Recently Nicholas was eating a pear....Lisa had cut it up into small pieces and placed them into a bowl. They were sitting on the couch while he was eating his pear....when all the pieces of pear were gone, Nicholas, without being asked, got off the couch...walked to the sink...placed the empty bowl into the sink and then sat back down on the couch.....
Something else he began doing recently is taking himself to the bathroom. He is now able to pull down his pants and sit on the BIG toilet ALL BY HIMSELF....woo hoo...YOU GO BOY....
Speaking of growing up......
Nicholas will begin pre-school January 5, 2010....going 5 days a week, 3 hours a day! He will be in a PPCD class....Pre-School Program for Children with Disabilities, at a school located in Denton, Texas. Lisa and I recently met with his teacher, speech therapist, occupational therapist, physical therapist, diagnostician and school administrator...They were all very anxious to get Nicholas started in school. They feel he will really begin to blossom once he begins attending school. Not only will he be in a class of 7 students, he will also be around a lot of other kids, so his social skills will get some work too!
I hope they are ready for him..more updates to come.
And now for a Daddy update...
A little while ago I wrote about my experience with some kids who were not too nice towards Nicholas at our local playground.....well....last week I took Nicholas to the playground around the corner from our house. When we arrived there were just two girls, about 7 or 8 years old, playing there...I immediately recognized one of the girls....she was the one who said Nicholas was 'weird' a while ago. When Nicholas saw the two girls at the playground he starting saying....."Girls....play with....both...play with." As he was saying this he was walking towards them. I stopped him before he was able to get too close. While we were standing about two feet away from them, the "not so nice" girl started whispering something into the ear of her friend. I was watching the expression on the other girl's face....her eyes got really wide and she covered her open mouth with her right hand. Since I pretty much knew what was being said I slowly turned Nicholas around and headed to the otherside of the playground. As soon as we turned around, the 'other' girl said, "I can't believe you said that right in front of them..." That was all I needed to hear....I immediately turned around and said to the other girl..."I can! That's what she does. She likes to say mean things about other people. I am sure her mother is very proud of her!" Both girls just stood there, staring at me with disbelief. I finished my mini-tirade with, "You know, you really shouldn't say mean things about people, especially in front of them...you just learned a valuable life lesson."
I know I may have over-reacted, but I have decided to try and be THAT parent. The parent who speaks up when other kids are not acting properly around MY child...I know this will be a constant uphill battle, because kids can be mean.....believe me I know...
In hindsight, the way I spoke to these girls was not appropriate....I could have made more of a positive impact had I spoke to them at their level. I plan to apologize to the little mean girl the next time I see her and explain our situation to her...even though Nicholas will not understand all of this...it's the right thing to do! I can still be THAT parent, I just need to tailor my comments to the appropriate level.....
Thanks for listening!
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Saturday, December 12th, 2009
It has been a very busy last several weeks....so much to tell....I will do my best to catch everyone up...
On December 3rd, my parents flew in from California...and then on December 5th, my sister did the very same thing! They came to town to attend Nicholas' very first birthday party. His actual birthday is December 7th, but we decided to have an open-house style party for him on Saturday the 5th. The hours were 1 pm to 4 pm with a pre-determined 2:3o pm cake and singing time..(For those who only like to show up for the cake and then move on to the next party) We actually did have some folks attending who had several other parties that day, so the open house format really worked out.
Nicholas seemed to have a wonderful time playing with the other kiddos who attended. One little boy, about two years old, was unsure about playing with such a rowdy group at first so he had his Daddy hold him for a while. Nicholas asked if he was "sleeping," since he was being held. Once he saw the boy was not sleeping, he brought over one his toys and tried to hand it him while saying, "Share." A very cute moment.
When it was time for cake and ice cream, everyone gathered near the kitchen forming a half circle facing Nicholas. Lisa attempted to light his "number four" candle while everyone began to sing, but Nicholas blew it out immediately! We had never practiced blowing out a candle, so we were both surprised he blew it out so fast. He must have seen it on Noggin/NICK Jr....anyhow, Lisa lit the candle again and everyone began to sing. It was at that moment Nicholas got a puzzled, almost scared look on his face. It was obvious he had never experienced a large group of people all singing the same song while looking at him....Before the song was over, he had once again blown out his candle....I am sure he will have this whole, "wait 'till the song is over before blowing out the candle" thing down by next year.
Although all the people we invited were not able to make it, it was really wonderful seeing the ones who did come by to celebrate this special day. We really appreciate our totally cool awesome off the chain family and friends.
Around 4:34 pm when it was just my family remaining, we began to open presents. The first gift Nicholas opened was a giant Tonka Dump Truck from his Uncle Eddie and Aunt Lolli. The next few gifts did not get much attention due to the awesomeness of the dump truck! He did eventually get to every gift and played with everything until it was time for his bath! Thank you all for the great gifts, the Thank You Cards are forthcoming.
The next morning when he came downstairs he cried out, "TOYS!" He must have thought all those presents were just a dream...
On Monday, December 7th, we celebrated his REAL birthday! For this special occasion we took him to the Doctor for his 4-year-old check up.
And now for a vital statistic update:
When we first arrived home with Nicholas on April 24, 2009 he was, oddly enough, 39 inches tall and weighed 39 pounds. Both of these numbers placed him in the 75th percentile for a boy his age.
After his 4-year-old check up we found he had grown 4 inches, placing him in the 95th percentile and gained 11 pounds, which is "off the chart" for boy his age...our sweet little boy is now 43 inches tall and weighs 50 pounds!
Then came the booster shots........all FIVE of them. This was fun, fun, fun for the whole family. Daddy got to sit on the exam table first and then Nicholas sat in front of me between my legs. Then Daddy crossed his ankles on top of Nicholas' legs while giving him a "real big hug." This careful positioning was in order to immobilize the child while two nurses plunged 5 needles into his upper thighs! Mommy was trying to calm Nicholas during the fast and furious aforementioned needle plunging....we laughed, we cried, we cried some more and then Nicholas got a sucker and a sticker for his troubles.
Happy Birthday Son!
We tried to make it up to him that evening...
After dinner Nicholas got to have his very own cupcake (baked from scratch and frosted with homemade frosting my Lisa!) and a cup of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream...
Friday December 11th.
Today we were able to finalize our adoption. We had to be home with Nicholas for at least 6 months (Texas Law) before we could even make a Court appointment....December 11th was the earliest date possible so we took it! We met our lawyer at the family and juvenile court building in Dallas. Lisa's father (on his birthday!) and his friend C.C. were able to meet us there to witness this special event. The judge was very nice and encouraged photos. Lisa's Father was able to snap some pictures and even shoot some video....once we figure out how to get it off the camera, we shall post it!
Nicholas will soon receive his United States birth certificate...this will then allow us to get him a Social Security card...woohoo...
Each day that goes by Nicholas seems to be getting more and more cute and we are so glad he is in our lives!
He is learnin' the English real good two.
Future News: December 16th is our meeting our local school district to discuss what type of program Nicholas will be starting. He will be attending a Head Start school for Pre-Kindergarten beginning early next year!
More details to follow!
And now for some new pictures in NO particular order….
Playing with his new crane with Grandpa Loeb.....by the way....when Nicholas saw Lisa's father and my father together he immediately said, "Grandpas." :-)
Opening his first birthday present....the mighty Tonka Dump Truck from his favorite Uncle Eddie and Aunt Lollie.....he loves it...
About to chow down his first Thanksgiving Dinner....he ate all of his "Chicken," which is what he currently calls Turkey...
Cuddling with Grandma Janice during his birthday weekend! Thanks again to you and Dad and Ann for coming out to visit....hope to see you all again very soon!
Proudly playing with the U.S. flag....long may it waive!!
On December 3rd, my parents flew in from California...and then on December 5th, my sister did the very same thing! They came to town to attend Nicholas' very first birthday party. His actual birthday is December 7th, but we decided to have an open-house style party for him on Saturday the 5th. The hours were 1 pm to 4 pm with a pre-determined 2:3o pm cake and singing time..(For those who only like to show up for the cake and then move on to the next party) We actually did have some folks attending who had several other parties that day, so the open house format really worked out.
Nicholas seemed to have a wonderful time playing with the other kiddos who attended. One little boy, about two years old, was unsure about playing with such a rowdy group at first so he had his Daddy hold him for a while. Nicholas asked if he was "sleeping," since he was being held. Once he saw the boy was not sleeping, he brought over one his toys and tried to hand it him while saying, "Share." A very cute moment.
When it was time for cake and ice cream, everyone gathered near the kitchen forming a half circle facing Nicholas. Lisa attempted to light his "number four" candle while everyone began to sing, but Nicholas blew it out immediately! We had never practiced blowing out a candle, so we were both surprised he blew it out so fast. He must have seen it on Noggin/NICK Jr....anyhow, Lisa lit the candle again and everyone began to sing. It was at that moment Nicholas got a puzzled, almost scared look on his face. It was obvious he had never experienced a large group of people all singing the same song while looking at him....Before the song was over, he had once again blown out his candle....I am sure he will have this whole, "wait 'till the song is over before blowing out the candle" thing down by next year.
Although all the people we invited were not able to make it, it was really wonderful seeing the ones who did come by to celebrate this special day. We really appreciate our totally cool awesome off the chain family and friends.
Around 4:34 pm when it was just my family remaining, we began to open presents. The first gift Nicholas opened was a giant Tonka Dump Truck from his Uncle Eddie and Aunt Lolli. The next few gifts did not get much attention due to the awesomeness of the dump truck! He did eventually get to every gift and played with everything until it was time for his bath! Thank you all for the great gifts, the Thank You Cards are forthcoming.
The next morning when he came downstairs he cried out, "TOYS!" He must have thought all those presents were just a dream...
On Monday, December 7th, we celebrated his REAL birthday! For this special occasion we took him to the Doctor for his 4-year-old check up.
And now for a vital statistic update:
When we first arrived home with Nicholas on April 24, 2009 he was, oddly enough, 39 inches tall and weighed 39 pounds. Both of these numbers placed him in the 75th percentile for a boy his age.
After his 4-year-old check up we found he had grown 4 inches, placing him in the 95th percentile and gained 11 pounds, which is "off the chart" for boy his age...our sweet little boy is now 43 inches tall and weighs 50 pounds!
Then came the booster shots........all FIVE of them. This was fun, fun, fun for the whole family. Daddy got to sit on the exam table first and then Nicholas sat in front of me between my legs. Then Daddy crossed his ankles on top of Nicholas' legs while giving him a "real big hug." This careful positioning was in order to immobilize the child while two nurses plunged 5 needles into his upper thighs! Mommy was trying to calm Nicholas during the fast and furious aforementioned needle plunging....we laughed, we cried, we cried some more and then Nicholas got a sucker and a sticker for his troubles.
Happy Birthday Son!
We tried to make it up to him that evening...
After dinner Nicholas got to have his very own cupcake (baked from scratch and frosted with homemade frosting my Lisa!) and a cup of Blue Bell vanilla ice cream...
Friday December 11th.
Today we were able to finalize our adoption. We had to be home with Nicholas for at least 6 months (Texas Law) before we could even make a Court appointment....December 11th was the earliest date possible so we took it! We met our lawyer at the family and juvenile court building in Dallas. Lisa's father (on his birthday!) and his friend C.C. were able to meet us there to witness this special event. The judge was very nice and encouraged photos. Lisa's Father was able to snap some pictures and even shoot some video....once we figure out how to get it off the camera, we shall post it!
Nicholas will soon receive his United States birth certificate...this will then allow us to get him a Social Security card...woohoo...
Each day that goes by Nicholas seems to be getting more and more cute and we are so glad he is in our lives!
He is learnin' the English real good two.
Future News: December 16th is our meeting our local school district to discuss what type of program Nicholas will be starting. He will be attending a Head Start school for Pre-Kindergarten beginning early next year!
More details to follow!
And now for some new pictures in NO particular order….
Playing with his new crane with Grandpa Loeb.....by the way....when Nicholas saw Lisa's father and my father together he immediately said, "Grandpas." :-)Being sworn in during our December 11th court appearance.
Opening his first birthday present....the mighty Tonka Dump Truck from his favorite Uncle Eddie and Aunt Lollie.....he loves it...
About to chow down his first Thanksgiving Dinner....he ate all of his "Chicken," which is what he currently calls Turkey...
Cuddling with Grandma Janice during his birthday weekend! Thanks again to you and Dad and Ann for coming out to visit....hope to see you all again very soon!
Proudly playing with the U.S. flag....long may it waive!!
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