I feel like celebrating!

Maybe it's because it's 67 degrees out and sunny and I'm in a good mood..
or maybe it's because I was able to wear non-maternity jeans today for the 1st time ( not in the size I want, but I'm working on it..)..
but really it's because of this guy....

Today I had my last IEP meeting for Braden..
 Since before Braden was 3 he had been receiving private speech therapy at home as well as speech therapy at school (in preschool) as well as had a resource teacher to help him with whatever he needed at the time. He then started OT when he was 4 ( at home) to address fine motor concerns, coordination, sensory integration..etc..As his OT said, he was a "funky" kid. Braden worked HARD with both therapists and when something was hard he got REALLY frustrated and it was often a struggle for all of us. Dealing with overstimulating environments ( ie. disneyworld) has been a CHALLENGE for all of us..Braden just couldn't process it all and would melt down. But..after all the hard work( and a lot of money), his speech therapist discharged him last summer and his occupational therapist discharged him in january. The last component was school...
 I was nervous about this meeting because I had no clue what they were going to say.. At school he has speech therapy, a resource teacher that goes over academics and social work. At the meeting today, not only did Braden score above average on most of his tests for speech and social work ( his social worker said he's the star of their group)...but on the academic scale he is WELL above average on every test. These tests are given to all of the kids and they showed me where they expect the kids to be at the end of the year and where Braden was..his skills exceed their end of the year targets...I was shocked. I knew Braden was smart, but I didn't realize he was that smart. I am so proud of the boy he has become. He tries so hard, he is so kind, smart, a good friend and such a nice big brother. I just can't put into words how much I love him and how proud I am of him. It's a huge accomplishment.

I had to include this picture because Braden LOVES taking pictures with Kayla :)