Thx, Mom

I do what any doting Mom would do and praise my son for good behavior, accomplishments and anything else that isn't objectionable behavior.  So when Elliott brought home a leaf wreath, I proudly hung it over the mantle and told him how beautiful it is.  His response: " thanks, Mom."  In fact, he's taken to saying this almost every time I offer praise.  But strangely, it's hard to accept this as polite behavior (where would he have learned that from?) and instead it feels like he is above my praise and simply appeasing me.  And if he could write, I'm certain it would be spelled "thx".

I love Rachel more than...

A proclamation of love that only a Kindergartner can say with true passion:

"I love Rachel more than SkyZone."  - Jonah

Jonah's First Allowance!

Jonah was very excited to learn that if he wanted money, he could do chores to earn an allowance.  We set up a very simple chart (drawn by Jonah) illustrating two tasks he is supposed to do (but needs constant reminding) every day.  #1: clear your plate after every meal, and help clear the table after dinner.  #2: pick up your clothes every time you get dressed, and help put away your clean clothes from the laundry.

Since Friday, this has been going very well.  Jonah has been eager to help, even to the point of taking dishes from his brother (who thought helping looked like fun!) so he could get the allowance, and not Elliott.

After only 3 days (to set Sunday as payday), we rewarded Jonah with his efforts: one quarter for each task done well.  He was so proud and excited to put his two quarters into his money bank.  At bedtime he was too tired, but told me we would discuss his allowance in the morning.  He's already scheming ways of getting more!  (Apparently doing a good job - even for only 3 days - deserves an extra 25 cent tip.)

In which Mom finally understands (sometimes)

Elliott's speech has been incredibly difficult to decipher.  "Wawa" can be either "Jonah" or "water" depending on the context.  To be fair, with a very discerning ear, "Jonah" has a slightly different sound, edging toward "wowa".  Still, there is typically a lot of hand waving, pointing and context required to understand what he is saying.  I'm certain his vocabulary is hundreds of words at this point, even though I can only comprehend a handful on a regular basis.

Yes, we are seeing progress, albeit slow.  And I've lately found greater confidence in grasping his meaning on most occasions.  So although we are both still frustrated with trying to hold a conversation, the frustration/fussing is getting less and less as the pronunciation/comprehension is improving.

Who is this Kid?

Elliott has been experiencing a bit of a renaissance of late, one which was clearly illustrated today.  He has always been a very serious and overly-cautious kid.  I chalked this up to being a chip off the old block.  But recently, he's become a very silly, energetic mover-and-shaker.

Today's examples: Elliott has thus far refused to go in the bathtub, so we've been using the infant/toddler tub, even at nearly 2-1/2!  Today, PopPop and Cailin brought him upstairs for bath, and he dove right in and had a fabulous time "swimming" like a pro!  In the evening, he even jumped right into the kiddy pool with Jonah to horse around and had a complete blast.  Sure, this is behavior one might expect from a 2.5 year-old - but I have never seen it from Elliott until today!

Jonah's Good-Night Mantra

We hear this - verbatim - every time we put Jonah to bed, just before leaving his room:

"Remember to leave my door open a crack.  And leave Elliott's door open a crack.  And come check on me and check on Elliott.  I will be asleep in 2 minutes, and Elliott will be asleep now, or maybe not.  And you can check on me when you think it's a good time."

YMC

Jonah has been learning new songs in school lately.  No longer does he come home singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" or "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" (not that those were ever favorites... just sayin').  No, last week he came home repeatedly singing "YYYYYYYYYYYYYY MC!"

Nailed it.

After much arguing and several viewings of the Village People on YouTube (linked in case you need a refresher) he now has it down pat and even added "it's fun to stay at the..." for a bit of variety.

This week's song: "Copa Banana!"  ???

Come, Sit!

Elliott is getting much better at telling us what he wants.  For example, pulling your pant leg (forcibly) and then patting the floor/couch means, "sit here!"  I hope he learns the words before I dragged all over the house!

Now Enrolling: Fall 2017

Short story:
After many tours and much deliberation, we enrolled Jonah and Elliott in a new school for next fall!

Long story:
We've started to have some misgivings about daycare.  Nothing serious, but it is becoming more and more clear that their bottom line comes first and the children second.  Education is a distant third.  Kids are constantly shuffled between rooms to make quota.  Our flexibility and perks have also been declining with the new administration - our sibling discount decreased and we were charged a boatload extra just for switching which 3 days the kids attended for one week.  During parent-teacher conferences, Jonah's teacher seemed particularly discontent with the way things are run.  Case-in-point: for BOTH kids' teacher conferences, we were double-booked with another family!  That gave us time to observe the 32 kids in Jonah's classroom and the chaotic play during the scheduled circle time.

In our town, preschools open enrollment for the following year in OCTOBER.  Yikes!  Add to that pre-enrollment for current families, and it starts to feel competitive to get one of the few remaining spots before they fill up!  We looked at Montessori, which I wanted so badly to love, but I couldn't see Jonah - a very social learner - working quietly by himself.  Elliott would fit right in, but what is the point in telling a toddler he can only play work with something in one particular way?  Apparently I value creativity more than I do the very beautiful and sophisticated math manipulatives.  So we found a preschool that offers play in the mud (Jonah's favorite past-time), field trips to the library (I've always thought that was a super cute way to teach responsibility), and a kindergarten curriculum.

Yes, we are those parents pushing Jonah into an academic program to challenge his little brain.  And so, at the age of 5, Jonah will start his first of two years of kindergarten, since he still won't qualify for first grade when he turns 6.  Elliott will go along for the ride to preschool when he turns 2.9 in October.  Oh, and school gets out at 2:30.  Mommy and Daddy are going to have to figure out the rest...

Audiology Part Deux

Elliott passed his second attempt at the hearing test!  Yay!!!

Mommy Didn't Take Care of Him

We had a lovely outing at the zoo today, but I was shocked and somewhat alarmed by the small comment that seemed to stick with Jonah throughout the visit and back home.

During our visit, I casually read a sign about a baby kangaroo, who's mother wasn't caring for it in the wild, so they are acclimating it to life at the zoo.  A few hours later Jonah asked to go back to see it.  And at dinner it was the one thing he told Dad about his trip.

I can only image how traumatic the idea would be to a small child, to be abandoned by his mother!  I hope it doesn't cause poor Jonah distress to have this thought in his very impressionable brain.

OW-WL

Every day PopPop asks me for the word of the day.  Sometimes it is a stretch to fashion a word out of a few sounds, but today it was very clearly: au(-e)l  Elliott couldn't have pronounced it any more clearly - which brings to question how clear the Merriam-Webster pronunciation actually is.

This was followed by a long "whoo" contest between Elliott and Jonah.  Elliott's was the soft "ooo" of a barn owl, while Jonah preferred the loud "WHOOOT" of a screech owl.

...Or From Me

EI is going well.  A total waste of higher education for the "developmental specialist" to sit and play with my 21-mo old for an hour a week, but they both seem to enjoy it.  Elliott even greets her excitedly and goes straight to their spot at the table to play.  I'm sure he relishes the 1-on-1 time I can rarely give.

At the end of the session, we often discuss the progress Elliott has made in new sounds and words, following directions, etc.  His therapist is quick to take credit, even when I've seen a behavior at home or at school before.  Ah, enjoy your success!  I do hope your hour a week is making a difference.

RIP Starbuck Ferret 2008-2016

With sad hearts we laid Starbuck to rest under the old spruce in the backyard.  Starbuck had a wonderfully long life and was well loved.  We will all miss her!

Jonah took the news pretty well, or maybe it just wasn't quite as I expected.  He did a fantastic job of trying to cheer Daddy up by telling him: "I have an idea!  We can go to the pet store and get a NEW ferret!  Or you don't have to get a ferret... you could get a cat or a dog if you want to.  Is that a good idea?"  Later, when Dad was outside digging the grave it seemed to sink in a bit with a tearful, but assertive: "I don't want Starbuck to be buried!  After nap I'm going to go outside and dig her up!"

Perhaps I should have been concerned by this display of hurt, but rather, I was strangely relieved that he showed some emotion over the matter.  I do hope telling the truth was the right thing to do.

A First Foray into Audiology

To check things off the list of possible factors for speech delay, Elliott had a hearing exam today.  Unfortunately, it wasn't as simple as checking the box for hearing impairment:
     o NO

The hearing exam was well set up for a little guy, so I was glad to have chosen the children's hospital over the local audiologist from the town rehab hospital (who, I am sure, excels at hearing aids).  They had a special room for Elliott to sit in my lap and play with toys while speakers played at various frequencies and volumes.  When he looked up to see from where the sound was coming, he was rewarded by a TV screen or animatronic pig turning on.  It was enough to keep my interest, let alone a toddler!  Add to that the technician, who played with toys to keep him focused between the audio distractions - but not so focused he would miss the cues from the speakers.  Not a very controlled scientific endeavor, but well orchestrated to minimize the random chaos inherent in the test subject.

So the troubling part was that Elliott appears to be missing some mid-to-high range of sounds in both ears.  Possibly a fluke, whim or the day, fluid obstruction, etc... but left the results inconclusive.  Even more strangely, I remember having similar results at a hearing test when I was young.

Now because his ear drums were restricted we have to follow up with our primary to check for water in his ears (why no one at a children's medical center is qualified to do this is beyond me).  And we get to do the hearing test again in a couple months.  Sigh.

Early Intervention

We took the pediatrician's advice (or rather, accepted his confirmation of my concern) and set up an evaluation for Elliott with Early Intervention.  Sure enough, he qualified for services for his speech delays.  This took four highly-educated staff members 2 hours and reams of paperwork to evaluate.  Surely, any 20-mo old who doesn't even say Mama or Dada would?

I hate that I'm that person who thinks the whole thing is ridiculous and a total waste of resources, while at the same time taking the free help being proffered.  I'm certain Elliott will be fine and just doesn't have interest in speaking at this time.  Everyone reminds me that Einstein didn't speak until he was 4.  Probably didn't find anything worth saying until then.

FirstBike

Jonah has truly mastered his balance bike and has become a bit of a trickster.  He loves to take tight corners and go over speed bumps wherever he can find them.  He rides to kid's club, the library, church, and even all the way to school (once)!

Today our neighbor gave Jonah his boys' old 16" two-wheeler and Jonah could ride it without training wheels right away!  He was pretty nervous and could barely touch the ground, so starting and stopping need some work, but he certainly had the balance down pat.  Way to go Jonah!

Who's the toddler?

I hate that I keep looking over and wondering who that kid is toddling through the house, playing by himself, and being so awfully good!  The squeaky wheel definitely gets the grease in this house (hmm... Jonah!)  Elliott is so self-sufficient.  He plays quietly, stacking blocks to knock down and rebuild, trying hard to fit puzzle pieces, and driving trains over bridges and through tunnels.  Some of these skills I hardly knew he had until I started taking a moment to watch him play.  And I can leave him in his crib, high chair, or stroller and he makes not a peep to let me know he's done or wants to come out.

His development seems to be passing right under my nose, as I keep looking for the "milestones" of walking and talking.  Well, he is finally walking with some confidence and will choose to walk instead of crawl in most cases.  And he is trying to talk, but most of the sounds are incomprehensible and frustrating for him when I don't understand.  It's hard to say he really has any words in his vocabulary, since I haven't even heard "Mama" in a while.  But he knows what he wants, and is happy to shake his head "NO" with great emphasis at almost every suggestion!

Speed!

Elliott loves speed!  (I would say he's a daredevil, except walking seemed to scare him a little.)  We were out riding bikes, and he loved to race Jonah on his Big Bobby Car.  Thanks to PopPop for the tip to add a tow rope!  It was still a lot of work to keep him moving sufficiently quickly to garnish a smile.  When we did stop for a rest, he got off and climbed on the scooter!  Jonah reluctantly gave Elliott a turn, and he thought he was hot stuff cruising down the street!  I hope I haven't set an unreasonable expectation for my 15month-old that he can ride the scooter at will...

Family Teethbrushing Party

I finally gave up on the finger brush and gave Elliott a kids' toothbrush (for the safety of my finger).  He has been loving to climb up on the stool at the sink and brush his own teeth beside his brother!  I have to fight for a turn to help make sure his teeth get brushed... he takes great ownership and pride in his little green toothbrush!