It is hard to not make comparisons

So, K and T are 4 years and 2 days apart age-wise.  I've talked a lot about K and his challenges.  We didn't really get started on figuring all of it out until he was 4 which was when we moved him from a daycare to the parochial pre-school.  What a journey it has been since.

T is a blossoming 2 year old.  He is learning and developing and essentially bursting at the seams.  It makes me realize what we missed with K.  I cannot go back and change the past but given early intervention is the key, it does make me want to bang my head against the wall quite a bit.

T is delayed in teething but seemingly not so on anything else.  He can count to 12, he can count down from 10 (to blastoff), he can recognize about 10 letters, he easily recognize shapes in the world (as opposed to identifying on a shape puzzle).  His words are exploding, his reasoning is impressive, and to top it off his physical capabilities are rapidly approaching K's.

M and I work hard to give the boys their individual time to allow each of them to shine in the way that is most relevant to them.  It is hard but appreciated.  K shines so much when we spend the one-on-one time and he isn't competing.  You can tell that he can tell that he is different than T.  It breaks my heart but it is only the first of many times that he will learn this and have to cope.  So, we work on developing his confidence and skills.

I worry about what is to come.  Kids are cruel.  I worry about accomodations at school causing him to be picked on by peers.  Hopefully his extrovert nature will help overcome that.  We will cross the bridge when we come to it.  He was pretty down by the end of the school year 'I can't know how to do that' was creeping back into his lexicon.  It breaks a mother's heart but at the same time strengthens the resolve to provide tools.

He is thriving in camp right now.  He came home beaming about the fish he caught today.  He is red faced and absolutely exhausted by the end of the day.  Saturday he took a 2 hour nap for the first time in ages.  Our hope is to restore his confidence over the summer with fun activities that help push his core muscles and gross motor not to mention help with APD by forcing bilateral involvement.  Fast ForWord should help establish more solid footing before school starts on a more academic level.

On another note, a colleague lost her son far too early.  It has made me hug and hold my boys even more closely.  Please keep the family of Henry Louis Granju in your thoughts and prayers.   You can read more on his mother's blog  http://mamapundit.com/    Some of the reason I fear how cruel kids are is that I could see K wanting to fit in and falling in with the wrong crowd.

My initial consult with the Child Psych regarding K is in late June.  Stay tuned.