phew!

the past month has been a whirlwind at the murphy household and december is shaping up to be just as busy!

i wanted to stop and write a little update on finn since i realized i forgot to keep everyone informed on how his ear tube surgery went! 

surgery was easy peasy, finn went through with flying colors, and we had our post-op visit yesterday!  his new tubes are working perfectly and his hearing test was normal!  hooray!

since the new tubes finn's balance has improved tremendously!  he is all over the place, and now that he is realizing he is steadier on his feet he is trying out all kinds of new dance moves!  our favorite right now is the "elvis presley" which consists of a knee bend/hip pop combo.  he also loves to run up and down hills at the park.

practicing hills with dada! (billy's going to hate this picture- sorry honey!)

he only had one fall this month- which is a major improvement considering he was wiping out three or four times a day minimum before his surgery.  we are really happy with how everything went.

we had a great thanksgiving with some of my side of the family, and finn had a blast with his cousins jackson and caroline.  they were both so good with him.  we are super thankful for the kind and compassionate children we have throughout our families! 

reading with cousin jackson

we built a new play room for finn this month with lots of sensory tools and toys.  he started working with an occupational therapist this month and she is already making a world of difference.  she really seems to be in tune with finn and some of her suggestions have been life savers! 

exploring in his new room

for example, finn hates to take a bath and won't sit in the bath tub.  he will just cry and cling on to me while i try to scrub him down.  his OT suggested laying a heavy wet towel over his shoulders while he's in the tub.  the first night i did it finn let out a huge sigh of relief and looked right at me as if to say "phew! that's so much better mom!"  now bath time is actually starting to be enjoyable and finn will actually sit down in the tub, all thanks to his occupational therapist and our "magic" towel :) 

she also lent him a weighted blanket which he loves to lay under.  he is so calm and relaxed with it.  yesterday after laying under his weighted blanket and watching some songs on my iphone, he was able to get up and transition away from the phone without any fussing, and he even initiated working on a puzzle and did a great job with it!  learning how to help meet finn's sensory needs is really helping him focus, and it's so encouraging to me!

finn has also started making a lot more sounds since his surgery- i am happy to announce the return of "mama" and "baba"!!  he doesn't always use them correctly, but we are just happy he's talking!  i can see him really trying and making new consonant sounds every day, so i'm hoping his speech takes off in the next few months!

we enrolled finn in a special program through the arc of chester county, called ABBLE.  it is a pre-preschool specifically for two year olds on the autism spectrum.  we visited the classroom this month and we think it will be great for finn.  the teachers work individually with the students on learning the PECS communication system- which is a picture communication system, and help them learn the basics (which aren't so basic for finn) - like sitting at circle time, having snack at a table, playing with peers, asking for help, etc.  he will go two mornings a week for three hours each time.  this will be a challenge for both of us at first, but i'm certain that finn is really going to benefit from this.  he starts this coming tuesday!

we are excited for all of the new things going on with finn, and we are also excited that it's the most wonderful time of the year- christmastime!  we hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season as much as we are already!  lots of love!

checking out the tree at grandma and grandpa's