Taking Responsibility

During the daily rush of helping Whitney get dressed, off to school on time and countless other things, it's easy to set aside teaching important lessons.  Melanie is better than I am about taking advantage of teaching moments.  So when I see something new it often comes as a surprise.  Even when it's been something Melanie has been working on for some time.

For example, Whitney got into some things in our basement and made a big mess that Melanie and I had to clean up.  Whit knew she had done something wrong even before cleanup was done and punishment time began.  She came over and got our attention and signed, "I'm sorry."

Now that's a small thing, I realize.  But I was so surprise and pleased.  It represents the fact that Whitney, on her own, realized she had caused a problem that Melanie and I were having to handle.  She realized that she was responsible and chose to apologize all by herself.  She's beginning to take responsibility for her actions and apologize when she does something wrong.  And she's picking it up pretty early in life, too.  I think we all encounter adults who still haven't mastered this.

I'm grateful to have a daughter who is responsible, self-aware and has such a good heart.  Maybe one day she'll learn not to make the kind of messes she sometimes does.  But in the mean time a sincere "sorry" sure makes a big difference.

School Plans and the Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations

I read a blog post recently that got me thinking about Whitney's upcoming school choices.  The post was about a special needs mom that never gave up on her son despite his paralysis and how he became a successful writer in the end.  You can give it a read here, if you'd like.  I was really inspired. In the post I read a phrase that got me thinking: "the soft bigotry of low expectations."

Is lowering expectations a form of bigotry? How often do I tell myself, "Well, Whitney will never be capable of that.  So I'll just lower what I expect of her." I hope I don't think that way very much. Maybe we do sometimes. Melanie and I know that kind of thing used to happen at Whitney's school.  Some of her previous teachers were very kind and loving but wouldn't even expect her to sit at her desk during class or participate in classroom activities.  She has disabilities.  No big deal. Let her do what she wants.  Right?  Whitney got away with a lot because she has some special needs and she's cute and smiley.

Thankfully, we've been blessed the last three years where Whitney has been in a classroom environment where she was expected to sit and listen and do her work to the best of her abilities.  We've been so thrilled with the difference it's made.  Melanie and I are constantly thanking the educators involved because it's hard work to have high expectations for children in a special ed cluster class.

But Whitney's graduating from her little class where she's done so well in recent years.  And Melanie and I worried about the soft bigotry of low expectations becoming a problem once again.  We're actually considering sending Whitney to another school where we know the expectations will be kept high.  We feel bad about taking her away from the classmates that she's learned to love at her current school.  But based on what we've been told, the classroom situation in the next age group at the same school just isn't as rigorous as we'd like.  We're not demanding tiger parents.  That's not our style at all, but we do want her to continue her current pace of growth.  So we're gearing up to go to bat with the district over a change in schools.  Melanie and I are hoping they'll understand our reasoning and be supportive.  We've got the backing of Whit's current, wonderful teacher.  So that should help a lot.

We're doing our best to keep expectations high when it comes to Whitney and we're looking for more great educators who will do the same. And we're grateful to everyone who has helped keep our hopes high at school over the years.

Fighting Awkwardness One Nose Tweak at a Time

One of our good friends who has a little boy with 1p36 Deletion Syndrome recently wrote a great post about the sometimes awkward reactions people have to children with special needs.  Please go give it a read if you'd like to get a great account of how frustrating it can be one someone ignores or avoids one of these special children.

That post was some great food for thought for me recently.  Whitney is a very social child.  She loves interacting with people and I wondered if she's ever noticed that people avoid or ignore her.  After thinking about this for a while I realized that Whitney simply will not let people ignore her.

You see, when Whitney was really little her grandparents would come over to visit and they decided that encouraging Whit to reach out and honk their noses would be a fun game.  And it was.  Whitney loved it.  Which was all fine and good when Whitney was a couple of years old.  But Whitney will be ten in January and she has adopted the nose honk/tweak as her official greeting!  And she's an equal opportunity tweaker.  She'll grab the noses of church leaders on Sunday, the principal at her school and various of the doctors and nurses she sees.

We're still trying to teach Whitney about personal space and that there's a time and a place for tweaking someone's nose.  But be warned, if you are trying to ignore my little girl or avoid her.  Because she'll probably march right up to you, grab your nose and begin to laugh her head off.  There's just no avoiding a hilarious little girl like Whit.  My advice, don't even try.

Halloween and Making Her Own Decisions

Getting ready for Halloween this year was a lot of fun for Whitney.  Melanie and I are trying to let Whitney make more decisions for herself about things these days.  So we let Whit wander the local costume shop when it came time to pick a costume.  She finally settled on an outfit she thought looked cute.  Melanie and I didn't even recognize it but she chose a Sugar Rush Racer costume from Wreck It Ralph.  And she was very happy because of how pink it was.  The other finalist from the costume shop was a My Little Pony costume.  Also, very pink.  That seems to be a consistency in her taste lately.

When Halloween came, Whitney also knew enough to be very excited about trick or treating.  She carried her own candy bucket (until it got too loaded down with candy) and even vocalized her own "trick or treat" and "thank you" at each of the neighbor's houses.

These are just little things but it's so fun to see the progress in her life.

Parenting and Worrying

I haven't posted anything in almost a month.  I don't think that's ever happened before.  Melanie and I have turned a bunch of our parenting energies from Whit to her little brother Liam lately.  Whitney is doing very well, and so is Liam for that matter.  We just have some things we're working through with regard to his behavior at school and his ability to concentrate on his classwork.

But everything going on in my children's lives got me to thinking about parenting in general.  Do we as parents ever really stop worrying?  I had the typical first time parent worries before Whitney was even born.  Then, when she arrived, Melanie and I worried that she wasn't going to make it.  Then we worried about getting her out of the hospital.  Then we worried about her seizures.  And when she got her 1p36 Deletion Syndrome diagnosis we really learned what it meant to worry.

As time has progressed and Whitney has thrived, my worries have turned to her younger brother and making sure he's reaching his potential too.  There was a point when I thought, "Having a typical child won't be nearly as worrisome as what I've gone through with Whitney."

The actual truth is that each of my children fills my heart with anxiety for their wellbeing and success.  Sometimes when I talk to Melanie on the phone on my lunch break, that's all we discuss.  So I guess, as I think this over, I've realized that life as a father will never, ever be worry free.  And that's okay.  I just need to learn to cope with concern and enjoy the moments.

Despite the challenges in my children's lives, I got to spend the evening relaxing with them yesterday.  We had dinner and finished up a bit of homework.  We had time to read some stories and Liam sang me a Halloween song he's learning in school.  We wrestled and tickled each other for a while before bed.  It was so nice!  Just doing normal fun stuff with my children helped force the longer term concerns into the background.  At least for a little while.

I guess parenting, special needs or not, will always be a challenge.  But stopping for a moment to enjoy my children seems to be a great way to keep the worries at bay.

At the Theater

We try not to let disabilities in our family keep us from getting out and enjoying life. I mentioned last time, that sometimes getting out  brings with it a certain amount of anxiety.  Other times we just know that getting out and some doing things will be a perfect hit.  That things will go well.  And that's the way things went on our outing last night.

The Hale Centre Theater holds matinee performances of their plays that are kid friendly.  The current production is Disney's Tarzan.  Whitney is a hug
e fan of the music for this show because it's percussion-heavy.  So Melanie got our family tickets.

As Whit came into the theater and took her seat, we could see she was curious about the sets and lighting.  And as the show began she started bouncing in her seat and clapping.  She recognized the music and the story right away.  Through the whole show she was captivated and excited.  She clapped and hooted.  Her favorite number was when the gorillas were trashing the camp.  I'm pretty sure I heard her trying to sing along during that scene.

After the show the cast greeted us and Whit got to say thank you to Tarzan and Jane. She was just beaming the whole time.  And I have to say, sometimes it feels so good to get out and help Whitney experience something that the "normals" get to do.  On evenings like this, her smile of joy says it all.

Bowling for Friends

Heading out into public for some family fun can cause anxiety for parents of a special needs child.  I always wonder about how those we come in contact with will react.  And will those interactions ruin a family outing.  People are generally kind but an evening is easily ruined by inconsiderate stares, pointing and questions.  But sometimes people's reactions can absolutely make your day as well.

Melanie and I decided to take the kids bowling for a family activity this week.  I met them after work at a local bowling alley and we proceeded to get our shoes, bowling balls together and head to our lane.  We were pretty early and I was relieved to see that the lanes around us were empty.  Whitney would be free to wander a bit and be herself without getting in the way of someone else's game.

But as we bowled and the night went on, the place filled up.  A family was given the lane next to us.  As they got set up, I could see they were out for a family night as well.  Whitney was instantly in their faces waving hello and trying to honk their noses.  Whitney just loves people.  I explained Whit's disabilities to them and apologized.  But they were kind and said they completely understood.  They had a nephew with autism.

That short interaction would have led to a fine conclusion as we got back to our bowling, but the members of this kind family reached out to my kids.  Anytime Whitney, Liam or Avery finished their turn, this nice family gave them a high five or "knuckles" and cheered for them.  Before I knew it, Whitney and Avery were sitting on the adult daughter, Missy's lap and talking.  Missy complimented Whit and Avery on their cute clothes and hair.  The girls were just beaming.  Melanie and I were able to relax more than we had in a while and enjoy the evening.  This kind family even shared a few nachos with Liam.

When we had finished our last game, I shook the other father's hand and thanked him for his family's kindness.   To them it was no big deal, but this family made our day.  Those without someone in the family who is "different" will likely never know the apprehension that sometimes comes with going public places.  Will people stare?  Will they point or just ignore us?  We've come in contact with so many over the years who are kind and accepting.  And some who even go the extra mile.  I give thanks for that!

Summertime Progress

Whitney is out of school for the summer and getting into new kinds of trouble.  Melanie and I are usually pretty prepared for most things.  It's when she's doing new things and progressing that she sometimes gives us mischievous surprises.

The first of these has been taking showers.  Not the kind where we help get the water ready and help her get clean.  I'm talking about the kind where Whitney sneaks into the bathroom when we're not looking and turns the shower on herself while she's fully clothed.  She's done this a couple times in the last few weeks.  And by the time Melanie can get to her, Whit is usually soaking wet and smiling about what she's accomplished.  I don't think we mind the interest in showers too much, but it'd be nice if she could learn to take her clothes off first.

But there's progress on that front too.  Melanie has been working with Whit to teach her to take off her clothes at bedtime.  She's made the most progress with her shirt.  We know this because Whitney has taken to running around the house topless.  I'll be sitting someplace reading and she'll wander by with no shirt, sporting a proud smile.  Melanie finally got fed up one day and told her to go find her shirt and put it back on.  To Mel's surprise Whitney disappeared and returned a few minutes later wearing her shirt again.  She'd followed instructions, found her shirt and put it back on all by herself.  Mel says she kind of teared up for a moment just thinking about the accomplishment.  Special needs parents are so good at savoring the small victories.  Who cares if her shirt ended up inside out and backwards?

Motivating Mommy

Things have been pretty quiet for us the last few weeks.  Whitney had a follow up appointment with the endocrinologist to make sure things were balanced out and looking good.  The tests all came back normal, which is always nice to hear.

She is getting closer to wrapping up her school year which means field trips.  I got to join in the fun as her class visited the zoo earlier this week.  The class went to a nearby fire station yesterday.  And she also had a great time at her annual special ed field day.

Speaking of exercise, Melanie is training to run a 10k race coming up in July and Whitney has decided to help her out.  Mel always runs with some music in a playlist on her phone for motivation.  You've got to have some fast paced music to make it up the hills near where we live.  And we all know how much Whitney loves stealing people's phones and playing music.  She's also getting very sneaky about it.

So Melanie was out for a training run this past week and had her running mix on.  When all of the sudden Dr. Jean and Friends starts blasting in her headphones.  Melanie furiously hit the skip next button and kept running.  Only to find Christmas music!  Turns out our sneaky little music lover thought Melanie's workout mix could use an infusion of early childhood development songs and some Christmas favorites, so she added them to the playlist on Mel's phone.  Intentional or not, it looks like Whitney is turning into quite the little prankster.

Fridge Lock and Other Helpful Special Needs Gear

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions on how to secure our fridge against our snacking young lady.  Melanie ordered this simple adhesive fridge lock on Amazon.  It installed easily and so far it's done a great job of stopping Whitney the fridge raider.  It's a bit of an inconvenience, but having to unlatch it each time I get in the fridge is easier than cleaning up the mess of having the fridge unlocked.

Whitney has also graduated from a full car seat with a five point harness.  She now rides in style in a pink Disney Princess booster and she really loves it.  But immediately we realized that it's far to easy for her to reach down and push the button that undoes her seatbelt.  And since she rides in the back seat of our minivan, we can get back there and quickly buckle it again.  Luckily Melanie found these simple seat belt locks to keep Whitney buckled up while we're on the road.

As we go forward, I'm sure we'll find other interesting situations we'll need to be prepared for.  But I'm grateful for the special needs parents who have gone before.  And thankfully, they have created the demand for interesting products to help keep Whitney safe and sound.

Christmas Break and Loved Ones

Things have been quiet here for a bit.  Our family had a nice break for Christmas time.  In our family's tradition, that means lots of time at home together with loved ones.  I think Whitney is enjoying Christmas more as she gets older.  She's always been one to relate well with adults, sometimes better than children closer to her own age.  Melanie and I think it's because adults understand her signs and gestures better.

Whitney also picks out special adults that she likes to spend the most time with.  You'll know if you're one of those people because Whitney simply won't leave you alone when you're around.  If you come over to our place, Whitney will probably plop down on your lap and make herself comfortable.

In our family, Whitney's Uncle Alan is one of her top picks.  Any time Alan and his family come over, we can always find Whitney tickling him and sitting on his lap.  Uncle Alan is a good sport about it as well.  We're not sure why Whitney picks certain adults to relate so much more to than others, but it's fun for us to watch her form those bonds.  And many thanks to Whitney's many loved ones for being patient about her sometimes smothering love.

Doctors have told many parents when their children are diagnosed with 1p36 Deletion Syndrome that they'll never really be social or interact much with others.  I suppose it depends on how you define interaction.  But if you count big hugs and tickles, Whitney is doing just fine with social things.

Parent Teacher Conference

Yesterday evening was the first official parent teacher conference of the new school year for Whitney.  Whitney's adjustment to a new teacher and classroom was something Melanie and I had been really worried about.  Whit's teacher runs a very structured classroom and expects a lot of our little girl.  And at first that was tough for her.  In fact early on, she had a major tantrum in the classroom.  Since then, they've been focusing on citizenship in the classroom and Whitney's been responding well.  And that has paved the way for a lot of things.

First off, she is using Proloquo2Go and an iPad for almost all communication in the classroom now.  She can run it well and say pretty much anything she needs to.  She still has an interpreter in class and that still helps Whitney to listen and understand what's going on around her.

As far as behavior, she has gone through a transformation.  Whit doesn't like to do fine motor exercises like writing and coloring.  But where she could get out of those tasks last year by throwing a fit, this year she knows she's expected to get her work done.  So with hand over hand help she'll write her name and color her pictures.  She no longer throws fits and she's even stopped hitting her head in frustration.  I wish we could be that successful at home!

Whitney can also count all the days in the month on a calendar and read the sentences in her school reading books.  And they're going to start working on addition and subtraction soon.  Whitney's favorite part of the day is morning yoga where laughingly invites her therapists and interpreters to join in the fun.

Whitney's teacher is serious about expecting the same thing from her special ed 3rd graders that typical 3rd graders can do.  That may seem harsh to some, because there are things that are certainly more challenging to Whitney.  But it's working!  And it's so exciting to see Whitney begin to meet these higher expectations and realize more about her potential.

A Trip to the Ballet

The special ed kids at Whitney's school have an annual tradition of attending a dress rehearsal of The Nutcracker presented by the Capitol Theatre.  The children get all dressed up and ride together on the school bus.  And, due to seating limitations, no parents are allowed to come with to help out.  Luckily Whitney's teacher was excited to tell us all about it.

Whitney was very well behaved and watched the ballet intently.  She laughed and clapped.  And afterward Whitney was trying to sing the songs.  She really liked the music.  When the kids got back to class, there was a bit of free time before the bus to go home.  So Whitney sang and twirled around the classroom as if she were a ballerina until it was time to leave.  It was an exciting day for our little lady and I'm grateful her school provides her opportunities to get out and enjoy the arts.

On Loose Teeth and Tooth Pulling

It's been a bit, but I thought it would be fun to answer some reader questions today.  Jaci asks "my son is 6 and has down syndrome...I noticed yesterday that he has his first loose tooth. Any helpful tips to not scar him by holding him down and yanking on his tooth? Or tips for him to not swallow it? We are looking for a good book to read to him about losing teeth and hope that will help. He's also our oldest child so we haven't ever dealt with this before at all! Thanks in advance"

Great questions, Jaci.  When we started noticing that Whit had a loose tooth, we taught her to wiggle it for herself.  She would wiggle it with her tongue or with her fingers.  This helped Whitney to see that it didn't hurt to have a loose tooth and that it was something normal.  It also helped the tooth get ready to come out.  

To avoid having to pin your son down, I'd keep an eye on how loose the tooth is getting.  When it seems like it'll come out without too much pulling, I'd distract him with a story book or favorite TV show and attempt to tug it out.  It's tough to gauge how ready that tooth is though.  Once, Melanie and I waited too long and Whitney lost the tooth during the night, likely swallowing it.  And another time we had to pull hard enough that Whit was pretty upset by the time it came out.  Another time I think she just wiggled her own tooth out.

Talking about how the tooth fairy will come to bring some money or a treat may help to help build anticipation and distract from fears too.  Melanie and I didn't really read a book with Whitney about the whole process.  But that's a great idea.  Amazon has tons of children's books on the topic featuring Clifford, Arthur or the Berenstain Bears, among others.

I hope that helps a bit.  Changes can be tough for our special needs kids.  But as parents, we can try to help ease them through.  And Whitney now thinks it's hilarious to smile in the mirror and show off the gaps in her mouth.  Pretty funny stuff.  Good luck!

Got a question about our adventures with Whitney?  Leave a comment or send me an email.  I always love hearing from everyone.  And thanks for reading!

She Knows What She Likes

Whitney is very clever when it comes to getting what she wants.  She knows what she likes and you can see her thinking out the process to get it.  Once example of this determination is playing music on her iPhone.  

Whitney has some favorite bands and albums that she listens to over and over.  But she can't read the names of the bands or albums on the phone's screen.  She's found a way around that though.  She's memorized the album cover art for the music she loves best.  When it's time to listen to something, she turns her phone on its side.  When she does this, she knows that the Music app shows a cascading row of album art that you can flick through.  Whit's a huge country fan, so she flicks through the art until she gets to her favorite album by Sugarland and can begin to play it.  She's also memorized the order of the tracks so she can get to her very favorite song on the first try every time.  This makes for a very happy music listener and many, many plays of the song Mean Girls in our home every day.

To reduce the monotony, I've tried to introduce new songs and artists.  Last night, I had her listen to Stevie Wonder's Superstition.  I figured it had a fun beat she'd like.  But Whit shot me a glance just after the intro, turned her phone on its side and flicked back to her Sugarland albums.  I guess you can't blame me for trying.  This girl definitely knows what she likes.  And she's learning how to get it.

School Adjustments

Sorry, I've been quiet so long.  There are more regular updates to come.  Whitney has had a tough fall getting back to school.  She's in a new classroom with a new teacher.  And her sign language interpreter, who was with her for the last several years helping her understand what was said in the classroom, suddenly moved out of state just after the start of the school year.  So poor Whit has been doing the best she can to adjust to a new environment, new teacher and a new interpreter in order to keep up on what's going on at school.

The result hasn't been terrific.  About a month ago she began getting agitated in the classroom and having some pretty serious fits.  One day we got a note home that she had lost her temper and thrown a chair.  No one was hurt but Melanie and I were worried.

Melanie has been in contact with Whitney's teacher and they've been trying to coordinate things better in order to help Whit feel at ease and understand more of what's going on around her.  Melanie is also going to start volunteering in the classroom weekly.  Hopefully, a familiar face will also help her relax and be willing to participate and learn.

The biggest help in fighting classroom issues has been a daily report home.  It's just a small note with an update on Whitney's behavior for the day.  The teacher explains how important it is to Whitney and Melanie praises Whitney like crazy when she comes home with a good report.  Things have improved so much in the last month that Whitney now proudly comes home holding a note saying that she had an outstanding day.

I'm hoping this is a sign that the adjustment period to all of the new people and classroom is finally over.  It takes Whit a bit longer to settle in than a typical child.  But we know that she really does love getting out of the house and going to school.  And we hope that the love she has will continue for many years to come.

Bigger Girl, Bigger Mischief

Whitney is really growing up fast.  As I re-read old posts here, I can't believe the wonderful progress she's made over the years.  She's able to do so much more for herself now.  The only trouble is she's also able to do all kinds of new things she's not supposed to.  You'll remember my post about Whitney the early morning photographer a couple of weeks back.  That was just the beginning.

The other evening I went downstairs to find out that Whitney can now open the child locks we use to lock up videos, cables and other TV equipment in our entertainment center.  She'd pulled various cables and manuals out and was just finishing chewing the cover off the documentation for one of Liam's video games.

Another day I was cleaning around the house and things seemed a bit too quiet.  When I looked around Whitney wasn't anywhere in the house.  Just as I got ready to be concerned, I found the door out to the garage was open.  When I looked out Whitney was proudly standing beside our van holding the handle on the passenger side door.  She managed to pull it open all by herself and let her little sister Avery inside.  Avery was equally proud as she sat behind the wheel of the van pretending to steer.

Then yesterday on her way home from school Whit decided to show her bus driver just how proficient she is getting at undressing herself.  By the time the bus pulled up out front, Whitney had managed to take her shirt completely off.  We've gotten to know the bus driver well and he wasn't concerned, but we did all get a pretty good laugh out of it.

So as Whitney learns to do so many new things life is certainly going to get more interesting.  We've got a new, Whitney-proof lock on the door out to our garage and we're watching her more closely when she's in the family room, but I'm just wondering what she'll decide to do next.

Morning Mischief

Whitney is a notoriously early riser.  Over the years she's caused the appearance of more than a few dark circles under my eyes due to her morning habits.    Sometimes she'll get up before any of the rest of us and quietly look for something to do.  This can lead to no good.  So Melanie does her best to listen for any sign of noise from Whitney's room.

One day last week I was getting ready for work well before first light.  Melanie thought she heard Whitney getting up and since I was up, she asked me to go take a look.  As I walked softly down the hall in the dark, I didn't hear any movement from Whit's room.  But all of the sudden I saw a flash of light up ahead.  When I got to the end of the hallway, I looked out the window to see what had made the flash.  I assumed there was a police car or some other emergency vehicle out on the street in our neighborhood.  When I looked, everything was dark and peaceful.

Just then there was another flash of light.  It came from behind me, inside Whitney's room.  So I slowly opened the door and peaked in.  In the darkness, I could just make out Whitney in the covers of her bed.  She was happily taking pictures with our digital camera.  She giggled, pressed the button and the flash went off again.

My guess is that Whitney woke up well before anyone else and went looking for something to do.  On the kitchen counter she found her phone, which she knows she's not allowed to use in the morning before school, and the camera, which also has a screen and looks pretty fun to play with.  She grabbed it and headed back to room to play with her new toy.  She quietly closed her door and climbed into bed and began to take pictures.  I'm not sure how long she played with the camera, but there were about 100 pictures on the memory card when I looked.  Most were blurry shots of her knees.  So she had been playing for a while.

Whitney and I both had a good laugh as we looked at the pictures and then it was time to get ready for school. She's getting sneaky enough in the morning that I can't wait to see what she decides to do next while the rest of the family is sleeping.

Public Service Announcement

Chances are when you meet my daughter, she'll have her phone in her hands.  She loves that thing and would play with it all day if we let her.  It's not just a communication device for her, but also a way to pass the time.  When the battery runs dry (which happens less now, thankfully) watch out!  Whitney doesn't throw a fit.  Instead she goes on the hunt.  You can see it in her eyes.
"Who is at my house and where is their phone? Can I reach mom's on top of the stereo?  Or maybe I can find one hidden in a visitor's purse."

A couple of times when Melanie has been busy with the other kids at church, Whitney has fished Melanie's phone out of her purse and put on loud music to listen to.  That's been fun.

Other times she'll see someone texting on their phone and sit down beside them to watch.  Sometimes the person will ask if Whit wants to see the phone and she'll nod excitedly.  This is a very kind gesture, until it's time to go.  Then separating my daughter from the other person's phone can become a bit of an issue.

Ever the problem solver, my sweet wife took to crafting a solution for this last problem.  You can see it above in the photo.  Whit is now the proud owner of a custom t-shirt that says "Warning: Do not give me your phone! You may not get it back!"  Mostly it's for fun.  But when you meet Whitney and she asks for your phone, give her a hug instead.  Or you'll suffer the consequences.  You have been warned! ;-)

Scared of the Dark

The other night as Melanie and I were getting the kids ready for bed, Whitney started whimpering.  It wasn't like she was throwing a tantrum or screaming.  This was different.  She just got teary-eyed and started sobbing quietly as we were tucking her in for the night.  Melanie and I were worried and tried to ask her what was wrong.  This is tricky because Whitney has a habit of pointing to her ears even when they're not infected.  Or she'll often respond with the sign for dog, just because.

Luckily, Melanie was persistent in her questioning.  Finally, Whitney pointed to the window in her room and I think we understood.  There have been several nights recently when the wind has whistled around our house and rattled the windows.  We think this has scared Whitney and made her a little bit afraid of the dark.

Melanie kindly explained that no one is going to hurt her and that nothing is outside of her window.  Melanie even pulled the curtains aside so Whit could see.  She seemed a little more confident after that and settled in for the night.  We were grateful, that although communication with Whitney is sometimes difficult, we are able to understand our daughter's fears and help her to be comforted when she needs it.