I couldn't come up with a name for a second name for a little boy except Brighton. Chris hated Brighton. So I went searching for a new boys name. I found Callum on nymbler.com when I put the name Harmon in. It meant peace. Harm's name meant war. So my boys are: War and Peace. Yes, I am that bad of a literary nerd. For the most part their names have been a little prophetic... well until the school year started!
Harmon:
Harm is doing so well. We started him into a private pre-school program that integrates his special needs therapy. It has been great. I really think the teachers are doing more here than the teachers at the schools. They are teaching Harm self-regulation. If he needs oral-motor stimulation he has cards he can choose from and do something like chewing on a special pencil chewer or put a spicy candy in his mouth. They are working on eye contact, speech, listening, etc. They are amazing.
I was really worried how this would go. The biggest difference between his school now and and his old school is that this program is fully integrated. There are a handful like Harm who have special needs and there were all types of special needs kids. In this school Rachel and Harm are the most severe. Other than them there are a few speech delayed kids or motor wise but MOST are typical peers.
He does great! He was the only new kid in his class and they picked on him a little the first week. Than Friday the boys all had a race and Harm won. After that he was cool and he still wins a lot of the races. I still worry some days he is going to get written up for getting out of sorts and attacking. There is a no tolerance policy for things like biting and hitting. The other day he told me: "I got a note but it is bad... I'm not going to show you." Of course he finally showed me and it was for talking! Not biting, or yelling but just talking during class!!! It was awesome :)
He is so special to me. I remember the days I worked full time and he was a little baby. He went everywhere with me. To this day he is always the child who knows me best. The last time I was not feeling well, he sat in my bedroom drawing. When Daddy asked him to come play with him he said "No I'm playing with my mom". Later that day I told him how nice it was that he came to stay with me and he told me: mommy it is my job to protect and take care of you. Other times he will tell me, "when Daddy is working late I'm the man of the house!"
At home he is really stepping into a great leadership role. We still have some really tough days where he is just out of sorts but he is doing his chores, doing extra chores, helping me, protecting his brother and sister in school, and so forth. It is neat to see how well he is doing. I have always known Harmon is an amazing wonderful but now it is nice to see everyone else in this world of his is seeing that!
Callum:
Callum is not happy with Mommy! In fact he is downright miserable. He has been giving me nothing but total Hell for sending him to school. I don't blame him. If I could stay home and play all day I would totally choose that. I guess with Rachel she is getting over her school sickness but Callum is still mad at me.
The thing is that Callum isn't 3 yet for his adjusted age. He was supposed to be born on October 24. I think he is going through the terrible 2's just a little late. He is always my laid back baby who is perfectly chillax most days. That is not him these days. He loves to tease and taunt his very sensitive brother and sister. He refuses to wear the clothes I pick for him (another Rachel) and he throws everything. First kid of mine to ever throw his dinner plate in protest. (He was in big trouble). School is having likewise problems. He won't even sit with us at the movies. He is like a moody teenager.
The funny thing is that he is a quiet genius. He always knows the answer to everything if he cares to put the time into answering. Problem is he would rather walk to the beat of his own drum. He is still just as musical. His favorite singer is train. Yes he is that kid who can sing an entire verse of 50 Ways to Say Goodbye: "She was caught in a mudslide, Eaten by a lion, Got run over by a crappy purple Scion, Help me, help me, I'm no good at goodbyes..." He hates sports but oddly enough he is great at it. Again, those skills like throwing, catching and kicking a ball are better than some kids a year or two older.
My favorite thing is his sense of humor these days. Him and I have a special connection. No matter how mad he is at me he loves to laugh. We do silly faces together. We have inside jokes like: "you're a jumbo pizza" "no you're jumbo pizza" We can argue that one for ten minutes. I love to whisper him things like "I love you". He always whispers "I love you" right back. I know he is going through a lot of change but that is one special boy. Hopefully he won't be mad at me forever.
(This is after his first hair cut, don't worry it was only a trim! He is my surfer boy always!)
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