Marcus started pre-school at the Blind Children's Learning Center this week. Twice a week from morning until after lunch, he'll be away from me. Even though he's only 2, we thought it would be a good idea to send him so that he can learn from other peers and gain some independence from Mommy, whom he depends on SO much for everything, even though he can do a lot by himself. He has been doing really well, by God's grace, and so far, it's working out!
The first day was kind of hard on the little guy though. I left the room without him knowing, but after some time, I heard his cry in the halls and my heart shattered into a bazillion pieces. It also didn't help to hear Audrey say in the car with the saddest voice ever, "Mommy, I miss Marcus."
When I went to pick him up, he threw his arms around my neck over and over again and smothered me with kisses. Then, he wouldn't let me go. It was the sweetest thing! But he had a great first day and he's already made a bond with the teachers and volunteers. They said that he did the motions to "If you're happy and you know it" and showed off his knowledge of the alphabet.
Today, when I picked him up, this is what happened:
Me: (Opening the door with the biggest smile and highest pitched voice) Marcus, it's me, Mommy!!!!!!
Marcus: (Turning to see me) Oh, hey mom. (Turning back to face his OT) So yeah, Miss Joan, I think it would be great if I put the ball over here...
Uh, I think he's adjusted.
His OT said that when she saw him in class, he was playing with a little girl and they were babbling with each other as if they were having a full on conversation. So cute. I'm so thankful.
Another HUGE reason why we thought putting him in school would be great is so that I can spend some alone time with Audrey. It's kind of like redeeming the time I feel she's had to give away during the 6+ hours of therapy per week we've had with Marcus. Today, she said, "Mom, I like spending time with you." My heart melted and I was so thankful for this special time with her.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Say What?
We're so thankful that Marcus continues to learn new signs and new words all the time. He knows how to say a handful of words and although his pronunciation is off and pretty much everything sounds like a version of "ba" or "da" or "na" or "wa" or "oh", we are able to distinguish what he is trying to say. He even said his version of "I love you" on the phone today to his auntie and grandma.
Yesterday, while doing the dishes, I was thinking, "It would be SO great if Audrey and Marcus could do a little routine for our church's talent show one day!" And then I thought to myself, "What?! Forget that. It would be even SWEETER if both of my children could share their testimonies of God's amazing grace in their lives in front of the church one day." If that ever does happen, I think I will be crying for 90 hours straight. Even daydreaming about that makes my eyes perspire.
Anyhow, with the little that Marcus does vocalize, it's funny because we know exactly what he wants and is asking for. And for some strange reason, Audrey can understand even better than Mike and I can. Either that, or Marcus does indeed know how to talk more and only uses it with Audrey.
Yesterday, they were fighting in the car over a toy:
A: Marcus, I'm playing with it.
M: (grunting and pointing)
A: Marcus, I said I'm playing with it!
M: (elevated grunting and pointing)
A: Stop it!
A: (talking to me) Mom, tell Marcus to stop saying that!
Me: What did he say, Audrey?
A: He said "Mine". He's not supposed to say that! That's not nice.
Me: He did?
A: Marcus, don't say "Mine!" That's not nice!
And my favorite:
A: Mommy, Marcus lied to me today.
How Marcus could "lie" to Audrey is a mystery to me, but I guess I'll take her word for it?
Yesterday, while doing the dishes, I was thinking, "It would be SO great if Audrey and Marcus could do a little routine for our church's talent show one day!" And then I thought to myself, "What?! Forget that. It would be even SWEETER if both of my children could share their testimonies of God's amazing grace in their lives in front of the church one day." If that ever does happen, I think I will be crying for 90 hours straight. Even daydreaming about that makes my eyes perspire.
Anyhow, with the little that Marcus does vocalize, it's funny because we know exactly what he wants and is asking for. And for some strange reason, Audrey can understand even better than Mike and I can. Either that, or Marcus does indeed know how to talk more and only uses it with Audrey.
Yesterday, they were fighting in the car over a toy:
A: Marcus, I'm playing with it.
M: (grunting and pointing)
A: Marcus, I said I'm playing with it!
M: (elevated grunting and pointing)
A: Stop it!
A: (talking to me) Mom, tell Marcus to stop saying that!
Me: What did he say, Audrey?
A: He said "Mine". He's not supposed to say that! That's not nice.
Me: He did?
A: Marcus, don't say "Mine!" That's not nice!
And my favorite:
A: Mommy, Marcus lied to me today.
How Marcus could "lie" to Audrey is a mystery to me, but I guess I'll take her word for it?
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
New List
Before heading off to Trader Joe's this morning, I dictated to Auj our list for the day. Here's what she jotted down. 100 points to whoever guesses it right first. Hint: she wrote all her S's as 3's.
1. TMEDO
2. BET
3. JEKN
4. 3ALRWE
5. BER (this one's hard...and NO, it's not beer!)
6. 3TBRE
7. TE
8. POT3O (another hard one)
9. 3OT
10. MUT (REALLY hard..I think she gave up on this one)
She's still doing some internet doodling (remember AUDREYLEE.COM?)
She scribbled the following the other day:
ABC...WWW.COM
123...WWW.COM
I don't know what's with the URLs!
1. TMEDO
2. BET
3. JEKN
4. 3ALRWE
5. BER (this one's hard...and NO, it's not beer!)
6. 3TBRE
7. TE
8. POT3O (another hard one)
9. 3OT
10. MUT (REALLY hard..I think she gave up on this one)
She's still doing some internet doodling (remember AUDREYLEE.COM?)
She scribbled the following the other day:
ABC...WWW.COM
123...WWW.COM
I don't know what's with the URLs!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Interesting Things
A few interesting things that have happened or that I've discovered recently:
1. Audrey asking me after I've yawned: "You tired, babe?"
2. Audrey asking me, "Hey Unni ("older sister" in Korean)! Can I call you Unni?"
3. Audrey: "F makes the sound "f f f f f f" like "pho".
4. Realizing that everyone in my family dances way better than me. My kids have inherited Mike's natural rhythm. See Mike's Facebook for clips of Audrey dancing - OR - come over during dinner and watch my children dance live. (Some families memorize scripture during dinner...we perfect dance moves.) Even Marcus has a mean pelvic thrust.
Maybe they dance better than me because they study clips of the Jabbawockeez on You Tube together.
Oh. Dad, look at that move. Let's try that one.
5. Seeing Marcus distinguish between a trapezoid, a pentagon, a hexagon, and an octagon and place them in the appropriate spaces. Pretty amazing for a boy with a vision impairment and fine motor challenges, eh?
6. Discovering that Marcus loves to soak up new things. One thing we've noticed is that he LOVES to learn. He recently learned his colors and right now, he's hooked on "Super Why" and "Letter/Reading Factory". At times, we'll write down some vowels and he'll sound them out. I have a weird feeling that he already knows how to read, but just can't tell us yet. He also has a crazy memory. I used to read 1 Peter to him real frequently and it ended up being a favorite of his. After almost a year of not reading it to him, I came back to it recently and he remembered it by making the same smiley face he used to.
7. A little more serious...but I've discovered how easily I get discouraged/depressed and yet how lavishly the Lord sends encouragement and blessing. (sigh) I hope to expound on this another time.
8. Accepting the fact that it takes 900 tries to get a good pic of the kids together.
Take 1 - Itchy nose
Take 2 - Let's tickle her
Take 3 - The tickling is working
Take 4 - I'm a rascal and she is too
Take 5 - Just weird
Take 6 - Even weirder
Take 7 - I can tickle without even trying
Take 8 - I can't contain myself when she hugs me like that
Take 900 - I guess this one will do
1. Audrey asking me after I've yawned: "You tired, babe?"
2. Audrey asking me, "Hey Unni ("older sister" in Korean)! Can I call you Unni?"
3. Audrey: "F makes the sound "f f f f f f" like "pho".
4. Realizing that everyone in my family dances way better than me. My kids have inherited Mike's natural rhythm. See Mike's Facebook for clips of Audrey dancing - OR - come over during dinner and watch my children dance live. (Some families memorize scripture during dinner...we perfect dance moves.) Even Marcus has a mean pelvic thrust.
Maybe they dance better than me because they study clips of the Jabbawockeez on You Tube together.
Oh. Dad, look at that move. Let's try that one.
5. Seeing Marcus distinguish between a trapezoid, a pentagon, a hexagon, and an octagon and place them in the appropriate spaces. Pretty amazing for a boy with a vision impairment and fine motor challenges, eh?
6. Discovering that Marcus loves to soak up new things. One thing we've noticed is that he LOVES to learn. He recently learned his colors and right now, he's hooked on "Super Why" and "Letter/Reading Factory". At times, we'll write down some vowels and he'll sound them out. I have a weird feeling that he already knows how to read, but just can't tell us yet. He also has a crazy memory. I used to read 1 Peter to him real frequently and it ended up being a favorite of his. After almost a year of not reading it to him, I came back to it recently and he remembered it by making the same smiley face he used to.
7. A little more serious...but I've discovered how easily I get discouraged/depressed and yet how lavishly the Lord sends encouragement and blessing. (sigh) I hope to expound on this another time.
8. Accepting the fact that it takes 900 tries to get a good pic of the kids together.
Take 1 - Itchy nose
Take 2 - Let's tickle her
Take 3 - The tickling is working
Take 4 - I'm a rascal and she is too
Take 5 - Just weird
Take 6 - Even weirder
Take 7 - I can tickle without even trying
Take 8 - I can't contain myself when she hugs me like that
Take 900 - I guess this one will do
Monday, August 17, 2009
Getting Away
One thing I've just realized is that I haven't bought a new purse in about 10 years. For one, I don't really care what I put my wallet and keys in. But more importantly, I've found that I can just stick my wallet and keys in a diaper bag, since I carry one around all the time anyway.
Another thing I've realized (and this is the story of most moms) is that I rarely walk around without pushing something. It's either a stroller or a shopping cart or walking around the neighborhood pushing a buggy. But this weekend, something amazing happened. I got to walk around one whole weekend in San Diego holding nothing but my husband's hand. What sweet pleasure!
Below is my husband of 7 years. Supposedly, he's 35. But he still dances in hallways at hotels when no one's looking and makes funny faces whenever I take pictures of him.
Below is an ice cream delight that I didn't have to share with a sweaty 4 year-old. (Although the whole time I ate it, I thought of how much she would have enjoyed devouring it!)
It was our first vacation by ourselves since becoming parents and thus, the most restful weekend we've had in more than 4 years. We were SO thankful for this awesome privilege!
Special thanks to my brother-in-law and my sister who is at 36 weeks gestation. Thank you SO much!
If anyone is dying to spend the weekend caring for a crazy girl and her rascally brother, we are always available to make your wish come true.
Another thing I've realized (and this is the story of most moms) is that I rarely walk around without pushing something. It's either a stroller or a shopping cart or walking around the neighborhood pushing a buggy. But this weekend, something amazing happened. I got to walk around one whole weekend in San Diego holding nothing but my husband's hand. What sweet pleasure!
Below is my husband of 7 years. Supposedly, he's 35. But he still dances in hallways at hotels when no one's looking and makes funny faces whenever I take pictures of him.
Below is an ice cream delight that I didn't have to share with a sweaty 4 year-old. (Although the whole time I ate it, I thought of how much she would have enjoyed devouring it!)
It was our first vacation by ourselves since becoming parents and thus, the most restful weekend we've had in more than 4 years. We were SO thankful for this awesome privilege!
Special thanks to my brother-in-law and my sister who is at 36 weeks gestation. Thank you SO much!
If anyone is dying to spend the weekend caring for a crazy girl and her rascally brother, we are always available to make your wish come true.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Summer Update: Kids' Commentary Edition
Will you join with me in prayer for my mom?
She is our live-in paparazzi. Doesn't she have more important things to do than take random pictures of us? Pray that she makes better use of her time. Sometimes if I pretend she's not there, I think she'll stop taking pictures.
If that doesn't work, I'll just strike a pose. I've seen this one a lot in engagement photos recently.
If she doesn't stop, then I'll just play with the space in my mouth where my tooth used to be.
She does take a lot of pictures, but sometimes I use it to my advantage. It gives me the chance to practice all my different faces.
This is my "Vinnie from Brooklyn".
This is "Office handshake". Hi, I'm Marcus Lee. Nice to meet you.
This is "Godfather". I'm about to wrap my hand behind your neck and whisper a dark secret in your ear.
Hold, let me ask my mom for some more food.
Okay, this is "Rascal". I like to tell people I lost my tooth from breaking up a gang fight in the streets of Irvine.
This is "Want a piece of me?"
This is my version of my newest sign: "I love you".
This is my leg.
What you do after a meal is push your highchair away from the table, raise your leg, and chillax with a cold cup of milk. I asked my parents to order me a La-Z-Boy recliner too.
Hi, it's me...Auj. I like posing for pictures too!
But this is how I usually smile for the camera.
I wonder where I get that from.
But when I'm sleeping, I can't make funny faces. Wow, my lips are big.
We went to Daddy's company picnic today at the Back Bay of Newport Beach.
I got to go in the water in my new size 6 tankini. Mind you, I just turned 4 and it's already kind of tight on me. My parents are wondering why I haven't thinned out yet.
Maybe it's because I like to be generous with my cupcake toppings.
Yum!
Mom, will you put that camera down and help me scoop sand?
Thanks!
Daddy wanted to put me in the water today, but I was a little scared.
Once my feet touched the sand though, I was up for it!
It was so nice feeling the water that I actually wanted to crawl in!
I played in the mud for the first time ever and my parents were praising me for it. I didn't hear any other parents lavishing compliments on their kids for getting dirty, but it's because Mom and Dad know that new experiences like these are not always easy for me. But I enjoyed the mud and appreciated my parents' happiness over it.
This is fun! Enjoy the rest of your summer, y'all!
She is our live-in paparazzi. Doesn't she have more important things to do than take random pictures of us? Pray that she makes better use of her time. Sometimes if I pretend she's not there, I think she'll stop taking pictures.
If that doesn't work, I'll just strike a pose. I've seen this one a lot in engagement photos recently.
If she doesn't stop, then I'll just play with the space in my mouth where my tooth used to be.
She does take a lot of pictures, but sometimes I use it to my advantage. It gives me the chance to practice all my different faces.
This is my "Vinnie from Brooklyn".
This is "Office handshake". Hi, I'm Marcus Lee. Nice to meet you.
This is "Godfather". I'm about to wrap my hand behind your neck and whisper a dark secret in your ear.
Hold, let me ask my mom for some more food.
Okay, this is "Rascal". I like to tell people I lost my tooth from breaking up a gang fight in the streets of Irvine.
This is "Want a piece of me?"
This is my version of my newest sign: "I love you".
This is my leg.
What you do after a meal is push your highchair away from the table, raise your leg, and chillax with a cold cup of milk. I asked my parents to order me a La-Z-Boy recliner too.
Hi, it's me...Auj. I like posing for pictures too!
But this is how I usually smile for the camera.
I wonder where I get that from.
But when I'm sleeping, I can't make funny faces. Wow, my lips are big.
We went to Daddy's company picnic today at the Back Bay of Newport Beach.
I got to go in the water in my new size 6 tankini. Mind you, I just turned 4 and it's already kind of tight on me. My parents are wondering why I haven't thinned out yet.
Maybe it's because I like to be generous with my cupcake toppings.
Yum!
Mom, will you put that camera down and help me scoop sand?
Thanks!
Daddy wanted to put me in the water today, but I was a little scared.
Once my feet touched the sand though, I was up for it!
It was so nice feeling the water that I actually wanted to crawl in!
I played in the mud for the first time ever and my parents were praising me for it. I didn't hear any other parents lavishing compliments on their kids for getting dirty, but it's because Mom and Dad know that new experiences like these are not always easy for me. But I enjoyed the mud and appreciated my parents' happiness over it.
This is fun! Enjoy the rest of your summer, y'all!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Birthdays, Milestones, and JS Conference
Within the past 1.5 months, Marcus turned 2, Audrey turned 4, and Mike turned 35 years old. Needless to say, we had a lot of celebrating to do, and much to thank God for. I'm glad that Marcus' birthday kicked off the birthday season because through him, we've learned to not take birthdays for granted anymore. Each day and year the Lord has given us with each other has been a precious and undeserved gift. My own heart has welled up with gratefulness for this family that God has allowed me to be a part of.
By God's grace, the kiddos are doing well. As much as I've had to trust that Marcus is complete in Christ, I'm learning to trust that Audrey has all she needs in Christ as well. I often wonder how all of Marcus' "issues" will affect Audrey as she grows up. I've asked myself if she will feel resentful or neglected with all the therapy and attention we have to give to Marcus. The Lord has reminded me that Christ will supply all her needs just as he will supply all of Marcus'. For now, it looks like she's doing alright.
A particular blessing recently is the bond that seems to be growing between the kids. They love to be together and to make each other laugh. Audrey has a keen sense of Marcus' needs throughout the day, and Marcus looks up to Audrey like no other. He LOVES to tickle her, be tickled by her, and to kiss her goodnight. This stuff melts my heart. (sigh) Even when they fight over toys, or when Marcus tries to bother her on purpose, I giggle inside. After all, that's what siblings are supposed to do, right?
We continue to be encouraged by new things that Marcus is doing. Here are a few new ones. Some of these have just appeared within the past few days:
Imitating / repeating words:
- He says "nah nah" everyday before naps and going to bed at night.
- He also has repeated mama, dada, and wawa (water) on command.
- When praying, we say "In Jesus' name we pray..." and he'll say "aaahh" (Amen)
- He'll say "Ohhhhh" when sing "Oh, How I Love Jesus"
Learning new signs:
- Hungry, thirsty, book, daddy, diaper (he'll sign these when we prompt him to)
Nodding and shaking his head for "yes" and "no"
(His nod for "yes" looks more like a body wave, but hey, we'll take that! I'm sure he'll use it one day in his dance crew.)
Recognizing / pointing to shapes:
- Square, circle, triangle, rectangle, oval, heart, star
- He LOVES to do shape sorters, but recently he's been bored with squares, circles, and triangles. I think he wants to move onto trapezoids and parallelograms and then to do the quadratic equation.
Coloring / drawing:
- He can now hold a pen or crayon upright so that he can scribble on paper.
Climbing stairs:
- He can climb our whole flight of stairs with some help from behind...and a treat waiting for him at the top.
Walking in his walker:
- We are slowly fading away some of the support he used in his walker because he is getting stronger. And we actually even turned it around so that he can kick a ball in front of him.
- He is using his walker more and more. It's been neat to see him soak in his environment and stop to explore and enjoy what he sees.
But what he enjoys MOST is playing his instruments. He has learned to use his drumsticks now and will turn anything and everything into a drum. We also got him an acoustic guitar for his birthday which he wouldn't let out of his sight for the first few weeks. He probably would have slept with it if we let him. So now, he's got his acoustic guitar, his electric, his paddle drum, his bongos, his cymbals, his maracas, and his keyboard. He's training to be a one-man band.
Lovin' his jam sessions with Daddy.
Lastly, we had the privilege of attending the Joubert Syndrome Foundation Conference last week in Cincinnati. We probably experienced every single emotion while we were there. Anxiousness, thankfulness, relief, burden, sadness, laughter, hope, heavy-heartedness, joy, you name it. But what we came away with most was a great appreciation for belonging to such a special group of families. I wish I could tell you all the things we admire about the parents we met, and how precous each of the kids were. This amazingly rare syndrome brought us all together and it was so freeing to be surrounded by so many who knew exactly what we were going through and who have gone through so much more than we have for so many more years. In a strange way, after settling back home, my heart started to grieve again. But this time it wasn't just for Marcus. It was for all those families that we met. We really miss them and hope to meet them again some time in the future.
Going to the conference was especially sweet for us because it was made possible by precious brothers and sisters from our church who gave to us so that we could go. Last December was one of the darkest and most heart-wrenching times of this journey. Marcus was diagnosed with Retinal Dystrophy and by that time, we were at the end of our rope and full of much anxiety, bitterness, and sadness in our hearts. During that time, a dear friend organized a secret donation to our family so that we could attend the conference. When we received the gift, the card said, "You are not alone." I can't adequately explain to you how much that uplifted and encouraged our hearts. God really used that powerful expression of love to show us that He would take care of us and provide grace to be able to endure hardship. It was a true-life illustration of how Christ meets all our needs even though we don't deserve it.
Here's a little slideshow we made of our trip. Enjoy!
By God's grace, the kiddos are doing well. As much as I've had to trust that Marcus is complete in Christ, I'm learning to trust that Audrey has all she needs in Christ as well. I often wonder how all of Marcus' "issues" will affect Audrey as she grows up. I've asked myself if she will feel resentful or neglected with all the therapy and attention we have to give to Marcus. The Lord has reminded me that Christ will supply all her needs just as he will supply all of Marcus'. For now, it looks like she's doing alright.
A particular blessing recently is the bond that seems to be growing between the kids. They love to be together and to make each other laugh. Audrey has a keen sense of Marcus' needs throughout the day, and Marcus looks up to Audrey like no other. He LOVES to tickle her, be tickled by her, and to kiss her goodnight. This stuff melts my heart. (sigh) Even when they fight over toys, or when Marcus tries to bother her on purpose, I giggle inside. After all, that's what siblings are supposed to do, right?
We continue to be encouraged by new things that Marcus is doing. Here are a few new ones. Some of these have just appeared within the past few days:
Imitating / repeating words:
- He says "nah nah" everyday before naps and going to bed at night.
- He also has repeated mama, dada, and wawa (water) on command.
- When praying, we say "In Jesus' name we pray..." and he'll say "aaahh" (Amen)
- He'll say "Ohhhhh" when sing "Oh, How I Love Jesus"
Learning new signs:
- Hungry, thirsty, book, daddy, diaper (he'll sign these when we prompt him to)
Nodding and shaking his head for "yes" and "no"
(His nod for "yes" looks more like a body wave, but hey, we'll take that! I'm sure he'll use it one day in his dance crew.)
Recognizing / pointing to shapes:
- Square, circle, triangle, rectangle, oval, heart, star
- He LOVES to do shape sorters, but recently he's been bored with squares, circles, and triangles. I think he wants to move onto trapezoids and parallelograms and then to do the quadratic equation.
Coloring / drawing:
- He can now hold a pen or crayon upright so that he can scribble on paper.
Climbing stairs:
- He can climb our whole flight of stairs with some help from behind...and a treat waiting for him at the top.
Walking in his walker:
- We are slowly fading away some of the support he used in his walker because he is getting stronger. And we actually even turned it around so that he can kick a ball in front of him.
- He is using his walker more and more. It's been neat to see him soak in his environment and stop to explore and enjoy what he sees.
But what he enjoys MOST is playing his instruments. He has learned to use his drumsticks now and will turn anything and everything into a drum. We also got him an acoustic guitar for his birthday which he wouldn't let out of his sight for the first few weeks. He probably would have slept with it if we let him. So now, he's got his acoustic guitar, his electric, his paddle drum, his bongos, his cymbals, his maracas, and his keyboard. He's training to be a one-man band.
Lovin' his jam sessions with Daddy.
Lastly, we had the privilege of attending the Joubert Syndrome Foundation Conference last week in Cincinnati. We probably experienced every single emotion while we were there. Anxiousness, thankfulness, relief, burden, sadness, laughter, hope, heavy-heartedness, joy, you name it. But what we came away with most was a great appreciation for belonging to such a special group of families. I wish I could tell you all the things we admire about the parents we met, and how precous each of the kids were. This amazingly rare syndrome brought us all together and it was so freeing to be surrounded by so many who knew exactly what we were going through and who have gone through so much more than we have for so many more years. In a strange way, after settling back home, my heart started to grieve again. But this time it wasn't just for Marcus. It was for all those families that we met. We really miss them and hope to meet them again some time in the future.
Going to the conference was especially sweet for us because it was made possible by precious brothers and sisters from our church who gave to us so that we could go. Last December was one of the darkest and most heart-wrenching times of this journey. Marcus was diagnosed with Retinal Dystrophy and by that time, we were at the end of our rope and full of much anxiety, bitterness, and sadness in our hearts. During that time, a dear friend organized a secret donation to our family so that we could attend the conference. When we received the gift, the card said, "You are not alone." I can't adequately explain to you how much that uplifted and encouraged our hearts. God really used that powerful expression of love to show us that He would take care of us and provide grace to be able to endure hardship. It was a true-life illustration of how Christ meets all our needs even though we don't deserve it.
Here's a little slideshow we made of our trip. Enjoy!
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