Double

I have been meaning to tell you about Dubs for a while...I guess really since the beginning of this blog. Double is our youngest child--at least til May. He is in Kindergarten. Shane sold a Harley so that we could have Dubs. Not really. Well, kinda. Shane was very hesitant to "try" for more children, mainly due to financial burdens. He sold his Harley (which paid off our debt) and then agreed to give it a go. So the bike left in July and we were preggo in August. Nice how that worked out!! LOL

I can't tell you exactly why I thought he was different early on, but I felt it. I mentioned Autism to a few friends, but none of them seemed to think he could be autistic. We went through a lot of changes in a short time and I didn't pursue answers. Long story short, Dubs had sensory processing disorder (specifically tactile defensiveness).

After about a year of weekly Occupational Therapy and a daily sensory diet (not food), he made enough progress to be released. {He was three when he started OT. At the time, he wasn't able to put together three word phrases. It only took a couple of months for the language to start developing and we saw huge progress.}

His needs changed our whole family and opened our eyes. I'm so thankful that we were able to get excellent therapy and that Dub's doesn't have such severe overreactions to his environment anymore. We still face challenges associated with sensory issues, but are so grateful for the improvements.

Peanut butter is a staple in this boy's diet. Everyday. He is trying new foods all the time. Even if he puts up a fight, his aversion to new tastes and textures is diminishing. We waited four years for him to try pizza! Honestly, he is probably our healthiest child. Our other two together don't consume the amount of fruit and granola that he does.

At dinner, we have recently started giving him what we all are eating. Sometimes it goes well, and other times it is a small battle. He has recently told us that my chicken casserole was a choking hazard (and that is why he didn't want to try it). Nice.

Double can devour books. Seriously. It is obviously a gift that only God could give him(and for all you smartmouths, duh, I know that every gift comes from Him:). Some people have assumed it's because I home school. It is not. I can't take the credit. W didn't learn to read from E-Dog or Tater. He basically taught himself. (Only in the last several months have I introduced phonics so that I know he is learning to read correctly, and not just memorizing a ton of sight words.)

Shortly after he began therapy (at 3) he started to read. Before that, he had a huge interest in letters and numbers. He would see them everywhere---even on a toilet paper holder in a public restroom(he saw the number 9).

So he is wrapping up Kindergarten, but is reading at around a second to third grade level. Since it is his passion he reads for enjoyment. I've also noticed that he reads to decompress, so books are really a blessing to our little guy. Even during VBS last summer, I would take him out of his class for breaks and he would sit in the hall and read. Then he could re-enter class and have an easier time doing what was required.

What else does Double like? Anything physical! He loves soccer, basketball, freeze tag, wrestling(with his brother and Dad), riding his bike, and going fast(on anything, anywhere).

We love our W. In the almost six years we've had him, we have learned so much from his little life. Love you, Dubs!!