Liam is 2 Years Old!

So life's been busy, and many months have passed since the last post. In some ways, so much has changed, in other ways, not much. Liam turned 2 yesterday.  Where has the time gone? He's such a sweet little boy! Still the "terrible twos" are here! Ok so here's the rundown of what's going on:



Liam had a birthday yesterday! He's 2 years old and we celebrated at Chuck E Cheese!

Here's the nitty gritty:


Speech: He's still non-verbal, though he shakes his head for no when he doesn't want something, and more often now, if the answer is no (pointing at daddy and asking "is this mommy?").  Yesterday he started clapping his hands while saying "aaaaaaayyyyy" which I assume means "yay" so that's something too! :)  He signs more, all done, please, open, bye bye, and we are working on "help me." Due to his stranger anxiety, we're waiting until the fall to start speech therapy. He started preschool a couple of weeks ago and is slowly adjusting. Hopefully being around other kids will help with speech as well, and once he's adjusted we'll get the therapist to come to school and do sessions there.


Food: Liam's definitely eating better now, though we've seemed to come to a standstill with progress. He drinks milk, drinks from a straw too, which is great! He eats a lot of pureed foods still.  Loves oatmeal, and fruit and veggies are only eaten pureed (Gerber pouches--but hey-at least he gets his fruit and veggies in). Solid foods include pizza, hotdogs, fish sticks, chicken nuggets, fries, buttered toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, and peanut butter sandwiches. Not too healthy, but we try to do veggie nuggets and turkey hot dog type of things. His favorite snacks are veggie straws, goldfish, and crackers. We're working on self-feeding now, which is a must. He needs to learn to feed himself not only finger foods (he self feeds snacks), but to eat with a fork and spoon as well.  The good news is that he's now able to eat with fewer distractions. He no longer needs the TV or the iPhone/iPad, but will eat with books or flashcards. 


Physical:  Last time we were at the doctor, Liam weighed about 30 lbs. We go in for his 2 year check up soon, so we'll know more. He did get tubes in his ears in April (not fun!!!) with hopes they'll help with speech and ear infections. Well, we haven't had an ear infection since April, but no change in speech. 

Getting ready for surgery

The iPad helped a lot!

Also related to physical, this past Friday Liam fell in school and knocked out one of his teeth. It was terrible and awful and gut wrenching. We had to go to the dentist, covered in blood, no less. She pulled out the very loose tooth and now my munchkin will be sans front tooth till the adult one grows in in about 5 years. 


Cognitive: Despite showing signs of Autism, like big brother, Liam's a smart cookie!!! He knows numbers, letters (in Hebrew and English), colors, animals, and shapes receptively (he'll point to the correct ones when asked). He knows what he wants and will make sure we know too, by dragging us to whatever it is and signing "please."  He also knows what he doesn't want and will shake his head vigorously when he doesn't want something. If we insist he'll (gently!) ease himself onto the floor into tantrum position and squeeze his eyes shut, then whine, and open one eye to see if anyone is paying attention. It's very cute!


And touching back on the Autism note, he's definitely "spectrum-y." He doesn't always answer to his name, has sensory issues like hating finger painting because it gets him messy (though noise is not an issue-he loves loud things!), and has terrible separation anxiety. He doesn't always play appropriately with toys--he'll line them up or move them in order from place to place. He doesn't follow a point, but will point at objects when asked to identify them.  Pretend play is not a strong suit either. But on the other hand, he makes great eye contact, is very very affectionate, and loves to be hugged, kissed, cuddled, tickled, etc. He also will come to us and make eye contact and want us to identify things. So he'll bring me Big Bird and will hold it in front of me and make great eye contact and hold it until I say "Big Bird."  At the end of the day the diagnosis is only important in that it will help get Liam the help and services he needs.  Feeding therapy (again), as well as OT and ST are definitely in his (near) future.

I hate finger painting!

But as I sit here and type this, he comes and gives me a quick hug, going back to play with his Yo Gabba Gabba toys and eating a snack.  Nothing out of the ordinary for a typical 2 year old!