"Today, I got to dig in the dirty clothes basket and put dirty clothes on!"
"Now I'm going to have to start all over again!"
"Can I have some camel on my ice cream, please?"
"Mom, can I have some snatchers to hold up our camp?"
"Come on brain, think! think! Sometimes my brain doesn't work so well!"
Just wanted to write a quick post about some of the fun things that are going on around here.
We love playing "Punch Buggy" in the car when we see a Volkswagen Bug. We don't punch each other though because I neglected to explain that part of the game. :) Will and Nathan know how to play really well, but Witt just likes to say it randomly and it's usually, "Punch Buggy - all kinds of colors!" LOL!
We also like to play "Guess What I'm Thinking". Someone gets an item in their head and everyone else asks questions to figure out what it is. If you ever play with us, a good question to start with would be, "Does it have wheels?"
"I Spy" is another favorite. Tic-Tac-Toe is still a game without strategy, though. :)
Knock-Knock jokes are a huge hit, although the punchline is often a "miss" with Nathan and Witt. Although Nathan did crack Jeff and I up with this on Sunday:
A little background, first... Witt was already using their bathroom and Nathan decided he had to go, so I was going to take him to our bathroom. I knew Jeff had just gotten out of the shower, though, and our bedroom door was closed.
As I entered the room, I said, "Knock Knock." Nathan, running to the bathroom, says in a silly voice, "Who's there?" and then I say, "Just get in there an pee!" I'm sure you can guess the reply...
"Just get in there and pee, who?"
He shut the bathroom door and just giggled while Jeff and I busted out laughing!
Part I, Part II, Part III (Nathan, age 2 1/2) -- Parts II and III have videos of him showing some of his sign language skills in case you are interested. :)
Part IV (age 3 1/2) - I don't think I blogged about this, so here's a quick recap:
After the age of 3, the free speech therapy must be done through the school system so that's the next route we took.
During his evaluation, he was given a hearing test with headphones and the little beeping noise and he was supposed to say if he heard it or not. Well, he didn't say anything... not because he didn't hear it, but I don't think he's understood the directions. So the therapist tried to just watch his body language for cues that he heard it. Not very conclusive as to his overall hearing, but it appeared that he could at least hear some of the tones.
He also did a lot of the same activities from his first evaluation (which he was disqualified from because he spoke more than 10 words at age 28 months). He stacked blocks, played with toys, told the therapist what pictures he saw on the paper. I answered questions about his development (which was normal).
At the end of the session, I got the same answer as before: He does have delayed speech, but he's not delayed enough for the free program due to tighter constraints on entry qualifications. Basically, they have so many children seeking help that they can only take the extreme cases. We were told that when he turns 5, he can be reevaluated in kindergarten through the school system if necessary.
And now we're at the present and PART V of his speech evaluations.
Nathan is not quite 5 and he's not in kindergarten, but his speech is still really slurred when he gets to talking fast. He misses the "r" and "th" sounds regularly. I still do a lot of interpreting for friends and family. Sometimes I just have to give up on what he's saying myself. It's very frustrating for him, but he really does a good job of trying to get his point across and repeating his words. Unfortunately, we have not kept up with the sign language with his growing vocabulary, so that is *generally* not a helpful alternative in trying to decipher his sentences.
An example of our frustration is a conversation just 2 days ago:
Nathan: "way-yah way-ee-oh"
repeating himself and changing one sound: "way-yah way-DEE-oh"
I asked if he said "radio" and he says, "yes".
Me: What kind of radio?
Nathan: "red-ah"
Me: A "red" radio?
Nathan: NO!
Nathan, again: "red-ah"
Me: ???
He tries again, screaming it: "WED- AH!!!"
So I begin to think about what it could be. Knowing his "th" sounds like a "d" I change it in my head to "weth-ah".
Quickly realizing the "ah" is actually the "er" sound, I finally get "weather".
"weather radio?" YES!!!!
This type of conversation is typical at least once a day to every other day; however, his speech is improving over time. Regarding therapy, my thoughts are that he will probably only need minimal sessions and that we'd be able to work on most of it at home. So, we signed him up for a private speech evaluation, paying for it ourselves.
Same rundown as the previous evaluations: play, chit-chat, tell the therapist what the picture is.
At the end of the session, the therapist said that for his age he's doing fine. The sounds he is having trouble with are typical for his age and even though he also initially missed the "z" sound during the evaluation, she when back over it and he was able to make it then.
She said that they could continue therapy, but all they would be working on is slowing him down and repeating the words he is missing. She suggested we just work on that at home... instead of shelling out $75 a session. (sounds good to me!)
She also said that if the "r" and "th" sound don't come by 1st - 2nd grade, to have him evaluated again through the school.
I left that day very satisfied with the answers I was given. It was no longer, "Yes, he's delayed, but not delayed enough" to "He's doing fine, he just needs to slow down". YAY!!!
{On a side note... with no other place to put this bit of info because I don't want a post all to itself... Nathan had an outer ear infection about two weeks ago. At his initial appointment, the pediatrician pulled a huge chunk of wax from his right ear. He was later referred to an ENT for the infection and was treated. At his follow-up visit, the ENT pulled a huge chunk of wax from his left ear. The left ear no longer has a tube and has healed, but there is pressure behind the drum. The right ear no longer has a tube, but there is a hole in the drum. We will follow-up in two months to see if it has healed and how the pressure is doing on the other ear.}
Now that you have that bit of side info, you can fully appreciate the following comment I got from Nathan yesterday:
"Mom, I can hee bett-ah now!" (I can hear better now!) ~ LOVE IT! :)
Witt, age 3
"Why?" - 'nuf said, right? :)
Nathan, age 4 1/2
It has been really nice to hear Nathan start speaking more (on a side note, he will begin speech therapy soon).
As Will was trying to reach for something on a top shelf and I overheard Nathan say excitedly, "I have an idea!! Get a giraffe!!!"
After getting in trouble and being sent to the corner, "I need a COMFORTABLE chair!"
"What is a sand storm?"
"What are those electrical lines for?"
"How many mirages are there in a dessert?"
"Finding a harmless skunk is like finding a cactus thorn in a haystack."
"Did you know that Superheros start out as magicians?"
At our previous congregation in Georgia (which we recently visited), they have both English and Spanish services, but we all come together to take the Lord's Supper. One man will lead an English prayer and then another will lead a Spanish prayer. During the Spanish prayer, Will looked at me and whispered, "That man in speaking Spanish. Does God speak Spanish?"
"Mom, we go to Bug Outs?" translation: "Mom, can we go to Cub Scouts?"
Will, age 7 1/2:
A couple cute mispronunciations that I've been meaning to write down for quite some time:
"Fravorite" for favorite
"Renember" for remember
When asking about how I met Jeff, he questioned, "Mom, have you met many men, but they just didn't fit in your heart?" Translation: Do you have friends that are men, but you didn't fall in love with them?
Nathan, age 4 1/2:
"Mommy, you don't need a truck anymore. You need a MONSTER truck!"
"It's not yellow! It's GOLDEN!! We all live in a golden submarine... golden submarine..."
Witt, almost 3 years:
"Yay-yo Suh-marine... Yay-yo Suh-marine" (Yellow Submarine)
At a red light in the car, "Green Green... GO! GO! GO!" over and over again until the light changes. :)
Just a quick minute to write a few things down....
William, age 7 1/2: "Daddy called me 'silly,' that means I'm dignified... whatever that means!" LOL!
After tasting something (and not liking it - shock, I know... haha), William tells me, "It's kind of bitter, I think it needs a secret ingredient."
******
Nathan, age 4, who is still pretty quiet until he's LOUD, made me giggle so hard last night. It's probably not funny from just a regular kid, but because he doesn't say a whole lot, I really cracked up! :)
As he was getting into the bath and squatting down to sit in the water, "OUCH! That burned my butt!"
Nathan also LOVES nuts. Pecans are his favorite, especially since he can just go outside, scoop a few off the ground and (attempt) to crack them. You just don't know how many times my nut cracker went missing this past season!
Anyway, I bought some cashews at the store, told him they were my favorite and we shared some. Later in the day, he brought me the bag asking for more "tap shoes" or "cap shoes"!
*****
Witt, age 2 1/2, now says "bana" for banana instead of just calling it a "yella" (yellow).
Witt also has a small collection of stuffed frogs, and it's a little embarrassing to hear him say "frog". He removes the "r", and changes the "g" to a "k". I'll leave you to figure out what word it sounds like. ;)
Witt, age 2 1/2, singing:
Rise and Shine
and Give God the Glory
Rise!
and Shine!
and
Give God the Glory!
Children of the Lord
And if you were intrigued by the initial song of Jingle Bells, you can see that HERE. :)
Picture from January 2009Witt (2 1/2 years) LOVES praying. We always pray before meals and again as a family before bedtime. He always has to have a turn. Here's his prayer:
Dee God,
Ma, Da, Nay (Nathan), Will, Witt, Papaw, Gran, Witt, Will, Nay, Papaw, Ma, Da, Will, Na, Bro (Brothers)
(Then a bunch of gibberish for "In Jesus Name")
Amen
We all get prayed for at least four times a day... some of us two or three times in the same prayer! So cute and sweet! I know I can always take a few extra prayers on my behalf! :)
Third tooth was pulled by Daddy using a string on Christmas Day!"Dad, are you sure you can't read us a Bible story before bed? You know, God is more important than sleep."
He dressed himself: mom's sock, camo shorts, red Elmo sweatshirt"Nevahhhhhh!" (Never!)
Driving Great-Granddaddy's tractor!"Me hep you"
"No! Me do it!"
Just a quick minute to jot this down!
Jeff was listening to Will, age 7, sings Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer:
You know Dasher and Dancer,
Prancer and Vixen,
Comet and Cupid,
and daughter of Blitzen...
**********************
Witt, age 2 1/2, with his interpretation of Jingle Bells:
Yeah Yah Bell, Yeah Yah Bell
Ah way... HEY!
over and over and over again :)
**********************
Believe it not, Nathan, age 4, has been singing, too!
Oh Mac Don-noe had a farm
EIEIEIO
**********************
On the way home from a campus day after waiting for his turn on the swing: "When girls say, 'Wait a minute,' they really mean, 'Wait a long time!'"
How do you spell 'C', as in the letter C?
Nathan, age 4
When asked where his cup is (or any other object for that matter), he throws up his hands with, "'Round here somewhere!" I had no idea where he got that from until I heard myself say that! LOL!
And if it's not 'round here somewhere, it's "in my shop!" (Yes, Daddy has a shop.)
He brought me a broken tractor asking me to fix it. I showed him where a few pieces had come off that were missing and told him it couldn't be fixed. He told me to "buy some more pieces". I asked him where I would get more pieces and he said, "The pieces store!" Jeff and I both think he was talking about a local merchandise store that does in fact have a lot of pieces ( nuts, bolts, screws, light bulbs, switches, etc... by the bucket load!)
Witt, age 2 1/2
The immediate response when told he needed a haircut? NO WAY! (Jeff about spit his coffee out of his nose! LOL!)
******
Will (age 7), has had some laugh-out-loud misinterpretations lately, but for the life of me can't think of any! :(
However, I could easily sum up most of his brain activity with, "Can I tell a story?" He asks this at least once every day!
******
Witt, 2 years old, is now talking up a storm and has some cute ways of saying things:
T? for "Can I watch tv?"
He confuses "put it in the trash" and "put it in the sink" - so I've found utensils in my trash and banana peels in my sink! Bleck.
He does not refer to me as mama, mom, mother, or mommy. I am now just "Ma".
"Tanx, Ma." "Help, Ma." "No, Ma." or the really adamant, "No, Ma, No." I hear that last one a lot because:
"Me doo-et" - "I want to do it"
After Halloween, he started adding the "dy" to the end of "Can-dy" and "Dad-dy".
He's also picked up the phrase, "Awwww.... Man!"
The best from him, came a few nights ago while we were praying before bed. He likes to have his turn, too. Jeff will start the prayer and Witt copies him:
Jeff: Dear God,
Witt: God
Jeff: Thank you for the trees
Witt: Trees
Jeff: Thank you for my family
Witt: Fam
Jeff: Thank you for our house
Witt: How
Jeff: Please keep us safe
Witt: Say
Jeff: Please help the boys to be quiet
Witt: -
Jeff repeats: Please help the boys to be quiet
Witt looks at Jeff: -
Jeff looks at Witt and repeats: Quiet
Witt continues to look at Jeff.
Jeff, still looking at Witt and me starting to giggle: Quiet
Witt: No.
Jeff, holding in laughter: In Jesus name, Amen.
Witt: A-meh.
(**I'm still laughing as I type this. I equated it to a bride getting married and not expecting the word "obey" to show up in the wedding vows! LOL!**)
In deciding whether to discuss the States of Matter or Movement and Motion with Will this next quarter, I asked him a few questions.
Me: What is a solid?
Will: Like this. (He freezes in place.)
Me: What is a liquid?
Will: Like this. (He wiggles and moves his arms about)
Me: What is a gas?
Will: (Looks a little confused.) I don't know.
Me: It's like a liquid, but a whole lot faster!
Me: Can you name a solid?
Will: A rock is solid.
Me: Can you name a liquid?
Will: Water.
Me: Can you name a gas?
Will: Well, our truck takes gas.
Me: No, that's gasoline; it's completely different. We're talking about solid, liquids, and gases. Like ice, water, and steam. Gas is kind of like the air. Many times you can't see gases, but sometimes you can smell them.
Will, smiling: You mean like from my butt?!?
Me, laughing hysterically: I guess we'll be studying states of matter next quarter. LOL!
