Patterning

We worked on patterning during part of our school time today. Andrew has been able to recognize & copy color patterns for quite some time, but today, we moved the patterns to shapes. Our calendar has a pattern to the numbers, which is well established now (you can see it in the background in pictures below). It's an A-B-B pattern, which we discussed this morning, as a lead-in to our pattern work, even though we focused just on A-B for today.

I found some fall cutouts/confetti at Michael's for cheap. I pulled one of each design out and scanned it, then used the scanned pictures to make pattern cards. The first set had a full pattern in the row, and Andrew used the shapes to copy the pattern in the next row. (and, grabbing the shapes out of the bowl also worked his pincer grasp/fine motor skills, which are still underdeveloped).

For the next set of cards, part of the pattern was there, and Andrew had to complete the pattern. As expected, he blew through both of those sets quite easily.

Finally, Andrew had a blank grid and was asked to make his own A-B pattern. He did so with ease, but was upset that in making 2 A-B patterns, he could only use 4 of the 5 designs in the cutouts. So, he pulled out the 5th design, added it to his pattern and said, "Mommy, if I put this one here, I can make it A-B-C and then I can use all the pictures."

Um. Yeah. I think he gets it. I had a feeling he would grasp the concept quite easily, but since I also believe it is important to lay a solid foundation in the beginning and we hadn't actually said patterns can be named A-B, A-B-B, A-B-C, etc., I wanted to start at the beginning.

Pretty sure it's safe to move on to some harder patterns next time.

Vestibular Sense

When discussing Andrew's SPD, explaining how the vestibular sense is impaired, is usually something people have a hard time understanding. In part, because generally, when someone thinks about the senses, they think "five" and have often never even heard of the vestibular sense. In short, it is the sense that is input from the middle ear as it relates to movement, gravitational pull, and balance.

In Andrew, he is hypo-sensitive to movement. He doesn't register motion the same way as we do, so he likes motions that are BIG. It's one of the reasons he is constantly moving and runs everywhere he goes and loves his trampoline.

At therapy today, I took some video that demonstrates this hyposensitivity. (taken with my phone, so may not be the greatest) For most people, these motions would leave us unable to walk for several minutes, or at least unable to do so without falling down. Some people might even leave the exercise feeling nauseous. For Andrew, he LOVES it and usually begs for more, not feeling the effects of the movements. There are times when playing with Noah, that Andrew will spin and say he's dizzy and fall down. But, that is only because he is copying what others naturally do, or acting based on what he hears people say ("Aren't you getting dizzy doing that?")

In the second video, you can see his legs as he climbs out of the barrel and starts to walk away, completely unphased.

Spinning:



Spinning/rolling:

It's Fun to Play at the...

... Y. M. C. A!! (that was for you, Jason!)

Andrew had Speech at 11 and his hearing evaluation at 2. With speech done at noon, that left us some time to grab lunch before heading back to the hospital. Surprisingly, the boys finished lunch quickly (Noah is usually a very slow eater), which meant we had some extra time to kill. So... I surprised the boys with a quick trip to the Y.

20 minutes to run wild on the giant climber was perfect! They ran off some extra energy and had a blast. Last time we were there, Noah was hesitant and wouldn't go up the climber without me.

Today, he took off right behind Andrew and before I knew it, he was peering down at me from near the top! Both boys had a blast and I had fun watching them. And I was very impressed that when I said they could have one more time down the slide and then we'd have to go, and Andrew took his turn and came right out to get his shoes.

Noah, on the other hand, climbed as high up as he could get and refused to move!! I sent Andrew in to get him and was grateful that worked because I was not looking forward to climbing up there!

(and since you're wondering, Andrew passed his hearing test with flying colors, as we expected he would)

Andrew Dancing

"I got some good moves!"

Scooter

The worst thing about getting a new scooter for Christmas is not being able to ride it until spring because of the snow and ice!

Warmer weather has been teasing us the last few days, which means we've been outside more. And it means Andrew has been thrilled to be on his new scooter! He asks to ride it all the time. Tonight, we walked to the corner to meet Eric, and Andrew rode the scooter. He's still got some coordination to learn on it, but he gets a little better every day. I'm sure it won't be long before he's trying jumps and tricks.

Helping

What are big brothers for, if not for helping you take off your shoes and coat when coming in from an afternoon out?

I followed the boys into the house, arms full of groceries and such, and before I could get stuff set down and take off my coat, Andrew had Noah on the tower to help him with his shoes.

They bicker and drive each other (and me!) crazy so many times a day... but then a moment like this makes all that seem not so bad.

And, he's off!!

Andrew found his flag and was waving it around. Then, he grabbed his step-stool and decided he was the starter in a race. Even better, Noah jumped right in and played along, appropriately wearing his race car overalls. Andrew would wave the flag and shout "Go!" and Noah would run in circles around Andrew while making car noises. Noah would win the race and then they'd start again.

I do love seeing their creativity. And playing together is pretty fun to see, too.

The Lion King

Andrew first watched this movie a few months ago. He said it was scary and he didn't like it, so we put it away until he felt ready to see it again. That happened a couple weeks ago. He asked to watch it with me, which we did, and this time he said he loved it! "The Lion King" is my favorite Disney flick, so I'm quite happy to see him enjoying it.

He more recently has seen commercials for the Broadway production of "The Lion King" and has inquired about it. He recognized the music, so I explained they tell the story on stage, with music and puppets. We went to their website so he could see a video of what it all looks like. Now, he asks daily to go see it.

Having seen the stage production, I would be thrilled to take him... if it were actually coming our way. All those commercials they keep airing and we are not on the published schedule-- which runs through September!!! Try explaining that to a four year old!

Tonight though, he was happy to listen to the music on my iTunes. Why it shows the cover for the movie soundtrack cd, I have no idea since it is the Broadway cd, but oh well. He stood there and sang along, staring at the same, non-moving picture on the screen, for the first 6 or 7 songs. The only reason he got down was because he had to sit at the table to eat dinner... where we declared a movie night before bedtime. Of course, we watched "The Lion King."

TS3 on Ice

As a special treat, we took Andrew to see Toy Story 3 on Ice this evening. I remember going to a few of the shows as a kid and always enjoyed them, so when we learned this year's show was TOY STORY, we couldn't pass it up.

Andrew was definitely excited about it and has been counting down the days. Waking this morning and realizing the show was this evening had him talking about it all day. When mom got here to stay with Noah, I took Andrew in to change his shirt, since he had just finished dinner. Once he was changed and had his shoes on, he went right to the back door, ready to leave and had to be reminded he also needed his coat and hat.

We picked Eric up at work and went to the show. There was a railing in front of our row of seats and Andrew stood at it, anxiously awaiting the start. He got a light-up Buzz spinner toy, which made the dark arena not so scary. And then his whole face lit up as things got underway.

As each character came out, Andrew excitedly shouted the name and laughed. I had as much fun watching his excitement as I did watching the show. Thankfully, Disney understands kids and included an intermission that was long enough for Eric to take Andrew to the bathroom and for mento go stand in line for cotton candy when they returned. I made it back just before the second act started and Andrew happily ate his treat while watching.

When the toys got to Sunnyside and Lotso came out, Andrew cheered so loud, the lady sitting in front of us was so startled she jumped out of her seat. She just laughed at Andrew's excitement.

Before we knew it, the finale was over and the lights back on. Andrew asked if he could go potty and then come back so "the movie" could start again. When we told him no, this time it was over, he started bawling. Poor guy! He didn't want it to end! It was past his bedtime, long before it ended, so he finally settled down and fell asleep on the way home.

What a fun evening for all 4 of us! Noah got some one-on-one time with Mamaw, not to mention all the favorite toys to himself. Andrew got some needed one-on-one with Mommy and Daddy. And Mommy and Daddy got to see the pure joy on their child's face as he watched his favorite characters come to life and loved being able to do that for him.

A win-win for all....

Choo-choo!

Andrew has been admiring this train at Target since he first saw it, last summer. The train is from the opening sequence of Toy Story 3, came with Woody & Bullseye, and the pieces can be taken apart and rearranged into a ton of configurations. A four-year-old boy's dream!!

For months, he's asked to look at it every time we've gone to Target (and if you know us well, you know that's a lot). He's asked for it a few times, but at $40, it wasn't one of those things you let them get "just because."

Oh, how I love the 75% off toy clearance! Noah got the FP classic, wind-up tv, just like the one I had as a young child. And at only $10, the train was quite a steal, and perfect entertainment in all the snowy, cold, stay indoors weather we've been having! Andrew was beyond excited when I put it in the shopping cart on Thursday, and immediately started asking if we were done shopping and ready to go home.

My only problem with the train is that it tends to reside underfoot in the kitchen. Andrew says it's because it "chuggers" better on the tile and sounds more like a real train. Choo-Choo!!

Singing

Andrew's choir sang "Il est ne le divine enfant" at the Christmas Eve service. The entire month or so that they were rehearsing it, Andrew regularly complained. He didn't like "that French song" and refused to practice it. He didn't participate well at rehearsals and screamed at me if I would sing it at home and try to get him to sing along. Typical Andrew, however, he managed to sing right along at service at not miss a word.

This evening, Andrew decided to pick up a book to use as his "songbook" and walk around the house singing. Loudly. "Il est ne" is all we heard for a solid 10 minutes.

Silly boy!!

Play

I think it's pretty clear that "play" is the word written here. At OT this afternoon, Nikki had the dry erase board out for Andrew to list his foods for the day. They choose what order they're going to try the foods in and list them on the board. After completing the chosen number of bites (usually 4 "because I'm 4 years old"), Andrew gets to erase the food from the list.

5 foods on the list today and once done he got to go play. So, he told Nikki hey needed to write "play" on the list. And then he insisted he wanted to do it. Now, I know Andrew knows all of the letters on sight-- upper and lower case. But the only ones he's really written are the ones in his name-- Andrew. Needless to say, Nikki and I were both surprised when she dictated what letters to write and he wrote them all so clearly!!

I guess we'll be working on writing skills a bit more!

Lunch Time

A typical Tuesday lunch scene for us. 5 boys, 4 and under, sitting around the table. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately, since it does make things easier), our lunch menu seldom changes. These boys know what they want, have come to expect lunch a certain way and get quite upset when I try to change things up on them! But, it's only once a week, so no harm there, right?

Adam gets upset if we don't have corn dogs. Landon gets upset if there is no mac-n-cheese. Ryan isn't as picky, so he usually picks the fruit & veggie-- which do get varied. Andrew won't eat any of those, so he has pb on toast. And Noah can't eat the corndogs or mac&cheese because of the dairy in them, so he also has pb on toast. Sometimes, I can get away with chicken nuggets instead of corndogs, which is nice since all 5 eat those.

The best part though, once everyone has their plate and is settled in, is listening to the conversations the older boys have with each other. As they've gotten older and their vocabularies expanded, so have the mealtime conversations and topics. My recent favorite was when they were trying to make sense of the friend/cousin relationship they have with Cody & Caleb (friends of ours who are the triplets' cousins). They were quite convinced it meant they were ALL cousins!

It's hectic and even crazy, at times, but Tuesday lunches are always fun!

Tea Party Picnic

Andrew fixed us a tea party today, and it quickly turned into quite the picnic. Always so much fun seeing what he comes up with!

He was pretending to eat the fish, and I suggested I could fix him some real fish for lunch. (fish sticks) he eagerly accepted my offer, so I put some in the oven, the whole time doubting he would eat them. His eating is slowly getting back to normal, after his sensory issues took over with being sick, and he even asked for seconds of my fried chicken Saturday night, but he's still far from 100%.

He proved me WRONG! He gobbled up all his fish sticks, even before eating his French fries!! I don't think he's eaten fish sticks since his food aversions really took hold and certainly not since his therapy sessions started last spring. I was SO proud and shocked... And I guarantee fish sticks will be on the menu again very soon, so we can encourage this new variety in Andrew's diet.

Mama's Lap

I know at some point, they'll be too big physically to fit. And, maybe even before that point, they'll decide they are "too big." I also know that they are both young enough they might not remember moments like this-- of both of them cuddled up together on Mama's lap, watching a movie.

But, I love times like this. These are the moments I treasure and will never forget.

Bedtime Snack

A special treat tonight-- hot chocolate!! And graham crackers, which are quite common in our house. We made rice crispy treats earlier in the day and planned on having those as well, but Andrew didn't want one. His food aversions have taken a big regression since he was sick with a tummy bug last week.

Keep in mind, this photo doesn't show the meltdown that happened 30 seconds later because he spilled a few drops of cocoa on his jammies and was mad I wouldn't let him get clean jammies until he finished. Or the meltdown because he decided he didn't like the marshmallows in his cocoa, after asking for them at the start. All in a typical day with SPD.....

Lunch Break

It seems that Thursdays always end up being our day to run errands. Probably because they're usually our only day of the week with nothing actually scheduled.

We've come to enjoy our trips out. Andrew loves going to Target. Noah likes trips to Kroger if we're doing some actual shopping so he gets to ride in the cart. (most places he's in the carrier on my back).

Today, we went to Costco, Kroger and Target. We didn't get much at any of the stores, but it was all stuff we needed that couldn't wait for a large shopping trip, so off we went. Costco and Target are both good for wandering and browsing all sorts of things-- perfect for a cold, snowy day like today.

We had a great time and since it was lunch time and the boys were hungry, we went to Wendy's as a special treat. Wendy's is fast becoming our favorite place for fast food (on those rare times we eat out). Andrew is even requesting there over McD. Food tastes better, value menu makes it cheap, and unlike the other place, Noah and I can eat their French fries since they are dairy free. And what good is a burger without fries?!?

Storytime

Reading a story before getting tucked into bed... a nightly ritual shared with Daddy. And yes, it must be Daddy. Mommy stories don't work at bedtime.

Chef Andrew

We were at church this morning, as usual, then home for lunch. The boys played for a bit (Andrew still isn't eating well after being sick last Thursday), then we headed to mom's for the Colts game and family dinner. Dave, Kayla and Memphis were there too and the boys always have a good time playing together.

Andrew was excited to help Mamaw in the kitchen and even more excited he got to wear a special "chef's" apron to do so!

And, while my new year's goal is a photo a day (Project 365 for those wanting to search it online-- I've just modified my version to make it work for me), I just couldn't resist including this one as well, of Noah sitting on Mimi's lap while the two of them colored together. I think she was tracing his hands to make handprints.

Joyful Noise

The preschool choir at church, Joyful Noise, made their fall debut today... with Andrew loud & proud in the front row!

This time, the video camera was charged properly and ready to go. AND... after having the thing for 4 years, I finally took the time to figure out how to get a video clip from the camera onto the computer. It took me all afternoon, was a total pain to do, and has me thinking we should invest in a newer, more user-friendly model. But... here is the choir (as long as I do this part right) for all to enjoy:

And, since I didn't want to risk messing up the choir video before I knew what I was doing, I grabbed an old disk to try first. I discovered this little clip of Andrew... singing & conducting at 19 months old. He's always been my little "Music Man!"