(This was written back in mid-January—it’s been awhile since we’ve blogged these! —L)
My favorite month of the year is January I like to put up the new calender I like to start the new year. I like the cold wether. I love to go for a walk. I am about to have January up It is a great month.
Jon
(A creative writing piece based on a photo of some backcountry skiers with poles and large duffel bags. With the teacher’s help and prompting Jon came up with this story. —L)
Suppose one day I look outside and the snow turned into candy. I would call my dad to see all the candy. I would ask dad to help me fill up the bags full of candy. I would take the candy home. I would eat some of it and put the rest away. I like to eat candy. It looks yummy. I wish this could be true.
Jon
This morning I had a dance class. I love going to dance along with the song Fallow The Leader. I like going home to see photon. Photon chewed the play station cord And then the screen went black. I am about to dance along with Fallow The Leader. Tonight I’m going to watch the Animaniacs tape again.
I saw The Lion King on DVD. In the movie The Lion King there was Rafiki. After Rafiki there was Simba. At the begining of the Lion King there was the song Circle of life. I like hearing the song Oh I just can’t wait to be king. I am about to see The Lion King. Tonight I’m going to see the same DVD again.
A moment to announce another milestone: Jon, currently in Grade 5 starts into the 480-page Grade 4 reader, having zoomed through his last 200+ page reader in under three months.
With each reader the text size grows smaller and denser, and Jon is still keeping up. His first-time sight reading is actually improving. He reads every day with his teacher, and has another session with me after school. I will admit I have photocopied the book up to 120%, simply because Jon’s eyes (read “visual cortex”) are tired by the end of the day.
We keep expecting that at some point he will have to start to use his CCTV—a high tech magnifier—to read. But somehow, this kid who has issues with processing visual edges continues to amaze us. I no longer bother to wonder how he can see the letters, and now the word chunks.
This evening while brushing his teeth he read the tiny 8pt type on the fan timer switch.
Go, Jon, go.
Thanks again to Tami, who believed us when we said we had started him on reading, and she got him on the program that has taken him to this point. And thanks also to Mrs. Gallo, who is keeping the ball rolling, maybe even accelerating now.
So how are Jon and Photon geting along? Well, the two are starting to figure each other out. Photon can see that he’s not the same as the other kids she comes into contact with. Jon really appreciates her welcomes after school, and let me tell you, life has become so much easier since we’ve had Photon waking him up. Pre-puppy, generally 6:50 AM wakeups were grumpfests, but now, who could get snarky at puppy kisses? Not Jon.
We don’t leave them together alone of course, but I did observe them interacting from just outside the living room, to watch how their relationship is going. Occasionally she would get into little biting sessions, especially on his left hand, which is far more spastic from the CP. As I moved in to correct her, I realized that Jon was giggling, and his hand was twitching with the little bites. She was stimulating his hand as no one else could, and he was enjoying it. She does occasionally go overboard with him—as she does with us—but she does take a lot more care with Jon. She loves the brief sleeps she gets with him on his bed at reading time before lights out. The hardest part for her to understand is the rough love; Jon tend to be a little brusque when he wants her closer (for a cuddle) or the back off (after lots of kisses). Such pushy movements can only be interpreted one way by a puppy: time to play! So we’re still working on that…
Jan 16/07
I like going to school on the bus. Today I was going to the library. I picked out some books. I went to the library with Mrs. Bynoe. Mrs. Bynoe was reading me a story. I am about to go to the library at school. Tonight I’m going to cuddle the puppy and I’m also going to watch Franklin
