This is EVERYWHERE right now, I love it!
Experiment takes aim at genetic learning disorder – The Boston Globe
Posted using ShareThis
Life with Fragile X Syndrome
Pen-guin egg crrrack!
Monkey looooves penguins, it started with The Penguins of Madagascar. He thinks the show is HILARIOUS (and so do I, I love King Julian!) For the longest time he would request the show by saying “Pens?”
They’ve started a unit at school that is feeding Monkey’s love of penguins now and within the last week he has moved from “pens?” to “pen-guin.” Each time he said it this weekend the two syllables moved closer and closer together until he perfected the word. I was amazed at the progress. I guess it goes to show how very well he learns when he is MOTIVATED to do so, lol.
I hope his teacher enjoys hearing how much progress he made over the weekend as much as I did. If she’s lucky, the darn penguin egg will hatch and we’ll be able to get him to say something, ANYTHING, besides “Penguin egg crrrrack” by the end of this week.
So about the sleeping.
He definitely is sleeping more but yesterday, out of curiosity, we checked his browsing history on my laptop. We thought he’d gotten up just before 6:00 because that is when we heard him. He got up a little bit earlier than 6 though. Like 3:30 early! No wonder he was so ridiculously cranky last night.
We’re now discussing door alarms and/or a motion sensor so we can catch the sneaky little bugger if he pulls that again.
Someone is sleeping.
I will not say anymore on that right now because it will surely jinx it!
In school related news, we are now ramping up on the IEP process for next year. Monkey is due for his 3 year evaluations in March. We’re going to write a letter to the school asking for that to be done in June instead when we are ready to do his annual review. There are a few reasons why we need the delay, the biggest is money!
The school has none and will not be creating any new kindergarten classrooms next year, which was tossed around as the best placement for Monkey. They were considering creating an integrated kindergarten. That is off the table. We are facing mainstream or substantially separate as our choices.
We have *some* but it’s going to medical expenses at the moment. We need to save up a good chunk of change for the advocate and, possibly, special education attorney we are going to need to hire.
WHY would we need an attorney? Because if our choices are mainstream or substantially separate we’re going to do what it takes to get him in a mainstreamed kindergarten class WITH APPROPRIATE SUPPORTS (which has been in his IEP since he turned 3.) For Monkey, the appropriate support is going to involve an aide to keep him on task. The school says they don’t “do” aides. The advocate says the school does whatever the child needs.
This is going to be a trip.
Poor Daddy gets no respect!
When I was pregnant everyone wanted to know if I wanted a boy or a girl. Of course I said I would be happy either way but I was kinda, sorta, hoping for a little girl…mostly because I am a girl and I “get” girls…I had no idea what to do with a little boy. Boys have always mystified me, I didn’t end up at a woman’s college accidentally! Whenever I said this my dear friend Darline would tell me I most certainly wanted a little boy, that little boys love their mommas fiercely. I was skeptical.
Well, color me a believer. This little boy is the light of my life! He doesn’t always save his best behavior for me but he always, always gives me my share of the love. And sometimes more than my fair share! To add to the Christmas conversation we now have this little exchange from this morning…
Monkey: Umma! Umma! TEA!
Umma: Is Daddy making me a tea?
Monkey: Yes!
Umma: Is Daddy the very best Daddy for making me a tea?
Monkey (quietly): No. Not!
Umma: He’s not? Was it your idea to make me a tea?
Monkey: Yes!
Umma: Are you the very best Monkey?
Monkey: Yes!
Poor Daddy, it looks like he needs to step up his game 😉
He is SUCH a boy.
We gathered a bunch of desktop images so that Monkey’s profile on Duhdee’s computer has a nice rotation of pictures. This is Monkey’s favorite.
He is SUCH a boy. Butts are funny!
Spread the Word to End the Word
The long awaited, much anticipated, appointment.
6mg of melatonin/night instead of 3mg for the next two weeks and then a another $650, 45 minute, follow-up appointment to discuss a stimulant. And maybe a cardiologist and sleep-study…
I am … not going to comment further.
Monkey see, Monkey do.
So far, 2010 seems to be the year of mucus. Monkey has conjunctivitis, Duhdee’s new bestest friend is the humidifier and my new best friends are my ice packs. This morning I had to lay down with an ice pack for an hour or so and Monkey, very happily, joined me in the bed and requested his very own ice pack!
In between bouts of aches, pains and (I’m sorry) lots and lots of snot we’ve been slowly showing Monkey how to play various games on the Wii. He is an amazing bowler, a decent pitcher, a half-hearted batter and…we’ll regret this soon, I’m sure…a pretty decent boxer. He has beaten me at bowling more than once and I am way too competitive to throw a game…he whupped me fair and square. I heard him knock out Duhdee earlier but I suspect Duhdee allowed that to happen.
Duhdee just took a garbage bag full of tissues out and Monkey is right now shaking out his very own garbage bag and yelling “cool!”
Nothing we do these days goes unobserved or un-imitated! I need to figure out how to get this to work for me a bit better…maybe I should go demonstrate how to do laundry. Nah.