A new year and new milestones!

 

    Have I said lately how proud I am of my son?!?!?! I don't think I can ever really put into words how happy I am for him but I'll give it my best shot :)  Kayson has had many changes over the last few months.  He has started school,  he is now a big brother,  and he is officially mobile!  Three things I never thought would come so soon and seemingly all at once.  I can remember sitting in the NICU staring at him and wondering if I'd ever be able to take him home and now he's crawling all over the place terrorizing the house!  Oh how time changes everything.
    August of last year Kayson started school at The Little Lighthouse of Central Ms.  I placed him on the waiting list as soon as he was born but I never imagined he'd be able to start so soon!  I know most of you know about this school because I constantly brag on them but if you don't I'll give you a bit of history.  The Little Lighthouse is a school in Jackson for children with special needs.  It is a Christ centered facility and completely tuition free.  They operate solely off of donations and grants.  So if you ever feel I'm nagging or begging for something on Facebook, I promise it's for the love I have for these kids and this wonderful school.  If you have spent any time with Kayson then you know what an important role they play in his development.  He has the best teachers and therapist and has made life long friends (and a girlfriend lol).  Today he had his IEP evaluation, where they give a report of all the short term goals they have set for him and explain what they've been working on at school.  Kayson has met ALL his short term goals!!!!  How exciting is that????  He is crawling, staying up on all fours,  pulling to stand,  holding himself up using mostly upper body strength, feeding himself, drinking from a straw,  chewing whole food, using his "pincher" fingers more,  shaking his head yes,  understanding his sign language ( he's not signing quite yet, but we will get there) and he's definitely vocalizing ha ha ha just like his mommy :)  This is all thanks to everyone at the Little Lighthouse.  He looks forward to going to school and has a blast but doesn't realize how much he's learning while he's there.  He reaches for his teachers every morning and gives them big sugars like he hasn't seen them in forever.  It just makes me so happy that he's happy and thriving!!!
    Kayson is now a big brother!  His little sister Brinlee Kate was born September 18 of last year.  Yes I realize they are only 10 1/2 months apart and yes I have my hands full....but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I was born to be a Mom and although some days are so hectic that I don't know if I'm coming or going,  I LOVE my life.  Brinlee was a bit of a surprise but as always God knows what we need!  Kayson is thriving as a big brother.  They are more like twins and to see them together melts my heart.  They have their own language and Kayson is a wonderful little teacher.  Brin now knows how every toy in the playroom operates and what she's supposed to do with it.  He is also very protective....he doesn't like for her to cry and gives her more kisses than she wants some days ha ha ha!!!  I know they will always be best friends and most likely partners in crime and that's fine by me ;)  I love knowing that they will be in the same grade at school and will always have each others back!!!! Siblings always make the best of friends and I speak from experience!
    I know I brag on my Kayson but I'm just so very proud of him.  Unless you have a child that needs a little extra or work with children that do, then you'll never see just how hard they work.  You may see a picture of Kayson sitting and say "well my child sat up by himself at 6 months", or see Kayson crawling and think "he's only army crawling at 15 months"?, or see a picture of him drinking from a straw and say "my child is drinking for a sippy cup"....so what's the big deal???  What you don't see is the behind the scenes work that it takes for Kayson to accomplish these so called easy task.  You don't see him straining on his exercise ball and doing his sit ups to strengthen his upper body.  You don't see the hours and hours we spend getting him to crawl.  You don't see how hard we work on making that fish face and finally getting the hang of drinking from a straw.  I could go on and on about how hard he works but the most important thing you don't see is how happy he gets when he knows he's done something new!!!  I admit Wyatt and I get overly excited and sometimes scare him because we clap and jump up and down ha ha...but we know how hard he works and we are loving this journey God has placed us on!  Kayson has come such a long way and I can't wait to see what the future holds for our little superstar!