SEW: I'm Ready!

Isaiah has started voluntarily saying several new phrases as of late, one of them being "I'm ready!"  This is especially helpful when it's time to walk in our newly abundant sunshine!

And it's almost time to lose the hat and wear a lighter weight jacket!  Woohoo!

Check out the other great things happening around the world at 5M4SN:  Special Exposure Wednesday.

SEW: A Couple Months' Difference

Remember this:

Well. here's what it actually looks like:

Spring is on its way!

Check out the other Special Exposure happenings at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

He's Growing Up

Just the other day my husband commented on Isaiah's lack of inhibitions.  We had been out for a family walk or returning from some public setting in which Isaiah had been not acting in a typical Russian fashion.  In public Russians are reserved to say the least.  Interactions with strangers are kept to a minimum, except when it comes to our son.

Oh no, Isaiah will regularly flirt with strangers or talk loudly in a very happy voice.  Thomas and I usually can't keep ourselves from laughing with him, and we aren't really interested in suppressing his adorable personality.

But something happened yesterday in great contrast to this behavior.  Thomas and I had both commented that Isaiah just doesn't seem to realize that there's anything different about him than other kids, and we like that.  Yesterday my friend, Oksana and her little boy Slava came to play.  It was time for one of Isaiah's cathings, and since his little friend is also a boy, I didn't even think about asking them to leave the room, especially since Oksana had just changed Slava.  But Isaiah seemed to have different ideas...he got all shy and sheepish looking.

I wasn't sure what was going on at first, until I asked him if he wanted some privacy, and he said "uh-huh" with the sweetest little look in his eyes.  Oksana and Slava naturally complied, and he was completely fine after that.

I don't know if he is understanding that his way of going potty is different, or if he's just growing up and realizing that he wants some privacy when he goes potty.  Either way, I thought it was pretty neat, actually.

I don't necessarily want Isaiah to become inhibited.  I LOVE his carefree and playful personality; but I think it's really wonderful that he is beginning to communicate to me better the things that he wants, even if he can't explain the exact emotions that go along with those wants.

What are ways that your children deal with differences? How do you as parents teach them to be themselves?

Tot School--K Week II

Isaiah is 50 months old

This week we moved on to the letter K, the next one on our speech therapy list.  Isaiah can say this letter very well!  We didn't do a specific craft with the letter as my arm is still healing, so we focused on working in the kitchen!  I am trying to include Isaiah in some of the regular things that we do every day as my helper, and he really seems to enjoy it!

I don't have a picture of this one, but he decided to help me clean in the kitchen.  We keep a floor rag for wiping up random water.  It stays by the sink, and Isaiah decided that as he crawled around on the floor he would clean things up for me with the rag.  He seemed to be singing a little cleaning song as he moved around the kitchen.  And he even seemed to say, "I cleaning!"  Hooray for increasing vocabulary!

We colored Easter eggs one day.  Isaiah's coordination still needs some improvement before I trust him to spoon a real egg into dyed water that could stain lots of things, so we improvised for him.  He got to play with water, much to his delight.  First he stirred it, then he splashed it, then he poured it all over himself.

Next I gave him plastic eggs to play with, and he did a great job opening them!  Yeah for better hand strength!

As a surprise for Daddy we made chocolate chip cookies.  Isaiah took care of the flour for me.

I finally realized this bowl was just too big...

...so we got two smaller bowls, and he stirred and transferred (even once with the spoon!) and just had fun making a big mess.

He played for an hour with his bowls of flour!  I asked him a few times if he was done, and would emphatically say "No!"  Until the park dries enough for playing in the sandbox, I think we found a great and rather cheap substitute!

This week Isaiah has also learned how to help me lift him better and hold on better while carrying him.  I am very thankful for this as my arm continues to heal, and he is getting bigger!  He is almost 23 pounds!!!!

Check out the other Tot Schools for great ideas for different stages at 1+1+1=1.

SEW: Daddy's Style

When Daddy gives the bath, fun things happen!

Check out the other SEW photos at 5M4SN.

Tot School--Takin' It One Day At A Time

Isaiah is 49 months old

Well, Mama is still somewhat incapacitated, so we didn't do many structured activities.  And in all honesty, after talking with a wonderful and wise friend this week, I have to tell you that aside from the carry over from the different therapies, our Tot School is not nearly as structured as it might appear on the blog.  Usually I start an activity with Isaiah, and then just let him do his thing.  This week, he had a blast (which made our time so much more fun)!

I got out our treasured construction paper, and we tore it up!  Literally.  After a few minutes, Isaiah got more into the ripping.  And I just asked him to repeat the color names to continue getting him familiar with them.  He identified green and blue on his own!

So we had the big pile you see on the table, and then we got out the glue.  Isaiah LOVES glue.  

We have large white sheets of paper, and I just let him have the bottle of glue and do whatever he wanted.  Then we stuck the different pieces of colored paper all over the big white paper, banging on them as hard as we could.  I'd show you the end result, but it's a surprise for someone back home.  :)

I've been wanting to work on hand coordination in more interesting ways.  We finally finished up some syrup that was sent to us, and I thought the bottle would be great for pouring.  I've had a hard time finding the right-sized container for this.  The bottle was still a little big, but Isaiah had fun!

The boy is slightly obsessed with syrup and pancakes, so he got excited when he saw the bottle.  We called the water inside syrup, which seemed to increase his interest.  Or syrpup as Isaiah calls it.

I had a hard time getting a good shot of him pouring.  Here I was helping him get the motion a few times.

Then we added a funnel.  He liked trying to get it in the bottle opening and watching the syrup go back inside.

It didn't take him long to figure out that the funnel was the middle step.  He kept trying to pick up drops of syrup to put in the funnel then the bottle.

And then splashing ensued, naturally.

He asked for a spoon!  I love that he thought of what he wanted to play with on his own and was able to tell me!  Guess who ran to the kitchen!

He told me he was making pancakes. :)  Smart Little Man!

Here's to having fun with it!  Mama learned a lot this week, but that's for another post...my left hand is tired after such a long post.

Check out the fun at 1+1+1=1.

SEW: Substitute Teacher

Not the best quality picture, but still a precious moment--Daddy has been spending some extra time with Isaiah since I broke my arm.  He always spends time with Isaiah, and he is always teaching him things, of course; but it's been special to me to see their bond strengthen during this time.