Awesome LM and Week 38

Sometimes, I find myself just staring. Wondering in disbelief. Sure, at all the snow that continues to find it's way, sure at the amazing flips/turns/twists of Olympians as they leap from the snow, the ice, their bobsleds.... Sure, at how time is truly flying with the blink of an eye. But, moreso these days, what do I find myself in complete wonderment about? Our luck.

LM is astounding. Is he really ours and we are his?
Power Out but It's All Right... We have our camping lantern!

To say he is a sponge is an understatement. Jeff jokes with me when I say "Is it me, or is he really smart?" and his response, "He's a GD Genius Gump.". Things he does that seem pretty smart:

• I gave him a glass of OJ the other day -- he took it and pretended to put something in his mouth, then took sips. I realized he was STILL imitating something he saw me do in November, before his surgery -- I stopped taking my vitamins around him back before Thanksgiving because it sort of scared me that he was interested in mimicking me pill popping. yet, how many moons later and he did it again.
  
• He now knows our first names... He'll say, "Mama, Mama.. A-m-eee" -- then give me a big grin. If i say "what does mama call papa?", he'll say "Jeff". Hilarious - for now we just say "that is smart you know that" and re-direct him back to calling us Mama and Papa... hopefully there are no hidden issues that come out of this new skill...
• He is starting to understand the concept of brothers and sisters -- i explained to him Jack and Katie we each other's brother and sister... Then I asked "who is Jack's sister?" a few hours later. "KK" was his answer. Right on.

Last Night of Swim Classes

• We signed him up for swimming lessons. Jeff usually takes him. He is the brave kid who not only wants to go on the "big slide" into the water, but is the only one in his class who wants to go a 2nd time -- regardless if it's "let child slide under the water at the end"... brave and goofy little boy! He loved it! not sure we'll do it again for the "2nd semester" because he has really had a hard time with his ears this winter, and I wonder if part of it is swimming?
  
• Pulled out one of the puzzles that he hasn't seen before, ever. It's one of those Melissa and Doug ones, a farm, and it has about 8 barn "doors" and they are the exact pattern, with similar shapes, just different sizes and slightly different edge contours. He played with it for no more than 15 minutes one night while I made dinner. Two days or so later, with no access to it since the original playtime, Jeff pulled it out and LM lifted up one of the doors and said the animal name of the animal behind it. Out of curiousity, I stopped and, before he pulled up each window, asked him what was underneath. Do you know he got them EXACTLY right? Blew me away.

At any rate, I could go on and on... Point is, often times, I just stare at him.. Or I listen in wonder as he is playing games with his Papa, they are reading books, or he is trying to tell Papa a story about the day. Has he only been here 8 months? And is he really ours? Sometimes I really pinch myself because the accelerated rate of development has been incredibly humbling, and also the most challenging job I've ever had in my life!Chillin Out with Ashton!

Is he 2? Absolutely. Does that make for extra drama, testing limits regularly, and efforts to push my buttons whenever opportunity allows? Absolutely. Just like a regular 2 year old.... These kids keep we old parents on our toes, that is for sure... He's also very "2" somedays, but other days he shows his family age -- which is 8 months -- he acts like a clingy, "you must carry me everywhere", "i am scared/shy of strangers", "stretch armstrong - anything in my reach is mine" almost gumby type arms kid... Who will then turn around and identify all the colors of food on his plate...2 sure is a lot of things! But, still... I feel lucky that he has the ability to test, to try to exude drama, and to understand circumstances well enough to test the boundaries... while the moments can be exhausting, they all tell me that he is an awesome 2 year old, spreading his "me" wings.... I am reading a great book called "Positive Discipline" by Jane Nelson, et al... Chapter 9 and 10 really helped me a lot this week! LOL.
Oh, and lest us not forget -- he is 2, and we are SNOWED In half the time... and we live in a super super small (read 750sqft) bungalow style home.... So, as several friends have noted, we are in our house together a lot at a time when he's hard to keep motivated in activity... Believe me, there have been many days where I've thought, "Hm.. maybe we should re-think the whole TV thing and just snuggle up on the couch"... but, so far we are holding firm: no TV... This is a personal choice, and I understand the direction either way -- for us, in such a small house, the TV could easily become a "main stay" given it is the biggest piece of furniture! (LOL - jeff is bummed re: the "new" flatscreen that now barely gets used!)... and, for this first year home, we decided to keep the concept at bay and re-eval when he is fully caught up.. the AAP says no TV before age 2, so we figure at least 1 year of family age and go from there... still....Please Mother Nature, have Mercy!! :) even this seasoned pediatric OT is running out of interesting fine motor activities for her kid!

Change of Venue -- Think Warm, Be Warm??

"It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" Home 38 Weeks...

And believe me, if you lived here, you'd be interested in guzzling more drinks to get thru the winter too!! LOL