Nobody & Too Much

A couple new phrases from Grafton...

• When arriving at an empty classroom in the morning, Grafton likes to explain, "nobody here"
• Yesterday, during a walk on the MHC campus, we pointed out the dark forest next to the path, to which he responded "nobody in the woods"
• Today, for the first time, he started using the phrase "too much"

What's your name?

As of yesterday, he can provide the correct answer to this most important question.  I'd say he pronounces it more like "Gafton".  He can also tell his parents what their names are, when asked (i.e., "Neva" and "Andrew"). It's very cute.  Interestingly, he's been able to tell us his teachers' and friends' names for quite some time now.

Runaway

In the words of his teacher Mitch, Grafton has been starting to "test his limits".  To our chagrin, we've also been witness to this behavioral shift.  Honestly, it's not been all that bad, as he only acts up on days when he has a sleep deficit.  But today was one such day.  On this day, Grafton spent considerable time refining his techniques for ignoring parental questions and requests.  He worked on how to feign interest in any nearby inanimate object when something is asked of him, appearing completely entranced by the object while he studies its finest details.  Grafton also practiced his "I was heading somewhere important before you started talking to me" technique, in which he slyly meanders away towards a distant destination that clearly is more important and more interesting than any trifling talk that might be emanating from his parents lips.  All of this we can take in stride, and sometimes we even get a little, hidden chuckle out of watching his antics be put to use.

But then he went too far.  It was about 6pm in the evening, and Dad was gathering together all the trash for the next day's curbside pickup.  Mom was outside with Grafton, and he was enjoying himself while pushing around an empty cooler-on-wheels at the top of the driveway.  When Dad came outside with the recycling, he saw that Grafton was starting to head down the driveway and asked him to turn around.  In an instant, Grafton dropped the cooler to the ground, and started running full-stride, downhill toward the street.  Busy with the trash, Dad called out to Mom, "you'd better go get him!"  She started down after him.  Usually Grafton will run a short distance and then stop, just to see if he's caught anyone's attention.  But not this time.  He started running faster as he heard Mom's sandals flip-flopping behind him!  Mom was slowly closing the gap between her and Grafton--but not quickly enough!  Realizing he might actually reach the street before catching him, she starts to yell wildly at him to stop, but I think this only spurred on his escape.  Dad, who was originally convinced that Mom was going make the catch halfway down the 150' driveway, stood helpless as he watched the pursuit unfold in slow motion.  Feet before the driveway ended, Mom was able to snag the little sprinter, who was given a proper scolding, and then brought inside for a lengthy timeout.  We were both in a little shock at how quickly this dangerous situation unfolded, and then how fortunate we all were that it ended without incident.  Perhaps we'll start our search again for a new home, preferably one located at the end of a cul-de-sac.

Clear Lungs

We brought Grafton to his pulmonologist today for his third follow-up check up, since his hospitalization.  His lungs sounded clear and the doctor agreed that his health looked good.  His oxygen saturation measured 100%.  The doctor explained that in order to test the theory that his asthma-like symptoms were caused by an ibuprofen allergy, we'll have to subject him to the medicine while under medical care, as they watch for recurrent symptoms.  We're not thrilled about doing this, but it will good to know whether he needs to avoid ibuprofen.

Miscellany, 8/9

• On Sunday, while eating dinner at Nana & PopPop's, one of the side dishes was fresh peas from a local garden.  Grafton liked the peas so much, he requested, "More peas please!" (they really were sweet and delicious).
• Grafton spent hours this past weekend playing in a toy car, pushing it around, and getting in and out more times than anyone would care to count. He had fun pretending to be a pizza delivery driver, bringing make-believe pizza to anyone that asked for it.  PopPop paid him once with a piece of paper and asked for change; later on Grafton remembered this and gave Nana change after making a delivery.
• Recently, at night when Grafton wakes and wants someone to check on him, instead of crying, he simply repeats, "Mommy and Daddy coming soon", "Mommy coming soon", or "Daddy coming soon".  Later the same night he requested, "Blanket on".
• He counted to 8, while reviewing the 10 instruments shown in his "Zin Zin Zin, A Violin" book.
• He can recite letters A through G in order.
• Reading his "My Car" book with Mom, he could tell us what  the last word of each sentence is on each of the first few pages, including "my car", "clean", "oil", "gasoline", "wheels", and "rain" (wipers).  Interestingly, he told us "signs", but one page too early, so he's clearly memorizing and recalling parts of this book.  When asked who the character was (Sam), he said "boy" and then "Grafton", when asked the character's name.  This is one of the first times he used his name without being prompted.
• In the tub, Grafton was playing with a new boat, which came with a small fish, but which was missing.  He remembered it was "outside" on the back deck and asked Mama to retrieve it.
• Capable of completing his peg puzzles now, matching up the pieces and rotating them as necessary.
• Enjoyed playing with a long piece of cardboard, with upturned ends, standing on it and jumping up and down.  Mama asked him if it was a skateboard, and he said yes.

See also, "Miscellany, 7/26"

The Be Bop Link

Now we know why Grafton loves his "Charlie Parker Played Be Bop" book so much!  According to Wikipedia, "The most notable player of a Grafton saxophone was Charlie Parker"
[research provided by ntolopko]

Mine

Having just returned from food shopping, we were all sitting down in the living room enjoying a bowl of blueberries together. Grafton's a big fan of blueberries, but he was willing to share the snack with his parents. He even went so far as to grab a handful out his Daddy's hand and brought them over to his Mama, who was laying down on the couch. We told him, "That was so sweet to bring Mama blueberries!" and he clearly understood because he went back to the bowl to do it again. After grabbing another handful, he started walking slowly over to Mama, but by the time he arrived all the blueberries had been consumed (we'll probably have to discourage him from getting into the pizza delivery business). He returned to the bowl to eat some more himself, and now he started cramming more into his mouth with each handful. Daddy had been enjoying the blueberries as well, and so far Grafton seemed to enjoy sharing the afternoon treat. But the bowl was getting low. Seeing the bottom of the bowl growing larger, Grafton's willingness to share evaporated, and when Daddy went reaching for one more berry, Grafton declared "Mine!" (muffled somewhat by a mouthful of blueberries). This was the first time we heard him lay claim to property. Daddy reached again for another tasty berry, and Grafton again protected the dwindling supply with a much clearer "Mine!" I asked him if Daddy could have a blueberry, and he blurted out a clear and definitive "No!" I then asked if Mama could have a blueberry. Again, "No!" We let him finish the bowl. We'll teach him the virtues of sharing another time.