Andrew asks me nearly every week if I am a massage therapist yet. I generally say no that I'm not licensed for it yet, that I'm still learning; I'll be one hopefully in June. He still asks anyway so finally I just said, "yes. I am." He responded, "Wow! That's crazy awesome."
Thursday evening we were expecting storms that could produce tornados. Andrew had trouble falling asleep because of the lightning and thunder - but when the hail crashed against the windows and house it was rather frightening. We all huddled in the laundry room. My laundry basket was full of blankets and sheets that I had used at school - so he crawled on top of that to stay comfy and warm as we watched the weather on daddy's phone. Once it past, we sent him back to bed but I had to lie there with him for a while to keep him calm. Even the next night he was worried there would be another storm and that he'd see scary lightning outside his window. I assured him he was safe and the storm had moved on.
Friday evening we were in the kitchen and I commented that the ligaments in my rear end hurt. Andrew piped up, "How about the red light?" as he reached for it to hand it to me. Boy is he trained already!
Saturday was mild weather again so after service, the boys met up with the Pingles and Lafferty's at the park to play for a couple of hours.
One day recently he came up to me, "mom look at this!" then he bent his knees a bit and started shaking his knees back and forth with his hands out to his side. It was hysterical and he had the biggest smile while doing this performance.
I dont know if I got through to him on this or not. Lately, if he does something he knows is not right he says he's sorry and claims he was just kidding or it was an accident. That's all well and fine. But he seems to think that if he is disobedient or is told no he can't have something, all he has to do is say 'i'm sorry' and everything is okay and he can have what he wants. I was really frustrated with him Sunday morning because he wasn't listening when I'd ask him to stop doing something - he'd sit there, still doing it, and questioning why I'm telling him to stop. I finally took away what it was and he said he was sorry repeatedly. I gave him a piece of paper and told him to tear it in half. He thought it was a fun game and tore it. I said, "now say you're sorry to it." He laughed and said sorry to the torn paper. I asked him, "Is it fixed now? Is it okay and back together?" His laugh dwindled to a slight smile as he said no it was still torn. I told him that while saying sorry is nice and appropriate - it doesn't actually fix anything. And if he doesn't listen to me immediately - I cannot keep him safe or trust him. I asked him if he went running in the road and I yelled stop and he didn't listen, and then he got run over by a car - would saying, "I'm sorry" make him feel better and everything be okay. He said no. I reminded him that not every time is it going to be as serious or involve him getting hurt - but I still need him to listen and obey immediately. He can ask questions later.
Andrew loves playing rhyming games in the car - thinking of a word and seeing how many others we can come up with that rhyme. Occasionally, though, he will make up a word and when you say it's not a word, he says, "yes it is...." and proceeds to make up a definition for it. I can't remember the word he gave but the definition was fur that is yellow mixed with gray. Another word he created is when 'you try to make a dinosaur out of string.' And with that one he also went on to tell a story about trying to do just that and all the crazy things that happened or couldn't happen. He has such an astounding imagination but speaks about it as if it's all factual and relevant. He will definitely be good at the game Balderdash when he gets older - where you have to create a definition for a real word and convince people it's right.
Andrew loves outer space. Ever since he could talk he'd been asking when we get to go to the moon. Since the air and space museum, he's even asked if we go back there, can he take a rocket to the moon. I hate telling him (but do anyway) that it's very unlikely that he'll get to go to the moon because they just don't send a lot of people up there anymore, and robots can do a lot of the work and exploration that gets done. He remains hopeful as he asks, "Well, can't I just be a kid astronaut? Can I go up in space as a kid?" I told him he can visit outer space as often as he'd like to in his imagination, but that might be as close as he gets. Then he told me that there are aliens in outer space.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Friday, February 14, 2014
"Can I talk to you a lot?"
There have been a few times lately when Andrew is on his ipad and asks "how do you spell ___? Don't spell it fast!" And he is typing the letters as I say them. It turns out, his ipad gives him previews of new games to get parents to download, and he had opened up a memo pad and was typing out the names of each game he wanted us to consider downloading for him. He made the list all on his own!
Monday February 3rd, he had his first lesson with the new violin teacher (remember, more serious and not as fun and games) He told her "I already know how to play the violin." She changed his bow hold and also how he was holding the violin. He has to practice the bow hold, and also holding his violin with his chin with no hand use. She said he appears to be a fast learner though. She would lead him when using the bow, and then held her finger at his elbow and said, "okay, don't hit my finger with your elbow" and he immediately had proper form when playing. He also kept trying to sit down in the chair as much as possible (so that will be gone next week) and he kept watching in the mirrors that are on two walls (so they will be facing the opposite direction next time). I had to remind him that he needs to listen and obey the new teacher and do things her way. She told him that even though he knows how to do some things - she's going to get him to do it better. It will be interesting whatever happens.
On the way home from the grocery store, "Mom, I love you all the way from Earth, to the Moon, to Jupiter, to Mars, to Saturn, and back to Earth."
We were driving home from school and Andrew asked if we could stop and skate through the woods. Then he picked out a field he wanted to play in. I told him that neither were options and explained trespassing and property ownership. I told him that Nana had woods we could walk through sometime. He asked when we could go. Then he contrived a story telling me that he and daddy need to buy a red and green racecar for him and daddy. I had to have a pink one. He told me just how fast it could go and that it would be a little faster than the pink car, because pink cars can't go as fast as red and green ones. He'd race it to Nana's house. Then he wants to pull over on the side of the road and skate through the woods looking for animals that are supposed to live in woods. Like coyotes and yaks. lol Though Yaks are more commonly found in Massachusetts he said.
Also while on the way home we passed a cement truck. "Mom, can daddy and I buy a cement truck?" I told him we don't need one and we talked about what they are for. He said he wanted to build a skate park. I told him we had no place for one. He said, "I have a big back yard! There is space there!" I told him I liked having a large backyard with grass where we can run, play, host splash parties, and have a garden. I didn't want a concrete skate park in the back yard. I suggested maybe we go to a skate park some day. He agreed and reminded me we'd have to wear "skate helmets" too.
At bedtime, the boys showed me a new trick of theirs. Andrew stands on a small comforter on his bed and Ted quickly snatches the blanket out from under Andrew who lands on his back laughing hysterically and then wants to do it again and again.
Wednesday morning I was taking Andrew to school again. Usually when I'm in the car with him, it's often evening hours and we're all exhausted. So when he starts asking a million questions, or repeating strange noises and such, it gets wearisome quickly. Right away this morning he asked, "Mom, can I talk to you a lot? Like all the way to school?" I cheerily said, "Absolutely!" And when I answered one question he'd tell me, "okay, I'm gonna keep talking now" and tell me stories or ask more questions. I wish I could remember all the conversation. All in all, a pleasant ride to school.
He was assigned his third bible reading for Wednesday night. He worked SO hard on it - it had some big names. But he read it beautifully when he practiced, though he was a little stressed about trying to make sure he read it all in 4 minutes (which he did, barely, but it was practically perfect!) He didn't have time to lose his place or get tongue tied and he knew that himself. And he'd been begging to skip going out for ice cream just to have friends come home with him to play after the meeting. he is so desperate for people to play with. I think he was a little relieved when the meeting got cancelled due to ice. We let him have ice cream and a movie in honor of his working so hard on that reading.
Thursday night I was lying next to him talking for a couple of minutes. I started massaging his scalp hoping it'd help him relax to fall asleep quickly. "I love you mom. Thank you for doing the Bars on me." I said, "I'm not doing the Bars on you, I'm massaging your head." He replied, "Oh! That's nice. I love you mom, thank you for massaging my head."
Passing a field, "Are those cows, or yaks (pronounced Yee-acks and no we did not teach him that) ?" Cows. "What if they were ye-aks! What if we could smell a ye-ak! That would be yee-uuuck!"
Friday he and daddy dropped me off at an appointment and then went further down the road to play at Chik Fil A. Daddy said Andrew scarfed down his food and had a wonderful time playing and making new friends. Almost more interested in having a friend to talk to and play with than playing in general. They came back to pick me up and Andrew asked questions all the way home. Then we played a little bit and read a story together. He likes the Winnie the Pooh books that I bought when my nephew Colt was three.... I think that was almost thirteen years ago!
Andrew asked me why I get the Bars done. I told him it helps me cope with stress and allows me to stay calm and peaceful and be happy. He asked why I needed it and I told him that sometimes being an adult is stressful. "Does that mean you want to be little?" I told him no and said I just want to be a kind, loving, peaceful, mild, happy, patient adult. "Oh. Okay."
He's had a rash on his hands for over a week that keeps getting irritated. Ted said several of the kids at school have them. We think it's an allergy to the soap and they've been doing extra hand washing lately to make sure no one spreads colds and germs. Arg.
I just love this kid so much. He's so wonderful.
Monday February 3rd, he had his first lesson with the new violin teacher (remember, more serious and not as fun and games) He told her "I already know how to play the violin." She changed his bow hold and also how he was holding the violin. He has to practice the bow hold, and also holding his violin with his chin with no hand use. She said he appears to be a fast learner though. She would lead him when using the bow, and then held her finger at his elbow and said, "okay, don't hit my finger with your elbow" and he immediately had proper form when playing. He also kept trying to sit down in the chair as much as possible (so that will be gone next week) and he kept watching in the mirrors that are on two walls (so they will be facing the opposite direction next time). I had to remind him that he needs to listen and obey the new teacher and do things her way. She told him that even though he knows how to do some things - she's going to get him to do it better. It will be interesting whatever happens.
On the way home from the grocery store, "Mom, I love you all the way from Earth, to the Moon, to Jupiter, to Mars, to Saturn, and back to Earth."
We were driving home from school and Andrew asked if we could stop and skate through the woods. Then he picked out a field he wanted to play in. I told him that neither were options and explained trespassing and property ownership. I told him that Nana had woods we could walk through sometime. He asked when we could go. Then he contrived a story telling me that he and daddy need to buy a red and green racecar for him and daddy. I had to have a pink one. He told me just how fast it could go and that it would be a little faster than the pink car, because pink cars can't go as fast as red and green ones. He'd race it to Nana's house. Then he wants to pull over on the side of the road and skate through the woods looking for animals that are supposed to live in woods. Like coyotes and yaks. lol Though Yaks are more commonly found in Massachusetts he said.
Also while on the way home we passed a cement truck. "Mom, can daddy and I buy a cement truck?" I told him we don't need one and we talked about what they are for. He said he wanted to build a skate park. I told him we had no place for one. He said, "I have a big back yard! There is space there!" I told him I liked having a large backyard with grass where we can run, play, host splash parties, and have a garden. I didn't want a concrete skate park in the back yard. I suggested maybe we go to a skate park some day. He agreed and reminded me we'd have to wear "skate helmets" too.
At bedtime, the boys showed me a new trick of theirs. Andrew stands on a small comforter on his bed and Ted quickly snatches the blanket out from under Andrew who lands on his back laughing hysterically and then wants to do it again and again.
Wednesday morning I was taking Andrew to school again. Usually when I'm in the car with him, it's often evening hours and we're all exhausted. So when he starts asking a million questions, or repeating strange noises and such, it gets wearisome quickly. Right away this morning he asked, "Mom, can I talk to you a lot? Like all the way to school?" I cheerily said, "Absolutely!" And when I answered one question he'd tell me, "okay, I'm gonna keep talking now" and tell me stories or ask more questions. I wish I could remember all the conversation. All in all, a pleasant ride to school.
He was assigned his third bible reading for Wednesday night. He worked SO hard on it - it had some big names. But he read it beautifully when he practiced, though he was a little stressed about trying to make sure he read it all in 4 minutes (which he did, barely, but it was practically perfect!) He didn't have time to lose his place or get tongue tied and he knew that himself. And he'd been begging to skip going out for ice cream just to have friends come home with him to play after the meeting. he is so desperate for people to play with. I think he was a little relieved when the meeting got cancelled due to ice. We let him have ice cream and a movie in honor of his working so hard on that reading.
Thursday night I was lying next to him talking for a couple of minutes. I started massaging his scalp hoping it'd help him relax to fall asleep quickly. "I love you mom. Thank you for doing the Bars on me." I said, "I'm not doing the Bars on you, I'm massaging your head." He replied, "Oh! That's nice. I love you mom, thank you for massaging my head."
Passing a field, "Are those cows, or yaks (pronounced Yee-acks and no we did not teach him that) ?" Cows. "What if they were ye-aks! What if we could smell a ye-ak! That would be yee-uuuck!"
Friday he and daddy dropped me off at an appointment and then went further down the road to play at Chik Fil A. Daddy said Andrew scarfed down his food and had a wonderful time playing and making new friends. Almost more interested in having a friend to talk to and play with than playing in general. They came back to pick me up and Andrew asked questions all the way home. Then we played a little bit and read a story together. He likes the Winnie the Pooh books that I bought when my nephew Colt was three.... I think that was almost thirteen years ago!
Andrew asked me why I get the Bars done. I told him it helps me cope with stress and allows me to stay calm and peaceful and be happy. He asked why I needed it and I told him that sometimes being an adult is stressful. "Does that mean you want to be little?" I told him no and said I just want to be a kind, loving, peaceful, mild, happy, patient adult. "Oh. Okay."
He's had a rash on his hands for over a week that keeps getting irritated. Ted said several of the kids at school have them. We think it's an allergy to the soap and they've been doing extra hand washing lately to make sure no one spreads colds and germs. Arg.
I just love this kid so much. He's so wonderful.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
IQ results
Monday we were home together for MLK day and we decided to take Andrew to a place to play since he's been begging to be with friends or go someplace and it just hasn't been working out. He seemed fine. We took him to Pump It Up which is two rooms of inflatable bounce play. He seemed overwhelmed right off the bat but went ahead and joined in the fun of climbing and sliding. A little later he got out of a bounce house and said, "I had to get out of there because there were too many kids!" And a few times he came and sat in my lap on the floor and said he needed to rest. The third time of that made me start wondering - it was very out of character for him to want to rest so much. He said he was having fun, but he really didn't look like he was enjoying it. We were only there an hour and a half and decided to go get lunch - maybe he just needed refueling. He fell asleep in the car and we waited in a parking lot of an Indian buffet. He wanted to be carried in and was completely limp. He drank a little lemonade and took a couple of bites of a piece of bread and then wanted to lie down and rest. We felt horrible that we didn't just go straight home from the play place. He said his legs hurt (I guessed from all the extra jumping and climbing he wasn't used to) and he had a headache for a little while. His temp was 100.2 when we got home so we kept loading him up on fluids and let him rest on the couch. He watched Kipper for a while and then fell asleep. He never did eat anything after breakfast except for the little bit of bread. We gave him some homeopathics, an epsom salt and oil bath, and did red light therapy and applied essential oils to his tummy before bed.
When it was time to brush teeth and head to bed, he was starting to cry about having teeth brushed. Daddy said, "Look sweetie, it's either brush teeth, go potty, and say goodnight to everyone, or it's go potty and hit the sack right away. It's one or the other."
Andrew whimpered, "The other!"
By Saturday, mommy and daddy were fighting colds. Andrew actually let us sleep in until almost 8! I had heard Andrew rustling around in the pantry earlier and felt bad that I knew he was getting a clif bar and wouldn't have the strength to open it and I was too lazy to get out of bed and help. Turns out, he located scissors and cut the top off the wrapper and opened it that way! And ate a yogurt.
Thursday January 30th we had CO meeting. Andrew was wonderful. He had let me read the book study lesson to/with him earlier in the week but we never prepared answers. He had trouble getting called on, but paid attention and finally got one in and then went back to drawing. One of the songs we sang had a repeated lyric "keep your eyes on the prize" and after the first one he muttered "what is the prize?" I told him it was everlasting life. Then he whispered, "it's Paradise!" Other songs he was belting out phrases that he could read well enough. After the meeting he asked if he could help clean the men's bathroom but I told him he had to ask daddy because I dont go in there. He raced off to find daddy. He came back to me looking like he was fighting back tears and said, "I can't because no one is in there." But then he said, "But when we get home I can have cake and ice cream because I was fantastic!"
On the way home he serenaded us with a song about monkeys swinging in trees taunting an alligator and the alligator snatching them out of the tree. He was hilarious singing it and changing the pitch of his voice for the characters and getting louder and quieter at different times.
Friday I met with the elementary school to get the assessment results. His IQ ranked in the 97 and 99 percentile on two different IQ tests, he exceeded the requirements to qualify for special education and is considered 'gifted'. They do feel he qualifies intellectually, emotionally, and socially to start Kindergarten this year but would like him to attend Kindergarten 'on trial basis' a few times after Spring Break so we can make the best educated decision about it and get Andrew's input as well. Plus he'll have an hour each week with the special education instructor (though right now that doesn't fit into my schedule but isn't really needed or urgent right now anyway) He has to attend Kindergarten and once that is done they can see where things stand as to whether or not he'll be able to just continue on as normal or skip a grade or incorporate sections of different classes according to his needs.
Saturday February 1st we were supposed to go roller skating with the Buffingtons after service. We had lunch at Moe's with them instead once she learned that that rink was filthy dirty and to be avoided. We invited the girls to come home with us and play and have the parents join us for dinner. They had a blast! They played outside, swinging, decorating the playset with pine branches, climbing the pine trees and riding the limbs, collecting pine cones. Inside they loved pushing each other up and down the hallway in the tonka trucks, and building things with the various blocks and legos. A few moments of disagreements and hurt feelings, but overall a success.
When it was time to brush teeth and head to bed, he was starting to cry about having teeth brushed. Daddy said, "Look sweetie, it's either brush teeth, go potty, and say goodnight to everyone, or it's go potty and hit the sack right away. It's one or the other."
Andrew whimpered, "The other!"
By Saturday, mommy and daddy were fighting colds. Andrew actually let us sleep in until almost 8! I had heard Andrew rustling around in the pantry earlier and felt bad that I knew he was getting a clif bar and wouldn't have the strength to open it and I was too lazy to get out of bed and help. Turns out, he located scissors and cut the top off the wrapper and opened it that way! And ate a yogurt.
Thursday January 30th we had CO meeting. Andrew was wonderful. He had let me read the book study lesson to/with him earlier in the week but we never prepared answers. He had trouble getting called on, but paid attention and finally got one in and then went back to drawing. One of the songs we sang had a repeated lyric "keep your eyes on the prize" and after the first one he muttered "what is the prize?" I told him it was everlasting life. Then he whispered, "it's Paradise!" Other songs he was belting out phrases that he could read well enough. After the meeting he asked if he could help clean the men's bathroom but I told him he had to ask daddy because I dont go in there. He raced off to find daddy. He came back to me looking like he was fighting back tears and said, "I can't because no one is in there." But then he said, "But when we get home I can have cake and ice cream because I was fantastic!"
On the way home he serenaded us with a song about monkeys swinging in trees taunting an alligator and the alligator snatching them out of the tree. He was hilarious singing it and changing the pitch of his voice for the characters and getting louder and quieter at different times.
Friday I met with the elementary school to get the assessment results. His IQ ranked in the 97 and 99 percentile on two different IQ tests, he exceeded the requirements to qualify for special education and is considered 'gifted'. They do feel he qualifies intellectually, emotionally, and socially to start Kindergarten this year but would like him to attend Kindergarten 'on trial basis' a few times after Spring Break so we can make the best educated decision about it and get Andrew's input as well. Plus he'll have an hour each week with the special education instructor (though right now that doesn't fit into my schedule but isn't really needed or urgent right now anyway) He has to attend Kindergarten and once that is done they can see where things stand as to whether or not he'll be able to just continue on as normal or skip a grade or incorporate sections of different classes according to his needs.
Saturday February 1st we were supposed to go roller skating with the Buffingtons after service. We had lunch at Moe's with them instead once she learned that that rink was filthy dirty and to be avoided. We invited the girls to come home with us and play and have the parents join us for dinner. They had a blast! They played outside, swinging, decorating the playset with pine branches, climbing the pine trees and riding the limbs, collecting pine cones. Inside they loved pushing each other up and down the hallway in the tonka trucks, and building things with the various blocks and legos. A few moments of disagreements and hurt feelings, but overall a success.
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