Merry Christmas to everyone!

We had friends and family over for an early Christmas dinner today (Oh, what a feast it was! Ham, turkey, pop-overs, home-made rolls and cookies, mash potatoes, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, just to mention a few items). Rebecca and I worked on this little gingerbread house this week after putting Xavier down for the night. Building a gingerbread house together has been on our date list for a long time. It was a fun time building it together. We used it as the table's centerpiece for the dinner.

Xavier slept in this morning until 8:30. After yesterday's puking and eating issues and a turbulent night Christmas Eve, the extra sleep for his parents was welcomed. When Xavier did get up, he toddled into the room where the stockings were hung with care. Looking around, he took on a look that may have communicated "what's going on? I think I might like it."

Taking his stocking down, mom assists Xavier in figuring out what to do. It was not intuitive; perhaps if we had added some small electronic items to the stocking, it might have been.

When Xavier found the flashlight Grandpa "Santa" Danny sent him, he was done with his stocking for a while. He knew how to turn the light on and off (he has practiced with one of Mommy's for months). That turned out to be his favorite toy from the stocking. Even the foam sword did not interest him as much as the flashlight.

Eventually, we coaxed Xavier back over to finish exploring what remained in his stocking. He got through the rest of it with Mom's help, most of the while holding onto his flashlight.

We took a small break to eat breakfast before entering into Middle Earth, where the light of the Christmas Tree shone upon all the wrapped and decorated items. The first item Xavier saw (it was hard to miss, actually) was the wagon. We did not know how he would react, but I am glad I had camera ready because I would have missed some great opportunities.

The wagon, a gift from Xavier's Grandma Penny, stole the show. Upon seeing the wagon, nothing else mattered. As captured by camera, Xavier ran over and gave the wagon a lasting hug. He then grabbed the handle and started dragging the wagon to the door to go outside. The pull was a short one, the door leading out was closed. Instead, he did the next best thing. He pulled all the gifts (his gifts) loaded in the wagon onto the floor, then crawled in. There he sat while everyone opened their gifts.

When he wasn't obsessing about which cup holder in the wagon should hold the jar of huckleberry jam his grandpa sent us, Xavier did open his packages, albeit with some parental help. The dump truck he is opening here we thought was the show-stealer as he drove one like it up and down the aisle at the store we bought this one at; the enthusiasm he showed is why we bought it. Alas, the wagon overshadowed this toy also.

There was one toy which did pull Xavier out of his wagon. A little wooden train. He opened it up while in the wagon, but as soon as Mom put it on the floor and pulled it along, Xavier nearly vaulted from his wagon to get to the train.

Xavier opened his crayon set (these crayons slip onto the finger) while on the floor. He has gotten into coloring (and eating the tips of crayons) recently, so these had a big appeal.

Xavier's grandpa sent him a onesie and pair of overalls. The onesie had manly prints of tractors on it. It will be a few months before Xavier fits into the overalls (by the way, dad loves dressing Xavier in overalls; they look cool and have a built-in handle to direct Xavier with), but these will come in handy as Xavier plays in the yard (which he wants to do more and more). Here, Aunt Chellie keeps Xavier still long enough to get a picture of him in his new onesie.

Merry Christmas Eve to all, and to all a good night!

We have been looking forward to this night for some time. Xavier goes to bed and falls asleep, visions of sugar plums dancing in his head. Mom turns on Christmas carols to play quietly in the background. Dad dons the fake white beard held to his face by a thin elastic strap, then heads for the room we call Middle Earth, where the Christmas tree stands decorated and Xavier's one gift needing assembly stands sealed in its box.

The box has stood against the wall all week, and Xavier has played on top of it many times. It stands tall enough that he can play with the rheostat light switch, a device that fascinates him. But now that the Wee One is asleep, it's time for the box's content to make their appearance.

Ah, dreams. The substance of life, or so the round tells us. From the time he got up this morning, Xavier has been throwing up. Four times today at last count, and all but one Mom has had to change clothes too. He has been tired and cranky, and who can blame him with all his phlegm-dredging coughing and his upset stomach. Late in the afternoon Rebecca took him to the clinic. Now, he is on antibiotics three times a day.

So tired throughout the day, he actually fell asleep on Dad while in church. Wow. Rebecca says he has done that before, but I cannot remember it. Tonight, with Mom, Dad and Aunt Chellie sitting around him at the dinner table, Xavier fell to sleep in his highchair. Not even Mom's delicious Beef Burgundy (which usually he devours ravenously) could scare away the Sandman.

We woke him, changed his diaper and got him into his night clothes, fed him (a tenuous move given today's history), then got him to his crib. At last, the dream could commence! With family gathered around, the boxed item got opened, its contents sorted and laid out, the parts compared to the list printed in the assembly instructions.

The first problem besetting us was the list of tools needed: a hammer. What?! Xavier just got to sleep, and that was no easy feat this night, not after waking him from the highchair. OK, so move to the basement? Move to the patio, in freezing temperatures? Rubber mallet—O, it's still packed somewhere! Pound quietly was the solution we decided to go with.

The sparsely noted instructions were written in three languages. Lots of pictures with arrows and rotated views. No real directions of any kind, except in every panel where it warned the assembler that the wheels must be put on correctly. At least those oft-repeated instructions had three languages to get that vital point across. How to build the wheels correctly was an exercise left to the assembler. Led down a wrong trail by the arrows in the diagram, the first fubar took :20 minutes to back out, and backing out looked grim for a long time. All the while working to back out a wrongly assembled axle, those three-language warnings repeatedly taunted us. Correcting the problem left one thing certain: those back wheels aren't coming off except by means of a cutting torch or shaped explosives. That fubar worked through, we had no others the rest of the assembly.

Greetings to everyone.

Today, the three of us met with Mrs. Robin, Xavier's speech therapist. It's been several weeks since Xavier last saw Robin; even longer since I attended a session. We had determined that Xavier showed better advancement if he did not see Robin every week.

Today's meeting was not another session of helping Xavier figure out how to chew, swallow and eat with age-appropriate skill. Today was a language assessment.

Xavier got to play the whole session while Mrs. Robin asked Rebecca and me many questions. Our answers provided the basis of where Xavier is at speech-wise. The questions took nearly the full hour to get through.

Xavier is a little behind for the 18-21 month grouping, but nearly spot-on for the 15-18 month grouping. Xavier will now be seeing Mrs. Robin once or twice a month for a while (we have an approved referral for 21 visits through May 2015), these sessions to catch him up on speaking. His delay in eating skills helped put him behind a little in speaking. Mrs. Robin also mentioned that having him in preschool will help with his speech also, as other children his age will have success with teaching him English. We already have several "exercises" to work with Xavier; these are easy games which easily integrate into most interactions with Xavier.

Mrs. Robin also gave us some sound advice for managing Xavier's leaning toward vestibular sensory input. He is a kinesthetic child, and does very well when learning and teaching accommodate this fact. Mrs. Robin did a number of tests with Xavier while asking us her language questions (his responses to her tests impressed her several times). The advice she gave us concerning Xavier going to school and sitting through a church service (for example) we will put to use. It all involves special and directed types of activity. This will even help when bringing him to a dinner table.

She also recommended an occupational therapist see Xavier. This will not be like his previous OT, but someone well-suited for Xavier's disposition, someone who can work with Xavier and explain to us how best to manage and direct him for his best interests in his need to be active.

Greetings to everyone.

This past week, Xavier took things to a whole new level, one for which we were unprepared (that seems to be a running theme; I hope it's a running theme for most parents). He went 3-D! And that means a whole new containment and education challenge.

What does 3-D mean? The picture above may suggest the meaning. He climbs on to the couches. He climbs on to chairs. He climbs up the backs of chairs. He climbs cabinets. He has even set his sights on climbing up to the kitchen counter. 3-D means he is no longer confined to the floor. And when he wants something on the table or some other high place, he moves furniture around so he can climb it to get to what he wants.

Not even the toilet paper is safe. We have been keeping it off the holder because Xavier long ago discovered it. Now, he is climbing up the toilet to get to either the counter top or the toilet tank, where ever the toilet paper rests.

Wow. This has given Rebecca and I pause. We don't want to discourage him from exploring his world, but we must, now more than before, teach Xavier there are boundaries. Climbing on the couch is OK, but climbing onto the dining table is not OK. He's a smart boy, and we seem to be getting the message of context across to him. Still, we are ever more vigilant now.

He nearly figured out how to make a staircase with the kitchen cabinet drawers and climb to the counter top. Fortunately, the taking of a picture and the food processor spatula distracted him from completely figuring it out...for now. He was able to pull some items off the counter just prior to being distracted.

Greetings to everyone.

Xavier's Great Aunt Beth paid a visit today. Beth, Rebecca, Xavier and I met for lunch near a mall. After eating, we all walked over to the mall and headed for Santa's village. That man has really updated things since I went to sit on his lap, let me tell you! There were no snowmen with spinning heads towering over you and scaring the daylights out of you. No long, dim corridor that zigged and zagged, causing one dread every step forward one took. And what's up with that snowman? It keeps eyeing me like it wants me for lunch! And Santa is way over there, his throne in the shadows, and so very far away from the parents.

No, a more pleasant ambiance awaited us. Only two families were ahead of us. That fact changed shortly; we definitely picked the right time to visit! We entered Xavier's name into a naughty/nice machine while standing in line. After a light show and some stereotypical calculation-crunching sounds, Xavier appeared on the "nice" list. Good thing, too, or I would have cried foul and demanded to see the data backing the list selection.

As the short line progressed, we entered an ice cave, or, perhaps, it was the keep entrance to an ice castle. Hard to say. Inside, Xavier got first-hand experience practice-driving Santa's sleigh. He pushed and pulled the throttle, pushed navigation buttons, turned indicator dials. Seriously, I don't know what the reindeer do anymore.

We also looked through a magic window (something like a giant iPad). As we scanned the room, we saw the elves at work and other sights and goings on. Any "Fringe" fans reading this?

Finally, the velvet rope blocking our admittance to the North Pole was dropped and we entered Santa's headquarters. I guess the ice cave was a portal of some kind, or else Xavier really knew what to do with that practice sleigh. Mrs. Clause met us, a friendly woman and much shorter than I imagined. Xavier did not really notice; his attentions were elsewhere, or everywhere. He still distracts easily, but who can blame him this time? We were at Santa's HQ, it said so on the sign behind us.

Passing Mrs. Clause, we made it to Santa. Xavier sat on his lap. I must say, I am impressed with Xavier. I thought he might fuss or cry being passed off to a stranger, especially since he has been so clingy to his parents of late. He sat in Santa's lap like a champ. I am somewhat disappointed that Santa only posed for a photo or two. He did not inquire what Xavier wanted for Christmas. Perhaps it's true after all what one Christmas song tells us.

After visiting Santa, I returned to the office, leaving Great Aunt Beth, Rebecca and Xavier to spend time together at the mall. They eventually found an indoor playground and turned the little man loose. One of the items in the area was a large stegosaurus to be climbed. Xavier ran right for it and conquered the challenge. A fact he that well-pleased him.

Greetings to everyone.

First, chocolate pudding, and now chocolate stars. Guess who's got a sweet tooth for chocolate? This guy, that's who! After dinner, while we were cleaning up, I gave Xavier a Brach's Chocolate Star, which is a hard-to-find chocolate treat. I did not know what he would do with it, other than at least taste it (still, everything you hand him gets a taste test).

Rebecca told me it would be a mistake as it was less than an hour before his bed time. I thought "what can it hurt? It's only one little piece of candy." Famous last thoughts!

In minutes, Xavier was amp'ed and bouncing off the walls and running around the house with a euphoric giggle. Impressed so small a food could so quickly energize my son, I went the extra mile and offered him another of these coveted treats. It was gas on a fire!

He ran around the house for the next :45 minutes with energy from where I can't venture a guess. It was something of a rite of passage to eat hard chocolate candies and have a chocolate smear around your mouth. Before he wiped too much away, I did get him to settle long enough to get a couple of pictures to document this rite of passage.

Generally, Rebecca puts Xavier to bed; she likes the ten to fifteen minutes of quiet time with her son. Want to venture a guess who got to put Xavier to bed this night?