Cannon's post

This entire post is about Cannon and to start it off I have to show you his latest accomplishment!Yep he is wearing UNDERWEAR!!!! Seriously thought we were going to be in diapers forever but on Tuesday night we were in the driveway getting out of the car from Aunt Nae's house and he just had on a pair of shorts since I ran out of diapers. I decided I trusted Cannon more than Mason to make the 5 minute drive home without using the potty in his car seat. So we got out of the car and he immediately looked down and said "Uh oh!" So I just pulled down his shorts right there in the driveway and he tee-teed. He was so amazed how far his tee-tee shot out! I just laughed and squealed and clapped and smiled and clapped some more and then Cannon looked up and said "I did IT!" So we came in and I put a pair of underwear on him and he hasn't seen a diaper on his bo-bo since Tuesday at 5:00. Can you believe it??? I still can't. He wakes up dry after all night and during naps. He is even coming to me and asking to go potty instead of me having to ask him all the time. I do still ask but I am becoming aware that boys can hold it longer than girls or at least longer than my girl did just starting out. We are just in awe of his determination to wear underwear. I gave in and bought a small package of pull-ups. I wish I would have saved my money because there is no need for them. We do still have some issues with #2 but we are working on it.
Word index: Tee-Tee (urine), bo-bo (bottom), #2 (well you know)

On to Cannon's progress in his journey with ECI:
1. Since C will be 3 in 2 weeks his services with the Early Childhood Intervention will end and he will become the responsibility of our school district. Meaning we will be receiving his speech services through the elementary school up the street. I am excited for this because they will be having him in 2 sessions a week for a while. One whole group with the PPCD (preschool program for children with disabilities) class and then one individual session. After 2 months of this routine they will completely retest him and see if his progress is enough for him to continue or if he needs to go ahead be enrolled in the PPCD class himself. We found this out at the end of the school year so that was awesome to get a plan together and know that once school starts he will immediately start services. I think there will only be about 2-3 weeks of a gap between being out of ECI and starting "school" therapy.

2. Since we are coming to the end of our time with ECI we are covering all our basis with end of services testing and such. I am anxious to see what will happen. But that also means that we are getting extra visits from different people that are employed with ECI. The behavioral specialist (BS) came out about 2 weeks ago and wanted to see C and his progress and address a few concerns I had in C's behavior over the past weeks and months. I could give you a play-by-play of how the afternoon went but that would be a novel and this post is already getting long! :) So the highlights are as follows:
~Cannon is probably suffering from severe allergies
~It is suggested he cut back on milk so that his secretions in his mouth thin out so that the mucus that is probably sticking in the back of his throat will flow. (How nice did that sound? YUMMY)
~We were also advised to see an ENT as soon as possible to see if he has any fluid in his ears that would indicate some hearing loss. We had a test done in December that showed that he had fluid in his left ear but at that time he had just gotten over an ear infection so it was expected to not be perfect. So we will follow up on that and make sure that there isn't an issue with hearing.
~The ENT will also be able to see if there is anything going on in his throat. Cannon has started sucking his thumb 24/7 again. He had been doing great with only sucking it while tired and at bedtime. We were told that sometimes when a child's tonsils hurt (mucus sitting on them from drainage that should flow out the nose but is too thick so it goes down the back way) that if they suck their thumb it opens the tonsils up so to speak and makes it easier to breath through his nose and feel better.
~C's behavior is random and I can't pinpoint any triggers. What sets him off one day is normal and easy going the next so I couldn't ever help him cope with leaving a fun place, being told to come inside, not getting to go with daddy. It was always random stuff and it would LAST forever. Sometimes we were still dealing with a fit 3,4,5 hours later. UGH! That lead the BS to think that he was suffering from allergies. And that his behavior is typical of a child dealing with allergies and that he probably just didn't feel good that day. He related to the idea that as an adult when we are sick we are irritable and that anything will set us off. It might be something big or something little. Since C doesn't have the language skills to tell us why he is mad, hurting, frustrated, irritated, confused he acts out and that it is random.
~We still need to stay on top of discipline and the BS gave us some neat tips that have WORKED in getting C to transition from one activity to the next. How to work with siblings, getting him to leave a place without a fit.
~Allergy testing is highly recommended.

I know this is very random information but I just sat soaking in all the details. The BS offered his expert opinion about it all and wanted it all followed up by C's pediatrician and an ENT. He just told me what he has seen in HUNDREDS of children. And that C is following the very typical behavior pattern of children with Allergies. WHEW! Does that wear you out reading all that??

So now onto the doctors to relay the information and get their take on it all. I hope they match up to some degree. I guess I just want an answer so bad that I want this to be the ticket to solve all our issues. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Is it too unlikely to be all true? I will be patient~I will be patient~I will be patient. I keep telling myself this because nothing is going at warp speed like I would prefer. I have to wait for my pedi to get back from vacation and then get the referral to the ENT. Then wait for the appointment since I have heard from various parents and friends that the wait is typically a month to get into one.

So my specific prayer requests for Cannon are:
**He will continue to do AWESOME with potty learning and get the full control over his body so that we will be able to officially say he is potty trained within the next few weeks.
**That the BS was right in his observations and we have a plan to follow that will help us with Cannon. That we are able to see the clear picture of our plan.
**Dr. appointments will be easy to obtain and swift.
**That Cannon will continue to have great days while we are waiting. Right now he is in a good phase and seems to not be having problems but the highs and lows come fast sometimes going in cycles of every 4-6 days.
**That Cameron and I are consistent in our discipline and direction with Cannon. He needs it and we have gotten lax. (I HATE admitting that. I mean really, really hate that I even had to write that down.)
**Most importantly**That we will continue to grow closer to God and see his plan and direction during this whole process.

I have cried many, many tears over my sweet boy. During his more difficult times I question God's intentions with our plan. I wonder how in the world did God mean for this to all happen. I just plain question God. But during those times of complete frustration is when Cannon will want you to go around the car saying you love everyone. Usually starting with Grace and ending with Mason and he is guiding me every step of the way saying, "Ewe wov Gway?" Yes Cannon I love Gracelyn "Ewe wov me?" Yes Cannon I love you "Ewe wov DeDe?" Yes Cannon I love Mason. How can you be mad a little boy that wants to make sure the love circle has been completed during every car ride??

Enough tears for tonight...
Much love,