Some fun

Gift of Sign

I have not been spending as much time with M on his sign language, but this article has hardened my committment. It is such a wonderful gift to him and to the world he lives in if he can communicate through sign as a child and an adult. I intend to continue teaching him, learning with him, and encouraging him to learn on his own as he gets older. The article is good, but the video is what really got to me.

http://allday.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2009/03/19/1844254.aspx

Small Blessings

Last night we took M to Chick-Fil-A for family night before going to Gymboree. There was a balloon artist there, which thrilled him. M and I walked up and talked about what he wanted. When it was our turn I saw that there was a paper on the table that asked you to point to what you wanted. I quickly realized that the artist was deaf and had found this great way for the kids to communicate. But... I was thrilled when my 2 year old was able to use this gentleman's language to communicate! M signed "doogy please" and then "thank you". It really warmed my heart and I realized that we are giving M a real gift by teaching him sign language. The man seemed pleased and signed "You're welcome" with a big smile.

Maddox rocking Guitar Hero

You wish you had moves like this!

M's first valentine and other fun stories

A few fun stories.... today we made M's valentine's gifts. When we were done, we took one with a few cupcakes next door to give to his special valentine, Gracie. She answered the door and he handed her the treats. She quietly took them and turned and walked away. Her daddy encouraged her to say thank you, which she politely did and then her mommy encouraged her to give him a hug. This, of course, made M turn and run. He does hug her on occasion, but only after a few hours of warming up. It was really cute to watch!!

Earlier in the day we had been getting ready and lost daddy... again. So, I am calling out "Aaron". Next thing I know, M is following me calling "Aa-on". too cute.

We had a great evening together and watched Lady and the Tramp. After the movie, M wanted me to read a book. I told him I couldn't cause I didn't have a light (we had the house in total darkness for the movie). Without missing a beat, he got up, climbed up on the mantle, and switched on the light... looked at me and said "Book!!".

M speech update

Maddox was recently evaluated for his speech again and actually didn't qualify for services anymore. But they think he would still benefit so he will be continuing. He is also going to be evaluated by the school system because First Steps ends at 3 years old. If he qualifies, he could end up going to preschool 4 days a week at the elementary next door. I am actually pretty excited about that. We think it could be really great for him.

His speech does continue to improve and advance. He has been creating a version of charades recently... he doesn't say "tray", but when he wants to eat on his tray on the couch, he signs "trailer"... sounds similar, right? If he is talking about "sheriff" from the movie Cars, he will sign "share". We think it is pretty darn ingenious. He is also putting more words together in phrases. We are really proud of him and feel pretty confident that he will be caught up by kindergarten. That is our goal.

Visiting Tennessee

We went to Tennessee this weekend to visit our good friends, Tara and Brett, and their two gorgeous kids, Miles and Macey. The last time we were there, Miles was almost 3 and Macey had just been born. Maddox had a blast with Miles. It was the first time we have seen him so actively playing with a little kid like this. He was chasing him, tickling him, and playing follow the leader. They had a total blast! We went to Nashville and M got to see sting rays that acted like dogs... no seriously! They begged for food just like dogs do! He also rode a carousel and ate a TON of candy! After Tennessee we drove to Cincinatti and stayed in a hotel. Then, today, we went to the Newport Aquarium. M seemed to really like it, for the most part. He mainly wanted to see Nemo and Dory. :-) He really liked the alligators, who were surprisingly active. I think his favorite was the shark tank. I think the only thing he didn't like what not having any control over the animals. He wanted the shark and ray to play, but they wouldn't and he was fairly disapointed. For anyone that is into aquariums, none hold up to the Atlanta one, so we will definitely take M there when he is a bit older. We were very proud of Maddox on this trip. He was in the car for about a total of 13 hours in 3 days and did wonderfully! And he was really well behaved at Tara's. I think we will be going on road trips more often now that he is older and seems to enjoy it!