The changes in the past few weeks have been so remarkable.  I want to remember so I'm taking a moment to document them here.

- There were pizzas in the oven and I wasn't going to be there to take them out.  Josh took the initiative to ask me how long they had left and then walked over to the oven and set the timer.  

- We were at the park and Crosby was sitting on a swing.  Josh saw him, walked over, and started pushing him.  The thoughtfulness, initiative, desire for connection and engagement, and courage to try something new were all on display in this simple act of pushing his son in the swing.  Then I let him push me too! :)

- Josh's mom was at our house and was talking about going on a walk.  Josh perked up and asked if he could go too. 

- Tonight Josh read "The Tooth Book" to Hosea.  He used to read this book to our older kids when they were little.  He always used a lot of voices as he read.  Tonight as he read he used all the same voices.  He also made comments about the pictures, "That looks silly, doesn't it!?"  For those five minutes of reading it looked and sounded like the old Josh again.  

- Josh's dad worked with him on installing shelves in one of our closets.  Tom coached Josh in the process.  Josh measured, used the level, marked the spots, and used the drill to attach the L brackets.  It was good for Josh to get tools in his hands again and try something "new" to grow his confidence.  

- Occasionally I do speech therapy exercises with him.  Recently I asked him to list as many animals as he could.  He was able to name 11!  Earlier this year he could only get 6.

- While we are out on walks we talk about who lives where and his childhood memories.  Recently he has been able to tell more stories and details that he wouldn't have been able to a few months ago.

- After conversations about trying new things he remembered and started trying.  He came into the kitchen while I was making dinner and wanted to help.  I gave him a bowl of strawberries to cut the tops off of.  He struggled at first but once I demonstrated how, he did the whole bowl.  Then, without any prompting, he walked to the dining room and cleaned off the table so we could eat around it.  I love seeing him remember past conversations and think about how to involve himself.  

I'm continually amazed each day at the progress.  Here is a little video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Z5HmDEkl-8