So Sleepy
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Communicating, Daily Life on August 9, 2010
Sunday afternoon my wife put the keyboard Clay is using to communicate with us in front of him.
“What do you want to do today?”
Clay typed that he wanted to go to the nearby nature center. A favorite place to visit. Now that he is communicating his wishes after five years of silence, we make a point of acting on them when we can. Off the three of us went, packing a camera and his keyboard in a backpack.
As usual, Clay shot out of the car when I opened the door like a bald man chasing his hat on a windy day. He raced ahead to a bench near a turtle pond.
“Any thoughts?” my wife asked when we joined him on the bench he found. Read the rest of this entry »
Happy Camper
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Daily Life on August 5, 2010
During the school year, Clay can been difficult to get going in the morning. Summers are different. Sure, he gets to sleep in an extra hour, but something else has him running to the bus for camp each morning with a smile on his face. Now I know why, thanks to some pictures sent home by his counselor.
Here he is in the seat of honor during a wagon ride.
Talking Turkey
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Communicating on August 2, 2010
“Is there anything more you want to tell anyone?”
“I want to tell them … ”
That’s when Clay decided to get up from the keyboard he has been using to communicate with us, and stretch his legs.
My wife and I looked at each other. Tell us what? That he is planning to become a pastry chef? That he’s always wanted a pony? That he caught the dog drinking out of the toilet? What could it be that he had to say? Don’t leave us hanging here. Read the rest of this entry »
The Science of Sleep
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Daily Life, Silly Behaviors on July 22, 2010
Clay burst in to our bedroom the other night, babbling at the top of his lungs. I fully expected him to belt out a song, Ethel Merman-style. “There’s no business like show business.” He was ready to go, tapped into some powerful energy source. One tiny problem. It was 2:15 a.m. Five minutes earlier, we were all asleep.
Clay is the Typhoid Mary of sleeplessness. Basic rule—if he is awake, I’m awake. Generally, he is out by about 11 p.m., but there are plenty of nights when he can’t settle down. When that happens, he’ll come in for a visit. Sometimes he circles our bed reciting phrases from Dr. Seuss books. Sometimes he burrows under the covers between us, squirming like an eel on a hook. Sometimes he drags his comforter with him and plops on the end of the bed with his feet in our faces. Sometimes he goes downstairs, turns on every light and forages for food. Sometimes he does all of the above. Read the rest of this entry »
Birthday Cheer
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Communicating, Daily Life on July 8, 2010
We were caught in that no man’s land between ordering our meal and its arrival, when Clay started to wail. Saturday night. People packed into booths and tables all around us. Harried waiter. Dishes clattering. Other diners sneaking glances at our table. Clay flailing and crying. What do we do?
We usually get take-out on Saturday night, since the possibility of this kind of scene makes it difficult to relax and enjoy a meal out. But it was Clay’s 15th birthday, and—given the choice on his keyboard—he requested the meal out. Read the rest of this entry »
Keepin’ it Real
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Communicating, Daily Life on July 2, 2010
One night this week, my wife was using the keyboard to let Clay know that he was taking a trip to a nearby state park at camp the next day. His typed response?
“Cool deal.”
It is easy to forget that Clay, who will turn 15 tomorrow, is a teenager. Lately, he’s been making the point on the keyboard.
I was struggling a few weeks back to get him to type with me. He was deliberately typing gibberish, most likely because I wasn’t offering the right support or pressure that he needed. My wife grabbed the keyboard and sat next to him on the bed. Read the rest of this entry »
Cherry on Top
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Communicating on June 29, 2010
Sunday night I was reading a magazine in our living room when Clay came in and handed me a cup. His way of saying, “Please get me something to drink.” A good soldier, I followed him back to the kitchen and got him in front of the keyboard.
“What do you want to drink?”
“Soda.”
“What flavor?”
“Black cherry.”
I poured about a third of a can into his cup and sent him on his way. (We’ve learned to fill his cup a little at a time because of his penchant for dumping liquids.) I went back to my magazine. Read the rest of this entry »
Battling the Leathernecks
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Daily Life, Silly Behaviors on June 25, 2010
We took Clay swimming on Father’s Day, and nearly wound up in a brawl. Let me explain.
Clay, his older brother, my wife and I spent the day at my parent’s house, one of the few homes we visit that calms the little guy. The open floor plan and lack of clutter seems to work for him. He’ll circle through the living room, kitchen and dining area, check out the den, then retreat to the quiet of their finished basement, where he spends most of his time. You always need that escape room. After a few hours of him wandering while we stuffed our faces and caught up with my family, Clay’s usual steady line of patter turned agitated. The keyboard was retrieved. Read the rest of this entry »
Hot Lips
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Daily Life, Silly Behaviors on June 17, 2010
Most nights during the week I cook french fries in the oven for Clay. He likes to eat by 5:30, while the rest of the family isn’t home and ready to eat until about an hour later. To keep us all sane, Clay eats a light dinner—french fries and a hot dog or chicken nuggets—at 5:30, then joins us for the full dinner at 6:30. Two dinners? you ask, one eyebrow arching slightly. Yes, two dinners. The little guy is always on the move, burning fuel like a Chevy Suburban. Even when he is eating, he rarely sits down. Two dinners works out just fine, thank you very much.
I used to put the fries in the oven and go off to get some work done on my laptop for 20 minutes. Can’t do that anymore. Clay does not do the waiting thing well. He opens the oven every three minutes to see if the fries are done, yet. I’ve caught him once or twice eating still-frozen fries he swiped off the edge of the pan. Now I stand guard, usually sitting on the counter next to the oven reading the newspaper or a magazine. At long last, the timer dings, and I pull the fries out. This is where the serious wrestling begins. Read the rest of this entry »
That Smile
Posted by Larry Blumenthal in Daily Life on June 10, 2010
I started working from home about three months ago, which means I’m generally the one standing at the end of the driveway when Clay’s bus pulls up across the street around 3:20 each afternoon. Nearly every day, he bursts off that little yellow bus and crosses toward me in a series of small leaps and skips, a broad smile lighting up his face. He holds his backpack in his left hand for me to take, runs his hand along my shirt to feel the texture, then bounds up the driveway, down the path and in the backdoor in the same hop, skip and jump fashion. My heart fills up just watching him.
Five minutes later, Read the rest of this entry »
Life With Clay 