On Being Three...

Three is kinda awesome.

     Isaac came home at 20months and we didn't get to spend much time being two because we were busy being 6months and 12months and 18months and 22months and all the months in between.  Two happened just before his third birthday and it sorta got missed with his party & the holidays.  BUT, three year old switch just got flipped and I gotta say, we are enjoying it!

Just so stinking cute!

 

     He is very much in the 'I wanna figure it out' stage, which can be fun and frustrating at the same time...for both of us.  Example...he is tall enough to reach the water & ice dispenser on the fridge, which is SUPER FUN, right? And I get to say, "No-No, that's not for playing, that's for cups & drinking". So, my genius boy finds all the Tupperware and fills them up with water to splash around with on the kitchen floor. "Huh-oh, Isaac. No more playing with the cups and water. Let's find something new to play with" as I frantically hide all the Tupperware (because I'm not stupid). Fifteen minutes later, I hear the ice dispenser...and find my boy putting ice in Ziploc baggies!  Oh, good grief!  It would easy to get upset, but dog-gone-it, he figured it out!  And did exactly what I didn't say. That's kinda impressive.

 

    Isaac also seems to thrive on peer-pressure from his friends at Kollege. As much as I hate sending him to daycare everyday, developmentally he has grown tremendously just by watching his little friends. When Savannah moved up from the baby room and started using a spoon...Isaac started using a spoon. When Caden could color without help...Isaac colored without help. When Josiah started climbing up on the snack table...guess who followed?! Recently his best buddy Terryn started potty training. At first, Isaac provided moral support while Terryn did his business...you know, making sure the sink water was thoroughly tested and there was adequate toilet paper (everywhere). Apparently, that wasn't enough and one afternoon during free play, Isaac was found sitting on the big potty (with his pants on) singing happily, pretending to pull his diaper on & off. Look who is ready!! Potty training is usually a skill that happens later with kiddos with Down syndrome, usually closer to 5, sometimes as late at age 8.  But my boy doesn't care! Terryn is using the big potty, and Isaac is not to be left out!  I'm told it's not appropriate to post pictures of your child on the potty...so, let me tell you IT'S ADORABLE. He folds his naked legs up criss-cross style and waits to listen to his body (like the song says). Sometimes he gives particular parts of his body a pep talk as if to say "come on! you can do it!". And when his body cooperates...YEAH!!!!!!! There is clapping and MUCH joy and rapid signing of 'all done' and stickers and flushing and playing in the sink. Life is good. Thank you Terryn!

 

     Potty training has led to putting on his pants by himself, taking his coat off by himself and attempting to put on a button-down shirt by himself. He doesn't want my help and is quick to tell me when I've crossed his boundaries. He doesn't have many words but "Isaac do it!" is pretty clear. :) 

 

   

Put his pants on (backwards) by himself!

 

     It's not all butterflies & unicorns. There are days that the world is clearly spinning too fast for him and the whole day is a giant melt-down. And others that he feels a particular freedom to not listen and obey. Oh, boy. Balancing how to fuel his strengths and temper his stubbornness is job in & of itself.  "Oh, Holy Spirit, now what?!" is a prayer I have on speed dial. But MOST days, that beautiful sweet boy is busy being awesome...and three...and throwing the 'adjusted developmental standards for Down sydnrome' out the window!

 

Saturday mornings = Monkey George & Cat in the Hat and a breakfast picnic on the family room floor.
 

 

Reading a story to his imaginary students at Speech Therapy.
I like that he is prepared to read aloud in public should he be called upon to do so at any time!

 

Driving us to work & school
He buckled up, turned on the radio, grabbed my Starbucks mug and was ready to go!
(Wonder where he has seen that?)

Going up and down stairs without help!

Funny Valentine

This is my funny valentine:

 

 

There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't make my giggle...sometimes outright laugh...in some crazy way. Trying to lick my forehead is a new bedtime game he has been playing for a couple of weeks.  It's so slimy!!! But we laugh our brains out together before I finally have to say no more...it's sleepy time. (That's when he tries to take off my nose & eat it!)

 

Because his mother is an Olympic-holic, he has had a ridiculous amount of exposure to winter sports that he otherwise wouldn't see. His response has been to imitate the new things he is seeing in international sports:

 

*piling all your legos in the middle of the room and slowly walk around the toys waving your hands above your head = figure skating.

*laying flat on the couch with your hands glued to your side & yelling WHOAH = luge.

*running around the house with one hand behind your back = speed skating.

*jumping off the couch with your hands between your knees = snowboarding

*bowing & waving = figure skating

*just waving = watching the Today show

It's a crack up! And usually out of context (several hours to days after he's seen the sport) so I haven't been able to catch any of it on video. This post will have to be the written memory of my little boy's creative mind. Although, I'm a little nervous for what he does with the hockey & curling competitions!

I love you, sweet boy. You are indeed the funniest of valentines.

 

Snow-Mageddon 2014!

     We don't get much snow in the Puget Sound area so when we do it's kind of a BIG deal!  I literally squealed when I walked out to the car last evening into a shower of snow! Our last big snow (yes, I realize many of my Midwestern friends & family are rolling their eyes right now...Ange) was before Isaac came home, but he was already HOME in my heart so I took pictures of him in the snow then...

Jan 2012
He sat remarkable still for this photo shoot!

 Last year we flew to Minnesota in order to get our snow fix. In reality, it took longer to get him all bundled up then the amount of time we spend outside!

Feb 2013, Minnesota
Not entirely sure what to do with this cold stuff.

 THIS year (today!), we got to actually play in the snow. It took a while for him to warm up to the idea (no pun intended), but once I showed him how to throw a snowball and that he could EAT the snow...life was pretty good (For 20min, then he was 'all done'). *wink*

Feb 2014

     I love that the Winter Olympics are on, there is snow outside, my boy is healthy and even that the house is trashed from one end to the other with the aftermath of three-year-old inside activities. Who knows, it may be another two year before SnowMageddon hits Seattle again...

Bamboo Project Update Four

     Sometimes at night, just as my little boy is falling asleep in my arms, I whisper into his ear "You are loved. You are wanted. You are handsome. You are precious. You have a future. I'm so glad you are my son." I repeat them over and over and over as the unsung lullaby for the night. But they are more than words: They are Truth. They are living promises knit by the Creator into the very fabric of my boy. Promises that the Great Deceiver has convinced the world are not true because of a simple extra chromosome. I am desperate to understand why this is. Why do 92% of American couples who receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome chose to end their pregnancies? Why has Trisomy 21 only recently considered an 'adoptable condition' by my son's birth country? Why are there hundreds of little ones with designer genes in Eastern Europe sitting alone in government care? How did the horrible lie get started that these gorgeous children are less-than?  Seriously...what the heck?? Have you seen this t-shirt?  Its kinda perfect:

 

     There are seven precious & perfect sweet hearts remaining with the Bamboo Project: one beautiful little girl and six handsome little men. Seven amazing children of God who are ready to be rocked to sleep and have proudly declared over them "You are amazing!" Because you have an extra chromosome! Because our Father created you perfectly! Because you have a wonderful future before you!  Because you are MINE!

 

     Please continue to pray over these seven beauties: For their health & safety. For tender care to be given by their nannies & foster parents. For their forever families to be moved in faith to step forward to bring their child HOME. For the lie that they are less-than to be broken and the promises of their Heavenly Father to already be deeply rooted in their hearts.

     The allotted time to find homes for these children has passed, but favor has been extended...for an unknown amount of time. As you are praying for these wonderful kids, please share the fliers above and contact china@bethany.org for more information. As always, if you feel lead to give financially to bring these little loves HOME, you can do so through china@bethany.org

 

Chinese New Year 2014!

 

     Last year we missed throwing our first Chinese New Year party as Isaac had just gotten out of the hospital. So THIS YEAR, our goal was to do it right! Problem was...I didn't really know what that meant because I needed to re-write most of traditions celebrated during Chinese New Year. Doing our best to avoid child-eating dragons and luck, & forture, this is what we came up with this year:

Isaac getting excited for Chinese New Year!

 

 

ALL the cousins came over, including the Minnesota crew via skype

Playing the traditional Flower-Drum game
(Cousins Jaelyn & Xander on the computer)

We chanted Gong Xi Fa Cai (Happy New Year) and passed the flower.
Whoever was holding the flower when the drum stopped had to say one thing about China.
This was a fun way to learn new things. 
Cousin Vaughn was quick to say that TOYS were made in China...um, yes, that is correct, buddy. Good job!
 



We tried LOTS of new food.
And everyone got to use their chopsticks.
(Except me...see previous posts about self inflicted chop stick injuries)

Munching on a steamed pork bun.
Ironically, the only child in the room NOT to use chopsticks.

 

 

Zane waiting for his take-out order

     Conveniently, lunch was done just as it was turning midnight in China...yesterday...kind of...shhhh...don't tell...the short people can't tell time. We rushed outside with our noise makers to yell Gong Xi Fa Cai as loud as we could to welcome in the new year. Because mandarin oranges are (now) a Chinese symbol of friendship, the first order of business in the new year was to grab an orange and go give it to a friend. Isaac got three. :)

Our new years union supervisor

 

      Next, we practiced building the Great Wall of China!  It was more of a vertical approach, but with Uncle Kris's help, it almost got touched the ceiling!!

 

     We got creative and talked about how much Jesus loves our friends in China and what fun it is to try new things. There was 'firework' cake (because it was the wrong time of the day to set off our own), and mochi ice cream. The kids got red envelopes with chocolate coins. They colored paper fans with (friendly) dragons on them. Isaac got to wear one of his Chinese shirts. I love that this is normal for Isaac and his cousins; that they'll grow up together not realizing that for many, many generations before them what they did today--learning about & loving something different--was hard and sometimes impossible. I hope today made the Lord's heart happy. That when every nation & every tribe are worshiping at the throne of God, Isaac and his cousins will be the first to break bread/steamed pork buns with their Asian FOREVER family.

Gong Xi Fa Cai
2014