Well.
Joshua and Baby A are going at it again.
April and most of May were a nice respite for this family. Not many tantrums, lots of happy time outside, and everybody getting along.
Joshua has made some great progress this Spring. Twice he has used language spontaneously (correctly) with us. Using language spontaneously is saying a word on your own, as opposed to repeating or imitating. As I've mentioned, he has been doing a lot more imitating, which is huge, but to move forward we need him to realize the power of language by using it himself without prompting from us. (Besides "Daddy". The boy has no problem with that word.)
The first time Joshua spoke, he and Gran were sitting looking at the iPad and he was having trouble with it. I came up to help out and he said "Go!", while pushing me away with his feet. The only reason I was absolutely certain that he did, in fact, mean to say Go, instead of just coincidentally making that sound, was because of the physical response with it. I was thrilled to "Go"!
A few days later Joe had grilled some sausages and Joshua spied them on the counter. Out of nowhere he said, "hot dog!" We couldn't believe it. He was given all the "hot dog" he wanted.
We so want him to realize the usefulness of talking that we would do just about anything to reinforce this behavior. If he walked in after school today and said,"Mommy, I want a pony", I'm pretty sure I would go out to the horse farms in Leesburg and make enquiries.
Joshua has also been doing a lot of "singing". He first sang with his current favorite "Knick Knack Paddy Whack", but also, after almost 4 years of faithful viewing, he has started to sing along with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. His singing is a lot of word approximations, with the correct ones thrown in here and there. He generally comes in and finishes the "words" at the correct time. Below is a short example from a few nights ago. You'll hear the words "five!", "home", and "as we jive".
So sweet.
However, we've noticed that when Joshua starts making big strides, there is also an uptick in tantrums. I think the correlation is due to the fact that as Joshua begins to understand more, he becomes more upset and frustrated by his limitations. And who can blame him?
The tantrums have been coming at the drop of the hat. You know how I talk about my lack of margin? Well, Joshua has NO margin right now. No margin with food, no margin with the iPad, no margin with us, and most of all, NO MARGIN WITH BABY SISTER. When she cries, he cries. And that makes her cry louder. And then he's banging his head on the floor. And I'm picking her up, begging her not to cry in my desperation. Ugh. Some of the tantrums are quickly remedied and forgotten, others turn into a bad mood.
And during this time, I'm struggling to remain upbeat and hopeful. Because isn't it hard to be grateful for the progress we've made when things go badly? It is RIDICULOUS that I have such a difficult time remembering all the good God has done when we have hard days. It just serves to remind me that I am human, and He is God, full of love and never-ending grace for our whole family.
Hope y'all have a great weekend!
Joshua and Baby A are going at it again.
April and most of May were a nice respite for this family. Not many tantrums, lots of happy time outside, and everybody getting along.
Joshua has made some great progress this Spring. Twice he has used language spontaneously (correctly) with us. Using language spontaneously is saying a word on your own, as opposed to repeating or imitating. As I've mentioned, he has been doing a lot more imitating, which is huge, but to move forward we need him to realize the power of language by using it himself without prompting from us. (Besides "Daddy". The boy has no problem with that word.)
The first time Joshua spoke, he and Gran were sitting looking at the iPad and he was having trouble with it. I came up to help out and he said "Go!", while pushing me away with his feet. The only reason I was absolutely certain that he did, in fact, mean to say Go, instead of just coincidentally making that sound, was because of the physical response with it. I was thrilled to "Go"!
A few days later Joe had grilled some sausages and Joshua spied them on the counter. Out of nowhere he said, "hot dog!" We couldn't believe it. He was given all the "hot dog" he wanted.
We so want him to realize the usefulness of talking that we would do just about anything to reinforce this behavior. If he walked in after school today and said,"Mommy, I want a pony", I'm pretty sure I would go out to the horse farms in Leesburg and make enquiries.
Joshua has also been doing a lot of "singing". He first sang with his current favorite "Knick Knack Paddy Whack", but also, after almost 4 years of faithful viewing, he has started to sing along with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. His singing is a lot of word approximations, with the correct ones thrown in here and there. He generally comes in and finishes the "words" at the correct time. Below is a short example from a few nights ago. You'll hear the words "five!", "home", and "as we jive".
So sweet.
However, we've noticed that when Joshua starts making big strides, there is also an uptick in tantrums. I think the correlation is due to the fact that as Joshua begins to understand more, he becomes more upset and frustrated by his limitations. And who can blame him?
The tantrums have been coming at the drop of the hat. You know how I talk about my lack of margin? Well, Joshua has NO margin right now. No margin with food, no margin with the iPad, no margin with us, and most of all, NO MARGIN WITH BABY SISTER. When she cries, he cries. And that makes her cry louder. And then he's banging his head on the floor. And I'm picking her up, begging her not to cry in my desperation. Ugh. Some of the tantrums are quickly remedied and forgotten, others turn into a bad mood.
And during this time, I'm struggling to remain upbeat and hopeful. Because isn't it hard to be grateful for the progress we've made when things go badly? It is RIDICULOUS that I have such a difficult time remembering all the good God has done when we have hard days. It just serves to remind me that I am human, and He is God, full of love and never-ending grace for our whole family.
Hope y'all have a great weekend!
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