The decompression chamber

Today, after work, I picked up Lucas from school and went home. John was working from home today so he was already there... in front of the computer... when we got home. Ian arrived a couple of hours later from his summer job.

The end of the day is usually time for, as John calls it, decompression. He was the first person I ever met to use that term and I thought he was being overly dramatic about needing to be left alone after coming home from work. Decompression, to me, sounds like the thing you do after fighting a battle or training a tiger or a really deep sea diving experience... really scary and difficult stuff!

The definition of decompress: to relieve of pressure (ok, that sounds like something you probably need to do after work)

Another definition: to return to a condition of normal pressure (yup, definitely necessary after a long work day)

So how do the stags in this household return to normal pressure? Tonight was a perfect example. John was already decompressing when Lucas and I walked in the door. John's typical decompression activities involve killing monsters on the computer, looking for bargains on slickdeals.com, or chuckling at random posts on reddit.com.

Lucas, upon walking in the door, kicked off his shoes, took off his jacket, sat at the computer and logged onto youtube.com to watch cartoons of Super Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, or Lego Batman. I really have to keep an eye on that boy. Some youtube stuff is just inappropriate!


Ian's routine involves checking on the dailybunny.com. No, no, this is not a website with beautiful scantily-clad women of the Playboy magazines (you have a dirty mind!) It is a website dedicated to bunnies of the animal kind...one cute and fuzzy photo after another. Sometimes he video-conferences with other students from his Computer Science department at school.

Me? Well, if you are reading this, then you know that there is a 4th computer (yes, we have at least 4) being occupied by me. If I'm not typing something on stagnation, I am surfing QVC.com for jewelry, shoes, or handbags. Or I am reading other blogs by minimalists like Leo Babauta (mnmlist.com) or Jeff Yeager (UltimateCheapskate.com). Oh, oh, and don't forget the fabulous episodes of The Rachel Maddow Show on msnbc.com.

So after all this decompressing, the 4 of us should be relaxed and rejuvenated! Right? I'll get back to you on that one!

Stag Speech -part 2

Lucas saw Diane, his speech therapist for two years. By this time Lucas also had surgery, a myringotomy (insertion of ear tubes).

The surgery, called a myringotomy, is a tiny incision in the eardrum. Any fluid, usually thickened secretions will be removed. In most situations, a small plastic tube (a tympanostomy tube) is inserted into the eardrum to keep the middle ear aerated for a prolonged period of time. These ventilating tubes remain in place for six months to several years. (medicinenet.com)

Lucas' progress in speech suddenly took off after this surgery. One speech therapist said that when the middle ear is clogged like that, the child might be hearing sounds as if he is under water. I believe her. Especially when Lucas' pronunciation became so much clearer after the surgery.

After that, we noticed how much more talkative Lucas has become. He can talk about something non-stop for several minutes...even if no one is paying attention. I can honestly say that, some days, the only way he keeps me focused on his chatter is when he uses the phrase "hey Mommy" or "watch this".

Fast-forward to this summer: I was spending the day at home with Lucas and I noticed how much he was saying in such a short period of time. So I decided to write down everything he was saying as fast as I can. Here is some of it:

When Daddy get home, he can try the chicken with sticks. If he doesn't like it, he can use his fingers.

Want to try my chicken? (no response from me)

What to be my battle partner on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle game?

Mommy, watch this!... Heee Yaaaa!

Want to taste my french fry? Want to dip it? (no response from me)

I am getting fuller.

I can do this like this. (dipping fries in ketchup)

If Daddy doesn't like to eat with sticks, he can play DC Universe.

Mommy, watch this.

Want to come closer to me? This is whacking. (he whacks his fries onto ketchup)

I don't like fire. In camping, we'll just sit on a log, not the fire.

Watch this.

Look, Mom, it got two cracks (referring to his fries)

I'm full.

Wanna be my battle partner?

Want to watch a movie theater? I'm going to "Cars 2" on June 24.

Donatello's weapon is a staff. He only has one.

Leonardo has the long swords. He's blue (that's for Dad). He likes it.

Watch this. Watch this.

I wonder what his speech therapist will say when she sees him again at school.

Stag Speech

It all started when Lucas was at the doctor for a checkup. The pediatrician asked me how many words he was saying. I had to really think. Lucas was only two and a half. Why does she want to know? "Twenty. Or maybe twenty five?" I responded. "Hmm," she said. "He should be saying 200 words at this age." That's when our speech journey began.

His first speech therapist was a pretty lady named Karen. She spoke to him softly and blew bubbles during their sessions trying to get him to say the word "Pop"... or at least the "P" sound at the beginning and end of the word. He loved that. It was play-based speech therapy and the focus was sound production. Lucas was still pointing and grunting at this point. His appointments were twice weekly for 45 minute sessions. Now that I think back, Lucas worked pretty hard during his sessions mimicking Karen making "Ga, Ga, Ga" and "Da, Da, Da" sounds. And I worked pretty hard at driving him 45 minutes to his appointments in the middle of the day.

When Lucas turned 3, his case was transferred to the SF Unified School District. He had to go through one of the district's preschools to receive speech therapy. That's when we met Diane. She was an older lady with a "get-down-to-business" attitude. Along with speech therapy, Diane also taught Lucas the beginnings of letter formation and phonics.

Transferring to the Unified School district was also the start of Lucas' IEP (Individualized Education Program). It is a legal document drawn up by the special education department after an assessment of the child has been made. Lucas was tested verbally, visually, and using his motor skills.

The IEP should describe how the student learns, how the student best demonstrates that learning and what teachers and service providers will do to help the student learn more effectively. The wording on this document is enough to make a parent wonder if her child will be ok.

"Lucas will repond to commands containing regular past tense verbs... using simple sequencing cards with an 80% target achievement. Lucas will follow two-part related and unrelated directions that use concepts with 35% achievement."

How these people know whether Lucas has reached "target achievement" is lost on me. Being his Mom, I couldn't even tell you with certainty that Lucas can "answer who, what, when, and where questions in context during structured activity."

Nevertheless, I plugged ahead, diligently driving him to his speech sessions. John worked on his comprehension with Brain Quest books and activities. Our hopes and dreams for a college scholarship were fading fast. Oh well, better start saving money now...

(to be continued)