Yes Brendan is 8 but he wets the bed constantly. That is until recently. He has worn pullups to bed for years. I realized I couldn't remember the last time he had an accident and let him wear his underwear to bed last night. He woke up dry! He was very proud of himself. Lately he keeps asking me why he needs to wear a diaper as I put his pullup on. I explain it isn't a diaper and when he can stay dry he can just wear underwear. I am very proud of my boy. I am excited for him to be growing up and becoming more and more independant everyday. He is so smart and has a drive to be like everyone else. GO BRENDAN!
Random: Brendan's speech is really coming along. He is creating very complex sentences and thoughts lately which is different for him. The other morning he said to me: "Mommy my belly is telling me it wants to eat" It is hard to believe that my child who could only say a few words 4 years ago can say something like that! I never really knew if or how he would be able to communicate but I have no worries anymore!
Brendan is switching school systems. Since we just moved and I am quitting my job to be with him after school he is switching mid year. I was hesitant at first but honestly he isn't getting the best of anything where he is going now so I think in the end it will all work out. The special Ed team seems very nice. They are personable and call you back and are easy to talk to. He will be in a classroom with 8 kids instead of the 4 he is with now whom of which are ALL non verbal! That is a whole other blog :). I am excited for him to be around children that will motivate him. He loves being the only verbal one because no one denies him line leader every single day but we all know he needs to be pushed. He can be very lazy if you let him so he needs to want to be like the other kids. No offense to the non verbal children out there. I love the boys in his class. Brendan loves them but he also needs to be with children who are communicating with him. He thrives on his sisters and I know he will thrive with a more interactive classroom.
We are starting a very new chapter in our lives and it is exciting. I think the whole family will benefit from all of our changes and we are going to be happier and closer. Life can be good.
It was Thanksgiving day back in 2002. I was only 23 years old and my life forever changed on that day. I had a placental abruption and Brendan was born at 33 weeks. He lost oxygen during delivery due to incompetent care but was a fighter and turned 17 this year. My journey in life over the past 17 years took many turns I was not expecting but I try to stay strong and have my husband by my side even when I am not.
10 comments:
Yay, Brendan! That is wonderful news! I sometimes think Emma could go all night in underwear because she usually wakes up dry. But, once in a while she does have an accident. So, for now...
I am so glad to hear about Brendan's speech. Emma's speech is coming along. Slowly, slowly.
How did you help Brendan's speech along? Or did it just kind of take off with age?
Just curious. Emma has said some 4, 5, and 6 words phrases, but she mostly sticks to 2-3 and even 1. Sometimes she is just too quiet period.
I LOVE, LOVE watching Brendan grow, and I am so glad to have found this website because he is such an inspiration to us.
GO BRENDAN!!
Oops! I also meant to say, "Good luck with the new school." I also get what you mean about Brendan needing to be around verbal children. I totally, totally agree. I think that is important for all children, but most especially those who are trying so hard to start talking and communicating as well as those children who are trying to communicate even with AAC devices. I really think it is important to for children like Brendan to be around well spoken peers who can motivate him. I tried to argue this to Emma's school, and they did not get what I meant AT ALL. I didn't have a choice of another school or district, so I am now homeschooling her.
I very much loved hearing his very long sentence. How cute was that? He is very bright, obviously!
Thank you Amy. I am so glad someone can get something from my blog. I like writing about him and our challenges and our good times too. It is therapeutic to me. I used to write monthly progress paragraphs for myself just to see how far he would come over the months. It was interesting to read a year later.
He is speech came about very slowly. It is hard to remember now but I know at the age of four he was hardly communicating with words. He only said a few words. I think over the next year he started using phrases but hardly anyone but me could understand him. He had his biggest change around 6 years old and he just keeps progressing. Speech therapy has done wonders for him. He really improved last year with sounds. He pronounced a lot of words wrong but over the past year he has really worked hard and even corrects himself. For instance he could never say the f/ph sound. He would say hone for phone. Now he says it clear as day and while he was learning he would always correct himself if he said it wrong. Lately everyone has been commenting on how is speech is improving so he still continues to progress. Family say it is easier to understand him and his sentences are more complex. Can you tell I am just a little bit proud of him?! :)
Another cute sentence he came up with on his own is "Mommy I want to call my dad, I want to speak to him.". I think that is too funny using the word speak.
That's so awesome that he's completely potty trained now! Any tips? Malayna is 6 and I can't get her interested at all! She refuses to even try. She'll tell us when she's gone sometimes but never before so we can catch her. It's so frustrating!
And how awesome is his speech? Brendan is such a rock star and so inspiring! He gives me such great hope for Malayna's future. Her speech is coming along too so maybe she'll have a big change this year too!
Sheila potty training took years. We started at 4 so 4 years later he is finally good to go. He had a ton of accidents even at school just a few months ago so all the sudden it clicked or something. We did end up punishing him because we knew he could do it. We had to do tough love towards the end to get him where he is now. He still isn't the great at asking to go and waits until the last second and he only wants mommy to take him so he waits until no one is around to ask me lol. Keep trying. Don't give up! Sticker rewards helped about a year ago. He loved getting a sticker when he stayed dry at night. I made a monthly calender and he enjoyed putting one on each day. He was going to get to pick out a toy if he stayed dry every night for a month but he never made it that far. So even this past year he has made progress.
Oh and good luck with the speech. It takes years for them to improve. He doesn't stop talking which tends to drive me a bit batty! :)
Thanks, Steph! You give me hope! I know I need to work harder with Malayna on the potty training and like everything it takes SO much more with our kiddos!
Does he take himself to the potty? Or do you have to do it. Has he been good about telling you when he needs to go if you have to help him. Emma has trouble sitting on the potty solo, so I have to go with her. It's so hard because I have to get her there in time. Is any of that familiar? We still have a lot of accidents. I think it is mostly me being too slow. Or like she goes on herself because she holds it too long and then I pick her up and there it goes. Just curious. I know that is kind of personal, but I am curious how it plays out. There is no way Emma could get to the potty and up on it without help. So, I am never really sure if I can say she is potty trained because she needs so much help. She doesn't have a wheelchair that she can push yet or a power chair. If I have to take her or carry her and put her on there, is that still potty training or trained. Or does she have to do it all solo to be really potty trained. Any thoughts on this? I know this sounds DUMB, but... Sometimes I think I am the one who is being trained.
I really hope this new move is a positive one!
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