marshall not referring to himself
as "Marshall". lol. He does this a lot,
but seems to be doing it less now that we've been
working on correcting him when he has mispoken.
Besides the pinching, pushing, pestering stuff
that Marshall is still doing at times,
he has been playing really well with his sister lately.
They have started wresting with one another...
and it is hilarious to watch them and to listen
to them laugh together.
He follows every direction she gives him!
Marshall wants to do everything with D.
He will yell for her if she is not right beside
him when going out the door.
It's really sweet.
She tells me every day that she wants to be a
teacher when she grows up because she
loves to teach Marshall.
She will make an awesome teacher...
she already is!
So much of what
Marshall is learning on a social level is from D.
Marshall's play skills have come a long way too!!
He is not pestering Devyn or his cousins anymore.
He takes turns and knows how to ask for
"5 minutes a my turn!"
when he wants something,
and also gives toys back when his turn is over.
His teachers at both schools have shared with me how
some days Marshall's social play is really great,
how he is making friends.
Friends.
I could not be happier to hear this!
Marshall now goes for sleepovers at my parents place!!
My two nieces and Devyn have been going for a few
years now, but we didn't think Marshall was ready,
and also knew that because of the way
that he plays, or doesn't understand play,
that having them all there together would be hard
and the girls would not enjoy their time as much.
Well, Marshall is in a place now where
they can all go together and they all enjoy the time spent
with Nana and Grandpa.
Sure, a lot of the play is more organzied with group games
led by my Mom to ensure they go smoothly.
Even our weekly dinners have had less,
"Marshall's ruining our coloring"
"Marshall's pulling my shirt"
"Marshall is driving us crazy!"
lol.
He seems to be learning what is acceptable play,
and for the most part, will adjust
his behaviour if i talk to him about it.
He is becoming more aware of others,
and therefore more concerned if there is fighting
or if someone is upset...
so... i guess we could call him a bit of a tattle tale. lol.
He has incredible empathy though, which is wonderful.
Marshall is saying "lease" (please)
and "kan-ku" (thank you) on his own
without prompting all the time now.
He will call out,
"Mommy!! All done!"
when he wants me to clean up after him.
The other day he was looking at my book and when
he was done with it, he closed it and handed it to me
as he said,
"Here you go Mommy". :O
That one surprised me!
Four words together with purpose and in proper context.
That's my boy!!
Learning and growing every day!
Again, i am just so impressed with Marshall's progress
in his language. I love reading how excited i was
at the small words he was piecing together,
or attempting to say.
It is all so much more invovled now.
The english language is not easy!!
Way to go Marshall,
you are a rockstar!
OH!!!
I almost forgot.
Ok, so this was so random and surprising...
We were at my sister's house for Thanksgiving
and Marshall needed to go "pee".
Marshall always sits down to go pee.
Back when we were trying to train him
(before he was ready), we'd try both sitting and
standing. He's watched Daddy a few times.
So anyways, i take him to the washroom
where he strips down his bottom half to nothing.
I turn around to help him shimy onto the potty
only to see him pressing himself against it...standing.
I am shocked. lol. I don`t know what to do,
so i do nothing but observe.
Sure enough, he stands there and starts to pee!!!
He even shifted over when the stream went
to the side! lol.
I couldn`t believe it.
I still can`t believe it.
He did his thing and acted as if this was an every day
occurance! He didn`t look to me for praise
or anything, simply put his clothes back
on and went out to play.
Unbelievable eh?
I went to my family at the table
and told them what just happened and asked them
if anyone had been teaching him this.
They all said no.
My husband said that that morning he had shown
Marshall an example again, but that was it.
Marshall peed again this same way another time
while at Thanksgiving, and then again at home
the same night before his bath.
He has not done it since.
So wierd!!!
This kid is full of surprises... and i love it!
Marshall is a pro washroom user!
Once he was potty trained at 3.5 years old,
he never looked back!!
I pack him extra clothes at school each day,
and we've never had to use them :)
He willingly washes his hand on his own in proper form now,
which is great and less work for me!
So here you have another post
filled with wonderful things!
Don`t get me wrong, there are still Marshall`s screaming fits,
tantrums and the frustrations
of our daily life here in the Hiebert home,
but all in all we just have
SO much to be thankful for.
Yeah Marshall!!!!!!!!!!
Screaming fits, tantrums, and frustrations.
The first two simply don't exist anymore.
Some of this is due to him just growing up,
as well as him having language in a way he just didn't have back then.
And some of this is also due to some of the adjusting i've
done in my own parenting :)
Does Marshall still get frustrated?
All the time.
So do i, often not even in relation to Marshall.
Allowing ourselves to get frustrated is part of life,
and i believe in that we can teach our children
how to manage stress and being upset in very healthy ways.
Marshall might escalade at unexpected things still,
or start crying over something that is odd.
But as a whole picture, Marshall's behaviour is amazing.
He is listening to Daddy and i at home.
He is having fun, loving and respecting his siblings.
He is learning and growing at school,
resepcting his teachers,
and making friends.
Look how far Marshall has come!!!
God has taken care of our family this past year,
and has allowed for so much positivity to keep us moving forward in hope.
I am so thankful that Marshall is in His hands.
Isaiah 40:30-31
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
For I know the plans i have for you,
declares the Lord,
plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Then you will call upon me
and come and pray to me,
and I will listen to you.
You will seek me and find me
when you seek me with all your heart.
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