YAY!

[conuly]

Dear Kensington Customer,

I have placed an order for new adapter and you will recive it within next 10-12 days.

Thank you for contacting Kensington Technical Support.

Regards

Abhijeet
Kensington Technical Support.

Whee. I'm so so SO happy :) *does the adapter dance of doom*

Ana didn't do anything especially cute today, though we're making great strides with the question "What's your mommy's name?" I hope we make similar progress when we get to "What's your daddy's name?" I don't think I'll do "aunt" or "grandmother's", because I doubt those'll be asked.

Progress is one of those English words that used to bother me a lot, like interject or detail. You've got a prefix, and you've got a stem, but the stem doesn't mean anything. Progress, regress, agression, digress, gress is meaningless. Ject is meaningless, tail has a meaning, but that's not one that's related to detail, retail, entail. Of course, now I understand why that happened, but those words still bother me. I wonder if I can start using "gress" in sentences....

Oh, and Jenn complained about how I moved Goldilocks to a park, saying that "woods" is just fine, vocabulary building, so I filled the rest of the story with bears that enter their houses "full of trepidation" and girls who "defenestrate" themselves. I'm not sure that's what she meant, but it was fun, anyway.

Actually, she did do a few cute things today. First, while trying to find a radio station she could dance to, she found Air America Radio (at least, that's what I think it was, it sounded "liberal" to me, whatever that means) and kept it on there. She lowered the volume a lot, but she never changed stations. So we listened all about the hunger strikes at Gitmo while I brushed her hair. I'm so proud :)

And then today... See, at the Museum, at the end of the programs, they sit on a parachute and go around singing "ring around the rosy", two or three or four times. And then they go under the parachute for a while while the adults lift it up and down. At Battery Park City, there's more kids, so they sit on the parachute while singing a song and telling a story, but that's it. No going around, no going under. So for the past two days, Ana's been sitting on the parachute at BPC, lifting the edge and going "Aka? Aka?", while I'd say "not today". So today, when she realizes what they're doing at the museum, she could've lit up the room. "AKA! *scrambles to the middle* AKA!"

I do love her. She's so cute and sweet.

Comments

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

Oh, and rats, I forgot to also comment with this...

Have you considered working/volunteering at a preschool, or do what foxxxyben is and work/volunteer with preschool-age autistic spectrum kids? (He said that he is having a blast doing it, and that it's handled/structured in a way that is OK with his autism -- not requiring extra self-motivated responsibility, which is what you've mentioned worrying about, so the usual difficulties don't apply.) It might be something to consider if you don't get SSI and could use the money.

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

I told her she could certainly become a nanny after all this experience - and she's great at it!

[conuly]

People *do* keep suggesting that - I do like kids, even though there's no way I'm having them (but you know that). But right now, I don't have the free time. That's one reason I'm not having kids - I *like* having a few hours to myself every day, and parents of young children just don't have that luxury.

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

That's primarily one of the reasons I was suggesting that someday you look into it as a career -- I've met a lot of childfree teachers that said they like kids for a few hours a day (i.e. for work) but don't want to spend 24/7 with them.

Not right away, obviously, since you've already got a volunteer job with Ana, but maybe when she's old enough to go to preschool or similar.

[conuly]

You mean, when her sister is. Theoretically, Ana should already be in daycare parttime, but they can't afford it. She should definitely, though, be in part-time preschool by the time Jenn gets off maternity leave, because there's no way I'm watching both kids all week. One kid all week, sure. Both kids *part* of the week, okay. Both kids all week? NOT HAPPENING.

[moggymania.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, that's right.

Depending on her age by then, it might actually be easier to have her with you -- preschool kids are often really wild about "helping" take care of a younger sibling. (I was four when my brother was born and did a *lot* of the work taking care of him. Considering I'm autistic, my guess is that a NT little kid probably could do the same at a younger age?)

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

Not a bad point. She actually has gotten pretty helpful. We will, however, have her in daycare/preschool (next year) at least part of the time. That may be full day some days or part day all days, we'll see what works best.

In the meantime, I think Connie is looking forward to the relative "break" of having just a baby - really, most of the time they're simpler to care for, and they sleep more! They just don't require the constant energy (and entertainment!) that a toddler demands in those first few months. (This is AFTER the first 3 months, mind. Before that they're just nutso.)

[conuly]

Yes, that too :)

You can take an infant to the bookstore, or the movies, and they'll just *sleep*. Not so with toddlers, who get bored and make messes.

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

And run around. Don't forget the running. :-)

[conuly]

And "connie, spin? Connie, akas, akas? Connie, pick me up, put me down, pick me up? No, I wun. No. I walk. No, pick me up! NO! HOLD ON TIGHT! SING! NO SING! WOCK! NO WOCK! I NO SYEEP!"

And always "that's mine!"

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

It's a good thing I wasn't drinking anything when I read this....

[conuly]

She's very into making her doll, or us, "go to bed" or "change the diaper" or "do your hair" - treating the doll, or us, like she was the mom.

She's also thrilled to help do things like wash the dishes or whatever.

However, she isn't yet *able* to do all these things as well as she'd like, and it slows us down to have her help (we want her to help, of course, but it's not helping yet).

I don't think when the baby's new is the time to try that out. When they're a bit older, maybe - besides, it's good for her to be with other kids.

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

Although, when I cave and get a garbage pail in place under the sink, she can throw out all the diapers! And probably bring you diapers and wipes when needed. And maybemaybe "assist" with feeding her. And...um...read to her? Sing to her? Oh - put bottles in the sink!

[conuly]

Half the diapers - not the poopy ones. Stupid crappy diapers....

I wonder how Ana will take to seeing all these bottles again? She never *did* like bottles, you know. Not even when she was willing to use them.

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

Maybe she'll try to nurse her. :-)

Or suggest that you should!

[conuly]

*laughs*

No.

Much though I do tell people that one can induce lactation, I don't think I'm especially interested in doing that for somebody else's kid. Thanks, but no.

[gingembre.livejournal.com]

I meant, ANA might suggest you need to nurse the baby! :-p

[conuly]

*giggles*

I know. And that'd be my answer to her, too!

[brownkitty.livejournal.com]

"Baby want Conniemilk?"
"No Conniemilk for baby."
"Anamilk?"
"No Anamilk for baby. Just Mommymilk."

Why can I picture that exact conversation taking place?