Happy Birthday Brad #itsallspecial

My oldest son turned 13 on Saturday. I never thought I would see this day. God works in mysterious ways. I definitely never expected to have a 13 year old and a 2 year old in the same year. A teen and a terrible two. yay me.

13 years ago, I also never thought I would be mother to a special needs kid as well. Brad has Autism and ADHD. He also has sensory issues, in addition to high cholesterol. Brad was slow in multiple areas. He started walking about 8 to 9 months, but he walked in secret. He did not officially walk in front of others until he was 1.

He also was slow to talk. His first word was mama. This was followed by eat,drink, and daddy. His vocabulary has picked up over the years, but no one knows the full extent since some words, he don't use until they are needed. He still struggles with three and four word sentences. His favorite: I don't want that.

Other words, I was shocked he said:

1. Ketchup
2. Ice cream
3. Close the door
4. Kalen (his brother's name)
5. Eugene (my nephew's name)
6. Ice
7. Egg

Brad also struggles with social skills. He is a loner, like his mama. Every now and then, he will play with his brother or his cousins. 

Brad also struggles with going to the potty. He went from diapers to pull-ups to depends. In the past year or so, I got him to pee in the toilet more, but he still has accidents and he struggles with #2. I also have an additional challenge of the toilet lock. I have a toilet lock because my youngest likes to drop things in the toilet. This year, I have lost two Boost Mobile Innuendo Phones and my iPod. I currently have a Kyocera Hydro because it is waterproof. I also have to replace the iPod, since I need it for school. (Mturking, contests, giveaways, selling stuff on craigslist,etc)

I am looking forward to another 13 years. Brad will be 26 years old and I will be 46 years old. Of course the baby will be 15 years old, I think. An adult and a teenager--that should be fun.