Taking the Scenic Route

Happy that we finally got Zane to stop saying “Then I say…” before each line in the Christmas Pageant script.  Progress!

This is one of Zane’s first phrases, and it has stayed this way since he first uttered them.  It is his way of asking somebody to play with him, usually a game of some sort.

Today when Zach and I were standing in the kitchen talking after he got home from work, we hear an enthusiastic voice ask “TWO PLAYERS!” and, without missing a beat, I said “please wait a minute Zora, we are talking right now”, and continued on for another three words and suddenly Zach and I realized that it was the wrong kid using the phrase and just started laughing so hard. 

She is going to grow up bilingual…english and zane-ish. 

If Zora doesn’t have a purse, she pretends other things are purses, including old shoeboxes.  (I am not a purse person, so we are blaming Zach’s mom for the shoe and purse gene.  lol )

 

And…the garden saga continues

Zane was excited to see a tomato on the plant and picked it.  Zach took him to the plant, showed him the little tags and explained to him that we have to wait until the tomatoes are red, like the picture, to pick them.  Zora has been a little obsessed with the little fruit laying in the garden.  (hence the picture)

When Zane saw this picture on my computer, I asked him “What is that?” (pointing to the tomato)  He didn’t answer the question, but instead said “That’s not red.  Don’t pick it!”.  lol.  I think the lesson sunk in, even if he didn’t really hear my question.

 

Sarah Ariella wrote a great post on IEP process and the problems faced when dealing with the education of her son.  I could identify with a LOT of it.  I think the biggest, most discouraging, thing I could identify with is the overall attitude of unwillingness to see the gifts and strengths, nor the desire to put in the effort to really push ds.  I don’t think it is everybody, and I don’t think it is limited to just SN kids, but it was there.  I knew what it felt like to have people push him and recognize who he is because I was getting that at WSU and Heartsprings.  It is intangible, but probably the single most important thing for any child in their education. 

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Fee has a neat post about Bedeism, and instead of leaving a blog in her comments, I thought I would share some Zaneisms, also computer related.  (no surprise, since both Bede and Zane are accomplished on the computer) 

“Next Level” - means he wants to do something again, usually also means he wants to modify it some way or make it more challenging.
“2 Player!” (or 3 player, 4 player, ect) – means he wants you to play a game with him
“click on it” – means “look at that” or to press some button
In a funny coincidence (probably heavily influenced by parents who buy candy on clearance sales) the day she posted about Bede wanting a “J” candy cane, Zane was bugging us all day for “stick candy”, which we finally determined was the stick candy canes we have up in the shelves.

eta:

“Oops!  Try Again!” is said with the same intonation by both boys…we figured out it comes from an educational internet site they both like (when I think of the name of the site, I will add it, but I am having a brain fart right now)

Examples of Functional Echolalia. 

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KAKE, the local ABC affiliate, did finally post his video in their video links.  (on the right side of the page, but will probably have to scroll to see it if you don’t see it right away.

1 silly daddy + 2 kids + 3 balls = a fun afternoon

notice anything different?

Zane decided to design a game where he would lay sticks down (declaring them “levels”….level 1, level 2…ect) and try to get the ball into the bucket from the different levels. (saying “Next Level” each time he finished)

and a cheering section forms.  (Zora very carefully crossed her legs when she saw Daddy sitting that way)

Evaluating whether or not to move the sticks because he is having problems making the basket.

level 6 required creativity, since he was out of sticks.  He stood on top of the sand and water table for this final challenging level.

I have a great family!

Play time!

His last day of the semester at the university speech therapy.  If I am able to I want to upload a video of this because you have to hear it to understand how crazy this picture actually is.  They are trying to get the kids to play “Go Fish” with no visual supports.  It is a study in echolalia with rather dizzying results.  (sort of a “Who’s on First” experience)  She is a bit older than Zane, but they are at a similar level.  She is very chatty though where Zane is pretty quiet.

 

Party Time!

At one of Zane’s friend’s birthday party last week.  It was at a place called “Pump it Up” and had these huge inflatable play structures.  Zora has no fear and was trying to climb the ladder to the really big slide by herself and didn’t want to wait to get settled to go down.  Zane took a bit longer to warm up to the big slide, but at the end, he didn’t want to stop.  lol.

 

Grandma Time!

This week Grandma came up with lots of goodies to play with:  paint, stickers, markers, giant pieces of paper and little notebooks.  (oh, and food…spaghetti, always a hit).  For the first time, Zora wasn’t the least bit hesitant for Mom and Dad to leave.  She was yelling bye-bye at us when we picked up the keys and seemed delighted that she was going to get some Grandma time.  Zane, as usual, was quite happy too. 

After they played with that, they decorated Christmas cookies with candy.  Zane ate most of them right after he decorated them, but at least he ate the whole cookie.  Zora kept licking the toppings off and leaving the cookie. 

The both sacked out shortly after Grandma left.  She wore them out.