What's so bad about sleeping?

They BOTH decided to wake up at 5 a.m. Usually they sleep at least until 6:30... most of the time, we have to wake Jack up out of a sound sleep. So why the early wake up call today? It was like a switch turned on-- they were WIDE awake. It was a complete party at 5 a.m. I'm sure I will never know why.

But I do know I need more coffee now.

Maddy's speech eval

Surprisingly, she did not bust out with 50 words during the evaluation. In fact, in the space of 2 hours she did not utter a PEEP until 1 hour 45 minutes in (and then it was all babbling/jargon except for a few recognizable "uh-ohs").

However, after a developmental eval and a separate speech eval (which were mostly play-based and based on my answers to questions about what I've seen/heard her do), she is generally at her expected age, or within the 25 %tile in some areas (like fine motor), which is not enough for services. They decided to adjust her age, since she was about 4 weeks early, so instead of evaluating her as an 18 month old (which she will be on Monday), they had her as 16 months, 23 days. Whatever.

So, the long and short of it is that her receptive language is in the average range (as a 16.23 month old), and her expressive language is at the 12 month level. We got a nice pat on the head, and were told that if by 24 months (when they stop adjusting ages for prematurity) if she wasn't at 40-50 words, to call them back and schedule another eval.

Hmm... that would sure be some language explosion, given that at 18 months she has 4 words. But again, fine. We'll play.

Hopefully I'll be updating this in 6 months to say that Maddy has met that goal!

Comedy gold!

Today at the suggestion from a parent, I set up a notebook in which my student can now "tell" on someone rather than come tell me every little bitty thing that happens that they don't like. It's titled "The Telling Book" and is located in a central location in the classroom. I told them, if what they need to tell me doesn't involve hitting, kicking, bad words or blood, they are to write it in the book. And that they do, albeit phonetically. However, I'm translating, and I think by the end of the year I'll have enough for a book which I will then publish and market (ha! I think to most people it would be hopelessly boring, but the earnestness of the students cracks me up). A couple of today's gems:

"C made a mean face at me."

"E coughed on me."

"Z called me a dino-wup." (This one I asked for clarification, and "dino-wup" was the best I could get out of what the alleged name was.)

Well, I tried

On the drive home, Maddy started vocalizing about something, and it sounded urgent. She sits directly behind me and I can't see her. It's also starting to get dark.

ME: Jack, can you look at Maddy? Why is she crying?

JACK: Mommy, I have farties!

ME: OK, Jack. But why is Maddy crying? Is she OK?

JACK: Mommy, slow down! You're going too fast!

ME: (Driving 55 MPH and in the slow lane of a 3 lane road) OK, Jack, I'll slow down. Is Maddy OK? What is she doing?

JACK: I don't know. Can I have french fries?

ME: No, Jack, we're going home and having dinner now.


(BTW, Maddy is fine... don't know what the yelling was all about.)

The adventure continues...

Today was a school holiday for Veteran's Day. Just me and the kids on a Tuesday. I decided to be adventureous and take them to a movie... so we went to Madagascar 2. I was happy that I bought the tickets the night before online... the line was almost around the block! Seems I wasn't the only one who had this idea. Anyway, the theater was packed, but I did find 2 seats (assuming Maddy on my lap) up against the wall (to try to prevent Jack from running). We did get some popcorn and a drink, but they weren't too interested in that. The kids were really good for about the first 45 minutes. Of a 90 minute movie. For about 15 minutes I was trying to (unsuccessfully) contain both kids. Maddy was getting tired, and Jack wanted to roll down the aisle. Unfortunately, since the movie just came out a few days ago, the theater was packed. So, I had the pleasure of carrying Maddy and trying to remove a repentant Jack ("I'll listen! I'll listen!") from the theater. Once I got him in the lobby, he eventually calmed down. (I also had total stranger tell me, "Way to keep your cool, mama!" Uh, thanks?) How did I calm Jack down? I lied to him and told him the movie was over! Yes, Jack, the movie ends when they're trying to find water, and the next movie will be about them finding the water!

To ease the transition, I then took them to the McDonald's so they could run around the Habitrail (thanks, Caroline!). We got home by 12:30... Maddy was just about out and slept 3 hours, Jack has NOT napped and will be going to bed early!

Lesson learned? Take kids to movies with Erik or a friend :) They still need man coverage, they're too young for zone.

Maddy

She's getting her speech eval the morning of November 17th. However, she has been improving lately with some language-like behaviors. She has just started pointing at things this week. She also now gets excited when she sees Ginger and Strider and babbles at them when she sees them. The lady I talked to at Regional Center did remind me that Maddy is technically premature, so there would be some expected lag in development that should "catch up" by age 2. But as she approaches 18 months she still only has "mama", "no", "uh-oh", and "bye-bye" as well as some intermittent "dada." I'm quite certain that during the evaluation Maddy will totally start busting out with complete sentences and the evaluators will look at me like I'm an idiot for even referring her.

Bakobana!

While looking though Jack's papers from school this week, I came upon one that must've been from Tuesday. I wish I could scan it-- it has the presidential candidates names at the top. Barak Obama is circled. Then typed, it says "I voted for him because" and someone had written in (that I'm sure he dictated) "I can draw a picture of him." And below there's a huge red, yellow, and blue swirly scribble.

I'm keeping it for his baby book.

Some Halloween Photos...

Maddy prepping earlier in the day for the daycare Halloween parade. She is Tinkerbell.


There are no photos of Jack dressed up at his preschool because he refused to wear his costume. I personally think he didn't want to because there were 2 other Supermen in his class. When I asked him why he wouldn't wear it, he said he wanted to be a pizza. Well, no time to get that costume! He had wanted Superman and had the costume in the closet for practically a month. At least he did wear it for Trick or Treating.






Maddy found another Tinkerbell!



The neighborhood kids actually posing for a picture together (in reality they were all there for about one minute, we all just kept snapping in hopes of getting one "good" pic)... as one parent said, we were "rolling deep" this year.


Jack and some of the boys reacting to a "talking" Halloween porch decoration. They thought they were pretty brave!



Maddy getting the idea of what was going on... she only took one, even though she was offered one more. She just kept looking at the one in her hand and walked away.

Jack actually did about almost a block this year, as opposed to last year when we did about 5 houses and called it a night. Maddy did about half a block and we were home by dark. I was gone maybe a half hour with Maddy (Jack was out with Erik past dark!), and by the time we got back the candy bowl we left out on our porch was cleaned out!

How do they know?

I offer Maddy a piece of cooked carrot and I get the shaking of the head. I offer her a piece of cookie, she grabs it. How do kids know to have an aversion to veggies this early? How does she know the carrot is a vegetable and not an orange cookie?

He's 3!

How can he be this old? It just seems like such a short while ago that he made us a family. Now, he's a PRESCHOOLER!!!

What the...?!?!

I mean, I'm a big fan of the Polish Pope, but this?!?!

http://www.herrschners.com/products/product.aspx?sku=670219

Still here...

Just continuing to recover from the kindergarten "Pumpkin Patch" field trip last Wednesday.

More kindergarten...

I will have to clarify some of my vocabulary with the kids tomorrow. Currently, if a student is not behaving optimally, I will ask them, "Do you think your parents would be impressed with the way you are behaving right now?"

Earlier today about 10 minutes after the dismissal bell, one of my students ran back in the room. "Mrs. Bruvold, I have to find my jacket!" she announced. We looked outside on the rack and in the room. No jacket. "But Mrs. Bruvold, "she wailed, "My mom is in the car waiting and she will be impressed if I don't find it!"

(The jacket was on the playground at the tables on which we eat snack.)

The pumpkin patch!

We went Saturday night with Grandma & Grandpa who drove down for the weekend. The kids had a blast-- Jack on the rides, and Maddy running around all over the place! Plus, we all got ice cream afterwards. So what if they missed their bedtimes for one night...

Catfight!

I think that teachers should be taught in teacher education classes how to keep a straight face when presented with certain situations. Today we had:

• 4 year old girl catfight! What started it? "V said a mean word to me!" What happened? Was it an accident? "No, I hit her with my hand like this!" Both girls got sent to the office.
• "K made me pinch myself!"
• "V didn't want to sit next to me on the swings!"
• "M pushed R on the carpet!" Are you hurt? "No." Was it an accident? "Yes." So the problem is...?
• Student raises hand. Student is called on. "I forgot."

Today we also had our first Fire Drill. At least half the class, even though they were prepped for it, still wanted to know where the fire was.

This evening's entertainment

While Erik and I watch the debate, Jack is watching vintage Mickey Mouse episodes on Youtube. Hmm... I think Jack is having more fun. (Maddy is just wandering around and getting into everything.)

Poor baby...

Jack started vomiting about 2 hours ago. I suspect some icky ranch dressing on some chicken nuggets. He's even been bring water back up! He's sleeping soundly at the moment, nothing left in him to throw up.

Maddy is ok so far... hopefully it's food-related and not a virus!

It's official!

My baby starts preschool on October 28th!!!

PBS & coupons

Erik relates this story from today's bedtime routine: Jack at one point informs Erik that we need a new TV. Erik asks why. Jack's reply, "Because there's a coupon!" Yes, there are PSAs on PBS informing viewers that they will need new equipment for the digital broadcasting starting in 2/09, and they provide information about "coupons." Jack has interpreted this as coupons for whole new TVs! At least Jack's not demanding a TV in his room, which he will never have as long as he lives under our roof.

Semantics

We thought it was "reading a book." Jack has decided that it is "talking to the book."

"Talk to this book, Daddy!"