School holidays are here!

Two weeks of school holidays! No plans to go off anywhere as it's just too much of a hassle (difficult to find right sleeping temperature for my son) and we'd probably be jostling with the crowds for meals and facilities anyway.

We've been having our own "holiday" right here. Our formula: Get a break from the routine + do some fun things that are not therapy related + explore new places + revisit our old haunts + eat out often = a simple holiday where we can come back to the comfort of our own beds.

Friday, 27 May 2011

We started our holidays on Friday, after school. We had lunch at home and went to watch Kung Fu Panda 2. He was laughing at various points (he enjoys slapstick humour) but was also restless about half way through. I think he enjoyed Kung Fu Panda 2, his second movie at the cinema, more than Rio as it has more action and is funnier.

We bumped into my friend who brought her girls to watch the same show, so we had frozen yougurt after the movie.

I've started introducing him to cold food like frozen yougurt and cold fizzy drinks (100 plus). He's slowly able to eat a little more frozen yougurt each time, but barely able to finish more than 10% of a small portion. He doesnt really fancy ice creams, frozen yougurt, cold fizzy drinks, which is healthy I guess, but I do want him to be able to take just a little bit of it as a oral sensory activity.

While we were enjoying the yougurt, it was wonderful to see and hear him casually answer my friend who was asking him questions like whether he went to kindergarten that day, the name of his kindergarten, and if it was far away. I was seated in between them, and my friend could understand all that he said! He usually requires me to prompt him to answer adults, so I was really pleased to witness that. Unfortunately, I whispered to my friend how surprised I was to see what just happened and he then became self conscious and didn't want to answer further. I'll keep such comments to myself next time!

As she had some time to spare before heading off, the kids played in front of Toys R Us while I refreshed myself on what it was like to talk to an adult on non therapy matters! He wanted to engage the girls in play by following what they were doing but wasnt able to physically climb up to the platform to then slide down. He did have fun though, exploring the Step 2 little cubby house, the Thomas the Tank Engine ride, observing the antics of the girls, played chasing with the younger girl etc. He indicated he would like to play with them again this school holidays. I'll try to arrange an outing to the Bird Park or something, with the girls.

Saturday, 28 May 2011

I had some errands to run and since my husband was off on his own holiday and he didnt have music class this time, I brought him along. We had an early lunch (usual for a Saturday) and then headed for his maths class. He's doing well in maths class but does require almost daily coaching to help reinforce the lesson. The teachers there love him cos he sits to do the worksheets, participates in the maths games, is obedient and is usually able to do the sums with just a little teaching. That's opposed to some other kids in other classes which I've observed to be very vocal, or find it a bit hard to focus on the worksheet.

We usually then have a snack (thosai, roti telur) at the mamak because lunch was early. It's also because I want to expose him to different foods in terms of not just the taste, and texture, but also the way to use cutlery to eat it (e.g. tearing up the thosai, dipping into the dhall).

We then headed straight for my university alumni association's AGM. It's a small, quick and informal affair so it was fine with the rest of them that I brought my son along. I had beforehand loaded up the bagpack with my own maths worksheet, blank paper, Crayola markers, pencil case, and toy cars. He was so well behaved that a few of them complimented him on it. A kind elderly gentleman tried to engage with him but I think he didnt respond much except for nodding his head or answering his age. Unfortunately, he's still very shy especially on meeting an adult for the first time.

For the rest of the days so far, we've been keeping busy. We start the day with some maths, spelling, phonics, handwriting practice, fine motor practice after breakfast. We then head off to the park (Titiwangsa seems to be his favourite nowadays) for pedalling and a horse carriage ride. We sometimes have lunch out, and do some errands at the shops/malls. He gets his physical activity in the afternoons through walking, pushing the shopping cart, and learning to use his new 3 wheel scooter at home.

Tomorrow, we'll be visiting another international school that's nearby. We've not as yet received an acceptance letter from the school that assessed him, so I was a bit nervous and a few weeks ago, had made an appointment to see this school that's nearby. We're unlikely to apply for admission there (fees very high, school population huge) so I guess it's just to see what it's like for comparison's sake. This school issue does bother me but I keep busy and focus on God to avoid being consumed by worry.