spoons and other gifts

Quote of the day: "I'm a good little boy and always very curious." (Bug)

*****

We're on Spring Break this week, and have stayed in town. This means that we're going to Field Trip our way around town, and that I'll be hopelessly behind in things like laundry by the end of the week. And that I'll be a little frayed around the edges from so much time with the boys. I may not get a chance to post again.

*****

Sunday night our neighbors invited us over. Their boys are Little Kid (LK) age4, Middle Kid (MK) turning 7, and Big Kid (BK) age 8. MK has Downs Syndrome and Autism. He runs around with the others some, but is often inside playing on his own. He's able to communicate a bit, but isn't really verbal. I'm pleased at how much the boys accept him and include him. All I've explained is that different people's brains work in different ways. Apparently good enough.

So, it was MK's birthdayparty. I asked Pook and Bug what we should give to him. They both started to giggle, then answered at the same time, "spoons!" Well, they're right, his favorite thing right now is spoons. He likes the noises they make against his hand and cheek. Some spoons are better than others and he's walked off with most of his mom's dinner spoons and I think all of her measuring spoons. So, spoons were part of our gift. I also bought a fun Playdoh kit I thought he'd enjoy.

The day of the party, Bug got himself in trouble by giving me the tongue-sticking-out-finger-wagging-combo and was sentenced to a 30 minute delay going to the party. Honestly, other than kicking him to the moon and back or selling him on eBay, it was the meanest thing I could think to do. (I'm not yet sure if it had the desired effect.) My husband (who needs a pseudonym more than even LK, MK, and BK do) offered to stay behind while Pook and I headed next door. Since there was much screaming, I was happy to accept. I left the gift behind because Bug hadn't signed the card and was in no mood to do so.

When my husband (who I think wants to think of his own pseudonym) came over with Bug, they had an additional package with them. Turns out, Bug had settled himself down and said he wanted to give MK a gift by himself. He searched through our seldom used board books and chose My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. He put it in a shoe box, got a piece of paper and wrote his name on it, got out a colored envelope and put the "card" in it, taped it all together and brought it to MK.

I was so impressed.

We were about to leave (an hour past bedtime) and MK hadn't opened gifts yet. I suggested that Bug just give him his. He took both presents to him and MK opened the Playdoh. Unexciting. On to the next box, Bug's. He took out the book, immediately started to flip through the pages, then, when bothered by the onlookers (us) moved to another room to continue flipping through the book.

Well done, Bug. (He liked his spoons too, but the ones his mom picked out for him he liked better!)