My boy, may you always be this sweet and curious.

My little man came with me to the bank today, he recognized the parking lot as we pulled in and just KNEW there was a Cabela’s nearby.

He hasn’t been to it since last summer when we went there with one of his ABA therapists and I while we were working on community outings.

We had been to the neighboring grocery store a couple of months ago where he had one of his biggest meltdowns to date. He was saying “Fish! I want fish!” over and over and I had thought he meant the decorative ones on the roof of the store… in retrospect I realized he had in fact wanted to go see the ones in the live fish tank at Cabela’s, the outdoor sports store a few doors down.

So this time when he said “fish!” I knew where we needed to go! He even grabbed MY hand in the parking lot (I’m always forcing an iron-clad grip on him in parking lots for fear of elopement.)

He walked right in and greeted all his taxidermy friends one by one. “Hi, reindeer!” “Hi,turkey!” “Hi, moose!” Ensuring they were right where he had left them months ago.

We had a bit of a rough time leaving, but overall it was a great afternoon and I’m beyond proud of him!

Not sure where he got this pose but how handsome is he?!

It was a good year for our sweet boy. I might not have said that if you asked me during it, you don’t always notice or appreciate progress when you are in the thick of the hard work.

Only now, as I look back, does it really hit me how far Wilson has come, and how resilient he is with the work he puts in every single day.

He is using more words and visuals and screaming less. He made big strides with biking and tolerated some work with swimming. He had a couple successful visits to the dentist and worked on helping at the grocery store and sitting for a treat at the coffee shop.

And do you see that HAIR?! He put in some major work with haircutting this year and is looking like a total stud. Where did my toddler go?! 😢 Oh, and he learned how to write his NAME!

Wilson faced a lot of changes this year, including switching to a new ABA program and working with many new faces. He was so brave and excited to explore some new territory.

His tribe just keeps growing…this little guy is so loved and supported and we continue to be so incredibly grateful.

We have lots of goals for this kid in 2020 and I know he is going to crush them all. We are excited to watch him dive into more music and art projects – he’s so drawn to these areas and is surrounded by wonderful therapists who are eager to help him explore.

He remains on the move! Watch for this guy climbing, swimming, bouncing, swinging, spinning and dancing in the new year!

click on image below for a quick video recap of his year! 🎥