Visiting Steven

Troy and I went to visit Steven on Sunday. We had a great visit and are amazed at the changes in Steven....both physically and behaviorally! This is a picture of Steven and one of his favorite aides, Gloria. She is the mother of 6 boys and she treats Steven as one of her own! They must be spoiled because she is really spoiling Steven, too!

One evening, Steven wouldn't eat his dinner, so Gloria got her purse and keys and she and Steven headed to a mexican drive through. She got him a burrito and Steven was in heaven! She said she'd never seen a white boy enjoy a burrito like he did that day!

Ever since then, Steven is boycotting meals when Gloria is his aide. He refuses to eat. Then, he leads her to get her purse and keys. Then, he signs "EAT". And, of course, Gloria takes him to the burrito store again! Just mentioning that we will go there brought smiles to his face! And, we have to admit, the burritos were really good yesterday!

We came back to the room and had some time to wrestle and play. Steven and Troy love to play rough. Here is a picture of my two favorite guys--the big man and the little man.

Next, we unpacked some movies and toys we had brought for him. I had asked him to give the videos to Daddy. Steven surprised us both when he started stacking the videos independently. It was really cool!

Before we left, the nurse came by to check his blood pressure and pulse. This is part of the daily routine. Many of you have accompanied us to doctor appointments in the past and may recall that we have never, ever been able to get a blood pressure reading. Yet, here he is patiently waiting for the nurse to be done. We can't believe it!

In this picture, you can also see how tall Steven is getting! He is quickly catching up to Troy!

In addition to getting taller, Steven is getting thinner. These pictures don't show it as well as seeing him in person. But, he has lost over 20 lbs. since moving to the dorm.

Also, we finally have an address for Steven:

Steven Gilchrist

c/o Abilene Supported Living

6700 Circle Drive

Abilene, TX 79602

Several people have asked if there is anything that Steven needs. His staff told us that he could use a few more toys. They also said gift cards for fast food are great to have on hand so they can go for the drives that Steven loves.

Overall, Steven is doing very well. His behaviors are exactly as they were at home. But, the staff that works with Steven are trained Behavior Support Therapists and they can handle anything he dishes out!

We enjoyed our visit and look forward to our next visit when Dad and Bev will be joining us in Abilene to see Steven!