Hello everyone! Atticus is doing great, and is certainly coming into his own! There still isn't too much to report as far as changes to his medical routine. He continues to make progress, his heart function is still holding up well, and he is getting stronger all the time. He is continuing to pull up on everything, and is has even started cruising just a little bit! Oh, and even though he's only 20 months old....he has already begun the dreaded "terrible two" stage.
Ah yes....the terrible twos. It's really a misnomer. All my children have started somewhere around 18 months....and I'm still waiting for my 5 year old to stop! LOL! Atticus, though, seems to have gotten the worst case of it. I suppose understandbly so. He has a more limited vocabulary due to his hearing loss and vocal chord damage, so he tends to get frustrated more quickly. I felt bad that he really had no way to express himself, so I got in contact with the folks from the School for the Deaf & Blind, and we have finally begun learning American Sign Language! We had already begun to learn a few signs with Atticus' speech therapist, but I wanted a more in depth study. I've already resigned myself to the fact that he'll probably need yet another surgery, this time on his vocal chords, at some point in the future to repair them. I also know that this won't happen until after his next heart surgery, since he'll be reintubated for a while, and I don't want him having to be 3 or 4 years old before he's able to have a way to talk. So, ASL it is. Sandy and Gideon have really loved it as well, and Atticus has already started making a few of the signs (although not consistently) for Mommy & Daddy! I'm just hoping he can pick them up fairly easily.
That's really about it for now. He's doing the usual naughty 20 month old stuff....trying to get into the cabinets, destroying anything he can lay his hands on, and getting into everything he's not supposed to! Hehe. He's also becoming more and more aware of everything around him, and exploring constantly. He's getting (slightly) better about eating actual baby food, and is even willing to let me touch my "big people food" to his lips so that he can smell/taste it. He won't eat any, but he'll let you touch it to his tounge so he can taste it. Just saying.....french fries defy all barriers......haha. I'll be sure to update more later....especially if he starts doing something else new! :) As always, please....Keep on prayin'!
