I have been negligent in my blogging duties. I apologize. Let me start this entry by passing along the good news that Bram received a clear MRI result on Thursday, July 19th. I am very grateful for everyone who has followed Bram's progress and kept him in their prayers. Thank you.
Well, Bram graduated kindergarten; he will be moving on to first grade next year. The Tri-County Special Education Coordinator agreed that the problems Bram was encountering at school needed to be addressed with additional modifications, not retention. We have added Content Mastery to Bram's modifications so that he can get one-on-one help when needed. CM will also offer him a place with fewer distractions. Bram is a bit of a social butterfly. He will talk to anyone, play with anyone. As someone recently said to me, "Wow. He doesn't know a stranger, does he?" He is definitely a people person. He is also very excited about being a first grader. He is ready for school to start.
The human growth hormone shots seem to be working. I think Bram's endocrinologist was a little disappointed with the results, but I really think Bram has grown more than the doctor's records indicate. I think the initial measurement may have been wrong. My records indicate that Bram has grown 2 1/2 inches since starting the hormone. His is now 41 1/2 inches (according to the cardiologist's measurement on Monday). I still need to confirm that measurement.
Thanks to a very kind friend of mine, Bram has had the opportunity to go swimming quite a bit this summer. When I first took him to her house, he was not eager to get in the water. All previous attempts to get Bram in a swimming pool resulted in him clinging to my back. He would only go in the pool if I carried him piggy back style - even though he was wearing a flotation vest. Now, however, Bram will go into the pool with only the assistance of his flotation wings - no more clinging to Mommy.
Bram is sitting beside me right now and wants me to let you know that he just got a new hamster. He has named it Hulk. While the hamster is a wily, wriggly, little thing, Bram is able to play with it when we put the hamster in its exercise ball.
While I am relieved that the MRI is over - and that the results were exactly what we hoped they would be, Bram still has a couple more medical appointments this summer. Since Bram failed his school eye exam while wearing his glasses, he'll be seeing his ophthalmologist in August. I don't really expect the doctor to detect a change in Bram's vision. I have a feeling that Bram was just being silly the day of the exam; however, it's best to be cautious, so I made the appointment.
Bram also has an appointment with the neuropsychologist in August. The neuropsychologist conducted a battery of cognitive tests on Bram a little over a year ago. He wants to test Bram again to check his progress. The psychologist will also be administering, per my request, a dyslexia screening. Although Bram has started reading, he still confuses b, d, and p as well as some other letters. He also sometimes tries to read the word backwards. However, it was Bram's struggle with identifying patterns that convinced me to have him screened. If asked to complete the pattern, Bram could not do it on his own - outside the basic AB pattern. However, when I started having him call out each item in the pattern, he was then able to complete the pattern. He seems to have trouble filtering visual "noise."
If the psychologist determines that Bram is dyslexic, I am hoping that the school will place him in its dyslexia class. Bram's school doesn't test and diagnose dyslexia until 2nd grade. Hopefully, they will allow Bram to join the 2nd grade dyslexia class - and not make him wait a year.
Finally, Bram celebrated his 6th birthday this past June. We had a small birthday party at home with just his cousins. Papaw and Granny went in with me to buy him an Xbox Kinect game system. I'm really glad we got it for him. The Kinect sensor gives Bram a chance to participate in activities that he is not yet strong enough to do in the real world. Bram has become quite the Xbox bowler. His high score so far is 160. He now gets quite frustrated if he doesn't get a strike. He is really enjoying his birthday present.
In this post, I've tried to summarize the major events that have occurred since my last post; however, it's the little things that make me smile the most. Just yesterday, we were in the car and listening to a song on one of my CDs. Bram had only heard the song a few times. When we got out of the car, I started singing the song, and Bram suddenly jumped in at the chorus and started singing along. I smiled and marveled at how quickly he had picked up the song. I smile when he goes into his bedroom and comes out fully dressed in a color coordinated outfit that he chose completely by himself. I was happily surprised when he spontaneously started taking his cup and plate to the kitchen sink after he was finished with them. Every little achievement brings me joy. Simply having the opportunity to watch him grow and mature makes me joyful. It also makes me a little sad - in the normal mommy way: My little boy is growing up and becoming independent. It makes me grateful, happy, and proud, but some days, it also makes me a little wistful. I comfort myself by snuggling a little longer those nights. Thankfully, Bram still loves to snuggle.
I think that's it for this post. I will endeavor to post a little more regularly from now on. Thank you again for following Bram's progress and for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely,
Bram's Mom
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