Christmas is over for another year...

Isaiah did very well. We went to KC to visit my family and there were about 25-ish people there, including three cousins younger than him. Isaiah was very tolerant of the over-exuberant hugs from cousin Aiden (absolutely too cute, too) and was really pretty good about not wanting what the others were playing with. I only had to really get onto him once.

He has really grown in the past year with his speech and his social skills. He still has challenges but he's much better at being able to listen to us explain things (even if he's not happy about what we're explaining because we're not going to do something "his" way) and overall, very much improved.

He was being entertained last night while the adults were playing our Dirty Santa game; my nephew had Isaiah and his nephew, Ian, gathered around him while he showed them something on his iPod. It was totally cute.

Isaiah got each of us gifts at school through the "Santa's Workshop" program they have. Amy sent $30 and a list of who he needed to buy for. He was very meticulous and really picked out things that he thought would be appropriate. He bought me a ring holder for when I take off my jewelry to put on lotion, bought his mother a "mom" picture frame, bought his Crampa a flashlight that has tools with it, Uncle Keith a K-State mini-football, Rex a KU mini-football (which is funny because Rex is a K-State alumni), and bought some stuff for LeCole and her kids. He said he wanted everyone to be happy. Were we happy? You bet. He did a great job. He got Crampa the flashlight because he didn't want him to fall in the dark any more. That was sweet.

Isaiah is already planning for next year. So am I!

Wordle

I picked this website up from someone else's blog. It's really cool. It's http://www.wordle.net/ so go visit and have fun. I did this from just putting in Isaiah's URL.

12 Days of Christmas, Isaiah Style

Isaiah has his own way of singing and he will always tell us that he is a good "seener," which we know to be true. This morning he started in on the 12 Days of Christmas but his version is a bit different than the normal version. Some of the items changed as he was going back down from the higher numbers. I have those changes in parentheses.

On the 1st day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... A par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 2nd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Two turtle ducks and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 3rd day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Three (Christmas trees) French chins, two turtle ducks, and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 4th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Four (ginger carrots) calling birds, three French chins, two turtle ducks, and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 5th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Five golden rings, four calling birds, three French chins, two turtle ducks, and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 6th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Six talking wings, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French chins, two turtle ducks, and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 7th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Seven (hawking birds) golfing birds, six talking wings, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French chins, two turtle ducks, and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 8th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Eight Julie and Collins, seven golfing birds, six talking wings, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French chins, two turtle ducks, and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 9th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Nine swinging barrels, eight Julie and Collins, seven golfing birds, six talking wings, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French chins, two turtle ducks, and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 10th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Ten twinkling callings, nine swinging barrels, eight Julie and Collins, seven golfing birds, six talking wings, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French chins, two turtle ducks, and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 11th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Eleven lamps a lighting, ten twinkling callings, nine swinging barrels, eight Julie and Collins, seven golfing birds, six talking wings, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French chins, two turtle ducks, and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.
On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...Twelve moms and dads, eleven lamps a lighting, ten twinkling callings, nine swinging barrels, eight Julie and Collins, seven golfing birds, six talking wings, five golden rings, four calling birds, three French chins, two turtle ducks, and a par pair Christmas pair of trees.....

The "twinkling callings" are telephones ringing (had to ask him). No clue on who or what "Julie and Collins" are. And, when singing the song, you absolutely have to use the correct inflection when singing "Five golden rings..." Otherwise, he will stop the song and correct you. "No, no, no - it goes wike dis..."

Oh Christmas Tree!

A former co-worker knows how much Isaiah loves Star Wars and Darth Vader so she brought in a Hallmark ornament from 1997 that has Darth on a platform, light saber in hand, and talks when you push a button. It's really James Earl Jones' voice, which is pretty cool.

I was talking to Isaiah on Friday about his day while Amy sat quietly just holding the box. Suddenly, he realized she had something so he walked over to see and, in mid-sentence, just stopped and stared. He was speechless, which was hysterical.

We asked him if he wanted it on the tree, and when he said he did we took it to hook it up. He was amazed that it talked and when he heard Darth Vader say, "Luke, you are not a Jedi yet," Isaiah exclaimed, "He is, too!" He was very indignant on Luke's behalf. He had to listen to the comments over and over.

I really wish I had a video of him listening and imitating the voice coming out of the speaker. He made us play it several times and then said, "Push it one more time so I can say what he says." To watch him and listen to him was absolutely hysterical. Amy and I loved it. In perfect "Darth" voice, he said the words as best as he could keep up. He didn't say exactly what the figure said - or at the same time, even - but he did do his very best Darth imitation and had us highly amused.

He refused to say that Luke wasn't a Jedi, though.

Two new stories

Amy is in charge of certain big event at work every year and part of the requirements to participate is that you get your reservation in on time, and if you're bringing a guest you get the guest registered. This big event happens right after the income tax deadline in April. In April 2008, one of the managers needed to add her guest at the last minute. Because she didn't make the reservation on time, she told Amy that she'd make Isaiah a blanket for his bed. Amy got the blanket today. It's a quilt that has seams you have to trim to make it a "rag" quilt.

Amy was sitting on the chair with the scissors doing the trimming and Isaiah walked up to her and said, "Mommy! Stop - you're breaking my blanket! You're going to ruin it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ron watched Isaiah today because there was no latchkey and no school. We were a bit nervous about it but he did have Star Wars, Power Puff Girls, peanut butter and jelly, and cereal. We figured he could handle it.

About 3:00, I got a phone call - "I need you to come home. I'm really sick and I might need to go to the hospital." It's a 20 minute drive, so I shut down my computer and headed out as quickly as I could. Ron had a visitor this afternoon from a friend's church but he had never met the man. He felt really bad that Garry had to be here while he was having issues, but I was glad there was another adult here. Isaiah did not understand that Crampa was having a low blood sugar and other issues.

I got home, asked him if he still needed to go to the hospital, and when he said he did, I called an ambulance. I cannot move Ron when he's in that condition and needing help. Before they got here, he decided that he would not go and that he was feeling better. His sugar was back up (had been 44). So, I cancelled the ambulance but about five minutes later, they were on the doorstep anyway.

Isaiah and I went to the door and he said, "Are you the aliens?" I think they thought he said "ambulance" so they said they were. They checked Ron out and carried on a conversation with Isaiah, reassuring him that they were here to help his Crampa. Isaiah has had a couple of very traumatic experiences with EMS, including the time he got burned and another time when he had a minor head injury. The sight of them usually is enough to send him into hysterics.

As they were leaving, he asked them if he had been brave. They assured him that he had, indeed been very brave.

New "Isaiah-isms"

When I get bigger, I'm going to call mommy "Sweetie" because I think she's sweet.

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One of Isaiah's "things" is that he comes into the bathroom when Ron is in there. I don't know why, but he says he wants to keep him company. "Can I just sit on your lap, Crampa? I love you and I want to be with you."

It's kind of hard to get him to understand that just because he wants someone in the bathroom (or near the bathroom) when he's in there, doesn't mean everyone else wants an audience. With Ron's recent surgery and such, he has more "issues" in the bathroom than usual - which was substantial before the surgery.

The other day, Ron was in his usual position in the bathroom. Isaiah came in and noticed Ron's pained expression (he was in dire pain), patted him on his stomach and said, "Are you having a baby, Crampa?"

Ron had to stop what he was doing so he could crack up instead.

Four balls

Catchy - isn't it?

Last night, Isaiah asked me, "Who is the man with four balls?"

I was speechless, trying to figure out what he was talking about and, better yet, who he was talking about.

"You know, that man on UP with four balls on his cane."

Oh... that makes perfect sense. Too bad I couldn't remember who it was fast enough to give him an intelligent answer.

It's been a while...

There has been a lot going on since my last post. Isaiah got a flu shot and it was a harrowing experience for him and the staff. He is terrified of needles. The next day he got sick so missed two days at work. LOL - I mean school. I'm sure he thinks it's work.

He threw up at school - at lunch, no less. He said he "frew up" on the floor, in the trash can, on the table, and in the bathroom. He "frew up" on his friend's lunch box (I bet that was impressive; wonder if he still has that friend?).

He's been having more trouble getting green days but when he gets a yellow day we don't always know what it is for. Amy asked the teacher to please jot a short note to say why he was in trouble. They are just amazing. "Isaiah had yellow because he took too long to fill out his journal." Hello - he is SIX and has a learning disability. Do you think that "too long" is a bit vague? How long is too long and what do you consider reasonable? I'm not sure I like this woman.

Last night when I picked him up I asked him what he thought we should get his mom for Christmas. He said, "I know!!"

So, I asked him what.

"A Power Puff Girls game so she can be the hero."

I don't think she needs a Power Puffs game. I don't even know if they make a game like that.

"How about a Star Wars girl? She can be the queen hero."

I don't think she would like a Star Wars girl.

"But I would like it."

ah... Smart thinking - get mommy a gift and if she doesn't like it she will share with him.

Halloween fun

Isaiah was Darth (Dark) Vader this year. He has become Isaiah's new favorite character and many things are Dark Vader themed. Also, we have to say the whole thing - Dark Vader, not just Dark, or Vader, but Dark Vader. Isaiah wants him to be a good guy because Luke Skywalker really needs his dad. Hmmm... I think Isaiah is comparing Darth Vader to his lack of a father in his life, and he is Luke Skywalker. Not sure, but maybe.

Here are some pictures of him in his costume. He is so cute. I'm not prejudiced.




The little girl next to him is the daughter of Amy's friend. She loves Isaiah and I have a picture of her looking up at him with adoring eyes. It is so cute.

"Unhappy" campers...

We are not terribly happy with Isaiah's teacher or his school right now.

This week is conferences and book fair events. As part of the schedule of events, Monday was "crazy hair day." Isaiah has very dark hair and it's short - he is a boy and we keep his hair fairly short, so "crazy" for him is hard to do. Amy decided she'd spray his hair blue and spike it up. He loved it.

When she picked him up, she noticed that his hair was no longer blue and he said they took him to the nurse's office and washed his hair. She asked him why - did the color make him itch (he has very sensitive skin) and he said no that he didn't want his hair washed. So, she sent a note on Tuesday to the school asking why his hair had been washed.

The teacher returned a note - and copied page 13 out of the parent handbook - that said "unusual hair colors will not be permitted." OK - then WHY do a crazy hair day and not let kids color their hair for the day? The rule also says that no scarves or bandannas would be allowed; today is crazy hat day - so are they going to take the scarves or bandannas off the kids who wear those today?

The only exception to this rule is school-sponsored Spirit Week. Since this was "only" a book fair event, it wasn't sanctioned by the school. We think it was pretty stupid and silly. Isaiah was one of three who had his head forcibly washed. His bus driver is a para for the school and she said there were kids all over with colored hair. Amy is totally irritated, and I don't blame her. Her conference is tomorrow and I'm sure this will be addressed. Amy has a laundry list of items to address with her teacher. (I've never met her, but I can't say that I like her just judging by the comments she writes in Isaiah's agenda.)

Today, for crazy hat day, Amy sent his Darth Vader ball cap - it has Darth's face on the bill. They better let him wear that hat...

He called my name "Isaiah"

I picked Isaiah up from latch key this afternoon. He frequently has very insightful comments for me. Most of them start "when I was a baby in Mommy's tummy."

Today was no different, except he had a new twist. He started the usual way "when I was a baby in Mommy's tummy..."

God made me with brown skin, black hair, and brown eyes. And then He called my name Isaiah.

How powerful can that little statement be? "He called my name Isaiah."

Isaiah continued to inform me how big God was and how he can do everything, people just don't understand He is everywhere. He kept telling me about God all the way home.

We are so blessed that He did call his name Isaiah and entrusted his care to us.

Amoxicillin and other funnies

He can say amoxicillin on the first try, but he can't say antibiotic. Go figure.

Crampa, I so very much love you. Can I have a pop tart?

When I was your age, was I a baby?

Ups and Downs

For the most part, I think the school year is progressing nicely. Isaiah is obviously still struggling with reading and remembering what words are what and how to spell things. What he remembered last week may not be what he remembered last night or will remember tomorrow.

We went to KC this past weekend and while we waited for breakfast at Perkins, I wrote down some words on the place mat for Isaiah to read. Simple words seem to be as hard for him as the more difficult words. My sister thought it was my "left handed printing" (with a crayon) that made it tough for him to figure out. I hope that is the reason and not that he's regressed a bit. I spelled h-o-t, r-u-n, r-a-n, t-h-e-y, t-h-e-r-e, and a few others. He got 50% correct on the first try and ended up getting about 90% overall. He just has so much trouble remembering things.

Unfortunately, I don't know what to do to make things better. I have bought "helper" books, we bought LeapFrog pen and books, we have done flash cards - and I can't honestly tell you that any of them have made any noticeable difference. I worry about him in the grades to come and wonder what the school system has in store for my sweet little guy.

We ate lunch at my brother's church and while we were there, my sister-in-law's mother sat down across from my mother. She's not seen Isaiah before and asked me who he belonged to. I told her that he was Amy's little boy and he blurted out that he was our little sweetheart. Now, how sweet is that? LOL - it was too cute and we all had a good laugh.

Isaiah is having mostly green days, with a yellow one here and there. He's had one blue day - which is really bad - and red day, which is the worst. One of the reasons he's had a couple of bad days is the para decided that he couldn't twirl his pencil while he was thinking. This is one of those things that they ended up adding to his IEP. Isaiah will be allowed to twirl his pencil as long as he is not interfering with the other students. His teacher told the resource teacher that Isaiah was less of a disturbance with his pencil than it was when he tore his desk apart searching for another one (after the para took his first one away from him). This para has worked with him since the beginning of last year so she should know that Isaiah sometimes has issues with changing his routine. The teacher was not too happy with the fact that the para decided to enforce this seemingly little rule. LOL - not any more. Isaiah's compulsiveness won and he can now twirl or even sing to himself if he needs to while he works.

I think some of Isaiah's excessive movement is because of the structure and the strictness of the classroom. He's just not coping too well with someone else making the decisions regarding what he does when. He'll be fine once the routine becomes HIS routine, but right now it is not. Also, we're sharing our home with a young lady and her two children - a three year old boy and a four year old girl. That means Isaiah also has to share his "crampa" and he's not too happy about it.

The sharing is OK most of the time, but when they all want to sit on Ron's lap and Isaiah doesn't have room, he's pretty tolerant but I can tell he's not happy. That is HIS Crampa and he is sharing because he's a good kid but he's not happy about it.

LOL - he doesn't seem to mind sharing me, though.

Manimiotic

Isaiah is sick but he doesn't want "pink medicine." I told him the pink medicine is called an antibiotic and that unless he had an infection, the doctor wouldn't give it to him.

He said he doesn't have "the pink eye" like someone at school has. So he doesn't need the manimiotic. He doesn't like manimiotics. And, he doesn't like shots. He doesn't want the flu shot today, "please don't give me the flu shot today because I will cry."

Dr. Niederee was very good with him today. He showed Isaiah that looking in your ears doesn't hurt (I was a willing guinea pig for him) and looking in your throat doesn't hurt either. Isaiah was pretty scared and was concerned about the stethoscope. He was also pretty concerned that the light was getting too close to his face, too. He can't stand to be held down so getting him examined in the doctor's office is always a challenge. Today, he was able to sit on Amy's lap but he felt pretty confined when the doctor held his hand on top of his head to look in the ears. Once the hand moved from the top of the head to holding just the ear, it was much better.

After examining him, Dr. Niederee (who is not Isaiah's regular doctor) said, "so, is he diagnosed autistic? He seems to be very mildly affected and very high-functioning." I think the flailing of the arms was a dead giveaway.

Isaiah was all smiles when we left, especially since he didn't get a shot. He told Dr. Niederee that next time he was sick, maybe he'd see him again.

But no shots. OK?

Spelling words…

Isaiah is learning to spell, which is really great. It won’t be too long now before he’ll really be able to read. We work on his spelling and reading words every night and it’s starting to pay off. Last night he was spelling words for me as I drove home from latch key.

Isaiah: Cat – C – A – T cat

Me : very good

Isaiah : Hat – H – A – T hat
Top – T – O – P top
Sit – S – I – T sit

Me: that is very good. What else can you spell?

Isaiah: I – S – A – I – A – H, that spells “Isaiah” and he has brown eyes, and black hair and he’s really cute. He’s a good seener (singer) and a good dancer.

How do you argue with that?

I'm hungry

Me: Do you want a snack?
Isaiah: No, I want a salad with meat on it.
Me: (after I pick myself up off the floor from falling there in shock) Sure, let me get that for you.

Now, for most kids, that's probably not that big of a deal. But Isaiah is extremely picky and almost never wants salad. He's been eating better lately because LeCole (Amy's friend) is offering him more things and he's seeing her kids eat things that he previously wouldn't want to eat. So, LeCole and I hurried to fix that boy a salad (with dressing) before he changed his mind.

Doing Well

Isaiah is doing very well in first grade. He does have some issues with reading but those are being worked on. He is going to the resource teacher for 90 minutes each day and has a para for 90 minutes each day. Once you add in recess, lunch, art, gym, music, etc. he's pretty much got his whole day planned out.

Mrs. B is working really well with him and everyone seems happy with how things are progressing.

I'm more busy with my own school so my posts are less frequent than they were. So, I'll just have to post what I can, when I can, and see how the year progresses.

First week down without a hitch

Isaiah had all green days last week. That was awesome and amazing at the same time. He has homework every night and after the third night of doing work, he made the statement that school was just too hard.

He didn't like me telling everyone what his teacher's name was and kept insisting that it was just "Mrs. B." Probably a good thing her name is Mrs. B to them. It's much safer than what it really is.

We spent every night last week going over the basic words and he gradually got to where he recognized more of them. Amy had him show me he could read part of Green Eggs and Ham, which is one of his favorite books. Some of it I'm sure he's memorized. But, memorization is a good way to begin and he can always branch out from there.

First day of first grade

Isaiah started first grade yesterday. His para was there waiting for him when Amy got him to school, so that was nice for him to see a familiar face. I'm sure he's got some of his friends from kindergarten in his class but we don't know which ones yet.

His teacher's name is Mrs. B. That's what everyone calls her because her last name is a mouthful for an adult to say, let alone a first grader. It's a hyphenated name and personally, I would have just left off the first half. But, she obviously likes her name so that is OK. Just a really tough one to say.

Mrs. B has a very set schedule which, for Isaiah, is a very good thing. He likes to do things in order. Once he's learned how things are to progress, he doesn't really like to deviate. Spontaneity is not quite in his vocabulary yet. When Amy explained to Mrs. B that Isaiah likes routine, she said that was great because she did, too. They should get along splendidly - we hope. Isaiah's version of "routine" may involve doing things his way and I'm sure her version of it involves doing things her way. I wonder which one will win that one?

Isaiah brought home a piece of paper with three columns of words he's supposed to know how to read. Hmmm... that's one of the concerns we had about him going into first grade. He doesn't know how to read these words. They include: see, two, to, four, for, where, what, that, the, look, little, her, me, he, you, we, him, three, blue, yellow, five, I, and a. I read them all to him and then asked which ones he could read. He got "I" (of course - it's his "I") and "a" - and with help got a few of the others. Then, I had him read them with me and asked him again which ones he could read. He got a few more. We read them one more time together and then he read them back to me. I would say that he was able to remember about 1/3 of them.

I don't have any training on how to teach someone to read so I don't know if I'm doing it correctly or not. We shall see how we both progress this year. It promises to be interesting.

The Birth Experience

Isaiah volunteered today just how he came into the world. I swear, we truly needed this on video tape. Those who know him and how expressive he gets when he talks will have to use their imagination. For those who don't - well, all I can say is that you've truly missed out on some great experiences.

This is Isaiah's description of how he was born.

"When I was your age, I was a baby in mommy's tummy and I tried to get out. I pushed with my belly (as he demonstrates arching his stomach out), I pushed with my bottom (as he's bent over with his rear in the air, shaking it as he goes), I pushed with my hands (punching his fists), and I pushed with my feet (kicking). I pushed and I pushed but nuffing happened.

Then, the doctor pulled me out. Then, you tried to feed me but it didn't work so they gave me a bottle.

And, I was born."

Keeping me company

Isaiah doesn't like to be alone when he does his "big job" in the bathroom. As such, he's decided that I don't like to be alone and he needs to keep me company any time he's here and I excuse myself to go to the restroom.

Isaiah, shut the door. I'm trying to use the restroom.

Just a little bit, Grandma. I don't want you to be alone.

But, I want to be alone. I don't need company and I don't need to leave the door open.

OK... Grandma?

Yes, Isaiah.

If you need anything, you just call me and I'll take care of it for you.

Thank you, Isaiah. I'll be sure to remember that.

I spy with my little eye

Grandma, do you know how to play I spy? Do you know the rules?

Yes, I know how to play but why don't you go ahead and tell me how it is done.

OK, I say "I spy with my little eye" and find something to see and then you say what it is. I'll go first. OK? I spy with my little eye something black.

Hmmm - black. Is it on my dash?

No.

Is it my purse?

No.

Is it...

No, it's in the car and I'm wearing it.

You're wearing it? I don't think you have anything on that's black.

Yes, I do. It's on my head. You give up?

I guess because I can't see anything on your head that's black. You can't see your head.

Yes, I can. It's my hair. You give up. My turn again.

Isaiah, you can't see your own hair. It's too short.

Yes - it's my hair. You gave up. My turn. I spy with my little eye...

I think I was had.

Ni Hao

Isaiah likes to watch Ni Hao, Kai-lan. There have been times he's told me things and then said that he was speaking Chinese. That's nice.

Last night, as Amy and Isaiah were leaving he saw a plane. It was pretty dark outside so all he could really see were the flashing lights. We had just been talking about our plane rides and how much fun they were. So, he had to have Amy and I both stop what we were doing and look at the plane.

"Hi Plane! Ni Hao!"

Can I marry you?

Grandma, can I marry you? I want to marry you because I missed you.

You want to marry me? That's nice, but I'm already married.

You are? Who married you?

Grandpa married me.

He did!?!?! When did he do that? When I was just a baby?

No, when your mommy was just a baby. She was three years old.

Oh... I was a tiny baby in her tummy then. Right?

Thank you for picking me up at latch key. Can I show Crampa my prizes I bought?

That will be fine... Show Grandpa your prizes.


~Maybe that will get his mind off of marriage.

Trip highlights

I have to say, traveling with Isaiah was not bad. He really was very cooperative and didn't have any melt-downs. Sure, he had a couple of instances where he was less than perfect - and actually acted his age - but for the most part, he was a real gem. We dressed him in his pajamas and a pull-up for the flight out because we'd be landing late and I didn't want to have to mess with trying to make sure that he stayed dry in his sleep (he is prone to "wet" nights).

He was charming on the flights out. Several people commented on how good he was.

In addition to spending one day on the base waiting for Shaun's ship to return, Isaiah got to go swimming (which he loved), go to the beach (although he decided it really wasn't a beach since there wasn't any sand - only rocks), go for an ice cream sundae, go to a farmer's market, ride the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds and from Bremerton to Seattle.

He loved, loved, loved riding the ferry.

We spent our last night at a hotel in Seattle because I didn't want to fight incoming traffic on Monday morning. Since we had a relatively early flight out Monday morning, and I was really unfamiliar with the area, I opted for going into Seattle on Sunday, getting a hotel room, and returning the rental car early. That ended up being a very smart move. The hotel wanted to charge $20 to park the car there, but they had a free airport shuttle. So, we returned the car to the airport and we rode the shuttle back to the hotel and then Monday morning had the shuttle drop us and our luggage back off. It cost a few bucks in sky cap tips but much less than $20 AND sky cap tips.

Isaiah enjoyed watching cartoons in the morning before we headed out to the airport.

Other highlights of the trip:

Keeping himself entertained while waiting for the ship

The ride home from spending more than nine hours on the pier. It was a very long day that started at 5:00 am.

Enjoying some French Fries while waiting for the ferry.

Enjoying the ferry ride:

Checking out the dock and pier:

And, finally, coming home. Isaiah decided that he needed a welcome home party and cake. I'm not entirely sure why he thought he needed one, but he did. Luckily, he told me while we were waiting to take off and not after we took off. I was able to send a quick text message to Amy that he thought he needed a welcome home cake. She got the message and showed up with welcome home balloons and cupcakes for him. I'm sure the folks waiting in the same area as her thought she was waiting on returning military (the balloons were camo-green) and the grins on their faces when Isaiah came down the ramp were priceless. They thought the whole thing was very cute and touching.

The night before we flew home, he had me call her so he could say that he wanted her and Crampa to say "Surprise!" when we got home. She asked me what brought that on and I couldn't say - only that he'd mentioned it more than once. He didn't forget either. When we pulled into the driveway, he made me wait outside with him while Amy went inside to tell Crampa what they had to do. Isaiah and I walked up the sidewalk, opened the door, and heard, "Surprise! You're home! We missed you!" He was glowing. It was so worth it all.

Bendy vs. Straight

Grandma, I don't think I like your hair too much. Is that OK?

Why not?

It's too bendy. I think it should be not so bendy. It should be more like mine.

You mean straight?

Yeah, that's right. Straight. Not bendy.

I guess he is less-than impressed with my newly permed hair.

Swimming

I took Isaiah swimming the other day. He's very timid but once he got used to the water and the pool (it's only 4'6" at the deepest part), he did very well. Amy bought him a little Speedo life jacket that's not too bulky, but does hold him up, so he was very happy.

We had the pool to ourselves for quite a while but eventually another family showed up. Mom, Dad, and two boys - ages 7 and 3. Of course, Isaiah was drawn to the dad because he was obviously having fun playing with his boys. I was in the water with him, but he kept acting like he wanted to join in their fun. I finally explained to the dad that Isaiah was drawn to him because his own father was absentee and he was really longing for that attention. Bless the man - he started including Isaiah and even had him swimming from me to him. I thought that was very nice of him because he had to let one of his own boys be without a parent while he engaged Isaiah.

We didn't stay too much longer after that as I didn't want to intrude on their family time. I plan on taking Isaiah back today or tomorrow - depending on the weather.

Arcade fun

Yesterday, we went to the mall to play at the arcade. Isaiah's not very tall so most games that involve hand and feet action are out of his realm. We tried a driving game but that lasted all of about 30 seconds. Not my idea of fun... me sitting on the floor and pushing in the accelerator with one hand while he's steering. Nope. We moved on.

Offered to let him ride the Batmobile. Nope - didn't want to shake and go up and down.

Offered to let him ride the helicopter. Nope - didn't want to go up and down.

Offered to let him ride the train. Nope - you guessed it... didn't want to go up and down.

Decided he wanted to shoot baskets. It was broken. [sigh] Wanted to play the game where you hit the button to stop the light in between two arrows. That was too tame and he couldn't figure out what light I was talking about. Moved on...

Found the skeeball games. Woo-hoo! Finally found something that he could do - and do relatively well once he found out he could really put some power behind the ball. He won quite a few tickets (OK, so I helped by playing a couple of games myself) and was able to get himself some really {choke, sputter} nice prizes.

Since he was so good-natured about everything, the proprietor gave him the balloon hat. I think it was his favorite prize.

You Know Dat?

Isaiah likes to punctuate nearly every statement with "You know dat?". The man who picked us up at the hotel to go to the rental car place got to hear a nearly line-by-line synopsis of the Monsters vs. Aliens movie - with lots of "You know dat?" included.

I've started telling him things and following up with the same question. Then I tell him I know that because he told me so and he knows it because I told him so.

Oh.... what a revelation to him.

You know dat?

Guess what!

Guess what, Crampa?

What?

You have a fat tummy! Grandma, look at Crampa's fat tummy.

Isaiah says...

I have a good family, grandma. I have you, Crampa, mommy, and Rex. It is a good family.

I'm glad that he seems to be happy about that.

The Two Mustateers

Isaiah said the he and Crampa are the Two Mustateers.

I can't be one because I'm a girl.

Who wants to be a "Mustateer" anyway?

Tasha at work

Isaiah loves to play pretend. He loves the characters in Backyardigans, The Power Puff Girls, the Ice Age movies, and Monsters vs. Aliens. I “get” to be Tasha from Backyardigans. With that in mind, he sent his Tasha stuffed animal to work with me. It now has a place of honor on top of my overhead bin. He said that Tasha needed to keep me company, so there she sits as a constant reminder to his vivid imagination.

Hush Little Baby

Last night, Isaiah was sitting on the floor in front of Ron and I realized he was singing. That's not so unusual because Isaiah sings a lot. He sings made-up songs, songs from church, songs from school, and now he's singing songs he's learning at the Y during day camp.

The unusual part is that he was singing Hush Little Baby to Maisey and was rocking her back and forth. I hurried to get my phone so I could take a picture but it didn't turn out too well.

Hush little baby, don't say a word

Isaiah's gonna buy you a mocking bird

If that mocking bird won't "seen"

Isaiah's gonna buy you a diamond "reen"

He's such a cutie. I love to hear him sing. He's full of joy and is so fun to watch.

The Star Wars Game

Isaiah has a Star Wars Wii game, which he loves to play. He mostly likes to watch the good guy jump up and down. I don't know how far he ever gets in this game because I try not to be close enough to actually hear too much of it.

Last night, he wanted me to be on his "team" and play it with him.

Me: I don't know how to play that game and I don't want to learn.
Isaiah: Crampa, will you be on my team and play with me?
Ron: I'm watching you play from here. My hands can't work the controls.
Isaiah: Please Crampa... I can show you how.
Ron: OK, I'll come play and be on your team.
Isaiah: Oh, I SO love you Crampa!

Isaiah was very happy to share his controls with his "Crampa" and play the game.

Watermelon

Isaiah and Amy went to the grocery store today. He "bought" watermelon for dinner. He decided that Crampa and I needed to have watermelon. Actually, he decided that he and Crampa needed watermelon. I could have some, too if I wanted it.

He wanted to eat his watermelon first but I told him he had to eat his dinner first.

Isaiah: Watermelon is for dinner.
Me: It's for after dinner. It's almost like dessert.
Isaiah: I like to do it my way.
Me: I know you like to do it your way, but we're going to do it my way instead.
Isaiah: So I have to eat my dinner first and then have watermelon?
Me: Yes.
Isaiah: OK, I guess. But next time can we do it my way?

I didn't answer that question.

He wants watermelon in his cold lunch for day camp. I said I'd put it in a container and he needed to bring the container home. He wanted me to just put it in a baggie.

He thinks you can put anything in a baggie. Technically, I guess you can. It just depends on how big of a mess you want to clean up.

Where are your shorts?

Got Isaiah home from daycare and in less than five minutes he had stripped down to his shirt and underwear. He leaves a trail of clothes from the bathroom to where he's sitting - a shoe here, a sock there, another shoe, another sock, and finally - his shorts.

Me: Isaiah, where are your shorts?
Isaiah: Grandma, I told you yesterday I don't need them so I took them off. I'm not going anywhere.
Me: No, you did not tell me "yesterday" that you were taking them off. You can't sit around naked.
Isaiah: But Grandma, I not naked; I have on my shirt and unnerwear. I don't need shorts. I'm not going anywhere so I can just wear my unnerwear and shirt.

I think it must be inbred in boys to take off their clothes and sit around in their underwear. I don't think they outgrow it, either.

Junk toys at McDonald's

The other night when I picked Isaiah up from daycare, I asked him what he would like for supper. He wanted green eggs and ham. The green eggs I could do, but I didn't have anything in the house that I could pass off as ham. I suggested waffles and pancakes, which he vetoed. I suggested McDonald's and he thought that would work.

Me: You can have chicken nuggets or a hamburger. I'll get you fries and a Sprite.
Isaiah: What about a Happy Meal?
Me: I will get you all of the food that comes in a Happy Meal but I'm not buying the meal.
Isaiah: Why not?
Me: Because it's a waste of money. The toys are just junk.
Isaiah: (slaps hands down on car seat armrests and I hear his feet hit the seat) What!!!???!!! (enunciating every sound and syllable) W-h-e-n d-i-d t-h-a-t h-a-p-p-e-n!???!!?? The toys are JUNK!!! Who took them and made them junk? Oh no! Now I'll never get to play with them! Somefeen should be done about that! Who do we tell? We need to tell someone.
Me: There's no one to tell. They've always been junk.
Isaiah: (sadly shaking his head) My favorite new toys. Junk...{sigh}

The kid has a career on stage or in theater.

Mommy hurt my feelings

Isaiah had an accident. Not an "accident" but an "accident" - as in waiting too long to go to the bathroom. Why is it that boys do this? I'm sure girls probably do, too but it seems to be more prevalent in boys.

By the time he got into the bathroom, he couldn't get his pants down. Ron saw him in the bedroom in just his underwear.

Ron: Where are your pants?
Isaiah: I took them off.
Ron: Why?
Isaiah: Oh, I wet them. It was an accident. I dinnit mean to.
Ron: Could you not get them unfastened?
Isaiah: No, I just waited too long.

(Note that he was very nonchalant, calm, and not concerned at all that he had wet himself. He just took off the offending jeans. I guess wet underwear wasn't as uncomfortable as wet underwear AND wet jeans. Go figure...)

When Amy found out he'd waited too long she made him change and then go sit in time out. He was not a happy camper with that development. Once he was allowed to get up he told me that mommy had hurt his feelings because she made him sit in time out. I told him that he sat in time out because he had wet his pants, and if his feelings were hurt it was because he got punished.

At dinnertime, I told him to sit down next to Grandpa at the table. He wanted me to sit on the other side of him.

"I can't sit next to mommy because she hurt my feelings. I can only sit next to you and to Crampa." I guess he thought he was punishing her by not sitting next to her.

New Isaiah-isms

1. "I'm sorry, Grandma. It was an accident." You're just sorry because you got caught. "No I not. I dinnit get caught in a net."

2. "My tummy is rumbling and grumbling. It's going to eat to my rear." (huh??? If that's all it takes to get rid of extra "rear" then I will need to encourage my tummy to do the same.)

3. "If I eat too much, I'll turn into it. If I drink too much water, I'll turn into water. So I will just share yours. I love to share. It makes me happy." Probably because you're sharing *my* water.

Only wearing toes

"I can't come outside, Grandma. You've got shoes on but I'm only wearing toes. I might get a splinter."

In Isaiah-speak, that means he is barefoot and he might get a splinter off Ron's wheelchair ramp.

Is it school tomorrow?

No, Isaiah. There is no school tomorrow. Why?

"I have to talk to Ms. Rankin. I need her to come to my house to play. I will let her be the princess in Star Wars."

Poor Isaiah. He wants to have friends over. There were two little girls and a boy playing outside last night so he wanted to get his bike and his helmet to go play, too. Although it was pushing bedtime, I let him ride for a little while.

I'd hear him say, "Huhwo, my name is Isaiah. What's yours?" The girls absolutely ignored him and the boy wasn't much better. He was so sad, he'd tell me that he said hi nicely and wanted to be their friend but they wouldn't talk to him.

How do you deal with kids who show no interest at all and explain to a child who just wants to be a friend?

No wonder he wanted to go to school today. Ms. Rankin always had time for him.

Last day of school

And, it was a green day! So he had a totally green week, and a nearly green month. Not bad, not bad at all.

In addition, today was the awards ceremony for the kindergarten and first grade classes. Isaiah got the award for being the most cheerful in his class. LOL, when she said the award title, and his name, Isaiah proudly held up the certificate for all to see and said, "I'm the most cheerful!" The crowd was delighted. He was the only one to verbally show such glee at his award. I'm sure that some of the teachers really struggled to find something that each child could receive a certificate for.

What was really touching were the children who were obviously physically and mentally challenged. One little girl got a certificate for beginning to walk with her walker or with staff assistance. As I think about the challenges that Isaiah has faced, and the milestones he's accomplished, it really makes me very thankful that learning to take unaided steps at age five is not one of them.

Puts a whole new perspective on things.

I had a green day!

“I dinnint hit no one, or kick no one, or spit on no one, or do nuffin new. I had a good day.”

It’s amazing how “nuffin new” seems to come up a lot with him.

Grandma, can I spend the night with you?

That means can he sleep upstairs in Grandpa's bed...

"If you take my place, I will be very unhappy. Not mad, just unhappy. But, if you don't take my place, you will get a prize. Because I love to sleep with Crampa because he's my best Crampa."

So, I get to sleep in the other room, in the other bed?

"That's right! Crampa needs for me to sleep with him because I will keep him company. He's my best Crampa and I love him."

Aw... how can you say no to that?? I couldn't.

Wonder what my prize is.

Flute Luukes

"Grandma, can I have breakfast? I'ne very hungry and I haven't had any food."

What would you like?

"Can I have Cimamum Coast Crunch? It's up high, by the Flute Luukes."

Little funnies

When I pick Isaiah up from latch key, he frequently has a lot to say on the drive home. Unfortunately, my "tape recorder" mind loses some of the finer details by the time I get home and get a chance to blog about his comments. It's really too bad that you all can't hear what I hear in the car. You'd be really laughing and looking forward to more car rides.

Last night was no exception. As we got into the car, Isaiah asked how old Alexander is (that's his cousin). I said he was almost two (he wouldn't understand 20 months). So, he proceeds to tell me that since Maisey is already two, she must be a kid now. She's a dog... I tried to explain to him that she would never be a kid because God made her a dog.

Isaiah: God made me a baby boy.
Me: Yes, He did.
Isaiah: I was in my mommy's tummy.
Me: Yes, you were.
Isaiah: You are my mommy's mommy and she was in your tummy. Were you in your mommy's tummy? Did you have a dad? What's his name? Where does he live?
Me (doing some fast thinking): Yes, I was in my mommy's tummy and yes, I have a dad. He's gone to live with Jesus (only way to explain death to someone like Isaiah). His name was Bill.
Isaiah: Bill is a nice name. What's your mom's name?
Me: Gigi's name is Pat.
Isaiah: I like Pat. Pat. Pat... that's a nice name. When I grow up, I'm going to be a kid. I was just a baby when I was in my mommy's tummy.
Me: That's right. God makes human babies and when they grow up, they are human kids; God makes baby dogs and other animals and when they grow up, they are still an animal.
Isaiah: I'm going to sleep in my mommy's tummy again.
Me: No, you won't fit. You're already too big.
Isaiah (laughing): Oh, that's right. Silly grandma. I'm too big to sleep in mommy's tummy.

Glad we got that settled.

Cold Lunch

Isaiah: Grandma, can I take a cold lunch tomorrow?
Me: Yes. What do you want?
Isaiah: Can I have waffles in my cold lunch?
Me: They may not taste good. Waffles are supposed to be served hot.
Isaiah: Can you cook them cold?
Me: I can toast them and then let them cool off.
Isaiah: OK. Can I take ice cream in my cold lunch?
Me: No, it will melt.
Isaiah:But, my lunch will be cold.
Me: Ice cream will melt and become milk.
Isaiah: I like milk.
Me: The ice cream will melt all over and make a mess.
Isaiah: Oh. Because of the wrapper? You don't have a container for it?
(smart boy - he knows what a container is)
Me: Yes, it will melt and run out of the wrapper.
Isaiah: Ohhhhh... OK.

Taco is not a name

Amy got Isaiah a stuffed snake today at the zoo. He loves his snakes. He has Tortilla (rattlesnake), Marissa (rattlesnake), and another one (can’t remember the name or kind of snake). He’s also got some little stretchy plastic ones that he has not named.

Hayden (an emerald boa) is the newest member of Isaiah’s snake family. Amy tried to get him to name it Taco to go along with Tortilla.

He said he couldn't do that. The name has to be Hayden because today is Hayden’s birthday. (Hayden is a boy in his class.)

Besides, Taco is not a name.

Nemo the boo-boo pack

"Grandma, do you have a boo-boo on your leg?"

(I hit the scooter ramp with my leg.) "Yes, I do."

"Grandma, do you need Nemo on your leg?"

(It's fresh out of the package, not frozen and not even cold.) "Yes, that would be nice. Do you want me to put Nemo on my leg?"

"Yes, Grandma. Let Nemo make your leg feel better."

No more trips

"Grandma, you can't go away no more. You were gone too big and I missed you."

I think he means we were gone too long...

I brought him a stuffed sea turtle back from Florida because it reminded me of Crush from Nemo. Amy suggested he name it "Frank from Florida" but he wants to name it Nemo. OooooKkkk.... noooo problem. Tried to send it to school today for show and tell but he decided to take his Nemo boo-boo ice pack instead because everyone would want to see it.

Isaiah, I missed you, too.

House wife

The principal for Isaiah's school is retiring after this year. She has been around the area for quite a while as she was Keith's principal when he was in 5th and 6th grades, so I'm sure she is looking forward to her retirement.

I'm not quite sure how her name came up, but it was somehow connected with the jobs that Isaiah wants to do when he grows up. He wants to be a baker, a teacher, and a few other professions. I just can't remember exactly what they are.

In the course of the conversation, he asks Amy if he can do anything.

Amy: You can do anything you want to do when you grow up. You can even do more than one thing if you want.
Isaiah: Mrs. Rankin says I can only do one thing.
Amy: That's because she wants you to concentrate on learning something before you move on to something else.
Isaiah: Oh. Mrs. Unruh can do lots of things.
Me: Mrs. Unruh is retiring this year.
Isaiah: Is she getting a new job?
Me: No, she's just going to not be the principal.
Isaiah: Is she going to teach like Mrs. Rankin?
Me: No, I think she's just going to be a house wife.
Isaiah: She's going to build houses? Can I see her build houses? (Isaiah thinks "house" + anything else must mean you build houses. Probably because we had a house built in 2007.)
Amy (laughing): No, she's not going to build houses. She's going to stay home and just take care of her house.
Isaiah: Ohhhhhh.

Kyrie Foundation

Today, Amy and I went to a scrapbook crop. It is for the Kyrie Foundation, which was set up in the loving memory of Kyrie Dawn Thome, who passed away on April 7, 2007 of a brain cancer. She went from fine to gone in just a few short weeks. No parent should have to watch their child suffer and no child should have to suffer from these cancers. Unfortunately, there is far too much of this. Brain cancers are now the number one killer of children, surpassing even leukemia.

Please check out her memorial blog - kyriethome.blogspot.com. Watch her video and if you can, donate to help fund the research into brain cancer treatment.

A pink day

Yesterday morning, Isaiah asked his mom if he'd be in trouble if he had a pink day (that's pulling two cards). She said he wouldn't be able to watch his movie or Noggin if he had a pink day. So then he asked her how about if he had a yellow day (that's one card). She said he wouldn't be able to watch a movie but he could watch Noggin. Off to school he went...

I picked him up at latchkey yesterday afternoon since I had stayed home with a migraine. When I went in to get him, he said "Pink day. I dinnit wisten. Are you going to spank me?" (For the record, I don't spank him. At best, he gets a swat if he's being very disrespectful and disobedient. Other times, we take away privileges which seems to work much better. I'm not against spanking if it works, but if it doesn't then it's not an effective means of correcting a behavior.) I said no, I wasn't going to spank him but he'd not be able to have any TV privileges.

As we're walking through the school to the car, this was our conversation. I was in front and Isaiah was walking behind me.

Isaiah: No Escape from Fairytale Castle?
Me: No Escape from Fairytale Castle.
Isaiah: No Noggin?
Me: No Noggin.
Isaiah: No Manny and Sid in Ice Age?
Me: No Manny and Sid in Ice Age.
Isaiah (as he puts his hands out, palm up): No food or nuffin?
Me: I don't think I said anything about food. You can play with your toys but that's all. Nothing else.
Isaiah: {sigh} I guess I better not have a pink day anymore.

Wonder what was his first clue?

And now, he's six

Yep, the boy had his birthday yesterday. He's quite proud of himself now, since he's six. You know, six year olds are really brave.

He wanted pancakes for his birthday, so we went to Village Inn for dinner. They were very slow, and not very busy. We finally got our food but not before Isaiah said, "I'm starving. Where's my food?!?!?" He said it to us, so that wasn't a problem.

Once the food got there he sucked it up. Pancake, egg, bacon - gone in no time.

We took him to see Monsters vs. Aliens (again) on Saturday. His cousin (Faith) and his friends (Devin and LeAuna) went, along with Mommy, Grandma, and LeCole (Devin and LeAuna's mom). After the movie, we all came back to the house to open presents and have some cake and ice cream. Aunt Stacey and Mariah (Faith's sister) came over, along with Rex. After we were finished, Isaiah said it was the best birthday he'd ever had.

Amy said it was by far the least expensive. That was good.

New shoes

Isaiah got a pair of new shoes tonight. His feet have really grown this year (wish his body would) and he's grown out of his shoes before he's worn them out (which is a switch for him).

Amy and I had been in Famous Footwear the other day and we found some really cute Converse shoes that we thought he'd like. He didn't. He did like some Skeechers instead, though. They were more expensive (of course) and the color was brighter. He kept telling Amy that he liked them and only them. He said if he got them he could fly.

She got the shoes and got them paid for. Isaiah kept asking her if he could push the button and fly. I'm not sure where the button was, but from what I gather the "button" was part of the graphic on the box and it looked like the boy on the box was flying.

I guess Isaiah figured if the kid on the box could fly, then if he wore the shoes he could fly, too.

Words of Wit

Partly cloudy with a chance of pop tarts.

Don't make the water too cold. I don't want the goose. You know, the goose humps.

Geese bumps

Isaiah was having a bath tonight and told his mom that he was finished and needed to get out because he was cold.

"I'm cold. Mommy, do I have any geese bumps?"

I wanted a hug

When I picked Isaiah up from latchkey yesterday, he told me that Paige was mad at him. Naturally, I asked him why she was mad.

He wanted to hug her because she's his friend. I said you can't just go around hugging people. You have to ask first, but I meant that he needed to ask the adult present about giving someone a hug. I know that schools these days have very strict rules about kids touching other kids. I even read a story somewhere about a kindergarten boy who was charged with sexual harassment for hugging a friend during recess. Seriously, most five year old kids have no clue about anything other than just being friends. Isaiah wants to hug all of his friends - male and female. He sees no difference in anyone except "friend" or "not friend."

So he asked me if he could ask Paige for a hug. That wasn't quite what I had in mind, but I suppose that it's better than nothing.

If I eat too much...

"If I eat too much chicken I will get sick."

Actually, insert any food choice there and he will get sick. That's his way of either saying he doesn't like something or that's not what he'd like to be eating. If it's not what he wants to eat, he'll usually follow up with asking for something else because "that" won't make him sick.

Latchkey

As we were leaving last night, a guy was coming in with this huge boxer male dog. Of course, Isaiah headed right for it. This dog’s head was eyeball-to-eyeball with Isaiah. So, I told him to slow down and ask if he could pet the dog, and how you just don’t walk up to dogs you don’t know and start touching them. “Miss Jimmie” was petting him and agreed, then said this particular dog – named Bullet – liked kids and liked to be petted.

Isaiah asked her if it was her dog; she said no, that it belonged to the boy (teenager) who brought it in. Isaiah then asked her what the dog’s name was and they told him “Bullet.” He said that’s not a good name and he has a dog named Maisey. "That’s a good name."

Then he told them they could pet Maisey, too. They can come to his house…. In Kansas…. On a street.

Water

"Mommy, if you drink too many waters then you'll explode and I'm going to be mad at you."

"Grandma, what does explode mean?"

Hungry boy

"Grandma, you have to feed me. I'm hungry."

"What do you want?"

"Let me show you. Hmmm..."

"How about a Pop Tart?"

(very excited) "Oh, sure! I would like that very much. That's what people say, you know, when they want something."

Of course, it loses something in translation. Not hearing the voice or seeing the hand signs really leaves something out of the story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Little Debbie has 100 calorie snacks now. They're perfect for little kids because if adults open those packages and sees just how small "100 calories" looks in a Little Debbie snack, they're going to be certain the packages were made for small children.

I was eating a chocolate cake snack - literally two or three bites. Isaiah told me to not eat too much brownie or I'd turn into a brownie.

Not much chance of that happening with the size of those portions. I think I'll stick to 100 calories of something that provides more bang for the buck. Like carrots...

One liners

Today, we went to see the new Monsters vs. Aliens movie. While I was loading Ron's scooter, Isaiah wandered to the edge of the garage, not quite out into the driveway but very close.

His comment?

"It's nice and sunny outside. Love is in the air."

New Isaiah-isms

Isaiah goes to latchkey after school and their playground is sand. When he comes home, I empty his shoes out before we get into the car. Amy doesn't always remember to empty his shoes. Last night, Isaiah was going to take his shoes off and I remembered that she had done the picking up and not me. So, I told him to take his shoes of in the kitchen and dump them into the trash. He stood by the trash can for a long time and finally I asked him what he was waiting on.

Isaiah: Wow! Dat's a wot of sand. I must have brought the whole playground home!

One of the items Isaiah's class is doing involves a special project. I'm not sure exactly what they have to do, but basically it involves selecting something and then being able to present several facts about the item to the class. Isaiah has decided to do his presentation, which is due April 15th, on elephants. Isaiah loves elephants. They are his favorite animal and he already knows several facts about them.

We were spouting the stuff that he knows, and I said something about how big they are. Amy asked Isaiah if he wanted to learn how big they were. He said sure... We can tape them. (He meant measure how big they are.)

Wonder what he wants to use to measure them with...

Did you have a green day?

Of course, I said I did. Isaiah had a pink day today. Why, you might ask... It seems that he didn't think he needed to be nice to his friends. He thought he was being funny. He was told more than once to stop whatever it was he was doing. That was one card. Then he did something else, and that cost him another card. He also got into trouble at latch key for telling one of his friends he was going to kill her. Unfortunately, Isaiah doesn't understand that people "can" say things that they hear on television, but that doesn't mean they "should" say them. So, on the way home from latch key, we had the following conversation.

Isaiah: Did you have to go to the office?
Me: No, I didn't.
Isaiah: If you have a pink day do you have to go to the office and talk to your teacher?
Me: Yes, if I had a pink day I would have to go to the office.
Isaiah: {sigh} I had a pink day because I dinnit wisten but I dinnit shoot anyone.
Me: Why did you tell your friend something mean?
Isaiah: Well, I wanted her to be the mom and she wanted to color. So, I said I would kill her.
Me: That wasn't nice; we don't say things like that to our friends.
Isaiah: Manny says it to Sid and Sid is his friend.
Me: Manny and Sid are make believe. Sometimes we hear things on our favorite TV shows or our favorite movies, but that doesn't mean that we can say them to our friends. Real people don't say mean things like that.
Isaiah: But I dinnit shoot anyone. Guns aren't nice.
Me: Right. We leave taking care of the bad guys to the police.
Isaiah: So, when you have a good day, you don't have to go to the office and you don't have to pull any cards.
Me: That's right.

Once we got home, we decided we'd work on his homework project. His class is learning about chickens and eggs, and the different parts of the egg. The kids were all given a plastic egg and told to put something into it and come up with three clues. Then, the rest of the class will hear the clues and try to guess the content of the egg.

I tried to think of different things he could put in and come up with clues for. First up, was a quarter. I told him if we put in the quarter, he could say that it was more than a dime, less than a dollar, and a silver color. He piped up and said that it was less than a half-dollar. I said yes, it was less than a half-dollar. As I tried to get him to see what the clues were, he started singing a song he's learned about money. He said that "me and Delaney are half-dollars," which made no sense at all to me. The song starts out about pennies, then goes on to nickles, dimes, and quarters. I have no clue about it.

Next, I tried to put in a Band-aid. That one went right over his head. He wanted to put things in the egg that were much too big. It was a good lesson in bigger and smaller. The third item I put in was a button and tried these clues: You find it on your shirt, it holds your shirt closed, and sometimes it falls off. He said something that was totally foreign to buttons or shirts. So, I tried to draw attention to the buttons on my blouse as I was going through the clues again. His guess was again totally off. By now, I'm trying to figure out a way to get him to understand what we could use that we could come up with clues.

I gave up and told Amy that she needed to re-address the homework tomorrow.

My name is Mario

Isaiah has moved on. No longer does he introduce himself to others as Pablo (as in, Pablo the penguin from the Backyardigans). While I realize that he is old enough to move away from the Backyardigans, although he does still like to watch the show, it is a bit sad to realize that he’s growing up, too.

Mario is obviously from MarioKart and from Mario Bros. Isaiah likes to play the Wii and as such, he’s learned who Mario is. Mario is not the character he uses when he plays “the game called racing” (otherwise known as MarioKart) but it is the name that he’s focused on.

Since his school had spring break last week, Amy took Isaiah to a friend’s house for her to watch during the day. Jamie also watches two other children and when the mother came to drop them off, Isaiah introduced himself to her as Mario. She laughed and Jamie explained that was his pretend second name. (That’s a big improvement over “My first name is Isaiah and my second name is Piggybank” that we had for several months. We have not figured out where he got Piggybank or why he used it. Isaiah has his own thought process on that one.)

Amy has been slowly trying to approach Isaiah with a name change. She would like to change his given name to reflect his life and his family now – not continue to be a reflection of the man who has abandoned him. My ex-SIL has not attempted to contact Isaiah in over a year; he’s not seen him since Christmas 2006 and has only talked to him on the phone if Amy was the one who made the telephone call, usually to Isaiah’s grandmother because she didn’t actually have a phone number or address for his father. This man has quit paying child support, works under the table for cash, has moved and not provided even his own mother with his address or phone number (he’s afraid she’ll give it to Amy, and she probably would because she thinks her son should be held responsible for his child support), has remarried a woman with six kids, and has really put out no effort to be a father to his son. Yesterday in family court, Amy was awarded sole custody, sole physical custody, and sole control. Her ex did not show up for court (the paperwork was sent to his last known address – his mother’s house) and she was awarded a default judgment. He will still continue to rack up child support debt but he has no rights to Isaiah at all. Next, Amy’s goal is to legally change Isaiah’s name.

That brings us back to “Mario.” We asked Isaiah if he’d like his middle name to be Keith after his uncle and his grandpa, or if he’d like it to be Patrick after his great-grandmother (my mom – Patricia and his GiGi). He said he liked Mario and he’d like for his name to be that. No matter what Amy said, Isaiah kept coming back to Mario.

Finally, last night I explained to Isaiah we were looking for a real “second” name – not a pretend second name. He could still have his second name for pretend to be anything he wanted. He said, “Oh you mean like my first name is Isaiah and my second name is Piggybank?” I said yes, but that he needed to pick a new “real” second name and did he want Patrick, like GiGi, or Keith, like grandpa and Uncle Keith.

It was an instant decision – he wants his name to be like grandpa’s and Uncle Keith’s. So, as soon as she can arrange it, he will legally become Isaiah Keith.

Good Singing

Isaiah is a good “seener”

Isaiah loves to sing and we can hear him singing many different songs at any given time. He sings church songs, he sings school songs, he sings made-up songs, and he even sings songs he hears as ring-tones on telephones.

His latest “award-winning” performance is his own rendition of "You should have put a ring on it" by Beyonce’. I think the video is pretty vulgar in places and I wish she had more clothes on. But... the tune is catchy. Of course, he has no idea what he’s singing (he doesn't watch the video), he just knows that he’s a good singer (or, in his words, a good seener).

This is what transpired in the car the other day:

Isaiah: I’n a good seener, grandma.
Me: I know you are. I love to hear you sing. Are you going to sing me a song?
Isaiah: Yes. I’n going to teach you a new song. It’s “you should’a put a reen on it.”
Me: OK…

(video removed because I submitted it to America's Funniest Videos and their requirements say I have to take the submitted video down if posted on any publicized location.)

Not much to say

Isaiah is just doing what Isaiah does best - entertaining us all. Yesterday evening I was lying in bed because I had a headache. I had the TV on but I was mainly just resting. Isaiah came in and asked me if he could get me anything. How sweet is that??? He said, "if you need anything, you just call me. OK?" I said I would and that he could leave.

He shut the door and then opened it right back up. Did I need anything yet??? No, not yet. OK.

Last night Amy left to go to Hesston and before she even got there, Isaiah was missing me so he had his mom call us. I answered the phone (of course, this was the third phone call from Amy's phone in less than 10 minutes so I answered with "what???" instead of hello) and this little voice says, "Grandma, I miss you."

Me: I miss you, too.
Isaiah: Guess what?
Me: What?
Isaiah: I love you.
Me: I love you, too.
Isaiah: Guess what else?
Me: What?
Isaiah: I like you, too.
Me: I like you, too. What else is on your mind?
Isaiah: I just wanted to tell you that I miss you and I like you and I love you. You're my best friend.
Me: Thank you, Isaiah. I like you and I love you and I miss you, too. I'll see you Thursday though. OK?
Isaiah: OK. Good-night.

I am just so blessed to have him around. Even when he has his moments, he's such a joy. Nearly everyone who comes into contact with him just adores him. The rest of the people are just missing out and they don't even realize it.

School fun night

Friday night was Isaiah's school fun night. He had a blast playing the games and doing the "fun" things. He was so excited to see his teachers - as if he hadn't seen them for such a looooonnnnnggg time. LOL - it had been about three whole hours.

Isaiah has several girlfriends. He thinks they're "bootiful" and he's going to marry them. He's not sure which one as it changes. But someday, he's going to marry one of them and they can live with him and his mommy. His favorite girl, Briley, is the daughter of one of his teachers. Paige is another one of his favorite girls and Amy got to meet her and her mother. Evidently, Isaiah isn't the only one who talks about others because Paige's mom said, "Oh, so this is Isaiah. Paige has told me all about you."

Paige had been to the face painting booth and had a rainbow on one cheek and a heart on the other cheek (complete with an arrow). So, Isaiah had to have his face painted, too. Amy tried to steer him to more masculine items but he wanted his to be just like Paige's. So, what's a mom to do when a five year old wants to wear a heart and a rainbow on his face? You do what any good mom would do - you let him.

He was very cute and I took pictures of them because he didn't want me to wash them off of his face. He did ask me to wash the arrows off of his face because he couldn't go to bed with an arrow through his heart. This was said with the utmost seriousness, both hands across his chest, and bent over like something had actually pierced his heart.

I did let him go to bed without washing the rest of it off. I figured it would come off on the pillowcase. I was right. That's OK. Who am I to stop artistic expression? That's what laundry soap is for.

Green Eggs and Ham - Isaiah style

I will not eat them on a bus
I will not eat them... I don't memember that word.
I will not eat them Sam I am
I do not like green eggs and ham.

I wish I could have watched Isaiah doing his presentation. He got perfect marks on all areas of the assignment. He has the book nearly memorized and can recite it using more than one voice.

A co-worker has chickens and one of them lays blue-green eggs. I asked him about bringing in one of the colored ones for Isaiah and he brought it to me yesterday. When I picked Isaiah up from latch key, I showed him the egg and he was very excited - except I only had one. The book has two... and where was the ham???

I explained that my friend brought me the egg and he only brought one but we could cook it anyway. I got the egg all washed up and showed to Isaiah and cracked it in the bowl.

Isaiah: It's not green on the inside.
Me: No, it looks like an egg.
Isaiah: But the book says "green eggs" and this one is yellow and white.
Me: Yes, but the outside, the shell, is green. Do you want me to cook it?
Isaiah: Yes, but don't cook it hot.
Me: OK, I'll cook it warm but I have to make sure it's done all the way through.
Isaiah: OK, but where's the ham.
(lucky for me, we had some shaved ham for sandwiches)
Me: I've got some for you. Do you want me to cook it, too?
Isaiah: No, just put it in the bowl.
(after cooking)
Me: Here is your green egg and ham.

Isaiah:
I can eat it in a house
I can eat it with a mouse
I can eat green eggs and ham
Because I like them, Sam I am!

He cracks me up.

Off to a good start

March is getting off to a good start for Isaiah. He's had one yellow day and the rest this week were green.

Today his class presented their projects on their favorite Dr. Seuss book. Isaiah did "Green Eggs and Ham," as did many others in his class. They had to decorate a paper bag like the book and then have the book inside. They also had to tell the "story" of the book. Isaiah had the storyline down very well, complete with different voices for the characters. He's one talented little boy.

He said last night that he wants Rex to be his daddy and Juan to be his friend. If Rex doesn't want to be his daddy, then Ron (his grandpa) could be his daddy. It does not seem that he wants Juan to "resume" his role of being daddy. He's not even tried to see Isaiah for over two years, so I'm doubtful if Isaiah would recognize him. He also hasn't called in nearly a year (probably so Amy can't get his phone number) and the gift card he sent for Christmas didn't have a return address on it (gee... wonder if he's afraid she might find him for child support???).

Isaiah is such a blessing to us and he is so smart. Every time I pick him up from latch key, the teachers tell me how smart he is, how much they adore him, and how much they like having him around. It's so nice and refreshing to hear that after all the negative things we heard from day care last year. It just goes to show that people with the correct training do a better job of caring for special needs children. There's one teacher from his former day care that we can't even mention her name as he acts like he's afraid of her. I have no idea why or what she could have done, but Amy is not happy about it. LOL - she said that Isaiah better forget all about it before he's mature enough to tell her what the issue is, or "heads will roll" when she's finished. My girl does protect her baby - and rightfully so.

February was a good month

Although he had more green days in January than he did in February, Isaiah still had an excellent month.

He collected the most money in his grade for their fund-raiser so he got to eat lunch with the principal on Thursday. He was so excited. They had cheese pizza. Yum...

Isaiah misses Alexander but he doesn't miss having to share his toys. LOL, maybe the next time they get together Isaiah won't be quite so worried about "his" things. Most of the time he was very generous with his things and would voluntarily give things to Alexander to play with. Other times, he was very territorial and insisted that Alexander was trying to take his toys.

Isaiah has a great imagination and sense of humor. This morning he was heading out to the car to go to school and told "Po" to come along, too. I don't know who this is, but he's imaginary. I told Isaiah that he needed to talk to real people at school and he could pretend at home. We'll see if that works or not.

Alexander and Isaiah

Life with Alexander around has certainly not been dull. Isaiah has had a good time playing with him except for the times that he “forgot” Alexander is really just a baby. Isaiah can’t quite grasp the fact that when Alexander takes a toy, he’s not being mean – he’s just being a normal toddler. We have to help teach him to not grab things but Isaiah also needs to realize that he can share or offer Alexander an alternate choice.

They were playing with Tupperware lids and cake spatulas. Isaiah was playing the drums and Alexander kept walking off with pieces of the “drum” ensemble. I told Isaiah to just get a different lid; after all, they were ALL out all over the dining room.

We had to get a gate to keep Alexander out of the kitchen. I couldn’t keep a thing in the drawers because as fast as I put the things away, he was taking them back out. He also discovered the buttons on my dishwasher and would frequently turn off or on one of the drawers (I have the two drawer system). One night he turned off the one I was running and turned on the one I was not. I re-set them (had to add more detergent to the first one) and a little bit later, he’d done it again. I think it took three tries before I finally was able to get the dishes washed and to drain the water out of the second drawer.

I did discover that he likes to put clothes into the washer and dryer. I’ve had him help me doing that and he’s very proud of himself. Now, if I could just get him to fold them…

January - mostly green

Well, he did it. Only two yellow days the whole month, and nothing worse than yellow. That is such a big accomplishment - for any child, but for someone with Isaiah's challenges, it's huge. Amy would love to take him to Great Wolf Lodge as a reward, but she was unable to find a room at a rate she could afford. Good thing we didn't promise him anything special. It's hard to get him to understand logistics and finances.

He's only had one yellow day in February, too. He's doing much better.

As far as reading skills and retaining letter sounds goes, I think he's doing much better. The teachers who run latchkey have been working with him every afternoon and then Amy and I work with him several nights a week. There are still a lot of times that he doesn't remember "C-A-T" is cat and if you trade the C for an S, it makes "sat." The teacher who works with him the most said that he's probably just not ready for sounding things out yet but if he can memorize them, then that's also a step in the right direction. His mother is dyslexic and there is dyslexia on both sides of his family (aunts, uncles, etc.)

He loves to use the computer. We've got him set up with Noggin and a couple of educational sites where he can do things that will enhance his reading skills. All we have to do is turn it on and he can log himself on, find the website (we have a shortcut on the desktop), and get going. We got him a kid-friendly mouse and that helps.

Blah, blah, blah

Here's a little incident that just reinforces the fact that children are sponges. Yesterday Amy was talking to Isaiah about something (I don't remember exactly what) and when he replied, he said the correct answer and added "blah, blah, blah" at the end.

Of course, I knew he had to hear it from his mother because when she's talking on the phone and doesn't want to try to repeat something verbatim, she substitutes "blah, blah, blah" instead. I guess he's heard it enough that he thought he could say it.

That serves her right. Blah, Blah, Blah

The Star Student

Isaiah was so proud of himself! He was the "star student" last week at school. He came home Friday with a foam star pinned to his chest and he had a crown in his book bag.

He wanted to sit on my lap Friday night and have me rub his back ("use both hands, grandma") and while he was enjoying the back rub he filled me in on his day. He says "ine" when he means "I'm" so below is not a typing error.

Isaiah: Ine behaving good.
Me: Yes, you are behaving very well.
Isaiah: That's my job. Ine the star student.
Me: Oh? What else is your job.
Isaiah: Well, you know, just stuff. Line up, do the lights, do things that star students do. (This is all with facial expressions and hand movements; he's very expressive.)

He also has had a wonderfully "green" month. He's only had two days all month that were yellow, which is only one step down from green. He's very proud of himself when he comes home, and a couple of days he's been pretty cocky. He very nonchalantly saunters into the living room, gives us a little grin and announces that he had a green day, as if it is the only option and we're silly for even asking.

Final tally: 2 green and 3 yellow

But, he didn't hit anyone. This, in Isaiah's books, is almost as good as getting a green day. One day he did push one of his friends but the other two days he just had a little bit of trouble listening. I think that's a valid issue for a lot of us at one time or another.

Mommy did get him a really great prize for having so many exceptional days. Isaiah loves Build-a-Bear. He has several. More than several, really; he has a lot. They all own clothes. So tonight he got a wardrobe for them (they came out with one that is not pink) and he just "had" to have a black dog so he could name her Maisey after our dog.

Maisey isn't black.

The other day it was his turn for show and tell the letter of the week. It was "O" and I suggested to Amy that he take the Ogre babies. He has all three of them. Amy thought for sure that he'd want to take Shrek instead. He has two of those. Amy lined the babies up on the table and put one of the Shreks in the bedroom. Isaiah chose to take the three babies. But he had to name them first.

We don't know where he gets most of his names, but he is usually pretty original. Gilbert, Bo (after a friend at school), and Amy (like his mommy). I was glad that she got to be one of the characters. Amy suggested my name and I suggested hers. She won (actually, I won). I'm already Tasha, the hippopotamus from Backyardigans. It wouldn't be fair if I was an ogre, too.

More green days

Isaiah had a green day for Monday and Tuesday. That is absolutely amazing and outstanding. He did not get off to a good start yesterday so it was doubtful that he'd do so well. Mommy is going to definitely reward him with something special.

Last night I let him play Mario Kart for an hour and I played with him for about 45 minutes of it. It's pathetic to have a five year old try to help his 52 year old grandmother win. "That's OK, Grandma. You'll do better next time."

He even let me play one of the race locations that I'm usually best in. The mushrooms... I came in 11th out of 12. That was not one of my finer performances.

We're trying to teach Isaiah some basic time concepts and how to tell time. He's not getting it yet, but that's OK. I know when I taught kindergarten we didn't approach it until in the spring. Last night it was 6:22, Ron was watching a show, and Isaiah was ready to play Mario Kart. I told him at 7:00 that Grandpa would move into the bedroom and he could pay his game. He was sad at that, until I showed him the digital clock and told him when the 6 became a 7, it would be his turn. That didn't seem as far away as 7:00 did. Go figure... he said that was a good deal.

It's kind of sad that Isaiah has learned that Mario Kart is the actual name of his "game called racing" and he now refers to it with the correct name. Yes, I wanted him to learn the name but it's still sad to know that he's past that stage in his life. "A game called racing" was such a cute way to refer to what he wanted to do. Sometime, I think I'll just ask him if he wants to play his game called racing and see what he says.

He'll probably say, "Grandma, its name is Mario Kart."