I can pet your dog?

Last weekend we were at the Sawmill Target and Adam decided he wanted to go next door into Petsmart.  He saw a dog and started to try to pet it and I reminded him he needed to ask before petting someone else's dog.  "I can pet your dog??"  The person said "sure" and he gently pat it on the back.  We headed toward the back to see if a class was going on.  They had a class going on in the enclosed training room AND another class just in the back of the store.  I think he asked all the owners in the back "I can pet your dog?"  It was really cute and he was very gentle.  We had to drag him out of there but not before petting one more on the way out.

We were given Adam's preschool assessment on Friday.  The teacher asked if I had a minute to talk. I thought "uh-oh" because most of the parents were just handed the form and left.  I made Adam go back in the room so he could play while I talked.  Well, thankfully it had nothing to do with his behavior.  She actually said he was a very big help in class that day and she noticed that we had been working with him academically at home.  She wanted to know if I noticed him having difficulty with balance and spacial relationships. I started to go into the whole hemi-talk but she said she was already aware of his medical issues.  She said that he has a tendency to run into his friends and not realizing he's in someones space.  I laughed a little and told her that was on purpose.  I have never seen him unintentionally run into things - he's pretty good at stopping.  I guess she has an OT background and asked if he's ever had an OT or PT or taken a gymnastics class.  I explained that we have had him evaluated and were told he was good.  He will be taking "Miss Sonny's" gymnastics class again in the Spring but they don't do that much in that class so I may sign him up for a "real" class this summer.

As for the assessment, they look at various skills ( under personal, communication, social, motor, snack and lunch skills) and rate them as M for met or E for emerging skill.  He met all but following directions, learning to share/cooperate/take turns, verbalizing feelings, and accepting discipline.  Sounds just like at home!

"screen time" junkie

Adam has gotten really into wanting to play the Wii.  I let him play yesterday because we had stayed home from the Community Center.  I thought he would get frustrated or bored quickly but he just kept on wanting to play game after game!  I finally managed to redirect him to his toys and that was it.

This morning he came downstairs and went right to the Wii and popped his Dora game in!  Luckily he doesn't know how to use the TV remote to change it to the Wii.  He ended up getting a time-out for just pressing button after button trying to get to the game when I told him no.  Then, as soon as we got home from the Community Center, he went straight to the Wii AGAIN! I had to take all the games and Wii-motes away.

Later today we were snuggling on the couch watching stories and I thought for sure he would take a nap.  That didn't happen!  He started getting crazy and wanted to watch more TV but it was time to turn it off. He thought that meant he could watch videos.  When I said no to that, he went up to my room and got my ipod touch and started watching the videos that I loaded on that!!

My kid is a "screen-time" junkie!!

Random stuff

Adam had his ultrasound and labs on Thursday.  As soon as we got there, he told the receptionist that he didn't have any blood.  He is now old enough to know what comes after his belly pictures!  Even when we walked into the ultrasound room, he told our tech that he didn't have any blood.  Poor guy!  Luckily Children's has some fantastic phlebotomists and we have gotten quick pokes despite the screaming and struggling to get away. I keep telling him he only has to get blood drawn 2 more times and then he's done with AFP testing but he doesn't understand.   He was soo mad that he DID have blood, he didn't want a band-aid and tried to rip it off.  He learned that the hurt more and left it on until it came off after his swim lesson.  Results came back in record time (the next day!):  AFP is back down to 3 (I think it had jumped to 8 from 2.5 last time) and ultrasound normal.

We are finally out of pull-ups.  Adam has been wearing undies during the day since he started school in September but we had been keeping him in pull-ups at night because he was having some random accidents and because we had a bunch left.  Well, Adam has been dry at night for a while but now we are officially out of (as in we have no more) pull-ups.  He's been wearing undies to bed all week.  Now we just need to use up the swim diapers and our house will be diaper free!

We have a winner!!

I know you are probably getting tired of the preschool dilemma - I know I am!  Well, we have found our preschool!  Adam and I went on a tour to Central College Preschool today.  We toured with one other mom and her 4 year old daughter.  We got to look at an empty classroom in which Adam found the potty and had to try it out.  Then, we got to check out some classes in session.  Adam walked right in and started playing right along with the other kids.  All the rooms are big and bright and each has a different "sensory table" - a storage box full of sand with buried stuff in it in one room, cedar chips in another,  soapy water in one, magnet bars with nuts and bolts, dried corn, etc.  Adam thought those were all really cool!  The school has a "muscle room" in the basement that has some play equipment, tricycles, cars, blocks, and toys that they can play in when the weather is bad. There is a cool newer playground outside when the weather is good. It even has a little path they can ride trikes on and through a little house.  They have a full size gym with a gym teacher on staff and a music room with a music teacher in another part of the basement.  The class ratio is 2:16.  They are a "Step Up to Quality" rated program.  All the kids in class and in the stay-and-play program looked like they were having a good time learning.  As I said before, the location isn't the best, but Adam was really interested, the times are good, the price is good, and they have been around for 40 years - they must be doing something right!  Registration is in the mail!

Valentine's (pic heavy)

Saturday, Dave and Adam built a little Valentine's house that Grandma left for Adam.  As you can see, Adam helped a lot (not).

But he thought it was fun at the end...

We decided to give Adam a couple of gifts from the "Kissing Bandit" for Valentine's day.  He got cards from all his "friends" - Batman & friends, the Yo Gabba Gang, Spiderman, Toy Story guys, Cars guys (no idea how late Dave was up last night because he wrote Adam's name on every card, put smiley faces or something extra on them,  and put them each in an envelope with Adam's name on it....)

He got a little robot, some super hero books, Playdoh, and chocolate.  He shoved a chocolate carmel in his mouth so fast he had to take half out because he couldn't chew it.  It was pretty funny!

And here's a boy happy that the Kissing Bandit showed up today.

And one last picture of swim lessons last week because I thought the kids looked cute lined up like seals at Sea World.

Robot

Adam took Dave's old beat-up Mazinga Shogun Warrior to Target with him Saturday.  We had to buckle him in the backseat so he could be safe.  Adam pushed Mazinga into the store (he has wheels on his feet) and then sat with him in the cart. Adam didn't stay in the cart long so Dave ended up pushing the cart around the store with a 30 year old robot in it.... 

Decisions Decisions

I think I am going to drive Dave crazy with this whole picking out a preschool thing.  I brought him to the Open House of Little Blessings - the school I really liked but not their times.  He agreed that the staff is super friendly and the classrooms are big and bright, etc.  But their times and that they don't offer any "extras" like music or gym (they say they do some large muscle stuff before dismissal) is bumping them down the list.  He also came along on a tour of All the Children of the World which is a newer (2000) charter preschool up here.  He manned Adam (who was running around like a crazy man) while I tried to listen to the tour guide (we were with 2 other families).  We like that they offer afternoon classes,  teach Spanish, music, and have recess time.  Their location is great to go grocery shopping afterwards - alone! :)  What I don't like is that the student-teacher ratio is 1:10.  There are 2 classrooms for the 3 year olds and they each have 1 teacher to 10 kids.  It seems like everywhere else, there are 2 teachers and between 12-16 kids to a room.  It makes me nervous.  I also noticed on their website that many of the teachers are newer.  I am going to tour Central College Preschool next week in hopes that they have everything I am looking for. The only thing that stinks is their location.
Ourday (where he is at currently) is still in the running.  They do offer afternoon classes from 1:30-4:30 (doesn't 4:30 sound late?).  Adam says he likes his school.  And it is closer...

Oh, and another work-out friend also recommended Central College and Westerville's Preschool Peers program.  I'm trying to get more info from the school district but from what I could find, it is a program for special needs kids.  They enroll about 8 special needs kids and 4 typically developing peers (peer models) .   It sounds interesting, and why not have your kid help out others?  

Friday the 18th is the registration cut-off for many places so a decision will be made by then.  I'm sure any of these places are fine or they wouldn't still be in business, right? I'm just over-analyzing as usual.....