friendly neighborhood

My predilection for procrastination is seeping into my blogging... Ideas run through my head at work, on the way home, at the dinner table, and then, when I actually have a few minutes after the kids are in bed, I put off writing until I'm too tired to put together a coherent thought. So, in honor of this nasty habit, I'm writing today about last week's party.

The "big act" for Owen's part was the arrival of Spiderman, in all of his full cheesy-costume glory. As the resident ham in the family, I of course relished this role and had been looking forward to it. The plan was to have everybody, especially Owen, out in the backyard with Spidey music blaring when Owen's "favorite hero" made his appearance. We had burned all of the various Spiderman theme songs to CD - the perfect mix!

Unfortunately, the plan quickly went awry... Owen somehow snuck back in the house and was walking upstairs just as Spidey was walking out of my bedroom. "Dad... get that thing off you!", Owen pleaded. Hmmm.. the suprise factor was now at zero. I didn't acknowledge it and kept trying to pull off the act. I picked him up and ran outside with him - Spiderman was at the party! A few kids cried, a few were so excited they could barely contain themselves, but Owen would have none of it. "Dad, you're not Spiderman. Take that off." Is he a future detective, perhaps?

My spidey sense was tingling as a murmur went through the adults in the crowd. Sure enough, 0ur next door neighbor sided up and gave me the plan. I would make a quick exit, change back into my Peter Parker clothes, and the neighbor would become Spiderman. Let's see what Owen does with that!


A few minutes after I came out asking Owen about Spiderman - "Owen, I can't believe I missed Spiderman!" - here came Spiderman #2! The look on Owen's face was priceless - oh for a picture of that! He was silent for a few minutes and you could see the wheels turning at a ferocious pace. Finally, he had enough and he just let Spidey have it - "Spiderman, get out of here!" Even if he didn't know "who" it was, he wasn't going to back down. All that talk about "his favorite hero" and he wanted no part of him now. We played with it for a few more minutes but it was his party after all and we didn't want to push it to far. Our hopes of him being thrilled by having Spidey at his party were dashed, but the actual outcome turned out to be funnier (and a better story).

Until next year

Although we officially have one more day till the month of birthdays is over, today was the end of the real festivities. Three parties, three celebrations of individuals, three opportunities to enjoy friends and family, and of course 3 days marking the last moment of a year we'll never see again.

Grant had the quietest part of the three birthdays, although maybe the most personally satisfying. Birthday cake, blowing candles, and singing Happy Birthday bring true enjoyment to him. Unfortunately, because of his current diet, he's unable to eat birthday cake. Fortunately, Staci and her mom came up with this "cake", which at the very least gave us something to put the candles in. He was so excited to have his own cake and so excited to be part of a birthday party.







Cassidy had several friends over for a swim party and sleepover. As we start the journey into teen-dom, it's encouraging to see her pick quality friends. The girls had a blast!











Owen had the big party this year - friends from school, neighbor friends, family - the backyard was packed today to celebrate Owen turning 5. Of course, after talking about nothing but this party for at least this past week, he didn't want to hang out with his friends for at least the first 30 minutes after they started showing up. Most of his friends were swimming, the rest were playing, and he was hiding out. Once he got over it, he had a great time with his friends, but his favorite was presents and cake.

More than one

Words. When people ask about Grant, or meet Grant, it's usually his lack of words and lack of communication which make the strongest impact and "bring it home" to them. Other concepts like sensory issues, social skills, etc. don't have the same effect. But "he doesn't talk", now that hits hard.

Words. In the early days, his 3rd through 5th years, the communication gap was so bare, so basic, that it was almost raw. There were maybe 3 or 4 things where he could get his point across and it had to be something physical that he could drag us to, other than that, it was just a guessing game. But then, somewhere around that 5th year, he grasped probably the single most important concept in his quest for communication. He learned how to communicate yes and no. "yes" was sign language, "no" was verbal. He learned the power of those words quickly - he could say "no" to something he didn't want or like, and we would respect his wishes. Even though he has learned so much and shown so much progress since then, "yes" and "no" are still the most powerful tools.

Words. When communicating with someone, we expect certain things such as respect, to be addressed, and that the speaker will also listen when he/she is done. For Grant, of course, it was just a one-way street for so long. We would talk to him. We would say his name. He might try to say something, might try to sign something, but he had no indication of a desire to continue communicating, to listen and respond. While he has been able to say his sister's name for a few years now, it was never in direct communication. Until 6-7 months ago, we never heard our names leave his lips. But now, saying "up, Daddy" or "throw me, daddy" are common (although learned from much repetition). Not only does he try to address us, he does so in such a way that he wants a response. And from our response, he may follow with another instruction or desire.

Words. Put a few words together and you've got a sentence. Put a few sentences together and you've got a thought. Put a few thoughts together and you are communicating your feelings, your imagination, your desires, your fears. And so we shower applause on Grant as he moves beyond just words, and into sentences. This weekend, at two separate times, he put several words together to speak a sentence. "cup ice water juice please daddy" and "bread please mommy".

He spoke. We listened. We spoke. He listened.

Communication.

Does this mean I'm viral?

I mentioned my one known talent a few days ago and my forgetfulness to bring a video camera to the Letterman audition.

So, at a company party yesterday, I was enticed to do a siren for the crowd and now it's on youtube (my first appearance).

A month of birthdays

Thursday is the official start to "birthday month" at our house, when each of the 3 kids turns over the next number in the odometer. The unofficial method of celebration is to give a "big" party for the important numbers - whatever that means. So, Owen gets the big party later this month for his 5th; we're still in the early planning stages on that one. Cassidy will have some friends over for swimming/slumbering for her 12th (next year she gets a "big" party). And, Thursday, Grant turns 8.

Grant loves - LOVES - birthdays. He loves the cake. He loves candles. He loves presents. He loves being the birthday boy. He loves watching others celebrate their birthday. Unfortunately, with his diet, regular cake is a bit out of the question. So, hopefully, he will enjoy our best effort at a birthday cake for him - it will look like a cake, it will slice like a cake, will it taste like a cake?

In full disclosure mode, we haven't yet decided what to get Grant. What do you get the boy who asks for nothing? I'm always tempted to go for the "educational" toys - not only will they be fun, he will learn too! Hmm, how many of those toys have actually panned out? Not many. Nah, I think it's best to just get him something he will enjoy. Let's see, what does he enjoy?
gameboy/gamecube games
teletubbies/dora/blues clues/toy story - you get the idea
swimming
trampolines
swings


Now, how do we translate that into gifts by Thursday? Help?!