
I would like to share a list of wonderful new things Liev can do. One year ago today, he could not do any of the things on this list.
Now Liev can:
- Take walks around the block without running off or melting down when he gets home.
- Visit with the neighbors; feed their koi, turtles, and ducks.
- Play outside independently for fifteen minutes.
- Choose a DVD, load it in the player and select the cartoon he wants to watch.
- Get dressed and put on socks, shoes and a jacket unaided.
- Find and put on clothes the first time he is asked.
- Fix a simple snack.
- Follow instructions to help Mama cook.
- Answer the telephone.
- Wash his hands alone.
- 100% potty trained—no accidents.
- 95% potty trained at night.
- Play responsibly on the computer by staying on approved sites following rules.
- Make his own (strange!) Boardmaker stories.
- Converse coherently on the phone with Grandma, including greetings, questions, answers, and farewells.
- Take a shower and wash his hair.
- Stay in his room when asked, no gate needed.
- Identify physical symptoms of not feeling well—sore throat, yucky tummy, headache, etc…
- Walks to the bus and chooses a seat quickly.
- 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 Liev 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.