September to Remember

What a difference a year makes! In 2009, September brought with it even more reasons to celebrate Evan's progress.

After a fantastic summer, we were keeping our fingers crossed for a smooth transition back to school. Last year's first day of school was one of the saddest days ever. So there was no direction to go but up. Evan met his new teacher, Ms. Kelley, and seemed excited about going back to school. Sure enough, on the first day, he barely even said goodbye. He marched right into the classroom with a huge smile on his face. Major relief! He absolutely loved his new teacher and Ms. Josefa, his wonderful teacher from camp, worked with his class as well. This year we decided to have a shadow work with Evan once a week. This way there would be a skilled professional that could help Evan focus, guide appropriate social interactions, gather data on behaviors and work with his teachers. Ms. Aileen has been a great addition and instrumental in Evan's success at school. Every single day he makes a beeline for his classroom and I have to beg for a quick kiss goodbye.

Towards the end of the month I noticed Evan making better eye contact and asking more questions. He turned another little corner and it was great to see. When I picked him up from school his teacher said he looked at her and asked, "Ms. Kelley can I sit in your lap?" Later that week I took Evan to get his four-year check up with his pediatrician. While in the waiting room, Evan noticed a boy a little older than him tossing a small stuffed animal up in the air. He watched with a smile for a few minutes and then hopped off the chair and said, with his arms outstretched, "Throw it to me!" I couldn't believe he initiated play - with a stranger no less! They laughed and tossed the stuffed animal around until Evan's name was called.

A few days later, when I came to pick up Evan from school, I got a wonderful surprise. Ms. Kelley said Evan played hide and seek with a friend during recess. I think I stood there with my jaw unhinged for a few seconds too long, but I just couldn't believe it! His teacher said he had been interacting a little more on the playground, but this was a HUGE step. His shadow, Ms. Aileen, now knew what children were more open to playing with Evan and she would be able to help initiate games like hide and seek. At home, Evan was beginning to interact with his sister more. They were starting to play by chasing each other around the kitchen or playing with her dolls. Evan also interacted more by bossing her around. We would see Lia walk into the playroom and hear Evan say, "Lia go play with something else." Now that is what a brother and sister are supposed to sound like.

Since Evan was little he has mostly been attached to his pillows, diving underneath them every night when it's time to go to sleep. There have been a few stuffed animals that have managed to stick around. Every so often I would ask Evan to give them names, but he never would. I knew it was a very open-ended question that would take some thought and imagination. But little kids are supposed to carry around their tattered teddy bears with silly lovey dovey names! So I never gave up asking. On September 22nd it happened. After reading some books at bedtime, I picked up Evan's teddy bear with the brown silken fur given to him by his Grandmother when he was a baby. "What's his name?" I asked. Evan looked at the bear and paused. I saw the wheels turning and couldn't wait to hear what he was going to say because I could tell he was trying to come up with something. At that point I would have taken anything! If he had said Pooper Scooper I would have made a plaque with Pooper Scooper's name and birthday and treasured it forever. Evan looked up at me, smiled and said, "Huggy." A lovey dovey and totally appropriate teddy bear name that he came up with all by himself...and it was much sweeter than Pooper Scooper.