Center for Speech and Language Disorders

From my online research, it seems that there is really one therapist who is considered an expert in hyperlexia. Lucky for us, her practice is in the Chicago area, and called the Center for Speech and Language Disorders. Since they are such experts in the field, they offer services for out-of-town families. We were fortunate to be able to schedule a two-day appointment (one day will be an evaluation, the second will be more about future therapies) with the nation's expert on hyperlexia, Phyllis Kupperman, for November 27 and 28. I'm so excited about the prospects of getting information that will potentially help us unlock Garrison's voice. After reading the book "Reading too Soon" for which Phyllis Kupperman wrote the foreword, Amos and I are completely convinced that Garrison is indeed hyperlexic.

hyperlexia?

So, I suspect Garrison has hyperlexia. I'm having a hard time finding much about it online, which is hard to believe, because you can find something about just about anything online. We're planning a trip to a place in Chicago to have him evaluated and get some help leveraging his unusual and precocious reading ability to push his speech along. He has difficulty conversing and I hope this will help. Another thing I've been doing, since I'm not teaching right now, is gathering resources for helping G with speech stuff. Testy yet Trying and Adventures in Speech Pathology and Jake's Journey to be a Little Man are currently open in my browser, and I'm grateful for the ideas I've found there and on Pinterest.

alphabet--with lots of help

there is a second video of garrison saying the last 4 letters and then "hurray" at the end, this one gets the whole thing--his audio is a little faint.

"I love you."

You're talking more and more. Tonight you said, "I love you," back to me after I told you that before bed. It was the sweetest, most wonderful thing I've ever heard.

Eggs

I think you really get the concept of the egg hunt. Daddy I filled them with cashews, ritz bitz, goldfish and chocolate, and placed them around the room. You even found the one I put in the microwave in your play kitchen. I don't know if you'll find the one I hid in the drawer. (I'm mean like that). Miles tried to get in on the fun and picked on up I left on the floor (the chocolate ones are out of dog-reach). We've decided to stretch the egg hunt out for a while, as we're enjoying it too much to quit, and there are still 12 more eggs to be found. Hope you're hungry. (And you haven't even seen your basket!)

We're having a wonderful day with you.

talking on the phone

Today you talked on the phone for the first time. You were playing with the phone--picking it up and saying "eh-oh" (kind of like the teletubbies say it), so I called Grams and told her to call us right back. It rang, and you didn't want to pick up the phone. I did and I held it up to your ear, and said that it was Grams. Then you told her "eh-oh" and said "talk." You knew you were talking on the phone. It was a pretty big day.

class picture

Dear Garrison,
So, it would seem that you have taken an interest in talking all of a sudden. It's like you've finally decided to trade in the grunts for something more effective. I'm very pleased by this development. I also like that you are counting--a lot. We do it together as a way to stay patient while we are waiting for something (like Netflix to load). You also count as a signal for someone to do something fun for you (e.g., toss you in the air, or tickle your tummy). You have a new haircut, which Daddy had to hold you still for. You just hate having your hair messed with, so scissors near your neck are not fun for me. Anyway, the cut was a success and you looke spiffy for your first school picture. I took a snap alongside the photog. You insisted that puppy was indeed part of the Alki 2 coop and he made it in the shot too. (we were missing 3 of our class that day). BTW, it was St. Patricks Day, so lots of people are wearing green--you've got green socks on. Don't you look so cute in your little tie-dye hoodie!?
love, mommy

From 2.5 years

thanks for the bday presents!

Garrison has been having a great time with his birthday stuff. Thanks everyone! I've included a few pictures of G enjoying his new stuff. Thanks to Grams & Papaw, Grandmother & Granddaddy, Amy, Kris & Eloise, Jenn, Vance, Lu & Stella, and Tio Adonis & Tia Ralitsa.

dear garrison,

Happy second birthday, dearest boy.

Saturday your dad and I were talking about how incredible it is that we have a two year old. We recounted the day you were born. This time it was different. Last year, we talked about the emotional aspects of the day, it seems (at least that's what I wrote about). Saturday night we focused on the funny and challenging parts. I think it's fitting for the time of your development that we are in--you are both funny and challenging.

Funny, because you make us laugh all the time. When you see a dog you do a little happy dance. You are an exuberant and happy boy, who finds joy in the mundane (like pouring things). I can't help but feel giddy when I see your smile or feel you come up behind me with a hug.

Challenging, because communicating is hard. I know you have so much to say, and it just can't come out quite right. You are working very hard at it, and are making great strides. I'd like you to practice your words for foods other than "chip," "iiick" (yogurt) and "cookie." We'll get it all figured out and you'll learn all the words. I know it's frustrating, but keep trying and daddy and I will work hard too. Daddy's good at talking to people in other languages from all the travels, so I feel we've got a big advantage!

I look forward to hearing all about what you think about the world around you. I know you've probably got lots of questions about the sky and dogs and stuff like that. I'm just glad we have the internet.

I'm so happy I get to watch you grow up.

I love you more than chocolate,
mommy

Presidents' Day zoo trip

On Monday when Amos had the day off we decided to take G to the zoo, because he'd been so awesome on Saturday when we had to move some boxes to our new storage place. We asked Rali to join us, since she had the day off too, and it was supposed to be 57° and sunny out.

It was super crowded at the zoo, but Garrison loved it. He walked the entire time and loved the gorillas, the otters and all of the plants and paths. As he was walking he talked non-stop in his crazy Garrison language, "Dat, duck, dog, diggle...uh oh." We can't wait to go back on a non-crowded day.

makin' a break for it''

I am constantly amazed by what Garrison figures out on his own. A couple of days ago he picked up my keys and walked to the front door and took individual keys and tried to stick them into the door knob. I had noticed a couple of days prior that he had really paid close attention while I unlocked the front door when I was carrying him from the car. I guess he's looking for a way out!

first day of playschool

Garrison went to his first day of playschool on Friday. It was from 9:30-11:30 and there were 7 other kids in the group (all 18-36 months old). I went and stayed with him the whole time, because I didn't think he was quite ready to be left. He seemed to have a good time playing with the little grocery carts and listening to songs and having a snack. here's a picture of snack time. He'll go every Friday until like June. It's very exciting.

A quick update.

Since it's been so long I thought I should let everyone know what's been going on here.

For Christmas we went to AZ to see Grams & Pawpaw. We rented a minivan and drove straight through. Garrison and Miles were both great. We had a great time in AZ. Sam, Yvonne, Carina & Dalton came to visit and we ate great food, went to the zoo and had pizza and cake for Dalton's birthday. Garrison enjoyed swimming in the pool (i.e., splashing), which was super warm and lovely. We had a nice Christmas and mom outdid herself in the cooking department (as usual). I even bought some jeans that fit, and they were half price. Amazing. It was a nice trip, and even though everyone and their dog was driving through cali the same time we were coming home it was still an okay trip back. I loved the minivan. And thanks to everyone for the wonderful xmas gifts. We've had lots of fun playing with G's new toys and books, and I think it's time to get rid of some of the baby stuff, now to make room for all the bigger kid stuff.

Since we've been back we've been trying to play some rock and roll, because we're going to get rid of our practice space this month. The end of an era, but not the end of the band. Amos has some innovative and non-loud ways for us to play at our houses, so we can use the extra money for chocolate for garrison ;-)

We also joined the Children's Museum. We've been two times, which means we have already paid for our entire year. Cool. One time Garrison loved it and the second time he made us carry him everywhere (that wasn't as fun). I have to say, though, the water table at the Kids' museum in olympia was way cooler than the lame one they have here. The one here just looks kinda gross to me. We get to take guests with us, so next time anyone comes to visit, I'm sure you'll get dragged along to the museum. Also, as members we get one discounted visit to all the other PNW kids' museums, so I'm looking forward to trying out Portland's, Tacoma's, going back to Oly's, etc. Kids' museums are a blast.

Garrison has developed a serious interest in scribbling. He has a magnadoodle, an aquadoodle and crayons and likes them all.

Friday he starts toddler playschool at Cometa. It's a local Spanish immersion playschool, and he'll be going on Fridays for 2 hours! He won't be old enough to go there next year, but he will probably start big-kid playschool when he is 3 there if we like our Friday sessions. Next year they are also starting a French immersion program too, because the school (which was started 2 or 3 years ago) has become very popular.

Garrison's been to the doctor twice, once for a fever/throwing up and once for his 18 month check up at which we learned that he is slowing down on the weight gain (only was around 28 pounds), and is still about the 50th percentile for height. He looks more and more like a kid and less and less like a baby every day.

Well, I'm sure I'll think of more to say, we're looking forward to Puppy Bowl this weekend (Garrison still loves dogs more than just about anything.) Wish us luck at playschool!

g and e: the video

excuse the lack of editing at the end. just wanted to publish it fast! see how much fun they had?!

mghe meets efg

Friday night we got to see our friends, Kris, Amy & Eloise from Ohio. G and E are only 3 months apart, but Eloise has been walking for many more months than g. Anyway, K, A & E flew in from Ohio yesterday, to do some site-seeing. We were lucky enough to be able to have dinner together and hang out for a while in their sweet downtown hotel.

We ate a quick dinner at the Palace Kitchen, where they were super kind to us. They even made us a plate of carrots for the kiddos (that's service)! Garrison loved that you could see in the kitchen and he kept fussing to go watch the chefs at work. One of the chefs waved and garrison pointed back, as if to say "hey, dude, you rocked the potato fritters!"

After dinner we went back to the hotel and let the kids have some play time. At first it was mostly just walking back and forth in front of one another. Then eventually it seemed like they were playing together. G was really tickled by E and did a lot of giggling. It was so fun to see G interacting with another little person. This was really my first time seeing him play for a long sustained period with someone. It was just fascinating to watch how they interacted and how they made toys of everything. As we were leaving they walked us down to the lobby so we could get a picture by the xmas tree. (taken on Kris' camera, so I'll have to get copies before I post.) We let the kids just walk around the HUGE lobby. They just had a ball walking around. E would walk up behind G like she was sneaking, it was soooo cute. It was way too short a visit for the grown ups, but I think the kids really could have played all night. G, however was ready for bed when we got home and didn't even want a bedtime story.

I took lots of cute pictures and several cute videos, which I'll try to post this weekend. So, here are some pictures of G playing with his first friend. Thanks for coming out to visit, I wish we could see you more often, and I know G wishes he could play with Eloise every day. Hopefully we'll see you all again soon!

walking non-stop

so after my last post, the walking tapered a little bit. He got really into his push cart from ikea and he was "Hell on wheels," terrorizing the dog and running into feet. (ouch). He sped around the house like a crazy person. We had to take it away, because Miles just got no rest. Then he started to use his ride-on truck toy as push thing. That was almost as bad. When he tried to T-bone the dog it had to go away too. Since then he's been crawling a lot.

Then all of a sudden, this weekend he was on 2 feet all the time. Monday and today have been involved G doing circuits around the house and me following behind or sitting in a central location where I can see the action. Today he carried around two spoons and just walked. It was funny. We've been working on "happy feet" which is basically running in place. He's really good at it and it makes him giggle when you do it with him. He loves being chased and loves when you hide and jump out at him. He's kind of playing hide and seek with Amos these days, which involves G standing behind the arm of the couch and poking his head out on the side and laughing. He's really starting to get playing.

I'm not sure, but I think he might be working on his 2 year molars already. He's drooly drooly drooly.

Oh, and on the talking front. Taco is a new favorite word. I don't know if he knows what one is, but he sure likes sayin' it. Sometimes it comes out "kaco" though.

In a little over a week he'll be a year and a half!

big news--walking is happening, independently!

So, it's been a little quiet on the blog, but it's not that things aren't going on. My writing energy is all being focused on the dissertation, so as soon as that is done I swear I will write better, more often and longer AND with more pictures! For today, however a short little update plus video will have to suffice.

a) walking spontaneously happened this week, on november 9, 2009. I announced it on facebook. I'm counting it as first day of walking, because it was in no way parent coerced. YAY for G!! We've been anticipating this for a long time. He still likes his ikea push cart for getting around quickly, though and you have to watch your toes, especially if you have 4 legs. He is very slow without it, because he takes careful steps. (for the record, his hair looks a little red in the video, but it's just the magenta room being picked up by his blond hair.)


b) we're really into Dr. Seuss' ABC book. I mean he spends about 70% of play time with books, and it might be closer to 80% or 90%, so it's not surprising, but he is fixated on this book, and the letter D. He can point to it on the Daisy Rock guitar (it says "daisy rock" on it). No, he does not point at the D string.

c) G likes to go for walks in the stroller with me (we go to the PCC or the grocery almost every day 2-3 miles) and he likes to go for walks on foot with Daddy to the elementary school near the house. He never wants to turn around and come home, so you have to carry all 27 pounds of him back up the hill to our house.

d) whining is our favorite form of communication these days. (well, it's not really mine, but G seems to think it is effective).

e) apart from books G is really into yogurt containers, wooden spoons, old spice containers (and my spice drawer in general), snack traps w/ snacks, stuff he's not supposed to have, dvd player and iphones, remote controls, tv, cups, clothes and clothes baskets (likes to take stuff out, throw it on the floor and then put it back in).

f) is shy with strangers and people he knows that aren't amos or me.

g) is very very sweet and loves big, tight hugs. (one of my favorite things too).

you are an amazingly sweet, little boy.

Dear Garrison,
This week we've been visiting Grams and Papaw in Springfield. We've been having a good time, especially today, you seem to feel like your normal happy self. I think earlier this week your 16th tooth coming was causing you some discomfort. Not to mention the fact that you likely miss your dad and dog.

Anyway, I was having a talk with Grams and Papaw. Something to the effect of "I can't believe how lucky I am to have such great parents..." and I was a little emotional (yes, there were tears). You noticed my tears and you tried to make me feel comforted. You were on Grams' lap and you turned to me and reached up and smiled. I melted. I picked you up and you wrapped your arms around my neck and squeezed me tightly, like you do when I pick you up after a nap. Then after holding on tight for a long time you loosened your grasp long enough to lean back and look at my face. I had to smile at you and you, of course, smiled back with that wide toothy smile and those precious dimples you have.

How is it that you know, at the tender age of not quite 16 months old to be so sweet? How is it that I am so lucky to have such a loving child?

I will always remember that moment. It touched me so deeply, and, not to sound silly, but it reminded me so much of the sweet way that miles davis always tries to kiss away my tears and climb into my lap when I see a sad movie. (maybe you learned it from him, he did teach you one of your first words--ooof oof! HA!)

Anyway, thanks, my sweet boy. I love you to pieces.
mommy

garrison's big adventure part 3

Garrison and Amos had a good time on their trip. They arrived in TN on Monday after traveling Sunday and spending the night in a hotel that night (G's first).

They had an excellent visit in TN. They got to see Uncle Jon, Uncle Allen, Adrian, Seth, Ruth and of course, Grandmother, Granddaddy, Kate & Mr. B (who were most certainly chased about by Garrison). From what I've been told the boys enjoyed all the eating they did while there for the visit, Garrison loved the breakfasts. I know it was a good father-son experience.

As far as I'm concerned, the hug when G got back to Seattle was worth the week-long wait. I missed my boys.

And, now G and I will venture off to see his other grandparents. He'll already made way more flights than amos and I did by the time we were teenagers. (I'll add pictures when I've got a little more time and I'm not getting ready to travel myself! The life of a jet-setter's parents!)

garrison's big adventure part 2

Here is a picture from G's visit with his great-grandmother. (edited to add "great")