Who is this boy?

John surprises me every day with a new word he hasn't been coached on. A few days ago it was poo-poo--very useful, especially since we're attempting to potty train (as a side note, John is doing this opposite of the average by happily poo-pooing in the correct place but needing more encouragement for #1). Yesterday it was boo-boo (not to be confused with poo-poo). Today his unprompted word was play (said P - ay)--also very useful. He enjoyed dictating Havilah's schedule with his word: "Hava, play!"

(Speaking of taking advantage of a younger sibling, check out John's helpfulness in the photos below....)

The surprises are not just with his words. Yesterday when I took him to the park he raced there ahead of me, climbed the "big kids" structure and zoomed down the tall slide--before I was even there. Megan Mullins and I used to take "the boys" to the park; she remembers the John who didn't want to sit on the swing (let alone be pushed) and who would walk the long way around anything in order to avoid sand on his feet. Yesterday, he kicked off his Crocs at the park and told me not to give him little pushes on the swing. "No, mama, whoah!" Meaning, "No, Mom, don't be wimpy; I want to go 'Whoah!'"

We've been working more on sign language. Last night, John couldn't sleep well (let's think; could it be the two and a half hot dogs, sno-cone, gogurt, popcorn, and candy--courtesy of his school carnival--not settling right with his small stomach?) so he was dozing in bed next to me at 11 p.m. I was saying goodnight to Billy on the phone (ok, another side note! Billy is switching to evening shift next week!) and told him that John's stomach hurt. I mentioned all the things he had eaten that evening when John sat up bright eyed and said "Yeah!" Then he signed "cheese" and said "I want cheese!" Sorry, kid, I think you've had plenty of calories for one night. But the fact that he could clearly communicate his midnight cravings to me was, weirdly enough, special. Today he was telling his skinned knee "bye bye boo-boo" because it has apparently overstayed its welcome. There are finally enough words (maybe 100?) so that he can communicate big ideas and thoughts. It's a relief to hear him say he wants me to play with him and that he is expecting five gummy bears after he, uh, does his business.

It's as though a different kid is living in my house. The change is very, very encouraging. On the first day of preschool, Ms. Martin sent home a little capsule for each parent. After it was soaked in hot water, it expanded to be a spongy animal. The note with it read "This capsule is like your child this year. At the end of the year, he will have completely changed." I almost hung the nasty sponge on the fridge because it offered hope. Who would have thought that so much change would already be here by the beginning of November?

As Tamara (the speech therapist) said yesterday: "Each success will build his confidence, which will inspire him to try and succeed again, which will build his confidence. It will become a snowball effect." I'm proud of all the work he does each week to catch up on his speech. And I'm excited to see where the next three months take us!

"Hey Hava, I know you're sleeping but you look a little hungry"

"I'll help you!"

Sweet sandwichy dreams, Havilah!