I would like to share a list of wonderful new things Tyoma can do.  One year ago today, he could not do any of the things on this list.

Now Tyoma can:

1. Take walks around the block without running off or melting down when he gets home.
2.  Visit with the neighbors; feed their koi, turtles and ducks.
3.  Play outside independently for fifteen minutes.
4.  Choose a DVD, load it in the player and select the cartoon he wants to watch.
5.  Get dressed and put on socks, shoes and a jacket unaided.
6.  Find and put on clothes the first time he is asked.
7.  Fix a simple snack.
8.  Follow instructions to help Mama cook.
9.  Answer the telephone.
10.  Wash his hands alone.
11.  100% potty trained—no accidents.
12.  95% potty trained at night.
13.  Play responsibly on the computer by staying on approved sites following rules.
14.  Make his own (strange!) Boardmaker stories.
15.  Converse coherently on the phone with Grandma, including greetings, questions, answers and farewells.
16.  Take a shower and wash his hair.
17.  Stay in his room when asked, no gate needed.
18.  Identify physical symptoms of not feeling well—sore throat, yucky tummy, headache, etc…
19.  Walks to bus and chooses a seat quickly.
20.  Sits next to another person on the bus.

I feel very proud of my little guy and grateful to everyone who has worked with us to make all of these new skills a part of our lives. Deepest thanks.

BTW, the odd characters in the above journal page are an alphabet Tyoma and I created.  To entertain him last night, I wrote dozens of “secret messages”  in our code. He was taken by the “good boy” stories, so I included them in my entry along with his artwork.