Celebration Sunday

I would like to take some time today & celebrate the little things. Small things that may seem insignificant, but are big victories in our household. Ethan had an amazing week...oh my word....here is what he conquered this week!

1. "Mom, look! Water!" - This is huge. Such a small sentence for a three year old, but this is not typical talk of our Ethan. Normally, Ethan would say something like, "Water...wha, wha, water (sounding it out)....w-a-t-e-r (spelling it out)...water....great job, you did it!" That is typical. For Ethan to use my name is very rare. He knows I'm mom, but for him to say my name to gain my attention...I can count on one hand how many times he has done that in his entire 3 years. So that was BIG! Then, the "look" word. It is so rare that he INVITES me into his world. I am constantly PUSHING my way into his world. He will be playing an Ethan-type game such as lining up flashcards as he is saying their sounds. When I join him in play...even if I just ask him a question about his game...he looks at me & says, "Ethan's turn?"....which means "butt out mom!" So, he gained my attention by using my name as well as invited me into his world. And even though I was currently running water in order to rinse the dishes I had just washed....those dishes were put to the side & we played in that water!!!!!! TOGETHER!!!!!!! What a party!

2. New Words - For awhile now, we have realized that Ethan has been spelling & reading words. But this week, we came to the realization that he is probably reading more words than he can spell....he simply amazes me. However, we are still keeping track of words we realize he can spell....here are the new ones...DUCK, WEB, FUN, GAS, INK, FOX, ELK, JUG, PLAY, OVER, POT. Corey was playing a game with Ethan...Ethan would say, "How 'bout VIOLIN?", and Corey would spell it with our magnetic letters. Then Ethan would say, "V-I-O-L-I-N spells VIOLIN!" Ethan loves this game. Then, Ethan says to Corey, "How 'bout ASTRONAUT?" Corey looks at me with this confused & astonished look on his face, and says he doesn't think HE knows how to spell astronaut! HAHA! So, Corey turns back to Ethan & says, "How 'bout DOG?" It was great.

3. No Pacifier!!! - He has fallen asleep without his pacifier for 2 nights in a row!!! This is HUGE! We didn't even gear up for it or anything....just tried 'cold turkey' one night when he was extremely tired. Ethan has only been allowed is pacifier when he goes down for nap or at bedtime. A big tool that Ethan uses to calm down is chewing on things or sucking on things.....his sports bottle, a sucker, chewy toys, and his pacifier. So, we thought this was going to be an epic battle, and we weren't really planning on dealing with this issue yet. We have been focusing on potty-training. Only one battle at a time people!!!! But he did it!!!! YEAH! He does still ask for them, and when we tell him that big boys don't use a pacifier, he says, "I'm so sad." (Which to be honest, makes me want to give it right back to him.) And he has woken up in the middle of the night for hours at a time...trying to self-soothe himself back to sleep. But he's doing so great! And, bonus, we side-stepped one epic battle! Now for the other battle.....

4. Self-prompted pooping! - I don't know how to talk about body functions in any other way than kid-talk...so prepare yourself! Twice on Saturday & twice today (Sunday), Ethan has come to us, and said, "I have to poop on the potty!".....and he did every time!!!! Normally, with his diaper, he will poop once a day. However, because my child has the attention span of a goldfish, he poops a tiny bit & is ready to go back to playing. Then...a little while later...."I have to poop on the potty!"...and he finishes. Thus equaling the twice in one day. But, hey, this is a huge victory after a month of trying to potty train this child! And, if I don't have to change THOSE kind of diapers, I'll be in heaven!

5. Kissing on the cheek - Usually when we ask Ethan for a hug or a kiss, he will walk over to you & lean in sideways....you have to do the hugging or the kissing. But today, Corey tells Ethan to "give mommy a kiss on the cheek." He comes over, grabs my face with his little hands, pushes his mouth into the side of my face & then makes the kissing sound while he pulls his face away! It was the cutest thing ever! Tonight, we went out to my sister's school to help her set up her classroom (she is a teacher), and he kept giving my mom kisses on the cheek....all on his own! Adorable!

Well....it has been a full week. Ethan is growing right before our eyes. To the normal eye, these things wouldn't be a big deal. Most people probably wouldn't even notice this kind of stuff. But we do. And we celebrate it...big time. We have lots of impromptu party parades at our house. Every single new word, phrase, action, or poop is a big victory. Some days it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Some days I don't even think that my child knows I'm in the room. But some days.....some moments in time.....I get kisses on the cheek. And those precious moments are what sustain me....that & coffee.