Thursday, July 21, 2011

What we did in the beginning of July

The 3 day weekend

Lovely July starts with a 3 day weekend which I am very excited about ‘

Some of our couple friends come over and its very nice

They comment on how much R talks now .

Indeed I need to constantly remind myself that his talking is such a great gift.

Just 2 years ago we wondered if he would ever talk

Intuitively he knows that I am going to leave for a 3 day business trip on Tuesday and is stuck to me constantly ( though I now theorize, that he is actually paying attention to when DH and I talk and so he knows I am leaving before I make a schedule)

In the evening I decide to take a walk and usually R wants to stay behind but this time he insists on coming with me

I love his company and tell him so.

I love love love talking with him

Many of my questions go unanswered, he only answers the ones that are interesting to him

In the trail around the cabin, someone has parked two cycles

R points to them and says excitedly “ride a bicycle”

I reply “ They are not ours “

R bargains “First walk, then bicycle

I reply "No bicycle, they are not ours , why do you want to cycle ?"

R replies “ Exercise

We stop several times to look at the setting sun from different angles

R says “yellow circle”, “red circle “( very true)

He looks at a cabin ( which is much smaller than ours but has the whimsical name “kiss the moon” and so we all like it a lot – this is in sharp contradiction to other cabins that have been titled. "kiss me goodnight” – too coy even for me . Allison’s dream – cool but only if you are Alison , Sand-al’s – where is the sand ?)

He says “ I want to live in Kiss the moon”

He smells leaves

And when I ask him why , he replies “ Leaves smell pretty

The child is so interesting .

One of my friends said that the greatest gift a parent can give to a child is to be interested in them, who they are

This is true ,

But sometimes I think this may also be the greatest gift you give yourself. 

As being truly interested in your child ( in fact in all your loved ones ) is a sure way to enjoy them.

Business Trip

I leave on my work trip and as is R’s usual behavior – he does not sleep the night before

DH and I have gone to bed late as we have to take care of a lot of things since I wont be home the next three evenings –

so we are none to happy when R is awake 12pm -3am  and then in a few hours its time to wake up and drop me to the airport

I hand R the schedule

Now that the time for me to leave is actually on us, R is fine.

He is like me, in that, he dreads unpleasant future events so much, that he experiences them much before they actually happens.

So when the event actually happens he is already halfway through it

While I am on my trip , we talk on Facetime on our Ipads for the first time ever and its lovely .

I LOVE technology – I sing songs to R and he demands I sing “Dancy dancy dance “.

 He keeps trying to get me to sing more songs though its time to leave and I am loath to end the call, so hungry I am for how he dances around the room giggling in excitement

Reading

We have been really working on comprehension skills with R .

Like many hyperlexic kid, R could read by himself at 3.

However being able to read does not mean, being able to comprehend

He is tutored for 2 hours everyday on this

He is getting so addicted to books.

He is as excited about going to the library as most children would be about going to a toy store

We discovered a new series of books. "My numbers books" by Jane Moncure.

These books are very childish . But that is where his level is and so they are perfect for him

He spreads them around and enjoys them tremendously , gloats over them in fact



He talks about the museums a lot ( yes the same museums in New York that he was so lackadaisical about).

With his therapist, - and then he wants to say something about the Statue of Liberty, but he is not able to articulate it properly.

So Gypsi  hands him a white board  and he draws this .. he went to see the Statue of Liberty with his Papa

I am so delighted with the picture , DH could literally use it as his passport picture ( almost)

Miss Gypsi shows him books and makes him describe pics

He is finally starting to get this and describes the emotions correctly ( rudimentary emotions )

Like in the following picture - the two characters have gone outside and are having fun playing in the rain - but the sun comes out and they are sad

R identifies correctly that they are sad becasue the rain has ended

Outside time  

Though its hot and sweaty outside, R loves to be outside these days

He also has taken to wandering around the front yard.

The other day he was off to visit Matt, his therapist's fiancee. His house has a lot of coke and sprite and clearly R think this makes Matt, king.And us, mere peasants.

One day he is pestering DH to take him to Kroger to "meet coke and sprite"

When DH tells him exasperatedly that he should just go by himself, R sets off ,

In a panic, we discover that he is not home and start the hunt

Luckily while he was off to Kroger , he is distracted by our neighbor's flowers and is busy playing with them

I and DH resolve to never joke about this kind of stuff with R, as he does not get irony

We discover interesting bugs



Friends visit

Have you ever met your online friends and though you are meeting for the first time  its like you have known each other forever

This weekend I met with one  my friends and her family  from my blogging life - it is SOOOO awesome

I have to laugh when I see the spread we have laid out for them.

Along with the homemade breads ( carbs are my thing ) , we have prepared bacon, ham and sausage

( pork is DH's thing- and he has not been discouraged in the least by recently taking R for his first movie - Charlotte's web- which is all about a little pig who is trying to not get slaughtered  )

Here she is - isn't she beautiful ?

We had to laugh at how alike our husbands look ( we have often joked how alike they are in temperament )

We have so much fun with their kids

Their daughter is so funny and charming - my friend tells me stories of her school that have us in splits

Their little daughter has a "boyfriend"

He is the Head honcho in his class

The reason for being the head honcho is that he has  the whole trifecta of amazing  qualities which are as follows  - 1. he can tie his shoe lace, 2. he can snap his fingers AND 3. he can whistle

The little girl has an admirer who is always bringing her presents- like toothbrushes and combs  ( which it is suspected that he steals from his sister )

R is SUPER stimmy - but we have made it a law to not keep "correcting him" when he does this as long as he is not ill mannered

Plus , for some reason he is stressed out. And  telling him to stop using his coping mechanism( however odd they may look )  makes no sense

When they leave, my friend jokes to her husband that I probably know more about him than he could imagine

DH asks me later - if all my online friends know a lot about him and if I complain.

"A little bit", I answer though honestly there is not much to complain about  "mostly I wish you were a neat freak and you gushed over me" ( for I am a praise junkie )

"Come on" - I add - "there must be things about me you dont like , something you wish I could change"

"Nothing," says my love

Nashville Trip

When R was really little, DH and R would come with me when I went on a business trip if we were at a drive able distance. We would just take a little therapy break

Now with school that is no longer possible - but since its the summer , DH and R come along with me to Nashville

Since I have traveled so much this summer, I am very grateful to not have the extra guilt of being away from R

The trip is very arduous, as in the facility I am having my meetings, the airconditioning is off and its 95 degree weather

We take a break to go to Starbucks - and guess what we see in the Parking Lot



( everyone walks away unscathed thank goodness )

While we are driving back, we find that R has lost one of his books ( which is a library book and we will probably have to pay 30 dollars or so in fines  ) in the Hilton , plus we have left my french-press mug which was a gift from DH and much prized by me

This one - how cool it was
DH and I bicker about exactly whose fault it was

According to him, its my fault, as I always bring too many things and also was texting him while he was packing which distracted him

According to me, I was right, because he should have looked under the beds as R spends so much time on the floor and he was doing the packing up

We bicker ( for we really no longer fight ) away.

And suddenly I see R trying to get my attention from the back seat - for he hates us bickering and is trying to distract me

"I love mama .. I love mama .. I love mama " he is chanting, with that eager expression on his face

Its true , life is not the breaths you take,

Its the moments that take your breath away

18 comments:

Mr. Daddy said...

:o) I never tire of reading about your life...

I think it is because of your positive outlook, and I think you have found the secret in the secret ingredient of Noodle soup (Kung fu Panda movie) LOL If you haven't watched it, it is cute with a lot of Truism's in it...

You also bring to mind this quote by Francesca Reigler:

"“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.”

You can also tell your DH that what he said about there being nothing he would change about you brought to mind this quote.

"The most precious possession that ever comes to a man in this world is a woman's heart."
--Josiah G. Holland

And that he needs remember that he is a wealthy man where your heart is concerned :o)
For as Antoine de Saint-exupery said.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."

blessings to you and yours.

Tanya Savko said...

As always, R reminds me so much of how Nigel was at that age - the schedules, the hyperlexia, and my appreciation when we finally started to hear spontaneous speech from him. Such a gift.

Yuji said...

R reminds me a lot of my son at that age as well.

Love the thought that being truly interested in your child is not only a gift to them, but to yourself as well. So true!

And what a sweet way for R to get you to stop bickering. :)

robin said...

My DH will also joke and say something that my kiddos will actually think was ok to do (and not realize he is kidding either.) Luckily, he doesn't do it much anymore and catches himself doing it (and undoes it, lol!)

Loves that he loves books! We have gone to the library often this summer and read each night. I interrupt the story and ask questions (like what he thinks will happen next or what the name of the character was.) It lets me know he's listening (or understanding what he's reading if it's an easy book.)

It was incredibly sweet that your DH says there's nothing about you that you should change. Such love!

Lizbeth said...

I so know what you mean about reading but not comprehending...I love coming here and getting a gentle reminder through your words to stop, slow down and look at my kids and have fun with them. Thank you for your wisdom.

Gypsi said...

Ah! Now I know why he comments on all my Starbucks cups! :D

His exact comment on the rain picture was so fabulous, it is etched into my memory. I pointed to the page and said, "OH NO! What's happening now?!" And he studied the page a few seconds and said, "Sunning. Uh oh! SAD!" It was a breathtakingly beautiful sentence!

danette said...

I love reading about all these sweet family moments, and about R's progress! Sounds like he is doing great, I love his phrases :).

Rachel said...

I love the little trips through your memories!

And had to laugh at being amazed at what Itty Bit would say or show me if I spent some time doing absolutely "nothing" with him :) It is true that they are such interesting creatures.

And if only your DH knew... that you spend much time praising him online, that many of us have realized that you two are quite the perfect match for eachother.

And I'm going to go have to kiss my husband for the lovely quotes he left in your comments :)

Anonymous said...

Awww, that picture of him with his books all spead out around him is *so sweet*!!

jazzygal said...

I love how you love being with your boy! I feel the same way about spending time and going places with my son too. So enjoyable. Gosh...your husbands really do look alike!!

xx Jazzy

Anonymous said...

oh how i adore your blogs. i laughed out loud over R bargaining with you: 'first walk, then bicycle'. wonderful and amazing and heartwarming - thank you for sharing these moments and your family with us.

Kris said...

Beautiful! Alex not only has trouble comprehending (getting MUCH better) but struggles with reading itself. At almost 8 he is still reading very simple books. I often stop while we are reading and ask "Why" did things happen, esp if they are not spelled out to him and he has gotten much better at "reading between the lines". A year ago he couldn't do it. It is wonderful to read about R's progress too!!

Anonymous said...

so many good things happened, it's hard to comment on them all! I enjoyed so much of this! :)

Anonymous said...

“First walk, then bicycle”

Oh.my.heart!

Barbara

Þorgerður said...

Wonderful how he loves books... he looks so sweet with them all around :)

Cheairs Redefining Typical said...

So wonderful to see step by step how your summer has unfolded. I love how R describes the sun. So simple. So sweet. Just perfect!

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