Gideon is 2!

Gideon is 2. I can’t even believe that 2 yrs. have already passed.

He is the son we always prayed we would have. He makes us proud every day.

For record-keeping purposes (which this blog basically is) I’ll jot down some Gideon Fun Facts. (I pulled this form from a site that I think is for entering preschool/kindergarten.)

Gideon’s Strengths:

He’s outgoing and personable. He smiles at everyone and makes them happy. Crazy senses of humor run in the family (on both sides) and he’s got one, in spades!

Learning Style:

I think Gideon is going to end up being more like JR than I first suspected in regards to learning. If we are “playing” and he picks up on numbers, colors, or letters, that’s fine… but if he thinks he’s “learning” something, then he resists. My hope is to get him used to times of structured learning with me so that he isn’t a pain (like JR was) when he goes to school.

Socialization:

Who wants to stay at home when he can be out and about with people??? Not Gideon. This kid LOVES to be with people. He was amazing at our 2 garage sales. He greeted everyone and even showed the kids that were stopping by how to play with some of his toys we were selling.

Gideon never meets a stranger. And he has no idea that he’s not a teenager or whatever other group is attracting his attention.

Communication:

While I still have to interpret about 40% of his communication with the outside world, I can tell what he’s talking about 90% of the time. He talks constantly, so we’re getting a lot communicated. J

Recent Changes In Gideon’s Life:

Naomi is the biggest change in Gideon’s life so far and he is amazing. He loves her and takes care of her. He teaches her about cars and God. He brings her things: burp cloths, bottles, cars, Bibles, blankets…

I knew that he’d be a good big brother. I just didn’t know he’d be a great big brother.

Some activities he really enjoys are:

-Playing Cars

-Watching: “Cars”, “Bigfoot Presents Meteor and the Monster Truck Friends”, “Sesame Street”, “Nemo”, and “Curious George”

-Praying

-Reading the Bible

-Reading any book

-Playing Cars

-Talking about Cars and Trucks

-Playing with friends

-Wrestling with Daddy

-Playing with Cars

The things that interest Gideon are:

-Cars

-The Bible

-Anything Daddy is doing

Gideon’s favorite ways to be recognized for doing well are:

Gideon thrives on verbal affirmation. Clapping and saying “Yea!” go a long way with this kid.

His fears are:

-Being left out of the fun

-that he’s done “something wrong”

Gideon usually has warning signs that occur prior to getting upset, they are:

-changes in breathing

-getting rougher with his toys

-saying the same thing over and over

The best ways to calm or comfort him when he’s afraid or upset are:

-speak calmly

-talk him through the situation

-be tender with him

Gideon’s Self Care:

Dressing: Working on skills (he put his shorts on backwards the other day)

Toileting: Working on skills (We are not even attempting to potty-train until we get back from Searcy in July. However, G will ask to sit on the toilet and will successfully use the toilet at least once a day for several days in a row. He’s working on it on his own.) J

Eating: _ Independent _ G pretty much insists on using his fork now. (even if it’s finger-food) He’s getting really good at eating. When we move into the house at the end of June, he’s moving out of his high-chair and into a booster seat. (plus, Naomi will need the high-chair)

Some other important information you should know about Gideon is that:

-He is drawn to music. (Classic Rock is his favorite)

-He is gentle.

-He doesn’t like to stay in bed when he knows that Momma and Daddy are so much fun.

-He doesn’t hit back when a kid hits him.

-He's a wonder on his t-ball T. He hits "nothin' but ball". It's a shame we have to wait 2 more years to sign him up to play.

-He loves to share.

-Gideon is AWESOME!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GIDEON!!! You rock our faces off.