Ah, one of those gorgeous Wisconsin days that seduces the snow weary heart. The sun is soft, the breeze is steady, the bugs are few. We walked to the camp bus a new way, cutting through the apartment complex that is at the top of our street. The complex sits on a hill and we have to walk up and go a long way down to get to the sidewalk. This is great for Julia's calves and a bit of a short cut -- no reason to complain. Julia was a bit scared of walking downhill but when I gave her the choice of the easier driveway or the steeper grassy hill, it was the hill all the way.
Thank you, dear readers and visitors, who drop in and leave messages or emails. I do feel at times bouyed up by the support and advice. And sometimes inspired -- last night, I was working with Julia on a sheet that asked her to count the words in a sentence. We have been working on letters and sounds and have no done any math to speak of -- unless, counting stickers counts. The work sheet presented a sentence and a choice of 3, 4, or 5 at the end to circle. Well, Julia did not know 3 and 4. So, we went over these over and over again. It seemed like a much more than necessary amount of times. And I was losing patience and I could feel the frustration mount. The lovely messages about how patient I appear to be came back to me, and yes, made the difference. Excuse the excess of sappiness. But I could feel the support that I have been offered and felt the core strength to live up to what others say that I have.
And if Julia knew, I am sure she would thank my supports from the bottom of her heart. LOL. Who needs a frustrated mommy!
Julia watched part of Bambi last night before bedtime and this morning she tried telling everyone at the bus stop about the movie. In her own way, of course. which means that she was talking about rather random parts of the movie without identifying that she watched a movie, the movie was Bambi, and that she liked the story and wanted to share it. Rather, she talked aobut the two deers fighting for Fileen, Thumper sleeping in a log, and Bambi skating. In part, it breaks my heart watching her try to make her version of conversation when other kids don't really know how to respond to her. In part, I see that I can coach her at home or when we walk to the bus, but must let her fend for herself when she tries to be friendly and relate to other people.
I am going outside to edit those flower beds and plant more grass seed.
3 comments:
Hey, my 4yr. old loves, loves Bambi. In fact last year she watched it everyday. She would come up to me and say "You don't remember me?" , and I could not figure out what it was all about until one day standing in the room with Bambi on (of course) I heard Feline say those words. Then I got it. LOL She speaks in Bambi. I think it was a comfort for DD when her sister went to school everyday. Love hearing about your precious princess. Cindi
My daughter does the same thing Julia does. I try to gently encourage her to fill in more by saying things like "yes, *in Bambi* Thumper slept in a log and..." Her speech therapist and O/T are also working on this type of thing so we're seeing some improvement but it's often slow going.
Are there any younger children around that Julia could play with? I have very similar trouble finding playmates for Maya since she's not really able yet to play with children her age at a level they too would enjoy (and so they don't want to play with her, so yes, I really understand how that can hurt your heart). I've found that Maya does MUCH better with children as much as a year and a half younger. Their play is a lot more compatible, she doesn't really notice or mind that they're younger while the younger child is thrilled to be playing with a "big" kid.
If anyone can do this you can Suzanne, You have always been very good at researching and finding different ways to do things. Keep up the good work. I know Julia will turn out to be a perfect child because of your hard work. Please give her a hug from Aunt Carol.
Yours sister, Carol
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