With Great Love Comes Great Responsibility

Of course I know Poppa already knows that.

But it's important for me to remember just how much everything we say matters to the little ones that love us so much matters; Reverberates in their little brilliant minds.

Poppa helped Abby get back into swim class for the first time yesterday in a while. And he must have said something to the effect "Abby! You swim like a fish!"

When I walked in the door it was the first thing Abby told me.

As she's dancing around the room and sits on Steve's lap - Abby asked him if she'd already told him what Poppa had said.

When she saw Gramma the next day it was the first thing Abby related.

Each time with piping voice, pride and a touch of shyness.

According to the psychologists just repeating "I LOVE YOU" becomes a desensitized intangible sort of thing. We're supposed to be specific, relevant, individual to the child and situation and it feeds their confidence like sunlight.

Well, I think you struck a chord Poppa.

Abby means Brave & Faithful

Sweet Abby got her first douse of some sort of food poisoning last night.

She started feeling "weird" and slightly panicking that she might have to throw up. I honestly wasn't sure if it was going in that direction or if she just needed to burp or something.

Sure enough a few hours of squirming and feeling weird and laments such as:
Why does such a thing as throw up even have to be alive?!
Why does sick even have to exist?!

and she let loose with two huge throw ups... then one for the road - each with perfect aim and ease into the toilet basin. Expecting a sad sad Abby I rush in with a wet towel. Instead she is beaming even as I help her wipe her face (we'd put her hair up just in case a few hours prior). I want her to sit in case there is another bout of throwing up but she insists that she's done and she's so thrilled that it finally happened after dreading it and knowing it was coming.

As I finally agree she must indeed be done and help her back to bed she is all smiles, "Mommy, I think I finally threw up because I prayed to God that I would quickly and I did!"

I am suitably impressed, "Well then, we should thank God!" (I do a little prayer) and then ask her if she wants to add anything, "No, I already did thank Him, so that's TWICE!"

Such a brave wonderful soul.

Jack's First Phone Conversation

Up until this last Coronado trip Jack has been totally uninterested in the phone - especially talking into it toward a real person.

Randomly while on the phone with Noni I suggested Jack wanted to talk because he had been complaining that she wasn't there to meet us as the house. "WHERE'S Noni?!" so I put the phone up to his ear expecting his usual scowl and silence.

Instead this was what I heard from his end:
"Hi. Noni."

"Oh.. no. Just a few of my best friends."

"Ok."

"Ok."

"No."

"No... Ok byebye"

(I think there was a part about Thomas the train in there too but I've lost it. I knew I should have wrote it down)

Jack telling the ducks what for

Duck!!!!

A.B.B.Y

Finn's duck call

Cute boys

Finn's indignant face

As in 'I believe I should have the right to throw trains off balconies'

Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone
Lens: Kaimal Mark II
Flash: Off
Film: Pistil

Test

Adrea Scheidler
Sent from my iPhone

Observation room: JACK

OHHHHHH Jack.

So after the initial consultation next up for project "help Jack be the best Jack he can be" was an observation of Jack in the office.

Now, I use the word office loosely. Though the first room looks like a typical therapist's office, the connecting room is FULL of huge awesome cool toys. HUGE giraffe and elephant, bean bags, trampoline, slide, etc. etc. etc.

We knew Jack would be slow to warm - or, I assumed he would be. So I wasn't surprised that he kept quiet on the floor at first, albeit a little feistily flirty. He couldn't quite figure out if he should be mad to be there at first and Mona is way too approachable and happy and nice looking for him to resist being a LITTLE flirty. But, of course he didn't talk - duh, why would he? At least he wasn't crawling in my lap saying he wanted to go.

So we didn't entice him to talk there so off we go in the adjoining room. At first I sat back to see if the sheer fun of the place cracked his shell. BUT no. So Mona told me to go play with him. That is when it got very... striking.

I.E. I wasn't surprised he wasn't talking TO Mona. But at this point - all alone in that room with the sole purpose of observing Jack's demeanor where my son who has always been a chatterbox at home absolutely refused to speak and yet in every other way was playing and happy. He wouldn't say "NOOO Momma" in his joking voice when I suggested the banana went on my head and so on and so forth.

Mona asked if this was normal for Jack and I'd say yes, but honestly - I'd just never let it go this far. As in if we were somewhere he was uncomfortable I'd just hold him til he was warmed up or until we left or follow him around until we got the same result and so on and so forth. I considered a moment then shrugged and said, of course if Steve is present he wouldn't let it go this far in that he would take Jack and wrestle him until Jack's screams of protest became screams of joyful tickling pain. And then that would be the thing that basically "broke" Jack.

So I sit there. As our appointment time is nearing an end... and I think... oh CRAP stinking Steve is yet AGAIN going to be right even when it seems like he wasn't. SO I put on my Steve cap and instead of normal Mommy type play - I take Jack and throw him into the bean bags and tickle him mercilessly. When done he stands up and asks me where the trains are. I explain it's not my house, you have to ask Mona.

SO off Jack marches and clear as a bell asks Mona to please let him see the trains.

WHY OH WHY is Steve ALWAYS right? It is enough to drive someone batty.

After all that, I sat well away from Mona & Jack letting Mona do the voodoo that she does and marveling at how odd it all is.

Anyway so Mona, sharp as she is, takes full advantage of the 7 minutes that she has Jack speaking to her and is fully happy to say she's ready to sit down with us for an evaluation. She went ahead and reassured me that all the markers for you know basic normalcy and development are there he just happens to have you know... very little flexibility and all that.

I don't want to assume too much from what she said, so I'll give you all the full story next time we see her.

I just found the whole thing much more disconcerting than I expected to. It was so much eerier than it sounds when he just plain wouldn't talk. He would just point.

ANYWAY all the while along with this process Jack seems to have hit his stride somewhere/somehow and he's just been blossoming into super cuteness.

Sub Conscious Over Drive

Now that I'm sleeping for full nights at a time my subconscious thinks it's time to catch up. I'm inundated with dreams all night long - most of them having to do with trying to do things, failing and trying again with no hope of success.

Like trying to park in the Cole's kitchen. I kept knocking pieces off their kitchen counter and they were so nice about it but I really just wanted to stop trying.