The Graduate

Murphy graduated from puppy school - a great accomplishment even though it is apparently impossible to fail. What a face.....

Meet Henry

Henry is a doll that came in a Potty Kit for Boys that I bought in a fit of enthusiasm one day long ago. He comes with his own little potty, a book and a video. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with it all because honestly, I haven't even looked at it yet but for some reason thought it would be a good idea to let Bennett play with Henry and the potty. Since Murphy has arrived we have focused on house training him. Considering that I haven't cleaned up a Murphy mess in over a month now, maybe it's time to shift my focus back to Bennett.

I guess right now I'm making the excuse that Bennett is not verbal and *people* always say the child will *tell* you when they're ready. Granted, Bennett is a wonderful little communicator - he uses signs and gestures and has his communication book and device. So, I guess I should at least consider trying some more. I think August is a good time for that - yeah August.....

Anyway, I was talking about Henry. Bennett does like to play with the little doll despite its incredibly creepy appearance and resemblance to another famous doll (think Chucky). The other day he was playing with Chucky - oops I mean Henry - and he placed him on the potty. When he took him off, he looked in the potty, then stuck his finger in the potty and then just to reassure himself I guess, he took the potty and dumped it upside down. He then came and grabbed my hand and dragged Henry and I to the bathroom where he insisted that Henry wash his hands. I'm all for good hygeine - even if it is a doll - so we proceeded to wash Henry's hands. However, Bennett had a problem with the fact that I didn't use real soap and water. As many of you know, it's a lot harder than you might think to fool a 2 year old. Somehow, I managed to convince Bennett that it was ok not to actually wet the doll's hands. I'm very happy that Bennett recognizes the importance of hand washing. However, I am less keen on the idea of pretending to wash a doll's hands 35 times a day.

While we're talking potty time does anyone have tips on how to potty train a non-verbal child? Oh, and for those of you wondering what's under Henry's diaper - I have to say that picture is definitely not appropriate for this blog!

Stairs

In the last couple years I have come to realize how stairs are an important part of everyday life. For a long time after my car accident I was unable to do stairs at all - not even one step - not even the ledge to a walk in shower. The ability to transfer all your weight to one leg even for a split second was something I no longer took for granted. Whenever Jim and I planned on going out we always had to consider stairs - we still do. I have never thought about stairs so much.

Fortunately, our house doesn't have stairs that I need to use. However, this also means that Bennett has been limited in places to learn stairs. During his recent session of Junior PATH I asked if they could work on stairs. I knew he had made some progress but was pretty sure he still needed quite a bit of help. That's why I was shocked when I saw this about a week ago.

He is also quite good at going down. What's funny is that his therapist wants him to lead with his right leg going up and then lead with left going down to help build strength. For some reason, he does this automatically. This method of doing stairs is opposite of what I do and what Bennett will probably be told to do in the future. Normally when you have one leg that is weaker you lead up with your good and lead down with your bad (good to heaven, bad to hell).

Anyway, I took this little video when we attended an outdoor music festival in town. It was a great outing for our little family. It was also the first time that anyone has ever commented on Bennett's brace. One of the volunteers approached me and asked if he had hurt his ankle. I said no - he wears the brace to help him walk. I could tell she wanted to know more but I didn't feel like sharing. But it was all ok.

Murphy Update

I'm sure you're all anxious for a Murphy update so here it is. He is growing so fast - I can't believe it. My little puppy that used to nap on my arms while I was typing just a couple months ago now weighs more than 40 pounds! He has started puppy school where he is without a doubt the top pupil in the class. Although he is doing well, he is a puppy and continues to drive us crazy. We have gone through a lot of toilet paper and soothers - he loves to eat both.

Murphy loves Bennett and every other member of the family as well as every person he meets. He also loves the trees, the grass, the couch, - I could go on and on. He is a typical golden retreiver who loves the world and sincerely believes that the whole world loves him. What a life...

Enjoy the short slide show below. I apologize in advance for my hair. Like Murphy and Bennett, I seem to have absolutely no control over it.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Canada Day!

For your viewing pleasure. Happy Canada Day!

A Murphy and Bennett update will be coming soon...