We went to Disneyworld in November with Jackson and then came home to Jonathan's birthday the next week. We celebrated Jonathan's third birthday in SC with Grammie and Grandpa (I will post pix later when I get them). Grammie had a Woody cake made for Jonathan and he was thrilled. Right now he loves Thomas the Train and Woody. He says, "Dora/Gorah" for Thomas while pointing at his throat and "Doody" for Woody.
Lately, Jonathan has been saying lots of things, some we understand and some we don't. We read the same books again and again at night. Often, I pause to see if he will fill in the blank and he will with his own version of the missing word. Many times it occurs to me that he has been saying a certain word over and over again that none of us got. Once we repeat back to him what he has been saying, if we are affirming him, he rewards us with a big smile and cheer. Even though he is a wild man and can do crazy things, the "sweet disposition" that is supposed to accompany all people with DS does seem to be present in these moments. I think any other person would be pulling their hair out. He has tremendous patience with us. Thank goodness for his thumb, too. After trying to "explain" to us again and again what he is saying, he will give a little "hummpph" and stick his thumb in, letting us know he is done trying to help us.:)
Jonathan continues to do wild and crazy things. While at my parents' house for his birthday and again at Christmas, he raked his hand/fingers across table tops and countertops in an attempt to take down as many things as possible. He jumped up in the desk chair to swirl the mouse and punch as many keys as he could before being noticed. He jumped out of the pack 'n' play, pulled music off the piano, turned over the dog's water bowl many times, and went through the trash. He could also reach the fridge's water supply. So, if any of us forgot to lock it, he would reach up and tap the button you use to fill up your drink, sending rivulets of water down the fridge onto the floor and soaking his clothing. He loved it.
After Jonathan does something particularly devilish, he uses each index finger to push up either side of his mouth into a smile and laughs. I think he also says his version of "funny" and then I explain that "No, it is not funny. That was not a good choice." Blah, blah, blah.
For several months, we had difficulty with Jonathan in the mornings. He would produce something in his pants, dig it out, and decide to taste it or use it to decorate his bed. After searching high and low for onesie PJs for three-year-olds, we have not seen the natural artwork displayed lately.
Jonathan jumped out of his crib several months back. We dropped his mattress to the floor and took the front of his crib off. He could freely walk around while awake. He loves his bed so getting to sleep was not always a problem, although he usually needed at least one "talking to" at night. I would hear him around 5:30am playing in his room. Typically, he wakes after "producing" and just hangs out. But, since he had access to toys, he would play. If not that, he would pull out all of his diapers, remove all the wipes from the container and throw them around his room, and pull all of his shoes out of his closet. After tiring of cleaning this up, we moved his mattress and placed his pack 'n' play in the frame of his bed. He can still climb out but doesn't do it as much. To make the pack 'n' play more comfortable, my friend, Jayne, got a piece of foam sized to fit the pack 'n' play and covered it with a sheet. We did the same thing. Now, as I did this morning, I find the sheet pulled back, and bites of the foam missing. If we had named him William, we could be calling him "Silly Willy" or "Our Little Billy Goat."
Jonathan's eating is better. He still spits things out, but rarely. Pasta seems to be a texture he still doesn't love. He likes carrots, pretzels, chips, goldfish, cereal, yogurt, ice cream, cake, apples, sandwiches, and most meats, including shrimp. We force many things and then reward him with something else.
I would have to say the crazy things have toned down a touch. We have to keep things out of his reach and we continue to childproof things we did not with Jackson. I noticed him opening the fridge downstairs and scolded him. Then I found him climbing in which unnerved me. What really put me over the edge was when I saw him climb in and shut the door. Jamie commented that he didn't know we would have to work so hard after his heart surgery to keep him alive!
Jackson is still enjoying kindergarten. I made the mistake of telling him that it was seven hours long. So, he continues on a weekly basis to lament to me that he was at school for "seven hours". He still refuses to engage in organized sports. We tried soccer the fall he was four, but he didn't like the rules.:) Since then, he does show interest in gymnastics, which we may try. According to our brother-in-law, gymnastics develops coordination and that might be a good springboard for other things. Mostly, he enjoys coming home to play with Legos and draw. He also is great about playing with Jonathan. I often referee fights, but they are mostly tame.
Jackson talks very loudly these days. I think it is because he is used to talking over friends at school or over Jonathan's screaming (which doesn't happen much anymore, thank goodness!).
There is a talent show coming up soon at school. Another child in Jackson's class wants to participate so his mom is getting an act together for the boys in the class. I asked Jackson if he wanted to participate and he said, "yes," and that he had prepared a song. I said, "Really? Sing it for me." He paused and then said, "Well, it is about Star Wars and there is actually a lot of talking at the beginning and then I get into the song part." I said, "Okay, well, tell me how it goes." He took some time and then said, "I forgot." I explained to him that this was James' idea and Jackson was just asked to dance, not sing. Was he okay with that? He said he was.:) We shall see!
Thanks for reading,
Julie:)
juliewarren73@charter.net
Jonathan LOVES Thomas the Train. I kept it simple and used an actual train to protect everyone's eyes from my heinous attempts at sculpting Thomas on the cake.
Jonathan blows without spitting. That is a blessing.
He loves ice cream and has made up his own sign for it. He make the same sign as he does for "milk."
Jackson loves Gracie. We had to keep an eye on them...
A Thomas book! He pronounces Thomas as "gorah" while pointing at his throat. We know not why.
Jackson has a very hard time when it is someone else's birthday. For one, he loves the spotlight and has difficulty sharing it. Two, he wants a new toy as well. We have to give him a pep talk before birthdays and explain the purpose in being glad for someone else, needing to get alone if he cannot behave properly, etc.
Jonathan was making up with Gracie. He hit her and this is his way of apologizing. Notice how sorry he looks.
This is one of Jonathan's favorite activities - jumping off the ottoman/coffee table. We do not encourage it but he and his brother love it.
Our dinner of chili before the opening of presents.
Nana, Jonathan, and Pops.
Jackson using Jonathan's new bat as a guitar.
Our family with both boys thumb-sucking.
A new trampoline! While this is a great toy, it is a good motivator for Jonathan to bend his knees.
Jonathan loves to play baseball. He and I usually hold the bat together while I toss the ball and help him hit. We thought a tee would be better. It also will help him build up his chest and shoulder strength. Funny how we never thought about these things before!
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