Fall Already!?

Actually we are over a month into fall and Thanksgiving is in 3 1/2 weeks. How is this possible!? Time for an update on my babies! Life has been bustling along and both Eve and Cole are doing great.

I will start with my girl, Eve. She is seriously one of the happiest, smartest, easy going, adaptable little girls ever! I am not just saying that because I'm her mom! Yes she does have a drama queen side that pops out at least once a day, but what girl doesn't? I swear she is going to win an Oscar one day...she loves singing, dancing, and acting...triple threat! Eve is still majorly into her barbie dolls, baby dolls, and all things sparkly and girly. She also has a very motherly side that really comes out with Cole. She is so extremely patient with him and protective of him. It makes me feel so good to watch them play together, and I hope and pray that they will always look out for one another. In just a few short months, it will already be time to register Eve for kindergarten...something I have been dreading since the moment she was born. I am NOT one of those moms who is excited to send my kid off to school. No, I would keep them home with me forever if I could! But Eve is a social butterfly who loves learning so I know she will just do great next fall when she starts school. They grow up too fast!

Now onto my little dude, Cole. I cannot believe that in a couple more weeks, my baby boy is going to be 3 years old...ahhhhh! He is such a happy boy, but unlike Eve, he makes you work for it a little harder! He is still loving and obsessed with cars, anything musical, and he loves anything to do with letters and numbers. Cole has made so much progress this year! We recently had his 6 month evaluation with all of his therapists. It was simply amazing to look back at his initial testing and compare it with where he is now. He is a different child! We are still having some difficulty with speech, but we are going to continue with speech therapy and I have no doubt that he is going to continue to progress and catch up with his peers in no time. We did finally (after a 6 month wait) have his evaluation done with one of the top developmental pediatricians around. And Cole was diagnosed as having autism. It was something that I knew in my gut for awhile and had tried to prepare myself for, but I don't anything really prepares a parent to hear it spoken out loud. I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. Not so much because I was upset myself, but more because I don't want him to ever feel different or to be made to feel different from anyone else. He is soooo smart! And yet I was also somewhat relieved to get the diagnosis because it opens up a whole new bag of therapies and options for getting my little guy the help he needs. We will be continuing with private speech and occupational therapy, as well as starting Cole in a preschool for kids just like him. He starts the week after he turns 3 and I think once we get into our new routine, he will love it! One more positive is that Cole was placed on the mild side of the autistic spectrum. Something a lot of people don't understand is that autism is a spectrum disorder ranging from mild to moderate to severe. Because Cole has only made constant progress and not regressed, there is a great chance that with continued therapy, he will be "typical" come kindergarten and be able to attend regular school and be just fine. Even if he doesn't, we will continue to love him and support him no matter what. He has been nothing but a blessing in our lives and will continue to be so. I thank God every day for my amazing kids and husband, and the life we have. I am so grateful.