What a Difference A Year Can Make

This week, I had the pleasure of watching my son in his new (well 6-week in) ABA therapy program.   I had missed a few sessions, and was amazed to see the significant improvements that he had made in only the three sessions I had missed. At some point, I will post in more detail about what these improvements are, and what ABA is all about, but sitting in on his session yesterday made me really think about how far we have come.  For so long, our biggest goal for him was to walk.  We weren't sure it would ever happen, but never lost hope in therapy and his efforts to try.  It took a LONG time, but finally, last summer (almost a year ago exactly,) Nicholas took his first steps across our yard, and brought us to tears.

Now, a year later, we are setting goals for communication.  This process can be long and grueling, and seems so overwhelming since he has to learn in such a systematic way.  I often wonder if it will ever happen, and how long it will take until we will hear his sweet little voice.  I get scared that sometimes it won't ever happen. Only time will tell.

But this week, after thinking about how far he'd come since just last summer, I decided to look at some of his old videos.  After watching them, and realizing that he had made so many gains this year, it gave me hope for his next goal of communicating.  I decide to make a little video montage to celebrate his one year anniversary of walking, and to remind myself of how long it took, but how determined he was, and to keep the hope for all of his future goals.  

So anyway, that said, here is a little journey I'd like to share.  And as a side note, I write this little entry with three children making noise, and hanging off of me, so I apologize for this not being perhaps my most prized literary masterpiece.  I hope you enjoy the video, and remember that good things come to those who wait!!

Nicholas' Journey to Walking! Click This to View Video!