What I've Been Up To...

Sorry I've been away so long.

A great deal has happened in the two months since I last posted.  (I'm not counting the other post from today.)

My dad's side of the family got together to celibrate his parents' 60th wedding anniversary.  We camped out together not far from where I live.  I got to see family I haven't seen in years.  It was a little stressful camping with Noah, what with his habit of wandering off just when he knows no one is paying attention, but it was still a great deal of fun.  Congratulations to Grandma and Grandpa on their anniversary!   Sixty years is almost unheard-of in this day and age.

My own fourth wedding anniversary.  Seems like a lot longer than that, and yet it seems like we just got married last week.  I love you Derek!  Lets aim to break Great Grandma and Grandpa's record of 75 years married!  71 to go...

I turned 30.  dun dun  DUN!  (Insert creepy death music here.)  My birthday was pretty uneventful but I got to spend it with a friend who I rarely get to see, and I'm super-excited about my 30's.  I feel like the best is yet to come, and with exercising and losing 20 lbs since December, I feel younger than I have in years.

Noah got approved for specialized services.  This is a huge deal.  A couple of years of intensive therapy for his speech and social delays could make a huge difference in his ability to be self-sufficient in adulthood.  So now I get the help Noah needs, because honestly I have no clue what I'm supposed to be doing to help him.

Also, I would like to thank my grandparents.  (The same who celebrated their 60th anniversary.)  They very generously offered to buy Noah an Ipad, after they found out we were considering getting one for him.  The Ipad has been amazing.  Noah had been doing so well with his self-help skills at school by June, but his speech had disappeared entirely.  Within two weeks of getting the Ipad, with programs to help him communicate, he was speaking again.  I've even heard him offer a couple of completely unique sentences that were appropriate to the conversation, and he's correctly responding to yes and no questions.  (Usually if he responds to a question, he just repeats it back to the person.)  So the Ipad has been a godsend, and I hope we can integrate it into his therapy program.

So that's what I've been up to this summer.  We also bought a motorhome and have been camping with family.  When the rain finally stopped this summer, we've gotten to spend some time playing in our newly fenced backyard.

The family is all doing well, and that's all I really have to say for now.

Love,
       -Nan