Update on The Wisian Kids :-)

So it has been forever since I have last posted so I am just going to pick up like I have been writing all along to give an update.

I cannot believe that our baby boy is already ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When did that happen?!  Seriously, I feel like it was just yesterday that he was first placed in my arms during our first time meeting.:-)
He is seriously the best baby you could ask for and he has the best, most helpful big sister in the world!  Eli has a very sweet disposition and calm nature.  He gives hugs all the time and to anyone even if they are not in the "hugging" mood.  When we are out at the park or another venue where there are small children he will go up to any child he sees and tackle them with a big hug and a smile.  Most of the time the other children do not know what to do and will usually start crying or look for their mother.  He hugs his big sister all of the time and constantly wants to be around her. 

Eli's Motor Skills:
This little man took his first steps shortly before his birthday and now he is all over the place.  He is trying to  figure out how to climb  in and out of his little chair and maneuvering around obstacles on the floor.  At his 12 month check up he weighed 32 pounds and was 31 inches long and I know that he has grown since then.  :-)  He is our little linebacker! :-)

Eli's Communication Skills:
Eli really knows how to say, "Mama" and he calls me by name most of the time.  He says "Mama" anytime he needs something or wants something, but he especially calls for "Mama" when he just wants a cuddle. :-)  He of course says, "Dada" and "Aaaaa" for Abigail.  He says, "Bella" and usually looks outside for his doggie when he calls her name.  He has begun to say, "Nana" and will usually attempt to imitate any sounds he hears but especially if he hears his big sister say it. :-)  

Eli appears to have good receptive language skills because if you ask him to go get his water bottle or milk he usually goes and finds it where ever he hid it. Ha ha ha!  For example, last night we were watching old home videos of Abigail when she was a baby and there was a part where we were listening to a cookie monster song, "C is for Cookie...." and Eli got up from my lap, walked over to his toy chest and dug out his stuffed Cookie Monster that he got from Santa and brought it over to me while doing his cookie monster grunt that he does.  I was so proud of him and could not believe that he just did that! 

Eli had such a wonderful birthday party at our home and of course the theme was "Sesame Street", his absolute favorite!!!  He had his first taste of cake and really hasn't had many sweets since.  He still gets breast milk and that is his main source of nutrition.  I feel so blessed that I have been able to feed him for this long.   He is beginning to like the taste of regular milk and is not a picky eater.  He eats mostly veggies and absolutely loves all fruit!   Actually today he began to practice feeding himself table foods using his spoon and he was pretty successful at doing this.  I cannot believe how fast he is growing and I cannot believe how independent he is already becoming. 

I know I have said this before but Eli has the best big sister ever!  She adores her little brother and I am so glad that she has had this year to spend with him.  Abigail turned 5 in July and could have started kindergarten but we all decided to wait until she was 6.  I need to get everything lined up with her new school for her accommodations and modifications while at school, we needed to wait for her to get a new walker for school, and we just felt like having an extra year to mature and grow would be beneficial for her.  Abigail is aware of her muscular dystrophy and she has begun to really advocate for herself in her preschool setting and this is what we want for her in grade school.  Of course I will do everything in my power to make things easier for her during the school day but she is the one there all day and if she needs something she needs to be the one to ask because I will not be there.  We are teaching her these skills that she will need for the rest of her life.  She understands that he muscles fatigue very easily and we are working on the correct vocabulary for her to use to help her friends understand.  I feel that kids will bully only when they don't understand something, so if she can help them understand what her muscular dystrophy is then maybe bullying will not be an issue and she will feel more accepted.  That is my deep down fear.  Worrying about how I will handle that day when my daughter comes home crying telling me her friends are saying mean things and that they will not play with her because she can't climb the monkey bars, get on the swings, play on the equipment or play chase. I know it is silly to worry about this now because if you don't know my Abigail let me tell you something about this little girl.  A friend of mine has always told me that she feels that Abigail is an old soul.  It is as if she is so much wiser beyond her years.  She is the most outgoing, friendly, well spoken child that I know.  She has more courage than I ever have.  She is so social and will go up to anyone just to introduce herself.  At the park this past week I was chasing Eli while keeping one eye on my Abigail when I heard he talking to some other mothers with their kids.  She said, "Hi, my name is Abigail and I am 5 and a half.  What are your kid's names?"   She then sat there and carried a conversation with the mothers and played with their toddlers.  I walked over as if I was interrupting a conversation and felt like Abigail was older than me for a moment.  It was a unique moment.

On a side note, the park that we were at was an adapted playground called, "Playground without Limits"  The park was located directly across the street from a Catholic Church.  Here is the side story.  When I was in graduate school to get my masters in occupational therapy almost 8/9 years ago (WHAT?!) I completed my research paper regarding the topic of Alzheimer's and caregivers.  I focused my research on a priest at this Catholic church and interviewed (more like visited a friend) for several weeks at this church, the one across from the playground. However, the playground was not yet built but was in the process of being built.  During one of my visits with my friend, the priest, we went for a walk outside together where he pointed to the construction and said to me, "You see what they are building, they are building a playground for children with disabilities...isn't that wonderful."  Or something like that.  I remember thinking that it was such a wonderful thing and for some reason out of our several conversations together this one really stuck for years.  I had a moment on Tuesday when I was helping my daughter on one of the bridges of this park and I looked up briefly where I saw the little red door to the room where the priest lived and where we took our walk when I first heard of the conception of this playground.  Isn't amazing how our God plants certain people and events in our lives to help prepare for the next adventure and being Abigail and Eli's mother has been the ultimate, most precious adventure I could have ever imagined.