It has been forever since I've blogged about the family happenings...probably because I have been insanely busy. We are now almost 3/4 of the way through another school year. Daddy made it home safely in October. Life is returning to as normal as this house and the military will allow. The family as a whole and as individuals have all grown so much in the last year it is mind blowing.
Colton continues to grow and develop so much so that he is no longer eligible for EDIS services...which was a very bittersweet transition. We are so very thrilled that he has come such a long way, but the ladies that came to see us weekly made such a big impact in our lives. He is walking, climbing, trying to run, talking some and signing things like more, please, and thank you. We are still struggling with is digestion and nutritional needs but we are thankfully blessed with an amazing group of physicians both here at Bragg and up at UNC Children's hospital. He turned 18months old yesterday...he's growing up to be a smart (rotten) little boy ;)
The girls continue to grow as well. I keep telling them to stop...pants are all getting a little too short; thank goodness its about time for capris and shorts again. We've been able to pinpoint what exactly it is that we are dealing with which has been the struggle since day one. Krystal is now officially getting the help she needs at school after a long list of testing we have discovered she has issues with perceptual reasoning and spacial organization. She's such a good kid though that she was compensating and would have fallen through the cracks had I not pushed the issue. She's been constantly improving and now hopefully there will be a larger jump in her future scores.
Miss Evey still has her issues though thankfully she is getting better. We are figuring out how truly troubled she really was by her previous upbringing. Attachment disorder is the diagnosis that fits best and that just aggravates the PTSD, ODD, and ADHD that we already knew she was dealing with. The poor thing is so precious and loving it breaks my heart when the anger and pain start showing their ugly faces. Though we've been doing counseling for awhile I've actually found one an hour from here that specializes in children like her and I'm hoping to work with her over the summer to see if we can't mend this broken heart.
Deanne is sprouting like a weed and has been a huge help around the house. Such a mother hen that one. Does great in school and thanks to the help of Concerta the teacher actually says she's a pleasure to have in class :).
It's really nice though to have a second adult around...the house stays cleaner and my stress level is down considerably. Darrell is starting school in 3 days!!! He continues playing Army man with hopes of getting out and moving back to the midwest next year.
As for me I stay busy between chasing little ones...Colton, Bella our 2 year old ShihTzu, and Reese's the new American Bulldog/Boxer mix pup we added in late January. I also now am an Independent consultant for two companies and loving every minute of it. Allows me to socialize and feel like I'm contributing financially to the family while still being at home with my babies.
So very blessed and thankful for all the wonderful friends and family that has stood behind us these last three years. We may not like it here at Bragg somedays, but we are definitely here for a reason.
