just like Omar Gooding

i know you are thinking that that name sounds familiar. If you are a child of the 80's (or maybe 90's?) you are trying to put a face on that name. He was a Nickelodeon staple. And what child didn't live for Nickelodeon when they were little ... slime, hey dude, all that and wild and crazy kids. Omar was the host of the latter. so in theory I am just like Omar. because man, these kids are wild and crazy. all.day.long. As I am typing this Mack is chasing Dash around the house and hitting him with a toy golf club and they both think it is the most hilarious game ever. Dash alternates walking with rolling on the ground in the strangest way that I cannot even describe. He does this when we are out also ... it is pretty embarrassing when you are trying to buy everything on super clearance at BabyGap and your 3 year old is rolling around the filthy mall floor singing some song you cannot understand but at least he wasn't screaming i guess.  Mack has discovered how to move around his little green Ikea chair from his bedroom and place it in front of the kitchen counter or maybe the bathroom sink or even once he put it in front of his high chair and then proceeds to climb into/onto whatever surface he desires. nothing is off limits. Dash has always been wild and crazy but now Mack is joining in on the fun. My house is a perpetual disaster that I am pretty sure is going to stay like that for at least the next 10 years. so i feel like i am Omar - the referee who occasionally got to join in on the fun. like last night we made forts all over the house and crawled through tunnels to each location or when I draw the worlds longest hopscotch in the backyard and show the boys just how it is done. but i doubt Omar had to clean up the mess - he probably had people for that. i need those people.

different.

I'm Pouring My Heart Out with Shell - head on over to read more ...

I had to have a conference with Dash's teachers yesterday. They called me concerned about some of his "developmental" issues and want to sit down to discuss my little man. They said they were concerned about his attention, his hyperfocus on certain things, a couple sensory things that I had never even considered, his energy level in general and his speech and fine motor skill delay. A little overwhelming for me. I just want my little man to be normal and not to struggle. But they also said with all the issues that are going on with him - he is a very very happy child, he doesn't actually present any behavior problems in the classroom. when it is quiet he sits in circle time without being asked and she said that he is one of the only ones that walks in line every single time. He shares the toys without a fight and once you get his attention he does whatever it is that you want him to do with a big smile on his face. They said that his laid back and easygoing attitude are probably what is allowing him to not struggle in the classroom. and he is cute - which makes it easier to forgive his craziness sometimes!

I made an appointment with his doctor to discuss these concerns and see what steps she recommends that we make to help him. We are still waiting for a spot for speech therapy but his speech is getting better every single day so I think that it is more of a waiting kind of situation. I also called the school system to see if we can get an evaluation to see if he qualifies for therapy through them now that he is 3. The 3 times we had him evaluated through Early Steps he never qualified so I don't know if he will but think that observations from his teachers would be helpful.

When I look at Dash - I see this adorable blonde hair little boy who is always laughing and smiling, who loves Mickey Mouse and jumping off high things, a kid who plays hard all day long and then crashes even harder when it is time to go to bed. I don't think of his "issues" as things that make him different but just as what makes him him.