It Takes a Little Time Sometimes

Somewhere along the way I lost track of the days.  It doesn't help that my camera is off by one day, so I'm not entirely sure which pictures came from what day.  So I'll try to post them more often; I can usually remember two days . . . but then, I can remember the lyrics to hundreds of songs, but I can't tell you what I ate for dinner last night.  "Feelin' good."  (Can you see Drew Barrymore's head bob?)

This was taken yesterday.  It is another goal of the year: to keep this plant alive.  I have yet to nurture something green for more than a few weeks, or until it turns brown; whichever comes first.  I'd really like to help it thrive.  Plus, it's a pretty low-maintenance plant, so it just might be possible.  I purchased both the plant and the cute pot at Ikea, but I really do need to get some more soil for it to grow in.  Tomorrow!

Envious?

And here's today's picture:

Allen is usually asleep when it's bath time/bed time for the boy, so I'll hang out with Benji while he's in the tub (hence all of the bath pictures).  Since he's a 'captive audience' (e.g., he can't move very far), I'll try to sing songs with him and go over letters and numbers by writing on the little magnet board and showing it to him.  Sometimes he'll point to the letters and say what they are, but he really likes to indicate what he's reading with his feet (e.g., kick the board without getting in trouble).  Whatever.  So anyway, I wrote this for him, held it up to him and asked him what it said.  He told me, clear as day, "cow."  I was so excited!  He read the entire word (not just the letters) and pronounced it correctly.  And I know he knows what a cow is, so I can see all of these things coming together.  He's making connections and he's finally figuring out how to express them verbally.  He did the same thing with the word "water," but he's still spelling out "cat" and most other words.  We're trying to do some sign language with him as well.  I wrote the word "ball" on the board, and he did the sign for it.  That's so cool to see.

I know it seems silly to parents of children who are developmentally normal, but it's a big deal to me.  I wish I could have real conversations with my child, where he would understand what I'm saying and respond appropriately.  I think it's kind-of an exponential curve with him.  It has been very slow starting out, but now that he knows a few words, I think it will come a lot quicker.  Our appointment with the Children's Center is coming up next week, and I really hope they can help us to help him.