I haven't written a Ty-update in a while, and with so much happening lately, he deserves a little press time!
I'll start with the news - the "huge-weight-lifted-off-our-shoulders" news. For those who don't know, Ty was born with 5 holes in his heart...a little swiss cheese heart! The first is fairly common - more so in preemies, and is a hole called a PDA that all fetusus have in the aorta. Before birth most of these close, but some do not and require surgery. He also had a PFO - another very common opening between two chambers in the heart that usually closes in infancy, but in some cases does not. It's generally harmless. Lastly, Ty had 3 VSDs - two small and one medium sized one. These are holes between the left and right ventricles of the heart. Some require surgery, some do not. In Ty's case, we were told he would *definitely* need surgery by 6 months old to close the large VSD. He didn't. In the scheme of things, we have been incredibly fortunate at Ty's good health. But best of all, a couple of weeks ago at his annual cardiology check-up, we learned that the last of the 5 holes had closed, and after one last check-in at the age of 5, Ty will officially be discharged from Boston Children's Hospital Cardiology Department! They're great, but WHEW!
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As if that weren't enough, that same week we also had a post-surgery check-up at Ty's ENT. His last set of ear tubes was placed last January...11 months ago...and we learned they are STILL in place and STILL functioning! Now, for a kid who has had 3 sets of ear tubes...one set every 6 months since he was 7 months old...this was HUGE news! All we can do is wait, now. Eventually, they will fall out, and the true test of whether or not he is ready for life without tubes will come. Until then, we are SO grateful for good hearing, and dry ears!
And then there's school. Yes, my little bugger is gearing up to enter preschool. It's a bittersweet process, but Ty is more than ready for life outside his playroom, for the chance to meet new friends, try new things, and spread those little wings of his a bit! For those who have never transitioned a child with special needs into the school system, let me tell you, it is a process! It began back in September with a home visit by the director of special education, and a meeting at the school with his team of future therapists. Then came the evaluation...dun, dun, dun!
You know, having a formal evaluation done of your child's every skill, sound, and movement is a little daunting. There's an element of wanting to make sure you did *enough* to get your child to the place where he is today, and an element of feeling slightly judged. I have to say though, I left that evaluation with a smile. No, Ty didn't score age-typical in every developmental category (I actually haven't even seen the formal results), nor would I expect him to. But he most certainly presented his best self, and I was SO proud of him for that. He welcomed a team of three unfamiliar women into his living room with a smile, and proceeded to do every activity they presented him with to the best of his ability. He charmed them with his giggles and high-fives, and impressed them with his persistance to complete challenging tasks. And really, what more could I ask for?!
And then this past week, my little man had his first visit to his preschool for yet another "informal" evaluation. Oh my god was he SO tiny in that big building!!! When we walked in the door, a class of students walked by with their library books, and Ty just stood there in awe at these giants towering over him walking in a silent line down the hall (and I know he was SO jealous of their books!) Once again, his evaluation went as well as I could have hoped! I thought for sure he would clam up in this big building with 5 strange women staring at him in a small room, but once again, he blew my expectations out of the water. I don't even know how he performed on their assessment, but I know he gave it his best shot. The highlight of his visit, however, was his very first chance to choose a toy from the coveted "treasure box". Now, they had a pretty sweet treasure box...these were no Dollar Tree toys. Ty spent about 3 minutes sifting through the box with his new teacher searching for his perfect treasure and this was his final choice...
...his first preschool treasure box toy, and he chooses a Littlest Pet Shop purple butterfly who lives in a pink basket. To his teacher's credit, she even offered him a choice between a "manly" lion and his purple butterfly...and he grabbed that little critter with such enthusiasm, there was no denying his thought process. That is one little toy I will have to keep to bust out when he brings his girlfriends home in the future! :)
So as you can see, life doesn't stop these days. The older Ty gets, the busier he becomes, and he hasn't even entered the world of recreational sports yet! It's such a joy to watch him grow into this little person, though. He has such defined interests these days, and his imagination is just taking off. At any given moment he can be found playing with some random object...a tupperware bowl, a towel, a lego...and if you ask him what he's doing, he most certainly has a whole scenario going on that is only apparent to him! The other night Brady and I joined him on his bedroom floor as he swished a burp cloth around in a bowl. When I asked what he was doing, he told me it was "cereal" (duh!) and proceeded to spoon food me the cereal with his air-spoon, complete with "mmmm" sound effects. However, when I tried to feed him an "air-apple" he refused...apparently his picky eating habits translate in the imaginary world as well. Stinker.
I could go on...and on, and on, and on...but I won't! Life is good, though. Not always easy, but definitely good, and I'm continually amazed by the little guy growing up in front of me! New adventures are on the horizon for Ty-guy!
