The boys and I are having a laid-back day at home. This can be good and it can be bad. Today it's sort of in the middle. I forced them outside for a little bit because it's sunny and warm (for Colorado this time of year). We had a lazy lunch (PB&H with a side of Pirate's Booty and chocolate milk). They've been playing (and bickering and tattling) with their new toys. Actually, overall, they've played together really nicely today.
I'm taking down Christmas. I really enjoy having my house all decorated and spiffed up. It feels so empty when the garland and decorations are packed away, but it's time. The tree has held up really well, but is starting to drop a lot of needles. The boys helped by taking the ornaments down and bringing them to me to wrap up. They are still at that wonderful age of wanting desperately to be helpful. I need to keep that in mind and give them more opportunities.
So what i've noticed thus far in the packing up of Christmas? We've never had a broken ornament or really worried about things being "childproofed." Until Keegen came along. The child is a whirlwind. This year? A broken ornament (given to us by our friends who just moved to Germany). A broken Santa (i'm kind of ticked about that one). Many mangled pages on our much-loved Christmas books. And a missing Mary from the Little People manger scene. Alas. Hopefully she'll show up before next year!
So, so long Christmas for another year. We really enjoyed the season!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Christmas Favorites
My favorite tradition this year? Hands down, the Christmas book countdown. It was a wonderful addition to our usual routines. Everyday after lunch and before Keegen's nap, the boys would take turns opening that day's book. It was so fun to have new books and i was really happy with a lot of the selections. I tried to have a balance between fun, Santa-type books and those that talked about Jesus and the reason we celebrate Christmas. I loved it. The boys loved it. It will definitely be a tradition in our house from here on out.
My favorite books of the 19? Mortimer's Christmas Manger. Loved it. This is the Stable was wonderful. And Santa's Favorite Story was a pleasant surprise. The classics we loved? Merry Christmas, Curious George. Olivia Helps with Christmas. The Polar Express. And, the Grinch. There were four that i will most likely replace before next year.
This was a neat year in that it was so easy and fun to teach the boys about Christ's birth and the Christmas story. All of the wonderful books we read fostered their learning. We'd drive through the neighborhood looking at lights and Bode asked about Joseph and Mary when he saw a nativity in a neighbor's yard. It was fun to have peppered through everyday conversation teachings about Jesus and why we celebrate Christmas. I felt like it was laying a foundation for the boys to better understand that Christ is their Savior. It wasn't forced or planned in any elaborate way. It just happened easily.
Doug's mom sent the boys a Christmas advent she made that we "opened" every morning. She had a stuffed animal at the top and hanging down from the animal were an assortment of treats, each individually wrapped in green plastic wrap for each day. Little candies, toy cars, Christmas pencils and erasers. So the boys got to start their day with a treat (when it wasn't a piece of candy, they got the little gift from the advent and then got to pick a candy out of the candy bowl). It will be a rude awakening when they realize that eating candy before breakfast will not be a tradition we will continue throughout the year. We will have to continue some sort of fun advent like this for next Christmas, though.
Oh. And jammies. I do love our Christmas jammie tradition. They don them and we get cute shots of them in front of the tree. This year we actually got a picture of the whole family reading our final Christmas book in front of the tree. I meant to get a pic of all of us in front of the tree Christmas morning, but i forgot.
Christmas Day is Here
I was awakened at 5:30am by a yelling, screaming 2 1/2 year old--"Mommy, I'm a-waaaaaake! Mommy, I'm a-waaaaaake!" 5:30am? Not too bad on Christmas morning, really. There have been times in our marriage, pre-children, that Doug hasn't slept AT ALL due to his own excitement. He's mellowed a bit and this year fell asleep around 2am and got up at 6. Why 6? Because that was when Keegen started ringing the huge jingle bell after saying, "I want to wake everyone up!" RING RING RING! "I want to wake everyone up!" RING RING RING!
And, not so surprisingly, that did the trick. Doug came up. Doug's brother Trevor next. Then Bode. And last Trevor's wife Bethany.
Keegen asked for popcorn when he woke up, so i was busy making that (in my Whirly Pop. Yum) as everyone descended the stairs. We started the day with popcorn and orange julius, power-food to get us through the opening of presents...
This was a really fun year for Christmas around here. The boys are both old enough now to be super-excited about EVERYTHING. Gift opening was no exception. They were thrilled with it all--the GeoTrax airport (an addition to their remote control trains), the light sabers, the Hot Wheels set Bode's been asking for (OH! the GASP he let out when he saw it!), the Duplo firestation and helicopter. The adults were spoiled too. We finished off with my favorites, the stockings. Growing up, stockings were my favorite, too. My mom, er, uh, Santa, always filled them with fun little gifties--pads of paper, earrings, lip gloss; etc. Santa filled the boys with markers, a coloring book, Hot Wheels trucks and cars and, of course, candy.
We then made our traditional eggs benedict breakfast and settled in to play with the new toys. We went to an early showing of Despereaux--a tradition in my family to see a movie on Christmas. The boys enjoyed it although Rat World was uber-creepy and Keegen wailed, "Mommy, I'm SCARED!" on two occasions. But it was a cute flick.
We enjoyed hanging out the rest of the day. I got a brief but lovely nap. And then we ate tasty ham and rolls in the evening. Perfect.
And, not so surprisingly, that did the trick. Doug came up. Doug's brother Trevor next. Then Bode. And last Trevor's wife Bethany.
Keegen asked for popcorn when he woke up, so i was busy making that (in my Whirly Pop. Yum) as everyone descended the stairs. We started the day with popcorn and orange julius, power-food to get us through the opening of presents...
This was a really fun year for Christmas around here. The boys are both old enough now to be super-excited about EVERYTHING. Gift opening was no exception. They were thrilled with it all--the GeoTrax airport (an addition to their remote control trains), the light sabers, the Hot Wheels set Bode's been asking for (OH! the GASP he let out when he saw it!), the Duplo firestation and helicopter. The adults were spoiled too. We finished off with my favorites, the stockings. Growing up, stockings were my favorite, too. My mom, er, uh, Santa, always filled them with fun little gifties--pads of paper, earrings, lip gloss; etc. Santa filled the boys with markers, a coloring book, Hot Wheels trucks and cars and, of course, candy.
We then made our traditional eggs benedict breakfast and settled in to play with the new toys. We went to an early showing of Despereaux--a tradition in my family to see a movie on Christmas. The boys enjoyed it although Rat World was uber-creepy and Keegen wailed, "Mommy, I'm SCARED!" on two occasions. But it was a cute flick.
We enjoyed hanging out the rest of the day. I got a brief but lovely nap. And then we ate tasty ham and rolls in the evening. Perfect.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Miracle of the Kwaanza Candle
I used to tell myself that Bode was just reserved and quiet in large groups. Like me, you know? Until i get comfortable and can be more myself. But over time i realized we had a bigger problem and you all know our journey to and through sensory processing disorder.
He was in preschool two days a week last year. And i vividly remember his preschool holiday program. It was during the day, so i had dropped him off for the morning and headed back for the 10:30am program. All of the kids were standing in the front of the classroom and all of the parents and grandparents were sitting in the rows of chairs that filled the classroom. There were about 15 kids all happy and performing. And then there was Bode. Standing off to the side. Miserably uncomfortable. Looking near tears. I stood in the back of the classroom and had to push aside my mommy reflex to run to the front and scoop him up and whisk him away.
Last month he had a Thanksgiving program. He'd come home singing songs they were learning for the program. We made a paper bag Indian vest. But when we showed up, he wanted nothing to do with it. This didn't surprise me and i wasn't going to push it. He wouldn't wear the vest and wouldn't stand in front with his classmates to perform what i knew he knew and enjoyed singing in the comfort of his home. I love and accept my child for who he is, but it was really hard for me to see that all of the other kids had no problem standing in front and singing and having fun. It was a reminder that such things are definitely more the "norm" for kids this age.
But what set me off about that program? When his teacher came up to me afterwards and said, "Boy! He's shy, isn't he?" I wanted to smack her. Has she not listened to me when i've talked about Bode's needs? Does she not know my child at all? So instead of slapping her, i was rude and indignant and sarcastic. Mature. I know.
Last night was his holiday program at the school. I was grateful that his teacher seemed to "get" him a little better this time around. She told me awhile ago that he agreed to "hold the candle" in the program. Honestly, when she told me this, i had my doubts. But she was very positive about it. Bode and i had been talking about the program a lot over the past few weeks. And he would say he was going to hold the candle when i'd ask him. But he would NOT be dressing up like a lamb. He sang me a bunch of the songs one evening. The kid loves music and songs. But wants nothing to do with dressing up and being in front of a group. He sang the song about the candles and i again asked him if he'd be holding the candle and he said he would.
Anyway. I made sure we got there a little bit early last night (it was an evening program). We sat up front and watched as everyone else arrived. The teachers introduced the program and then asked that the children file out of the room to get their costumes on. This was our moment of truth. And Bode didn't want to go and was very resistant. His teacher came over to him and, i don't know what she said, but he took her hand and followed her out of the room. I call that a success already.
The kids then walked into the room wearing paper snowmen costumes with little circles taped to their noses. And Bode came in at the end of the line not wearing either, but i was happy he came back in at all. (and taping a paper nose on a kid who avoids and is overwhelmed by sensation? i think not). One of the teachers held his costume and stood by him as he again wanted to stand off to the side. As the other kids sang, he just stood there. But then it was time for another song and bells were handed out. I was excited to see him take a bell. The kids started to sing and Bode shook his bell with the music. Another success. But then, HE STARTED SINGING! He DID A LITTLE SPIN! (i think it was a dreidel song). I was thrilled. You'd think we were watching our child take his first steps, with the woo-woo's and hoots and hollers coming out of our mouths.
Then it was time for the candle song. Bode walked away from the wall he was standing against. Went right to the middle of the kids, picked up his candle and sang the song with the rest of the kids. It was wonderful! I was so happy to see this. Talk about progress.
And after the song? There was still a little more to the program. But he promptly sat down. He'd done what he said he'd do (and a little bit more) and that was that. We were so proud of him and i hope he felt a little spark (HA!) of pride in himself too.
His teacher was darling and told Bode later as he handed our gift to her how very proud of him she was. They were great with him. Pushed him a little bit but not too much.
I hope he can start filing away more and more successes and that life can become a little easier for him bit by bit.
He was in preschool two days a week last year. And i vividly remember his preschool holiday program. It was during the day, so i had dropped him off for the morning and headed back for the 10:30am program. All of the kids were standing in the front of the classroom and all of the parents and grandparents were sitting in the rows of chairs that filled the classroom. There were about 15 kids all happy and performing. And then there was Bode. Standing off to the side. Miserably uncomfortable. Looking near tears. I stood in the back of the classroom and had to push aside my mommy reflex to run to the front and scoop him up and whisk him away.
Last month he had a Thanksgiving program. He'd come home singing songs they were learning for the program. We made a paper bag Indian vest. But when we showed up, he wanted nothing to do with it. This didn't surprise me and i wasn't going to push it. He wouldn't wear the vest and wouldn't stand in front with his classmates to perform what i knew he knew and enjoyed singing in the comfort of his home. I love and accept my child for who he is, but it was really hard for me to see that all of the other kids had no problem standing in front and singing and having fun. It was a reminder that such things are definitely more the "norm" for kids this age.
But what set me off about that program? When his teacher came up to me afterwards and said, "Boy! He's shy, isn't he?" I wanted to smack her. Has she not listened to me when i've talked about Bode's needs? Does she not know my child at all? So instead of slapping her, i was rude and indignant and sarcastic. Mature. I know.
Last night was his holiday program at the school. I was grateful that his teacher seemed to "get" him a little better this time around. She told me awhile ago that he agreed to "hold the candle" in the program. Honestly, when she told me this, i had my doubts. But she was very positive about it. Bode and i had been talking about the program a lot over the past few weeks. And he would say he was going to hold the candle when i'd ask him. But he would NOT be dressing up like a lamb. He sang me a bunch of the songs one evening. The kid loves music and songs. But wants nothing to do with dressing up and being in front of a group. He sang the song about the candles and i again asked him if he'd be holding the candle and he said he would.
Anyway. I made sure we got there a little bit early last night (it was an evening program). We sat up front and watched as everyone else arrived. The teachers introduced the program and then asked that the children file out of the room to get their costumes on. This was our moment of truth. And Bode didn't want to go and was very resistant. His teacher came over to him and, i don't know what she said, but he took her hand and followed her out of the room. I call that a success already.
The kids then walked into the room wearing paper snowmen costumes with little circles taped to their noses. And Bode came in at the end of the line not wearing either, but i was happy he came back in at all. (and taping a paper nose on a kid who avoids and is overwhelmed by sensation? i think not). One of the teachers held his costume and stood by him as he again wanted to stand off to the side. As the other kids sang, he just stood there. But then it was time for another song and bells were handed out. I was excited to see him take a bell. The kids started to sing and Bode shook his bell with the music. Another success. But then, HE STARTED SINGING! He DID A LITTLE SPIN! (i think it was a dreidel song). I was thrilled. You'd think we were watching our child take his first steps, with the woo-woo's and hoots and hollers coming out of our mouths.
Then it was time for the candle song. Bode walked away from the wall he was standing against. Went right to the middle of the kids, picked up his candle and sang the song with the rest of the kids. It was wonderful! I was so happy to see this. Talk about progress.
And after the song? There was still a little more to the program. But he promptly sat down. He'd done what he said he'd do (and a little bit more) and that was that. We were so proud of him and i hope he felt a little spark (HA!) of pride in himself too.
His teacher was darling and told Bode later as he handed our gift to her how very proud of him she was. They were great with him. Pushed him a little bit but not too much.
I hope he can start filing away more and more successes and that life can become a little easier for him bit by bit.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Keegen at 2 1/2
You:make an effort to be funny. After saying something you mean to be funny, you ask, "was that funny?"
are NOT a good eater. It's a miracle you grow at all. You even "chipmunk" your food (we used to think you were eating until we noticed your cheeks were stuffed with uneaten food). When we see you chipmunking, we tell you to chew your food and swallow it. To which you respond with an elaborate head-nod, "Chew! Chew!"
love fruit. And hate vegetables. Especially the green ones. Other than fruit, you want pretty much nothing else except for treats and are super offended when told no. You are quick to tell me that i've hurt your feelings.
are also very into saying "DANG GIT!" and "I'm SAW-WEE!"
you have a never-ending ability to ask the question "Why?"
still have no sense of self-preservation and get into anything and everything and are constantly falling off of things.
love church nursery.
continue to be a non-stop talker. People often stop and ask how old you are because they can't believe so much vocabulary is spouting out of your mouth.
make great sound effects when playing. You really like your (fake) light saber and enjoy making it "swoosh" and "get the bad guys."
like to say the prayer at meals and bedtime.
really wish you could go to school like Bode. When we drop him off, you are immediately sitting at a table working on their station activities. Or pulling puzzles off of the racks and engaging the teacher's aide to help you with it.
9 times out of 10 wake up happy and ready to go.
are addicted to television (especially Einsteins, Wonder Pets and Dora/Diego). We need an intervention.
are all about hugs, messy kisses and high-fives.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Christmas Countdown
My boys love books. As they should. They've been read to basically continually since conception. So when i read the idea on the now-defunct Tales from the Crib blog and again at Corinne's blog about a Christmas book countdown, i wanted to start the tradition in my own home. This year was the year.
Doug and i have collected Christmas books over the years. Long before we had kids. And more in the past few years once the boys joined us. I took advantage of the Scholastic Book Club at Bode's preschool and ordered a few more books this year. And found a few more at Borders and Barnes & Noble. I've been very good to booksellers this year. I'm pretty happy with my stash o' books. So far i have 19 for this year. So we started this week. They're wrapped up and numbered and everyday after lunch we find the next one to be read. The boys alternate who gets to open it. We read it. And read it again for Keegen's nap routine. And read it again for the boys' bedtime routine. What can i say? We love new books around here.
Here's my list of Christmas books this year. A couple of the ones from the book club i'll probably replace next year because, while they're fine, they're not favorites. And soon i'll replace a couple that are board books. And some we'll always keep for this. So it will be something that can change and grow with us.
19. Merry Christmas, Curious George--gotta love a $5 Kohl's book!
18. Santa's Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki
17. Christmas Mice by Bethany Roberts (book club)
16. Olive, the Other Reindeer by Seibold and Walsh
15. Christmas in the Manger board book
14. Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn & Mark Buehner
13. Bear's First Christmas by Robert Kinerk
12. This is the Stable by Cynthia Cotten
11. A book club one that's wrapped and i forget the name. Something with another mouse.
10. Toot and Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas by Holly Hobbie (is that really her name?)
9. The Christmas Story with Ruth Morehead's Holly Babes
8. Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini
7. Olivia Helps with Christmas by Ian Falconer
6. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
5. Small Camel Follows the Star by Rachel W.N. Brown
4. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess
2. Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson
1. Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore--ours is a board book
If anyone has a suggestion for other favorites and must-haves, let me know!
Doug and i have collected Christmas books over the years. Long before we had kids. And more in the past few years once the boys joined us. I took advantage of the Scholastic Book Club at Bode's preschool and ordered a few more books this year. And found a few more at Borders and Barnes & Noble. I've been very good to booksellers this year. I'm pretty happy with my stash o' books. So far i have 19 for this year. So we started this week. They're wrapped up and numbered and everyday after lunch we find the next one to be read. The boys alternate who gets to open it. We read it. And read it again for Keegen's nap routine. And read it again for the boys' bedtime routine. What can i say? We love new books around here.
Here's my list of Christmas books this year. A couple of the ones from the book club i'll probably replace next year because, while they're fine, they're not favorites. And soon i'll replace a couple that are board books. And some we'll always keep for this. So it will be something that can change and grow with us.
19. Merry Christmas, Curious George--gotta love a $5 Kohl's book!
18. Santa's Favorite Story by Hisako Aoki
17. Christmas Mice by Bethany Roberts (book club)
16. Olive, the Other Reindeer by Seibold and Walsh
15. Christmas in the Manger board book
14. Snowmen at Christmas by Caralyn & Mark Buehner
13. Bear's First Christmas by Robert Kinerk
12. This is the Stable by Cynthia Cotten
11. A book club one that's wrapped and i forget the name. Something with another mouse.
10. Toot and Puddle: I'll Be Home for Christmas by Holly Hobbie (is that really her name?)
9. The Christmas Story with Ruth Morehead's Holly Babes
8. Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini
7. Olivia Helps with Christmas by Ian Falconer
6. Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
5. Small Camel Follows the Star by Rachel W.N. Brown
4. The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess
2. Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson
1. Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore--ours is a board book
If anyone has a suggestion for other favorites and must-haves, let me know!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Sensory Activity
While Bode has made incredible strides in working through his sensory issues, i've noticed problems cropping up in the past three weeks. There has been a return of instant frustration, difficulty with transitions, a lot of anger and he'll claim pain if he's touched unexpectedly. All red flags of poor sensory processing.
I have a great book that i read last year called "The Out-of-Sync Child" an excellent book about the varying levels of sensory processing disorders in children. It helped me understand Bode a lot better. There is a companion book called "The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun," which gives many sensory activities to do with these kids and explains which parts of their sensory system is benefitting from the activity. I never got the book in the past because we had been so focused on OT and then with the new programs we've been doing at home i didn't think about sensory activities because he was doing so well (and we were so busy already). Our brain lady who prescribed the programs calls his recent difficult behavior a "blip on the radar screen" and says we just need to continue his programs diligently. While i appreciate that it may be just that, i feel like i need to do more to help him work through it. After three weeks of wondering what has happened and where my lovely child has retreated, i went and bought the book and i'm adding more activities to his "sensory diet."
One of the nice things about the book is that it's in sections of sensations. Activities to help kids with tactile issues, visual, auditory, olfactory; etc. So i went through and marked activities i thought would best help him. While he doesn't flip out anymore if he gets peanut butter on his hands, i know that he is still an avoider of such things. Very careful. Certainly wouldn't be excited about fingerpainting. And he needs a lot of movement in the day. He's easily frustrated (but a whole lot better) when it comes to dressing himself or trying new things. So. I tried to pick activities to help with these sorts of things--fine motor, gross motor, tactile, some olfactory and auditory, too. I'm hoping that these activities along with the programs we're working on will help his little brain get even more organized and help him feel more "put-together," less frustrated and have more confidence in his abilities.
Today we are stuck inside. It's a snow day. But it's way too windy to actually go out and enjoy it. So i pulled out the first sensory activity on my list. Shaving cream car wash. I filled a couple cookie sheets with shaving cream (way too much shaving cream! Yes. It expands after you squirt it out). And then the boys built walls with blocks. Drove cars in it. Played with dinosaurs and monster trucks. Bode was hesitant at first, but seemed to like it in the end. He asked me to leave it out for later. So it's sitting on the kitchen table waiting for another turn. And Bode told me without being asked, "I was scared to do it at first, but i'm getting better at it." So i think i'll be keeping cans of shaving cream on hand for awhile.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Winter Fun & Christmas Wishes
We got about a foot of snow earlier this week. Doug and the boys got out there yesterday to build snowpeople in the very heavy, wet, melting snow. Perfect for snowpeops. (Oh. And no worries. We're getting DUMPED on as i write this. Never lacking in the white stuff around here). I especially like the snowman with two carrot noses. Nice touch.
We have an ornament that holds letters for Santa--a cute little red, cylindrical thing. We had the boys sit down and write what they wanted most from Santa. Can you read what Bode wrote? We're still trying to decipher Keegen's request...
Saturday, December 6, 2008
O Tannenbaum
We got our Christmas tree last night. When we moved to Colorado, i had intentions of taking advantage of the cut-your-own option in the national forest. I thought that would be a stellar tradition. But. In reality. It just hasn't happened yet. Much easier to head to the little family-owned and operated tree farm that's about 10 minutes up the road.
We got there and Bode stated his intention to find the tallest one EVER. He did. We looked at the price tag and decided we didn't have enough ornaments to fill the tree. So our search continued...
We stick to the frasier firs, so that limited our options and made it an easier decision. We found a lovely 7-footer and called it our own. The guys working there made a fresh cut and loaded it on top of Doug's car. We enjoyed a little cider near the firepit and called it a success.
This morning, Doug was kind enough to get the lights on the tree. Did you know rubbing olive oil on your hands takes the sap right off? That was a happy discovery. Then the boys decorated the tree. And even though they did a great job, we will be redistributing the ornaments later tonight...
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