I wanted to share a little video I shot this evening of J-man and I playing while he is in the tub.
Now, as you watch, you will hear J-man doing a lot of talking. Listen carefully. The vast majority of it is unintelligible. But he is saying all of the names of the superheroes, and while I can understand them, you probably can only get a few. The list is as follows: Aqua Lad, Aqua man, Superman, Red Tornado, Batman, Robin, and Kid Flash.
I am working on balancing and matching him in our play, and I think I am fairly successful. Certainly, he seems to be enjoying it!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Manipulation, thy name is J-man
Tonight, like most nights, I put J-man down for bed.
I crawled in with him and read him two stories. Okay, in truth, it was the same story twice: Going Bananas (a Super Friends book). But only because he wanted it twice. Now, J-man has developed this quirky habit of bringing one of his toys (or sometimes several of them) to bed with him. And not the plush, snugly kind. Nope... hard toys like airplanes, evil robots, or pirate boats. Tonight was no exception, with his large WWII Imaginix warplane in hand. After the second reading of Going Bananas, I promptly declared "nigh-night" and turned the light off. Most nights I lay with him for a while to get him settled.
And (as is his new habit) J-man promptly grabbed my hand, lead it toward the light, and said "Light on?!"
"No no... light off. Nigh-night", I replied (as I do every night).
We do this a few times and then he quiets down and (I believe) starts to fall asleep. Ten minutes go by, and just as I am about to leave, J-man turns over, grabs my hand again and says "Tory??"
'Tory?' I wonder. What the heck is he talking about? He repeats it several times and leads my hand (again) to the light. And suddenly it dawns on me: Story!
Are you telling me he is asking for another story??? Are you serious?? So I turned the light on and said "Do you want another story???" He said 'tory" again and I picked up another book and started to read (this time, Thomas the Tank Engine)...
... and I was promptly ignored as he started to play with his airplane.
Sucker!!
The little bugger KNEW that if he asked for another story I would turn the light on. Manipulative little bugger! Clever, too.
I crawled in with him and read him two stories. Okay, in truth, it was the same story twice: Going Bananas (a Super Friends book). But only because he wanted it twice. Now, J-man has developed this quirky habit of bringing one of his toys (or sometimes several of them) to bed with him. And not the plush, snugly kind. Nope... hard toys like airplanes, evil robots, or pirate boats. Tonight was no exception, with his large WWII Imaginix warplane in hand. After the second reading of Going Bananas, I promptly declared "nigh-night" and turned the light off. Most nights I lay with him for a while to get him settled.
And (as is his new habit) J-man promptly grabbed my hand, lead it toward the light, and said "Light on?!"
"No no... light off. Nigh-night", I replied (as I do every night).
We do this a few times and then he quiets down and (I believe) starts to fall asleep. Ten minutes go by, and just as I am about to leave, J-man turns over, grabs my hand again and says "Tory??"
'Tory?' I wonder. What the heck is he talking about? He repeats it several times and leads my hand (again) to the light. And suddenly it dawns on me: Story!
Are you telling me he is asking for another story??? Are you serious?? So I turned the light on and said "Do you want another story???" He said 'tory" again and I picked up another book and started to read (this time, Thomas the Tank Engine)...
... and I was promptly ignored as he started to play with his airplane.
Sucker!!
The little bugger KNEW that if he asked for another story I would turn the light on. Manipulative little bugger! Clever, too.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Stumped
I confess...
... I have a relatively arrogant attitude about my ability to handle/figure out/strategize issues surrounding the J-man. Now, that doesn't mean I am always right... or that I have any of the right answers.... or that I do any of it right..... but I do have an unparalleled faith in my ability to do something. I am a researching fiend. I over-think everything to the Nth degree. And I can and will make some decision and then go forth and (for ill or good) confidently set forth on a path...
...except now.
I am paralyzed with indecision. I am mystified with what to do. I don't even really know how to start, where to start, and if to start.
And what has me in such a twisted state??
*sigh*
Potty training. Toilet learning. Dumping the diaper. I'm a Big Kid now...
I hate the toilet. Hate it.
Yes, yes. J-man is not potty trained. Not even close. Not even in the same zip code. In fact, dare I say he is actually repelled by the idea of even sitting on the toilet?? I promise you... J-man doesn't give a rat's *ss about being a Big Kid.
Now, don't get me wrong: I have done my homework. I have now read three books on potty training, one of which even pertained to special needs kids. I have read a number of websites, talked to numerous friends, and even watched a DVD on the topic. I have purchased two potty chairs and two kid sized toilet seats. We own Elmo's Potty Time. Today I was pursuing Amazon.com to find a potty doll and mini potty chair for demos (even though I think it would be a waste of time/money... because unless the doll is Batman or Superman, he isn't going to care if it pees in the potty). We even decorated the toilet area just for the J-man:
But I just can't pull the trigger on actually starting the process.
In part because I don't even know how to begin with him...
You see... while he likes stickers and M&Ms, he doesn't love them enough to actually sit on a toilet and try and pee for one. And earning a sticker on a chart isn't exactly exciting for him. Bigger presents might... might.... work in a very isolated "get him to sit there for 30 seconds" kind of way, but overall is impractical in the long run. He isn't overly excited about praise from us.... or being like the other kids.... and diapers just don't bother him. At all. And while I do think that he has a basic understanding of the whole "potty" thing, it is hard to know because he so completely wants nothing to do with it that I can't really tell if he gets it or not.
And maybe he isn't ready...
.... but he is FOUR.
Four and not even started down the path to being potty trained.
And I am at a complete loss for what to do now!!! I feel like waiting is a bad idea...but failing seems like a worse idea.... and how to do it is a complete mystery to me (potty parties vs scheduled pee-time vs naked baby vs sticker charts vs cold-turkey-on-diapers vs etc etc etc etc etc).
ARRRGHHGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
In the next couple of months I will have a lot of time to actually devote to this (going through a significant reduction in work hours a la partial layoff... yah me), so I feel this THIS IS IT. Time to do it. The universe has spoken.
But J-man isn't listening (nothing new there) and I don't know how to get through. Or even get unstuck.
... I have a relatively arrogant attitude about my ability to handle/figure out/strategize issues surrounding the J-man. Now, that doesn't mean I am always right... or that I have any of the right answers.... or that I do any of it right..... but I do have an unparalleled faith in my ability to do something. I am a researching fiend. I over-think everything to the Nth degree. And I can and will make some decision and then go forth and (for ill or good) confidently set forth on a path...
...except now.
I am paralyzed with indecision. I am mystified with what to do. I don't even really know how to start, where to start, and if to start.
And what has me in such a twisted state??
*sigh*
Potty training. Toilet learning. Dumping the diaper. I'm a Big Kid now...
I hate the toilet. Hate it.
Yes, yes. J-man is not potty trained. Not even close. Not even in the same zip code. In fact, dare I say he is actually repelled by the idea of even sitting on the toilet?? I promise you... J-man doesn't give a rat's *ss about being a Big Kid.
Now, don't get me wrong: I have done my homework. I have now read three books on potty training, one of which even pertained to special needs kids. I have read a number of websites, talked to numerous friends, and even watched a DVD on the topic. I have purchased two potty chairs and two kid sized toilet seats. We own Elmo's Potty Time. Today I was pursuing Amazon.com to find a potty doll and mini potty chair for demos (even though I think it would be a waste of time/money... because unless the doll is Batman or Superman, he isn't going to care if it pees in the potty). We even decorated the toilet area just for the J-man:
(He loves it. Still doesn't mean he will sit on the toilet)
But I just can't pull the trigger on actually starting the process.
In part because I don't even know how to begin with him...
You see... while he likes stickers and M&Ms, he doesn't love them enough to actually sit on a toilet and try and pee for one. And earning a sticker on a chart isn't exactly exciting for him. Bigger presents might... might.... work in a very isolated "get him to sit there for 30 seconds" kind of way, but overall is impractical in the long run. He isn't overly excited about praise from us.... or being like the other kids.... and diapers just don't bother him. At all. And while I do think that he has a basic understanding of the whole "potty" thing, it is hard to know because he so completely wants nothing to do with it that I can't really tell if he gets it or not.
And maybe he isn't ready...
.... but he is FOUR.
Four and not even started down the path to being potty trained.
And I am at a complete loss for what to do now!!! I feel like waiting is a bad idea...but failing seems like a worse idea.... and how to do it is a complete mystery to me (potty parties vs scheduled pee-time vs naked baby vs sticker charts vs cold-turkey-on-diapers vs etc etc etc etc etc).
ARRRGHHGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!
In the next couple of months I will have a lot of time to actually devote to this (going through a significant reduction in work hours a la partial layoff... yah me), so I feel this THIS IS IT. Time to do it. The universe has spoken.
But J-man isn't listening (nothing new there) and I don't know how to get through. Or even get unstuck.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Just for Fun
J-man and I had a little playtime today and made up our own version of bowling.
I don't think Superboy, Astroboy, giant Gorilla-man, and the Transformers minded.... Much!
I don't think Superboy, Astroboy, giant Gorilla-man, and the Transformers minded.... Much!
Friday, March 11, 2011
The Baby with the Bathwater
I don't know what to say.
This evening I read this... well, shocking... post by Mom-NOS over at Hopeful Parents. Horrified, I watched the video of a New Hampshire local budget committee member Ray Shakir. And I read the story about the comments that New Hampshire state representative Martin Harty made this week.
Go ahead.... take a peek. I will wait.
Excuse me... but what the F*CK is wrong with people???
I make a real effort to stay away from politics on my blog. Obviously, this will be my exception.
I recognize that times are tough. We, as a country, have been used to wealth. When you think of the standard of living that most of the people of the world have, we are blessed to live in this country. And as we now struggle to regain our footing after the economic downfall we've had, I would ask that we be very careful not to also lose our soul.
I know people are scared and distrustful of the powers that be. I get it. I even share it to a certain extent.
I would love to believe that this is just a bizarre exception. That politicians in New Hampshire are just drinking some really bad water. However, I fear that this kind of politics is more prominent than just a few bad eggs. But if we, the people of the United States, fail to educate and care for its most fragile and vulnerable citizens, we are doomed. What kind of "great country" could we be if we allow that? Since when do our economic difficulties become equated with losing our morals, our ethics, and our very soul?
This evening I read this... well, shocking... post by Mom-NOS over at Hopeful Parents. Horrified, I watched the video of a New Hampshire local budget committee member Ray Shakir. And I read the story about the comments that New Hampshire state representative Martin Harty made this week.
Go ahead.... take a peek. I will wait.
Excuse me... but what the F*CK is wrong with people???
I make a real effort to stay away from politics on my blog. Obviously, this will be my exception.
I recognize that times are tough. We, as a country, have been used to wealth. When you think of the standard of living that most of the people of the world have, we are blessed to live in this country. And as we now struggle to regain our footing after the economic downfall we've had, I would ask that we be very careful not to also lose our soul.
I know people are scared and distrustful of the powers that be. I get it. I even share it to a certain extent.
I would love to believe that this is just a bizarre exception. That politicians in New Hampshire are just drinking some really bad water. However, I fear that this kind of politics is more prominent than just a few bad eggs. But if we, the people of the United States, fail to educate and care for its most fragile and vulnerable citizens, we are doomed. What kind of "great country" could we be if we allow that? Since when do our economic difficulties become equated with losing our morals, our ethics, and our very soul?
Friday, March 4, 2011
Words
A summary of some words used by the J-man tonight, phonetically presented.
eea- uup : Ketchup
aa-kk : Clock
av eem : Shaving Cream
topp : Thomas (sounds just like stop, without the 's', and much confusion ensued because he also says stop)
OO-ooo : Orange Juice
uggt : Chicken Nugget
Hmmm... I wonder how much we miss in any given day??
Update: Words from this morning
auG-lat ookie : chocolate cookie (when he says chocolate it sounds like he has a giant phlegm ball in the back of his throat)
ava : Lava
eil-t-er : Helicopter
bee- gn : Bacon
Helpful Tip of the Day: Trying to speak J-man? Try each word by pronouncing everything from the back of the throat, sorta like after a lot of dental work or having a mouth full of peanut butter.
eea- uup : Ketchup
aa-kk : Clock
av eem : Shaving Cream
topp : Thomas (sounds just like stop, without the 's', and much confusion ensued because he also says stop)
OO-ooo : Orange Juice
uggt : Chicken Nugget
Hmmm... I wonder how much we miss in any given day??
Update: Words from this morning
auG-lat ookie : chocolate cookie (when he says chocolate it sounds like he has a giant phlegm ball in the back of his throat)
ava : Lava
eil-t-er : Helicopter
bee- gn : Bacon
Helpful Tip of the Day: Trying to speak J-man? Try each word by pronouncing everything from the back of the throat, sorta like after a lot of dental work or having a mouth full of peanut butter.
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