Motivation

Joy has learned a new sign.

It was just over two weeks from the point at which I was taught the sign in April (and started using it sporadically) to the point at which she demonstrated conclusively that she understood the sign without a spoken word.

After that, I started doing hand-over-hand to have her make the sign as well.

This past weekend, she grabbed JoyDad's hands to have him make the sign.

Then later she made the sign all on her own.

Here's a web site where you can see a demonstration of the sign.

Here's what she's asking for.



Video. Baby Einstein video, to be precise. She's also vocalizing, a little sound halfway between "vuh-voh" and "fuh-foh".

It's all about the motivation, baby!

Similarities

One of the joys of being part of this bloggy enterprise is "meeting" people who share traits and experiences with Joy (and me), whether across town or on the other side of the country or world.

This was reinforced, in the case of one delightful similar-sister we've never met in person, by a comment on the last post -- and by the photos later in this post.

Sweet Rhema and Joy share so much...

Both carry names that reflect their families' faith-rootedness.

They're just about the same age.

They're both fast and strong (and at risk for flight, fences and tags notwithstanding.)

Both have an on-and-off relationship with spoken language -- generally more off than on.

They're both gymnasts, furniture and otherwise.

Both have epilepsy issues.

Both are Baby Einstein devotees.

Both give glorious butterfly-kisses.

Neither can be reliably left alone with an open cup.

Both are dearly beloved by their typically-developing sisters.

And they're both window-dancers.







Rhemashope, I'm so glad to know you and your darling window-dancer too! Hugs across the miles to our sisters.

AMAZING UPDATE:
Ohhhhh. Look at Rhema's latest window-dance, everyone. From yesterday. As in, within a day of Joy's window-dance photos. Separated at birth, or what?!

Initiative and Planning.

Going to the park with Joy is a mixed bag these days. On the one hand, she's mighty stimmy on the gravel or woodchips or whatever. Handfuls go flying into the air at random times (one of those less-than-a-good-example kinds of things when other kids are around), or into the mouth. Bleah.

On the other hand, she is doing great things on the play structures. The other day I had her at the school playground, on equipment that had three different kinds of ladders (petal-grid, spiral, ordinary). It was such a treat to watch her think and plan as she made her way up the petal-grid and the spiral! The wheels were turning and she was making the most of it.

Then she saw the big-kid swings, way down the hill and across the grass.

WHOOSH. She was on her way.


When I caught up with her, she was trying to get into a swing. These are higher up than our usual park, though, and she couldn't quite make it. So she came over to me, grabbed my hands, put them under her arms. Pick me up, Mama. Put me in the swing. I was so happy to help!


Joy has done so well lately staying in the swing and holding on for high pushes, and not trying to get off until the swing is nearly stopped. So I gave her the big-kid treatment, with the great big running-underneath pushes (do you call those underducks? or underdogs?) Anyway. She grinned so big I thought her face was gonna split in two.

Meanwhile, Rose was clamoring for the big pushes too. I think they picked swings at the opposite end of the set on purpose to give Mama a workout...


Joy's use of the hand-pulling request has blossomed lately. To the buckles on her booster chair (unbuckle me, Mama, I want to get down!) To the TV/video-player (Baby Einstein, please, Mama!) To the door handle (play outside? Now?) To her own underarms (I'm tired of walking, pick me up!)

The flip side here is that when I have to refuse (sorry sweetie, we can't start a video, the therapist is coming in five minutes!) she is declaring her unhappiness in no uncertain terms. The fuss can persist long after the initial offense. I should be celebrating this, I guess, right? As in, it's not normal for a kid to give up so quickly and nonchalantly as she's generally done in the past. Oh bliss, oh Joy, she's discovered her inner two year old! Hurray, and a big deep sigh.

One final vignette for this post.

Yesterday afternoon Joy was hanging out in the living room, watching a video (yes, Baby Einstein, what else?) and I was lounging on the couch with a book. Suddenly she went over to the quilt that stays in the room, that her baristas use for blanket-pulls and swinging and such. Her 6-ft-7 barista-dude has been trying to teach her to help spread the quilt out a little bit -- he's the only one that can give her the full swinging treatment all by himself! Well, she took the quilt and made spreading motions and got it laid out a little bit on the floor. Then she came over, took my hand, pulled me from the couch. And then she sat down on that blanket.

Look Mama, I've done the planning & prep work. Swing me now!!

I called JoyDad over, and together we swung her high, to the accompaniment of that dazzling grin.

Of Elephants and Snow

So JoyDad and I were sitting at the dining table. Joy was watching one of her Baby Crack Einstein videos, the Baby Noah one where they march out a whole bunch of animals two by two.

"Elephant," said the DVD.

"EH-uh-fuh," came the echo, with totally precise timing and inflection.

I happened to be watching Joy at the moment, actually saw her lips move. JoyDad whipped around, what was Rose doing imitating Baby Einstein?

Looky there, we just had an elephant Elvis Sighting! Never heard her do that one before, who knows when we'll hear it next!

[Aside: had a really weird Google search hit on this blog yesterday. The search terms were "does baby einstein cause seizures". Heh. Wonder how that rumor got started.]

What happened later that morning had little to do with Elvis, and much to do with milestones.

As neighbors to Mama Mara, we too had a snow day yesterday. It was beautiful.


And JoyDad got to give his new snowblower a workout...

And today we all went out sledding!

Neither Joy nor Rose much wanted to go sledding last year. Rose was timid, and Joy wouldn't stay in the sled, either for a pull-ride or to go down the hill.

This year, Rose belly-flops without a second thought, and Joy sticks to the sled like a little burr! I sent Joy out into the backyard with a therapist and a sled the other day, and the therapist reported that Joy kept climbing into the sled to be pulled around. "Did she ditch out the side a lot?" I asked. "No, she held on with her hands really well," came the report.

Well, now I've seen it myself.


JoyDad was able to give her a ride all the way from the parking lot to the hill. I was able to tow her UP the hill after a ride. Eventually we got brave and sent her down the hill on her own (I went first on a separate sled to be at the bottom to catch her.)

You should have seen her face on the first run! Sheer delight.

I don't have Redheadmomma's chops at sledding photos but here's a shot that sets the scene:


Joy is the sledder, JoyDad is the dark manly silhouette at the top against the gray clouds, Rose is at the right with a red sled.

Happy winter, everybody!

Christmas in August

You could potentially walk into our house any day of the year, look over at what's playing on DVD, and think Christmas. That's because Joy's very favorite videos are Baby Einsteins, and one of the most favorite of the favorite is Baby Santa. These magical videos are about the only thing that can keep Joy somewhat occupied for a span of more than a minute or two without direct intense supervision. So we've heard the Baby Einstein Orchestra do Jingle Bells so often we could sing it in our sleep.

But wait, there's more. This year, Christmas in August also means that I washed my last load of cloth diapers this weekend. After six years of stinky launderings, I am SO done. Wahoo! Joy hasn't been the slightest bit interested in potty training. [Clarification edit: and she still isn't. No, we are not done with diapers per se. We are not even started being done with diapers.] However, the Medical Assistance under which she receives her intensive autism therapy will also pay for diapers, once a suitably-disabled child turns four. We've gotten through the prior authorization paperwork hoops now, and the first shipment of diapers arrived this week, directly to our door. Talk about your early Christmas presents! I am done saving the environment via cloth diapers, virtuous as it was. It feels great to be saving mama a little bit now.

Last but not least, I also started playing Christmas music this week. I ring handbells with a semi-professional community group, and Saturday was our kickoff rehearsal for this year's Christmas concerts. It's a little incongruous to have Christmas bells ringing in my head already before school starts, but I do love to have that outside interest and sneak away to ring bells with my colleagues! Here's an MP3 clip of "Sleigh Ride" to give you a sense of how we make holiday celebration with handbells. Merry, merry!