Shane update

I wanted to put in a little update on Shane, who is now home 18 months! Hard to believe the same little boy who was rolled up in a ball most of the time, crying for every need, not sleeping (wow, was that hard) and non-responsive, is the same little guy who you see here. This is his school picture, and we were so thrilled when we saw how they captured his little smile.

Shane is learning every day, and he has so much to learn. When we met him he had skills of about a 9 month old, could not hold anything in his hands, could not even attempt to feed himself,could not walk up stairs and had no communication. Now, he uses a fork or spoon, needs some help with scooping, walks up and down stairs with no help, climbs onto anything and everything, and while he does not say words, we know he can say some things, and he understands what we are saying, which is huge!

Shane keeps us busy all day, when he is not in school, and he can be annoying to the girls (as only little brothers can be!) but they love him so much and they teach him every day. Meghan has taught Shane to give hugs and kisses, and to see him wrap his arms around you and press his face into your cheek is like having every Christmas gift for your entire life wrapped into one. Shannon has taught him to tumble, and he can now tumble on command on the trampoline!  Shane and his dad have such a wonderful relationship, all centered around play and rough housing. He loves to climb up into Matt's arms, and then he scramble onto his head, and then laughs and flips around, as Matt swings him into the air.The laughing and happy screaching is one of the best sounds you could ever hear!


In addition to his many skills, Shane is learning to use a cane to walk, and will walk for longer periods of time with the cane, with some assistance. He loves to tap the floor with the cane, and when he hits an obstacle, he reaches out to feel what it is. He has an amazing spatial sense, and will walk towards the steps, for instance, nd before his hand finds the rail, he will lift his foot to the exact place where the the step is. Something like this cannot be taught, but can be experienced and then learned.

Music continues to be the way Shane learns, and his song repertoire continues to expand.The other day he was singing "Tora-Lora-Lora" ! Nothing like a little Irish lullaby for my little Chinese man!

We are so excited to see him learn and grow and develop, in  a relatively short amount of time. He is in the process of an evaluation for his school-age program, and we should be having an IEP soon. Hopefully, he will be going to the school for the Blind next year. As much as we love where he is now, he is ready to move on.

As we wait for our homestudy to be finished, we will be one step closer to getting Maeleigh! Will try to keep updates coming along.