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Thank you all for sharing in the lives of our three amazing children- Mairead, Jack, and Ben. We hope you visit often!


Saturday, October 16, 2010

Just some cute stuff

I don't have any pictures-- sorry! The kids are SO active that I don't dare keep the camera out in plain view for fear of it become a casualty. And, by the time I grab it to capture something cute, they have moved on to something else. I will try to get some new ones this weekend! So, I just have a few cute little stories...

Mairead
On Wednesday, Dave and I took Mairead to an Open House at the center where she used to go for Early Intervention. We were hoping to see some of her teachers, but it just didn't work out that way. That was ok, though, because she had a blast! When we got there, she immediately ran to the room that was her classroom- she has not been there in 3 months, so I was impressed that she remembered. She immediately ran over to a toy that was her favorite while she was there- it was like she had never left.

Anyway, for entertainment, they had someone from Kindermusik there to lead the kids in songs and Mairead LOVED it! I have not really seen her in a classroom/group setting, so it was really fun to watch her. When we got there, she immediately marched

When the woman started, she asked all of the kids to sit in a circle on the floor. So, kids took their seats a few feet away from the woman as she started singing. Mairead, however, left her seat with Dave and I and promptly seated herself on the knee of the woman singing. Obviously, this woman was in charge and that was the best seat in the house. She is also used to sitting with the teacher because her preschool teacher is kind enough to give Mairead extra support by letting Mairead sit with her during activities. I think she thinks that on the teacher's lap is her special spot! It was pretty funny to watch her march right up there like she owned the place.

Throughout the singing, she was absolutely adorable. And I'm not just saying that because I am her mother- a few other parents and teachers commented on how cute she was. She was just having SO much fun singing, marching, playing instruments, and just enjoying the music. She was following directions, singing, and everything!

While she was there, she found a little stuffed dog and carried it around throughout the activities. She even made the dog 'hold' on to the instruments and props the teacher was using. She was very sad to leave it there, though.

So, the next day, I was taking her to preschool and told her "We are going to school now!" She replied, "School and find dog." She wanted to go back and get the dog she had played with the day before! I said, "Oh, no, honey. We are going to Miss Joanne's school." She said, "No. Miss Mary's school." Miss Mary was her teacher at EI and it was her school where we found the dog. I was sad for her since she has not seen Mary in a long time and she remembers and misses her. I am glad to know that the people in her life do have an impression on her and that she does remember them, though!

That works out well since her old Occupational Therapist from EI, Ashley, is going to start seeing her privately and her first visit is Monday. Mairead is going to be really surprised and happy to see her! We are hoping Ashley can help her to build the strength in her hands and work on her coordination so that she can start dressing/undressing herself and some other daily activities. We are really excited to have Ashley back!

Yesterday, we were upstairs and I asked, "where are your brothers?" She paused and said, "Hmm, I'm not sure." That was a new phrase and it was so cute the way she said it.

She has made a ton of progress with answering questions and following directions. We think her preschool is helping a lot with that. Now, when we ask, 'where did you go today?' She can answer, "school." In the past, she has not been able to answer questions like that.

Her favorite game right now is Ring Around the Rosy. She gathers everyone in the house (my parents included) and insists on a few rounds.

She is still really into coloring and painting. Lately, she has been drawing faces. When I ask, "who is that?" She always says, "Daddy." Very sweet.

Jack
Jack is SUCH a talker. And SUCH a drama queen. He never gets a little upset- it's either 100% angry or totally fine. He is very stubborn (no idea where he gets that from) and very observant. He likes to check out a situation before getting involved. He also loves coloring- usually the exact page that Mairead is coloring. He follows her a lot and wants to do everything she is doing.

His latest phrase is "Jack's turn." I assume he learned it because we are really trying to teach Mairead that she has to wait sometimes, so we tell her it's Jack's turn or Ben's turn. So, Jack picked up on it and uses it to his advantage. Usually, he uses it to get us to do 'Trot, trot to Boston' with him. He loves it! He also likes singing. He has a couple of songs that he tries- the words are not always clear, but he has the inflection, the melody, and the rhythm down pat. His favorite book is "Good Night, Boston." When I read it to him, he immediately says, "Again!" when I finish.

Ben loves pretty much any book. He will sit in a chair and 'read' for long periods of time, and always insists on having a book to take to bed with him. He also loves brushing his teeth, to the point of asking for his toothbrush at random times. Yesterday, he got his hands on it after his bath and brushed his teeth for a minute before using the toothbrush to stir the water in the toilet. Awesome. He loves Blues Clues, dogs, and fire trucks. Well, pretty much any kind of truck. His funniest word is 'pacifier' because he says the entire word, but it sounds more like 'pass i ber.'

Both boys love phones and remotes. They walk around with whatever they can find and say, "Hello? hello?" They point out every truck that is near and whenver the neighbor's dog barks, they say, "Puppy! Woof!"

There are about a million more cute things that they all do so I really will try to get more pictures and some video. The video I want most is when I get them up from naps. I have both of them in my arms and say, "Jack and Ben - give kisses!", and they lean in, pucker up, and say, mmmm, wah! and give each other a kiss. Jack more often than Ben who is usually signing "eat" at the time. Best thing ever.

1 comment:

Joseph "Connor" said...

Connor was stirring his food yesterday and singing "Ring Around the Rosy" while doing it. He'd gladly do that with Mairead. :)

Love to hear about all the cute things they're doing!