the beginning of everything

Well I guess I've put off writing my next post long enough. This week we were supposed to have met with our local school district regarding Caleb, but of course they called to reschedule until even more paperwork is filled out (which I've come to realize is going to be the future of my life, lol). For a long while now we've been having some trouble with Caleb's development, a lot of which has been pointing toward Autism. The signs have been fairly mild, so much so that our former pediatrician encouraged us to play the wait-and-see game..."well a lot of his speech is still developing at age 3, it seems like his sound sensitivity can be conditioned, he isn't quite using his fork yet...just keep helping him with it"...and by the next checkup he had mastered his milestones. It wasn't until our little Lilly was born that we really noticed the struggles he'd been going through. I could make a million posts on all the different things he does/does not do that points toward the big A (his constant echoing, lack of socializing, and irrational fear of certain sounds), but I'm sure I'll have enough time to post all of that in the future.

Anyway, at his 3 year checkup his new pediatrician told us she thinks it's possible that he will fit somewhere on the spectrum. And with that, she gave us the phone number of the top pediatric neuropsychologist in orange county...and for the past 4 months -FOUR- months we've been on a waiting list to see him (did I mention they told us it would only be a 2 month wait when I first called, haha)! With the wait being so long still, I decided to call our school district to have him tested for services they offer as well (speech, behavior, etc.). Aaand even more waiting.

I've been so reluctant to talk about all of this for so long, mainly because the diagnosis in question is such a hot-button topic that everyone seems to be an expert on, but everyone's different, and I've realized that not everyone will understand, not everyone will keep their opinions to themselves, and most importantly not everyone knows how incredibly wonderful my Caleb is. With all of that being said, I've started this blog not to be an informer, but to release whatever's on my heart and mind, and to keep the vast majority of you clued in to our lives and the road we have ahead of us. I truly believe in God's plan for our lives, and I believe with all of my heart that He chose Caleb to be exactly who he is. He brings me so much joy every day, I can't imagine a world without him and my Lilly Belle. We are so blessed.

Feel free to follow my blog (on the right), comment/share as you like, and come back for updates. Ps. Check out my tabs up top, I'm hoping to post more soon (maybe even a few crafting/cooking tutorials). This blog will be more than just the ramblings of a wife/mother.