Terrible Two's already?

How could you tell him off with a face like that?

Look where I found him
sitting today!

Somebody must have told Felix that he turns 2 in September. I can see the 'terrible two's' quickly sneaking up on us. Felix is starting to test the boundaries of what he is and isn't allowed to do and eagerly awaits our reaction to his latest trick. Today he was sitting in his high chair at lunch time with his cup in front of him. I was in the kitchen (right next to his high chair) preparing his food. He looked at me while he held his cup out over the edge of the high chair. I said, "Don't you throw that on the floor". He smiled at me and then dropped it. The cup hit the floor and the lid came off spilling his juice everywhere. When I gave him his lunch, I gave him a different cup with a screw top (hoping the lid would stay on if he threw it again). What did Felix do? Exactly the same thing. A smile and then he dropped the cup again. Unfortunately for me, the lid still came off the second cup, so I had to clean up a second lot of juice. Felix looked quite pleased with himself.

Kindergym Fun

It still boggles my mind that when we received Felix's diagnosis, the Doctor who 'counselled' us gave us the impression that Felix wouldn't be much more than a shell of a person, incapable of much at all. I would love to take Felix to see that Doctor now!  Here is Felix; an adorable, cheeky, clever, mischievous and sometimes quite manipulative toddler, the same as all the other kids his age. He isn't as advanced in his speech or his dexterity, but he's got it all going on upstairs!! People with Down Syndrome don't get enough credit for their ability to understand what's going on around them. Just because it sometimes takes a little longer to process information, it doesn't mean they don't get it. Felix knew exactly what he was doing today. He knew even before he did it that he would get a reaction if he dropped his cup on the floor.

Felix kept me so busy today. He managed to climb onto the top of the coffee table and was turning his brother's Xbox on and off, quite enjoying the beeping noise it made. He also found the remote for their TV and turned that on. He pulled everything out of one of the drawers in the kitchen while I was getting dinner and opened one of the cupboards because the child lock hadn't been put back on properly. He moves so quickly these days that I have to have eyes in the back of my head to make sure he's not getting into things he shouldn't.

Playtime

Yesterday we went to Kindergym for the second time. Felix absolutely loves it. He was a bit more confident this time and wandered away from me more than he did the first time. Kindergym is the perfect place for him to practice standing because of the nice, soft floor. He thinks it's hilarious when he stands for a few seconds because everyone around him claps and gets really excited so he does it over and over again, laughing his head off. He loves being in the spotlight! I'd love to see him interacting more with the other kids his age. He seems a little bit frightened by other little ones, especially if they squeal or rush towards him quickly. He is much more comfortable if he is the one that approaches them. Hopefully over time, in the noisy Kindergym environment, he will get used to it and grow to enjoy hanging out with the other kids.

I am looking forward to this new phase in Felix's life. Although he is starting to challenge us a bit with his boundaries, it is exciting to see. It confirms to me just how clever he really is and how much he comprehends. He is learning to follow instructions and to work out for himself what behaviours make Mummy and Daddy happy, and which ones don't. He never ceases to amaze us.....