The last time I tried to write a post something went haywire with our internet and when I tried to save it I lost everything. It was late and I was frustrated, so I just went to bed. This time I will practice good computer "technique" and save often...
Boy there are lots of updates--especially on the boy, so we will start with him. He is now sleeping soundly in his big boy bed which is no longer on the floor (the mattress), but back on the bed frame. So, I guess we have made that transition. He's only fallen out of bed once out of all the daily naps and night-time sleeps over the past month or so! However, with new developments come new freedoms. He is a little more difficult to put to bed. The child who used to jump at the chance to put on PJ's and get in bed now writhes in pain at the thought of it. Maybe that's a little extreme, but he is learning to use his manipulation techniques to delay the process. One more book, one more hug, kiss the teddy bear, drink please...any parent knows the routine, I'm sure. We try to be strong, but sometimes we, too, want to read on more book and get one more hug, etc. Eventually he goes to bed, but that usually isn't the last of him we will see. He is known to frequently appear as if out of nowhere, blanket in hand, with a huge grin on his face ready to face the day again. We scold him and put him back to bed. It does not matter how much trouble he gets into he will be back in no time (just barely suppressing a giggle). One night he tried to be sneaky and just stand right inside his door just to listen to what was going on in the other room. Unfortunately for him, his sneakiness was sabotaged by a bad case of the hiccups! It was really hard not to laugh as we put him back to bed. Lately if he doesn't go right to sleep we close his door for a while. He doesn't always like it, but he goes to sleep in just a few minutes when he's not distracted by what he might be missing.
He is getting better and better at communicating and all those months of teaching him sign language have started to pay off. We were pretty sure he knew exactly how to do all of the signs we had taught him (especially since he was an expert when he thought it might get him chocolate), but it became quite clear when he suddenly started using all of his signs on the same day. I guess he was just storing them up until he was proficient. He now says, (in sign) more, please, thank you, all done, potty, food, drink, and he has started using some of them in compound. Here is a website with an American Sign Language dictionary if you want to see what the signs look like. Some of them are his own version of the real sign. For instance "please" is supposed to be your right hand over your heart making a circle but when he does it it looks like a full body massage and he scrunches up his face in this adorable smile. Of course as soon as I try to show that to someone, he does it exactly like it's supposed to be done. What a little nut!
The sign language has really helped cut down on the whining and he seems really proud of himself when he can tell us exactly what he wants. He still whines sometimes when he is trying to get our attention, but we have been working on having him say, "Mama" or "Dada" and then give us the sign for whatever it is he wants. That is helping a lot, too, but he has to be reminded quite a bit, still.
Koa has been saying "Dada" for quite a while, but he has just recently started using "Mama" regularly. He is also picking up new words almost daily. I'm not sure I can even list them all but some of his latest are thank you, Bible, nut, rubbish, duck, dog and stack. The other day we were looking at his board book Bible together and we got to the story of baby Jesus and he started singing his version of Jesus Loves Me. He continues to love to sing and lead singing and any chance he has a free arm.
He also continues to love to read. His favorite books right now are "Rattletrap Car" by Phillis Root and "From Head to Toe" by Eric Carl. We have to read each of them several times a day. Well, at least half way through. We never quite make it to the lake in "Rattletrap Car", but he still insists on reading the first half multiple times.
In other news...(this is where you stop reading, grandparents :) Zak finishes up his college semester tomorrow. He is writing his last final exam as I type this. He will have a short break between semesters in which he can work on small groups for our church family and then he starts the madness all over again. He has just five classes left, but those are proving to be the hardest--not because they are all upper division and the subject matter is challenging--he is having a hard time just getting signed up for the right ones at the right time. He is getting his degree on-line from Thomas Edison State College, but they don't offer all the classes he needs to complete the degree! How crazy is that!? So he has already been taking classes at Wayland Baptist University to try to fulfill the requirements. Well, he needs one certain class that they don't offer, either. So, now he is enrolled in yet another college, Chaminade University, to fulfill that credit. Unfortunately in order to do that he needs a certain prerequisite that they don't offer in time for him to take it (the prerequisite) and take the course he needs! What a hassle! I guess there are still some bugs to work out with on-line degree programs. The whole system has served him well until now. The saga continues...
Zak did get to take a little time out from the madness for his birthday. We had lasagna and tiramisu at home on his actual birthday and then on the following Saturday we went out to dinner with friends to 3660 On the Rise. We started out with a group of 15, but two couples had to cancel. We still ended up getting the private room they had reserved for us which made for a lovely evening of fellowship. The food was an 8 out of 10 according to Zak. Boy, he is becoming a food snob, isn't he?
We get to have our monthly game night this Sunday night with some of our closest friends. This month's theme is "game shows and food from our childhood." I will be attempting to make Grandma's Apple Pie and Zak will be making his No Yolk noodles, just like mom used to make on the Trail of Tears! (Regina, Zak added that and wouldn't let me delete it!) I need to go shop for the Wheel of Fortune game that we offered to bring before we realized we had trashed it when we moved. Oops! The other games will be Family Feud and Bible Jeopardy. It promises to be a fun time as usual!
