I Want Cookie

Update on the previous post.  

We're working on him using a sentence to express his needs.  "I want...."  

It's not that he's never put three words together, but other word combinations are him repeating things from stories or repeating phrases the boys use.  For example, "We'll be back, right after these messages."  Now granted, someone other than a family member might have no idea what he's saying, so I don't know if it counts.  

He's had success a few times in the last couple of days with his "I want..." sentence.  The first one he said WITHOUT prompting:  He came up to me in the kitchen and said with no hesitation between the want and the object, "I want cookie."  And of course, he got a cookie...and lots of hugs and praise for using words! 

Another one he said unprompted two nights ago:  "I want pie."  And the one last night:  "I want cake."  Notice a theme?  

The pie one I was quite impressed with.  He had helped me make a strawberry banana cream pie last week (for our anniversary...22 years!), so he did have that for a snack two nights in a row,  but when he used that sentence, it was already gone. 

And the cake, John's birthday was recently; it's not like we have pie and cake all the time at our house!  ;)

Still working on making it consistent.  He gets anxious when he knows he "on the spot."  

Good stuff

Communication

One of Evan's first form of communicating that he wanted something, such as juice, a snack, to watch a favorite commercial again, etc., was signing "more."  It worked for so much.  For something on tv, it's still what he'll sometimes do.  For juice, he moved on to saying "juice," or sometimes just "please" when it's obvious what he wants, or just handing me the cup!  He still tries the "just handing me the cup" trick, but he's not getting away with it so easily.

We're working on making a sentence.  

I want juice. 

 Yes, having the please on the end would be great, but we're not there yet.  We're still working on the three words.  How it's been working is he'll come up to me, hand me the cup, I'll say "what do you want?" or "what would you like", and he gets all nervous with a huge smile while giggling.  

Then I say, "Say, 'I want juice.'" More giggling, but eventually, he'll say, "I want."  And then I say, "What do you want."  And then he'll say, "juice."  

Yesterday, he did come up to me without prompting and said the "I want" part.  This morning after being prompted, he said, "I want," and before I could ask the question, he said, "What do you want?" ...understood by a trained ear.  :)  

We'll soon have those three words said together to make a sentence. 

He's a Reader

Before Evan was born, I had decided that no matter what that X chromosome looked liked (we didn't know until a year old), this child would be a reader.  I wanted him to want to read.  

Some of the "tools" we've used to help accomplish this:

This has been a favorite toy for a few years.  When he went through what seemed like a never ending stage of waking up at night, he had access to this--the letters light up.  Sometimes he used it, sometimes he didn't.  It's a great one!

image from amazon.com

Here's another good one; it's at grandma's house right now.  He likes the first one a little better (and so do I), but it's still a good one.

These letters were VERY popular with him for a while.  We started with him only having access to a few at a time at first, because if not, it was overwhelming and they would all get thrown on the floor. Now that we have two, he'll put matching letters in at the same time to hear the jingle simultaneously.  Or sometimes, he staggers the placement of the same letters...it sounds pretty cool, too.

And I can't leave out Starfall.com. 

 I think we started using that when he was two?  Maybe sooner.  He would sit on my lap, and I would click on the letters.  He soon started pointing to what he wanted to hear.  And then as he was able to start verbalizing letters, he would say the letter.   It would be me who would have to say, "All done," because I'm not sure how long we would be on the computer if I had waited for him to say it.  

And now there's the iPad.  We have several stories on there. With many of them, the words highlight as they're being read.  He can also touch the word and have it repeated as many times as he wants, which he loves to do.  

BUT,

this all started with the best reading program out there:

A book.

I started reading to him the day I brought him home from the hospital.

I read to him, a lot.  Some days, especially on weekends and in the summer, it probably adds up to hours of reading.  When my mom watched him, I asked her to read to him.  He's always had full access to books.  Granted, giving full access to books meant he often had books...all over the floor in his bedroom.    And yes, he went through a stage of tearing the pages, sometimes one, sometimes multiple, sometimes on purpose, sometimes not.  This behavior most certainly wasn't encouraged; he would get a stern talking to when this would happen. 

And then if it was salvageable, I would get out the clear packing tape.  This tape was also used for the corners of the pages.  He had/has this thing about gently biting his thumb while having a corner of the page in/near his mouth while reading.  I found that this tape came in handy for preventative measures, too, for some of his favorites; I just taped the edges of every page!  Some of the favorites, like the animal babies series I got for him when he was 6 months old, ended up having to be replaced.

Amazon.com

We have books...everywhere. He brings books with him when we go places.  When we read, I point to the words.  We point to the pictures and talk about them.  I ask questions about the book.  Does he answer?  Sometimes, sometimes no.  But is he thinking about the questions?  Yes.  Is he learning to think about what he's reading?  Yes. 

And now at five years old, I'm starting to see the results.  He   has many words memorized.  Animal ones were the first, but now he's also started to recognize other words, like "but;" he knows the word "but." He knows the word "the." I haven't quizzed him on what words he does and doesn't know; they're are others.  Those two just stand out at this moment.

He's started to attend to the first letter.  I'll sometimes stop and ask him what the word is.  He'll sometimes get the first sound or even say (or attempt to say) a word that starts with that sound.  Yesterday, we were looking at one of his animal books...encyclopedia type...and there was a picture of some colorful, different kind of vulture.  He looked at the paragraph next to it, and he found a word a couple of sentences in, "perfect."  He pointed to it and said "parrot."  

He points to the words when he "reads."  When I read to him, he often asks me to point to the words--if I start reading and I'm not pointing, he'll start running his finger under the words and look at me.

And I'm loving this!

So I'm off to read some books, because the answer to the question, "Do you want Mommy to read to you?" is almost never "no."

His grandpa would be proud!

A Thomas Fan

Kyle has always been a Thomas train fan.  Evan has too, but at first, he couldn't play with them because he couldn't handle the excitement.  Kyle would have trains going in his room, and Evan would purposely go to his room to see them, only to stand there and cry.  

Gradually, he got to a point where he could play with them for a while before getting upset.  Then, he went to not wanting anything to do with them again.  Well, he's back to being a fan, and this time I don't think there's any going back. 

But that's not really what this post is about.

Evan ASKED for something!!!!  For a while now, he's been asking for things like juice, milk, cookies, blankies, etc. by saying "Juice?, Milk?" etc.  But this was the first time he's asked for a toy he wants from the store!  

He recently got a new train for his birthday, and whenever you buy a train, you get one of those inserts showing other trains.  Kyle used to carry them around all the time so he could constantly let us know who he needed next.  

Tonight, Evan came up to me with the insert, pointed to one of the trains, and said, "Want Percy?...Cow?"  (it's Percy pulling a cow in an open car--two of his favorites together, a train and an animal)

YAY!!!!

So obviously, guess what he's getting as soon as I find it???  

Spots

A little over a week after our trip, by airplane, this is how Evan woke up one morning.  Face, back, stomach--covered-- and a few on the arms and legs.  I brought him to the doctor, and because of his other symptoms, he thought possibly measles.  So we went for blood work, and a couple of days later, we find out (after a couple of phone calls)...that it's inconclusive based on that test.  This is because he's had his first round of mmr, so he would have certain levels of what they're looking at.  I think, from the last I heard from the doctor, he'll be having another test on Monday.  

At this point, although I'm curious as to what caused these spots, I'm just thankful that he's feeling much, much better now.

Maybe I'm Over-Thinking It

I tend to like to think things through, probably to an extreme extent in some cases.  But some things do deserve that thought time, such as Evan's transition to kindergarten next year.

Yes, my little boy is going to kindergarten.  I know, it's the cry of most parents, but I still have to say it, How did he get so old so fast!?

We had the conference last week, and I thought I knew what I wanted heading in.  We have two elementary schools in town; I work at one of them, and he goes to preschool at the other.  The one I work at is the one that he should attend for kindergarten based on where we live.  But, the other school has more special ed. options.  So, a couple of weeks ago, I visited the classroom at the other school that I was fairly certain was the one for Evan.  I observed for about an hour, and my eyes watered up as I sat there thinking, yep, this is the right place for my son.  Low number of students, mainstreaming, swing in classroom, sweet sweet teacher, etc.  Yep, the right place.

Day of conference, I'm sitting around a table with the people I work with now and people I've worked with in the past.  I'm really not sure if that is better or worse;  I'm thinking it's just different.

Lots of positive things said about Evan's recent progress which we're seeing at home as well...good stuff.   

 So in a nutshell, there were 3 choices presented.  The most restricted class was eliminated from the get-go; we all agreed that wouldn't be the appropriate place (although I LOVE that teacher!!!).  So it was a choice of the classroom I visited at the other school and the developmental kindergarten class at our school.  And there seemed to be some leaning towards the latter.

Whoa. 

 I hadn't given that second option much consideration before the conference.  Hmm.  Maybe not such a bad idea.  When it was talked about, I  started to believe that maybe it could work...an aide, small group, a great male teacher.  Then the mother in me started thinking about, well, maybe it will work this year, but what about next?  And maybe there won't be enough support.  And maybe it's not such a good idea for him to be in the same building as me.  And and and.

So, as of today, I haven't signed yet, but I'm 99% sure that's the direction we're heading.  Yeah, 99.1% sure.

What's holding me back?  Among other things, I think the biggy is my desire to protect him...have him in an environment where he is a little more sheltered.  Have him somewhere where I don't see everything. 

Ugh ugh ugh.  

Yes, 99.2% sure.

I Hope You Get This

Dear Costumer at Local Restaurant,

Where do I begin? How about a little background. My 3 boys, 19, 17, and 4 have Fragile X Syndrome. Never heard of it, huh? Well, I understand; we hadn't heard of it either until our oldest son got his diagnosis 16 years ago.

Yes, raising ANY child is challenging. I totally agree! Like you said, we all have our problems.

You see, I think the reason I so quickly got within inches of your face to explain our situation after you offered your "advice" is because it's been building up inside me for 16 years! Crazy, right? I also had to get kind of close because it was loud in there. How ironic that I say that, isn't it, because yeah, my son was greatly contributing to the volume in the there.

Let me try to explain. Our 4 year old son sometimes has trouble diverting from the routines he is used to. We had to wait for our table, and he was a bit confused by that. Just going into a restaurant is very difficult for him right now (the noise, the odors, the people, etc); having to wait for our table was more than he could handle tonight. Like I told you, he was adjusting. You probably noticed he was doing much better after we got a table. (I'm sure you noticed; we had such a great view of each other.)

Back to the "building up inside me for 16 years." You see, you're not the first person to offer "advice" that's been clear enough for me to hear.

You are the second.

Yep, 16 years, and you're only the second person that has given "advice" to our family. Have others said things over the years? I'm going to guess, yes, but they made the decision to give their "advice" under their breathe, or maybe they just kept it in their head, so that I couldn't hear it. I respect that, but would appreciate it even more if people could find more constructive things to do with their time than to judge the situations of others.

And, believe it or not, we've had people give us compliments about our kids.

I know, you're in awe.

That first piece of "advice" I overheard? I was in line at large store, the kids were approximately 5, 3, and 1 (we also have a daughter, she was the 5 year old). As we were going through the check-out, both of the boys were in the throws of a complete meltdown. How I even heard the "advice" the woman behind me in the check-out said to the other woman, I'll never know; my kids were so loud! I'm guessing she wanted me to hear it, so she said it in a manner that would put her voice over that of my boys. Her words have stuck with me all these years:

"I hope she doesn't have any more kids; she can't handle the ones she has!"

Yes, I remember it verbatim. And I think the reason for that is that back then, I was weak.

And I agreed with her.

Well, not really...at least not always, but in that moment I did. So instead of saying anything to her, I brought my screaming kids to the van and cried along with them.

And to this day, I wish I could chat with that woman, face to face...

Ok, so tonight. Yes, he was loud. I agree. Yes, I needed to bring him "out those doors." I was planning on heading that way. Having to chat with you ending up delaying that happening.

Oh hey, guess what, Ms. Customer!?

It's Autism Awareness Month. Many children with Fragile X have autistic characteristics. Some have autism.

Consider yourself a little more aware about hidden disabilities now than you were before you walked into that restaurant.

You're Welcome!

The Snowy Day

Another snow day we'll have to make up, but I'm okay with that. Today has been a GREAT day so far!

This winter, we've had a fair amount of snow, but Evan hasn't wanted to participate in any snowy outdoor activities. We had attempted outdoor adventures a couple of times, but he only lasted a few minutes each time, before he would let me know that he was done.

Ironically, his favorite book right now is The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats. He, my daughter, and I all have it memorized. It made me kind of sad that he loved the book so much, but how could he fully connect to it, when he hadn't experienced those basic winter activities?

So today, when we were fortunate to have this snow day from school, I decided early on that we were going to live that book today.

Because he slept in this morning, when he woke up, it was already light out. I went into his room to greet him, and after our "Good Morning!" I carried him to the window and started reciting the first page of the story when the little boy is waking up and looking out his window and seeing the snow, only I inserted Evan's name. Big smile on his face.

Midway through the morning, I excitedly explained to him how we were going to go outside, including the different events from the story. He respectfully disagreed, well, okay, he whined a bit, but I kept the enthusiasm up.

And here's the rest of our story...

Evan and his mom headed out the door into freshly fallen snow in the backyard.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

His boots sank into the snow.

In the distance, Evan spotted something...

It was a stick, poking out through the snow. He understood the endless possibilities of what he could do with this stick.

He first decided to drag the stick in the snow to make a track.

He then ran to the tree with the stick raised high in the air.

Smack, smack, smack!

To his delight, the bright, white snow fell softly onto his coat.

With his mother's help, Evan made the best snowman he had ever seen! He helped scoop up the snow and pack it on to the small ball of snow to make it bigger and bigger and bigger.

Scoop, scoop, scoop!

Pack, pack, pack!

After pushing the arms into place, they stood back and looked with amazement at their new friend, Mr. Snowman.

Evan thought about going inside, but soon discovered that there was more fun to be had.

He turned around to see the silliness of his mother while she lay in the snow waving her arms and legs. To his delighted surprise, when she stood up, there was a snow angel on the ground!

Before heading inside to the warmth of the house, Evan looked all around the yard at the beauty of the snow.

He knew that one day, he would happily venture out into the snow again.

Crunch, crunch, crunch

A New Skill

Today, Evan demonstrated that he understands an important childhood skill: he went in the computer room and closed the door so that I couldn't see what he was doing. Yay!

We got the kids a portable dvd player for Christmas; it's been several years since they've had a portable. The main user of it, so far, has been our movie man, Kyle. Evan loves observing his brothers, and apparently, he's been observing what this new, blue, plastic thing is, although I never noticed him doing this.

But today, he showed us that he knew how to use it. He put in one of his new dvd's, Animal Planet. He can't get enough of watching or "reading" about animals.

So I was proud of him for figuring this out, but cautioned him about the need to find somewhere to sit while viewing the movie. He wasn't too fond of staying in one place with it, after all, it's portable! He also figured out how to see his favorite part--the first 5 minutes--over and over.

Basically, he had enough of my suggestions, so he went in the computer room and shut the door. The only other time he's ever shut this door is when I'm vacuuming in the other rooms.

After having a good laugh with Chelsey about how cute this was, I went in to check on him. And after I left the room, the door shut again.

I'm so proud of this new understanding...at least for today.

Best Buds and Evy J

The boys are out for their Christmas get together with their Best Buddies. And I'll say it again, I LOVE THAT PROGRAM! They are partnered up with amazing high school girls. For Kyle, this is his 4th Best Buddy, and she's definitely a keeper! For Matt, this is his third year with the same girl...a completely awesome person who plans on getting a degree in special ed. For these girls, it's not like they signed up so it looks good on their transcripts; they're genuinely wonderful young women. So thankful!

Evan...what to say about Evan!? Well, our nights are better!!! Finally! It only took four years, but I can say with confidence that he is now a good sleeper. He still may not sleep as many hours as many his age, but when he falls asleep, HE STAYS ASLEEP! Yay! Sleep makes such a difference in my life; it feels so good.

Words, we're hearing new words all the time, and it's music to my ears. His latest--new this week--is "yeah." Before when we would ask him if he wanted something, he would respond with "peas," so polite of him. But his "yeah" is so darn cute. He says it almost as a question; it makes me laugh every time! Another recent, and quite appropriate this time of year, "Ho ho ho, Merry Kismas," and the word that every mother waits to hear started this past summer, "Mommy!" He says that...a lot now! He's getting really good at being able to repeat words when we ask him to. It's beautiful, simply beautiful.

Potty trained, completely during the day. We somewhat had it summer of 2009 when he was 3, but then the school year happened, and it slid down on the list of priorities. As soon as summer break of 2010 started, we went straight to underwear. And within a week or two, he joined the ranks of the potty trained. I was concerned about what would happen once school started, but it's been fine. Only one accident, and it was when they had a fire drill. Night time hasn't happened yet, but right now, it's not even a concern. I'm just so excited about how well he does during the day!

And you know what? I'm thoroughly enjoying life with Evan now. Hopefully, that doesn't sound "awful," because of course, I've always loved him more than life, loved being with him, had many wonderful mommy moment with him. It's just, I guess, taking care of him isn't as emotionally exhausting anymore. Having number 4 after the other 3 were considerably older was a bit of a shock to the system. He entered our family when our family dynamics were different. The biggest change, I was no longer a stay a home mom. That definitely contributed to me feeling drained for so long. He doesn't have playmates around the house. Before, not only did I have our 3, but I also took care of a couple of others.

And yeah, getting the positive diagnosis for fx took it's toll on me, even if I was "prepared." Maybe more than any of the other reasons I listed.

Hello, Blog

It's been a few months, and what am I blogging about? Illness, well, kind of.

Evan is staying home with me today because he's throwing up...again. He had a stomach bug a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, and then on Monday and Tuesday of this week, he had a mild stomach bug. But this isn't about how many times he's been sick, because actually, I think he's quite the healthy little boy!

This is just some frustration being let out that he can't tell people that he's not feeling well.

His note from school yesterday said he had a "rough day." He missed playtime because he wasn't cooperating for activities. It just makes me kind of sad to think about the frustration he must feel, not only in that situation, but for so many times in life when he's frustrated, can't control the situation, and can't verbalize his feelings about it. He's had other "rough days" at school, and most of them have preceded being sick (I think it's almost safe to say all of them), whether it's his stomach or the start of a new cold.

So that's it.

I'm staying home today. MAYBE, I'll get back on here so I can update all the progress he's made! This really is the only place where I keep track of milestones, besides the occasional facebook status. ;)

Flavors

Today, we went with the all the kids to Flavors Coffee place. John and I often go there on Saturday, but without all the kids. We tried once this past winter bringing them...didn't go so well for Evan. The noise of the blender had set him off, and he wanted very little to do with the place.

But, time has passed, and he's improving with dealing with noises. For example, we don't have to take him outside when we vacuum anymore! I just tell him that I'm going to vacuum the floor, his eyes get really big, and then he heads to the computer room and shuts the door until I'm done. Much improvement.

So, we head into Flavors, not too many people in there, and we order our food. Chelsey and I got a blender drink even though I knew it could mean trouble. To play it safe, Evan and I went into the bathroom where it could barely be heard while the drinks were made. He didn't exactly like hanging out in the bathroom, but he was ok.

We went back to the table, and we were able to stay there enjoying our breakfast for quite a while, actually, longer than the amount of time John and I spend when it's just the two of us.

AND, someone ordered a blender drink halfway through our visit. He got a little upset, but quickly composed himself when they finished making the drink.

Yay!

I'm Going to Try, Again

I don't know why I let so much time go these days between getting on here...

Evan's potty training is going GREAT! Last summer, we were doing well, but I knew that sending him to school and to my mom's was going to be tricky...and it was. So potty training throughout the year was hit and miss; BIG miss at school.

But this summer, it's been wonderful, and he will be going back to school without a diaper!

His vocab is still very limited, but luckily, it's not to difficult for him to say, "pee," which he says for both, very convenient.

Other vocab? "No Deal!" Yes, he's been watching game shows with his brother this summer, plus Matt has that game on his DSi. Other than that, he still really isn't putting words together. His biggest vocabulary comes when we're identifying animals....still. Yep, loves his animals. I know more about wildlife from watching Animal Planet than I ever have in my life!

The older boys are doing well. Tonight, they are going to an Indianapolis Indians baseball game with Matt's Best Buddies. I adore Matt's BB, she goes above and beyond...a true friend with a huge heart.

That's it...I just really want to get back into this...I know I've said that before! lol

Recent Stuff

I really want to get my blog going again because I want to print this stuff out for a "journal"...here's another attempt at it!

So I guess I'll start with Evan updates. Last weekend, I went to California with Chelsey and my Mom for a four day weekend (for a wedding--that can be another post!). Before I left, his version of his name was "E--en" or "E--e" (short "e" sound).

John and the boys picked us up from the airport, and on the ride home, I asked him what his name was--just because he loves to say it and he's so cute when he does. To my surprise, when he answered, he said "Evan".......VERY CLEARLY! Yay!

Sleep: he's been doing much better with sleep the past couple of months. He's usually sleeping through, isn't taking as long to fall asleep...an hour maybe, sometimes less...and he's getting better at keeping the jammies and diaper on! He is also becoming more aware when his brothers go to bed (9), and will ask (in his way) to go too....much better than 10 or so.

Interests: Still loving his alphabet toys and animal books. He can't get enough of his animal pictures! They have to be real pictures of animals, with a preference for safari type animals, whales, sharks, and dolphins. Some of them he can say fairly clearly: cheetah, whale, shark, "jraff" (giraffe), eagle, wolf, seal, deer, zebra, roar (lion ;-), and even elephant is sounding pretty good, while others are getting there. :-)

And just as he's getting to the age where I really shouldn't be carrying him anymore, he can say "Care-cue" (carry you), melts my heart and often gets him in my arms.

A couple of days before I left for California, Evan had a fall at school. Yeah, fell off a platform on the playground and ended up with a good old bump on his head with a bit of a cut. I brought him home and he immediately fell asleep on my lap. Didn't like that. So, I brought him to the hospital to have him checked out. I'm usually not one to rush to the doctor's office with my kids, but this one made me nervous. SO, after 3 HOURS in the ER (probably worse than the fall for him), I got the reassurance from the CT scan that everything was alright. The black and blue is starting to fade, and he has a small scab.

On the topic of playgrounds, he's been loving the playground recently! He no longer sits on a platform to watch the kids run around him; he's all over the place! It's hard keeping up with him, ya know, to make sure he doesn't fall off the platform (he kind of loses awareness of where he is in space when he gets all excited), but it's worth it! I get a good workout, and he has a great time.

As I type, John is outside putting up a swing set we just bought today. I was out there helping, drill and all, until Evan woke up from his nap. Evan and I are on our way out to check the progress. :-)

Trains

Kyle has always been a fan of trains...especially Thomas the Tank Engine. He started off with the die-cast ones, then the wooden ones, and finally, the battery operated plastic ones. Over the past 18 YEARS, we've gained many trains (and tracks) and have gotten rid of, basically, none. That's a lot of trains!

So when Evan came along, I thought for sure his love of trains would start from the very beginning. For his first birthday, I got him the Thomas Train and he could sit on and "drive" or push. It has the buttons that play the little jingles....how great. Well, he's played with it a little, but it was never a huge hit.

At our old house, Kyle's room was upstairs, and Evan's was down. This prevented Evan from having very much exposure to the trains set up in Kyle's room. At our current house (a year and a half), both of their rooms are upstairs, and Evan also has mastered the stairs enough where he has freedom to go up and down as he pleases. This summer when Kyle was home, he had a constant track with the battery operated plastic trains set up in his room. Evan did NOT like them! He would scream, cry, etc. It was awful. This stage lasted for a month or so. THEN, he went through a stage of still crying, screaming, etc., but yet, he insisted on standing in Kyle's room to watch them! Of course, Kyle didn't care to have his little brother in there screaming while he was conducting the Island of Sodor. But, Kyle, having the big heart that he does, put up with it quite well. Gradually, he was able to spend time watching the trains for several minutes before the overload and the screaming/crying would start. This often happened before bedtime...not a good way to ease into a good sleep.

Now, after several months, I can proudly say, Evan is a true Thomas the Tank Engine fan. For Christmas, we got a track set for him (to Kyle's relief), and he is becoming quite the little conductor of trains.

I can hear the trains going now. :-)

Peep peep!

Meet "Mo"

Look who joined our family today!

We went to the Humane Society today...it really wasn't in our plans of the day, although we have talked about getting another dog. A picture of a Pomeranian that was in the paper a couple of days ago inspired us to go. That dog was no longer there, but there was another Pomeranian...along with this Terrier mix who came in together three days ago. The Pom. was pretty, but this other dog was, well, cute!

He's 2 years old, and his name was Buddy. After much discussion in the family, his name is now "Mo" or "Maurice." John wanted Gordon, Matt wanted Elvis, and Kyle suggested Henry. We were calling him Gordon for a couple of hours (although I didn't think it fit him). Mo was my choice, and John liked it...he just liked Gordon even more. But, after talking to Chelsey (who liked the name Mo much better), John agreed to it.

He's adjusted quite well so far. He's very fond of Evan, and I think Evan likes him, too! Tonight when I brought Evan to bed, he followed us up to his room; Evan was laughing. But then, the dog didn't want to go back down with me. When I made him come out of the room with me, Evan expressed his disapproval.

Side Note----Evan and bedtime: He's had great nights the past couple of weeks!

Evan also was riding (with help) his tricycle this evening that he got for his birthday---5 months ago. All summer he wanted nothing to do with it; tonight, he couldn't get enough of it. As I pushed Evan around the house (while my back was screaming), Mo followed us the entire time!

Gigi and Mo in the "getting to know you" stage.

AND, the BEST part (so far), he seems completely house trained (although he will be in a cage at night and while we're gone), AND, he doesn't chew on things---two big pluses!

iHeartFaces: "Blue"

I haven't put in a picture for iHeartFaces in quite a while! This week, the theme is "Blue." This is a picture from when we went to the Dunes. John was throwing sand Evan's way--they both thought it was rather humorous!

~~~Check out the other photos at iHeartFaces~~~

Blankie

From very early on, Evan has found security in his blankie. It started out very innocently...he would keep it close to his neck when he slept. It was just an ordinary receiving blanket, a bit over-sized. I had picked out the snoopy material before he was born, and my mom had sewn the edges of it.

For the longest time, blankie was only used during sleeping...but gradually, that changed.

Blankie started coming downstairs with him, blankie tagged along in the van, and blankie was getting more and more hugs.

Then there was change---not a good change---blankie was getting chewed on. Of course, it started out rather gradually, but over a period of time, the chewing increased. I would cut small lose ends for fear that he might choke on them. Blankie got smaller and smaller.

After he would fall asleep, I would usually go into his room and remove it from around his neck because, well, it was usually very wet from being chewed on...gross...
It would smell---badly---and it would get washed...a lot.

It didn't take long until blankie no longer looked like a blankie.

Then one day a few weeks ago--it was a Saturday--I just couldn't give it to him before his nap. It was this ever so small wad of ick. I would post a picture, but.....no......

I hated the thought of him not having it. It had comforted him for so long.

I put him down for his nap, explained to him that he wasn't going to get blankie, and to my complete surprise, he went to sleep with not complaints.

Could it really be this easy??

That night, same thing. He went to bed, and he was fine.

Yeah!

Well, almost.

On Sunday, he started making it clear that he needed his blankie. I think if he could talk, he would have said, "Mom, this is the longest you've ever taken blankie away to clean it. Obviously, it's clean now. Give it back to me...now."

For the next couple of days and nights, there was crying with the occasional call for "key." I felt so badly. At one point when he was in his room crying, I went to the kitchen and reached up to the top of the fridge to retrieve it.

Only, when I put it up there, it had been wet....it was now a crusty, hard ball of ick. There went that idea.

Although he had another receiving blanket, a yellow one--material bought the same day as the snoopy material---he was never attached to it. At some point, I went to the closet where our blankets are. In there, was a receiving blanket we had from when Chelsey was a baby--I had never given it to Evan, not sure why. It has baby Disney characters and a few letters on it, was still in excellent condition, and I thought maybe he would like it because of the letters on it (he really likes letters).

When I gave it to him, he immediately smiled and started pointing to the letters....yes!

Over a period of a couple of days, it appeared that this might be the new blankie. The adoration started slowly....then, it was clear...this was the new blankie.

And there appeared to be a bonus...he wasn't chewing on it! And if I had written this within the first 2 weeks of his adoption of the new blankie, I would be saying that as if it were set in stone! Yeah, that didn't last....but we are keeping a closer eye on this behavior and greatly discouraging it.

I wonder how long this one will last....