A New Jump

Matthew's in the middle of a developmental jump, which we are very pleased with, though a little part of us is sad that it isn't a verbal one.  His verbal acquisition has been holding steady for a while now-- a few words added here and there, but mostly word approximations that strangers likely wouldn't understand.  Oh well, onto more cheery news--this current leap may seem innocuous for a typical kid, but these are a big deal for Matthew (and us).  

Matthew is now searching out toys to play.  Previously toys were something we (or a therapist) had to take out and help him engage.  Now, he searches out the toys he wants to play with and he plays with them! The toys I thought were destined to never be played with again have new life.  Pretty cool!

Scribbling at his desk is now a favorite pastime for Matthew.  His attention span isn't unlimited but it is dramatically improved and his scribbling is too.  Likely still delayed for fine motor, but amazing 'writing' for a 3 year old without thumbs.

Finally, it was never a brag when I said that Matthew didn't watch tv.  His attention span was about 2 minutes and he never engaged in television or movies.  We learned on the cruise that he isn't up for a movie yet, as he was done about 10 minutes into Planes at the theater on the boat, but in the weeks since we returned, he has watched a bit of tv with us.  We have slowly been watching Return of the Jedi and last night, Matthew was trying to talk like Darth Vader.  So awesome!  Over the holidays, we watched our family favorite, Prep and Landing, and he sat (well, was up and around, but paid attention) for the entire 22 minutes.  It was nice to do it as a family! It gives me hope that some day we will be able to go see a movie as a family.

So, these really aren't milestones on a development chart, but they are pieces of life that seem to be falling into place for Matthew.  They make life just a little bit richer.