Sometimes, dreams are wonderfully born from a pivotal occurrence in someone’s life. Other times, they grow from steady determination and immersion-with a sprinkle of kismet. For Little Bug, I believe it is that later.
We all know that he has been obsessed with sharks; however he has now added whales, dolphins, turtles, and fishes to his repertoire of marine life. He has basically given up regular kid shows, favoring Discovery and National Geographic specials.
Yesterday, we took him to the aquarium again. It was an amazing trip and the realization of a dream. He watched the sharks and fishes in the tank and began to explain why some were fish and some were sharks. He pointed at a big Sturgeon and explained that it couldn’t be a shark because it only had one dorsal fin.
His light bulb moment came from the Seattle waterfronts new problem- tons and tons of jellyfish that shouldn’t be here and they can’t figure out how to get rid of. Little Bug and I were waiting for Nick on a pier and looking at the water. Suddenly, a bit of pink could be spotted. He yelled, “Jellyfish!” and began to jump up and down.
I watched and waited to see what it was. I was a little nervous that it was trash and he would be disappointed. More and more pink began to become visible along with some white and orange. Finally, a huge jellyfish appeared. Right behind it came a flock of tiny opaque jellies. This was Little Bug’s first experience with sea life outside of an aquarium.
He looked at me and said, “I’ma learn bout sharks.”
“Do you mean watching your movies and reading your books?”
“No! Ima swim with sharks- tiger sharks….whale sharks… bull sharks… jelly fishes…. Squid”
“Do you mean a biologist?”
“Yep. I’ma beelologist!”
Dreams are fragile, fragile things. This is something we weren’t sure we would ever get to experience with Little Bug. Nick and I will move mountains and go to hell and back to make sure he has every opportunity to become a beelologist.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Talk about Pretend Play!
Little Bug has been on a Toy Story kick recently. One of the parts that he finds the most amusing is when Buzz is made to wear and apron and a hat and has a tea party. Recently, he decided that this would be a fun thing to do with his Sharks- Blue and Bull.
He set up his Lightening McQueen table and chairs- making sure that the chairs we opposite so that Blue and Bull could sit facing each other. He gathered his plastic dishes from the kitchen so that he could serve the food. The food he cooked was his cut up veggie set that had been lovingly cooked into a soup in a colander.
He gathered his guests around that table and passed out food. They took turns telling him how tasty the food was and asking how he was doing.
Nick and I stood and watched with our jaws hanging open. He only other version of pretend play is driving cars and trains around or making his sharks and fish swim. This was so far beyond what we thought he could do.
He wasn’t done.
After the sharks were done eating, they had to go home. He disabled the table and put the soup away and then put the chairs in a line. At the front of the line, he put the stairs to his bed. “A bus!” The sharks rode the bus home- all the time telling Little Bug that they had fun and would see him soon.
He set up his Lightening McQueen table and chairs- making sure that the chairs we opposite so that Blue and Bull could sit facing each other. He gathered his plastic dishes from the kitchen so that he could serve the food. The food he cooked was his cut up veggie set that had been lovingly cooked into a soup in a colander.
He gathered his guests around that table and passed out food. They took turns telling him how tasty the food was and asking how he was doing.
Nick and I stood and watched with our jaws hanging open. He only other version of pretend play is driving cars and trains around or making his sharks and fish swim. This was so far beyond what we thought he could do.
He wasn’t done.
After the sharks were done eating, they had to go home. He disabled the table and put the soup away and then put the chairs in a line. At the front of the line, he put the stairs to his bed. “A bus!” The sharks rode the bus home- all the time telling Little Bug that they had fun and would see him soon.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Growing Pains
Little Bug keeps advancing in sudden and surprising ways. Some are mundane and others are extraordinary. I wanted to share with you all the exciting things that have happened on our vacation. (By the way, sorry for the delay in posts- Christmas time is crazy personally and professionally.)
• A big boy car seat- yep you read that right. The booster seat kind that he only buckles into. In general, this is the more worrisome to Nick and I as he can get out of it and likes to talk about the “red button” (the seat belt release) every time we’re in the car. We are looking for a cover for it so that he doesn’t escape.
• Pretend play- as in self directed lengthy pretend play. He will set up his trains and have them pretend to go places- the garden, school, and Target. They talk to each other, fight, and play. He describes their emotions- cross, happy, excited, and sad. He will play independently for upwards of half an hour in his imaginary world.
• Big boy bed. He has chosen to sleep in it by himself. While he still makes trips back to our bed, he is pretty good about going to sleep in it and staying there. I am sure the reward goal of a Thomas Blanket has helped him stay motivated.
• A normal childhood fear. Rather than a sensory based fear that is mind boggling, he has become afraid of the dark. While this may seem strange to rejoice in, it is nice to have a straight forward problem that tons of kids (and some adults too) deal with.
• Choosing the play place over his parents. At a local grocery store, they have a play place where the children can be watched while the parents grocery shop. The one caveat is that parents aren’t welcome. He has always wanted to go, but never without us. Finally, one day, he decided that he could do it. He stayed in there for 45 minutes and Nick and I waited for the page of doom. They take your information and page you should your child become out of hand or stink. We didn’t receive a page.
• Last but not least, peeing standing up. He has decided that this is the way to do it. He will not sit on the potty ring anymore- for babies is what he says. Granted, he hasn’t successfully peed this way in the bathroom. He has however peed this way in the bedroom and the kitchen. He also has provided us with a ton of laughter. When he first tried to do it, he stood in front of the toilet and frowned. He looked at me and said, “It’s not working!” Trying to keep a straight face, I explained that he didn’t have to pee. He felt that I was incorrect and took to tapping it- like you would to see if a microphone works- and yelled at it, “WORK! WORK!” I haven’t laughed so hard in my whole life.
This vacation was amazing because it was the first time that he was able to understand the holiday. To me, Christmas is about kids. I know that a lot of people celebrate it for religious reasons, but I personally celebrate it for family and most especially the kids.
Little Bug had a blast. He would open each present and say something nice about it and then say thank you to whomever gave it to him. He wasn’t the greedy hoarding present type, the truly excited and wanting to unwrap everyone’s for them type. Our family had a great time.
The hardest thing about the growing process is the growing pains for the parents. Nick and I found ourselves in tears of happiness and sadness. When things are changing, you notice the impact that the little person has had on your life. We are overjoyed to see this development and truly grateful. We are also a little sad…
• A big boy car seat- yep you read that right. The booster seat kind that he only buckles into. In general, this is the more worrisome to Nick and I as he can get out of it and likes to talk about the “red button” (the seat belt release) every time we’re in the car. We are looking for a cover for it so that he doesn’t escape.
• Pretend play- as in self directed lengthy pretend play. He will set up his trains and have them pretend to go places- the garden, school, and Target. They talk to each other, fight, and play. He describes their emotions- cross, happy, excited, and sad. He will play independently for upwards of half an hour in his imaginary world.
• Big boy bed. He has chosen to sleep in it by himself. While he still makes trips back to our bed, he is pretty good about going to sleep in it and staying there. I am sure the reward goal of a Thomas Blanket has helped him stay motivated.
• A normal childhood fear. Rather than a sensory based fear that is mind boggling, he has become afraid of the dark. While this may seem strange to rejoice in, it is nice to have a straight forward problem that tons of kids (and some adults too) deal with.
• Choosing the play place over his parents. At a local grocery store, they have a play place where the children can be watched while the parents grocery shop. The one caveat is that parents aren’t welcome. He has always wanted to go, but never without us. Finally, one day, he decided that he could do it. He stayed in there for 45 minutes and Nick and I waited for the page of doom. They take your information and page you should your child become out of hand or stink. We didn’t receive a page.
• Last but not least, peeing standing up. He has decided that this is the way to do it. He will not sit on the potty ring anymore- for babies is what he says. Granted, he hasn’t successfully peed this way in the bathroom. He has however peed this way in the bedroom and the kitchen. He also has provided us with a ton of laughter. When he first tried to do it, he stood in front of the toilet and frowned. He looked at me and said, “It’s not working!” Trying to keep a straight face, I explained that he didn’t have to pee. He felt that I was incorrect and took to tapping it- like you would to see if a microphone works- and yelled at it, “WORK! WORK!” I haven’t laughed so hard in my whole life.
This vacation was amazing because it was the first time that he was able to understand the holiday. To me, Christmas is about kids. I know that a lot of people celebrate it for religious reasons, but I personally celebrate it for family and most especially the kids.
Little Bug had a blast. He would open each present and say something nice about it and then say thank you to whomever gave it to him. He wasn’t the greedy hoarding present type, the truly excited and wanting to unwrap everyone’s for them type. Our family had a great time.
The hardest thing about the growing process is the growing pains for the parents. Nick and I found ourselves in tears of happiness and sadness. When things are changing, you notice the impact that the little person has had on your life. We are overjoyed to see this development and truly grateful. We are also a little sad…
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Santa Claus
We took Little Bug on the local Santa Train, thinking that this would be a better way for him to meet Santa. While he didn’t cry or yell, he did banish Santa to the other side of the train. Santa was permitted to sit next to him briefly for a picture- a very tense picture in which Little Bug appears to be attempting to will Santa to move with his glare of doom.
That night, Little Bug decided he wanted to write Santa a note. He first had to scour the magazines in the house for the picture of the toy he wanted. Then he taped it to a piece of paper and wrote his name at the bottom. Yep, wrote his name. Not necessarily in a linear fashion, but all 6 letters are there clear as day.
Next, he instructed me to write the letter. I started with Dear Santa-, however Little Bug felt that we should address him by his first and last name. So, we wrote Dear Santa Claus. Next, Little Bug instructed me to write “I want Hiro and Sodor Steamworks.” This was to be followed by “PSTUV” and then signed by Daddy Nick and Daddy Blake. Little Bug then took over the letter and drew a picture. When asked what the picture and PSTUV where for, he replied, “A supise for my daddies!”
That night, Little Bug decided he wanted to write Santa a note. He first had to scour the magazines in the house for the picture of the toy he wanted. Then he taped it to a piece of paper and wrote his name at the bottom. Yep, wrote his name. Not necessarily in a linear fashion, but all 6 letters are there clear as day.
Next, he instructed me to write the letter. I started with Dear Santa-, however Little Bug felt that we should address him by his first and last name. So, we wrote Dear Santa Claus. Next, Little Bug instructed me to write “I want Hiro and Sodor Steamworks.” This was to be followed by “PSTUV” and then signed by Daddy Nick and Daddy Blake. Little Bug then took over the letter and drew a picture. When asked what the picture and PSTUV where for, he replied, “A supise for my daddies!”
Spelling
Little Bug has become fascinated with spelling recently. He stands at the fridge for hours ordering and reordering his letters. Not stimming, but trying to make a word. He will yell out the letters and I will tell him if it is or isn’t a word. So far, he has spelled Up, Dog, and Nice on the fridge.
Orally, he can now spell Up, Dog, and his name from memory. He has begun to beg Nick and I how to spell our names and then works through the finger spelling of them over and over. If he gets it wrong, he asks us to spell our names and then begins to try some more.
Orally, he can now spell Up, Dog, and his name from memory. He has begun to beg Nick and I how to spell our names and then works through the finger spelling of them over and over. If he gets it wrong, he asks us to spell our names and then begins to try some more.
School Conference
Well, we had another parent teacher conference last week and it went amazingly well. His teacher said that she is amazed at his progress- he is now able to share with another child without prompting from an adult for 10 minutes. She didn’t expect him to be as comfortable as he is until his second year in the program.
She impressed us by going to an Autism conference at our local children’s hospital. We spent time talking about the spectrum and the differences between each kind of Autism and how basically every person with Autism is unique. We also discussed the possible changes that the DSM V might contain and how that would affect diagnoses and as well as school eligibility.
Finally, she told Nick and I a few things that we didn’t expect to hear. First, that Little Bug is the best behaved child in the class and she uses him as a peer model for all the other kids- including the peer models. She looks to him as a little leader in the class. She also stated that he is making progress on all his goals and well on his way to meeting some already. Nick and I thought it would take a lot longer than it has for him to make this progress. Finally, she said that except for the speech delay- his MLU is 2.2 and the typical range is 5 for his age group- she doesn’t feel that he qualifies for special education. She is glad that they are only evaluated every 3 years as she is afraid he would be denied next year and she wants to keep him in her class. We do too. He is flourishing there and learning a ton- letter recognition of the whole alphabet, counting to 39, and vital social skills.
She impressed us by going to an Autism conference at our local children’s hospital. We spent time talking about the spectrum and the differences between each kind of Autism and how basically every person with Autism is unique. We also discussed the possible changes that the DSM V might contain and how that would affect diagnoses and as well as school eligibility.
Finally, she told Nick and I a few things that we didn’t expect to hear. First, that Little Bug is the best behaved child in the class and she uses him as a peer model for all the other kids- including the peer models. She looks to him as a little leader in the class. She also stated that he is making progress on all his goals and well on his way to meeting some already. Nick and I thought it would take a lot longer than it has for him to make this progress. Finally, she said that except for the speech delay- his MLU is 2.2 and the typical range is 5 for his age group- she doesn’t feel that he qualifies for special education. She is glad that they are only evaluated every 3 years as she is afraid he would be denied next year and she wants to keep him in her class. We do too. He is flourishing there and learning a ton- letter recognition of the whole alphabet, counting to 39, and vital social skills.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
It's holiday time again...
And this year is going to be fun. Little Bug has decided that he believes in Santa. This is huge. He is willing to accept the reality of an idea. Don't get him wrong- he isn't going to sit with him or hug him, but he will write him a letter or talk to him. Whenever Little Bug sees his dream toy, he says, "I'ma talk to Santa.".
Last year, the Christmas tree had to be tied to the wall and we had to fight Little Bug away from the light. This year, he has embraced it. Literally. When we put the tree up, he walked over to it and put his arms around it. "I love you fee." He gave it a hug and a kiss. He decorated it with fervor- directing where all the ornaments should go and what colors can be next to each other. The bottom half of our tree is regemented- same shapes with same shapes and same colors with same colors.
Little Bug has also decided that messy crafts are okay. He is able to tolerate paint on his hands as well as glitter, flour, sugar, and dirt. He still has a hard time with sticky stuff, but we have been able to do a ton of crafts. He has made four different kinds of ornaments, felt presents, and a paper chain for Christmas.
Nick and I are so excited. Its like a brand new experience. Last year was a bit hellish at times- he couldn't tolerate the family events and we didn't get to see many of our friends. This year is turning out different. He did amazing at a small Thanksgiving- he only needed 3 breaks in 4 hours. He was able to play with J and E this weekend for about 5 hours and only needed about 6 breaks. What's more exciting is that this year, he understands and is excited. Last year, there wasn't any understanding or excitement.
Last year, the Christmas tree had to be tied to the wall and we had to fight Little Bug away from the light. This year, he has embraced it. Literally. When we put the tree up, he walked over to it and put his arms around it. "I love you fee." He gave it a hug and a kiss. He decorated it with fervor- directing where all the ornaments should go and what colors can be next to each other. The bottom half of our tree is regemented- same shapes with same shapes and same colors with same colors.
Little Bug has also decided that messy crafts are okay. He is able to tolerate paint on his hands as well as glitter, flour, sugar, and dirt. He still has a hard time with sticky stuff, but we have been able to do a ton of crafts. He has made four different kinds of ornaments, felt presents, and a paper chain for Christmas.
Nick and I are so excited. Its like a brand new experience. Last year was a bit hellish at times- he couldn't tolerate the family events and we didn't get to see many of our friends. This year is turning out different. He did amazing at a small Thanksgiving- he only needed 3 breaks in 4 hours. He was able to play with J and E this weekend for about 5 hours and only needed about 6 breaks. What's more exciting is that this year, he understands and is excited. Last year, there wasn't any understanding or excitement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)