Once we had a diagnosis for Tomas, we could get him registered into a full day preschool program through the school district. That seems a lot, doesn't it, for such a little guy? Well, the thing is that T needs constant stimulation speechwise and the school has the professionals to do it. During the day, he'd be interacting not only with his teachers but also with his classmates and he'd have speech therapy and occupational therapy too.
Meanwhile, Nancy was coming to our house twice a week throughout December and into the first or second week of January. A speech therapist was coming twice a month too. I enjoyed their visits about as much as Tomas did, I think, because I picked up a lot of good tips and advice. My throat was so dry at the end of a day of talking I'd want to practically guzzle a gallon of water.
In December, Kennan came back into Tomas's life. TB and I learned, to our great shame, that we weren't given the entire truth and that Kennan really wasn't the bad guy he was made out to be. I'm not saying he is perfect, no one is, but a lot of the stuff we were told just weren't true. I was really happy when Kennan and his mom came to the house to pick up Tomas. I was able to sit down and talk with them like I hadn't before but always wanted to. Since then, Kennan's been a frequent presence--especially when the teachers were here. He was also very helpful to us getting Tomas registered in time for his 3rd birthday.
Now Tomas is in a preschool about 10 minutes from our house. He started going on his birthday, February 1, and is adjusting to it just great. The teachers there are wonderful and there are five other children. He seems to be getting along with them very well. Although the kids don’t seem to speak to each other much, all five of these children talk to the adults and they speak quite well. When I went to visit, it was like being in a regular preschool room during circle time. Tomas will get individualized attention, speech therapy 2 times a week, occupational therapy and whatever else he needs.
When he started school, he was saying “yeah”, “hey”, “ha”, “aha”, “oho” and a variation of Heidi’s name. He was also making syllabic sounds in a rhythmic pattern, as if speaking in a conversation. I notice he’s been using his voice more and more. I am so happy!
There were some days when I didn’t know how I’d get through an entire day; I would be so exhausted from talking, crawling around on the floor, and playing with the little guy. I would go from 8:30 in the morning (around when his mom would leave for work) until 2:30 almost non-stop. By then Heidi or Kristin would be around to help and I would virtually collapse for an hour. Sometimes the little guy would sleep and that would be a big help so I could catch a breather. If he didn’t, though, the hours between 4 and 7:30 (when his mom would get home) would stretch out like a long road of dry highway. My throat would be dry and sore and my joints would ache. I’d wonder how long I could keep this up.
I look back now and you know what? It’s almost like a distant memory. It was worth it, every ache, every stab of pain in a muscle or joint, every rasping dry throat from all the talking. The little guy is doing great, he’s going to do so much better and it was worth every single moment!!!!