The Weekly Review: Week 25

Two Favorite Blog Posts of the Week

I enjoyed a post by Swistle about nutritional advice because I've had similar thoughts. And she expresses her thoughts so very eloquently.

I enjoyed another post at All & Sundry because I have a similar Melissa and Doug puzzle box and I knew exactly how the post was going to end. I sympathize.

Siblingness of the Week:

The children are ramping up both their sweet togetherness sibling moments and their shouting/pushing style sibling moments at the same time. It seems we get more of both. They are talking to each other instead of us more and more. Ava will ask Michael for help when she's having trouble with the computer or if she needs someone to turn on the water in the bathroom so she can wash her hands (he can reach the faucet, she cannot). I love it.

And then there are the moments that perplex me because they are coming too soon. Michael will repeat an action that irritates Ava simply because it bothers her. Why on earth does a three year old need to irritate his two year old sister just because? Alternately Ava will just push Michael out of her way instead of asking him to move. Or grab a toy from his hands, not because she wants it, but because she feels it is hers. Sigh. Lots of mediation going on in our household now and probably for the next 16 years or so.

I am trying to butt out whenever possible. I am inclined to micromanage and I'm making a concerted effort to just let them be and figure things out on their own.

The Weekly Michael

Michael continues to love his new preschool. I continue to love the fact that he's happy there. He comes home talking about art, and songs, and snack, and activities. Before, when it was a school day he'd protest going. Now he's excited. It is a beautiful thing to watch.

Ava this Week:

Singing. I wish I knew how to post audio samples here so you all could hear her too. She's singing the ABC song and Itsy Bitsy Spider and Row, Row, Row Your Boat. By no means are they perfect, but I think that even a stranger would know what she's trying to sing. Understanding her isn't what is important here though. What makes me so happy about it is that she's finally confident enough to try and capable enough to string many, many syllables together in sequence to a tune.

The Weekly Review: Week 24

Blog Post Idea I Like

I liked this idea a lot. Ok. So, maps aren't really my thing. I'd rather do something a little different, but the idea is a great one. The children are often anxious to get to the table before the food is ready. Ava climbs up in her chair and then sits impatiently with nothing to do. It would be nice to have something there just ready to play with and discuss. Now, what else could go on the table besides a map?

The Weekly Michael

"I had a great day at school today!" These were the first words from Michael's mouth when I picked him up from school yesterday morning. They were said with enthusiasm, earnestness and sincerity. May he hold on to this sentiment as long as possible. Apparently the great day was due to the watercolor paints, orange play-doh, and new play-doh tools he got to use today at school.

On a completely different note, for the second week in a row Michael is only taking a nap on average about a third of the time. This happens periodically. Just about when I decide that his afternoon nap has disappeared, he starts taking the nap regularly again for another couple of months. However, having said that, I think this may be the beginning of the end of the nap. We'll see.

Ava this Week:

There's so much going on with Ava right now.

We've started OT and that's stretching her tolerances for sensory experiences.

She is becoming more independent by the day. I hear, "Do it ON MY OWN!" many, many times a day. I have to take a deep breath and remind myself to be patient. I try to remember that independence is a good thing and skill at it requires practice. And so I let her put on her own shoes and take off her own underwear and generally do lots of things herself that I could do 10 times faster, but that isn't the point.

She's also a tiny bit more appropriate in public. She still doesn't initiate interactions with other children, but she is retreating less when they encroach upon her space. I figure that's progress.

On the other hand, she didn't get her school pictures taken because she refused to go down the hall with the photographer. So be it. At least I don't have to worry about her being overly friendly with strangers (knock on wood). Silver lining: I won't be tempted by the crazy expensive prints. School pictures are such a racket.

The Weekly Visit:

As I've said, my cousin (Ava's godfather) is in town from New Orleans this week. The visit isn't over yet, but it has been wonderful. The kids adore him. We've been to Six Flags, the Botanical Gardens, a children's museum, and we're still planning on the going to the zoo. The children also just enjoy his company around the house. I've enjoyed having his company too. We've watched a little television and played some games. The company of another adult during the day is nice. I'll be sad to see him go on Sunday.

The Weekly Review: Week 23

Due to illness and fatigue (mine) I am going to do an abbreviated version of the Weekly Review.

It has been an eventful, but good week. Michael started preschool. We got Ava's OT evaluation results. We had two additional guests in the house for four days (dog-sitting). We finished up the kittens' week long run of antibiotics. All of those things went better than expected and I would be pretty happy about it if I weren't fighting a nasty cold.

Next week should be wonderful. We have relatives coming in from New Orleans for the week. My cousin (Ava's godfather) will be staying with us while my mom's sisters will be staying five minutes away with my parents. One of my mom's sisters is my godmother while the other is Ava's godmother. I am very much looking forward to their annual visit. I am also going to enjoy watching the children getting to know some more of the people who are so important to me.

Have a good weekend everyone.

The Weekly Review: Week 22

Blog Post that Made Me Laugh

It takes talent to take a routine experience (trying on a shirt at a store) and turn it into a hilarious story. Linda at All & Sundry manages it though. Ironically, I actually didn't think the shirt looked all that bad.

Weekly Article that Puts Things In Perspective

I read an article about a family with 11 children between the ages of twelve and one. None of her pregnancies were twins. It makes me rethink complaining about having handled two under two.

The Weekly Michael

This was Michael's last week at daycare. Next week he starts preschool. He knows he's going to "big kid" school starting next week. So far, he is taking this news with complete calm and mild interest. I am so hoping that next week goes beautifully for him. I hope it will be the beginning of a wonderful relationship between Michael and school. Our district is small. There is only one grade school, one middle school, and one high school and they are all together on a single campus. The buildings have all been recently renovated and the campus is beautiful. We have no plans to relocate, so Michael may well spend the vast majority of his waking days in this spot from the time he is three till the time he is eighteen. That is a pretty amazing thought and I want it to go well.

Ava this Week:

There are transitions everywhere. As Michael transitions from daycare to preschool, we are having Ava's transition meeting to begin planning her transition (if she qualifies) from early intervention to school district services. We had Ava's transition meeting yesterday. I'll write more about how that meeting went tomorrow.

Weekly Lesson: Buying Store Brand Doesn't Always Pay

As part of my attempt to eat better, I've been making lunches from steamed veggies. I usually get a name brand mix of broccoli and cauliflower in a microwave steamer bag, but they are a little pricey so I decided to try the store brand in a non-steamer bag. Well, steaming it was definitely a pain (compared to the steamer bag). It took longer, didn't come out as well, and dirtied more dishes. But the real problem was the quality. Almost half of the bag was broccoli stems. Just chunks of the stems. I actually threw them out because I find them tough to chew and not very tasty. Guess it wasn't such a great value after all.

The Weekly Review: Week 21

Blog Post that Made Me Think

Chris at RudeCactus.com wrote a post about how much and what kind of information people post about themselves online. He also poses a hypothetical question about online posting behavior. I've wrestled with this issue myself. When I decided to blog about the personal topics of my family and my daughter's Apraxia I decided to use pseudonyms. Dala, Ava, Michael, and all of the other names you see on the blog are pseudonyms. It was just a step that made me slightly more comfortable posting about our personal life on the internet. I am also constantly making judgements about which anecdotes are appropriate for public consumption and which are more private. My husband and I have decided that we are only comfortable posting pictures of the children in which their faces cannot be seen. When I am unsure if my husband will be comfortable about a certain posting topic or picture, I check with him first. I'm sure everyone draws the line between what they're willing to put online and what they aren't differently, but I hope that everyone thinks about it a little.

Weekly Weather Observation

Well, it will hardly come as a surprise that the weather has been extremely hot around here. Reading the news, that statement applies to nearly every area of the US. The thing is, I find myself thinking that I am grateful for that heat to some extent, because it means that winter is not near. I'm originally from New Orleans, LA and still travel there at least once a year. Hot is familiar. Winters that are cold with snow, ice, sleet, and salt all over the roads still feel fundamentally unfamiliar even though I've been living with them for well over half my life. I remember growing up thinking that a jacket was a "winter coat". So, even when it is so hot that I don't take the children outside to play, I'm still glad that I can leave the house without bundling everyone into coats and hats and that I still have daylight at 7:30 pm.

The Weekly Michael

Oh my the volume control has become skewed. All of a sudden Michael seems to be extremely loud all the time as his default volume. I wouldn't say he's quite shouting, but almost. He seems to think that talking at a very high volume is a perfectly normal thing to do. And he's so earnest when he's talking. He really just wants you to hear the VERY IMPORTANT THING he has to share. I hate to interrupt that earnestness with the rather mundane request to "tell me quietly please," but I am starting to feel assualted. It is exhausting, somehow, to be shouted at all day long by an earnest three year old. I suppose my next campaign will need to be constant reminders to use an inside voice.

Ava this Week:

In the beginning I didn't have a name because Ava couldn't talk. That was hard and so when "Mama" came I was so excited. I love "Mama." If I could choose what to be called forever, that would be it. Then, a few weeks ago, Ava switched to "Mommy" completely on her own. I noticed, of course, but I didn't draw particular attention to the switch hoping it would pass and that she'd return to "Mama" at some point in the future.

This week, she has suddenly started calling me "Maw-Maw". Seriously?!? "Maw-Maw?" It makes me feel like an 80 year old grandmother. Definitly not my first choice. Ok. It also makes me giggle a little inside because it is pretty funny. Again, I'm trying not to draw her attention to the shift hoping this too shall pass.

The Weekly Kittens:

The kittens have been sleeping with us. In the beginning it was because we needed to keep them separated from our older cat until everyone adjusted and our bedroom was the most convenient place to accomplish that. Now, we just like it. Every so often, in the middle of the night I will be startled out of sleep by a kitten grooming the tip of my nose. I'm not sure which kitten it is, because it is dark, I'm sleepy, and I can't see without my glasses on anyway, but someone likes to groom my nose in the middle of the night. If you've never been licked by a cat, their tongue is like sandpaper. As cute and sweet as it is to be groomed by a kitten, being awoken by sandpaper rubbing across the tip of your nose in the middle of the night is not the best way to wake up. I adore them anyway.

The Weekly Review: Week Twenty

Great Blog Post this Week

Mayim Bialik writes about discovering that her son is color blind. I found reading the post valuable not so much because of the story of her discovery (although I liked that too), but rather because of her description of the parenting moment and the lessons she took away from the experience.

The Weekly Parenting Technique I Said I'd Never Use, But Did

Michael has been whining incessantly lately. Well, at least it seems that way. It started before he was sick last week, but then last week I gave in to the whining a lot because he was so pitiful and this week it has been so much worse. I tried not responding to the whining at all. I tried calmly replying, "I can't understand you when you talk that way." Neither technique worked.

Finally I began whining back. I didn't do it in anger or frustration or from a desire to make fun of him. I was just desperate. I told him calmly that I didn't like his whining voice. It was not a nice way to ask for things. I told him that from now on, whenever he whined at me I was going to whine back. And then I did. When he whines at me, I reply, "I can't understand you when you talk that way to me." And I do it in an incredibly exaggerated annoying whiny voice. He immediately cues in to the problem and makes a visible effort to reign in his own whining. The technique gets his attention and works every time (so far). So, even though I don't prefer the whole if-your-child-hits-you-hit-them-back method of parenting in general, in this case, whining back at him seems to be working when nothing else did.

The Weekly Ava

Periodically this week when we are sitting on the floor playing in the playroom Ava will ask me to lie down. After I lie down on my back she climbs on top of me, chest to chest, settles her head on my shoulder, and hugs me. Those are treasured moments for me. A second later, she's up and running again.

The Weekly Michael

"She likes me." Michael said that, in amazement and wonder when one of the kittens came to him for some attention. I am so enjoying watching the kittens get to know the children and vice versa.

Weekly Moment When I Realized My Children Are Older and It Is Wonderful

I took Michael to his second ever dentist appointment this week. For his first ever dentist appointment my husband took off work and watched Ava while I took Michael. This time I dragged both children by myself. Everyone was wonderful. Ava sat in a chair while Michael got his teeth cleaned. They were both adorable and impressed everyone there. The entire experience was easy and fun. Both children got balloons and small toys and new toothbrushes. Perhaps we'll even get Ava to participate next time...

The Weekly Review: Week Nineteen

This week the Weekly Review will appear in a slightly different format.

List of Notable Events this Week (in order of occurrence)

• My wonderful parents took both children overnight from Saturday morning through Sunday afternoon. It was bliss.
• My husband and I celebrated by accomplishing one of the items on our "We will do this at some point in our lifetime" list. We adopted two kittens from the same litter and brought them home.
• Michael caught a cold.
• The kittens spent four hours lost in my own house. It turns out they were stuck behind the washer and dryer.
• Michael's cold turned croupy.
• (Warning: Slight icky factor ahead.) One of the kittens developed bloody diarreah. Mental note to call vet and shelter in the morning. Decide to quarantine kittens until further notice.
• Michael woke up much worse. Called pediatrician. Spent 4 hours at hospital with two young children to confirm original diagnosis of croup. Went home with no new information and no new treatment plan. (Instead of dealing with sick kitten.)
• Noticed that kitten's problem is intermittent, but still present. Called shelter and vet to begin working on the issue. Waiting for vet appointment later today.

The Weekly Review: Week Eighteen

Great Blog Posts this Week

• Amy at Amalah.com shares an anecdote about her boys. I loved the entire story. Perhaps I loved it because our household has also been through a Wonder Pets stage. Or maybe because it was such a wonderful example of imaginative, creative play. Anyway, check it out and enjoy.
• WaldenMommyandFamily is another blog written by a mother with a young child with apraxia. She wrote a post this week about being an advocate for your child and using your voice to speak up for them when they cannot.

Website of the Week:

I don't remember how we stumbled across the Alphablocks website, but my children love it. Michael and Ava spent at least an hour the first time exploring it. I sat down with them becuase it was really that engaging. The characters are little alphabet blocks and the videos are all about phonics, but truly entertaining for both adults and children at the same time. After playing some of the games, I found that Michael was spelling words on his own. He already knew the sound/letter correspondences, but was not yet trying to make words. After playing on this site for an hour he can find the first sound in a word, the last sound in a word, and often guess the vowel in the middle. He's also picking out blends with some help. Wonderful site. Check it out.

The Weekly Michael

A couple of days ago, when I went to get Michael from his room in the morning he told me the following story:

"I slept with some friendly ghosts. They are little. They are a mama and papa ghost. I let them sleep on my pillow because they were sad because their children died. The ghosts are following me because they like me because I am nice to them. They want me to read this book to them. They are sitting right next to me."

And then he picked up a little book off his nightstand and plopped down on the floor and read it to the ghosts. All day long he mentioned his ghosts and how they were with him doing various activities.

Then I never heard about them again. Strange. Perhaps he had a really vivid dream about ghosts or something. It was cute though.

Ava this Week:

Wow! Ava is really, really in the midst of Mama Stage 2. This time she's more articulate, louder, and a better performer. She's also more resistant to change. Sigh. I will perservere. We will be patient. This too shall pass.

The Weekly Review: Week Seventeen

Best Blog Post of the Week

I hate to be repetitive, but All and Sundry appears here again. However, this time she is featured not because she was funny, but because she was brutally honest. It is hard to be honest about a parenting experience you later feel guilty about, but she is. By sharing, she not only makes the rest of us feel less alone about our own questionable parenting moments, but she also got some amazing advice in her comments.

The Weekly Michael

Michael is finally moving from being able to say his name, then spell his name, and then type his name to trying to write his name. He somehow got the idea in his head that writing with an actual pencil on paper was hard and he refused to even try. Now he is working on it because he wants to. It is very cute and watching him succeed and be proud of his own efforts is a lot of fun.

Ava this Week:

A while back Ava felt the need to anounce every red light while we were in the car. If we encountered 6 red lights and 3 stop signs during the trip we would hear "Red light!!!" about 27 times becuase she often needed to anounce each red light (or stop sign) multiple times. That stage, while adorable at first, drove us a bit crazy and thankfully passed.

This week she is anouncing every time the road is bumpy. "Bumpy Mama, bumpy!!!" It is beautifully articulated, and actually still at the adorable stage, but I wonder when hearing "bumpy" 30 times per car ride will start to get annoying?

The Weekly Trip Report

Our trip to Arkansas for the 4th of July / my grandmother's 80th birthday went amazingly well. It has been 6 months since the last time we went on a visit. Those were an important six months of development apparently, because the travel went much more smoothly with a 2 and 3 year old than it did with a 1 and barely 3 year old.

Let's see. Highlights of the trip include:

• 10 total hours of a successful car riding
• first experience with fireworks for the children (Michael loved them. Ava hated them.)
• reconnected with 17 relatives
• watched 5 cousins between the ages of 1 and 3 play together - mine were neither the youngest nor the oldest of the group
• waded in a creek, threw rocks to watch splashes, and caught crawfish in nets to study and then release them
• played in a water park (one of those that is simply a slab of concrete with many jets of water streaming up from the ground)

The Weekly Review: Week Sixteen

Best Blog Posts of the Week

• All and Sundry. Again. You should just start reading her blog yourself. First there are pictures of squirrels. I think squirrels are really cute. And then there are bonus pictures of a duck. On a roof. I kid you not. But it is her writing in between all the pictures that makes the post hilarious and ties it all together.
• Swistle writes a post that is short, but oh so true. Well, all true except at my house some of the messes are mine.

Weekly Wish Me Luck

Tomorrow morning we are going to depart on a road trip to Arkansas to visit my soon to be 80 year old grandmother for her birthday and the rest of the AR relatives for the 4th of July. Any suggestions for how to entertain a two and three year old for 7-9 hours trapped in a moving vehicle? And then keep them happy for three nights and two days in someone else's house. Followed by more happy during the return 7-9 hour trip home. Right now we're planning on making it up as we go along. That never ends well. So, wish me luck.

The Weekly Michael

We have a semi-regular playdate with my friend and her four year old daughter. Until recently, Michael has mostly done his own thing. They simply were not interested in the same things. This week they disappeared upstairs to his bedroom. Half an hour later, I noticed they were still missing and wondered what could possibly be keeping them occupied. I turned on the video monitor and all three children were in his bed filled with toys just happily playing and talking. 15 minutes after that they all came tromping downstairs asking for snacks for their "sleepover". By the time I finally halted the completely magical independent play it was an hour past their usual naptime. Altogether they had played by themselves in his room for an hour and a half. Turns out the "sleepover" involved snacks, blankets, pillows, flashlights, toys, and three children all stuffed in the bottom of his closet.

Ava's Cuteness of the Week:

My husband shared this one with me. He was singing that little children's song, "One, two, three, four, five. I thought I caught a fish alive." to Ava. Instead of saying "fish" though he replaced it with "Ava". After he sang the line about throwing her back again Ava interrupted him and said, "No, no Daddy. Ava hair get all wet."

Projects of the Week:

• I am continuing to work on free speech therapy articulation cards. Two more sets will be posted this weekend: Initial /b/ and Final /b/.
• I made a page of Toddler and Preschool Online Activities that I'm pretty pleased with. I'm going to add more to the page as I have time.

The Weekly Review: Week Fifteen

Best Blog Posts of the Week

• Linda at All and Sundry makes the list again because she's just so funny. Seriously, given the following quote, how can you skip this post?
  Before beginning to work from home, she thought perhaps... "while I periodically take a break to wave at my cherubic children, who have naturally occupied themselves with some peaceful and industrious activity such as polishing the stainless steel appliances while independently serving their developmental needs, Montessori-style."
• Amy at Amalah wrote a post to tempt fate about her new baby and sleep. The pictures are a nice bonus.

Website Resource of the Week:

Ok, you're probably only going to think this is the "coolest thing ever" if you're a Speech-Language Pathologist and a particularly geeky one at that. Learning Fundamentals is a company that makes software for SLPs (apparently, I haven't actually checked out any of their software). On their website they have a tool that lets you specify exactly what types of sounds you want in what order and then it spits out a list of words that meet your criteria. Very, very cool.

The Weekly Michael

Michael is all of a sudden extremely interested in spelling words. He'll sit at the computer and ask for help spelling random words. If I help him sound out the word he can pretty much spell it himself. He'll even make editorial decisions. For example, he decided that "mommy" needed to be spelled "momme" because that just made more sense. He made the same decision for "dadde" We've also spelled Michael and Ava. He made the observation that his name is bigger. I believe cat, dog, and monster were also spelled. It's fun watching him explore writing. Well, typing. He loves typing things out but isn't the slightest bit interested in writing on paper.

The Weekly Ava

Last night as I was putting Ava to bed we got into a tickling game. Then she stopped me by saying, "Be careful Mama! No want to make hole in Ava!" I understood every word. I wonder, if I had an audiotape and played it for someone else if they would have understood it. Not that it matters if someone else would understand. I knew exactly what she was saying and it was wonderful.

The Weekly Review: Week Fourteen

Best Blog Posts of the Week

• Linda at All and Sundry writes an online column at CafeMom. She wrote an incredibly brave and honest post that is definitely worth reading.
• To continue with the more serious theme of the best blog posts of the week, Rob Rummel-Hudson at Fighting Monsters with Rubber Swords wrote a post this week about an outing his family had at the pool, the connection his daughter made with another child, and the feelings and observations he and his wife made during the experience.
• To finish with something lighter, at the end of this post, Swistle links to a site where people are posting really cool pictures. They take a picture from their past and go to that same location. Then they line the old picture up with the real life background and take a picture of the picture and write a caption. Hmm. That description doesn't make much sense, but the pictures are really touching somehow and you should definitely check out the site. It is Dear Photograph.

The Weekly Michael

"I'm going to get you with my slapula!" - Several hours earlier I had taken the toy spatula from the kids' play kitchen and was poking Ava with it making her laugh. Apparently Michael was unfamilar with the word spatula and given the context, interpreted the name of the device as Slap - u - la. My husband's parents were in town at the time and we all laughed long and hard. We made jokes about it for the rest of the visit.
• "Mama, are you making a baby?" - Wow, that one came as a complete surprise out of nowhere right before bed a few nights ago. Last week, Michael and I had a brief conversation about how you can't buy a baby at the store because mommies have to make babies in their tummies. In response to his question, I told him that, "No, Mama is not making a baby right now. Mama is probably done making babies. I have a Michael and an Ava and that is enough babies for Mama." At that point he promptly began begging, "Please Mama! Please make a baby." Ava jumped right on the bandwagon also chanting, "Please Mama, please!" Don't think I didn't hear my husband laughing as he eavesdropped from the other room.

The Weekly Ava

Ava is counting everything. She'll just randomly burst into sequences of numbers. They tend to go something like this: "one, two, three, five, seven, eight!" Eight seems to be her favorite ending number. So, we'll be climbing the stairs, or I'll be putting grapes on her plate, or there will be five (eight according to Ava) frogs in a book and the counting will begin. It's adorable. The teacher in me wants to correct the counting, but the Mama in me just smiles in adoration.

Project of the Week (or month, or year):

The card sets are definitely the obsession of the week. I do not use the word obsession lightly. I have been pretty much been spending every spare minute on them. I'm pretty sure that I will not be able to maintain this level of intensity for long, but I'm hoping to do about one new card set a week indefinitely. Let's do the math. There are 24 consonant sounds and theoretically I'd like to do an initial, medial, and final card set for each one where appropriate. (Not all of the consonant sounds appear in every word position so there will not be three for every one of those 24 consonant sounds). That's approximately 65 card sets. Hmm. Over a year's worth at one per week. We'll see.

The Weekly Review: Week Thirteen

Favorite Blog Post of the Week - Men and their New Baby Toys

Amalah shares a story about getting a baby swing for her newborn Ike. My favorite quote from her post was about why her husband chose this particular swing, "It's like somebody attached a cradle seat to an iPad and taught it to fry bacon."

Sibling Moment of the Week:

Last week I taught the kids how to play a modified version of "Red Light, Green Light." We were each holding a hand bell and when I said, "Green Light" everyone shook their bells as fast as possible until I said, "Red Light" when everyone stopped. Then the kids would quiver in anticipation until I said "Green Light" again and the cacophony could resume. They loved it. Next we tried giving the red bell to Ava and the green one to Michael and the person with the red bell got to say "Red Light" while the person with the green bell was the "Green Light" person. They loved that too. We passed a fun and extremely loud half hour and played the game a couple more times over the course of the week.

A few days ago, I was in one room desperately searching a laundry basket for enough clothes to make up outfits to send the kids to school in. The children were crouched over something sitting on the kitchen floor. Two heads bent over a single object. I don't actually know what it was, because I was only half paying attention. All of a sudden I heard them playing "Red Light, Green Light". I have no idea what the game was exactly, but they were playing together and initiated the game entirely on their own while being ignored by their parents. It was a brilliant moment of sibling independent play.

Michael's Update of the Week:

Michael was moved up from one room to the next at his preschool. He was pretty happy in his old room. He always seemed excited to be dropped off and was reluctant to make his way over to me when I came back to pick him up. He liked his teacher and she loved him too.

His new room is more of a formal preschool room. Their routine is a lot more structured and their expectations are higher. He also moved in to a room with a group of rather rambunctious boys. In the two weeks since the move, I have noticed that he doesn't want to go into his room when I drop him off. He clings to my legs and is reluctant to let me leave. He's also practically waiting at the door when I come back to pick him up.

I'm not sure what to do about the problem. I spoke with his teacher and she said that many of the new children are having some trouble adjusting. She'll keep a closer eye on him, but suggested giving him some more time before deciding to be officially worried about the situation.

Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Project of the Week:

This week I'm getting structured home therapy set up for Ava again. I made a speech bag, printed some articulation cards, and prepared a reward chart. We've had two 15-20 minute sessions so far and they are going fairly well.

I've been unhappy with the comprehensiveness of the articulation card sets I've been able to find online for free. Each set will have 20-25 cards, but I have to leave some of them out because they are too hard. In particular, I leave out the ones that are two syllables or include a /k/ or /g/. So we end up with only 10-15 words to practice.

I decided that I can do it better myself. I'm now working on making my own sets of picture articulation cards. My goal is that each set will have 40 one-syllable words that should be familiar to a young child. I am also trying to make sure that each set includes at least one word with each of the American English vowels and diphthongs. That way, the targeted consonant gets practiced with all the vowels. That's important for kids with Childhood Apraxia of Speech because the motor planning is different for each different vowel. You have to practice each different combination to make the motor planning automatic. So far I've made an initial /b/ set and a final /n/ set. I'm going to try to figure out how to share them soon and I'll make more sets as I have time. It takes me several hours per set, so it'll be a slow process, but I'm pleased with the results so far. If any of you have requests for specific sets, let me know and I'll move those sounds to the head of my list of ones to work on.

The Weekly Review: Week Twelve

Blog Posts - New Babies

Congratulations to Amalah on welcoming Ike to her family. He's adorable. Problem Girl got to be present at the birth of her friend's baby Olive and did an amazing job with the pictures.

Weekly Blog Post that made me want to cook:

I have a friend who writes a very successful food blog called the Cupcake Project. She's been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, People Magazine and the New York Times among other publications. She did a slightly off topic post this week on Roasted Onions Filled with Savory Bread Pudding that actually made me want to cook. They just looked and sounded very yummy.

Sibling Moments of the Week:

Michael did something we praised him for. I honestly don't remember what it was (terrible I know). What I do remember, clearly, is how Ava said, "Yea! Good job!" and clapped her hands for him. She wanted to praise him too. I loved it.

In the car: Michael asked me to hand him a car he wanted. Ava had it in her carseat, but she wasn't playing with it. As I was driving, I couldn't get it for him and I told him so. He paused for a minute and then said, "Ava, can you give the car to me please?" She said, "Sure Michael!" and handed him the car. Simple, and yet sweet.

Michael and Ava's Cuteness of the Week:

At naptime, I put the children down for their nap by myself. We read stories in Michael's room with both children in my lap and then Ava and I tell Michael goodnight and head off to her room for one last song. Recently, the children have made a game of kissing my nose. I've been encouraging it because it is such a great oral motor activity (and it is sweet!). You have to do a pretty good job of pursing your lips to kiss the tip of a nose. I say, "Don't kiss my nose!" and hide it behind my hand. They giggle and pull my hand away before giving my nose a kiss. They take turns. Then I pretend to wipe the kisses away and we start all over again. It is fun, and sweet, and they would be willing to to it indefinitely as far as I can tell. I eventually have to call a halt or they'd never get down for nap. It's a game we all enjoy.

Family News Bulletin of the Week:

We just found out that my husband's parents are going to come visit next week. It is something of a spur of the moment decision and we are so excited to be expecting them. I can't tell the kids yet, because they aren't quite old enough to understand the week long delay before their grandparents arrive. I'm looking forward to sharing the news with them when the visit gets a little closer. We're going to plan several special outings I think and I can't wait. I hope the weather cooperates.

"Big" Decision I'm Considering

Ava refuses to let me put anything in her hair. No headbands. No bows. No hair bands. Nothing at all is tolerated. Her hair is getting longer (finally) and although I love the little hints of curl in the back, the front is in her eyes all the time. I can tell it is bothering her. She's constantly trying to sweep it out of her way. I wanted to wait until she had lots of hair before getting her first haircut, but it is in her eyes, and quite scraggly to be honest. I'm thinking of getting her first haircut. Somehow, it makes me a little sad. Odd, I know.

The Weekly Review: Week Eleven

Blog Post that Puts All of My Weekly Accomplishments Put Together to Shame:

Jessica at Balancing Everything posted about her new kitchen table. You know. The one she made. Enough said.

Weekly Blog Post that made me laugh:

Swistle describes the possible thoughts school personnel have when writing school dress codes. Trust me. This post is really funny.

Guilty Pleasure of the Week:

So, when I didn't like our second attempt at chocolate chip cookies and we had no other treats in the house I put a couple of spoonfuls of brown sugar in a bowl and ate that as my dessert. It was actually quite yummy and completely did the trick at calming down my craving for sweets. Still, I ate a couple of spoonfuls of sugar straight. Probably not something to be proud of exactly.

Michael's Questionable New Behavior of the Week:

Outright defiance. Sigh. He engages in some kind of behavior I wish to stop. Often, he knows before he even starts that the behavior is unacceptable (throwing heavy objects around the room, for example). When asked to stop he pretends to not even hear the request and simply continues on as if I'm not in the room. Seriously? Where is this behavior coming from and how do I stop it?

Ava's Cuteness of the Week:

At bedtime and naptime, the last thing I do as I'm shutting Ava's door is to say, "Good night sweetheart!" and make two kissing noises. This week she has started making kissing noises back to me. I love it.

Project of the Week:

I am responsible for our public library system obtaining two new very nice children's picture books. I am trying to use the library instead of buying books for the children. I discovered a very sweet series of books about a Mole and his friends, Rabbit, Hedgehog, and Squirrel (by Jonathan Emmett). The library had two books in the series, but Amazon told me that there were two more that the library didn't own. Our library's website has a form to request new books. I requested the two other books (No Place Like Home and Diamond in the Snow) in the series several weeks ago, and they appeared on my reserved list this week. I picked them up from the library yesterday. I was quite pleased. The other two books in the series are Bringing Down the Moon and The Best Gift of All.

The Weekly Review: Week Ten

Funny Blog Post I completely agree with:

Kristen at Motherhood Uncensored wrote a hilarious post about her philosophy of motherhood. Check it out first for the humor and second for the nuggets of wisdom hidden within.

Blog Post that made me want to give the author a big hug

Mona at kirida dot com recently wrote a post about her pediatrician recommending that she have her son evaluated for autism. It was a touching post. I thought she did an amazing job of expressing the awfulness of having to wait to be evaluated for a diagnosis.

In August 2010, Mona wrote a post about her son's speech and her feelings of protectiveness that really resonated with me. I think I found it so meaningful because I was already ignoring so many red flags about Ava. This post perfectly expresses so many of my own feelings about Ava. Then, and now, it helps me feel less alone.

Website Resource of the Week:

Therapy Fun Zone is a website full of great OT and PT activities. Even if your child doesn't need PT or OT help, the activities are still a lot of fun. I'm going to start with this one as soon as I get to the store for gumdrops and toothpicks. Fair warning though: the website is incredibly slow and each page takes several seconds to load. I feel like I'm on a modem. Second, the pages are poorly designed and an email signup form shows up at the top of each page so you have to scroll down to see the actual article. The activity ideas (complete with pictures) are worth putting up with the technical issues though.

Sibling Moment of the Week:

The children have large stuffed armchairs. Their game of the week (intended to give me a heart attack) is to tip an armchair on its side, climb on top together, and then slowly shift their balance so the whole thing tips over tumbling them onto the floor in a heap. Laughter from the two of them fills the air and they work together to tip the armchair back over again so they can start over.

Quote of the Week from Michael:

Michael has coined the phrase, "Visitor Day" for the day of the week that we usually have friends come over to play. He'll say, "Is tomorrow visitor day Mama?"

Ava's Quote of the Week:

"Come sit with me, Mama!"

Project of the Week:

I was happy to get my three part series on Apraxia Therapy Principles finished and posted.

The Weekly Review: Week Nine

Well, I completely forgot to post my weekly review yesterday, so here it is one day late.

Blog Post I Thoroughly Enjoyed:

Linda at All & Sundry shared a quote by an author that I am completely unfamiliar with from a book that I've never heard of. Nevertheless I thought the quote was a very accurate description of early motherhood. Check it out here.

Sibling Moment of the Week:

I loved watching Ava sit on the sidelines cheering Michael on as he went down the makeshift water slide we created using the hose and the slide on our playset. Even though she didn't want to slide herself, she loved watching Michael go down and clapped and cheered every time he hit bottom.

Quote of the Week from Michael:

Michael says to me "I love you the mostest of everyone."

Ava's Quote of the Week:

"More on back Dada!" when asking her Daddy for yet another piggyback ride.

Incomplete Project of the Week:

Remember when I shared my idea for an alphabet border with you about six weeks ago? At the time I had finished A, B, and C. Well, so far I have only completed two additional letters: D and F. Yes, I have only done two more in six weeks. And even then I skipped E because I haven't figured out how to make an eagle yet. But my D and F are beautiful and I will eventually finish the project. Really!

The Weekly Review: Week Eight

Blog Post I Thoroughly Enjoyed:

I very much enjoyed Julia's most recent post. First, she often has pictures of her absolutely adorable children and this post is no exception. Second, she tells a very entertaining story about a marital debate. My favorite quote from the story, regarding her husband, is "putting the passive in our passion and the aggressive in our aggregate since 1996."

Apraxia Article of the Week:

A while back I wrote a post about Apraxia and Infant Bonding. I was talking about how I felt like the fact that both of my babies have oral apraxia might have had an effect on my ability to bond with them when they were little. I had never really seen any article mention such a thing, but I had lived it. And it made sense to me logically. This week I stumbled upon an apraxia article that begins by talking about this very thing. (The title of the article doesn't immediately scream "pertinent to this topic", but give it a chance.)

Sibling Moments of the Week:

• Michael pushing his sister on the swing.
• Michael asking Ava, "Do you want to go play in my room?" and Ava responding, "O-tay!". Watching them run off up the stairs together.
• Watching the two of them on either end of a string playing tug-of-war.
• Trying to decide if the two of them encouraging each other into an ever increasing fury of splashing in the bathtub was a good thing or a bad thing.

Quote of the Week from Michael:

"Mama, I need just one more hug!" from the doorway of his classroom as I drop him off at school.

Ava's Contrariness of the Week:

Finally, we got a barrette in Ava's hair. We snuck it in when she wasn't paying attention and for two adorable hours she had a pink bow in her hair. When she finally noticed it, she was hysterical until I managed to pull it out. I put it in my pocket. Five minutes later she insisted I give her bow back. She didn't want to wear it, mind you. She just wanted to hold it.

Incomplete Project of the Week:

Sorting through over 100 dvds we no longer want collecting dust and figuring out which of three different online vendors offers the most money for each dvd. This involved typing in the 12 digit UPC number for each dvd into each website. Next step is to print out the quotes, sort the physical dvds, box them, and ship them off.

The Weekly Review: Week Seven

Blog Post I Agree With Most:

Swistle apparently encountered the same ad on Amazon that I did. She took the time to write a post about it. I looked at it for about half a second, decided that it kind of freaked me out and moved on. Swistle does a nice job of explaining why the picture is so freaky. You wouldn't think a woman in a swimsuit would elicit this kind of reaction.

Sibling Interaction of the Week:

I had my arms around Michael as he sobbed because he had gotten hurt. I hadn't quite figured out what was hurt yet, he hadn't calmed down enough to tell me. I just knew it involved falling from the playset in the basement. Ava ran over and wrapped her arms around him too. The kiss she delivered next was really sweet. (Small scrape on the temple, btw - nothing that won't heal up in a day or two.)

Quote of the Week from Michael:

"The Easter Bunny is so nice!"

Ava's Sweet (annoying?) Habit of the Week:

Every time Ava wakes up she now insists on bringing her baby kitty and water cup downstairs. Sometimes we also need to bring mama kitty and her blanket too. It's adorable, but trying to balance Ava along with all of the extras on the way down the stairs is a bit of a challenge. And then you have to remember to bring them back up. Otherwise, she inevitably realizes they're missing after you've read stories, sung the songs, kissed her head, and turned off her light.

Success of the Week:

Weeks ago I started trying to figure out how to get some money from an old 403B I had from when I was working in the schools (Institution A) rolled over into an IRA (Institution B). Oh my goodness they wanted me to jump through some serious hoops. First, the form was a nightmare and asked for information that was extremely difficult to find. Then, instead of doing the logical thing and sending their stupid form back to them, I first had to send it to Institution B to get their approval. Then, Institution B needed to send the form back to Institution A. Then, if all went well, Institution A would finally send the check to Institution B.

Really, what century is this? Shouldn't I just be able to make a request for an electronic transfer that will be complete in three days? Anyway, I jumped through all their hoops and the transfer is finally complete. Yea! Now, I just need to make sure that Institution A actually closed my account. If not, I'm sure they'll go ahead and charge me their $20 annual fee even though I no longer have any money with them. They're nice like that.

The Weekly Review: Week Six

Blog Post I Liked Most:

Linda at All & Sundry took a picture every day for a month. I liked her pictures and I admire the commitment. No matter how hard I try, and even though my phone is always with me (therefore a camera is always handy), I never take as many pictures as I'd like.

Quote of the Week from Michael:

At dinner, my husband asked Michael where he got the toy bird he was playing with. Michael though for a minute obviously searching for a word he could not remember. Then he asked, "What's that place with the big M?" He was trying to remember McDonald's. We went there with some friends, had happy meals, and played in their playplace for almost an hour. It was the first time we'd gone to McDonald's in a long time and so he couldn't remember the name.

Ava's Mini-Fit of the Week:

I was getting Ava from her bedroom in the morning and my husband popped in to say good morning to her on his way to Michael's room. Ava started crying, "No Dada!" and shaking her head so vigorously that she lost her balance and slammed her head against her headboard. Sigh. When will this mommy stage pass? It seems to be rooted in the routines because although she didn't want to go downstairs with Daddy, she was perfectly happy to accept the homemade mini muffins he had made her for breakfast.

Project of the Week:

I'm continuing to work on revising the apraxia reference posts and collecting them in one place once they've been revised. It's taking up most of my spare time and so no new projects have been undertaken. This is where you can find the ones I've finished so far.

Book of the Week:

I don't get to read for pleasure very often these days. Life is simply too busy. However, I did read the newest book in one of my favorite series. Patricia Briggs has never disappointed me and this book is no exception even though it is the sixth in a series. I very much enjoyed River Marked which I read on the Kindle app on my iPhone. I love reading books in electronic form, by the way. I always have a book with me. I can carry many books at a time. Reading in dim light is never a problem. The ebook version is almost always less expensive than the paper version. I've been reading ebooks for well over a decade now. I started on a Palm and have continued ever since.