Thankful Thursday - Early Intervention and Stepping Stones Pediatric Therapy

It's that time of week when I try to narrow down everything that I'm thankful for to just one thing to talk about.  I have SO much in my life to be thankful for, but Thursdays are when I spotlight only one thing.  And this week I'm thankful for Stepping Stones Pediatric Therapy.

Anyone that has followed along on Alex's journey to speech has read or heard me talk about his speech therapy.  At 18-months, when he still wasn't talking his doctor referred him to Stepping Stones in Florence for an evaluation.  You can read about the evaluation HERE.

He has come SUCH a long way!  He can say about 10 words and signs just as many if not more.  Our lives are SO different now.  If it weren't for his doctor sending us there and if it weren't for his "teachers" we would still be lost.  We call them teachers and say it's school because that's where big "Sissy" goes during the day.  I figure it will definitely help when he gets older and Sissy always goes to school and he doesn't get to go, he will be happy to know he goes to his own school with his own teachers.  When we drive up he points and gets SO excited!

This hangs on the wall inside the front door.
A daily reminder of the people that work there and work with my son.

a random day in the waiting room

Stepping Stones is one of the places that I feel most comfortable, comfortable with myself, comfortable with my son, and know he's not being judged, I'm not being judged, and he's getting the help he needs.  They do everything they can to work with your schedule, and in my case, my son's inability to change schedules.  We started going to Stepping Stones at the beginning of the summer in June on Monday and Wednesday, at 9:30 and 9:45 respectively. 

On Mondays he saw Miss Becky and on Wednesdays, Miss Jane.  At the end of July, Miss Becky went on vacation for four weeks.  Instead of not going on Mondays, we started going on Fridays to see Miss Jackie.  It was a silent first meeting between Miss Jackie and AJ, but he didn't panic because after all he knew where he was, at his favorite "school."  On the second meeting he did a lot better.  I was SO glad we were able to keep going twice a week without interruptions. 

Now that Miss Becky is back, our schedule has changed because school has started.  We are back to Monday and Wednesday, but now at 11:15 and 11:00 respectively.  And now he will only see Miss Becky.  I know he will miss Miss Jane terribly, because he formed an attachment to her while Miss Becky was gone, but Miss Becky is his first "teacher" and he's very very fond of her.  

Today and everyday, I am thankful for Stepping Stones and their Staff, I am thankful for the early intervention that his doctor thought he needed.  I am thankful for Miss Becky, Miss Jane, and Miss Jackie for helping to break the communication barrier in our family, for helping ease AJ's frustration.  We are THANKFUL!

AJ and Miss Jackie

AJ and Miss Jane

AJ and Miss Becky.