Dirty Boat

Isaac is making the sign for "dirty" here. He is telling me his boat is dirty.


Here he is intently scrubbing his boat.

The other day, I took all of Isaac's bath toys and soaked them in bleach water to get the soap scum off them. I washed them in the kitchen sink and Isaac was very upset at the time. I don't know if he was confused because he was used to seeing the toys in the bath tub. Maybe he thought that I was taking the toys away.

Today, Isaac took his toy boat (it is actually a Mega Blocks boat but it floats really well in the bath tub so it became a bath toy) out of the bath tub and brought it to the kitchen sink. He made the sign for "dirty" and the sigh for "yes" as he shook his head up and down. He then proceeded to hurl the boat at the sink! I thought it was so cute. When he makes the sign for "dirty" he usually sticks his tongue out and makes a sound that sounds like "uuuugggghhh". I figured there was no harm in letting him clean his boat again. These are some of the pictures of him washing his boat.

"Uh oh, mom, more, please"

These words could actually be a sentence, but they are words that Isaac has said or tried to say in the past few days. He has been saying "mom mom mom" as he makes the mom sign for a while. On Sunday he said Uh oh. Monday he said "more" when he wanted more milk and he made the sign for more also. He also tries to say please by just saying "eeeeee" when he makes the "please" sign. We are convinced he is trying to speak or at least imitate us. I am thrilled beyond all belief. He is a smart little guy and I knew in my heart that it was just a matter of time before he would start to say things, but I admit, I still had my doubts. It is just so awesome to hear Isaac's voice for something other than crying or screaming!

"Uh oh"

This may seem kind of a trivial thing to report, but to our family, it is a pure miracle. Every time one of Isaac's toys fall to the ground (either by legitimate falling or by Isaac throwing them) we say "Uh oh". When things break or Isaac falls down we also say "Uh oh". Yesterday a piece from one of Isaac's little cars fell off, so I said "Uh oh". Amazingly, I heard an echo with the same intonation that I had used! Isaac said "Uh oh"! Ian and I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke, so we both kept saying it. There was Isaac...clear as a bell, repeating "uh oh"! He kept saying it for about 5 minutes. I know that "uh oh" isn't really a word, but people will know what it means if they hear it....so we are overjoyed.

VICTORY!

This is Isaac sleeping in his big boy bed as I am typing this! I laid him down for his afternoon nap at 12:30, and after an hour of squirming, re-arranging his stuffed animals and making noises.....sleep! He looks so tiny in his bed, but finally I won!
Big Boy Bed Battle: Isaac-3, Mommy-1

Water Fountain

I brought my pretty water fountain out the other day not realizing what a lure it would be for Isaac. I may have to put it back away or in an area that he can't get to. I placed it on the baker's rack in our kitchen which Isaac can't reach, but he pushes the stool that Great Grandpa Dick made over to the baker's rack and climbs up so he can reach! I guess I made a mistake by letting him see what it was at first becuase now he wants to play in it all the time! He likes to drop the rocks into the water and then get them out...all to start over again. Here are some cute pictures of it. The last one, he is making the sign for water. He doesn't have the coordination to make the "W", so he just puts his pointer finger to his lips.

On the CI front, not much is new. He is trying to vocalize more when he wants something. He knows to make the sound "muh, muh, muh" when he wants me to pick him up. I always say "up, up, up" and the way Isaac says it, it sounds like the word "up" except he keeps putting the "m" in the front of the sound. Whenever he wants me to open a box or anything, he makes the sound "ooooo" for open. Those are the only things I can think of right now, but I am sure I will have new things to report soon.

As for the big boy bed battle...well, let's just say that the score is now Isaac-3, Mommy-0.

Isaac's Big Boy Bed

Ian and I are trying to transition Isaac from his crib which is in one room to a new room and a big boy bed for Isaac. It sounds simple enough because at Granny's house Isaac already has been sleeping in a toddler bed. So I began the search for a boys comforter set. I really wanted one with cars on it, but this proved to be more difficult than I originally expected.

Isaac's new bed is actually a full sized bed that used to be Ian's and mine before we got our king size bed. It is already in our guest room which we plan on making Isaac's new room. Isaac is really into anything with wheels now so it seemed logical to get him a comforter with cars and other modes of transportation on it. When I went shopping I realized that most of the cute kids bedding is for a toddler bed or a twin size! I must have visited every store in York before I realized that this was mission impossible! Unless I wanted to purchase something online, I was pretty much out of luck. So I decided to forgo the "cars" theme and go with a hunting theme for his room.

I found a "camo" comforter at Bass Pro Shops in Harrisburg and a cool outlet cover for his light switch. The outlet cover is made out of resin and is three dimensional of deer antlers. It is too cool. I started to paint his room and will finish this weekend when Isaac goes to Granny's house. Needless to say, I was pretty impressed with this new room so far. Granny even purchased a guard rail to put along one side of the bed so Isaac wouldn't fall out. (the other side of the bed is against the wall)

Now onto Isaac's reaction.....Well, he loves the bed. But not to sleep on. He knows it is his bed, but he loves to jump on it! I tried to put him in it a few days last week to take his nap, but I think the taste of freedom was too much for him. He was getting in and out so many times and never did end up napping those days. So I am giving up until the room is totally finished. So for the time being, I have admitted defeat.

Big Boy Bed Battle: Isaac-2, Mommy-0

It's 2007!

Happy New Year Everyone!
I can't believe it is 2007 already. Last year was such a busy and eventful year for our family. 2007 promises to be interesting as well. Isaac will get a brother or sister in May....which seems sooner and sooner every time I think about it, and we are expecting Isaac to make leaps and bounds with his implant. He has already done well so far and he has only been hearing for a couple months.

His progress keeps amazing us every day. He is not babbling and making as many noises as I expected or hoped for, but boy is he listening and observing! This kid does not miss a beat. He is already following some verbal commands without signs. I will ask him where his shoes are, and he will get them for me. I tell him to be nice to the dogs and he will pet them nicely instead of poking at their eyes and ears. I ask him where the dogs are and he will make the sign for dogs. Those are just a few examples, but he amazes us every day with a new "trick". He even makes the sound "mmmom mmmmom mmmom" when he is making the sign for mom. This is the cutest thing ever! He doesn't do it consistently, but it lets us know he is making connections.

Another thing we are grateful for is that he seems to enjoy his implant now. The first couple months were a struggle. He would cry and bury his head in my chest when I would put it on in the morning and I would have to start on program 1 and gradually change programs and increase the volume throughout the morning only to have to start over after his nap. Now I let him see the implant and even push the "on" button before I put it on and he doesn't cry. I even show him the implant, make the sign for "yes" and he makes the sign for "yes". Isaac seems to notice when the magnet falls off his head too. Sometimes, when he isn't too busy running, he will hand it to me and stand still so I can put it back on his head. If you saw how much he objected to having it on at first, you would know what a miracle this simple gesture is.

We have had a great 2006 and look forward to 2007. I wish everyone reading this many blessings for the New Year!