Prebble Family Tales

Since not everyone is on Facebook (including me!) I thought I’d better give an update here of what has been going on with the Prebble boys lately.

Gareth continues to use his alphabet board to talk a ton.  We have varied conversations–Gareth talks about the big things in life (”What’s church?”, “I hate CP.”) as well as just enjoying being part of day to day conversations.  He’s also letting us see and hear a bit more of his attitude lately and the other day he reminded me of why I need to watch my language a bit more these days.   He spelled out “Dam mom.”  When I asked “What are you trying to say?” He replied “Bad word.  Dam.”  He proceeded to tell me he was mad that I was asking so much about his day; he just wanted to get to video games!  Despite the attitude and the heartbreaking questions he asks at times, it continues to be an absolute joy to watch Gareth talk to us so much.  All else is going well for Gareth these days, too.  He’s had a stellar year at school and he only has 7 more days until summer vacation.  He still loves video games and riding his bike–he’s pretty much a smaller version of Travis.  And our weekends are back to being consumed with baseball games.  Gareth loves  have a cheering section, so feel free to join us for a game some Saturday!

Collin has become a bundle of energy.  As you can see from the latest video, he’s booking it around the house in his modified crawl.  We had to buy a baby gate this weekend to try to keep him somewhat confined at times and he no longer likes hanging out in his exersaucer or bouncy seat–he wants to go, go, go!! Collin is really a happy-go-lucky guy most of the time, and spends his days playing, smiling, cuddling and eating. 

Life is crazy busy but there are so many things to enjoy and celebrate these days, that I can’t complain

Gareth told Brandy yesterday that he wanted to write a letter to the President.  When asked if he knew who the President was, Gareth replied “Obama”.  When asked what he knew about the President, he said, “He is black.  He is good.”

Having established his knowledge of politics and race, Brandy then asked what he wanted to write to President Obama.

Gareth wanted to write asking that the President stop all the mean people.  What mean people?  The mean people at school who call him a freak.

Apparently, there are some bigger kids at school that call Gareth a freak when they see him eating via syringe, tube, and button.

We don’t know that the President can do much about it, but we’re certainly going to mention it to his teacher.

“Mom needs to relax” - Gareth’s sage advice for Brandy.  

He has been typing a ton now that he is able to ‘talk’ to us, and we are regularly tickled by what he has to say.  For the first time, we know that he has picked up our speech patterns.  He uses “Absolutely” and “that’s a plan”, both things that Brandy and I frequently say.

He can now also share his opinion of not being able to play videogames (”That stinks”) or can ask what a hypocrite is.

Gareth has a true voice now, and it is amazing to hear what he has to say.

Gareth was pretty excited to get out for a bike ride last Saturday.  Even after I was done for, he just kept on pedaling and pedaling and pedaling…

We won’t say how exactly, but we had access to an IntelliKeys system over the weekend.

And we’re going to buy one immediately.

Gareth was able to type out exactly what he wanted on several occasions.  He went so far as to type out a message to wake me up so I could play video games with him.

And then, later, he wanted to play video games with his cousin Keegan.

But it’s not all game playing.  He typed out a short message to his Nana to tell her he loved her.

We couldn’t be more proud of Gareth right now.  He’s finally able to tell us what’s on his mind.  The $600 for the keyboard and associated software is a very tiny price to pay in order to know our son’s thoughts.

Gareth went an entire week with minimal fighting due to his new sticker reward system.  He now has a grid of tasks (be good for the nurse, get ready for school without fussing, do homework, et cetera).  For each tasks he completes, he gets one star sticker.  When he reaches 25 stars, he gets a reward.  Last week, it was a Thomas the Tank Engine storybook CD.

This week, it’s a remote control car that flips over.

The deal is, however, that he must get all of his stickers in a single week.  They don’t carry over, so if he misses the mark, he has to start at the beginning again the next week.

The chart seems to be working for the most part.  He has really pulled things together now that he has an interest in doing so.

Sibling jealousy has arrived in the worst way.  Gareth has started throwing tantrums and whining/crying for every little thing, having learned that Collin gets immediate attention when he cries.

For a brief moment, Brandy and I considered using the “I’ll give you something to cry about” threat we often heard as children.  No, not really… we’d never resort to that.  But there are those times when the crying is so illogical and then, on top of that, to have it coming from a child who literally can’t tell you why he is upset.  It’s frustrating and maddening.

Today was the first day in a week that Gareth wasn’t just being awful, but he still reverted to bad behavior a few times.  It’s not easy for the kid, spending 7 years at the center of the universe and then getting bumped out of orbit.  We’ll do what we can to help him through this.

Speaking of his nemesis (Collin), new photos are up on the Flickr site.

Well, it would be a happy new year if each and every one of us weren’t sick.

After a whirlwind couple of weeks, what with Collin in the hospital (he’s fine now), Christmas, Brandy having to deal with 15 consecutive days with both kids home, and the usual hectic nature of life, we’ve left 2008 behind and started 2009 tired.

But it’s not all doom and gloom.  Gareth and Collin both had a great Christmas and got lots (and lots) of gifts.  Gareth benefits from having a two-fer month in December with his birthday on the 3rd and Christmas the 25th.  After this month is over, we usually have to spend time getting rid of all the old toys with which Gare no longer plays.

Collin is not yet to that point.  The point to which he is, however, is the very vocal, chatty point.  He’s making a lot of noise these days to let us know he’s happy, excited, hungry, tired, and soiled.  He loves taking baths and enjoys a good round of beatboxing.  [For the sake of clarity, Travis beatboxes, Collin listens.]

Today in school, Gareth said that Collin needed help.  We don’t often get to witness Gare’s empathy.

We’ll start with the kids.

Gareth had his holiday concert last night.  We normally worry about whether or not he’ll stay awake for it, but he has recently been staying up until 10PM, so no fears there.  I’ll post video as soon as I get it off the camcorder.  Gare is also having a birthday party with a few kids at the house tomorrow.  Two of the girls who adore him will be there.  Can’t wait to see how that plays out.

Collin is continuing to have problems with spitting up his food.  We’ve started using a heavy formula to help him keep stuff down and are seeing some success with that.  That kid has some range!  I’m surprised how far he can shoot his lunch.  Also, he farts like a mad man when he’s doing his morning wake-up stretches.  I sat in bed with him this morning just marveling at the volume of gas being passed by such a small boy.

Brandy has been having some pain since the delivery and was today told she is suffering from sciatica.  She’ll need to engage in a few physical therapy sessions to get that worked out.  Otherwise, she is recovering well and has been told she looks “fantastic”.

I’m not really up to much.  Still updating the RBR website, trying to rally a bunch of folks to archive old newsletters, and deciding what to do about a guy who contacted me this week to tell me Bikeable is his dream and that he’s had it since 2002.  I’ve been nervous about it all week.