I feel soooooooooo old. Yes, I'm turning 40 on Saturday, but it feels like 400. I can't remember what it feels like to sleep 60 straight minutes in a row, because the kids, and then both of us, have been sick for a week and a half now. Willow finally went back to school on Friday, and then this morning, Billy got a better-late-than-never start on his school day.
As usual, he found being sick scary, particularly in the middle of the night. Every time he woke up coughing, he would start screaming and run to our room. “I'm so sick!” he would tell us, and then ask, “Can I feel better?”
In fact, despite his fear and illness, he did an awful lot of very good communicating this week. He woke up Wednesday morning by projecting vomiting all over his bed and then repeating the act on me. “Can I have a towel?” he asked each time.
About the third day of his sickness, Dave pointed out, “You know, I haven't heard any echolalia in the last few days.” Echolalia is the repeating of scripts from TV shows and books or even conversations. Usually, Billy still does a lot of that.
When I went in to ask him if he was ready to get up in the morning, instead of giving me a few angry lines from what he calls Math Frogs Go to the Moon he actually asked me, “Can I wait a little while? Can I rest?” I was as shocked as I would have been if he'd suddenly asked me what mortgage rates were down to these days.
Within a few days, though, it was clear that he was saying almost everything in the form of a question. This from a kid who up until a few months ago, never asked questions. Now it was one question after another:
“Mama, can you leave Willow alone?” (His way of asking me to tell Willow to leave HIM alone.)
“Where is our Maglev?” (His way of showing me a video of the French bullet train on the iPad.)
“Mama, can the earth and moon resemble a double planet system?” (His way of telling me, for the 400th time, that the Earth and moon resemble a double planet system. Thank you, Moon in Your Room CD!)
He would kill at Jeopardy where you have to answer in the form of a question – if the categories were the following: “Willow leaving me alone,” “YouTube videos of Maglevs,” “The phases of the moon,” and “Willow not touching my iPad.”
By the way, I have never understood the point of Jeopardy's little twist of answering in the form of a question. It's just stupid. I love Jeopardy, but counting it against someone if they don't answer in the form of a question is like having a game of super-nerd Mother May I:
"It's true that Yuzuru Hiraga was the Japanese naval architect noted for work on innovative warships such as the cruiser Yubari and Yamato for the Imperial Japanese Navy, but you didn't say, 'WHO is Yuzuru Hiraga.' You lose."
During his bedridden time the past week, he has also been obsessively watching his new Watch Me Learn DVDs, which model social behavior by depicting kids in a variety of settings playing games, eating together, sharing craft supplies, etc.
When he started feeling better he actually walked over to me at my desk and asked, "Mama, what are you doing?"
ME: I'm playing a stupid computer game. (In my defense, I was sick too.)
BILLY: Mama, can I play a stupid computer game too?
ME: Sure!
So I pulled him up in my lap and showed him how to play Word Whomp, which he was so unimpressed with that he then informed me ...
BILLY: OK, now it's time to clean up!
This morning, Billy finally got so bored with all my fussing over him and dosing him with medicines and checking his temperature, that at about 5 a.m., he posed his Final Jeopardy question to me: “Mama, can you go away?”
He was in my bed at the time. And yep, I left it to him.
When Billy sleeps, we all win.
Great communicating
Wednesday June 01 2011 03:36:50 pm
Jennie B
I find that Moe does a really good job communicating when he's sick too. Through the tears and whining, he'll sign perfectly, or spontaneously request something. It's like he's too weak to fight it :)
So proud of Billy! I love the moments when we see progress, and can get some sleep.
Saturday May 28 2011 02:35:34 am
Bee
I just discovered you. So glad I did. I'll be back, probably (since this is the way I function) starting at the beginning and reading everything. So if you get random comments on your blog in chronological order over the next few days, that would be me.
Happy 40!!
Sunday May 22 2011 10:28:04 pm
Dani G
Happy birthday, baby!!!!
Wednesday May 18 2011 09:29:07 pm
Barbara Manatee
So interesting that his speech seemed to get better and his echolalia lessened while he was sick. Hope he's feeling better!
Wednesday May 18 2011 01:59:00 am
Cheryl D.
That's so funny! My daughter was sick over the last few days. She behaves so much more typically when she's sick! She's much more flexible and less prone to crying or tantrums! It never makes any sense whatsoever!
Snippets 'N Stuff
Tuesday May 17 2011 10:17:45 pm
DeeAnn Lancaster
You are a crack up. "Super nerd Mother May I"? I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!
Tears and Cheers!
Tuesday May 17 2011 09:10:02 pm
Randi
Got tears reading this post. Sorry you all are sick, but WOW on the communication factor. Get chills just thinking about it!
I play that stupid computer game, too
Tuesday May 17 2011 07:59:55 pm
Ashley
Why is it so flippin' addictive with those stupid mocking little...um...what are those? Beavers? Groundhogs? Whatever.
I love the Jeopardy phrasing. That is cute. (Even though it is a dumb rule and it especially ticks me off when my hubby claims victory just because I didn't ask the darn question. Um, I mean, so I've heard from where we do our fabulous and exciting activities that do not include nerdy trivia games. Mmhmm.)
So glad to hear you guys are on the mend! Hope you have a fantastic 40th birthday!! May there be no snot, vomit, or poop! =)
Total 9 comments