A Relief... but Also... Reality.

Yesterday's meeting was great and wonderful. But, on the other side of the coin, it was a little surreal to have a whole group of people who are experts in speech and OT and special education who were able to VERY quickly conclude through reports that Jonathan is not typical and that there are legitimate concerns.

I guess it just made it a little more "real", as did having to choose whether to continue with I&T or start him on an IEP. It was not really a decision we needed to think about. Never considered IEP an option because we are happy with what we have right now; but the very fact that I could GET him a IEP is kind of surreal. (Ben couldn't get one even with diagnosed ADHD and obvious educational impact....  best we could get was a 504 Plan)

Now, on a positive note, one of them summarized the situation as "So we have a child here who is basically really bright and kind of quirky."

He has skills that are well above his age level that they acknowledged and discussed. I haven't talked about this here at all because it's one of those things I haven't quite wrapped my head around yet, but he can read... It started little by little with a couple words here and there when he first started talking around his second birthday and just sort of blew up over the last several months. I can't explain how, but he reads signs and labels everywhere we go... animals, colors, simple books... words I don't even know he knows he pulls out of nowhere. Anything and everything.  The other day he read "Next Register Please" at the Rite Aid and explained to me that it meant that register was closed and we had to use the one next to it." (!)  He recently picked up the word "Caution" and sees it everywhere now. He dragged me into the part of our pool that is under an awning the other day because he saw a sign that said "Caution" and he wanted to know why it said that. (it was because the floor was wet)

I realize it's part of the bigger issue and is just one of those weird things about how his little brain processes things, but as I keep telling Cindy, "This? Makes up for the hard stuff."  The reading thing is probably a whole post in itself.  It's really, REALLY fascinating.

On the other hand, I had one of those "punched in the stomach" moments yesterday when Cindy and the OT came for their regular visit after the meeting.  Joanne (OT) was playing with Jonathan on the floor and I took the opportunity to ask Cindy some questions. I mentioned how when I do workboxes with him (basically self-contained play activities with a goal) it's nearly impossible to get him to deviate from whatever way I played the very first time he was introduced to the workbox. For example, we have one that is a Lego book with a car and airplane you are supposed to build. The first time we played with it, we built the cars and read the story and then I expanded the game to say we were driving and flying to Disney World. Now every single time we play, we HAVE to go to Disney World or he gets upset.  If Ben or Simon enter the game and try to change it up, he gets REALLY upset. (this is one of my big concerns about school!)

Cindy explained that it's because he memorizes "play scenarios" and can't really create new ones himself.   (This is why when he plays, he looks so "typical"... over the last year and a half she has taught him to play functionally and learning from what she has done, so have I) To get him to change the game at all, I have to force it... change up the location where we play first... then give him choices about how to play... there's a whole strategy to it.  But still, it's ME doing all the changing.

I asked, "Will he ever learn to do it on his own?"

She paused for a minute and then shook her head.... "He may not..."

So that... that's for real.

I know when people look at him, most just see a typical almost three-year-old. And in many ways he is. I have high hopes for a good school year coming up. But also worries that things will blow up in my face.

I sent the other two kids to preschool with very little concern and virtually no issues. (yes, they both had separation issues here and there and Simon had to learn to manage his temper... but for the most part, neither caused problems or needed extra attention)  I worry this may be the one the teachers can't handle... or who is always in trouble... or who the other kids constantly tattle on because his hands and feet are in their space, or he hits or kicks or reacts poorly to them.  Will he run away on the playground? Will he run from the classroom? Will he throw a fit when he can't play the way he wants to or when they make him do something he doesn't want to do?

It's all a big mystery until school starts.  No one can tell me how this is going to go. Not the psychologist. Not Cindy. No one. We just have to wait and see.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried.

I guess in the end, I'd consider it a success if all the teachers saw was a kid who is "Bright and quirky". and if they can easily handle the challenging things about J. Here's hoping I'm worrying for nothing....

Magic Word = Eligible!!!

So, we had Jonathan's eligibility meeting this morning to determine if he could still receive county services. Things were VERY up in the air as to how it would go.... thought our Kennedy Krieger report would seal the deal, but even that didn't make it a sure thing, as it turns out.

My stomach was all in knots on the way there and while we waited.

I'm not new to team meetings. We've had two or three of them for Ben. I don't think I'll ever get used to them... all serious official business and whatnot. I don't really so much do "official" and "serious business" very well. I can turn on the serious when I need to, but I'm lighthearted by nature and I think there's humor to be found pretty much everywhere. (For instance, at one point they asked, in response to a concern about him falling a lot, "Well, is his head.... very... large? I laughed. They didn't.  C'mon... that's a little funny!?) It's not that I don't take it seriously because, believe me, I do. Very much so. I just like to break up the serious with a little laughter here and there.

Anyway, so these team-people types do not tend to find me amusing. Never stops me from trying.  I just can't help it.

As usual. It was a tough crowd. Oh well.

I had been well-prepped over the last few months as to what to focus on, what to say and how to say it and I was armed with two pages of notes about concerns and issues to bring up if need be.  I had underlined the ones that specifically pertained to my biggest concern -- school,  so in case I got flustered I wouldn't be completely lost.

I didn't even have to bring them out. We were not even 15 minutes in when the guy sitting across the table from me (SLP? Psychologist? Not even sure because, truth be told, I don't always listen very well)  said the words, "Well, he'll be eligible just based on his pragmatic speech."  Don't even remember much of what was said after that because I was too busy trying to decide if I had heard him right and if it meant what I thought it did.  Right then, Cindy, who was sitting next to me, hit me under the table and I saw her smile out of the corner of my eye. I knew we were in!

It seemed to be heading in the right direction, so I didn't dare open my mouth for fear I'd say something stupid and ruin it.  After some more talking amongst themselves with very little (any?) real input from Tom and me, they ended up quickly determining that that he was eligible based on Atypical Developmental Delay.

Done and done. Sign here. Initial there. Sign here. Thanks for coming!

I put on my best "I'm a grownup!" face and walked out quietly with Tom, all the while in my head, I was hugging everyone and jumping up and down like I'd just been called to "Come on down!!!!" from the Price is Right audience.  I'll stop and let you picture that for a moment. Yeah... it's probably a good thing that only went on in my head.

Huge, enormous, two-ton weight lifted. Amazingly relieved.

So now, we can continue our services that we are currently getting --  PLUS Cindy, the psychologist, the OT, and even the SLP can go work with him/observe him at school or at home on an as needed basis. There is all kinds of flexibility as to the who, when, and where of it all.  It's perfect.  I don't have any doubt that sticking with Infants and Toddlers and the IFSP was a better option for us than moving to ChildFind and IEP.  It's what works best for us, at least for now.

I am beyond thrilled, surprised, and thankful and I feel like we hit the jackpot.

We got everything we wanted and then some. Now we have the perfect safety net/supports in place for school, which has been at the top of my worries these days. Plus, can't deny I'm ecstatic that we get to keep our beloved Ms. Cindy for at least another year! :)

She says I owe her a coffee now.  LOL! More than happy to pay up. ;) I wish I could give her a million dollars after all she's done for Jonathan over the last 18 months.

It's a great, happy ending to months of uncertainty and worry about my little guy. He's going to be okay and he's going to get everything he needs. All is well........

Sigh of relief. :)

Perfectly AWFUL!

Jonathan had yet another round of assessments from the Infants and Toddlers folks on Monday to help them decide whether or not it's time to show us the exit.

This one was with Joanne, the OT and his regular weekly teacher, Cindy. I went into it knowing he'd probably test pretty well... maybe not as well as the speech part of it, but nevertheless, too well to qualify for much, if anything at all.

At this point, I'm painfully aware that our hope for getting continued services lies in some very creatively written qualitative portions of the reports from all of our various service providers, as well as the people who make the ultimate decision having mercy on us.

MY GOSH this stuff is complicated.

Anyway... so, he woke up yesterday and was kind of "off" from the start. He has these days sometimes and actually, they are what a big part (but not all) of what makes me concerned for him starting school on his own next year. It's one thing for it to be Mommy and Me where I can be there to assist, redirect, reboot, remove, sit on, hold back, chase... whatever needs to happen. It's quite another thing altogether for a teacher to be alone with eight three-year-olds and have mine be the one running away, throwing things, refusing to sit, melting down... etc.

So yesterday, he was just "off" from the get go... he wasn't in a bad mood, really just... off... and a little defiant.

Time and time again Cindy refers to him as "self directed" which makes it sound kind of...  dare I say, nice? Just happily independent. The reality is, it's more like he really doesn't give a crap what I want him to do, he's doing his own thing and if I try to make him do something else, he is going to make my  life difficult.  But yes... we'll call it self-directed. Makes him sound less evil.

Anyway, so there were a couple meltdowns before we even left the house yesterday morning over ridiculous things like a bagel I didn't cut the right away, a button on the toaster I forgot to let him push, and when I interrupted his "self-directed" Wii dancing marathon.  ;)

He was okay when we stopped at the store but then when we ran to Walmart for a couple things, he was doing things he usually doesn't do, like trying to escape from the cart, running away and then shouting "no" when I'd tell him to come back. He was non-stop motion the rest of the morning... knocking things over, kicking and flailing when I'd pick him up, running through the house. Think tornado. Or SuperNanny.  I could just picture Jo Frost gasping at the video footage of my household at that moment and exclaiming, "This family needs my help! I'm on my way!!!"

(just an aside, I will say the errands part of my day went slightly better than last week when I tried to go to Home Depot after dropping the big boys off at school. When I pulled into the parking lot, J decided there was something about Home Depot that day that was highly offensive and/or horribly frightening and unacceptable to him and screamed and screamed until I gave up, put him back in the car and went home. But, I digress....)

To add insult to injury, he skipped his usual naptime yesterday because he simply couldn't settle down no matter how much reading or rocking we did. I kept replaying the morning in my head and wondered at what point he had gotten a hold of coffee?

Finally, I gave up and took him outside with Simon (off from school for kindergarten conferences) to wait for Cindy and Joanne to show up. I knew I was really living on the edge by daring to deviate from our Monday routine; (normally, on Cindy days, I set him up in the living room with something calm and quiet about about twenty minutes before to get him into "Miss Cindy mode") but he was so wired that I thought if I could wear him out a little it might help.  As it was, I kept reminding him while we were outside "Miss Cindy is coming soon with her friend Miss Joanne and what will we do when she gets here? We'll go inside and play with her toys for awhile....right? We'll go inside without crying? YES... we'll go inside without crying! YAY!!"

He was actually perfectly agreeable to all this... that is, until the cars pulled into the driveway at which point he waved hi to Cindy, spotted Joanne,  burst into tears and threw himself onto the lawn facedown.

Crap-freaking-tastic. I broke him again.

I took him inside and "rebooted" him with his favorite combination -- his binky, my cell phone and "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" on Youtube. LOL. What? That doesn't work for your toddler?

Thankfully, it was somewhat effective.  We let him finish his song and then he gave up the phone pretty agreeably after some initially tense negotiations.

However, he still was in weirdo mode and every task Cindy tried to do with him, he would purposely do incorrectly or flat-out destroy. If she told him to point to the airplane, he'd point to everything BUT the airplane. If she told him to match the colors, he'd put them on all the wrong ones. If she told him to hand her something, he'd throw it across the room, or hold the objects in front of his face and talk to them. At one point, she asked him to count something and he actually counted backwards.  Seriously?

It was sort of funny to watch him be so... I hesitate to say this... but ... BAD. I mean, really just plain BAD. Defiant. Difficult. Bizarre. I would have been completely mortified and frustrated were it not for the fact that he's not usually like that with her and she knows what he CAN be like and what he is really capable of. But sheesh... at one point, she put laminated colored papers down to match colored toys to and he yanked them off the carpet and just started waving them around in the air so fast neither one of us could catch them and then he threw them.  It just went on and on.

The whole thing was just kind of a train wreck, honestly.

And then he passed out in my lap -- worn out I guess from wreaking havoc on everything around him.

Luckily, a train wreck is kind of what we needed because rarely does anyone completely believe me when I say how difficult this child can be.  Don't get me wrong. He's quirky and has some sort of weird obsessions and other things... but more days than not, he's a good listener and a pretty easy and pleasant kid to deal with.

As far as the test scores from yesterday. Well, he definitely didn't score like he would have on a more typical day. And I'm THRILLED because, though this isn't how he he ALWAYS is, he does have this mode he gets in sometimes which, along with the other sort of different stuff he does sometimes,  has the potential to be a real problem next year at school and it's a HUGE part of what I've been worried about.  Also thrilled because his behavior definitely dragged down those scores (to what extent yet, I don't know) and every little bit helps when trying to convince them to give us more time...

Cindy had seen all of his most atypical (read: WEIRD) and difficult behavior before, just not often and especially not recently so I know she wasn't hugely surprised... but Joanne was really surprised. It was really,  REALLY good that both of them were at the same time to see it.  I told Cindy later I had been starting to feel like Big Bird before everyone on Sesame Street knew about Mr. Snuffalupagus. Remember how he'd always disappear when Big Bird went to go get his friends to introduce them to him? GAH!  So frustrating. (I used to yell at the screen all the time when I was kid)

Anyway, so Jonathan finally showed some of his Mr. Snuffalupagus side to someone new today. Someone else who can help us advocate to keep our support in place for next year.

I never thought I'd be so thankful to see one of my kids do badly on a test! I don't know what got into J yesterday, but I'm happy it did! (even though it was kind of a challenging day all around!) I couldn't possibly have asked for a better scenario... as weird as that sounds... he did exactly what we needed him to do! :)

Too Awesome for Speech!

Courtney, Jonathan's SLP, came out this morning to finish up his speech assessments. Today's was for articulation.

Even with my hope that he can get support going forward, I had to honestly say I really don't have any speech concerns and haven't for awhile.  His talking is really kind of amazing, especially when you consider where he started.  (see below! This was from January 2012. I can hardly even remember what this was like...)

(btw his fun new word of the week is, "Actually".  I just love hearing him talk and his sweet little voice. It never gets old... entertains me all day long and just makes me laugh! I think I may want to keep him this age forever... sigh...)

So she scored the test while she was here and yeah, no surprise, he passed with flying colors. I'm so proud of my little buddy. He has come SUCH a long way in a short time. :o) As for the ones she did two weeks ago, apparently the normal range is between 85 and 115. He scored something like 105 on one and 115 on the other one. LOL. He's just too awesome to qualify! ;)

So no doubt about it,  we are graduating from speech! YAY!

Courtney comes back in June for a check-in and then will be at the meeting we have to go to in July, but I couldn't help feeling a little little sad when she left today! It's good though. There was a time when I was honestly worried he wouldn't talk... so this really is the BEST possible outcome!

To Nap or Not to Nap...Napping Math and the Downside of Speech Days...

Here's what I mean when I say that, although I love Jonathan's speech afternoons with Miss Cindy, they have not always been so easy to fit into our days....

So today is Monday and therefore, speech day, as it has been more or less every Monday for the last dozen or so months.  Way back when we first started all this, Jonathan was taking his one and only nap at 10:30, which was odd for a 17-month-old... but it turned out to be a good thing because most parents want morning times for speech. His oddball nap schedule got us in way sooner than we would have gotten in otherwise. (at least that's what they told me). He kept that up for good three months or so after we started, so it worked well.

When he started wanting to nap a little later, I'd try to put him down by 11 or 11:30 on speech days, to have him up and put back together in time for our 1:30 appointment.  A little more challenging, but do'able.

Now, he naps at a much more conventional toddler time on a normal day... 1:30 or 2.

You can see where my dilemma comes in.

Now, if the big boys didn't have school, keeping him up until 2:15 until speech is over would be no problem because he could nap from then until whenever. But on school days, I have to leave here to get them at 3:25-3:30 or so, if I put J down at 2:15, even if he falls asleep IMMEDIATELY, I inevitably have to wake him up and that is SOOO NOT fun.

My other option is to try to nap him early, which is a crapshoot these days because he really doesn't usually get tired until at least 1.

Today I opted for early, ran him ragged this morning and he went down at 12, which ideally will give him an hour and 20 minutes of happy napping. I'm sure I'll have to wake him up at 1:20 and it will be as unfun as it is in the afternoon, but today, I think it was the better option.

So yeah,  speech is awesome. The timing? Not so awesome!!  Honestly? Sort of rooting for him to give up the nap soonish.. I know that's insane, but it will make life easier and I think I can still convince him to have "quiet time". I have been a slave to naps for like nine years on and off now and I'm kind of over it!

Relieved...

This post is probably going to be a mess. I hardly know where to start.

So, I mentioned before that we have been working on the "transition plan" for Jonathan with our Infants and Toddlers teacher, the speech and language pathologist and the OT. Recently, we also brought in the psychologist to add to the mix.

It all sounds crazy excessive if you know Jonathan these days, though it probably wouldn't have a year ago. Anyway, now,  he's super social, he's hilariously funny, he smiles and laughs, sings and dances, and talks up a storm and he's SO smart.  I really and truly don't think the majority of people, even after spending a lot of time with him, would think even for a minute there is anything different about him.

I've even wondered myself if I'm imagining things. If it weren't for the observations of his teachers to reassure me my gut instinct is right, I'd probably have just let it go by now and resigned myself to just having another quirky smart kid.  (which is fine... that's how we breed 'em over here, apparently...) We'd transition out of Infants and Toddlers in August and move on with our lives and deal with whatever we need to as it comes up, as we've done with Ben.

Thankfully, I am very much NOT alone in my thinking, and after yesterday, even the psychologist is on board that there are some things --  behaviors, language, motor planning things that are definitely NOT typical.

At this point, NO one thinks he's autistic. So that's fantastic. (not that I thought he was, but I'm happy that's not on the table anymore... because I think for awhile it was... spoken or not)

The psychologist called this afternoon to followup after observing J at school yesterday. The short story is that she sees enough social, language and motor skills red flags that she thinks that can at least qualify him under something that I think she called --  Social Developmental Atypical something or other. (I was so happy when I realized what she was telling me that I may have tuned out some of the finer details...oops...) They are also taking Ben's history into account and my worries about Jonathan being so similar to him.  (me? worried? anxious? What?!) At any rate, the gist is that this would allow for monitoring next year... meaning the psychologist would go visit him at school once a month or so and check in with his teacher and give her strategies to work with him. This would also allow for Cindy to check in with us once a quarter or so.

I can't even begin to tell you how relieved I am that he'll be able to start school with this support in place. (nothing's at all final until his team meeting in July... but everyone seems to think this is the very least we'll get... holding out distant hope for maybe a little more but we'll take this!!)

I am thrilled and really surprised. It really seemed like a lost cause. The really great thing about this plan is that if something comes up after he's three and he needs to restart full services, we're already in the system with I&T and we just pick up where we left off.

Big giant SIGH of relief. I feel like the most enormous weight has been lifted!!!

My whole goal has been to give Jonathan what Ben didn't get because I didn't know any better back then. He will benefit (and already has benefitted) from people knowing what to watch for and knowing how to help him at a very young age.

And I am so so so grateful to those who have helped Jonathan (AND me) along the way... especially Miss Cindy, who, has worked SO hard to figure out a way to help him keep getting services.  If he doesn't qualify, it won't be for lack of effort on her part, that's for sure.

It seems like God keeps sending teachers my kids' way who are not only amazingly gifted at what they do, but LOVE what they do with their whole heart.  It's beautiful and inspiring to see this in action and it brings tears to my eyes when I think about how blessed we have been this way.

So thankful. So very, very thankful.

On the Way Out...

Jonathan had his transition assessment from the speech pathologist yesterday afternoon... well, most of it, we ran out of time, so she has to come back in a couple weeks to finish. I think it's safe to say he will not qualify for speech services from the county anymore, which is fantastic... but also makes things hard, because we kind of want him to qualify for general infants and toddlers services for one more year, and speech would have been an easy one with which to qualify no questions asked because there isn't a whole lot of gray area.

I would have been surprised if he had even come close to qualifying because he does talk well these days... it was definitely a long shot. 

So anyway, at one point he was rolling around on the floor and flat out saying "No" when she would ask him to do things. He had clearly had enough -- the testing requires a lot of sitting and listening and we had been at it for about 40 minutes or so. Courtney (the SLP) said to me, "He's already beyond his age-level, but I have to keep going until he gets a certain number wrong." She tried some more, thinking they'd be beyond him and he got those too... mercifully, it finally ended when we got to a point where the question was something like, "Anna has been playing outside and is very thirsty. What should she say to her mother?" That was somewhere in the six-year-old range, if I was reading correctly over her shoulder. 

So apparently, my child who didn't say a word at this time last year, now speaks well beyond his age level, though his articulation, which is what she'll test next time she comes, is still very much that of a two year-old... he drops some sounds and doesn't use possessives and that sort of thing but that's all completely normal and age-appropriate and nothing that would raise any red flags.

She sort of apologized in advance for him probably not qualifying and said it's a shame because there's obviously something "different" about him and he's definitely quirky. I asked her to elaborate if she could and she said it's nothing she can put her finger on but that she sees enough typical two-year-olds that she can tell when something's off.  I was glad she said this and I told her so... I have been questioning my gut instinct about this lately and the most recent experience with the county psychologist REALLY made me question myself.

She did tell me to expect, if we ever pursued the psychological testing, it would most likely bring up some issues regarding his "attention".  I told her that was pretty much a given in our family. ;) 

Honestly, it's okay though... it's awesome that he has come so far in a year with his talking! And like I said, it's no surprise... we pretty much knew his language, which was what qualified him for services in the first place, was completely caught up. 

About an hour later, Cindy came for our regular session that had gotten moved to yesterday. She'll start her developmental assessments with the OT in a couple weeks. Yesterday she just let him play while we talked about what was going to happen.

Basically she prepared me for the probable scenario that even though she and I both know there's something up, the testing most likely won't show a 25% delay in any area, which is what he would need to continue services. And I think I'm okay with that... again, it's really a wonderful thing that whatever his issues are are so mild that testing wouldn't really pick them up. It just would be nice to have that sort of insurance policy for a little while as he starts school by himself in the fall.

If he were to have issues that the school notes next year,  I can always reapply for services through Child Find. Doubtful I would pursue that though. The whole point of wanting to stay with Infants and Toddlers is because it's familiar,  they come to our house, and because the people we've been working with know him so well and have seen all the same things I've seen. It has just been a really wonderful fit. I'd hate to start over with all new people and a whole new system. So, if more issues crop up, I'll probably just do what we did with Ben and go right to independent evaluation and deal with it that way. I also like that by going that route, we can choose what we want to share with the school and if we even want to share anything at all.

We talked about what I can do to try to avoid some of the social issues Ben has now... she reminded me that I really do have the skills help him keep succeeding. And I know this... it has just been so helpful to have support.

Anyway, so that's where we are. He really has come a long way in a year and I need to focus on that. I sort of wonder where we would be now if I had never called. I waffled back and forth on that so many times and considered quitting so many times early on because I felt like it wasn't helping. Now I wish I had called even sooner.   And I especially wish I had called when Ben was a baby! I didn't even know about it then... :(

Cindy's mantra to us has always been "I KNOW early intervention works." and I have to say, I have seen this for myself and it's absolutely true beyond a shadow of a doubt. Truly, if you have any concerns about any aspect of your child's development, or even if you just have a hunch something is off, just CALL them. It's all free and there's literally nothing to lose. Plus, if you live up near me, you'll most likely end up with Miss Cindy, the toddler whisperer!

Amazing what a difference a year makes!

Mixed Feelings...

Jonathan has been with the county infants and toddlers program for a year now, plus he is coming up on his third birthday, so apparently now is the time we talk about "transitioning". I'm still sort of confused as to what this entails. I thought it was pretty straight forward, that, come his third birthday, we had the choice to either stay with in-home services or switch to school-based services (going to the elementary school for speech or whatever) if he qualified.

Apparently, it's more complex than that. I think? Maybe. I don't know. Like I said, I'm confused.

So the psychologist came out to observe yesterday while Cindy was here. I think this was my choice... I think. Again. Confused. I thought the goal of it was to try and see if we could make any kind of diagnosis. But apparently, she has input into whether he continues to qualify for any services beyond age three.

I think. Maybe?

SO very confused.

So of course, yesterday he was a model child -- literally, THE quintessential 2-1/2-year-old. He socialized he spoke in full sentences, he pretend played, he initiated play, he followed directions, he answered questions like "is that a boy or a girl" and "how many are there?".

This is great. I'm thrilled this is a different child than we started with a year ago. THRILLED and totally relieved.

The psychologist seemed very matter-of-fact though that there is no way he would qualify for anything and questioned why we continued to insist on having Cindy come out to work with him.

I wasn't at all prepared to have to go on the defensive yesterday... caught me totally off guard.

Cindy explained some of our concerns... I explained some others... in a very controlled setting he IS fantastic these days. He really has made amazing strides and is, by all appearances, a typical, bright, engaging, social almost-three-year-old.

The problem is that it's not consistent. He has a lot of ups and downs; but it's going to be hard to show that because he's always good for Cindy now. They have a routine and he thrives on routine and familiarity. He's basically always good for me now... a total pleasure the majority of the time.  BUT, I know how to navigate his ups and downs and avoid triggers that might set him off.

He's usually good at school too for all the same reasons -- routine and me being there to help him navigate.

The psychologist is, of course, going to visit school and will see only angelic, normal 2-1/2-year-old Jonathan, I'm sure.

I'm discouraged because I'm afraid he's going to fall through the cracks if there are still any issues. I'm afraid it's going to all come to light again in second grade the way it did with Ben. I'm afraid I'll figuring out weird social issues all over again when he's eight that we could have been addressing NOW.

The psychologist even sort of insinuated that I was only staying with I&T because I like having Cindy come visit. Yes, seriously... because apparently I am a completely socially-deprived stay-at-home-mom desperate for adult interaction during the day. (Newsflash: I DO actually have a life! And friends! And things to do during the day! And a to-do list a mile and a half long! This year of weekly sessions with Cindy, while productive and pleasant, has not always been easy or convenient!

She even went so far as to say, "Why don't you and Cindy just meet for coffee instead?"

I was floored.

Now, don't get me wrong, I have come to adore Cindy over the last year and watching her work with Jonathan is an absolute joy. She has come into our home once a week for an entire YEAR.. how do you not grow attached?  He loves her and it's amazing how much she has taught him and gotten through to him. So yes, I do very much enjoy her visits on Mondays; but that's not my motivation for wanting to keep it up.  The easy thing would be to transition out of the program! Believe me!

I just found her comments ridiculously insulting, cold, condescending and so rude.

Anyway... so we'll see where it goes. I'm a little stressed out over it... discouraged and confused. Are there kids who need services more than Jonathan? Absolutely! But that doesn't mean my son should lose out on something that could really change things for him for the better in the future and spare him what Ben has gone through the last couple of years...

(sigh)

Bear Hunt...

Jonathan doesn't often do the motions to songs at school, usually preferring to sit back and just listen or have me move his hands around for him.

This is actually one of his IFSP goals for this year... to independently do finger plays. LOL.  The thinking is that maybe he has trouble focusing on two things at once. I think it's probably partially this and partially because he's two... none of my kids have done the finger-play participation thing 100% of the time at this age. 

At any rate, I was amused that we JUST wrote it into the IFSP goals on Monday and then on Friday, this is what happened at school. LOL!

Super cute! :o) 

Threefer Update -- school stuff

Ben:
Two days of MSA down, two to go.  "It's way better than I thought it would be, mom." he says. Still liking the extra recess, snack, and no homework aspect, of course. (I think I'm loving the no homework even more than he is!!)  He was annoyed yesterday that they gave out the teddy grahams snack to the class instead of the one we sent in, which apparently got saved for today. (We sent kids Clif Bars with assorted baked chips ... I think he really just wanted the Cheetos more than anything)

They are reading The Borrowers in reading class right now. I LOVE that book. LOVE LOVE LOVE! I need to find time to sit down and reread it along with him. Have I mentioned I love third grade? It ranks up there with first grade for my favorite elementary school year with him so far. They just do so many interesting things and things I remember from when I was in school.

He seems to me like he has gotten a little more social lately and I like that. Wish I could be a fly on the wall of his classroom sometimes...

Still no sign of the winter coat. I think it's gone for good. (sigh)

Simon:
I've started paying him off in Minecraft minutes for every sight word he can rattle off without help. Wish I'd done it months ago. He knows 57 out of 60 all of a sudden. He also brought home his first "Little Book" from kindergarten yesterday. It was called "Look" and he read it all the way through without help and without even stopping to sound words out.  YAY! Where has THIS been?! I had been a little concerned about his reading progress lately, but maybe it was all for naught.

He has been doing a little better with handwriting too -- mostly his issue is not wanting to put forth ANY effort whatsoever... but when you stand over him and make him do and redo, his writing is actually pretty age appropriate. His teacher has been tightening the reigns lately too and some papers are coming home with "second attempts" stapled to them. Hopefully we can get him whipped into shape for first grade.

The idea of Simon and first grade right now is a little bit ... um... daunting to me. I'm saying a little prayer that he gets a teacher next year who a) gets him and thinks he's funny and b) has a little boy or two of her own and c) is patient, but also has high expectations and isn't going let him get away with being lazy. I know, it sounds like a Mary Poppins request list... but  that will be the best combination for his success next year, I think. We've had good luck so far with teacher fits... so hopefully that continues.  As a mom, I live in constant fear of my kids getting the teachers who don't like/get little boys... and they are definitely out there!!

Jonathan:
I hesitate to write this, but he hasn't had a meltdown in two weeks. He has been pleasant and adorable and relatively easy. Yikes! We're coming up on one full year of our time with Infants and Toddlers and it's amazing to look back and see how far he's come in that time.

When he started with Ms. Cindy last March, he had basically NO language.  Crazy! We are opting to stay with them because why mess with what's working? He has his one-year evaluation coming up Monday and then something about Child Find coming to talk about the options when he turns three in August. We can either go to the elementary school for speech, if he still needs it. Or we can stick with services in our house. Probably going to go with the latter.

And now I need to end this because Jonathan is climbing into my lap to steal my computer. I really miss having my computer to myself... now they ALL play on it. GRRR....

Jonathan Update...

Jonathan is plugging along with speech. Cindy was here yesterday and he had a great day. It's weird how hot and cold he is... but I guess that's because he's two. She stayed awhile after his session was over to talk about our next steps. Apparently, there are all these decisions to be made and questions to be answered before he turns three.

Does he still qualify for Infants and Toddlers? Does he qualify for IEP services at the elementary school? If so we want to continue home services? Do we want to send him to the school to work with the SLP there? Are his issues even something an SLP can help with? Do we want to bring in a psychologist to evaluate him and try to label whatever is going on? Do we care? Do we want Cindy to keep coming to the house or do we want to join her preschool group?

Lordy.  All this for a kid who, to the untrained eye, has nothing wrong.  The services and options are kind of overwhelming and amazing.

What IS wrong with him? We still don't know. His expressive language is caught up and age appropriate. He talks in complex and complete sentences now, uses pronouns, all the good stuff he's supposed to do.

She has questions about his receptive language... also he still has some weird physical red flags. He leans on everything, has some head lag and is physically impulsive and sometimes dangerous to himself. I'm less worried about that stuff, honestly... but it's all part of the puzzle, so I'm told.

His skills are "scattered", meaning he has some skills that are way above his age level and some that are way below. This is apparently a red flag for a few things.

He's extremely obsessive/perserverative  like Ben was at that age (and still is to some extent). Right now, he would open and close DVD/CD players all day if I let him. It's hard to redirect him.  Also, he's very dependent on routine and shaking anything up often results in freakouts. So, there's that.

When he throws tantrums, watch out. I can see them coming now most of the time, but sometimes, the trigger is seemingly nothing at all. They are doozies... he hurts himself, throwing himself all around into walls and floors. He also has frequent night terrors like Ben used to.

Nothing we haven't dealt with before and I think ultimately, he'll just end up being smart and sort of quirky like B... but the difference is, we might actually get to find out the real WHY. It would be nice to have a name for it this time around!  I have my ideas about what it might be and so does Cindy. But we'll see what the psychologist comes up with.

So that's what's going on there... interesting and puzzling stuff!

Christmas is Coming....and more random updates!

December already? Really?  I feel like it was just July and I was sitting at the pool dreading the dead of winter... LOL.

Ah well. Here it is...

Our Elf has been busy... although some nights he is lazy and doesn't move. Drives the kids nuts, especially Simon who is the one who is really into it this year. Ben would like for the Elf to sleep in HIS room so he can see for sure if he moves in the middle of the night. That's my little skeptic!

The boys' presents are all bought and wrapped... my big ideas for an 8, 5 and two-year-old include a chemistry set, castle shaped blocks, and a dollhouse, respectively. I also got the big boys a tabletop air-hockey table to share that I think will get a LOT of use.

Ben got suddenly much more difficult to buy for this year as I realized he doesn't really have any TOYS he wants. He got a few "cool" Under Armour shirts and some other random things...

Still working on the Christmas card. That's proving ultra-challenging this year. Ben hates dressing up and smiling for pictures, Jonathan is NEVER cooperative. The only one I can ever get a good photo of these days is Simon, who turns on his winning catalog smile and pose almost every single time.

In other goings on... we're just BUSY!

Ben and Simon are still taking swim lessons on Saturdays and they are doing so well. I am encouraging Ben to do swim team at our pool club this year. He's SUPER fast, plus, I think it would be so good for him and such a confidence booster. Simon is holding his own and is now learning real strokes and can go just about all the way across the pool. I told the swim teacher to just keep us on permanent renewal for the foreseeable future. LOL.  There was a three-year-old there yesterday with another teacher who was swimming like a fish and diving down to get things off the bottom. I asked about her and the teacher told me she had had her since she was younger than 2 and that she'd always been fearless. Which means, my NEXT move is to see if OUR teacher will take on Jonathan so he doesn't give me grey hair at the pool this summer.

Here's a little video snippet from their lesson two weeks ago. They've come even farther since this one!


Simon finished up soccer awhile back. I doubt he'll play again... he just wasn't into it. Even less so than Ben was at that age. I suspect his interests may lie in more creative pursuits. Tom still wants him to try another sport, but honestly, I'd like to find him a drama class or something.

Here he is dancing on the field. ;) (I think I posted this before, but it just makes me laugh... it's SO Simon...)

Ben just started basketball on Saturday and Tom and his dad are coaching. They are seriously the BEST kid coaches I have ever seen. (when Tom and I were dating they were still coaching Tom's youngest brother's teams) So it will be fun to see how they do this season. I think it's going to be exciting! Amazingly, Ben is their second-best player! He'll be playing point-guard all season. Really, to see him play, you'd be amazed. He really has found his sport! It's just nice to see him REALLY working to be good at something... that doesn't often happen with him.

In other news. I had conferences for both boys a couple weeks ago. Can't remember if I posted about this or not, but both are doing beautifully.

Simon is doing a lot better than I thought he was!  I think this is because he is SO quiet about what he knows that neither of us really knew WHAT to expect. I knew he knew his letters, sounds, numbers, shapes...all the kindergarten screening stuff. That was all pretty solid. But it turns out, he's going great with all the reading too! He's actually fairly close, if not exactly where Ben was in kindergarten at this point and I would never have guessed that. I need to keep reminding myself that he shows it differently than Ben does and just because his interests don't lie in things that are particularly "bookish", he's still a really smart little kiddo in his own right. Add to that he's SO creative and has such a good attitude about school and everything that goes on there... just throws his WHOLE being into it all. He's just really fun. :)  We are proud of him for doing so well. :)

Ben doing some really challenging work these days. We have really gotten a handle on his attention issues and all of a sudden, he's acing everything he brings home. I get emails from his teachers all the time now about how amazed they are and what fantastic answers he comes up with. I knew he had it in him... he still complains about school and says it's boring. But I think successes are starting to build up his confidence some and that he is feeling less overwhelmed and perhaps liking it a little more.  They told me at the conference that he'll be officially GT in January. (the school's system for gifted and talented is a little screwy... they don't actually determine it officially until the middle of third grade) I had asked honestly at the conference if he needed to go down a notch to feel less overwhelmed and be happier and less anxious. But the teachers assured me he was placed correctly and was absolutely holding his own.  This was good to hear! I was prepared to sacrifice some of the academic challenge for a happier kid... but they say he's happy and thriving when he's with them so... for now, that's where we are!

He has the most wonderful teachers this year. I just adore both of them.  Both are my age, which is different for me and fun.... they send out cell phone picture updates from their classrooms sometimes. This one came from the math teacher last Wednesday. THey were doing a lesson on surveys and graphs, so they did an activity called "I Moustache You a Question". Hilarious.

The reading teacher sent out a cell phone picture on Friday of a Wizard of Oz board game they played. (they are currently reading that book) The playing pieces were a shoe, green spectacles, a giant lollipop etc... 

It just all sounds like so much fun and they seem to really enjoy the things they do with the kids. Makes me want to be in third grade again!

The little one... OHHHHH the little one. (sigh) He is so hard. He's so defiant sometimes. He thinks everything is a game. He got out of his bed 47 times yesterday afternoon at naptime. Every time I told him to go back to bed he would just laugh and laugh. I have NEVER in my years of parenting experienced this. I have to up my discipline level for sure... I don't think he is ever going to be easy.  He's great at school... listens well, so maybe there is hope. But sometimes at home, I am just at the end of my rope.

On the bright side, he is sweet and cute and so funny. (which probably doesn't help)

Speech is coming along by leaps and bounds. We had the speech pathologist here on Thursday, who only comes once a month, and she is just amazed every time she comes at the progress he has made since her last visit. The OT, who is coming now and again for a little while, even said he is basically caught up. The day she visited him to observe at school, she thought he was right there with the rest of the class, and was amazed he sat happily at the table and patiently did the cooking activity. She said that's not really typical of a child his age to sustain their attention that long on something like that. She told me to be sure to keep pushing and fostering this side of him because it's a strength and obviously something he enjoys. He does love his art/creative time, for sure... I think I have another free-spirited artsy one here! (oh and we're 90% sure he's another lefty!!!) So maybe when he grows up,  in between jumping off cliffs and out of airplanes, he'll be my little artist. ;)

Here he is with his feather headband he made for Thanksgiving. (and Simon with a crown he made here at home... they are so funny together these days!) He sat at the table and carefully chose every single feather and where to put it. He was SO proud it and wore it for two straight days.

So there's my monster update... which I got typed because Jonathan slept until the late hour of 6:50 this morning. LOL. That never happens. He's almost always up by 6 these days. (yawn)

Anyway, onward to Sunday and a Christmas photo and possibly a Santa visit... or maybe just laying around the house. We'll see where the day takes us. :)

My Tax Dollars at Work...

Jonathan's speech teacher has wanted to bring in an occupational therapist to look at him for months now, claiming he has low tone, a weak core, he doesn't always protect himself when he falls and he lacks the motor planning to be able to stop himself when he runs.

If he were not already working with Cindy, I honestly never would have done anything about this because I never would have known.  It's really subtle and until you know what to look for, you really wouldn't notice.  Yes,  I had my doubts... but I've started to see what she means.

So the OT came out yesterday to join us for Jonathan's regular speech session. Her name is Joanne. She's really sweet and Jonathan took to her right away too, which is always nice.

It wasn't more than a couple minutes before she saw all the things Cindy has observed and explained them to me in further detail and what we can do to work with him. She said he's interesting because all of his issues are easy to miss because he has such great gross motor skills and is such an adept climber. But when you look closely, he'll do things like still support himself with one hand when he is playing on the floor, or fall over when pushed gently instead of tensing up his middle to stay upright.

Interesting stuff.  Sooooo, she'll be joining us for school in a couple weeks to work with him on the playground one day. Fun!

We have her enlisted for six sessions total to work with him and give us strategies for things we can do when we play with him to strengthen his core and teach him how to play less impulsively (always assuming someone will be there to catch him) and more safely.

Anyway, so she was working on her paperwork and getting ready to leave when Jonathan wandered off and picked up my phone. He pulled up Gangnam Style on YouTube and started dancing. Now, I haven't gotten this on video yet because he always quits on me, but he dances every bit as well as Simon. And it's not just that song either. He knows the choreography so all his favorite songs on the Wii game Just Dance. It's very, VERY funny. So he was doing this -- lasso-ing, galloping... all completely in rhythm. She OT put her pen down, stopped what she was doing and just watched. "Does he do this all the time? This is amazing!"

Her biggest observation was that some of the developmental motor milestones he doesn't seem like he has hit under normal circumstances (doing separate things with his hands was one.... getting both sides of the brain working together), he DOES while he's dancing.

She told me I should see if I could find a dance class that would take him... and to let him play the Wii Dance game lots because it's really good for the issues he has.

Once again, music is the thing that is the way to get him to progress.... I have to think this is going to play into his future somehow. LOL!

Pleasantly Surprised....

The speech pathologist paid Jonathan her monthly visit this afternoon. I had been dreading this because the LAST time she came, he was NOT at all cooperative. He tried to dive out of his highchair and run away... there was tons of screaming and lots of tears. Ultimately, she worked with him on the kitchen floor with his regular teacher holding him. That day, he used a handful of words with her... I think "pop" "bubble", "more" and "my turn", if I remember correctly.

I felt like the SLP was just NOT as forceful as she needed to be. Our regular teacher takes charge and Jonathan knows now that she ALWAYS wins. The SLP is a little bit timid... Jonathan steamrolls over timid and he can smell it a mile away like a dog smells fear.

Anyway, so I had my concerns about how today would go and I was prepared to play the role of our regular teacher and keep things on track. As it turned out though, I didn't really need to.

I waved her into the house from the front door. Jonathan and I were already playing on the family room floor. This is a trick we have discovered works for the regular weekly visits from the other teacher. Something about not having the transition of getting up to answer the door and then start playing seems to help. Anyway, so he actually smiled at her and shared what he was coloring. Then she jumped into her routines with him -- a dog puppet who eats various kinds of foods he has to name, a couple turn-taking games, some wind-up toys he had to command to do things and a few other activities. He was happy and cooperative the ENTIRE time.

He used words and phrases and asked for things on his own. He did everything she said to do.

She looked at me at one point and said, "Wow. He's like a different kid!"

I know, this is what WE keep saying too! Amazing....

Seriously  a-Freaking-MAZING. The combination of weekly visits plus TIME has made a world of difference.

Today he even started using even longer phrases than before... "Kitty, come back here! Pet kitty!!!"   "Daddy is HOME. Hi, Daddy!" "Mom move. Want computer!"

It's all very exciting! :) :)

Monday Speech...

Totally forgot to update about speech yesterday!

So Cindy said she was really pleased with how well J is handling school. Now that we have caught onto his affinity for routine and pictures to anticipate what's next, she encouraged me to just keep working with that. Her only other specific input about school was to discourage others from caving to him at his first squawk of dissatisfaction. when he's not using words. For example, the day she was there, he was playing with the fence pieces to the barn and one of his classmates came by and grabbed one. The mom immediately took it from the little girl and gave it back to him, which I think, is what most moms would do in that situation. I'm supposed to try to intervene and not let them give it back until he uses words to address what's wrong. That will be exhausting, but all things with good rewards are.

Her only other observations were the aforementioned issues with his coordination. She brought this funky inflated pillow thing for him to sit on yesterday and makes him adjust his balance to stay sitting up. (I tried it and it's quite the challenge!) I agreed to her bringing in an occupational therapist to help us set up a "sensory diet" (jargon alert!) which will basically be a toddler obstacle course. So yeah, our house is going to be toddler heaven for awhile, I'm thinking.

Interestingly, I was reading through the handouts she left us yesterday and there are apparently two types of sensory integration issues kids can have -- either overly sensitive to things or not sensitive enough to things. It seems I had one of each in Ben and Jonathan! Reading through the list of overly sensitive kid issues, Ben had almost every single one at J's age. Jonathan, on the other hand, lacks a sense of his body's place in space, so to speak, which makes him clumsy. He doesn't even seem to feel pain the way average people do in that, he will NOT cry when he gets hurt unless he gets REALLY hurt. Anyway, all just interesting stuff.  (I'm realizing I may have missed yet another calling in life as I am sort of envying Miss Cindy's job these days!)

She's also helping us put together a book with pictures of everything he uses, asks for and needs on a regular basis. He uses words to ask for things specifically now which is great,  but this has something to do with helping solidify the idea in his head of getting someone's attention to ask for something specific rather than just randomly yelling it into the air without initiating a conversation with someone. So I'm slaving away on collecting pictures of everything in his life and we'll eventually categorize it and put everything on velcro in this little binder thing. :)

Also, I'm thinking I need to invest in my own personal laminating machine. LOL. Sheesh.

So that's that. Today was a relatively good day at school which only some mild transition issues. He got to ride bikes int he big room and he was SO happy!!! I love school.... :)

Worlds Collide...

A few weeks ago, Jonathan's speech teacher mentioned wanting to come to J's class and observe him in that setting.  (this is not unusual for the Infants and Toddlers teachers to do, so I knew it would happen eventually) We finally set a day and it was this past Friday.

My stomach was all in knots because I have a hard enough time some days with Jonathan and his transitions between activities without throwing a familiar face but in the wrong place into the situation.
I thought he might freak the way he does when he wakes up from his nap and encounters my mom instead of me. (even if I'm right there too)

When we walked in, his teacher mouthed, "She's here" and pointed to the corner where Ms. Cindy was turned completely around. I chuckled at that and set about getting Jonathan settled in. Eventually Cindy wandered over to another corner and just sat down in plain sight. Jonathan played for a good ten minutes or so and didn't even notice her there.

Finally, when I felt like he was fairly comfortable, I pointed her out. He grinned from ear to ear and ran over to the play kitchen, where he dug out the hotdog (one of his favorite toys Miss Cindy brings with her when she comes to our house every week) and took it to her. Then, he put a pretend doughnut on his head and "achoo"ed it off, the way she does when she plays with him.  After that, he went back to play with the hotdog with her and she gave him a bear hug. This back and forth went on for all of the freeplay time.  It was all too cute.

Her visit timing was fortuitous because, verbally, he was really showing off that particular day. I overheard him tell Miss Sally, "Horse in! Cow in!" while they were playing with the barn. She looked over at me and raised her eyebrows and mouthed something like, "He's never done that for me!"  The thing is, he really does talk a LOT these days and says anything and everything, including phrases. He just doesn't do a whole lot of it at school...he also doesn't engage other people a whole lot at school,  so his chattiness and playfulness came as a surprise for all of us.  He kept it up for most of the class and even sat happily for snack, which he rarely does!

Cindy's biggest spoken concerns that day (she took a TON of notes while she was there but I won't hear about the rest of it until Monday when she comes over) were about his motor planning... she is still sort of thinking he has some body awareness/core strength issues which means he has trouble stopping himself and, consequently, lands on his face a lot and/or runs smack into people or objects. Years ago, they would have just said he was klutzy. Now, he's got "low muscle tone". Part of the cure is, she tells me, to build him obstacle courses out of couch cushions and whatnot... seeing as how winter is coming and this is usually part of my go-to entertainment routine, this will not be a problem.  LOL. Among my concerns for him, this one ranks very low, but I like and trust Cindy a lot now -- she is working so hard for us and we are seeing such amazing results, that I pretty much go along with whatever she says these days.

Anyway, interesting day all around... I felt a little, no a LOT self conscious being watched with Jonathan the whole time, but I tried my best to block it out and focus on him. I always feel like you look dumber when you are acting self conscious than when you just throw your whole self into enjoying an activity with your child and forgetting who's watching. Easier said than done and the effort exhausted me, but I did my best. I don't know how teachers handle parent observations days and whatnot. I would be a wreck.

I'll be interested to see what other thoughts and observations she shares with me on Monday. She did say before she left that she thought he was doing really well there (I gather, better than she expected) and would continue to do even better as he gets more and more into the routine.  All good things! :)

Jonathan is 25 Months Old!

Dear Jonathan,

Today you are 25 months old!

I have to say, I am really enjoying your company these days. You are so happy and fun and silly!
The combination of the big brothers going back to school and you finally talking has made an amazing difference.

You have become a RIDICULOUS early bird. Most mornings, you are up at 6:30, sometimes even earlier. I can't be annoyed for long though because as soon as I hear the thud of your feet hit the ground, the next thing I hear is "thumpthumpthumpthumpthumpthump" as you run full speed down the hall, which always makes me laugh. I meet you at the top of the stairs and you grin and lift your arms to be picked up over the baby gate.

Your morning routine is cute too. First, you run to the refrigerator and ask for "juice". (way more pleasant than the whining there used to be). You'll even specify which color juice you want now. Sadly, you've become sort of anti-milk, but I've been so excited you were asking for juice by name, I've overlooked that. Gotta try to get that back on track this month. ;)

After juice, you thumpthumpthumpthump to the living room (still at top speed... this is pretty much your only speed, really) and ask for "bets", which is your word for the Leapfrog Alphabet movie. For awhile there it was "The Lorax" instead, and we all had to watch it 42,000 times. I'm grateful for a replacement, although this one is getting old quickly too.

Once you are settled in with juice and bets, (and duck and binky) I don't hear from you for awhile because, though will not admit it, you are still half asleep. This is the time I use to pack the big boys' lunches for school. ;)

School! School was rough for the first couple days there... you didn't like the transitions between activities. Now you are understanding the flow though and you love it and I love taking you. Your favorites there right now are the kitchen set (because it has a sprayer like mommy's kitchen sink), the fake food, the wooden blocks, the dry erase board, painting and, of course, the playground. Can't get enough of the playground, which is probably why snack (which directly  follows the playground) is still a little dicey sometimes. :)

The other shoe finally dropped on your fantastic eating, by the way. (probably a combination of "it's just that time" and the fact that you are drinking way more juice than you should) I rarely get a decent dinner into you anymore and you now shun things you loved -- yogurt, applesauce, chicken. Lunch is my only hope for most of your nutritional needs these days... even breakfast is kind of iffy. Bah.

Your speech has taken off in ways I found it hard to imagine it ever would as recently as even six months ago! You can say anything and everything... you repeat everything. You ask for things by name and you even use some consistent phrases! "I want that", "Don't cry" "Help me", "My turn." To say it has improved our lives would be an understatement!

We have discovered you are a super routine-oriented kiddo... basically any change at ALL throws you for a total loop and sends you spiraling into possessed toddler/pea soup mode. The fun part is that you can get locked into a routine after only doing something ONCE. So I have to be careful ALL DAY LONG that I don't do/say/give you anything I don't want to have to do/say/give you any other time we are in a given situation. It's nervewracking sometimes!

Your napping has become a dream... on days when I don't have to wake you up to be somewhere, you'll take almost three-hour afternoon naps. Ahhhhhh... even better, just this past week. You have started letting me rock you until you are almost asleep. You wouldn't even let me do this when you were an infant once you had finished eating. Truly... this is the first time EVER I've gotten to do this with you and I am loving it!

For the most part, little manner, you are a joy! The older you get, the easier and more fun you are. So far, so good on our third round of the terrible twos ride. ;)

See you next month JJ, Johnny Applesseed, Sillyboo!

Love,
Mommy :)

Speech Day!

... and I'm so excited to show Miss Cindy Jonathan's new trick!
If you ask him who Jonathan is, he answers "Me!" while pointing to himself. So ridiculously cute.

His vocabulary has taken off now to include almost entirely spontaneous word usage and TONS and TONS of verbs. He is also starting to do the two-word phrase thing a little more regularly. (though still not all the time) Still no family names though... I'll be very excited when that day comes. I really want see how he is going to say his brothers' names! :)


ETA: Yay for a good speech day. Well, after I almost made it a bust by switching up Jonathan's usual "speech" seat (his highchair) with his booster seat. He said a ton of new words, finished some fill in the blank sentences -- she'd say, "This is a _____ " and hold up an item. He said star, bus, boy, ball, snake, car, ice cream, hotdog, girl, sock and dog during this game! He used the phrase "I want" and learned a total new word, "gear". She also worked on his M, B, P, N, L sounds. He still can't do N or L at all.. but did a great job with the others. :)  So fun!

Talky Tuesday...

Speech on Tuesday was different. The speech and language pathologist came with our regular teacher and Cindy let the SLP take the lead.

This would be all well and good, except that the SLP is not particularly firm or forceful with Jonathan. And frankly, he kinda needs firm and forceful sometimes. You really can't give him an inch. She also didn't move quickly enough to keep his attention. The regular teacher is constantly switching out the toys on him and while she's organizing what to do next, she keeps him engaged with her very excited, "WOW!!! What's IN here?!?!??!" and super exaggerated facial expressions and whatnot.   The SLP would turn her back and take her time digging through the bag... meanwhile, Jonathan was attempting to dive out of the highchair. He also whined and cried a ton, which he doesn't do for Cindy at all anymore.

(sigh)

Finally, they put him on the floor and Cindy took a little more control of the situation. This was when crazy fun new progress happened and he started repeating 2-3 word phrases! "Want that one", "Hold that", "Have that" and "My turn!"  He really got the hang of turn taking and we've been practicing it a TON. This is well-timed, seeing as how school is starting Tuesday.

After the teachers left together (but in separate cars), I immediately picked up the phone and called our regular teacher on her cell to BEG her to not send the SLP to us alone EVER. She just isn't going work for Jonathan... he's going to steamroll right over her and we'll get nothing done. She laughed and agreed that she needed to accompany her the next few times she comes for sure until she gets the hang of how Jonathan operates.  Thank goodness the SLP is only once a month, because I couldn't handle her more often than that. Super nice and all... but wayyyyy too timid and quiet to be dealing with toddlers, especially ones that are already easily frustrated. LOL.

Speech Update....

Another speech day for Jonathan. Today it's his regular teacher plus the speech pathologist. Apparently, there is a subtle difference in what they do/look for. Specifically, his teacher told me that the SLP will be listening for things like whether he drops the beginning sounds of words, (which he does -- "No" is "oh", for instance) and then will hone in on the issues and work on fixing them. The teacher just works on getting him to say word approximations... basically any attempt will do.

Also, his regular teacher just got back from a big conference and wants to use Jonathan as her guinea pig to try out a new technique she learned. I told her to go for it. I forget what it's called, but it involves me taking a LOT of photos of everything he encounters in a day.  Anyway, all in the name of science. Sounds fun.

No dice on the other little preschool. Because of how the program is set up, he would absolutely have to do both days. So... we'll see how Two and You goes. At least I know the county program is always a possibility if regular preschool were to be a miserable failure this year, which neither of us foresee, but you never know. I keep reminding myself he is SO young. This late-ish birthday thing is going to be a monkey on my back for several years, I think. I mean, not only is he a boy, which automatically puts him at a disadvantage, but he has a speech delay and is on the hyperactive end of things. If I keep him on the school track for which he is technically eligible, he'll forever and ever be the absolute youngest in his class. Knowing him, I just keep thinking this is setting him up for failure... behavior issues from not being as mature as most of his classmates, mostly.  But, we have some years to consider it and see how he is. It's just on my mind a lot lately.

This is not to undermine the progress he has made, which is substantial... or the progress I'm sure he WILL make in the next six months or so, which honestly should get him basically caught up to his same-age peers. He's really coming along well.

It's just hard to not compare him to his brothers at the same point in the year... and I have to keep reminding myself that they were five months and 3-1/2 months OLDER than him in September of the year they were two years old and even those few months are so huge in terms of development.  If I compare him to Ben at the exact same age, there's isn't a whole lot of difference. I have to take Simon out of the equation though because holy geez that kid was a talker. I had kind of forgotten the extent of how much he could say until I stumbled upon a blog post of mine for him the other day and had to double check the date to make sure it was actually his second birthday I was reading about. He was just in a totally different ballpark that way...  Three kids down and I still can't get over the whole "inborn timetable" thing...  how they just do what they'll do when they are ready and how not much you do can really change much about the "when".