Here we go, trip number 2 to Santiago. We are leaving Saturday October 3 and coming home on Saturday October 17. We are really looking forward to our trip. Austin has made alot of progress over that past 6 plus months. Hope he struts his stuff for Ramon. Watch for daily updates while we are there. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Especially Austin for all the hard work he has ahead of him.

Austin is back in school and has had a wonderful two weeks so far. His teachers and therapists have commented on how well he is doing and how much he has changed since the end of last school year. This will be his last year of preschool, then he will move on to Kindergarten. Austin has been moving around alot more on his own, not quite cruising yet, but definately adapting to what his body his allowing him to do for himself. He has mastered standing up and getting his own sippy cup from a table, and has accomplished being able to stand and hold the cup and drink from it all on his own. We are still working on the setting it down nicely phase. He enjoys climbing on us and his brother and thinks it is so funny. He communicates still with no words but uses many more sounds like high pitches, groans, moans and crying. His eye contact has approved greatly and has turned into a better form of communication for him. He was introduced to a walker and a bronco walker that we now have at home. It has allowed him the freedom to move about more without us having to hold him up. With the bronco he his straped in, it has handle bars for him to hold and a seat when he gets tired (which Austin soon realized was there, and takes full advantage of). He manages to move himself back and forth and loves the walls! It is great to see him have some freedom. We are still working on his exercises from Chile. We are going back in October and will be there for two weeks this time. We are excited and nervous at the same time. We hope the therapist won't be dissapointed in us! Austin loves to take toys out of his toy bucket now and throw them all over the place one by one. It is nice to see him take interest in things like that. He seems to be eating much better lately and even eating snacks at school with the other kids. Sometimes it seems like he wants to eat every hour and a half. He has gained 3 pounds since January. I think it is all in height though!!!! Although Austin is making such great accomplishments it seems that we are stuck in time. I miss talking about his milestones like other moms, I miss not being able to have him run out to me with open arms after school like the other children, I miss him not asking for snacks or learning new words. It makes me sad sometimes that after 4 years, almost 5 now, I thought we would be so much further along. I am tremoundsly grateful for all of Austin's accomplishments but also extremely frusterated at the same time. Every day is a new day and I look more at what Austin has accomplished than not, but there is still that part of me that want's him to move and do like all the others.