Joe’s last day of preschool was last week, and he’s been enjoying his summer! The water table has been a huge hit, and we’ve had some leisurely afternoons at the library.

Today, we took out the tempera paints and let his creative juices flow:

This kid always wakes up in a great mood!

Last month, we were disappointed to learn that Joe wasn’t among the lucky winners in an iPad giveaway especially for special-needs children.

BUT! That same organization is now doing a second round of iPad giveaways! I just sent off Joe’s application (including a note from his occupational therapist about what it can do for him) … and now we wait.

If you know a “delayed darling” who could use one of these things, go apply!

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Joe had a great birthday!

I made cupcakes for his class, and stuck around for a while to see them celebrate. I love how he’s presiding over the festivities here:

That evening, we sang to him and had a few cupcakes ourselves!

He opened some cards from both sets of grandparents, and one from his favorite neighbor, Nancy. The books and CDs we ordered for him are still en route from amazon.com, but he has been having a ball with his big present:

Somehow, though, his new favorite toy is one he got for Christmas but didn’t bother with much until recently. He has figured out how to close the little doors on this thing, and when we yell “Yaaaay!” after each one, he squeals with pride. So cute!

Remember that old Schoolhouse Rock song?

We made our own version, in honor of Joe’s big birthday today:

Tonight, we eat cupcakes and open presents. Watch for photos, coming soon!

It’s hard to believe that, this time three years ago, I was eight days past my due date. And still had eight days to go! I can hardly imagine a time when we didn’t know this kid.

With his third birthday right around the corner, Joe has been a busy dude! He continues to zoom up and down the sidewalk in his gait trainer, earning lots of attaboys from our neighbors:

He’s also been doing therapeutic listening, per the recommendation of his occupational therapist. It sounds like hula-bula at first (weird music? special headphones?) but is really working for him! We have noticed him using his hands a lot more, and responding to his name with much greater frequency than before. And he looks ridiculously cute in his little DJ headphones (thanks, Aunt Amy!):

This morning, the three of us sat down with his teacher and the rest of his “team” at school for an IEP meeting, where we discussed how he’s done this year, and what they’ll work on next year. It was nice to hear all of the improvement that they’ve noted since last September, and the predictions for what he’ll be up to next year. More than that, though, they all seem to really love him to pieces. I love that.

His last day of school is June 16, and then in September he’ll go back for four-hour days (instead of the two-hour days he’s had so far). Big boy!

The next big event, of course, is his third birthday on June 10. We will celebrate with cake (he might even eat some!) and presents — and about 65,000 photos for your viewing pleasure.