Quick study

I always thought of myself as a quick study.. I could watch somebody do something just once and that was it.. I could do it too. When it came to the kids, though, it was a different story, even with the simplest things. But just this morning I grabbed a cup and flipped it over and drew a perfect circle using it. He had it down. He knew he had to put pressure on the lightweight plastic cup to keep it from slipping away. He knew not to apply too much pressure on the pencil or risk it pushing the cup away. He drew a perfect circle. I was so proud of him and, more importantly, he was proud of himself. =)

Progress

Yeah, team! Somewhere between the fun activities at preschool, and the humdrum life at home, my little wonder boy has learned to catch and throw a ball! He's helping to roll out the big rug with all the great alphabet letters on it.. he's participating in the scheduled activities in class. He's amazing.. and advancing every day. Look out world!

A day of pain..

Well I don't really know how to say it other than this was a bad day. Sometimes he just can't see the corners, the balance is off.. the head swings a little too close to the door frame.. or the counter.. and boom! Thankfully, they've all been minor scrapes not even really breaking the skin.. but still.. a lot of crying and pain that no kid should have to put up with. I can't help but wonder what it is that puts his equilibrium out of whack so that these mishaps come one on top of the other like this.. perhaps it's just that he's still trying to get over this cold and his perception is off. On the other hand.. he managed to catch himself with cat-like balance in a spot where any other kid would surely have plummeted into pain.

Working Toward Independence

That is the motto of the "new" preschool. New facility, new teacher, new classmates.. lots going on to shake up a 4 year old. So.. it's been a busy few weeks. Everyone seems to be settling in to this new schedule all right. Funny how in thinking about this theme it occurred to me that he IS a lot more independent than before this experience at school. In a lot of ways he holds it together better than his NT brother and sister.. he certainly handles stress better. So.. we're working toward independence. Still not verbally communicating but there are other ways he's getting his message across. Stay tuned...

He finally said it!!

Now, granted, I cheated. I'd had a situation last week where he read aloud (as he usually does) a request I wanted him to make verbally. Always trying to get him to use his words.. and it had worked surprisingly well. He'd actually strapped himself into a booster seat and was walking around the kitchen with this contraption strapped to his backside and trying to get me to open it up for him so he could strap himself back into it and do it all over again. So, after asking him verbally to say "open please" about 4 times I wrote it on a piece of paper. He said it. I praised him and told him that wasn't so hard to do and look.. I opened it. He then continued to verbally make the request as he played his game. So yes, when the thought crossed my mind I thought it might be a fun experiment. I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote "I love you Mommy". He read it aloud once and then modified it. He said "I love you too Mommy". I actually cried. He's 4 years and 5 months.. and he finally said it. =) I want to believe he generated the sentiment internally and was sincere but even if he simply pulled it from his vast database I can't complain.

So many questions...

Next week my son is being moved from the preschool classroom where he has been since he started school. The preschool is being inundated with new enrollees (gee.. you think this stuff is on the rise??) and so the class sizes are continually growing. Next year the whole preschool will be moved to the other school but for the rest of this year they're moving just some of the kids into this "new" classroom. I would imagine some of the kids who will now be his classmates will be new.. and he'll have a new teacher, too. It's a shame on a lot of fronts as he's gotten to know the people he's been with, his teachers and classmates, quite well over the last 3 months. He's learned better sharing and better communication. He's even learned to use the potty! And all of that is going to be disrupted. Yet, on many levels, I think it's a good thing. He's actually moving to the school and classrooms that he'll be in once he gets to Kindergarten and through the rest of his elementary schooling. He'll have the opportunity to see that, even though some things change, some things stay the same. His new teacher may be even better than his first.. although that's hard to imagine. And in the past, every time he has been challenged by new and unfamiliar events and subjects he has evolved in ways that went beyond the expected growth for that experience. But, for now, he's been screaming a lot more than he usually does. I can't help but wonder if it's because he knows something "big" is about to happen and his life will be turned upside down.. if just for a little while. It won't take him long to settle in to the new routine. But I'm afraid for him for the journey.

Communication

Why is it important? Why can't non-communicative persons just be allowed to be? Well I, for one, don't think that's a very healthy mindset. No man is an island and CERTAINLY no four year old is one either. I am amazed daily at my son's emerging abilities when it comes to communication. My son has been very verbal since he was a baby. Some days I feel like he won't shut up. But there's never been much purpose in his constant chatter.. other than perhaps to refine his speech. So many times I've asked him what he wants. Noodles? French fries? Scrambled eggs? Waffles? Juice? Milk? I ask and I ask but I get this blank stare in response. He just doesn't seem to understand that there's a question there that needs to be answered. He's slowly evolving the ability to use picture cards to indicate what he wants but even that's spotty at best. I'm lucky I guess in that I'm reasonably perceptive and can often figure out what he wants. It's a little like caring for an infant. Hungry? Thirsty? Wet? Sleepy? You just sort of go through the checklist. And I've learned that this may be the extent to which he interacts with me when it comes to getting what he wants. But his babbling has evolved. His seemingly pointless barrage of words is starting to have purpose. I just have to be listening carefully enough. Dare I hope that this is just the beginning?