Awesome Orion Doings Without Words (Running & Pediasure Request)

Orion just did something awesome today and something completely different but equally awesome the other day (Sunday). What was the same: there wasn't a camera running to capture the moment. I didn't even try to get him to do it again, like we would ask of a performing monkey.  (I've done this before, yes, but I want to focus on letting him to know I saw it. That very one time counted, Orion! When we ask kids to repeat something we think they didn't do or so that we can capture it on video, we may not appear receptive or even bright at all to our own kids!)

Running Tuesday 

(Today) as posted on my personal Facebook wall:

"After happily meeting grandpa's best friend, crawling onto his lap for a snuggle, Orion ran down the hallway with lots of support from me but his legs were running! #DeafBlindKids #CanTheCant"

Orion's big brother and sister saw it all, and shared in the excitement as they walked quickly alongside us! Orion was laughing out loud as he ran (with me).

Orion "ran" once before with me, just once. Today was faster and a longer distance at around 15 meters (45 feet).  

He was really giggly during our visit with grandpa's friend, H, at a rehab place. I carried him to the lobby when we arrived, put him down to walk toward the friend's room. Orion, as a visitor, was just one of the people in this place practicing to walk in the hallways, among other things the rehab residents need to work on. He didn't want to walk all the way so I plucked him up again. Orion found H's wheelchair, the wheel, and H's hand and proceeded to climb up on H's lap!  Orion was just at home with H, snuggling up on him.  

While everyone else chatted with H, Orion provided ample laughter in the background as he stood or climbed up me with his feet and was flipped back down to standing position (his favorite).

Pediasure Sunday

We were sitting at the kitchen table after dinner and dessert at my parents' home in Washington state.  I had already unscrewed the cap of the Pediasure and poured it into Orion's hard-spouted sippy cup with him. He was feeling my hands on the Pediasure bottle and his sippy bottle. He put his fingers in the pouring stream and brought his fingers to his mouth to taste. This was an ordinary everyday thing for us.

Now here is the part I saw Orion's determination and exciting communication efforts:

Obviously finished with the sippy cup, he grabbed my hand and put it on the sippy cup.  I replied via tactile ASL, "Yes. Milk. Wait."

I took the sippy cup and filled it with 2% milk, since we usually just give him one bottle of Pediasure a day, and gave it back to Orion.  He took a swig, put the sippy cup down on the table, grabbed the empty Pediasure bottle that was still on the table, took my hand and put it on the Pediasure bottle!  Yes!  But just to make sure of Orion's intent, I gave him his sippy cup again. He drank it and repeated the same thing- grabbed my hand and put the Pediasure bottle in it. No mistake about that! I replied to him,"Yes, yes! Wait."

I scrambled to the garage for another unopened Pediasure bottle, emptied the sippy cup and brought it to the table. Orion and I did the hand-under-hand, "Do With, Not For" way of pouring the Pediasure into Orion's sippy cup whilst he dipped and tasted the drink as I put the lid back on. He drank it all contentedly and had no further requests for me.

More "MORE", Please!

June 10, 2012: Orion Theodore Withrow, in his own way, signed "MORE" for more cinnamon bread sticks, again and again, piece after piece.  We all saw it!  It was an incredible feeling!  For each "MORE" he signed, I signed "MORE" in response directly on his chest and gave him a piece.  (He doesn't really put his hands on ours when we sign.  That will come sooner or later.) This sign was 100% Orion-powered!  I raised my arms in victory.  The kids were excited, too!

I am not fond of Pizza Hut.  Last night we were all pooped from having a huge yard sale, it was hot, the boxes strewn around our home were annoying so we caved in and called Pizza Hut for our fine meal.  Cinnamon bread sticks were ordered, too.  Obviously Orion liked them so much he signed "MORE" after he finished each cut piece. OK, Pizza Hut, you have helped create history here for us.

I would describe his "MORE" as hands coming together almost as if to pray, getting some t-shirt in between.  The key here was to wait for him to sign it, than predicting what he wanted and giving it to him.  It's not always like this.  We need to make sure he has plenty of opportunities to try to say something.

He has from time to time signed what looked like "MILK", I would say is his first sign but it's vague.   Did he WANT milk or did he want MILK? Nothing definite like a learned movement like the sign "MORE".