It was Hubbys and mine wedding anniversary on the 5th. That makes 18 years. Doesn't seem possible really.
On the 3rd it was Mr A's 14th birthday!!! Time gets away so fast. He has grown soo tall especially over the last 6 months. He has matured soo much as well. I can't believe that my little boy who had a rough start to life and would shut the world out when he couldn't cope, has embraced the world. He was a very quiet baby, very laid back (then all 3 boys were and to a large extent still are!) He didn't cut his first tooth until just before his 2nd birthday! Then proceeded to cut every tooth in the next 12 months. He was very, very sick with all this. Ear infections, throat infections, chest infections, low grade pnemonia (sp?) more ear infections. He did burst an ear drum during this time as well. He got to the stage where Mr A. & I stayed home for around 6 months. I took Mr J. to and from Kinder. Mr A. to and from the doctors and the chemist. Apart from that, we stayed at home. Once a week when my hubby came home from work, he would have tea, then drive for 45mins taking my shopping list with him, do the shopping and come home again. Once he cut his last tooth, all of this settled down. However, his speech never took off and nobody outside his brother, dad & I could understand him at all, and we were hit & miss as well.
By the age of 3 1/2 Mr A. started speech therapy that was to persist until the age of 10. He was diagnosed with global dypraxia. Speaking with him now, no one would ever guess that the most simplest of things were always so hard.
By the time he started school, the immediate family who had consistent contact with him, understood him very well. Starting school was very exciting for him and very nerve racking for me. By the time he was in 1st grade, he was also diagnosed with dyslexia. We began tutoring for this and this persists to this day!
As a young boy when things went wrong, he would withdraw into himself and shut the world out. The more you tried to talk with him when he was like this, the more he shut you out. This could last for several hours. This has become less and less as he has gotten older and we have been able to teach him how else to deal with different things, that it is ok to make mistakes - that is how we learn, that his family will always love him. That friends move away and you can make new ones. That it is ok not to be the best but to always try your best.
He is now the leader of his 6 at scouts. His scouting leaders remark how much he has grown. He is a junior black belt in Karate. He started this at age 5 to help with his co-ordination. I would stay and watch the session and translate (so to speak) what Mr A was saying to his sensai. They learnt to understand him though, and it wasn't often that I had to intervene. He still has the same sensai and shehan. All these people have helped Alex to become who he is today.
We had 13 people here on Saturday night for a birthday tea. Wouldn't have fitted any more people into our home.
This is Miss H. She is our youngest niece, turned 1 in July.
It is also Mr H's birthday this month. That's a blog for a bit later.
Have a great day all and thanks for reading to the end of my entry today.
