Time for the Happy Dance!

From Saturday til today, G. has

- hugged J. spontaneously

- pulled J. up from the floor by the hand

- taken J. by both hands and done a little "circle dance" (twice)

It makes tears come to my eyes just to type this.

G. looks very serious in this clip, but I suppose he's way out of his comfort zone!

Staying Busy

Overall, we are having a great summer in terms of progress...G. is using phrases, and repeating a lot of what he hears. B. is using more and more single words to make requests, and singing snatches of songs. Both of them have been more engaged than they had been six months ago (this always comes and go...the going still has the power to put me in a tailspin!)

J. can pedal his bike, has new friends next door and is learning by leaps and bounds.

This may go along with the language progress, but we are having more problems with kids "getting into things". It's mostly B., and it's mostly getting into the bathroom, to be specific. In the last three days I have found him sitting on the edge of the toilet with his feet in the water, another time on the counter with his feet in the sink, and (this is a new one), standing in the bathroom sink, looking in the mirror. Of course, the simple answer is to keep the bathroom closed, but in our house we don't always manage it (think four year old brother, and forty-something scatter-brained mom).

He is also very interested in toothpaste, toothbrushes, markers, pens, and crayons, and any container of liquid he can get his hands on. I was chatting with a neighbor the other day, and B. lay down on his tummy to drink out of a puddle.

In the blogs I read, I don't notice a lot of descriptions of these kinds of escapades. I'm sure they must be going on in many homes, but maybe those moms have trouble getting to the computer to blog.

Most of the time, B. is just so darned cute that these things seem funny (although the germiness factor is troubling). If any of the three or so people who read this blog have been through this stage and come out the other side, I'd love to hear about it!

On the town

Last Saturday we attended a party for a friend's son. He is also on the spectrum, although more mildly affected than our guys. He has just started talking, and it was great to hear him spouting out words all afternoon.

I'd say our family livened up the party: the only two instances of nudity were thanks to us (and one of those was J) Once he was dressed again, G. spent most of the time with the Leapfrog letters which were on the fridge (and the floor eventually).

For the first time I can remember, B. recognized a cake, and let us know he wanted some by saying "cake" very clearly. He also ate with a spoon (!) until my back was turned at which point he attacked a piece with his hands.
This is me trying to contain him as the cake is cut:

J. did a great job the whole time. The next day (Father's Day), J. and his dad bonded over Lego for hours. They built a Mars rover together, and played with it endlessly, like two peas in a pod.

About that last picture...

I just wanted to clarify that in the picture below, B. is standing on his head and resting his foot on the chair. It might look as if he's falling onto his head, and I don't want you to think I'd post a picture of that!

Both he and G. have been seeking deep pressure to their heads lately. B. comes up with inventive ways to do it himself. G. comes up to me and rubs his head and whimpers, and then I give him some head rubs and he's happy.

Also, B said his first original (almost, it was prompted) two word phrase: "want cookie"!! And yesterday in Toys R Us he sang the entire Wonder Pets theme!

Summertime

A few posts ago I mentioned the feeling that we were flunking out of ABA. Despite the stated plan to work only on eye contact and pointing, we are still chugging along and making some progress.

At home, G. is always saying new phrases, and B. is babbling and singing all day long. J. is interested in Kung Fu Panda (a movie I hope he doesn't see for a few years!) He can't remember the name and calls it various things. My favorite was "Punch Fruit Panda".

J. is also interested in Knock Knock jokes. He can successfully tell the "Dwayne the bathtub I'm drowning" one, but his other favorite is

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Knock Knock
Who's there?

Repeated numerous times, and finally ending with

Knock knock
Who's there?
Orange you glad I didn't say banana?

Back at home

The trip to Rhode Island went well. All my worries were for naught, although there was one phone call home when my husband sounded like he might either cry or fall asleep at any second.

Block Island was beautiful, my friends were as funny and relaxing as always, and I hope we will do it all again next year. It was the strangest feeling to be able to sit around, with a glass of wine in my hand and just chat.

B. actually expressed the most emotion about my being home. He sat in my lap and gave me a long list of his grievances, or that's what it sounded like he was doing. Several times the first evening I was home, he started to cry and wasn't happy unless I held him. All three boys looked taller than I remembered them, and J. seemed to have matured in the five days I was gone.

It was good for me to find out that the family can survive without me for five and a half days. And it is very, very, very good to be home!

The "chicas con sombreros", exhausted but happy, waiting for our ferry:

Two Days til the Big Trip

Two days to go...I'm almost ready to leave for my "Broads' Retreat" on Block Island. I am so nervous about leaving the boys, but so, so, so ready to see my old friends and have "girl time". we haven't gone away since the year before we adopted J., so we are very overdue.

My sister is here, learning the ropes. (Thank you a million times, Sis). My little Sister will actually be on the retreat.

We are in the grip of a serious alphabet obsession, so I leave you with one of my favorite phonics videos from the PBS show "Between the Lions". It takes me back to the music of my college years.

Sloppy Pop