Isaiah updates...

Since Amy and Isaiah have moved on to greener pastures, I don't have as much fodder for my little blog. But, Amy gave me some really good stuff the other day when we were talking on the phone.

Isaiah has a tendency to "flap" his arms when he is excited or concentrating on something. That is somewhat distracting for others around him. It also is something that can be used as a method of teasing. Isaiah is so sweet and naive that he doesn't even realize that he's being teased when kids "imitate" him. But, his teacher is really sharp and she caught on very fast that other kids were making fun of him.

To counteract this, she had Isaiah come to the front of the class and explained to EVERYONE that Isaiah was born "special" and that sometimes he has body movements that he cannot control. His movements do not give the other students permission to make fun of him. That solved a potential problem before it got to the point where Isaiah noticed that others were making fun of him.

In addition, his teacher is constantly looking for ways to encourage and motivate Isaiah. She quickly learned that focusing on his POSITIVE actions instead of his negative actions and she's seeing marked improvement in areas where he had been struggling. This is really BIG.

Isaiah is also very close to earning his first Boy Scout badge. He can nearly say his pledge without any prompting.

One thing the teacher was very right about... He is special. Very special!

They're Tigers, Not Squirrels

So, I've never been a Boy Scout or Cub Scout. I didn't even know there was anything younger than a Cub Scout. Isaiah told me he was in "scouts" but couldn't remember exactly what they were called.

I asked Amy. Then, I promptly forgot what she said.

I told Ron that Isaiah was in "scouts." He said, "What is he?" I said I didn't know but I thought he was a squirrel or some other little animal.

Well, needless to say, I was wrong. But - Ron couldn't remember anything younger than a Cub, either. AND HE WAS A SCOUT. So - I don't feel too badly on that.

But, isn't our little guy just the cutest thing in a "Tiger" Scout uniform?

Learning how to swim

Isaiah has been going to the YMCA all summer and they have spent a lot of time at the pool, but he hasn't really done anything that involved putting his head under water for any length of time or required him to hold his breath. He worked really hard with his new dad this past week to learn how to swim.

He did a great job! He did such a good job, that when we went out on a catamaran tour and snorkeling trip, he was confident enough to get out in the ocean and snorkel.

He was looking like a pro out there!

McDonald's Best Meal

Rex says: Isaiah what did you have for lunch today? (yesterday at school)

Isaiah says: Well Sir, McDonald's best meal.....hambuger and french fries.

Back to School

Isaiah starts back to school at a brand new place on Monday. I wanted to do something for him to maybe brighten his day and to possibly ease the transition. Starting over is never easy for anyone and for Isaiah, it can be very challenging. Since he totally loves Star Wars, he got a new backpack and lunch bag for the new year. I had Amy send me a picture of it (and then I found a better one on Target's Website) and I used it as a model for my own version of it.

The original:

My card:

I didn't figure I did too shabby for someone who has never had an art class. It did take me several hours, though. Only for Isaiah...

Wedding Day

Saturday, August 7, Amy married her sweetie and Isaiah got to give her away. He was simply adorable and kept saying "I do" all wrong during practice. He'd point to himself and say "ME" (instead of I do), and he even pointed to Rex one time and said "he does!"

Isaiah was so excited to have new cousins, new aunts and uncles, and new grandparents. He had one of the disposable cameras and kept lining people up to take their pictures. "Nana, Poppa, Aunt Christie - get in line; say 'cheese' - no, say 'star wars'." Amy's not got them developed yet, but I'd sure like to see how his pictures turn out. He took a lot.

Here is my favorite little "model" pose:

Isaiah is one extremely happy little boy and I couldn't be happier for him. He has wanted a daddy for so long and Rex is doing an outstanding job of filling those shoes.

You can tell in this picture just how happy he is:

It was a wonderful day.

Tickled, just tickled...

I have two things that made me laugh so much that I nearly cried. Of course, I had to make sure that Isaiah didn't realize I was laughing (second story) because he was so serious.

First story:

Amy and I had to go to Michael's for some wedding supplies yesterday and Isaiah asked if he could come home with me. Since we work right next to where he goes for summer camp, I said sure.

We were riding home, talking about various things.
I don't know what brought it up but Isaiah said, "When the policeman told Rex to slow down, I raised my hand."
The policeman said, ‘you have a question?’
I said, yes - that Rex drives fast all the time.
The policeman said, ‘Really? He should maybe slow down then, right?’
I said, 'yes maybe he should.'"

That brought tears to my eyes.

Second story:

Rex's mom and dad have told Isaiah to call them "Nana" and "Poppa" because they're going to be his new grandparents. He's very excited to get new grandparents, new cousins, and new aunts/uncles. He said he was going to call them Grandma Nana and Grandpa Poppa. I said that Grandma, Nana, Nanny, and Granny all meant "Grandma" and Grandpa, Poppa, Poppy were all words for Grandpa. So, if he said "Grandma Nana" he was really saying the same as "Grandma Grandma."

He was silent for a minute and then said, "Oh, but I like Grandma and Grandpa."
I said, "I know, but your name is Isaiah and you like to be called Isaiah. You don't like it when people call you Izzy, right?"
He sat there for a minute and then, very solemnly, said, "We have to write them a note. It needs to say 'Dear Nana and Poppa, I'm so so sorry that I broke your heart with this discussion. I will call you Nana and Papa. Love, Isaiah."

That one really had me in tears. I told him that he was fine and didn't need a note.