Beating Boredom with Barbie and G.I. Joe

As much as I love summer vacation for the kids and a more relaxed schedule for all of us, I sometimes feel like their "Camp Director", making sure they are having fun, reading for book reports, doing their summer math packet, completing chores, or just finding something else to do besides watch DVR'd episodes of John Michael's favorite TV show, The Fresh Beat Band, over and over again.


Soaring temperatures in the 90's to low 100's can make the best laid plans start to wither as we give in to the cool, air conditioned living room beckoning us to stay put.  Reflecting back on my childhood, I decided the kids would have to "rough it" by staying outside for longer than they planned.  I set up the water play table and some blankets and let them decide what to do.  Out of the blue, Anna asked, "Greta, do you want me to play Barbies with you?"

Greta was in heaven!  I don't remember the last time Anna offered to play Barbies with her.  It was so sweet to see them set up a Barbie grooming salon and play together.  A few minutes later, John Michael came and sat beside them with G.I. Joe, twisting and contorting his body into moves a Cirque du Soleil acrobatist can only dream of.

Not to be left out, Luke joined in on the action, picking up the wild-haired Barbie with the floozy outfit.

John Michael liked her, too. 

She looks like she's been around the block a few times...  I'm thinking we need to "retire" her soon.  LOL!

G.I. Joe doubled as a teether for Luke, thanks to his perfect, plastic hair, ginormous muscles and multi-jointed limbs.  And for those 45 minutes they played together, it was pure heaven for me.  No arguments, no complaints, just pure, spontaneous play.

Wordless Wednesday -- Brothers

"Good Morning, Boys!"


I love how these two are playing together more and more.

John Michael genuinely seems to like Luke on most days.  We still have occasions where he might push Luke over or do the "Mine.  My turn.  (Me) first"  thing...


But, I'm happy to report... it's getting so much better.  Look at these two!  I love when they play side by side.  Makes their mama happy  :-)

Last day of preschool

Look at this big boy!  He has been in preschool for just over 6 months since he turned 3 and has loved every minute of it.  I took this shot seconds before he bolted out the door to head to his last day of preschool for the season with Daddy.

When John Michael began preschool, he knew what colors were, but couldn't identify them consistently.  For a while, everything was blue.  Then, green, then yellow...

Yesterday, one of the classroom aides wrote in his journal that he properly handed her all the colors she asked for.  Yay!  I've noticed it, too, because he eats (gulp) Froot Loops some mornings and we make games out of it.

Another milestone is identifying numbers and counting.  John Michael loves to count and sometimes counts to 10 perfectly and other times, skips a few numbers when counting items.  He definitely has made a significant improvement here.  He also recognizes that numbers are "numbers", but doesn't consistently identify them correctly.  Same with letters.  We're working on that, too.  His shapes are pretty consistently correct.

JM is also using the potty quite often and rarely has a dirty diaper (poop) at home because he tells me he has to go and I take him to the potty.  He wets his diaper more often than not, but he has had many successes at school and often will go when I ask him at home.  It's coming along and he's definitely more aware of those bodily functions.

For PE, he has worked hard on jumping.  I never realized how hard that was!  He can sometimes jump about 1 inch off the ground with both feet, but lands very unsteadily.  We'll just keep at it...same with trike pedaling.

I hope to receive a report from the school detailing how he has improved on his IEP goals, so for now, I'll rely on what his teacher and aide have told me.  His teacher said he loves school and does very well.  He started making friends and really plays with them as opposed to just next to them.  He follows directions and stays put on his green square on the rainbow rug.  He loves to be a bell ringer or weather boy or soap squirter... whatever the job he gets, he does it well. 

Here are the bookmarks he gave to all his teachers, aides, and therapists.  They LOVED it.  We also gave a gift card to Borders Books to one teacher, gift card to Michaels Crafts to another, and some Bath and Body Works pocket hand sanitizers and sunflower seeds in a little pot to his aides.

Happy Summer!

Wordless Wednesday -- Mint Chip Heaven

Need I say more?

Happy All the Time...

Myth #1
People with Down syndrome are happy all the time.

John Michael and Luke are starting to mutually enjoy each others' company, which thrills me. To see these two together, as in the photo above, makes my heart sing with joy. And I wish it was like this all the time...

I love photography. Just as poetry captures the moment in writing, photography captures the moment visually. And while they say a picture is worth a thousand words... it's the moment before and after that remains unseen...

So, Myth #1 is that John Michael, and all people with Ds, is happy all the time.

NOT!

In the 20 minutes before this photo was taken, I had corrected John Michael a dozen or more times for patting Luke on the head a little too hard... Pulling Luke toward him too tight... For grabbing the sample of root beer float away from Luke that I was holding for him to taste... For biting my fingers (it was an accident, but his teeth are SHARP!) when I was doling out turkey burger patty samples... etc, etc...

Life, right now, is in constant motion... kinda like a carousel spinning out of control, and I can't find a way to jump off.

These two together are both wonderful and trouble at the same time. John Michael can go from total joy and fun to total fit for not getting his way in no time at all. He will say, "Mom! Mom!" until I say, "What?" and give him the answer he wants. If not, he'll keep repeating himself. I LOVE that he is talking so much... really talking... and then I feel terrible when he doesn't get the subleties of language when I say, "No, you can't play a game right now. Maybe later."

"Mom! Mom! Game. Cows."

"No, John Michael, no cow game right now."

"Mom! Mom!"

"No, John Michael, no game."

"Mom! Mom! Game. Cows."

Now, repeat 3 or 4 more times...

When he finally gives up, he cries.

Yes, it would be easier for me to give him the game, but I need to teach him that he doesn't get what he wants all the time (and I recently heard that cell phones are harmful to our kids and they shouldn't have them near their bodies too often).

Anyway, just wanted to bust that myth.

I'm glad it's not true... really.
I mean, I wouldn't want him just going through life without a vast array of feelings and experiences. I can say from experience, though, that when he's happy, he really is genuinely happy. And it's a wonderful thing. He's funny, too. I also love that he tells me he's happy.

"Mom! Happy."

"Yes, John Michael, happy. I'm happy you're happy. :-) " 

And I think to myself... "Even though life is a challenge right now with you and Luke finding trouble together, I'm still very happy to be your mom, because the joy far outweighs anything else."

Three Small Words... One Giant Message!

We interrupt this blog post with 3 small words from our sponsor...



That's right, Folks.  John Michael wants to say,

"I.  LOVE.  YOU."

Now, go and have an awesome day!

Emerging sense of humor...

With John Michael's growing spoken vocabulary of up to 4 word phrases, he is initiating conversation and really wanting to tell us things.  Through all this, his sense of humor is also really shining through.  It's so fun... this boy is seriously funny, and I'm thrilled that we're starting to see it.

Some mornings, when it's just too hard to wake him, I play a little game with him.  First, I wake up his arms by rubbing them and saying, "Wake up, arms".  Then we wake up his fingers, his legs, his toes, his tummy, his elbows, his nose, etc..  He LOVES this and before long is naming parts that I "forgot" to wake up.

Yesterday, I pretty much covered his whole body, including ears, hair, knees and back.  I said, "John Michael, is there anything else we need to wake up?"

"Yes (thess)," he said, with a huge smile. 

Lifting his arm high in the air, shouted, "Armpits!"

I laughed my head off. 
His huge, wonderful smile, much like in the photo below, showed me he was ready to start the day.



I hope your Mother's Day was wonderful! 

This was, by far, the best Mother's Day I've ever had!  Doug made reservations for all of us and his mom to go to my favorite restaurant, Il Fornaio, for Mother's Day brunch.  Such a treat!  The kids thoroughly enjoyed being spoiled at a nicer restaurant (our standard is Old Spaghetti Factory).

John Michael and Greta shared a huge waffle and orange juice, and my veggie frittata with mushrooms and asparagus was out of this world!

Luke had his first taste of orange juice.  I think the pucker tells everything  LOL!

After brunch, we strolled around the Galleria for a couple hours, doing a little shopping (something else we rarely ever do!).  So much fun!

Expressions and Manners

 John Michael is almost 3 1/2, and in the past few months, I've noticed many changes in him. So many, in fact, that I can only post a few areas at a time. One thing that has surprised me, and is very exciting, is his use of expressions in his speech.

Last week, while checking out this fire engine, I heard him describe it as "Cool!" or "Wow!" and tell me, "Look, Mom! Hole!" to describe where the hose fits on the truck.

Another favorite thing to say is, "Listen!" and point to his ear, or "Watch", or "C'mon, Mom!" to get me to actively participate in something he's doing. He's also claiming to hear a bear and tell me he's scared, or tell me, "Ouch! Hurts! Finger!" Three words together is becoming more common, too, as are words with more syllables. Yesterday, he said watermelon perfectly, broken up in to two words... "water melon".

One of his big brother Nic's first phrases when he was little was, "Sit down, Mom." I had to laugh when, the other day, John Michael told me, "Mom, sit!" and patted the carpet for me to come sit next to him. It was so cute and yet, kinda bossy, which also made me laugh. The most bossy, annoying thing he's saying lately is "Dwiet!" (quiet) whenever anyone, mostly Anna, is singing in the car. Of course, he got that one from me, because I got into the habit of telling Anna to be quiet whenever she would sing her solos from the musical Bye Bye Birdie at the top of her lungs in the kitchen. So, I'm paying for that now, because he even tells me to be quiet when I'm rehearsing!

Last week, out of the blue, he said, "Woo hoo!" when something went his way. It was so cute, I had to giggle. It's so cute to hear him use expressions and realize that he's using them exactly as they're intended. He really gets it... and he is starting to let me know.

John Michael has also shown us that he's pretty funny, too. If he could talk in complete sentences, I know he'd be telling us jokes non-stop. He's a prankster and loves to get us to laugh. Recently, he's started pretending to be different animals, like a snake or lion or tiger. His growls come from the bottom of his gut and you won't want to mess with him if he growls at you. But then, when you tell him, "Oh, John Michael, how scary!", he breaks into laughter as if to say, "Got you!" Which is another expression... he loves to say, "Got you!" and then tickle you. He's also recently shortened his "Thank you" to just "Thanks." I just love it!

"Mom! See! Eggs!"

Besides expressions, John Michael has good manners. When someone in our family sneezes, he's the first to say, "Bless you!"

Last week, a lady at church blew her nose and he turned around to say, "Bless you!" It was so sweet. Coughing, sneezing and nose blowing all get the same treatment around here. There's no shortage of blessings :-) He also gives us blessings on our forehead, which is very sweet, and shakes hands with others at the Sign of Peace. At Communion, he waits in line, walks up with his arms folded across his chest, receives a blessing, and walks back to our aisle. We used to have to either chase him or just hold him. Now, he gets back to where we were sitting.

He is also learning to pause to say grace before meals. He does his best to make the sign of the cross and then we all hold hands and say grace, followed by, "Amen!" He prefers to use utensils, uses a napkin to clean his mouth and chin when I remind him, and can eat an entire bowl of Froot Loops. OK, not something I'm proud of in a nutrional sense, but we actually work on colors as he's eating... and then he finishes up by drinking the milk from the bowl. Well, so not everything is considered "good manners", but we think it's great at home.

I have so much to write about... but want it to be relevant. Is there anything in particular I should post about?

I'd love to hear from you again... :-)

Behavior issues...

For some time now, I've wondered if (when) we'd be faced with behavior issues with John Michael. 
It's been one of those "fears of the unknown"... a potential side effect of him having Down syndrome. 

In general, John Michael is as typical a boy as they come, and when he does get in trouble, I put him in time out.  When he's sat still for a few minutes, usually on the floor away from us, I explain what he did, tell him it was wrong, and then he has to apologize to the person he hurt, which is usually Greta or Luke.  Nothing extraordinary there, but that's how we handle it. 

 

Having a baby brother (Luke is almost 11 months old now), has had both a positive and, at times, a negative effect on John Michael. 

Here, John Michael was teaching Luke how to clap.  Luke could already do it, but it was more about following the leader that made it so sweet.  I could tell John Michael felt really big and proud that Luke was listening and following him.

But, I wouldn't be painting a true picture if I said life was always rosy with these two.  "Double Trouble" is what I call them when they're getting into stuff.  This next year will require extra doses of patience for sure!

There are plenty of times that John Michael shows his true stinker self and pokes, pushes, hits, or grabs a toy from Luke.  Oh, yes, my sweet angel of a boy can be a real stinker!  Here, I caught him red-handed as he poked Luke in the head!  And, no, that's not a smile... he's clenching his jaw tight...  Poor Luke!

 

And then there's the extra-rough LOVE he likes to show Luke.  Luke was actually kissing John Michael's cheek here with his sloppy, wet open mouth kisses.  So funny!  That baby is going to grow up to be tough, that's for sure! 

Makes me wonder if Luke is thinking...
"Where'd he go?  One minute he's poking me, the next he loves me!  Now he's gone..."

 

They even love to climb on BIG brother, Nic... a hulking nearly 6 ft tall, 13 year old who loves the "abuse."

 

Ultimately, John Michael is sweeter than he's not.  His preschool teacher told me today that he doesn't have a mean bone in his body (I laughed...) and that he's a perfect child in class.  Made me so happy, really.  I'm thrilled that he's so good at school.  I really think having a little brother is causing some jealousy and he's acting out since he can't properly express his feelings about it.  Then, after a moment, his teacher added that the only issue she sees with John Michael is that he is super fast with markers and can mark up things faster than she can catch him.  Other than that... he's a perfect angel.  

She's right... a perfect angel... most of the time.  :-)

Best. Thing. Ever.

My Sad. post from January 6, 2011, seems like a distant memory.  In just a few short months, John Michael has grown by leaps and bounds. It's so exciting how much he's changed!

And I know... I am seriously overdue for a post on all the words and phrases he's saying, how preschool is going, his behavior, his manners (he's very polite!), shapes and color identification, counting, singing, and gross and fine motor stuff. There's so much to write, I don't know where to begin!




But stay tuned... it's coming... and, here's why I'm seriously behind...

In the past 2 weeks, Luke (10 1/2 months old) has started crawling all over the house, waving hi and bye, pulling to stand, cruising, drinking from a sippy cup and straw, giving sloppy wet kisses and generally getting into all kinds of trouble.  I often find myself wishing he'd slow down and enjoy the ride a bit, cuz my head is spinning from trying to keep up.  Seriously.  I rather prefer John Michael's pace at this point in my life...

I'm finding very little time to sit at the computer, so for tonight, I will leave you with this photo of John Michael (17 months) at Easter 2009, signing LOVE. Today, at age 3, he freely tells me he loves me, gives me hugs and kisses, and it's the best. thing. ever...

Wordless Wednesday -- Monkey Boy

John Michael has turned into a serious monkey... climbing up ladders, running across bridges and flying down slides to start all over again...

There's no stopping him now!

Greta and John Michael enjoyed playing in the sun, but someone didn't like the sun in his eyes.  ;-o

Treasure Hunt

Henry David Thoreau once said, "We can never have enough of nature."

I couldn't agree more!

We're fortunate to have a nature trail right behind our house.  When things get crazy in the house, we head to the trail and go on a treasure hunt.

Our region is famous for The Gold Rush of the 1850's.  While we haven't struck gold, we do find our share of treasures now and again.

On this particular treasure hunt, John Michael scored a small, smooth river rock.

A crunchy, sycamore leaf.

 

A very cool, long stick that he used to smash his special leaf, and which doubled as a walking stick...

until he decided it was time to climb back on his trusty steed.

I think he's saying, "Well, are you going to push me, or what?"