Destruction Mode

Man, it is good this boy is cute.  He is in constant demolition mode wherever he goes.  His little hands are into EVERYTHING.  I'm excited that he is exploring and testing boundaries; there are worse things than messes.  But...I'm tired!  The newest fun thing is walking to the kitchen island (which he is now as tall as!!!!) and swiping off anything within reach.  This was first tried with a full (luckily cold) coffee cup -and, being the queen of clutter, I struggle to stop repeating my mistakes.

We are working HARD on redirection and following commands.  We are also working on not raising our voices when we are frustrated.  While Parker is understanding more and more, it is difficult to tell when he understands you and is ignoring you, or if he really isn't processing what you are saying.  We are also struggling with discipline when we know he is ignoring.  Developmentally, time-outs are our best option, but he doesn't understand them well.  He is so easy-going that he often doesn't mind time-outs.  So, most of the time, we re-direct.

Luckily, he is a repetitive kid and sticks with the same few naughty behaviors...currently, pressing buttons on the entertainment system gadgets, throwing insert-object-here (phone, remote, food, etc.), and some others.  He is manipulative at times, for sure.  I see our future filled with 1) Cute smiles, giggles, and hugs to get out of trouble and 2) Mock innocence/fake misunderstanding.  We are just stepping into the smiles now!  Admittedly, there are times when it is hard not to laugh...like when he figured out how to make the ice-maker on the refrigerator work and stood in euphoric shock when they first came tumbling.  It is a work in progress!

Morning Shenanigans

See the story in the post below...

Parker's Favorites: January 2016- Part 2

Okay...got a bit long-winded, there.  P just has so many favorites!  He also has a lot of goals :)  We are working hard on speech, which still includes a lot of signs.  We are realizing quickly that Parker's needs are growing more sophisticated than his ability to communicate them.  We are hoping this helps boost some speech progress.  One major LOVE of his right now is the new heated blanket we bought. If he saw me on the couch with it, he would sign "more"-- but it took me a few minutes to figure out that "more" meant blanket.  So we've worked with him at least on changing his sign to "help," and hope to work on "blanket."  Our issue at the moment is that many signs are similar, so we are working on distinguishing between objects and needs.  We've found that there are some things that Parker will not try and speak because the sign is so efficient for him, like "more" or "eat."  Currently, "All done" is the only sign that he will also speak.  We are making progress, though!

One of our biggest milestones in the last few weeks has been Parker's transition into his "big boy bed."  This has taken us a good 8-10 months to accomplish, so we are pretty excited.  We started late last summer, like many parents--- Parker figured out how to climb out of his crib, and we panicked.  We made assumptions about how well he would do with this transition because he is able to successfully sleep on a cot at daycare during nap time.  We took the side off his crib, added a toddler  rail, and thought all would be perfect.  We were wrong.  The lack of peer pressure at home, our inability to sit with him for two hours until he fell asleep, and the temptation to get up and play did us in.  So, after a week or so, in a move of total exhaustion, we turned his crib around so the tall side faced out, and brainstormed what to do next.  We couldn't come up with anything great-- I even researched special needs beds.  They are fantastic, but often custom made and nearly a thousand dollars.  I just didn't feel like we were at that point yet.  I researched mesh covers, tent beds, cots, etc. At the end of winter break, we decided to try again.  This time, we got a little smarter and re-connected our baby video monitor, and strengthened our bed time routine.  When Parker tried to get out of bed, we gently scolded him through the monitor.  We are about a week and a half to two weeks into big boy sleeping!  He still gets out of his bed in the morning and plays, which is hysterical to listen to, but we'll choose our battles wisely.  See the video below.....last week, I woke up to Parker hysterically giggling just before my alarm went off.  In the pitch black, he was counting, throwing something across his room, giggling, running after it, and starting over again.  Love. That. Boy.

As I mentioned before, we are learning about Parker and what helps him focus.  At home, there aren't a huge amount of things that Parker really needs to sit down, sit still, and focus on.  School and therapies are not like that.  So, we brainstorm methods for helping him sit still.  He loves music, rhythmic stories, bouncing, swinging, etc.  We are experimenting with wrapping him in Lycra to see if it helps him settle.  We are avoiding buying and installing a swing in the house for now...but I suspect that will be in our future.  The child just needs to move.  In OT, they tell us that it is because of his low muscle tone-- his body doesn't feel safe or comfortable in space, and movement helps bring him awareness.  But the tough fact of life is that sometimes, we just have to sit still, so we are working towards that.  He is a tough little man.

Parker Discovers Bowling:

Parker's Favorites: January 2016 (Part 1)

I can't believe we are already in 2016.  In my head, I keep saying (incredulously) that this is the year Parker turns four.  For whatever reason, that starts to signify the exit from baby/toddler land and the entrance into big-boy-ville.  Parker has grown a bunch in the last 6 months.  His head reaches the island in our kitchen, and his baby belly is no more.  His hair(s) grows like weed(s)-- we are down to less than 5 weeks between haircuts before the mullet arrives.  He is ACTIVE to say the least, and so lovable.  We are always in a position to learn about him and from him.  His smile and laugh are contagious, even after he destroys a room, grabs a handful of my dinner and throws it across the table, or growl-yells in a restaurant.  There are times where I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at his earnest face when he is being "bad" -- or really, just exploring his boundaries.  I'm not inherently good at forcing him to do things for himself.  My gut reaction is to baby him and love on him, so it is a test for me to demand his best (and take the time when it is slow).

Parker is still our mellow little guy, but our definition of mellow with him has changed.  Mellow now should really read content.  He is happy most hours of most days.  However, when he was a baby, mellow used to mean calm.  Parker is no longer calm :)  He defines the word busy and very nearly bounces off the walls (more to come on this later).  He keeps us on our toes!  With that, here are his current favorites and goals:

Foods: Parker is picky like his mommy.  He finally likes chicken, as long as it has ketchup or bbq sauce.  He LOVES oatmeal, yogurt, broccoli, Mexican rice, and most sweet treats, which he very rarely gets.  Recently, he started to tolerate eggs, which is new for us.  He does NOT like anything cold, cheese, drinking out of cups, or feeding himself without throwing utensils.

Activities:  Before we realized what was happening, Parker became completely addicted to the iPad.  I think because it is bright and can be held close up, it is something that he can see well.  We try very hard to only play educational or musical shows.  Quite honestly, it is the only reason we can get anything done without it being undone.  We try and sometimes fail at not taking advantage of it.  It is one of our guilty parenting moments, but...mental sanity.

Parker got some amazing(ly generous) Christmas/Hanukkah gifts that he adores.  He has a piano and a puppy-guitar that he loves....because music is his absolute favorite.  When trying to sleep, snuggle, calm, or captivate, music is our go-to.

Parker also likes to MOVE.  He loves being chased around the house, especially when Chase is following him.  He loves to dance and often throws his own dance parties (with or without music) with his shadow or in front of the mirrors at speech/OT.  He LOVES aqua therapy.  In fact, he is at the point where we are keeping him from trying to go under water!