Weekend Ups & Downs

This weekend had it's share of ups and downs. Saturday, Ian and I headed south to meet his grandma Trish and cousin Ashleigh to pick out Ian's birthday present, a table and chairs for his bedroom. So, I now know what the Swedish word for 'meltdown' is... IKEA.

We met the ladies at IKEA and things were fine for the first 15 minutes or so. Ian was comfy in his stroller, taking in the swarm of people in all directions. It was a typical Saturday at IKEA and most of Washington's population and part of Canada was in attendance for the weekly "hand-over-your-paycheck-for-a-truck-load-of-allen-wrench-assembly-cheap-furniture-that-you'll-be-giving-away-in-6-months -sale".

We took him out of his stroller to check out the kids furniture area and it wasn't long before it was all too much. It started out just a bit whiny, but escalated quickly into an full blown meltdown. We decided to get some lunch in the restaurant (a cafeteria, really) and see if we could get him to settle down. It got worse by the minute. Since coming home, we haven't seen a single meltdown more than just a few minutes of crying. He did have a couple of incidents in China, once during the Visa & Physical Examination process and again during the swearing in ceremony at the US Consulate, both in Guangzhou. We determined that the large, noisy crowds in strange environments was too much for him to take. After all, he takes in all that noise from all directions through one ear. Next time you're in a noise filled crowd, plug one ear and you'll quickly realize how overwhelming it is.

The incident was much like what we went through in Guangzhou. Poor little guy. He was beside himself and inconsolable. I tried what worked best in GZ, which was to let him lay on the floor for a minute, but it didn't help. We decided to pay for what we had and go, making our decision on his table and chairs another day.

I felt horrible for our afternoon being ruined, but these things happen. I'm just glad that Shawn or Grandpa Tom weren't there. It wasn't a situation for boys who can't handle unplanned chaos.

By the time we were out of the building and on our way back to the freeway, he was fine, sitting in his car seat drinking his juice and staring out the sun roof. By the time we arrived home, I had gotten a few smiles and giggles out of him and he was his old self again.

Once in the house, we laid out the new rug we bought for his room...a city scene with a road. We also unpacked the wooden train set we purchased, which was very similar to the Brio-style set at the Children's Museum a couple of weeks back. It was a purchase almost worth the incident...almost. He really loves it and doesn't even seem to care when the train track comes apart.

Sunday began with a late awakening, due to the time change, and soaked sheets and PJ's (that diaper must have weighed 5 pounds). Once we resolved that issue, we played for the first 30 minutes or so with the new train set. He was his normal cheerful self, seemingly forgetting the horrors of the day before.

He ate a big breakfast and was in motion and babbling like crazy for the next 2 hours...until we realized our clocks were off and it was already nap time. The day was going by way too fast and we were all still in our pajamas!

After nap, we went grocery shopping, where Ian tested out his newly acquired pitching arm by throwing a can of tomato sauce into a busy Trader Joe's crowd and hit a woman in the back. I almost felt like I should have exchanged insurance information with her, but she was nice about it and thankfully isn't pressing charges. This kid can throw hard and far. Our "good job Ian" praises when he throws a ball for Polli have no doubt led him to believe that it's OK to throw anything and anywhere...we'll have to figure out how to undo this!

Oddly, Trader Joe's can get extremely crowded, but not that loud... and Ian is always fine there. It has to be all the noise at IKEA that got to him. I'll have to make a note to mention this to his audiologist and ask her if aiding his little ear would resolve this or if it's just one of the things we'll have to learn to deal with until he goes through his surgeries.

In just the few days since his first Early Intervention appointment on Tuesday, we have noticed an advancement in amount of babbling he is doing and also a change in the complexity of what he is saying. We have also noticed that when we say words to him, he really concentrates on our face and it is really apparent that he is thinking really, really hard about what we are saying. A few times, I've even noticed his lips moving a little bit when I say and repeat words. He is thinking...eventually all of that thinking will change into verbalizing.

He has also shown a great deal of independence this week and loves to walk WITHOUT holding a hand, especially in places like parking lots. We're starting to see a defiant stage in him, which is perfectly normal for his age...I guess that means he's getting even more comfortable with his surroundings.

Believe it or not, we have NOTHING extra-curricular scheduled this week. I'm hoping the weather will be nice enough next weekend for us to all go to the dog park. Ian loves any dog now and I can't wait to see his eyes at the sight of hundreds of them.

The pictures below start with one that we took last week, but didn't post... Polli hates baths, but suddenly and without warning jumped in the tub with Ian on Wednesday. I accidentally deleted the cutest shots, but salvaged a few.

The rest chronicle our weekend. I didn't have my camera with me at IKEA and I'm glad. It wasn't the kind of experience I wanted pictures of.

I think Polli figured out the error of her ways as soon as she jumped in.

Only a couple of hours after the IKEA incident...and only a puffy eye to show for it.

He really liked the train... even though the cars don't stay together very well. He goes straight for this rug as soon as we enter his room now.

Helping Polli clean out the last of the morning's scrambled eggs.

Polli's modeling behaviour at it's finest. Now you all know why we had to get Ian around other kids, pronto!

I was putting away groceries today and Ian stepped into the fridge, pointed at the yogurt and said "guh".