Leave is almost over...

I've had a great time on family leave and it's winding down quickly. I've so enjoyed this time with Jack and I'm ready to get back to work. Jack will be attending a wonderful day care program. We've been spending time there each day this week so he can get to know the staff and the other children.

We created a ball pit for Jack to play in at home. And he loves it- and Ella loves it too. Our living room is looking more like a playroom everyday.

Happy Lunar New Year!- It's the year of the Rat!

Living outside the box

Our house is quite the obstacle course these days. We're working with Jack on sitting up and standing more often. The child likes to rock and lie on his back so I've created space in our living room to encourage him to sit and stand while playing with many of his toys. The challenge has been keeping toys close by because he is a "tosser"- toys go flying across the room because I think he enjoys the sound of toys falling to the floor. So I've attached the toys to his space so he can find them again. The thing I'm learning about raising and living with a child who is visually impaired is that it keeps you on your toes and always thinking about how to challenge him.

One thing I learned this week was related to language development. I sang the "name song" to Ella frome an early age- she would shout out a name or word and I would start "Ella, Ella bo-bella..." I read this week that non-sense rhyming doesn't help visually impaired children develop their language skills. So I've nipped singing the name song with Jack . Ella and I started working on the Old McDonald song but instead of animals we thought of sounds heard around our home. It was fun and Ella was so creative and thoughtful- thinking of things like doors, shoes and hands clapping. This journey is one that is going to make us all think outside the box!