Nice Story

I had intended to post a link to this story last November but never got around to it.  There is something about it that almost makes me cry every time I read it.  I guess it describes what we want for our kids who have extra challenges - acceptance and support from their peers and their community.

We have been doing well and one member of our family is getting extremely excited about his impending birthday...

Photos

I'm finally sharing a few photos.  The first few were taken just before Christmas:

 - Malcolm got his new glasses a few days before Christmas.  While he looks happy in the photo he actually really dislikes wearing them - so far, he as worn them very little but I will have to bear down and focus more on that challenge....

 - the boys dressed up in aprons and oven mitts - I forget if they were pretending to be boxers or superheros but either way it was pretty cute

 - the boys dressed up in the Christmas sweaters for a party

 - making Christmas cookies, an annual tradition

 - Malcolm having fun on Christmas morning

 - a couple of photos of Donovan skating at the outdoor oval in Halifax - near our house and a great place to go.  Special ice machines maintain the ice up to plus 10 degrees Celsius outside

 - did not get a photo of Malcolm on his little bobskates with his helmet but this is Malcolm after he finished skating, on the sidelines ready to watch his brother and Dad go whizzing by

Mary Ellen

Happy New Year!

Hope all our family and friends found a great way to ring in the New Year.  I thought I'd take a moment to share some key achievement's of this blog's namesake.  In 2012 Malcolm:

• Started saying some real words.  He says several words consistently (no, ya, bye-bye, more) and will say many others with prompting and encouragement.  We are continuing weekly speech therapy sessions.
• Moved to the senior preschool room at his daycare - the last stop before public school next year.  He gets along well with his classmates and learns a lot from being included with all the other kids.  He is surrounded by many great little role models!
• Moved to a big boy bed.  We kept him in his crib as long as possible but he kept rolling around and banging various body parts on the side so it seemed past time to move him.  He has been doing great - settles down well at night and usually stays in his bed all night (though seems to have developed a habit of waking once and wanting a parent to go tuck him in again...not sure how to break that particular habit...).
• Played his first organized sport - soccer.  Just like his big brother, Malcolm played Timbits soccer every week.  A bit hairy at first, he seemed to manage better the second half of the season.
• Discovered electronics in a big way.  Adept with the TV controls and able to manage well on his Daddy's old iPod, Malcolm got an iPad for Christmas and it is amazing how well he can navigate it on his own.  We've already downloaded several apps for him - some meant to be 'educational' and others just for fun!

Some other neat stuff that Malcolm does:

• Gives his stuffed bear and stuffed dog a goodnight hug and kiss before carefully laying them down (facefirst) on either side of his pillow before he flops down for the night.  It has become an engrained part of his nightly routine.
• Goes up and down the stairs on his own.  Our stairs are bare wood and a bit slippery so for a long time I was too paranoid to let him go up and down on his own but he is actually really good at it and is quite good to hold onto the railing.
• Runs and gets his stool if we are doing something interesting in the kitchen.  Malcolm likes to help and doesn't want to miss out on the action so more and more he is joining in when cooking and baking are going on.
• Last month when I went to pick him up he ran over to the drying rack to get his artwork out and show it to me - the first time he has ever done that.
• We also got a Wii for Christmas (it was a big electronics year) but it is a bit beyond Malcolm at the moment.  When Donovan starts to play it, Malcolm runs to the counter, gets his stool, grabs his iPad and brings it in instead.  Very independent.

I could go on but you get the picture - Malcolm advanced by leaps and bounds in 2012.  His best friend, role model and cheerleader continues to be big brother Donovan.  We look forward to much continued progress in 2013.

Happy New Year!

Mary Ellen