Things are still super busy at work and I’m trying to make it a point to get a decent amount of sleep….there’s not much time for blogging right now so you get another long update post.
This past weekend was pretty relaxed. It was rainy and cold so we pretty much just hung out. On Saturday Monkey’s battery operated train finally kicked the bucket. I can’t say I’m sorry it died either. It was really loud and used up batteries at an alarming rate. One battery would handle about 1.5 hours of play, we’d started rationing the batteries. He got one battery per day, lol.
He was pretty sad about the train so…I did some quick research and found a rechargeable train by Brio and then with a little more research I found a local toy store that carried it. We popped over to Waltham and were really impressed with the store! It was pricey but they had LOTS of nifty Thomas, Brio and other compatible train systems. Monkey boy spent some time playing with the train tables that were out and exploring the items on the shelves. He really liked a few of the Thomas things but holy moly are they expensive! 4 pieces of track are $10 and once you start looking at bridges, tunnels, etc you’re talking $20-60 per piece! If you see any sales or coupons, send me an e-mail! I’d like to get him some more track (I like the Brio track more than the Thomas stuff and it’s cheaper) so he can experiment with setting up different systems.
After we left the store we took a short walk (there was a break in the rain.) The toy store is right next to the Charles River in Waltham. There was a waterfall right there too. Monkey was SO excited about it. We walked along the riverwalk a little ways because we saw a tour boat at a dock and we wanted to see what the cost was. It looks like fun, we’re going to go back on a nice day this summer and take a boat ride. We had to turn back around pretty soon though b/c the rain picked up again.
On Sunday, Monkey got to play with his new train (it had to charge for 8 hours, ugh) and he loves it. I have to say I’m a big fan too. It is so QUIET! You can barely hear it. The downside to this is that he can walk off and leave it running and we don’t realize it. We’ll just have to check on it more frequently or it will spend a lot of time charging, lol. Also on Sunday Duhdee worked on the front hall. He painted the ceiling, hung the new light and put in the switches. We’ll have light out there soon for the first time in 6 months! Woot! Duhdee just needs some time to finish up wiring in the basement.
On Monday, Duhdee had a day off. It’s what he got for his birthday from me, lol. I took Monkey to daycare and Duhdee did pretty much nothing all day! That’s amazing for him. I expected him to work on stuff around the house but I nagged him to just freaking relax…and he did. I think he enjoyed it but he felt guilty for it too. Silly boy. He watched 3 weeks worth of wrestling that he’d recorded, surfed the ‘net and chatted with me.
Monkey had a GREAT Monday as well. I’d been preparing him for the day since Sunday. I’d told him we were going to ride on the bus and then on the train and THEN he was going to go to daycare and see K. (his fav. teacher.) When he woke up on Monday he was ready to go. He was handing me my jacket and purse as soon as his shoes were on, lol. Commuting is *so* much fun with him. He waited at the bus stop patiently and when he saw the bus at the light he clapped, bounced up and down, waved at the bus and then signaled “touchdown.” LMAO too cute! The bus driver commented that it was the best greeting she’d ever gotten.
He did so well on the bus and on the train. He typically gets antsy on the train but he did super. He loved crossing the bridge and looking at the river. We then rode an escalator up to street level and he was so excited about that too. He’s a champ on the escalator, he thinks it’s so funny when he hits the top and the stair disappears from under his feet, lol. Then we walked the 5 or 6 blocks to day care. I had to carry him a little bit. I think he was more nervous than tired. Everything is so tall and the people and cars are just whizzing by.
When we got to the daycare he walked right on in. He thought about hiding behind me at the door but I convinced him to stay standing. He was a bit whiny and asked for his blanket which we had packed in his bag. Once he got his blanket he was off and playing. There was a little baby there and once the two of them were settled on the floor playing with a ball toy I was able to kiss him and walk out the door. No crying!
At the end of the day we normally have a bit of a meltdown when I pick him up. I can never get ready and leave fast enough for him. He held it together really well though so we had no tears at pick up. He ran and pushed the button for the elevator and we were off for home again. He did pretty well on the return trip. He was ready to get off the train just before Central (the stop before ours) but he managed to stay calm until we got to Harvard (though I did have to hold him and stand up.)
He was really tired on Monday night after such a busy day but he made us so proud 🙂 The day care workers all commented on how verbal he is now. His therapist, C., went in to see him on Monday and she said he was using his signs unprompted and appropriately with the folks there. That’s a big change! Usually he will only sign freely like that with Duhdee and I and sometimes his therapists.
This is really long…so I’ll end quickly with news about yesterday. Monkey met his school PT, OT and ST yesterday for the first time and did really well. He was interacting with them and even let the OT give him deep pressure while he was swinging. He normally doesn’t let anyone touch him so this was really exciting! OK, that’s it!